🌱 Patch AM: Where can Overland Park residents recycle Christmas trees this winter?

Hi there, Overland Park! We've got your morning read ready! Read on to stay connected. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• Where can Overland Park residents recycle Christmas trees this winter?
• What’s in JCCC’s new 10-year plan for Overland Park’s campus?
• How safe is Overland Park really in new national rankings?

Today's riddle: The world champion tongue twister just got arrested! 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Tuesday: Partly sunny and not as cold, with a high of 45 and low of 28 degrees.
• Wednesday: Mostly sunny, temps: high: 47, low: 23.
• Thursday: Sun and areas of high clouds, with a high of 38 and low of 28 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• LIST: Where to recycle your Christmas tree, holiday lights in the Kansas City area (fox4kc.com) — If you live in Overland Park, you’ll have specific local drop-off sites where you can recycle your Christmas tree instead of sending it to the landfill. The piece also highlights Kansas City–area options for both trees and holiday lights, explaining why curbside recycling isn’t safe for light strands and pointing to eco-friendly alternatives this winter.
   

• JCCC Updates: A brief history of JCCC—1969 to 2025 (johnsoncountypost.com) — Johnson County Community College’s main campus in Overland Park has grown from a 1969 land purchase into Kansas’s largest community college, now serving over 36,000 students a year. Leaders just approved a new 10-year facilities master plan for the Overland Park campus, guiding major building and program updates through 2035 to better match student needs and workforce demands.
   

• Nevada city named safest in state, but the picture is complex (rgj.com) — Overland Park gets a brief mention in a new WalletHub analysis of city safety, where it ranks a low 118th for natural disaster risk despite otherwise strong overall safety scores. The story explains how WalletHub and other groups weigh crime, finances, and disaster risk differently, and why experts say city-by-city rankings can be misleading for people deciding where to live or work.
   

📸 Around Overland Park

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Overland Park

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

Thursday January 8

• Board of Education Meeting
  Bentwood Elem , 14160 S. Black Bob Road , Olathe
  5:45 pm

📣 Overland Park Shout Outs!

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🗓 Events Nearby

Tuesday December 30

• Snowman’s Best Friend
  Pinot's Palette , 11945 S Strang Line Rd , Olathe
  2:00 pm
• đŚ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm (2 lanes) - Short Course
  SMSD Aquatic Center , 17251 W. 87th St. Parkway , Lenexa
  4:00 pm
• Pick Your Project Workshop (Ages 16+)
  Board & Brush Creative Studio - Lenexa , 13970 Santa Fe Trail Dr , Lenexa
  6:30 pm
• Blue Winter River
  Pinot's Palette , 4817 W 117th St , Leawood
  7:00 pm

Wednesday December 31

• Stormwater Management Committee
  Leawood, KS Calendar , 4800 Town Center Drive , Leawood
  7:30 am
• 50 Plus Ring in the New Year
  Roeland Park Community Center (RPCC) , 4850 Rosewood Drive , Roeland Park
  11:30 am
• Happy Snowman
  Pinot's Palette , 4817 W 117th St , Leawood
  1:00 pm
• NYE at Moonscape Lake
  Pinot's Palette , 4817 W 117th St , Leawood
  4:00 pm
• NYE at North Italia
  North Italia , 4579 W 119th St , Leawood
  4:00 pm

Thursday January 1

• City offices closed for New Year's Day
  City of Shawnee , 11110 Johnson Dr , Shawnee
• City Hall Closed - New Year's Day
  Mission Hills Calendar Mission Hills, KS 66208

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Overland Park PatchAM possible:

• Mindsee.it — (646) 663-8317
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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• We want to thank you who left this at our door.
  Christmas Place is amazing for you to visit!! Thank you to all our neighbors for your dedication and commitment to this wonderful cause. (Nextdoor Windham Park)
• Lost cat.
  He is chipped but does not have a collar with an address on it. Last seen at approximately 119th and Antioch. Possibly lost for a day. (12/28) He is… (Nextdoor Stonehaven)

• Sprouts Farmers Market posted a job opening for Grocery Clerk in Overland Park. Apply here.
• Blue Valley School District posted a job opening for Performing Arts Instructor (Band, Vocal Music or Orchestra) - Blue Valley Southwest High School in Overland Park. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Overland Park here.

🗞 Nearby News

Leawood

• Brunch is the Resolution: Here's What's Open on New Year's Day (kansascitymag.com)
• Callum Trevor Murphy (johnsoncountypost.com)

Olathe

• Chiefs proposed stadium funding plan raises questions about costs for Kansas consumers (kctv5.com)
• With Chiefs departing for Kansas, time to decide on a new Kansas City Royals ballpark (ballparkdigest.com)
• Rose Parade float will honor Olathe organ donor who helped 157 people (kwch.com)

Ok Overland Park! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I hear they’re giving him a really tough sentence.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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