Latest news with #KansasDepartmentofCommerce
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Yahoo
'The Mushroom King' shares morel magic for fungi foragers in Kansas
Search in places people don't usually go. That's among Tom Weipert's tips for finding mushrooms in the wild. "Where the beer cans stop, the mushrooms pop," he said. A tattoo showing mushrooms adorns the right arm of Weipert, a professional forager for fungi. He has been registered since 2011 with the state of Missouri as 'The Mushroom King,' and maintains a Facebook page by that name. Weipert has been picking mushrooms since he was a small boy. 'It's like Easter egg hunting for grown-ups,' he said. Weipert said he earned the moniker "The Mushroom King" as a teenager growing up in northwest Missouri. These days, Weipert drives about 50,000 miles a year in search of mushrooms, which he and his wife, Colette, sell online. Marketing mushrooms is a "multi-million dollar business," he said. Tom Weipert said he has found mushrooms in about 35 states, with some of his favorite places to hunt being Oklahoma, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Michigan. Colette Weipert said: "He can pinpoint a map and drive 1,000 miles and pull up on the side of the road in the forest and say, 'They're right there.' And they're there!" Tom Weipert said he once picked a "Hen of the Woods" mushroom in Missouri that weighed 28 pounds. He shared mushrooming tips with The Capital-Journal during an April 17 hunt in a mostly wooded part of Perry Wildlife Area in Jefferson County in northeast Kansas. Hunting season for the popular morel mushroom in Kansas usually runs from mid-March through May, says the website maintained by the Kansas Department of Commerce. "This finicky fungus is without a doubt the darling of Kansas mushrooms," the site says. "For some, the appeal is the mystery of the hunt. For others, it's bragging rights. Regardless of the reason, every year, the circle of morel membership grows. Their unique appearance makes them easy to identify." Early in the season, morels have more of a gray hue and are no more than a couple inches in height, said "This is when they are the hardest to spot," it said. "Later in the season, they will turn more yellow and grow anywhere from a few inches to just over a foot high!" Finding fungi is largely about "having the right conditions" in place, and this year's morel season started slowly due to an absence of the moist, mild conditions mushrooms need to thrive, Weipert told The Capital-Journal. "The only thing really going on in Kansas right now — which is always going on — is the Kansas River, and that's a magical thing," he said. The area of the Kansas River is a good place to hunt morels, Weipert said. He voiced optimism that conditions for finding mushrooms would soon improve in other parts of northeast Kansas. "It's still early," Weipert said. "We've had decent rains; you can tell there's moisture in the ground. It just hasn't been consistently warm enough. We need a string of 40-degree nights and 70-degree days for five or six days in a row." Weipert said that appeared about to happen, as late April was forecast to bring wet, mild weather to northeast Kansas. The Weiperts wore long pants, long-sleeved shirts, hiking boots and plenty of insect repellant as they took The Capital-Journal on an hourlong hunt for mushrooms. Tom Weipert wore a headband. Colette Weipert wore a hat. Tom Weipert said when he's foraging for fungi, he generally carries a basket, a mesh bag or a 5-gallon bucket with holes drilled in it to provide ventilation to ensure any mushrooms he picks will be able to breathe. "Trees matter" when it comes to finding mushrooms, Weipert said. He said he asks himself where he would choose to live if he were a mushroom. "Any mushroom has a food source," he said. "That's how you find a mushroom, is to identify its food source." Morels tend to attach themselves to certain types of trees, and maintain symbiotic relationships with those trees in which both benefit, he said. The morel helps the tree absorb nutrients while the tree provides the morel sugars produced through photosynthesis, Weipert said. A morel's relationship with a tree or other vegetation may also be saprotrophic, which involves the morel's obtaining nutrients from dead and decaying plant matter, or parasitic, which involves the morel's acting in a manner that harms or even kills the tree or plant. Some trees to which morels commonly attach themselves include maples, elms, cedars, sycamores, cottonwoods and apple trees, Weipert said. Morels like to attach themselves to willow trees during drought situations, he said. Morels formerly attached themselves often to ash trees, but the emergence of an invasive insect called the "emerald ash borer" greatly reduced the number of surviving trees of that type, Weipert said. Morels can be unpredictable, he added. "All I've ever learned about morels is that they do what they want to do," Weipert said. Weipert said he often "pinches off" the mushrooms he picks but sometimes uses a knife to cut them off at the bottom. "The reason