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Category Archives: Area News
Judge Lori Bolton Fleming to be sworn in as Kansas Court of Appeals Judge July 30
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SEKAAA Awarded Grant For 60+ Nutrition Program
Southeast Kansas Area Agency on Aging announces they have been awarded a grant from the Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas for its 60+ Nutrition Program.
“In the last year, we have added two meal sites where people can get a tasty, healthy meal and visit with friends. Since 2022, the attendance at meal sites has doubled”, says Stacy Dickerhoof, Associate Director, “this is giving us the good problem of needing more utensils, glasses, and bowls to serve the food. We appreciate the Community Foundation supporting our seniors.”
Sometimes called Meals on Wheels, 60+ Nutrition serves a 9-county area and is a combination of home delivery, congregate meals sites, and restaurants.
The purpose of the program is to promote the general health and well-being of older Kansans. Participants are asked to provide a donation, but inability to donate does not prevent anyone from receiving a meal.
“Our seniors really enjoy having a place to go have a meal and see friends.”, says Tabitha Torres, Nutrition Coordinator. Sixty-three percent of SEKAAA 60+ Nutrition program participants report they eat alone most of the time. The National Institute on Aging has identified that social isolation increases health risk, such as high blood pressure, depression, and cognitive decline. “The meal is important, but we have found that participants find getting together with friends is just as important,” reports Torres.
For more information on SEKAAA 60+ Nutrition Program, please visit www.sekaaa.com or call 620-431-2980 for more information.
Largest electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing plant in the U.S. opens in DeSoto
Governor Kelly Celebrates Grand Opening of Panasonic EV Battery Manufacturing Facility
in De Soto
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly and Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland along with many federal and state dignitaries today celebrated with Panasonic Energy the grand opening of the largest electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing plant in the United States. Panasonic is investing $4 billion and already has hired approximately 1,000 staff at the De Soto plant.
“Panasonic’s state-of-the-art EV battery plant marks a bright new era in Kansas,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “The monumental effort that has gone into every aspect of this project has culminated in this historic day as the plant begins mass production of EV batteries. It’s hard to overstate what Panasonic’s investment means to Kansas and the value of the partnership that made it possible.”
The De Soto plant is the largest economic development project in company history — and Kansas history. An estimated $2.5 billion in new economic activity in Kansas will be generated annually by the project.
“The opening of our Kansas factory marks a major milestone in our journey to scale advanced battery production in the United States,” Panasonic Energy CEO Kazuo Tadanobu said. “This achievement would not have been possible without the strong support of our local partners and the State of Kansas. Together, we are accelerating the shift to electrification, reinforcing regional supply chains, and nurturing the next generation of battery talent. This facility represents not only our commitment to the region but also a foundation for long-term collaboration and innovation in the U.S.”
The project is expected to create up to 4,000 new jobs and significantly boost the regional and state economy, supporting an estimated 4,000 additional jobs created by suppliers and community businesses and 16,500 construction jobs, as cited in an independent Wichita State University economic impact study.
“Kansas leaders did the equivalent of kicking down doors and leaping over tall buildings to win this $4 billion investment by Panasonic,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “This is a once-in-a-generation move that will power our economy, support thousands of Kansas families and spark opportunity for decades to come. It’s bold. It’s historic. And all Kansans can feel pride today in seeing that our state can do big things again, and that our best days are ahead of us.”
The 300-acre manufacturing plant, which is opening almost three years to the date of the initial announcement, is located in De Soto’s Astra Enterprise Park. The state-of-the-art facility will operate and produce approximately 66 lithium-ion batteries per second. Its infrastructure is broken into two wings, with four battery lines on each wing. At the end of both wings, infrastructure is designed for shipping, packing, and sub-supply vendor spaces for Panasonic partners.
