Category: News

BPU receives ‘A’ and ‘stable outlook’ ratings from Fitch and S&P

The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities recently was assigned a rating of “A” and “stable outlook” by national rating service companies Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings.

Fitch’s rating included a stand-alone rating-profile for BPU, while simultaneously affirming a joint Unified Government – BPU “A” rating.

The Fitch rating and outlook recognized BPU’s low, stable operating costs, improved margins and the utility’s diversified power mix and use of renewable energy, such as solar, wind, and hydropower, to help offset rising purchased power and fuel costs over time.

S&P also noted the BPU is well positioned from a regulatory standpoint, with nearly 50 percent of energy coming from renewables today, well above the state’s renewable energy standard goal of 20 percent.

A BPU spokesman stated that Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings continue to acknowledge the utility’s ongoing operations and looks forward to meeting all Wyandotte County’s current and future electric and water utility needs, as it has done for more than 100 years.

  • Story from BPU

Bonner Springs student named to dean’s list

Emile Ottinger, of Bonner Springs, Kansas, was named to the Dean’s List for the spring semester of the 2021-2022 academic year at Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, Illinois.

Ottinger is a junior majoring in English – writing – environmental studies.

Ottinger was among 743 students from 30 states and 17 countries named to the spring 2022 Dean’s List.


To qualify for the Dean’s List, students must earn a GPA of 3.50 or better during the semester, based on 4.0 for straight A’s.

Fairfax Academy begins new era

Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools will hold a special ribbon-cutting ceremony to help commemorate the new beginning of Alfred Fairfax Academy.

The ceremony will take place at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 7, at the Alfred Fairfax Academy, 2226 N. 85th St., in Kansas City, Kansas. It is the location of the former White Church Elementary School.

The event will feature remarks from KCKPS Superintendent, Dr. Anna Stubblefield, KCKPS superintendent; Skyler Myers, Alfred Fairfax Academy principal; Randy Lopez, Board of Education president; and Jermayne Greer, former Alfred Fairfax Academy student.


Alfred Fairfax Academy is a restorative high school designed to offer an alternative educational experience for KCKPS students who are not reaching their full potential in a traditional high school setting.


It offers small class sizes and a student-centered instructional approach to learning. Students receive small group or one-on-one support from teachers and staff.


It was on Tuesday, May 31, that the KCK Board of Education approved the name change from the Fairfax Learning Center to the Alfred Fairfax Academy.

Alfred Fairfax is the namesake of the Academy. He was an African American man who escaped slavery, fought for the Union in the Civil War, and relocated to Kansas.

While living in Kansas, Fairfax became a successful businessman, who went on to become the first black state legislator in the state where he advocated for equal education rights, 70 years before Brown v. Topeka Board of Education.

According to the Kansas Historical Society’s website, Fairfax brought 200 families with him to locate in Chautauqua County, Kansas. Fairfax also was a Baptist pastor in the Parsons, Kansas, area.

“We are so excited for this next chapter of our school as Alfred Fairfax Academy. It’s a name that allows us to bring recognition to the service and legacy of Alfred Fairfax,” Myers said.

  • Information from KCK schools