I don't pull them up out of the dirt and throw them in my bag is because then you get a bag full of dirt," he said. Morels are "nutritious and delicious," Weipert said. He said morels he'd picked were served the previous evening at the restaurant where he works as a chef in St. Joseph, Missouri. Those morels were cooked in butter atop baked chicken and sirloin steaks, Weipert said. The Weiperts didn't find any mushrooms during the April 17 hunt, with conditions not yet conducive for finding mushrooms in the Perry area, Tom Weipert said. recommends that before mushroom hunters bite into any fungi, they consult "A Guide to Kansas Mushrooms," published in 1993. The website described that book as being "the gold standard of Kansas fungi." Tom Weipert said the most dangerous mushrooms tend to have a "nasty" smell. But even edible morels must always be cooked before being eaten, he said. "You can't eat morels raw," he said. Eating raw or undercooked morels can lead to nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and potentially even death. Before cooking, Weipert recommends splitting a morel in half to make sure it has no dirt or bugs. No permit is needed to pick mushrooms in Kansas. Morels can fetch anywhere from $10 to $40 per pound on the market, depending on the season, said But most hunters opt not to sell them and "choose to divide their spoils amongst friends and family," it said. Kansas state parks and wildlife areas tend to be great places to hunt mushrooms, according to "Just keep in mind that any morels that you harvest on public land cannot be sold," it said. "They can only be enjoyed for personal consumption." That site adds, "If you find morels on your own property or have been granted permission to hunt on someone else's land, by all means, sell away!" Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@ or 785-213-5934. This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Fungi forager Tom Weipert shares tips for locating morels in Kansas
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kansas unveils mystery company getting historic perks for jobs in Johnson County
The mysterious Project Turtle is now out of its shell. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced this week that Fiserv, Inc., a Milwaukee-based payment and financial services technology company, will be moving into Overland Park's Aspiria Campus, formerly Sprint, and bringing thousands of high-paying jobs. The previously secret plans come as a result of a deal that the company and the state department of commerce describe as the 'largest office recruitment in Kansas history.' 'Fiserv's new strategic hub in Overland Park is a significant step forward as we continue to elevate Kansas to new heights,' Kelly said in a statement Monday. 'Fiserv will create high-value career options including opportunities for military personnel transitioning to civilian life and graduates of our higher education system.' Kansas is giving Fiserv more than $154 million in state incentives over the next 10 years to bring the project — and the jobs it promises — to Johnson County. The state perks for the company include $20 million from Kansas' Job Creation Fund, which is the largest allocation Kansas has ever awarded from that fund, according to a release from the Kansas Department of Commerce and Fiserv. The Fortune 500 company has committed $175 million in private investment for the project and will renovate 427,000 square feet of space across two Aspiria Campus buildings, according to the release from Kelly's office. Overland Park city documents and a press release from the city's Chamber of Commerce said Fiserv would be investing $50 million less, or $125 million in the project. But Matt Lowry, a spokesperson for the Kansas Department of Commerce confirmed in an email that the $175 million investment is correct. The company promises to bring approximately 2,000 jobs to the state with an average salary of $102,000. City documents said the average salary would be higher, at $125,000. 'Overland Park is still in negotiations related to local incentives and we cannot comment on the number being used,' Lowry said. 'The $101,940 average wage figure is data provided by Fiserv used to qualify the company for state incentive programs.' With future expansion plans, the company's new financial tech hub is expected to contribute up to $4 billion in payroll for its future Kansas employees over the next decade, according to a release from the Kansas Department of Commerce and Fiserv. 'We are thrilled to expand our U.S. footprint, bringing our people together to drive innovation on behalf of our clients,' said Frank Bisignano, Fiserv's chairman and chief executive officer. 'Working with local and state leaders, we are committed to driving growth and prosperity for both Fiserv and Kansas while contributing to the vibrancy of the Overland Park community.' Mayor Curt Skoog and city staff worked with the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce's Economic Development team and the Kansas Department of Commerce to attract the project to Kansas City's largest suburb. But prior to Kelly's announcement, details were unknown. The proposal, dubbed as Project Turtle, kept the company's name and details under wraps. The Overland Park Chamber of Commerce signed nondisclosure agreements and city officials couldn't disclose details of the project, despite the developer asking for a 10-year property tax rebate on property taxes paid for its leased space. 