Jonathon Goering offered up few surprises, but plenty to chew on this week for Iola and Allen County leaders. Goering, economic development director for Thrive Allen County, gave a year in review for 2021 for…

A developer’s proposal to convert the old Arkhaven Nursing Home complex on North Walnut Street into an apartment complex was shot down by Iola Planning Commission members. Commission members voted 5-2 Tuesday to recommend the…

Jobs alone don’t help a community grow. You need a diverse supply of affordable housing, too. An extensive housing report released this week shows a strong job market in Southeast Kansas, but growth is hampered…

Kansas has a lot of affordable houses. Problem is, people are living in them. And they probably need a little work. When someone finds a nice house at a reasonable rate, they don’t want to…

It’s probably not surprising, but most Allen County families can’t afford to build a new house.  Another fact: Allen County’s housing vacancy rate is much higher than the state’s.  Those are some of the findings…

A group that has been asking local residents how to create a better Allen County will offer a “last chance” to share ideas next week. Atlas Community Studios, a small company based in Des Moines,…

If the county is going to buy land for future housing development, a developer needs to be found first. That was the general consensus of Allen County Commissioners, who got more clarification about a recent…

There’s a lot to like about a plan to start a land bank in Allen County, but commissioners were taken by surprise by a proposal from Thrive Allen County and said they have too many…

TOPEKA — Sheena Mooney has spent the past year without a job or a safety net living in a trailer park a few miles from Washburn. Mooney lost her job at Frito-Lay in March 2020,…

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House officials are outlining plans to build and restore more than 2 million homes, a response to the volcanic rise in housing prices over the past year. Millions of Americans are…