“Now that it's rainin' more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella
Ella-ella, ayy, ayy, ayy”

“It's so much better, When everyone is in, are you in?”

After careful consideration and attending the Incubus concert last night, it is now my belief that @aoc.bsky.social should incorporate their song “Are You In?” and their acoustic version of Rihanna’s “Umbrella” into her 2028 presidential campaign.

“I would encourage us to communicate with our federal representatives about this,” Heley said. “I’m sure there’s others in the metro who are impacted as well.”

Last week at the public safety committee, Councilmember Heley encouraged city staff to keep working with members of the congressional delegation to come to a resolution on some of the confusion that stems from the freezes and other changes at the federal level, including layoffs and restructuring.

“It just seems wild to me that there was training that was canceled basically 24 hours or one business day before it was supposed to happen,” said Councilmember Heley.

Overland Park has regularly sent firefighters and officers to trainings put on by the academy. The Trump Administration has enacted job cuts at the academy, which is run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

As for the National Fire Academy training cancellations, some firefighters and other city fire department employees got next to no notice that the training they planned to attend sometime earlier this month at the national headquarters in Maryland was off.

“I’m not sure anybody views that as efficient or effective government,” Heley said, specifically referencing a last-minute cancellation of National Fire Academy training that Overland Park fire officials had planned to attend.

Federal funding cuts have JoCo cities preparing to put planned road projects on hold Trump's promised cuts to the federal government have led cities in Johnson County to pause projects that would have gotten federal funding.

Some OP officials have signaled a growing concern that more changes are on the horizon amid mounting confusion. At a city Public Safety Committee meeting last week, Overland Park Councilmember Logan Heley lamented the chaos sown by some of the federal cuts. Per @johnsoncountypost.bsky.social

Project 2025 says fire federal workers, so they are.

Project 2025 says abolish the Department of Education, so they are.

Project 2025 says kick moms and babies off Medicaid, so they are.
 
Project 2025 calls for a national abortion ban using the Comstock Act… see where I’m going with this?

Impeding one’s own progress has more to do with one’s judgment than one’s character.

Tomorrow, February 28, let’s disrupt the status quo by spending ONLY at businesses that uplift our communities.

That means:
🚫 No gas from corporate giants
🚫 No fast food chains
🚫 No big-box retailers (Target, Walmart, Amazon, etc.)

With winter weather on its way, let’s Salt Wise! It only takes 1 teaspoon of salt to pollute 5 gallons of water to a level that is toxic for freshwater ecosystems. We can all work together to promote best practices! www.wisaltwise.com/Take-Action/...

Avian influenza is why egg prices are soaring and breaking new records Egg prices are soaring and breaking record highs as the bird flu outbreak grows.

Avian Flu is a major contributing factor too www.axios.com/2025/01/03/e...

🚨NEW: President Jimmy Carter has died at 100 years old. A life well-lived and one of the best humans to ever walk this earth.

REPOST to honor President Carter! 💙

Reintroducing bison to Kansas tallgrass prairies promotes biodiversity and resilience, study finds • Kansas Reflector Reintroducing bison to tallgrass prairies can double biodiversity of native plants and increase drought resistance, a Kansas State University study found.

Reintroducing bison to Kansas tallgrass prairies promotes biodiversity and resilience, study finds | via @gracefromkansas.bsky.social #ksleg

“When you’re responsible for that ongoing operational cost you wanna make sure it’s built right the first time,” said Heley.

Overland Park taking steps toward a greener future The City of Overland Park is taking steps toward a greener future. This week the city council passed a resolution that would require all new and updated city facilities to meet green building standard...

“I think that making sure that we’re doing a little bit more work upfront so that we have long-term cost savings for a building that we plan to own, and operate and occupy long after I’m dead,” said city councilman Logan Heley.

www.kctv5.com/2024/12/19/o...

After the 2024 market season, the City will remove the pavilion to make way for a new market building and downtown gathering space, set to open in spring 2026. The Farmers’ Market will operate at Matt Ross Community Center for the 2025 season.

During the event, attendees wrote farewell messages on the pavilion, creating a lasting tribute to this cherished space. The pavilion will be donated to Garnett, Kansas, where it will continue to serve as a farmers’ market structure.

This year’s Holiday Market today marked a significant milestone. It was the final market held at the current pavilion before the City begins a major renovation project. We celebrated the market’s history and saying goodbye to the pavilion.

It's not a quick fix, but a good way to make progress over time until a higher authority pays for a speedier solution.

My suggestion has been to bury overhead wires when our city does those neighborhood projects. It would be great if the state and federal governments and utilities would help us pay for it.

Some JoCo cities report prolonged, persistent power outages Northeast Johnson County power outages are more frequent and lasting longer in the past year or two, some residents say. Here's why.

Climate change will only make our power grid and power lines even less resilient until we act. Overland Park is in the process of reconstructing "beyond useful life" neighborhood streets in the older parts of our city. johnsoncountypost.com/2024/11/26/n...

It's all about shining a light on the inspiring young and diverse leaders who are making a real difference in their communities through their passion for public service, strong governance, and commitment to community development.

This exciting initiative celebrates the incredible accomplishments of elected officials under 40 from NLC member cities.

I'm thrilled to be recognized among the National League of Cities Centennial Under 40 Impact Awards!

““I think it’s just an important reminder that civil rights violations didn’t just happen in the deep South, they happened all over America, including here in Overland Park,” he said.”

Overland Park releasing racist covenants on property records Overland Park has started the legal process to release racist deed restrictions from residential property records in older parts of the city.

“Council President Logan Heley, who represents Ward 1 where these racist restrictive covenants are more likely to be found given the age of the area, said last week that he grew up in a home in Overland Park with a covenant on it.”

johnsoncountypost.com/2024/11/14/o...