🌱 Patch AM: Which Topeka neighborhoods could get 80 new 3D-printed homes?

Hey hey Topeka! Your one-stop source for local news is here. Continue reading for all the updates. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• Which Topeka neighborhoods could get 80 new 3D-printed homes?
• Why your last-minute holiday shopping matters more than ever in Topeka
• What’s really causing that lingering ‘stinky’ smell in Oakland?

Today's riddle: My brother swallowed a box of firecrackers. - Is he all right now? 🤔 (Answer below!)

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Weather forecast:

• Thursday: Increasingly windy, with a high of 53 and low of 19 degrees. ⛄️ Brr!
• Friday: Breezy in the afternoon, temps: high: 47, low: 35.
• Saturday: Partial sunshine, with a high of 52 and low of 24 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. 80 3D-printed homes may be coming to these areas in Topeka (ksnt.com) — Topeka could soon see 80 new 3D-printed, single-family homes after the City Council approved a key housing incentive district this week. Developer Trident Homes plans affordable builds in several neighborhoods, while the city now sends its Reinvestment Housing Incentive District application to the Kansas Department of Commerce for review.
   

2. Greater Topeka Partnership reminds you to stay local to finish your holiday shopping (wibw.com) — Holiday shoppers in Topeka are being urged to finish their gift buying at local stores, restaurants, and hotels to keep the city’s economy strong into 2026. Greater Topeka Partnership CEO Molly Howey also highlights construction-driven economic boosts and notes next spring’s I-70 Polk Quincy viaduct shutdown could actually bring more visitors off the highway into town.
   

3. ‘Stinky' smell lingers as Oakland reels from 30,000-gallon wastewater spill (wibw.com) — Topeka’s Oakland neighborhood is still dealing with strong odors after about 30,000 gallons of treated sewage spilled from the Oakland Wastewater Treatment Plant into nearby streets and the Kansas River on Dec. 6. Residents report burning eyes, nausea, and reduced outdoor activity, while city utilities and state health officials say they’re investigating but see no current public health danger.
   

4. Topeka man extradited from Kansas following alleged possession of child pornography (wibw.com) — A 28-year-old Topeka man has been arrested in connection with an investigation into alleged child sexual abuse material and extradited from Kansas to Missouri. Warrensburg and Topeka police coordinated to locate him, and he is now jailed in Missouri on a substantial cash-only bond.
   

5. Scholar Athlete of the Week: Paxton Henery (ksnt.com) — Broadcast from Topeka, FOX 43 is spotlighting Royal Valley High School senior Paxton Henery as its latest Scholar Athlete of the Week. The Hoyt multi-sport standout, who hopes to become a firefighter, is now entered in a drawing for one of two $2,500 scholarships available to featured student-athletes.
   

📸 Around Topeka

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🗓 Events Nearby

Thursday December 18

• JH Girls League Wrestling @ Osawatomie
  Carbondale Attendance Center Carbondale, KS 66414
  4:00 pm
• HS JV/V Scholars Bowl at Holton
  Holton High School , 901 New York Ave , Holton
  4:00 pm
• HS JV Girls WR at Olathe West
  Olathe West High School , 2200 W Santa Fe St , Olathe
  4:30 pm
• 1st and 2nd Holiday Concert
  Perry & Lecompton Elem Lecompton, KS 66050
  6:00 pm
• 3rd and 4th Holiday Concert
  Perry & Lecompton Elem Lecompton, KS 66050
  7:00 pm

Friday December 19

• AM PK Holiday Party
  Perry & Lecompton Elem Lecompton, KS 66050
  9:30 am
• LES Holiday Parties
  Perry & Lecompton Elem Lecompton, KS 66050
  2:00 pm
• HS Boys JV WR Tournament at Council Grove
  Council Grove Junior Senior High School , 129 Hockaday St , Council Grove
  3:00 pm
• Holiday Parties
  North Fairview Topeka, KS 66617
  3:15 pm
• HS BB at SFT vs Anderson Co
  Santa Fe Trail High School , 15701 S California Rd , Carbondale
  4:30 pm
• HS Boys/Girls WR Dual at Holton
  Holton High School , 901 New York Ave , Holton
  4:30 pm
• Switch in Time - Live @ Happy Basset Barrel House
  Happy Basset Barrel House , 510 SW 49th St , Topeka
  7:30 pm

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

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Be careful what you pray for!
  He is always right on time. (Unlike Myself) Huge shout out to Krissy J Kearney and Jay Dee Rice and the rest of the Sent Topeka Family. I was… (Nextdoor Highland)
• **UPDATE-I believe they have found a home.
  Thank you to everyone who reached out to me. Fingers crossed this is a forever home. Posting again because things didn't work out Needing good home… (Nextdoor Central Highland Park)

• McDonald's posted a job opening for Shift Manager-- All Shifts in Topeka. Apply here.
• Burlington posted a job opening for Seasonal Retail Stocking Associate - Part Time in Topeka. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Topeka here.

Ok Topeka! 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 don’t know. I haven’t heard the last report.
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