“Panasonic’s new state-of-the-art facility in De Soto is a milestone for our state and a testament to Kansas’ talented workforce and leadership in energy production and innovation,” U.S. Senator Jerry Moran said. “I commend the leadership of Panasonic for choosing the Sunflower State for its U.S. manufacturing site, creating thousands of quality jobs for Kansans and drawing new people to the Midwest. With this investment, we are continuing to make certain Kansas remains a place where the next generation – with their knowledge and talent – can stay and build a future.”
“The grand opening of the Panasonic plant is a huge milestone for De Soto and our entire community. This project shows what’s possible when local, state, and federal leaders work across the aisle to bring opportunity home,” Representative Sharice Davids (KS-03) said. “I’m proud to have helped make this happen — and even prouder of the long-term jobs, innovation, and economic growth it will bring to our community.”
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CFSEK to Host Nonprofit Media Relations Workshop with Local News Outlets

It is always great to have your event, your project, or your media release featured in the local news outlets, but it can be challenging to write a release that is compelling and captures people’s attention. The Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas (CFSEK), in partnership with KOAM and The Morning Sun, will host a Nonprofit Media Relations Workshop to help educate nonprofits throughout Southeast Kansas about how to effectively write and submit a media release to news outlets that will capture attention, and promote exciting projects.
The workshop will feature a presentation from Brit Stack, KOAM News Director and Ron Womble, The Morning Sun News Editor, both speaking about creating effective media releases for their respective mediums, and how to streamline that workload.
“CFSEK always strives to provide helpful workshops and learning opportunities for our nonprofit partners,” said CFSEK Marketing Coordinator, Matthew Buck. “We think this workshop will be a great addition to our catalog of workshops for nonprofits in our area!”
The Nonprofit Media Relations Workshop will take place on Thursday, August 14th from 1:00-2:00 p.m. in the large conference room at Block 22 in downtown Pittsburg. There will be a recording of the workshop available online after the event. A short press conference to announce changes to CFSEK’s Match Day event will be held after the workshop. Registration to attend the workshop is available at SoutheastKansas.org/Seminar.
Learn How Recent Federal Bill Will Affect Families
Submitted by
Jessica Herrera Russell
Senior Communications Manager for Kansas Action For Children
Now that the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” has been passed and signed into law, advocacy groups like Kansas Action for Children are diving deeper into the provisions to understand exactly how everyday Kansans will be impacted. Join the KAC experts on Tuesday, July 15, at 11:30 a.m. (CT) to learn what the bill means for kids and families. After the briefing, KAC policy advisors will be available for questions.
REGISTER: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/uTupmf1VQROKaVvHCR29kw
Featuring:
- Emily Barnes, Education Policy Advisor, KAC
- Heather Braum, Senior Policy Advisor, KAC
- Dustin Hare, Economic Security Policy Advisor, KAC
- Nathan Kessler, Fiscal Policy Manager, KAC
During the call, we’ll cover what happened with Medicaid, SNAP, taxes, education, and more, including:
- How SNAP is in danger of ending in Kansas – if state lawmakers don’t choose to pay the required cost share
- Changes to child care tax credits
- Implications for the health care system
- Kansas kids losing access to the federal child tax credit
Nevada Blood Drive Is July 24

Tri-Valley Foundation Truck Raffle Winner Announced

25th Raffle Drawing Winner Announced
On Friday, June 20th, the Friends of Tri-Valley Foundation drew a winning ticket for their 25th Annual Truck Raffle Drawing. This year’s winner was Joe Love from Colorado. Joe is pictured above standing next to his 2025 Ford F150 Platinum Edition Truck. The Friends of Tri-Valley Foundation thank everyone who entered in this year’s raffle drawing. One thousand six hundred eighty-three tickets were sold. All funds raised from the raffle drawing go towards providing quality and affordable housing for persons with intellectual/developmental disabilities in Allen, Bourbon, Chautauqua, Elk, Greenwood, Neosho, Wilson, and Woodson counties in SE Kansas. Raffle License: RAF000005.
