Happy Thursday, Shawnee Mission.
🌦Today’s forecast: Partly cloudy with a 30% chance of rain. High: 84. Low: 59.
🚨 One thing to know today
Overland Park is expanding its use of “floating wetlands” at South Lake.
The first such wetland, which is 50 square feet and made from recycled plastic water bottles, was installed in 2018.
The floating structure has dozens of native plants on top with roots that grow through to the water’s surface. In the hot summer months, those plant roots pull algae-causing fertilizers out of water, reducing the number of harmful algae blooms on the lake.
That original structure remains (it’s now too heavy to move, according to a city spokesperson), and the city is adding 10 bigger floating wetlands to the lake at 7601 W. 86th St.
These new floating wetlands are all 100 square feet apiece and each have 100 plants on top.
The plan eventually is to add more floating wetlands to other city lakes in the future, the city says.
🗓 Public meetings Thursday
- Board of County Commissioners, 9:30 a.m. [View agenda]
🚀 Post’s top Wednesday stories
- New brunch and lunch spot coming to Leawood
- Overland Park Papa Keno’s back open under new management
- Kansas NRA affiliate skewers JoCo city’s gun violence proclamation
- JoCo Notes: Where to spot new KC Parade of Hearts displays in Johnson County
- Bamboo Penny’s owners to open new seafood restaurant in Leawood
📰 Other local news
- Overland Park Police have identified a suspect who allegedly used a selfie stick to peep on a woman inside a dressing room at the Target near 119th and Blue Valley Parkway. [Fox 4]
- Former Blue Valley Northwest basketball player Mike Peake will not be charged in connection to a fatal shooting on the campus of the University of New Mexico late last year. [KMBC]
- A motorcyclist was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after crashing into a bridge guardrail and being thrown from his vehicle on I-435 in Lenexa Tuesday. [KSNT]
📸 A thousand words
This student made a splash on field day at Timber Creek Elementary this week. It’s the last week of school in Blue Valley, so he can get away with it. Photo via Twitter.
