Garden City Sets Data Center Rules

Kansas Data Center Petitions Move to Courts

Sedgwick County Rejects Two Solar Projects

Kelly Backs Holscher After Primary Win

Kansas Cyclospora Cases Reach 615

Garden City Sets Data Center Rules

GARDEN CITY, Kan. — Garden City on Aug. 4 adopted Ordinances 3052 and 3053, becoming the first Kansas city tracked by the Citizen Journal 1000+ Meeting Database to put operative data center standards in place. Ordinance 3052 limits “microdata facilities” to the I-3 heavy industrial district, requires them to use closed-loop cooling and caps them at one story, less than 100,000 square feet and 10 megawatts without a special city contract, while Ordinance 3053 establishes utility code requirements. McPherson, Harvey, Saline and Riley counties and the cities of Topeka and Lawrence have enacted moratoriums, while Dickinson, Shawnee and Butler counties and Hutchinson are developing or reviewing regulations. Garden City’s standards give other Kansas communities a local model and require case-by-case municipal consent for facilities exceeding 10 megawatts, a notable provision in the Ogallala Aquifer region.

Garden City · Hutchinson · CJ 1000+ Meeting DB · KLC Journal · Smart Cities Dive · Government Technology

Kansas Data Center Petitions Move to Courts

EMPORIA, Kan. — The Emporia City Commission voted unanimously during a virtual meeting Wednesday to seek a declaratory judgment in Lyon County District Court on a citizen petition that would prohibit high-impact data centers; officials cited security threats related to the debate for the meeting format. City Attorney Christina Montgomery said the zoning-based proposal may be administrative rather than legislative under Kansas law, which would prevent it from going to voters if the court agrees. Emporia Neighbors United organized the petition, which local media reported had about 1,150 signatures certified July 21, while a second battery-storage petition remains pending and Kanza Park Place LLC markets the proposed Flint Hills Digital Campus. Emporia already had adopted a Large Volume Water Service Policy requiring users of at least 500,000 gallons a day to fund infrastructure upfront. Weeks earlier, El Dorado commissioners unanimously declared a proposed data center and battery-storage ban with more than 700 signatures invalid and asked Butler County District Court to keep it off the ballot under the same administrative classification. A Citizen Journal 1000+ Meeting Database review found that judges in Lyon and Butler counties are being asked to interpret the same initiative law, and their rulings could determine whether similar zoning petitions may reach voters elsewhere in Kansas.

Emporia Gazette · KVOE · KWCH · KSN · KSNT · The Cool Down · CJ 1000+ Meeting DB

Sedgwick County Rejects Two Solar Projects

WICHITA, Kan. — The Sedgwick County Commission voted 4-1 Wednesday to reject each of two proposed utility-scale solar projects, one near Haysville and one near Clearwater, after hours of testimony in packed hearing rooms. Opponents focused particularly on the battery energy storage system planned for the Haysville project, citing fears of fires, chemical leaks and uncertain county tax benefits. Participating landowners and developers said the projects would bring investment and lease payments to rural areas. The decisions followed the commission’s earlier moratorium on new large-scale solar applications and adoption of restrictive zoning rules for such projects. Because Sedgwick is Kansas’ second-most-populous county, the votes could influence where developers pursue major renewable-energy and storage investments as rising electricity demand increases pressure for new generation.

KWCH · KSN · KMUW

Kelly Backs Holscher After Primary Win

TOPEKA, Kan. — Gov. Laura Kelly endorsed state Sen. Cindy Holscher of Overland Park for governor Wednesday, one day after Holscher defeated Kelly-backed state Sen. Ethan Corson and Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog in the Democratic primary. Kelly said the November election would determine Kansas’ future and argued that Republican nominee Ty Masterson, the Senate president from Andover, would return the state to policies associated with former Gov. Sam Brownback, citing school funding, fiscal management and roads. The endorsement marks a rapid effort to unify Democrats after primary voters rejected the term-limited governor’s preferred successor. Kelly remains her party’s most successful recent statewide candidate after winning two terms in a state where Republicans otherwise dominate down-ballot contests. Holscher and Masterson will meet Nov. 3 for the open seat, with Kelly’s organization, donors and statewide profile potentially affecting Democrats’ effort to retain the governorship.

KSNT · WIBW · KSN · KWCH

Kansas Cyclospora Cases Reach 615

TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported Wednesday that laboratory-confirmed cyclosporiasis cases reached 615 this year, up by more than 150 from about 460 a week earlier. State data showed 543 cases were reported in July and 12 more in August, with Sedgwick County’s 80 cases the highest county total and more than 100 combined in Johnson, Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked Kansas cases to a multistate outbreak involving shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de México served at Taco Bell locations, and the supplier recalled all iceberg lettuce from the implicated central Mexico farm July 17. Federal officials are investigating other possible sources as cases continue to rise, while more than 10,000 laboratory-confirmed cases have been counted nationally since May 1. Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that can cause prolonged explosive diarrhea, appetite loss and weight loss; symptoms may take a week or longer to appear, and the infection can be treated with a common antibiotic combination. The outbreak, described as Kansas’ largest foodborne parasite outbreak in recent memory, has prompted at least one lawsuit and remains under investigation.

KAKE · KWCH · KSN · WIBW · CDC

Sources

1. Garden City Commission / Hutchinson City Council / CJ 1000+ Meeting DB / KLC Journal / Smart Cities Dive / Government Technology
2. Emporia Gazette / KVOE / KSN / KWCH / KSNT / The Cool Down / CJ 1000+ Meeting DB
3. KWCH / KSN / KMUW
4. KSNT / WIBW / KSN / KWCH
5. KAKE / KWCH / KSN / WIBW / CDC

This article was written using our proprietary AI system, Cronkite. The final decision to publish this article was made by a human. For more info, read our AI policy.

Found a mistake? Have a news tip or feedback to share? Contact our newsroom using the button below:

citizen journal offers three flagship products: a daily national news summary, a daily Kansas news summary, and local news and school board summaries from 20 cities across Kansas. Each issue contains 5 paragraph-length stories that are made to be read in 5 minutes. Use the links in the header to navigate to national, kansas, and local coverage. Subscribe to each, some, or all to get an email when new issues are published for FREE!

Brought to you by (click me!)