Press Releases

Clean Slate Day will take place on Friday, September 20th from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Topeka Municipal Court. Clean Slate Day is an opportunity for a fresh start for people with Topeka Municipal Court offenses. This allows them to begin payment plans for outstanding fines and fees, setting new court dates for outstanding warrants and getting old violations expunged all without the fear of arrest.
The Topeka Community Foundation has provided a $5,000 grant to help those who income qualify to pay their outstanding fees and fines. The funds are available on a first come first serve basis.
“Clean Slate Day was a success last year and I’m excited to continue the program and see it grow,” said Municipal Court Judge Lori Dougherty-Bichsel. “This is a chance to obtain a driver’s license after being suspended for years. This could be someone’s chance to have a case expunged which has kept them from pursuing an employment opportunity in our community. We have the ability to help our community members and I am grateful for all our partners that help make this day possible through donations of time, resources, and money.”
Several other services will also be provided during Clean Slate Day including, free legal advice, employment opportunities, options for drivers’ licenses, housing, financial, education, city services, food resources and other social service needs.
Participants in Clean Slate Day need to bring a driver’s license or government issued photo I.D., information about Topeka Municipal Court offenses, proof of household income and a social security card.

When staff at the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center confirmed with ultrasound that Cleo, an eleven year old black and white ruffed lemur, was pregnant, they were excited. The pregnancy was Cleo’s first. Cleo was pregnant with multiple babies. The excitement turned to sadness late Saturday evening as Cleo gave birth to a motionless baby.
As her due date approached, Cleo began spending more and more time in a nest box last Tuesday. A camera was placed near the box and staff began making periodic night time checks. Around 8:00 Saturday evening, Cleo gave birth to the first baby. When the baby appeared to be motionless, staff began to intervene.
Once it was determined that the baby monkey was stillborn, attention was focused on Cleo. Ultrasound confirmed that there was at least one more heartbeat in Cleo’s uterus. A radiograph confirmed three remaining babies inside Cleo.
Cleo was given a medication to help stimulate labor. After 90 minutes had passed with no further delivery progress, the decision was made to do an emergency caesarian section. Two of the remaining three had died in utero. One was born with a heartbeat but never took a breath. Each baby had some sort of abnormality.
Cleo continues to recover from her surgery and is doing well. She is getting extra of her favorite fruits. She will continue to stay at the Zoo’s hospital for another five to seven days so that her incision and medication intake can be monitored.
“It was a very sad night Saturday for the staff that were here taking care of Cleo and for our entire team as the news spread,” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. “We were all really looking forward to this birth. I am always amazed at what our staff accomplishes and the efforts they give to the animals that live here. The compassion that they displayed during this event was incredible.”

 

In December 2023, the City of Topeka Governing Body voted to approve the establishment of two Common Consumption Areas (CCA) in Downtown Topeka and the NOTO Arts District. The adjustment of city rules around drinking in public creates regulated “social drinking zones” where patrons can drink within the designated boundaries of the area outside of a licensed bar, restaurant, or other eligible establishment that is permitted to sell alcoholic beverages by the State of Kansas and the City of Topeka.

The Downtown Common Consumption Area encompasses 4th Street on the north; 10th Avenue on the south; Quincy Street on the east; and Jackson Street on the west. The NOTO Common Consumption Area encompasses Fairchild Street on the north; Norris Street on the South; Quincy Street on the east; and Jackson Street on the west.

Boundaries of the CCA will be clearly marked with the below signage and pavement markings. Designated areas are operational between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., seven days a week.

Individuals are not permitted to bring their own alcoholic beverages into the CCA for consumption and must purchase alcoholic beverages from a licensed, participating establishment within the boundaries of the designated CCA. Alcoholic beverages must be sold in non-glass containers with the logo or identifying imagery of the participating business visible on the container.

Both CCAs will go into effect on April 15. Businesses located within the designated area can elect not to participate in the CCA, but if they wish to do so they will need to submit the proper paperwork to the State of Kansas ABC and the City of Topeka Clerk’s Office.

“Common Consumption is a natural evolution of our continued development efforts to support businesses while providing exciting environments for Topekans,” said Councilman Spencer Duncan. “Topeka isn’t just putting this in place here but also led the effort at the state level that is now bringing it to all Kansans, as other communities implement it. It continues our commitment to listening to our citizens and businesses and working with them to be a premier Capital City.”

