Kansas
Kansas City Community Gardens the latest nonprofit to feel impact of federal funding cuts
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Kansas City Community Gardens has been serving the metro since 1979, officially 501c3 in 1985. The nonprofit helps out thousands of families every year, but like so many other nonprofits across the country, their federal funding is on pause.
KCCG Executive Director Jennifer Meyer said the nonprofit already budgeted for $300,000 of federal grant money to be reimbursed throughout the year. After the most recent federal cuts, that money isn’t showing up.
“We’re having to be really conservative on how we approach the spring season,” Meyer said. “Those grants operate on a reimbursement basis, so we do the work, buy the seeds, buy the fruit trees, and then submit billing on those grants. We have not seen a reimbursement come through since December of last year, so right now, that’s all on hold and uncertain.”
Meyer said the garden won’t have to shut down, there are enough donors to keep the garden running during the spring season. However, KCCG is still feeling the impacts by having to trim seasonal staff. If federal grant money doesn’t show up at all, Meyer said the nonprofit will have to make some tough decisions.
“Last year, food insecurity rates quietly crept back up to pandemic levels, so our community needs food,” Meyer said. “We know that gardening is a great way to get healthy food into neighborhoods and families who are on a tight budget, so this funding lets us do that.”
Meyer expects the spring season to run as normal, just with fewer staff. KCCG offers an annual membership program with fees based on income and the number of people in a household. Membership ranges from $2 to $45.
According to the KCCG reader’s digest, enrollment includes:
- 10 free packs of seeds and the opportunity to buy more at a low-cost member price
- Free 10-pound bag of fertilizer
- Starter plants, including vegetables and herb transplants, fruit trees, berry bushes and more at a low-cost member price
- Low-cost garden supplies, such as straw, compost and pest control products
- Low-cost tilling services and access to KCCG rental plot gardens
You can learn more about Kansas City Community Gardens’ outreach and resources here.
Copyright 2025 KCTV. All rights reserved.
Kansas
Kansas ag officials take comment on proposed water rules
Posted:
Updated:
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Kansas Department of Agriculture held a meeting on Thursday to discuss proposed rules regarding the Kansas Water Appropriation Act.
The Division of Water Resources is proposing new regulations and changes to current regulations under the law.
The division is looking at amending or revoking regulations related to flowmeters tracking water usage.
It is also proposing changes to groundwater usage rules on how far you can move a well from its original location to prevent harming the water rights of other landowners.
Another regulation would create voluntary Water Conservation Areas, where landowners work with the division to establish water conservation plans on their properties.
Some of the concerns raised at Thursday’s meeting dealt with property rights and the transfer of land to new owners. Some expressed concern about the sale of water rights to other landowners in the area.
There is no listed timeline for when the changes could be made.
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Kansas
Rural Kansas fire department reports record number of calls in 2025
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A rural Kansas fire department says it saw yet another increase in calls in 2025.
On Tuesday, Butler County Fire District #3 posted data about last year on social media.
It responded to 782 alarms in 2025, which is a new record.
The majority of the calls were for rescue and emergency medical services, followed by service calls.
The department’s data show the number of calls has been trending upward over the last 20 years.
From 2006 to 2010, the department handled an an average of 550 calls a year. From 2021 through 2025, that average was 720, a 31% increase.
Officials said continued growth in the community has increased the demand for emergency services.
“These numbers reinforce the importance of ongoing training, staffing, equipment planning, and community support to ensure we can continue to provide timely and effective service,” the department said on Facebook.
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Kansas
Clay County Commissioner says he’s ‘done’ negotiating with Kansas City Royals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Clay County Commissioner Jason Withington said Wednesday that he still loves baseball, but is “done” negotiating with the Royals on a new stadium for the team in the county.
According to Withington, Thursday, Jan. 8, was the deadline for the Royals to appear on the April 2026 ballot in the county.
Withington said the Royals told the county that they were not ready to meet that deadline.
Withington took to Facebook to explain that “the joy has been drained” out of him over the last few years and expressed his dislike towards the business of baseball.
He called negotiations with the team “a closed chapter” and said that the county is shifting its focus elsewhere.
“It’s time for the Commission to focus fully on priorities we control—either upgrading our existing county jail or building a new one,” Withington wrote.
The Royals’ lease at Kauffman Stadium in the Truman Sports Complex in Jackson County expires in January 2031.
KSHB 41’s political reporter Charlie Keegan reported in May 2025 on efforts by Missouri to keep both the Royals and Chiefs in Missouri.
While the Chiefs announced that they will move to a new stadium site in 2031 in Wyandotte County, the Royals have not announced their next steps to get a new ballpark built.
A stadium site near 119th Street and Nall Avenue in Overland Park has emerged as a possibility for a stadium site for the ball club.
Some residents in that area are not happy about that possibility.
KSHB 41 News reached out to the Royals for comment, but has not heard back.
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