'We are proud to welcome Fiserv to Aspiria and Overland Park. Overland Park is already a strong hub for business leadership, making Fiserv a natural fit in our community,' Skoog said in a statement following Kelly's announcement. 'The thousands of jobs Fiserv brings, along with the potential to serve neighboring businesses within our thriving community, is a significant win.' Fiserv plans to open its doors in two phases beginning in 2026.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Panera Bread closing Lenexa facility; dozens of workers affected
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Panera Bread distribution center is set to close in Lenexa, laying off 59 workers. Panera, LLC filed the notice on March 21 with the Kansas Department of Commerce as part of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. Deadline approaching for Wyandotte County homeowners to appeal valuations Panera Bread issued the following statement Wednesday in regard to the closure of its Lenexa facility, which is located at 14335 W. 100th St.: 'We had to make the difficult decision to close the Lenexa, KS commissary facility. Any decision that impacts our teams is never made lightly, and we are deeply grateful for the contributions of all impacted team members. To support them, we are providing comprehensive packages that include separation pay, assistance with COBRA health insurance premiums, outplacement services, and support finding roles both within and outside of Panera.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kansas resolves dispute over $1.5 million grant to rejuvenate Peabody's downtown buildings
The Kansas Department of Commerce reached a negotiated agreement with the Peabody Main Street Association to allow distribution of the second half of a $1.5 million economic development grant. The grant was jeopardized by Jonathan Clayton's involvement in advising Peabody on the grant. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector) PEABODY — The Kansas Department of Commerce made a deal with officials in Peabody to allow completion of a $1.5 million infrastructure improvement project designed to spark economic renewal in the central Kansas town. The community of less than 1,000 people was deeply shaken six months ago by alleged financial mismanagement of economic development aid and the mysterious death of a local consultant involved in monitoring state grant funding awarded to the Peabody Main Street Association. 'We have worked in every possible way to avoid compounding the tragedy,' said Lt. Gov. David Toland, who also serves as secretary of the Department of Commerce. 'It's my assessment that our best approach is to allow this work in Peabody, that we believe is important and that will be catalytic for that community long term, to get done.' Half of Peabody's infrastructure grant was spent rebuilding walls and roofing or replacing electrical and heating systems of architecturally endearing 1880s commercial buildings in risk of collapse. The remainder of the grant to Peabody was frozen when disturbing claims surfaced that interim Peabody clerk Jonathan Clayton, an adviser on economic development projects in Peabody and Mullinville, as well as a manager at the Department of Commerce with oversight of $100 million in funding, allegedly embezzled more than $100,000 of Mullinville's $425,000 state infrastructure grant and reportedly stole $70,000 from a Mullinville cemetery association. Clayton previously had been ousted from the Department of Commerce when it was discovered that he was simultaneously administering economic development funding at the state agency while also coordinating a Building a Stronger Economy, or BASE, grant funneled through the state to Mullinville. As that conflict-of-interest controversy percolated, it was revealed the Department of Commerce had hired Clayton in 2020 while unaware he had been sentenced in 2018 to probation for felony theft and forgery after stealing at least $210,000 in Pennsylvania. Department of Commerce officials said they were worried Clayton may have engaged in criminal behavior while collaborating with Peabody. Clayton repeatedly ignored the state agency's request for routine documentation intended to hold the Peabody grant recipients accountable, said Bob North, an attorney with the Department of Commerce. As Department of Commerce officials closed in on Clayton in August 2024, he vanished. His body was found three weeks later in a wrecked truck in Harvey County. Shortly after his disappearance, a letter attributed to Clayton was made public that asserted Toland engaged in malfeasance in deciding who received economic development grants tied to government aid