Freeman Health System Unveils Renovated Cardiac Cath Lab

Investing in Heart Care
Joplin, MO. – There was a time, decades ago, when Freeman Health System Cardiologist Dr. Ryan Longnecker heavily relied on rolls of chest X-ray film to help diagnose a patient’s heart problem.
On Monday morning, Freeman’s Director of Cardiovascular Service Line was proud to exhibit Freeman Heart & Vascular Institute’s newly renovated Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Room 1, which will enable the Institute to provide more advanced care for Freeman’s cardiac patients.
The Institute, Dr. Longnecker said, is home to four cath labs; the renovated Room 1 opened just 11 days ago.
“This is an exciting time for us,” he said. “We’ve continued to upgrade and enhance our equipment over the years with cutting-edge technology for the benefit of our patients, and also for the benefit of our staff.”
To that end, the ceiling-mounted, Phillips-manufactured cath lab equipment reduces the radiation dosage a cardiac patient – and the cardiac team working on that patient – receives by nearly 50 percent.
“The reason we’re so excited about this lab is not only is the picture quality amazing, but it actually uses less radiation to take pictures,” Dr. Longnecker said.
X-ray dosage has always been a concern for cardiac physicians and their teams working inside cath labs; it’s the reason why they wear lead-lined suits or aprons to protect themselves from radiation exposure. In the past, a reduction in radiation meant less reliable imaging. Thanks to the new technology, radiation from x-rays is reduced without negatively impacting image quality.
“The pictures this machine generates – they are just amazing,” Dr. Longnecker said.
The system’s technology, he continued, can produce extremely high-quality images for angiograms.
“This is an advancement that we feel is very important for our patients and staff,” Dr. Longnecker continued. “The less radiation that we can be exposed to, the less amount of side effects there will be when working inside the lab.”
Additional benefits the system provides include:
* Creating three-dimensional representations of a patient’s heart and blood vessels.
* Overlaying those 3D images onto a real-time, two-dimensional fluoroscopic view of a patient’s heart helps create a detailed “roadmap” for Dr. Longnecker to follow.
* Due to quality and sharpness of images, less contrast (dye) injections are needed. The dye enhances the visibility of certain tissues or structures in x-rays or CT scans, but the dye can sometimes cause allergic reactions.
* Stent visualization technology so physicians can see old stents inside arteries and help them more easily land new stents
* Can estimate the size of a blockage, helping the physician determine a optimal-sized stent.
The renovated cath lab will only enhance Freeman’s Level 1 STEMI designation, in which Freeman’s door-to-balloon time is less than 55 minutes, lower than the 90-minute recommendation.
“We’re so excited to have this technology and to bring it to the Joplin area,” Dr. Longnecker said, “It’s really second to none.”
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About Freeman Health System
Locally owned, not-for-profit and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital and Ozark Center – the area’s largest provider of behavioral health services – as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics and a variety of specialty services. In 2024, Freeman earned dozens of individual awards for medical excellence and patient safety from CareChex®, a quality rating system that helps consumers evaluate healthcare providers and their experiences. U.S. News & World Report named Freeman Health System one of the Best Hospitals for 2022. With more than 320 physicians on staff representing more than 90 specialties, Freeman provides cancer care, heart care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, children’s services, women’s services, and many others for all of the Four State Area. Freeman is also involved in numerous community-based activities and sponsored events and celebrations. Additionally, in the Joplin/Pittsburg areas, Freeman is the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in a 70-mile radius. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com.
Evergy Is Allowed to Recover Costs, From Customers
KCC approves settlement agreements allowing Evergy to
recover costs to build two gas plants and a solar facility
TOPEKA – This afternoon, the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) approved two settlement agreements which allow Evergy Kansas Central (EKC) to recover the cost of three new generation facilities intended to meet increasing electric demand and improve reliability. Last fall, the utility announced plans to build two gas plants and a solar facility. Evergy filed an application with the Commission in November, requesting a determination of how costs incurred will be recovered from customers.
