Meeting to focus on child safety

The Olathe Parents as Teachers program will host a representative from Charlie’s House, a local non-profit organization focused on child safety. The representative will share information and resources about keeping children safe at home.

The presentation will take place from 10-11 a.m. Saturday, March 7, in the North Lindenwood Support Center, 315 N. Lindenwood, Olathe.

Parents are encouraged to register for the Charlie’s House event by calling Parents as Teachers at (913) 780-8106. This is an event for adults only; childcare will not be provided.

Library wants ideas about the future

As Johnson County grows and changes, so does the county’s library system. Library officials want the public’s input to help craft a Master Plan that will guide how the library system will provide services for the next generation.

The library is seeking the public’s thoughts and ideas, dreams and visions, opinions and strategies at one of these public feedback sessions:

Olathe news briefs for the week of Feb. 17

TheOlathe City Council will next meet Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. in the Council Chamber at City Hall for a regular session. Regular sessions are broadcast live on OGN (Comcast channel 7, AT&T channel 99 and on the City’s website).  For a recap of the previous Council meeting, visit the City Clerk’s webpage.

Private insurance companies offering water line insurance to Olathe residents

If you haven’t already, many Olatheans may begin seeing letters in their mailboxes from private insurance companies offering private water line insurance coverage. The coverage would include a private contract agreement at the choice of the individual property owner.

Great Mall to close this year

From WDAF-TV

On Monday, Feb. 16, The Great Mall of the Great Plains, 20700 West 151st Street, announced plans to close the property after about 18 years.

In the announcement, management says: “The decision to close was difficult, but one that was guided by very compelling economic realities. The development began to face struggles soon after it opened in 1997, and has been unable to recover in the intervening years due to a variety of factors, including the economic downturn and changes in customers’ shopping habits.”

Results from recent retail studies conducted by Jeff Green Partners indicate that currently in 2015, this site can comfortably support only a fraction of the  786,000 square feet of retail space at the mall.

To read the entire story or watch the video, click here.

ACT Workshop added to College Preparatory Academy

An ACT preparation workshop has been added to the popular College Preparatory Academy offered by Olathe Northwest High School College Readiness instructors. The workshop and academy will help sophomores, juniors and seniors with their college search and the scholarship and financial aid process. Both events are open to students from all four Olathe high schools and takes place June 8-11.

Each session of the ACT Prep Workshop will focus on an area of the exam (English, math, etc.), and students will hear how the test is structured. They will also learn test-taking strategies, goal setting skills, and tips and tricks for doing well.