To learn more about the Downtown Topeka and NOTO Arts District Common Consumption Areas, please visit https://www.topeka.org/cityclerk/common-consumption-areas/.

Construction is underway at Topeka’s City Hall for the HVAC replacement project.

The project calls for the replacement of the existing and aging HVAC system serving City Hall, located at 215 SE 7^th St., and the adjacent Topeka Performing Arts Center (TPAC). The project was approved by Topeka’s Governing Body at the November 15, 2022 City Council Meeting.

In order to keep City Hall open with minimal disruptions to visitors and city staff, the project is slated to occur in three phases, with the first phase underway. The first phase has closed the third floor and basement of City Hall, resulting in the relocation of multiple city departments and divisions. The first and second floors, as well as the TPAC and Municipal Court side of the building currently remain fully open to visitors.

The following city departments and divisions have recently relocated to the city’s Holliday Building, 620 SE Madison St.

• City Manager’s Office
• Contracts and Procurement (Purchasing)
• Finance
• Legal

City departments and divisions that remain at City Hall include:

• City Clerk
• City Communications
• City Council Office
• Community Engagement
• Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Office
• Human Resources
• Mayor’s Office
• Municipal Court (TPAC side of Building)
• Probation
• Prosecution

The HVAC replacement project is estimated to be completed in 2024.

City leadership appreciates the patience of visitors and staff during the construction period.

 

Case #18-78804

On August 10, 2018 these two individuals passed several counterfeit $50 bills through Lowe’s in Topeka. The suspect wearing the black ball cap entered the store purchasing expensive items all with $50 bills. A short time later, the suspect in the white t-shirt returned the products for cash. The suspect in the black ball cap left in a burnt orange Dodge Charger. The suspect in the white t-shirt left the store on foot.

If you recognize these suspects, please contact Detective Stults at hstults@topeka.org.

You can also call Crime Stoppers at (785) 234-0007 to report anonymously. If your tip leads to an arrest, you could be eligible for a cash reward.

$400,000 in funding has been added to the COVID-19 Basic Needs Assistance Program for mortgage relief. In 2020 the City of Topeka Housing Services Division created COVID-19 assistance programs to help with basic needs for people who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19. These federal dollars have been and continue to be a great resource to the individuals struggling in Topeka. The City of Topeka has helped 612 individuals who reside in 476 households since the program started, of those people 42.8% are minorities.

Applications for the Basic Needs Assistance Program were accepted beginning on December 1^st, 2020. 476 applications have been approved so far with $1,322,847in funds having been paid. 96% of the original funds have been committed and expensed for an average of $2,779 per approved household.

“$400,000 in additional funds for mortgage assistance will greatly help those in our community who are struggling to keep their homes. We are focused on helping those most vulnerable people negatively affected by COVID” said Corrie Wright, Division Director of Housing Services.

The Operation COVID-19 Basic Needs Assistance Program is a foreclosure/eviction mitigation and utility prevention shut-off program created by the City of Topeka and administered by the Community Resources Council. An additional $400,000 in CARES Act funds has been made available to qualified applicants to help cover mortgages. The program is by appointment only and applicants must be city residents, have COVID related outstanding bills after March 2020 and make no more than 100% of area median income. Appointments can be scheduled over the phone from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday by calling (785) 233-1365. If the line is busy, leave your name and phone number and CRC staff will call back to schedule an appointment.

 

More information on the COVID assistance programs can be found on the City of Topeka website. https://www.topeka.org/housing-services/covid-assistance-programs/

 

You can view the full report on the COVID Assistance Programs here: HS Report July.pub (cot-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com)

The City of Topeka is partnering with the Shawnee County Health Department and the Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging to help our neighbors who are 65 and over to complete the COVID-19 vaccination interest survey through Pop-Up Survey Clinics. Several people over the age of 65 in our community have a variety of impeding factors that prevent them from completing the survey including a lack of computer accessibility, no internet availability, no cell phone number, no email address or a lack of vaccine educational information. In an effort to ensure equitability for all of our 65 and older neighbors, a plan of action has been implemented for the months of February through April to help complete the survey. The events will take place during the day, one evening a week and one Saturday a month to provide participants with a variety of options to receive help to complete the survey.

“Shawnee County is dedicated to an equitable distribution of vaccine in our communities. We are grateful for partnerships that will help us reach those with limited resources. As our mission states, we are committed to working in partnership with our community to protect the optimal health of all people by bridging gaps,” said Derik Flerlage, Infectious Disease Division Manager at the Shawnee County Health Department.

