Kansas

Kansas HEAL grant program turning abandoned buildings into thriving businesses

Published

4 hours ago

October 10, 2025

Kansas HEAL grant program turning abandoned buildings into thriving businesses

TOPEKA (KSNT) — A new round of funding totaling $1.5 million is going towards a grant program which aims to revitalize downtown buildings in small Kansas towns.

The Historic Economic Asset Lifeline (HEAL) program started back in 2021 and is offered by the Kansas Department of Commerce. The grants help fund renovation projects for old downtown buildings in rural Kansas, turning them into businesses such as restaurants, hotels, museums and more.

Now, the program is receiving a sixth round of funding and is currently accepting new applications.

“We’ve helped save 108 buildings now across the state of Kansas in towns as small as 15 people,” said Trisha Purdon with the KDC. “It helps revitalize these towns and gives the community hope that they can be the next growing community.”

We spoke with Matt Hoover, who received a HEAL grant back in 2022. He runs a brewery in Junction City called the Highwind Brewery. You wouldn’t know it, but the building he operates out of had sat completely abandoned for about 25 years.

“The previous owners didn’t care for the building, so we had lots of mold, mildew, the roof was open,” Hoover said.

After receiving a $100,000 HEAL grant, Hoover was able to open his business in 2024. What was once an eyesore in the middle of town is now a lively business.

There are hundreds of similar projects throughout the state in towns such as Bonner Springs, Winfield and Colby. The HEAL grant program has received a total of about $7 million dollars for these projects so far, and it’s estimated the grants have generated more than $37 million in private investment for Kansas communities.

“We want to welcome the ugliest buildings in Kansas to apply for this program,” Purdon said. “We welcome the dreamers, the ones who have a vision for this gorgeous building but don’t know where to start. We just really want to see those buildings be restored. The uglier, the better.”

To keep the program going, the Kansas Legislature puts $1.5 million dollars in state funding towards the HEAL grant program every year. You can learn more about the HEAL program by clicking here.

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Related Topics:Featured kansas Kansas Businesses Kansas Department of Commerce Kansas Rural Buildings Kansas Rural Communities

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Kansas

Gov. Kelly kicks off ‘The People’s Budget Tour’ in Salina

Published

15 hours ago

October 10, 2025

Press Room

Gov. Kelly kicks off ‘The People’s Budget Tour’ in Salina

SALINA, Kan. (KWCH) – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly visited Salina Thursday night to kick off what she’s calling “The People’s Budget Tour,” which is designed to give Kansans input on the state budget ahead of the 2026 Legislative session.

After giving some remarks to the audience, Gov. Kelly took questions on a variety of topics, from tag office problems to funding the arts. Several people asked questions about funding for public education.

There were also questions about problems with tag offices in Salina. The issue of tag office problems is also a major topic of discussion in Sedgwick County with people waiting weeks to get their tags and plates renewed.

Kelly said this is an issue she’s heard from people in counties across the state.

“…We will be having conversations with our departments and others that are interested in this particular issue to understand what is causing the problem and what we can do to resolve it,” the governor said.

Thursday night in Salina was the first of eight locations Kelly plans to hit on her listening tour. The next stop is Oct. 29 in Hays.

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Kansas

Obituary for Larry W. Jones at Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home

Published

1 day ago

October 9, 2025

Press Room

Obituary for Larry W. Jones at Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home

Larry W. Jones, age 79, Clyde, Kansas, passed away on Wednesday, October 8, 2025 at the Park Villa Nursing Home, Clyde, Kansas. He was born on January 6, 1946, in Beloit, Kansas to Marshall and Veda Bowles Jones. Graveside services will be 1100 a.m., Saturday, October 18, 2025, at the

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Kansas

Trial challenging several Kansas abortion laws starts on Friday

Published

2 weeks ago

September 23, 2025

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Trial challenging several Kansas abortion laws starts on Friday

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – A trial starting on Friday in Johnson County could determine what doctors must do before providing an abortion in Kansas.

The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by the Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood, challenges four abortion-related laws passed by state lawmakers. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is defending the laws.

One law requires doctors to warn patients that abortions may increase the risk of premature birth or breast cancer. A judge has already paused that provision, ruling the claims are not backed by credible medical evidence.

The lawsuit also challenges requirements for abortion paperwork, including strict rules about fonts, font sizes, and even paper color. Another law mandates a 30-minute waiting period after patients meet with a provider, which opponents argue is medically unnecessary.

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Doctors are also required to tell patients at least five times that a medication abortion can be reversed, something the groups call misleading.

Alice Wang, an attorney with the Center for Reproductive Rights, says the laws interfere with Kansas voters, who want abortion care rights.

“The government has no business inserting itself into what should be the privacy of the doctor’s office and the patient’s provider relationship,” said Wang. “It’s no one’s business what you do with your body other than your own.”

12 News did reach out to the Attorney General’s Office, but did not receive a response.

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