Kansas
Paola, Kansas, expands affordable housing options with tiny home village
KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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My Father’s House in Paola, Kansas, is expanding affordable housing options through a $1 million grant.
For two decades, it’s provided transitional housing services for women and families. Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony was filled with emotions.
“1,089,” said Blake Heid, a board member at My Father’s House. “That’s the estimated population of rural homelessness in Kansas.”
Ryan Gamboa/KSHB
Beth Waddle is the CEO — she founded the organization 19 years ago to value the underserved rural population.
“We take a relationship-based approach,” Waddle said. “We have to get to know people and what their needs are and earn the right to speak into their lives.”
Ryan Gamboa/KSHB
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka is providing $17.7 million in affordable housing grants in 2023.
The city of Paola, Kansas, worked diligently to permit a tiny home project in the city limits.
My Father’s House grant dollars will benefit 14 tiny homes on a lot adjacent to its flagship location.
Ryan Gamboa/KSHB
“We have the money raised for 14 tiny homes,” Waddle said. “The goal is to have approximately 40 to 44 in total.”
The community has stepped up in numerous ways, volunteering to push the project to Phase 1, according to Waddle.
Her vision for the 14 Tiny Home Village is to create permanent home options with necessary hygeine and shelter services on the property.
Ryan Gamboa/KSHB
“As long as they need it, they can stay in the homes,” Waddle said.
My Father’s House has a waiting list for its current transitional housing program.
Michelle Sutti is the programs success story.
“I came here pregnant, 28 years old, just gotten out of jail,” Sutti said. “I didn’t have anywhere to call home.”
Ryan Gamboa/KSHB
For almost six years, she couch surfed, spent time with the crowd and described herself as “homeless.”
“They taught me how to be a productive member of society, they built a support system for me — everything I needed to do,” she said. “It opened the door for many opportunities; I never had anyone do that for me before.”
Ryan Gamboa/KSHB
Since her graudation in 2017, Waddle works full time with a certificate in accounting and lives with her husband and four children.
“It was my identity,” she said. “It’s not who I am at all anymore.”
Ryan Gamboa/KSHB
Miami County, Kansas, has added challenges for residents transitioning into society.
Kansas State University reports 37.42% of its rental housing units are considered “cost burdened,” meaning 30% of household incomes are spent on rent.
Ryan Gamboa/KSHB
“Miami County, Kansas, has the lowest vacancy rates of any southeast Kansas county in rental homes. We also have some of the highest median rental rates. When people are graduating from our program and transitioning out, it’s kind of a non-starter for them,” Waddle said. “The houses that are available are not within their price range. We saw a need for this tiny home project to increase available affordable housing options.”
Ryan Gamboa/KSHB
My Father’s House will begin construction almost immediately.
“What they’re doing will allow people to be reintegrated into society instead of being kicked right back out the door,” Sutti said.
The largest portion of the project is to build necessary water, sewer and electric services on the plot of land. It’s expected to be completed near the end of 2025.
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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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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.
For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here.
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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