Johnson County

The complaint against "Lily and Dunkin" came from one Johnson County parent who has repeatedly challenged books she finds objectionable. A special committee overwhelmingly recommended to keep the book in circulation, but the school board voted this week to remove it anyway.

Johnson County's transit service sees about 379,000 riders a year on fixed routes, compared to 32,800 microtransit riders and 84,100 paratransit riders. County commissioners are considering adjusting fares and services to attract more riders.

Low-barrier homeless shelters open for the winter months starting Sunday, Dec. 1. With thousands of unhoused people in the Kansas City area and only a few hundred beds, many individuals will still be left out in the cold.

Entitled “Fire Keepers Circle," the installation represents the route that the Potawatomi people were forced to take from Indiana to Kansas nearly two centuries ago. Dozens of people died, mostly children and the elderly.

After Lenexa shot down Johnson County's plan to build a low-barrier homeless resources center, commissioners voted to use those federal funds instead on several other housing initiatives — including a Habitat for Humanity project and support for a cold weather shelter.

Johnson County has until the end of the year to spend $6 million of federal COVID relief funds that were originally bookmarked for a Lenexa homeless shelter. Johnson County Commission chair Mike Kelly wants that money to still go towards housing solutions.

Two specific sites in Overland Park have been mentioned as possible landing places for a new baseball stadium. The Royals have been courted by Kansas after Kansas City voters rejected funding for a downtown ballpark — but the team hasn't actually provided plans yet.

Byron Roberson is the first Democrat in 96 years, and the first African American, to hold the office of Johnson County Sheriff. Chosen by voters in last week's election, Roberson succeeds the controversial sheriff Calvin Hayden, who had embraced far-right election conspiracies.

Overland Park City Council voted last week to amend the city's development code and set a height limit for apartments in the city’s highest-density multifamily zoning areas. It spurred a heated discussion about the philosophy of housing in the fast-growing Johnson County city.

Howe was able to weather controversies over his handling of the officer-involved killing of John Albers in 2018 and the FBI investigation that brought national attention to the case.

Byron Roberson, the Prairie Village Police Chief, is the first Democrat in years to hold the position of Johnson County Sheriff. Incumbent Calvin Hayden, a Republican, lost in the August primary to Doug Bedford.

The strip of about seven blocks in Overland Park is represented by a Republican, in a district where almost half the registered voters are Republican. But more than half the yard signs on that strip favor the Democratic challenger.