Kansas
Governors Implement: On the Road to Infrastructure in Kansas (Part II) – National Governors Association
Recently, the Kansas Infrastructure Hub hosted its second convening for state, local and private sector partners (details from the first convening can be found here.) Attendees gathered in Salina, Kansas to provide updates from state officials on implementation progress, share best practices in applying for discretionary grants and coordinate resources toward project implementation across transportation, water, energy and resilience sectors. The meeting was enhanced by a targeted workshop on broadband project permitting and deployment, which took place the following day and coincided with the federal government’s approval of Kansas’ Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program Initial Proposal – a critical step in bridging the digital divide in Kansas.
In June 2022, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly launched the Kansas Infrastructure Hub (the Hub), a coordinated approach to align state agencies and local entities as they administer and apply for funding available through the federal bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Over the past two years, the Hub has worked to identify best practices from across the nation for deploying funds and maximizing opportunities for Kansas.
On April 24, attendees were introduced to Matt Volz, the newly appointed Executive Director of the Kansas Infrastructure Hub. An experienced grants manager, Professional Engineer and Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) alumnus, Volz will be building out a team of capacity builders to support local governments throughout Kansas. Next, KDOT Secretary Calvin Reed provided a series of updates on how Kansas is making progress on accessing and deploying funding under IIJA. Secretary Reed also highlighted the Build Kansas Fund, a $200 million fund for organizations that successfully secure federal grants for infrastructure projects under IIJA. The intent of the Build Kansas Fund is “to accelerate local infrastructure investment to support transformative community projects enabling Kansas communities to move forward with infrastructure projects, including improvements to water, transportation, energy, cybersecurity, and broadband.”
Throughout the day, participants heard from state agency experts on topics ranging from transportation to water to broadband to cybersecurity. The Kansas Infrastructure Hub Team provided additional “deep dive” insights on building regional partnerships to bundle infrastructure projects, developing performance metrics, financial tracking and reporting, braiding and blending funding sources, and grant opportunity research, among other topics. The day finished with a networking opportunity. Participants left the first day of the meeting with additional connections as well as tools to engage more cooperatively with each other and competitively in the marketplace for grants and support funding.
Broadband Deployment Permitting Workshop
On April 25, the Kansas Office of Broadband Development hosted a day-long permitting workshop, where participants from federal, state, and local government, utilities, railroads, and telecommunications providers discussed best practices in broadband permitting. Participants heard from the federal officials from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, state officials from the Kansas State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and Department of Transportation, and voices from the utility, broadband, and railroad sectors. Following a review of the Kansas SHPO online process, the NTIA reviewed how the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) applies to federally-subsidized broadband deployments.
Participants in the workshop also benefitted from a discussion with utilities and broadband providers regarding operational hurdles and practical insights to streamline the process for accessing existing physical infrastructure such as telephone poles. The informational sessions were rounded out with discussions of utilizing rights-of-way and a review of common permitting practices featuring voices from the state, federal and private sector.
The day was capped off with an announcement that the NTIA had, earlier in the day, approved the state’s Initial Proposal under the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program authorized by IIJA. Kansas can now request access to over $450 million in funding to close the digital divide and begin implementation of the BEAD program, including the subgrantee selection process and deployment-related activities.
NGA congratulates Governor Kelly and Team Kansas on a successful two days of infrastructure discussions and for the approval of their BEAD Initial Proposal . To follow NGA’s ongoing activities and support for infrastructure implementation, please visit: https://www.nga.org/bestpractices/infrastructure/.
Betting line: K-State (+3.5)
O/U: 141.5
Money Line: CIN -160, KSU +132
Game time: 4:00 pm, EST
Where: Schollmaier Arena, Fort Worth, TX
TV: CBS (watch here)
VITALS: Kansas State is coming off their first victory after losing three in a row. Dug McDaniel had just his second start of the season, where he scored 17 on 53.8 percent shooting. Coleman Hawkins had his best performance as a Wildcat, logging 20 points, 10 rebounds, and four steals. They face a TCU squad looking for its first Big 12 victory after losing to Arizona Monday.
PROJECTED STARTERS
WILDCATS
G Brendan Hausen: 13.0 PTS, 2.3 REB, 1.3 AST
G Dug McDaniel: 10.3 PTS, 2.6 REB, 4.3 AST
F Max Jones: 8.7 PTS, 3.5 REB, 2.1 AST
F David N’Guessan: 13.6 PTS, 6.8 REB, 1.6 AST
F Coleman Hawkins: 10.1 PTS, 7.0 REB, 4.1 AST
HORNED FROGS
G Noah Reynolds: 10.6 PTS, 2.5 REB, 3.9 AST
G Vasean Allette: 10.7 PTS, 3.3 REB, 2.3 AST
F Trazarien White: 10.2 PTS, 3.3 REB, 1.7 STL
F David Punch: 6.1 PTS, 4.8 REB, 1.0 BLK
F Ernest Udeh Jr.: 9.2 PTS, 8.6 REB, 1.3 AST
QUOTABLE: “It makes us even more versatile,” Dug McDaniel said about Coleman Hawkins’ presence in starting lineup. “When you have a 6’10” guy who can put the ball on the floor and make decisions. Nine times out of 10, their fours and fives are guarding him, and it’s harder for those guys to guard in the perimeter. He’s very versatile, and I feel like if we keep using him the right way, he can go very far.”
Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
JUNCTION CITY (KSNT) – A northeast Kansas school district announced it will be closed early next week due to winter weather.
Matthew Hoover with the Geary County Schools USD 475 said in a press release on Jan. 3 the district will be closed on Monday, Jan. 6. Athletic and after-school activities on Monday are canceled.
“We look forward to seeing our students and staff back in our schools on Tuesday, Jan. 7. USD 475 will continue to monitor the weather throughout the upcoming days and will notify parents of any school closings or changes.”
USD 475 press release excerpt
Hoover said classes are expected to resume on Tuesday, Jan. 7. However, school officials will continue to monitor the situation and keep parents informed as the weather changes.
Parents can keep up with urgent alerts from the district through its School Messenger text message service. People can access this by texting ‘Y’ or ‘Yes’ to 67587.
For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.
Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Police are investigating after officers found a man and two juveniles dead inside a Northland house.
Someone called Kansas City police and asked officers to check on the people living inside a house in a neighborhood northwest of Route 152 and US 169 around 9:45 p.m. Thursday.
Officers arrived at the house and smelled smoke. They also noticed a fire burning inside the house.
They called the Kansas City Fire Department and then entered the house to search for anyone inside. They made the decision to evacuate because of the threat of the fire.
ALSO READ: 3rd fatal shooting in just over 2 months reported near Kansas City grocery store
After firefighters extinguished the flames, police reentered the home. Inside they found a man and a girl dead from gunshot injuries.
They also found a boy suffering from gunshot injuries. Emergency crews rushed him to a hospital where he died from his injuries.
Detectives are working to determine what happened leading up to the shootings. They said they are not looking for a suspect, but have not provided any other details about what may have happened.
ALSO READ: $7.5K reward offered for information about fatal shooting of Missouri canines
The names of the people killed have not been publicly released.
Copyright 2025 KCTV. All rights reserved.
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