Month: May 2022

UG treasury again accepting online property tax payments

Motor vehicle operations also running again in wake of cyberattack

The Unified Government has restored online services for some Treasury Department services, according to a news release on Monday.

Residents can now pay their property taxes before the May 10 property tax deadline, according to the UG news release. Service was restored on April 30 for online property tax payments, a spokesman stated in the release.

The UG’s treasury department now has been restored to full operations, the release stated.

Last week, the Kansas Department of Revenue restored UG access to Kansas Department of Revenue systems after a cyberattack against the UG on the weekend of April 16-17.

Last week, UG treasury staff members were able to process backlogged transactions and start taking appointments last Friday, a spokesman stated.

The UG treasury department now has the ability to take appointments for new vehicle title registration services, according to a spokesman. Because of an increased number of submitted online renewals, treasury staff are alerting customers that the processing time may take up to 48 hours, rather than 24 hours that it usually takes. More treasury department information is at wycokck.org/treasury.

More information released on cybersecurity attack on UG

Mayor Tyrone Garner held a news conference on Friday with updates about the cybersecurity attack on the Unified Government.

The UG website was hit by a cybersecurity attack on April 16-17 over a holiday weekend, affecting operations at several departments.

The FBI was called in the day it was discovered to investigate the cyberattack, according to the mayor’s news conference, along with local authorities. The UG is fully cooperating with authorities, he said.

Mayor Garner said at the news conference Friday that the rapid response of the Department of Technology Services quickly contained the cyberattack. The UG felt the impact of the cyberattack but has avoided the worst case outcomes that could have been realized, he said. There have been no further attacks since that holiday weekend.

“But the work is still in progress to restore services to the level the community has come to expect,” he said.

Police, fire and dispatch services were never affected, he said.

The situation was still fluid on Friday and the UG was continuing to assess the scope of the attack, he said, and they continued to take measures to mitigate impacts on the UG and the services it provides residents.

Cheryl Harrison-Lee, interim county administrator, said at the Friday news conference that motor vehicle services that were temporarily suspended by the state had been restored. Also restored were some state health services, she said.

Most UG departments maintained normal operations, but a few had to have systems rebuilt, according to Harrison-Lee.

It is a top priority to restore services and keep residents’ data safe, she said.

Both Garner and Harrison-Lee complimented the work of UG staff who have been striving to contain the attack and identify impacts to the UG.

According to the UG’s website information on Monday, the scheduled delinquent property tax sale was delayed and a new date for it will be announced in the future.

Updates about other UG services affected by the cyberattack are at https://www.wycokck.org/Engage-With-Us/News-articles/UG-Cybersecurity-Attack.

No rain today, forecast says, but showers return Wednesday and Thursday

Today’s weather will be cloudy and dry, followed by chances of rain Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. (National Weather Service graphic)
A total of from 1.5 to 2 inches of rain is possible in Wyandotte County from Wednesday through Friday, according to the National Weather Service. (National Weather Service graphic)

The weather will take a break from the rain today, with a cloudy, breezy and cool day forecast for Tuesday.

According to the National Weather Service, rain will return on Wednesday, with heavy rain possible Wednesday and Thursday nights. An addition 1 to 2 inches of rain are possible.

The moderate to heavy rains mean that there could be river and creek flooding in the region, the weather service said.

Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service and USGS hydrology charts are not showing flooding in Wyandotte County, and are well below flooding levels.

Sunny skies and highs in the 70s will return for Saturday and the weekend, according to the forecast. Temperatures could reach the 80s on Sunday.

Today, it will be cloudy, with a high near 57, the weather service said. A north northwest wind of 9 to 13 mph will gust as high as 23 mph.

Tonight, it will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 47, and an east wind of 5 to 7 mph, according to the weather service.

Wednesday, there is a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m., with a high near 62, the weather service said. An east wind of 7 to 11 mph will gust as high as 23 mph. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is possible.

Wednesday night, there is a 90 percent chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm, according to the National Weather Service. The low will be around 56 with an east wind of 6 to 10 mph, gusting as high as 20 mph. Between a half and three-quarters of an inch of rain are possible.

Thursday, there is a 90 percent chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm, with a high near 68, the weather service said. An east southeast wind of 6 to 10 mph will gust as high as 20 mph. Between a quarter and half-inch of rain is possible.

Thursday night, there is an 80 percent chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm, with a low of 53, according to the weather service. Between a quarter and a half-inch of rain is possible.

Friday, there is a 40 percent chance of showers, with a high near 66, the weather service said.

Friday night, it will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 52, according to the weather service.

Saturday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 73, the weather service said.

Saturday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 58, according to the weather service.

Sunday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 82, the weather service said.

Sunday night, there is a 30 percent chance of showers, with a low of 65, according to the weather service.

Monday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 84, the weather service said.

Homicide on North 73rd Terrace under investigation

Detectives are currently investigating a homicide that occurred around 6:04 p.m. Monday, May 2, in the 1900 block of North 73rd Terrace, according to a police spokesman.

Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department officers were dispatched to the area on a shooting, the spokesman stated.

When the officers arrived, they found an adult male, outside the complex, deceased from an apparent gunshot wound, according to the spokesman.

The incident is under investigation by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department’s Major Case Unit, the spokesman stated.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Crime Stoppers TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS, according to the spokesman. All tips remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward, the spokesman stated.