during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lieutenant governor said claims in the Clayton letter were false. Starting in July 2024, the Department of Commerce sent correspondence to Clayton saying the second-phase grant of $760,000 to the Peabody Main Street Association could be withheld. The state agency also threatened to compel the Peabody association to repay the $740,000 first-phase grant expended on refurbishing downtown buildings. Amber Cabrera, an attorney at the commerce department, sent the Peabody association a letter in August that said the agency was 'proceeding forward with its right to terminate the agreement … and demands the return of the disbursed grant funds in the amount of $740,000.' Cabrera gave the Peabody association 15 days to complete full repayment or the state would 'pursue any and all legal alternatives to collect outstanding amounts due and associated costs, including payment for legal fees and expenses.' The repayment by Peabody didn't occur, because the association had about $1,200 in its bank account. However, Department of Commerce spokesman Patrick Lowry said in December the Peabody association's failure to comply with requirements of a grant recipient necessitated cutting off the promised funding. He attributed the action to the 'ongoing appearance of conflicts of interest' in Peabody and 'lingering damage done by Jonathan Clayton in the administration of this grantee's application.' 'Though this is not the outcome that many would have wanted initially, it is important to realize that $740,000 has been invested renovating historic buildings on Peabody's Main Street that, thanks to these investments, can now be utilized for new businesses,' Lowry said. Toland said the Department of Commerce subsequently concluded there was no evidence of fraudulent expenditures related to the Peabody association's handling of the grant before or after Clayton's death. 'It's been audited twice and we're confident the funds were spent properly,' Toland said. Toland said the state decided not to seek repayment of the first phase of grant funding and entered negotiations to allow issuance of second-phase funding for benefit of Peabody. Under the approved deal, a third-party organization must administer the Peabody grant rather than leave that responsibility with volunteers at Peabody Main Street Association. 'If you don't have experience and background for this type of work, it can be quite difficult,' Toland said. 'But it needs to be come through an organization that is used to administering large, complex projects.' The South Central Kansas Economic Development District was selected to manage the remainder of Peabody's grant. Much of the second phase of the grant has been earmarked for rebuilding Walnut Street surfaces and sidewalks after completion of a project to upgrade water service to downtown businesses. 'We're glad to get the rest of the money,' said Kelly Penner, of the Peabody Main Street Association. 'We're happy to make our downtown as beautiful as possible.' It's unclear what could happen in terms of the Mullinville grant, but the Department of Commerce filed a lawsuit in 2024 to gain access to bank and other financial records related to Clayton's administration of the $425,000 grant. The Department of Commerce could end up with a court judgment declaring Clayton absconded with tens of thousands of dollars. It's possible the Mullinville Community Foundation could be ordered to refund a portion of the grant. 'We've got records through the litigation process,' said North, the commerce department's attorney. 'We've got a pretty good idea of how the money was expended down there.' Morgan Marler, a Peabody merchant and member of the Peabody Main Street Association, said at the outset Clayton appeared to be a reliable partner in the downtown development project. She said Clayton had work experience at the Department of Commerce and that Clayton's spouse, Christopher King, operated CK Vintage in Mullinville before moving the store to Walnut Street in Peabody. During work on the first phase of the $1.5 million grant, Marler said Clayton complained to association board members that the Department of Commerce sought construction documents for work in Peabody that he had already forwarded to the state agency. Clayton said he complied with the state's requests in anticipation of Peabody securing the second half of the grant, she said. 'Jonathan was telling us he filed all the reports that were required,' Marler said. 'We continued to trust in his judgment on that.' Eventually, a Department of Commerce official reached out to Penner, who was president of the Peabody Main Street Association, to explain why the $1.5 million grant was in jeopardy. The Peabody association scheduled an 11:30 a.m. Saturday meeting in August with Clayton to retrieve all documents he professed to have previously shared with the Department of Commerce, Marler said. Clayton didn't show up, Marler said, and 'that was the day that he officially went missing.' She was among Peabody residents to be interviewed by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation in the case. Peabody Mayor Catherine Weems sent a letter to Toland and Gov. Laura Kelly urging them to consider not sidetracking the city's BASE grant for rehabilitation of downtown buildings. The second bundle of $760,000 was to be used, in part, as a match for a $1 million Kansas Department of Health and Environment grant to improve water service. 