The U.S. Department of Treasury has officially certified Governor Jeff Colyer’s nomination of 74 census tracts to be designated as Qualified Opportunity Zones and has designated those tracts as such.

“This is one of the toughest decisions I have had to make in the 22 years I have been with the city,” Commissioner Kent Smoll said during the city commission meeting Monday.

Boutique Air announced today that it will begin service between Dodge City Regional Airport (DDC) to Denver International Airport (DEN) on Monday, January 1st, 2018.

The First Assembly of God conducted their Property Dedication Service on Sunday, November 19th at their new site on Fourteenth Avenue and Iron Road.

On February 9, 2018, Dodge City Church of the Nazarene will host Night to Shine, an unforgettable prom night experience for people with special needs, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation.

Coming in February, the Dodge City/Ford County Development Corporation E-Community will be hosting the 2nd Ford County Youth Entrepreneurship Competition (YEC) in association with the Network Kansas E-Community Partnership.

The first townhouse duplex unit will be completed in October, but Summerlon Gardens is already selling units. When completed — in about 4 years — the 67-unit community will offer easy access to a walking trail, fishing, and the YMCA.

National Beef Packing Co. LLC on Wednesday announced a $30 million expansion at its Dodge City, Kan., operations.

Boot Hill Distillery is opening in the historic municipal hall building at 501 W. Spruce St. on top of Boot Hill.

PenAir, one of Alaska’s largest regional airlines, will initiate twice-daily service to Dodge City and Liberal from Denver, starting Sept. 15.

A Note About Trumpism, From the Real America

The Kansas Department of Commerce announces 26 Regional Business Excellence Award winners and 63 Merit Award winners as part of the 2016 Business Appreciation Month. 

Ford and Gray counties are expected to see population growth in the 50-year span from 2014 to 2064 — the only western Kansas counties expected to do so.

The Center for Economic Development and Business Research (CEDBR), part of the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University, recently released population projections by age cohort from 2014 to 2064 for every Kansas county. In these projections, the overall Kansas population is forecast to grow from 2,904,321 to 3,538,277, a 21.8 percent increase.

Kansas’ population will increase in the next 50 years, but the growth will mostly come from older people who live in cities, according to projections released Wednesday by Wichita State University. If the projections hold true – a big if, given the 50-year-horizon – policymakers and local leaders will have to figure out how to pay for a retirement-age population that will double in size.

Read the full article at kansas.com

Topeka, Kan., April 12, 2016 – Westar Energy welcomed local leaders and landowners Monday to break ground and celebrate as construction begins on the 280 megawatt Western Plains Wind Farm near Spearville.

An Italian company has begun construction on a large wind farm that will dot southwest Kansas with 200 turbines, generating enough energy to power nearly 150,000 households — with internet giant Google snatching up half the output.

Read this article on cjonline.com

The Kansas Department of Commerce has named 24 Regional Business Excellence Award winners and 52 Merit Award winners as part of Business Appreciation Month, the Department’s annual celebration of Kansas businesses and their contributions to their communities and the state economy.

Bringing quality programming to southwest Kansas, the Center for Entrepreneurship at Wichita State University along with the Dodge City Ford County Development Corporation, will be teaming up once again to present a one-day franchise seminar on February 17, 2015.

Kansas employment growth is anticipated to reach 1.8 percent in 2015, according to a recent study by Wichita State University.

Dodge City’s economy relies on tourism and entertainment, and now, the city is using a bond that encourages growth to do exactly that.

“As a community and as a county, we are growing,” said Special Projects Assistant with the Dodge City, Ford Count Development Corporation Leslie Lomas. As Dodge City tries to fill the housing need with new homes and apartments there is still a shortage in low to moderate income housing.

Read this article on KSN.com

During the Dodge City Days festivities, we were honored to have Senator Pat Roberts home to help us celebrate.  It is a great time for our community as we celebrated and congratulated Megan Estrada on being the first approved home loan with the USDA Rural Development Home Loan Program in Dodge City.

Policom Corporation has just released a 2014 Economic Strength Ranking for the Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas in the U.S.

The Southern Economic Development Council presented the Dodge City/Ford County Development Corporation with two separate awards for the newly released Retail and Business Development Guide and Website.

The website received an Award of Excellence and the Retail and Business Development Guide received an Award of Merit for the entry.

Since July 2010, when Dodge City became a Main Street community, we have been keeping track of the flow of businesses, job creation, dollars being invested and volunteer hours that all contribute to the revitalization of our downtown area.

Lewis Automotive Group is moving forward with the rebuild of their Lewis Ford Lincoln dealership. Demolition began this month and is well underway.

Love’s Travel Stops (Love’s) opens its third location in Dodge City, Kansas, 2505 E. Trail Street, at the intersection of U.S. Highways 400, 56 and 283, on Thursday, June 5.

Roto-Mix LLC, a leader in cattle feeding and mixing equipment, is on track with the expansion of its primary manufacturing facility located in Dodge City, Kansas.

The new Love’s Travel Stop, located at the intersection of Highways 400, 56, and 283 is slated to open in June, offering a 24/7, safe, well-lit stop at night that is always staffed .

Construction on the new Comfort Suites located on West Wyatt Earp is coming along on schedule and is planning to open in December.

ITC’s Community Affairs Manager Kim Goodnight presented a sponsorship check for $10,000 that will be used for enhancements to the cities recreational facilities.