By BRIAN GRIMMETT

Westar Energy and Great Plains Energy, the parent company of Kansas City Power & Light Co., won approval from state regulators Thursday to merge as equals.

That clears the way for a combined company worth $14 billion serving more than 1.6 million customers in Kansas and Missouri.

“We feel (it’s) good for our shareholders, good for our communities, good for our customers, and good for our employees,” Westar spokeswoman Gina Penzig said.

The Missouri Public Service Commission and the Kansas Corporation Commission both approved the long-pending merger proposal on Thursday. The companies had tried to combine last year, but saw their proposal rejected by Kansas regulators.

The merger is projected to save Kansas customers $183.5 million in its first five years.

Savings from the merger will allow Westar to cut the amount it is asking for in a rate case pending before the KCC. With the decrease, the average residential customer would see a hike in monthly bills of $2.80 per month, rather than the more than $5 previously asked for by Westar.

The new company will be called Evergy, a combination of ever and energy, and will be headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. The merger terms approved by regulators also require the company to keep at least 500 employees at a Kansas headquarters in Topeka for at least 5 years.

“For the most part we’ve really been trying to emphasize letting employees stay where their families are and where they are today,” Penzig said.

In rejecting a merger last year, the KCC argued the proposal would have put too much financial stress on the new company and would not benefit customers.

This time around, executives at the two companies tailored their proposals to calm the regulators’ worries.

The result is a larger regional electric utility company that members of the commission said will ultimately benefit Kansas consumers.

Jim Zakoura, who represented several large industrial customers during the proceedings, said he’s disappointed with the decision. While he wasn’t against the merger, he wanted a bigger commitment from the new company to reduce electric prices.

“The commission needs to address it and bring the utilities in and help get a plan to bring us back to competitive levels,” he said.

For now, customers will continue to get their service, and bills, from their current provider, KCP&L or Westar. Rebranding won’t occur until 2019.

Brian Grimmett is a reporter focusing on the environment and energy for the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @briangrimmett. 

TOPEKA – A Manhattan man has been banned from operating a vehicle transportation service in Kansas and ordered to repay consumers after being found in violation of Kansas consumer protection laws, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.

Pete Knippenberg, who does business as Light It Up, LLC, and Light It Up Limousines, has been permanently enjoined from operating a vehicle transportation service within the State of Kansas. Knippenberg was also ordered to pay $665 restitution to three consumers, as well as pay a civil penalty and reimburse the attorney general’s office for the cost of its investigation. District Judge Jeff Elder entered the judgment Tuesday in Pottawatomie County District Court after Kinppenberg failed to respond to a lawsuit filed by the attorney general’s office in March.

Schmidt had accused Knippenberg of engaging in the sale of limousine and party bus transportation services, accepting payment from consumers, and then failing to provide the service or refund consumers’ money.

A copy of the default judgment is available here.

Due to a email problem the Geary County Sheriff’s Department has been unable to send JCPost.com the Geary County Booking Photos for the past three days. Work is under way to complete the problem which has impacted other county and city operations as well.

As soon as that work is complete and service is restored we will resume providing the Booking Photo report.

High

91°

Mostly sunny with a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 90s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

The Mudd Bogg on May 19th in Junction City raised $3,390 to help support the Sundown Salute celebration. Drivers from Kansas and other states participated in Mudd Bogg which was held in the 2000 block of Grant Avenue.

The information was released by Sundown Salute committee Chairman Terry Heldstab.

Sundown Salute is scheduled June 30 – July 4 in Junction City.

The annual Memorial Day ceremony at Fort Riley is Monday at 11:30 a.m. at the Post Cemetery.

Officials announced that Fort Riley Garrison Commander, Colonel John Lawrence, will provide remarks.

The ceremony is open to the public, however, those without a Department of Defense ID car need to arrive early at the Henry Gate visitor control center at Exit 301 off of I-70 to obtain a pass to the installation.

The Junction City Fire Department has received a new 2017 Ford F550 American Emergency Vehicle Traumahawk ambulance. The vehicle was purchased from American Response Vehicles for $272,000.

The new ambulance will replace a 2006 ambulance that had engine failure.

Junction City Fire Department provides EMS services for all of Geary County. The annual response for Emergency Medical Services in 2017 totaled 3,260. The JCFD also transfers patients from Geary Community Hospital to other facilities for special care. THE JCFD transferred 462 patients in 2017.

The new ambulance will be stationed at Fire Station Two on Lacy Drive.

Thursday is the final day of the school year in Geary USD 475 schools.

Saint Xavier School in Junction City wrapped up classes on Wednesday.

 

The Special Olympics Kansas Flame of Hope will be carried by law enforcement officers through Fort Riley and Junction City on May 30.

Torch Runs are held in Kansas leading up to the annual summer games in Wichita. Law enforcement officers raise money for Special Olympics Kansas throughout the year by participating in these runs as well as events like Polar Plunges, Tip-A-Cop and Cover the Cruiser.

Agencies participating in the Fort Riley portion of the run include the 97th Military Police Battalion, Fort Riley Directorate of Emergency Services and the Fort Riley Police Department.

Law enforcement officers will begin the Fort Riley run at noon on the Ogden Access Control Point and continue along that route along Heubner Road. The route will remain on Heubner Road until it reaches the Grant Access Control Point where the torch will be handed off to the Junction City Police Department. At Grant Park there will be remarks by attending personnel, and there will be a mass formation of participating Soldiers.

In Junction City the runwill begin at 2 p.m. at the Grant Avenue Park and travel west on Grant Avenue, cross over Washington Street, head west on 18th Street,then turn south on Jefferson Street until they reach Heritage Park.

At the conclusion of this leg of the torch run the torch will be headed to McPherson for the next leg on June 1.