'As you can imagine, Jonathan's disappearance has sent shock waves through our community,' Weems said. Peabody Main Street Association member Pandea Smith, who runs a tea shop on Walnut Street and owns a separate building that had foundation work done with grant funding, said working with the Department of Commerce to fill the reporting gap left by Clayton was difficult because the state agency staff appeared to be disorganized. 'She would email me saying we were in default for not providing these when it had been sent twice,' Smith said. 'I would reply back that it's been sent on these dates, and here it is again.' The Department of Commerce continued to raise red flags about potential conflicts of interest because grant funds had been allocated to Peabody association board members involved in downtown businesses. Clayton had told the association these payments were allowed. In December, Marler said the Department of Commerce demanded the building lease with King, the widow of Clayton, be prematurely severed by the Peabody Main Street Association. The association reluctantly asked King if he would vacate the property by Dec. 27, and he agreed. His store included holiday decorations, and it was important to run a quitting-business sale through Christmas. 'I feel targeted,' King said. 'They're able to get (Clayton) personally through me. And, unfortunately, I think I'm just a casualty of that.' The Department of Commerce complained to the association that King had to be ousted from the retail space before Christmas. The Peabody Main Street Association received a letter offering full allocation of the second half of its $1.5 million grant if the lease with King at 109 North Walnut was terminated 'no later than Dec. 20.' The association hired an attorney and decided not to accelerate King's exit. The Department of Commerce terminated the state grant with Peabody Main Street Association before reaching an agreement on restoring the economic development aid, Toland said. 'This has taken some time to figure out how we thread the needle so that the work can be completed in the community in a fashion that allows compliance,' he said. The lieutenant governor said work to complete commercial redevelopment sought by Peabody residents was complicated by Clayton's effort to conceal his actions. 'Jonathan Clayton left a trail of wreckage that extended from Mullinville to Peabody, and it ensnared a lot of different people and did a lot of damage to those people who are all engaged in trying to better their communities,' Toland said. 'He lied to a lot of people.'
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill could make STAR Bond tax districts for malls in Kansas
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Lawmakers held a hearing on Monday for a bill that would make STAR Bonds available to mall redevelopment projects in Kansas. Substitute for Senate Bill 197 would let cities or counties establish STAR Bond projects to redevelop malls. The projects would need to be approved by the state's secretary of commerce. The bill would allow the use of STAR Bonds if at least 50% of the mall is unoccupied. Mall redevelopment projects would need to invest a minimum of $10 million before being eligible for STAR Bonds. STAR Bond districts would be created to recover the investment through sales tax revenue. Under the bill, entities in the STAR Bond district would be required to collect visitor data consisting only of ZIP codes for all sales, including cash sales. The data would be made public within 90 days of being received. STAR Bonds are a financing tool that is paid through sales tax revenue generated from the development, according to the Kansas Department of Commerce (KDC). The KDC reports that STAR Bond projects have no specific financial threshold in rural areas but must be of major regional or statewide significance. Included in the bill is a provision to eliminate the city or county authority to exercise eminent domain to acquire property for STAR Bond projects. The bill would also extend the STAR Bond financing act to July 1, 2028. Cats with bird flu reported in Manhattan Americans for Prosperity Kansas opposed the bill, saying STAR Bond districts result in higher taxes. Proponent testimony was provided by representatives of the KDC and Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce who said the STAR Bond program is a tool that provides substantial economic benefits and attracts outside visitors. The Kansas Department of Revenue indicated the bill could reduce state revenue depending on the cost to finance specific projects by foregoing sales and compensating use taxes. The agency said it was unable to estimate the fiscal effect. For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
