Month: June 2017

Rosedale ‘university town plan’ meeting scheduled Monday evening

The Rosedale University Town Plan meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Monday, June 26, at 1401 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Kansas.

The community is invited to come out and help, and talk about the university town plan concept, said the communications coordinator for the Rosedale Development Association.

The Rosedale Development Association and the Unified Government Planning Department are holding the meeting to discuss the University Town Plan.

This plan is part of the Rosedale master plan that was recently adopted. There are some differences from the original master plan. The recently adopted master plan recommends a university town district near the University of Kansas Hospital and Medical Center.

Improving Fisher Park, transit access, walking and bike trails, and potentially a community center or library are among the items that are mentioned, according to the RDA. Housing also may be discussed.

Community engagement in Rosedale has improved since the Rosedale Development Association has taken a community survey, according to the RDA.

“We’re definitely excited,” said Andrea Steere, Rosedale Development Association’s communications and program coordinator. “We love the opportunity to continue to talk with the community about development, the look and feel of the community.”

Brownback signs Kansas budget, blasts spending levels

by Stephen Koranda, Kansas News Service

Gov. Sam Brownback denounced the level of spending in the Kansas budget, but he still chose to sign the bill into law over the weekend.

“I am signing the budget, despite my concerns about excessive spending, to avoid a break in core functions of government and to provide state workers with well-deserved pay increases,” said Brownback in a statement Sunday afternoon.

Brownback did choose to use his line-item veto power to strike down two parts of the bill. His vetoes do not reduce overall spending in the two-year budget.

The timing of his vetoes gave lawmakers interested in an override little time to organize before the ceremonial end of the session Monday.

Brownback nixed part of the budget aimed at blocking his administration from consolidating or modifying Medicaid services for Kansans with disabilities. Brownback called that provision overly broad but said his administration wouldn’t attempt changes “without meaningful engagement with stakeholders and approval from the Legislature.”

Sean Gatewood, with the KanCare Advocates Network, said it makes sense for lawmakers to have oversight because of the large amount of money spent on Medicaid. He’s pushing for an override of that veto.

“It’s important for the Legislature to have some say on what exactly the program looks like, and that’s why that proviso was included,” Gatewood said.

Brownback also vetoed provisions of the budget related to the money that would have been generated from the sale of lottery tickets in vending machines. That’s because he vetoed the bill creating lottery ticket vending machines earlier this month.

The spending plan includes pay increases ranging from 2.5 to 5 percent for many state employees, plus raises targeting workers in the judicial branch. Some state workers haven’t had a pay increase for nearly a decade.

Brownback and lawmakers struggled to balance the budget this year in the face of a deficit and a court ruling that said the state wasn’t adequately funding schools. Lawmakers eventually decided to increase taxes by rolling back many of the 2012 tax cuts. To do that, they overrode a veto from Brownback earlier this month.

After Monday’s ceremonial last day, known as sine die, the 2017 legislative session will clock in at 114 days. That will tie the 2015 session for the longest in state history.

Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio, a partner in the Kansas News Service.
See more at http://kcur.org/post/brownback-signs-kansas-budget-blasts-spending-levels

Showers, storms return today

National Weather Service graphic

Today’s forecast contains a 30 percent chance of showers and storms, according to the National Weather Service.

No severe weather is expected today, the weather service said. There may be a chance of showers and storms in the morning and after 10 a.m. today.

Today’s high will be near 76 with a south southwest wind of 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the afternoon, according to the weather service.

Wednesday through the end of the week, there may be on-and-off storms, the weather service said. There is a potential of severe weather, hail and damaging winds with heavy rain, from Wednesday through the end of the week.

Tonight, there is a 20 percent chance of showers before 10 p.m., according to the weather service, with a low of 58. A calm wind will become east northeast around 5 mph after midnight.

Tuesday, it will be sunny with a high near 82, and a south southeast wind of 3 to 8 mph, the weather service said.

Tuesday night, it will be partly cloudy with a low of 69, according to the weather service, and a south southeast wind of around 8 mph.

Wednesday, there will be a 40 percent chance of showers and storms, with a high of 87, the weather service said. A south wind of 9 to 17 mph will gust as high as 30 mph.

Wednesday night, there is a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a low of 71, according to the weather service. Between a tenth and quarter of an inch of rain is possible.

Thursday, there is a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 86.

Thursday night, expect a 70 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a low of 70, according to the weather service.

Friday, there will be a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 85.

Friday night, it will be mostly cloudy with a low of 67, according to the weather service.

Saturday, it will be partly sunny with a high near 84, the weather service said.

Saturday night, expect a low of 67, according to the weather service.