Johnson County

Johnson County Chairman Reports Thriving Economy

Laura Ziegler — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:59:12 +0000

“The state of our county is good.” That was the message on Tuesday from Johnson County Chairman Ed Eilert, as he bragged about the county’s 4.5 percent unemployment rate and dramatic increase in housing starts.

In his annual State of the County address, Eilert acknowledged it wasn’t easy to keep expenditures in line with revenues last year. The county consolidated government departments and reduced the work force by the equivalent of more than 430 jobs through early retirement and attrition.

Kansas County Health Rankings Very Similar to Last Year’s

Bryan Thompson — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:07:24 +0000

According to the latest Kansas County Health Rankings, Johnson and Riley counties have the healthiest residents in Kansas again this year. Wyandotte County and a cluster of counties in southeast Kansas remain among the least healthy.

Power Outages Reduced From Kansas City Region Snow Storm

Dan Verbeck — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:44:25 +0000

Kansas City area residents have fought their way out of a second major snowstorm in less than a week. Some areas got upwards of a foot of new snow.

Elections Still On: Hours Extended, Polling Places Changed

Emilie Mutert and Sylvia Maria Gross — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 13:56:42 +0000

Update Tuesday, 7:30 a.m. Due to the weather, polling places have been consolidated in both Wyandotte and Johnson Counties. Find polling places for Wyandotte County here and Johnson County here.

Middle Aged White Males Drive Up Suicide Rate In Johnson County

Susan B. Wilson — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:47:26 +0000

Mention Johnson County, Kansas and locals think wealth, privilege and the pursuit of happiness. But disturbing trends in Johnson County suicide rates challenge us to think beyond this stereotype. According to the Kansas Bureau of Vital Statistics, there was a 70 percent increase in suicides in Johnson County from the years 2006 to 2010, from 47 to 80.

Vratil Crosses Party Line, Endorses Democrat

Steve Bell — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 22:27:31 +0000

Retiring Kansas moderate Republican State Senator John Vratil has crossed party lines to endorse Democrat Mike Delaney in the 11^th Kansas Senate District.

Johnson County Elementary School Closed Due To Illness

Bryan Thompson — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 20:20:04 +0000

A suburban Kansas City elementary school will remain closed until Monday due to an as-yet-undetermined gastro-intestinal illness.

Fire Threat Heightened By Heat Trend, Holiday

Dan Verbeck — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 22:07:00 +0000

With high heat and low humidity, Kansas City metro area communities in two states are more fire conscious than ever in summertime. The imminent splurge of fireworks adds to the threats.

Kinetic Sculpture Mimics Movement Of Construction Equipment

Laura Spencer — Thu, 31 May 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Johnson County launched its one percent for art program in 2007. This means that one percent of the budget of a new major capital project is set aside for public art.

Top Of The Morning News: Thursday, May 31, 2012

Maria Carter — Thu, 31 May 2012 13:30:35 +0000

Johnson County public works moves into two new, green buildings. Kansas City police try to curb texting while driving. It’s a daily digest of headlines from KCUR.

Johnson County Public Works Adds Two Green Buildings To Its Fleet

Laura Spencer — Wed, 30 May 2012 19:03:40 +0000

A year ago this month, Johnson County, Kan. officials broke ground on an environmentally friendly $11.5 million public works complex in west Olathe. The new buildings were dedicated on Wednesday at a ceremonial ribbon cutting.

Johnson County Works To Contain Whooping Cough Outbreak

Elana Gordon — Mon, 28 May 2012 16:13:02 +0000

Johnson County, Kansas is in the midst of a whooping cough outbreak. It's not as bad as in Washington State, where they’ve declared an epidemic of the disease. But health workers and schools in the region have been taking extra steps to get a handle on the disease.

Waiting At The DMV Now A Full-Time Job

Emilie Mutert — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:59:32 +0000

Everyone loves waiting at the DMV, but it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Right now the wait times at the Johnson County, Kan. offices in Mission and Olathe are 5 hours 4 minutes and 5 hours 15 minutes, respectively.

Steve Rose: A Changing Johnson County

Stephen Steigman, Steve Kraske and Kathleen Pointer — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:38:02 +0000

Is the relationship between Johnson County and Kansas City, Missouri as tense as the one between Jayhawks and Tigers? Is "Lexus Land" still an appropriate nickname for Johnson County?

It’s a conversation on Johnson County’s politics, regional relationships and growing poverty levels with the Kansas City Star’s Steve Rose.

Pregnant Woman's Mystery Crash Resolved

Dan Verbeck — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:21:43 +0000

The Kansas Highway Patrol has found the semi tractor-trailer rammed by a car last week in Johnson County. The truck driving team reportedly was unaware of the collision in which a pregnant woman was badly injured.