The first Pop-Up Clinic will be Saturday, February 20^th from 9-11 a.m. at the Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging located at 2910 SW Topeka Boulevard. It is estimated that hundreds of people in our community will be able to obtain the vaccination who otherwise could have potentially been omitted due to the barriers of accessing the vaccination interest survey. Additional times and places of the Pop-Up Survey Clinics will be announced in advance once they are scheduled.

The Pop-Up Survey Clinics will consist of the following:

• Pop-Up Survey Clinics at local senior housing facilities
• Pop-Up Mobile Survey Clinics at various locations throughout the community

 

Social distancing mandates will be adhered to and the team will be equipped with PPE gear during the events in an effort to ensure everyone’s safety. Participants will be required to wear a facial mask.

 

For additional information on the Shawnee County Health Department contact Craig Barnes at 785-251-5612.

For additional information and questions pertaining to seniors please contact Susan Harris at the Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging at sharris@hawkaaa.org or 785-235-1367.

For additional information and questions on Pop-Up Events please contact Monique Glaudeˊ, Director of Community Engagement & Ombudsman for the City of Topeka at mglaude@topka.org or 785-368-4470.

The City of Topeka has created a COVID-19 website to provide information for businesses and the public. https://data.topeka.org/pages/covid19information provides a list of city phone numbers, locations of US Bank locations where people can pay their water bills and a link for businesses to report hours and closures.

A business survey link is available for local businesses to report hours of operation. The City of Topeka asks for businesses to complete this survey to help identify critical infrastructure services. https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/7e1deddaf0fa4847bf5f6f9bfb7c19c5?

Critical Infrastructure includes:

• Chemical
• Communications and Information Technology
• Critical Manufacturing
• Defense Industrial Base
• Energy
• Financial Services
• Food and Agriculture
• Hazardous Materials
• Healthcare/Public Health
• Law Enforcement, Public Safety, First Responders
• Other Community-Based Government Operations and Essential Functions
• Public Works
• Transportation and Logistics
• Water and Wastewater

The Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center will be accepting used live Christmas trees again this year beginning as early as December 26 but the Zoo is asking that a different tree drop off location be used.
It is as easy as dropping the tree off at our new location just east of the horseshoe court parking lot inside Gage Park. When entering Gage Park from the 10th St. entrance, take your first right on Munn Memorial Drive; heading northwest. Look for the orange snow fence and place your tree in the grass, behind the “Trees Here” sign.
“There is no need to make an appointment,” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. “We’ll find them and get them to the animals that can use them.”
In order for the trees to be able to be used by the zoo animals, the trees need to be free of ornaments tinsel, tree stands and not in plastic bags.
“This allows the trees to be used beyond the holiday season,” said Wiley. “Animals that benefit from them include lions, tigers, owls, mountain lions, giraffes, elephants, bears and many others.”
Once the animals have had plenty of fun with the varieties of conifers donated, they will be ground up through a chipper and made into mulch for continued reuse.
The zoo will accept the trees through Jan. 8th 2019.

The Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center would like to invite members of the media to the ribbon cutting ceremony which will mark the unveiling of the Kay McFarland Japanese Garden on Thursday, August 27, at 10:00 AM. Attending and speaking at the ceremony will be Consul General Kenichi Okada from the Japanese Consulate in Chicago and James Kanki Honorary Consul of Japan in Kansas City. The ribbon cutting will occur in traditional Japanese style.
Also speaking at the event will be Mayor Michelle De La Isla, Friends of the Zoo Board President Pat Colley, Japanese Garden Master Koji Morimoto and Trustees Elaine and Howard Schwartz.
Because of Covid-19 restrictions, attendance at the ribbon cutting is by invitation only.
Guests will be greeted at the event by Three Trails Taiko, a Japanese drum group. As guests check in, they will be given an origami crane. At the conclusion of the ceremony after the Sake drum has been broken, a procession will lead to the Garden’s entrance. Along the way, guests will be instructed to hang their origami crane with a wish on one of the plants. Kimonos will be on display in the Event Venue.
Members of the media can arrange for a preview of the Kay McFarland Japanese Garden beginning Monday, August 24. Interviews can be arranged during the preview with the Zoo Director, Garden Master and Trustees if desired. We would ask that any stories developed through the preview experience be embargoed