The application generated a great deal of interest. In addition to Evergy and Commission Staff, 31 parties sought and were granted the right to intervene and formally participate in the proceedings. As a result of their work, the Commission was presented with two settlement agreements for consideration: a unanimous settlement agreement regarding the solar facility, and a non-unanimous settlement agreement on the gas plants.
Evergy is proposing the new solar facility (Kansas Sky) to be located in Douglas County and owned 100% by Evergy Kansas Central. The estimated cost of construction is $228.1 million. After careful review, the Commission found the unanimous settlement agreement related to Kansas Sky was supported by substantial, competent evidence, will result in just and reasonable rates, and is in the public interest. In making this finding, the Commission found the arguments regarding resource diversification compelling. To date, very little utility-scale solar generation has been successfully developed in Kansas, and the profile and attributes of solar energy, if developed, will be complimentary to existing generation in the region, including wind generation.
Evergy’s gas plant proposal calls for two 710 MW combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plants. The Viola plant will be located near Evergy’s Viola Substation in Sumner County and is expected to operate by January 1, 2029. The McNew plant will be built in Reno County and is expected to operate by January 1, 2030. Evergy Kansas Central and Evergy Missouri West will each have 50% ownership in the gas plants. The cost of construction to Evergy Kansas Central is estimated at $788.75 million for the Viola plant and $800.52 million for the McNew plant.
The Commission finds approving the CCGT Settlement is in the public interest. The Commission believes the CCGT Settlement is an efficient and reliable plan to add generation capacity to Evergy’s fleet. Furthermore, the Commission believes the CCGT Settlement contains sufficient safeguards and guardrails to protect customers in the event of cost overruns.
The CCGT settlement will not immediately impact rates. Other than the Construction Work in Progress (CWIP) rider recently authorized by the Legislature, which Evergy can begin utilizing 365 days after construction begins on each plant, no other costs will be added to rates until Evergy files a subsequent rate case.
The frequency of rate cases is also addressed by the Commission in today’s order.
“The Commission is troubled by the frequency and magnitude of rate cases and strongly encourages Evergy to focus on pacing investment to better align with load growth and mitigate large rate increases. The Commission understands new investment is needed to support reliability and economic development in Kansas. However, affordability must be a major priority and proactively pursued as Evergy addresses a seemingly endless list of “justifiable” projects and initiatives. To meet future capacity needs, for example, the Commission will expect Evergy to demonstrate its serious consideration of less capital-intensive options like demand response, utilization of surplus interconnection sites and grid-enhancing technologies.”
Today’s order is available here.
The Kansas Sky unanimous settlement agreement is available here.
The CCGT non-unanimous settlement agreement is available here.
A recording of today’s Business Meeting featuring comments by Commissioners, is available on the KCC YouTube channel.
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Southeast Kansas Library System June Newsletter
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The SEKnFind Newsletter
June 2025
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Seniors Farmers Market Vouchers Available on July 14
Great News! The Senior Farmers Market Vouchers will be available starting July 14th.
The Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (KSFMNP) is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. The program provides annual benefits to low-income seniors to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, herbs and honey from authorized farmers at Farmers Markets in Kansas.
Benefits are given out on a first-come, first-serve basis. The person must be at least 60 years old and meet financial guidelines. Applications will be available at the following locations:
Fort Scott – Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, 231 E. Wall.
Chanute – SEK Area Agency on Aging, 1 West Ash
Benefits are distributed until September 30, 2025 or until benefits are gone, whichever happens first. Applicants who qualify will receive a booklet of $5 coupons for a one-time annual benefit of $50 to purchase eligible foods from authorized farmers. For more information call SEK Area Agency on Aging at 620-431-2980.
Submitted by Kathy Brennon, Southeast Kansas Area Agency on Aging
