Category: Communities

Police schedule community Peace Walk on Saturday

A Peace Walk has been scheduled at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 26, at 5th and Washington.


Members of the Kansas City, Kansas, community are invited to walk side-by-side with police officers Saturday in support of the effort to unite police and residents in crime reduction initiatives.

The walk will head north to 5th and Parallel, and will end at Mt. Zion Baptist Church.

“A strong police and community relationship is essential to reducing crime,” Kansas City, Kansas, Police Chief Karl Oakman said. “The community Peace Walk with KCK Police is a positive way to kick off our spring and summer crime reduction initiatives.”

Chief Oakman plans to announce a number of new department initiatives designed to build stronger community T.I.E.S. (Transparency/Integrity/Engagement/Safety) and in doing so help reduce crime such as the establishment of a Junior Police Academy, Summer Cadet Program and data-driven, quarterly violence-reduction action plans, according to a spokesman.

The department is focusing on positive community engagement programs, crime-reduction initiatives and working with the community to implement best practices in police reform.

Master Gardeners offer class on climate change

The Wyandotte County Extension Master Gardeners are holding “Climate Change and You” at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, April 7, via Zoom.

The presenter, Frank Reilly, is an environmental scientist and principal in the Reilly Group, a senior consultant for Logistics Management Institute, and is a certified Master Gardener in Stafford County, Virginia. In the past 10 years he has focused on climate change impact prediction and assessment.

His presentation does not deal with the politics of climate change, but rather with specific advice gardeners can use to prepare themselves, their yards and their community for dealing with changing weather patterns.

Participants will learn how to think about plant choices that are sustainable in the landscape and benefit their home landscape. They will also learn how to plan for changes that can increase storm damage and storm debris; for shifts in temperature that may bring release of new pests and diseases, and for changes in the amounts and timing of precipitation.

Reilly previously presented this talk at the 2021 International Master Gardener Conference, and has adapted it to address specific concerns of those in the middle of the USA.

There is no fee to participate in this class; however, pre-registration is required to obtain the link to the Zoom presentation. Registration is at https://tinyurl.com/climatechangewyco

Atmos natural gas bills to be going up

As much as $5.19 more a month could be charged

Atmos Energy natural gas bills will be increasing to pay for last February’s high natural gas costs, according to an announcement today from the Kansas Corporation Commission.

The KCC approved a settlement agreement for Atmos to recover $102 million in costs incurred during the February 2021 winter storm.

The KCC estimated that residential customers would see an increase of from $3.75 to $5.19 a month based on a 10-year or 15-year term, according to a KCC news release, although the exact amount of the increase was not yet available.

Parts of Wyandotte County are served by Atmos, while other parts of the county are served by the Kansas Gas Service Co. The KCC also approved a settlement agreement for these higher winter February 2021 costs for Kansas Gas Service Co. in February. A news release stated Kansas Gas Service residential customers may pay an estimated $5 to $7 more a month over a period of five to 10 years.

The KCC stated that under the terms of the settlement, Atmos will apply for Securitized Utility Tariff Bonds to obtain the most favorable financing to reduce costs to ratepayers. The 2021 Kansas Legislature passed the Utility Financing and Securitization Act, which allows utilities to use securitized bonds to pay for extraordinary costs at more favorable terms than traditional financing. The KCC will review the Atmos plan to ensure the lowest possible bond costs will be passed on to customers, according to the news release. The application and review process could take six to eight months.

If ratepayers had been asked to repay the charges over a one-year time period, the cost would have been an additional $47.40 per month, according to the KCC.

The KCC stated it was in the public interest for Atmos to incur the extraordinary costs to ensure the integrity of the gas system and ensure continuous service to its customers.

“A lesser response could have resulted in catastrophic property damage and serious public safety implications, including potential loss of life. When extraordinary costs are unavoidable and necessary to benefit the public, it is in the public interest to allow recovery of such costs,” a KCC spokesman stated.

Today’s order also stated that any proceeds received by Atmos from ongoing federal or state investigations into market manipulation, price gouging or civil suits will be passed on to customers.

Atmos Energy delivers natural gas to about 135,000 Kansas customers.

The KCC order for Atmos can be viewed at https://estar.kcc.ks.gov/estar/ViewFile.aspx/20220324102715.pdf?Id=a5b88cfd-87b2-4f84-8f1a-1753cf72b2f8&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery.

This story has been updated to reflect the estimates of Kansas Gas Service monthly increases for residents.