The Shawnee Pulse

This month on the Shawnee Pulse, we're taking you to court! We sit down with Judge Karen Torline who serves as the City of Shawnee as municipal judge. We'll talk about her start as a prosecutor for Johnson County before coming to Shawnee, before eventually becoming judge.
Plus, we talk about her School Supplies for Fines program, designed to help students in Shawnee and people with eligible infractions to save some money by donating new supplies ahead of the upcoming school year. 

Shawnee's Parks and Recreation Director Tonya Lecuru returns to the podcast! July is Parks and Rec Month across the country and right here in your Hometown with Heart. Tonya talks about the newly renovated Garrett Park, the department's upcoming reaccreditation through CAPRA, and the importance of Parks and Rec month.
Plus, Kate Kinkaid is here to talk all the special events during July spread across the entire Shawnee community from PARKED to Freedom Fling and more!

Every single day, the City of Shawnee partners with the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce to build a strong economic base for the city, liaison with existing companies, attract new businesses, and bring new residents, events, and the community closer together.
The President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, Ann Smith-Tate, joins us for the May episode of the Shawnee Pulse as we talk about what brought her to Shawnee, and how the business community is getting ready for the World Cup this summer. Plus, we'll talk about a new event this summer in downtown Shawnee that's combining craft beer and bluegrass music to give people a taste of Americana and Ales.
If you have questions to ask on the podcast or topics you'd like to hear us cover, please email cityofshawnee@cityofshawnee.org.

There's a lot that goes into making the City of Shawnee a great place to live and raise a family. Part of that work is the responsibility of the Codes Enforcement team in the Community Development Department. From trash on properties to even, yes, the height of grass, they keep an eye out for issues and work with residents and property owners to address them before issues turn into problems.
Codes Enforcement Supervisor Kevin Messick joins us for this month's Shawnee Pulse to talk all things code enforcement as he and his team enter the busiest time of the year.

On Saturday, March 7 the Shawnee Parks and Recreation crew cut the ribbon to officially re-open Garrett Park following a $3.8 million renovation made possible by the City's Parks & Pipes sales tax. The extensive project replaced the park's main play structure, added the City's first dedicated outdoor pickleball courts, and a masterful tribute to the park's namesake and a huge piece of Shawnee's history.
Manager of Parks and Facilities Brett McCubbin joined the Pulse for a chilly stroll around Garrett Park to check out the improvements, to share his background and role with the City, and to tell us about the effort that went into the entire renovation. 
If you have a question or an idea for a Pulse episode, please email us at cityofshawnee@cityofshawnee.org!

Everyday, the City of Shawnee relies on hundreds of employees to make it run. From police officers and firefighters, and from Public Works crews to the Parks and Rec department, a lot that makes Shawnee a great hometown is thanks to the hard work of the staff.
As the lead recruiter when comes to finding the right people to join Team Shawnee, Kellie Little talks to hundreds of applicants every single year. On this month's edition of the Pulse, she takes us through her career and joining the City of Shawnee, plus what she and other teams in Shawnee are looking for when it comes to finding the right person for the right job.

Shawnee is finally experiencing winter weather, but when Kevin Taylor, Director of Field Operations for the Public Works Department, sat down to talk to the Shawnee Pulse, the mercury was topping 60 degrees! During the winter months, though, Kevin is always watching the weather since he oversees Shawnee's fleet of 22 snowplows and all the drivers behind the wheel.
Kevin takes us through his career in public works, how snow operations work in the City of Shawnee, and we test Kevin's memory for some of the most memorable snow events he's seen.
To find out more about Shawnee's winter weather operations, check out CityofShawnee.org. 

For the final episode of 2025, Shawnee's City Manager Paul Kramer stops by to share his journey through the ranks of municipal government that brought him to Shawnee, plus he looks back at the year that was and looks ahead to 2026 and what's on the horizon for the City.
A special thanks to everyone who joined us for the first year of the Shawnee Pulse. We'll be back in 2026 with more conversations, more insights, and more guests to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to make the City of Shawnee operate.
If you have questions or guests you'd like to hear from, please email us at cityofshawnee@cityofshawnee.org

The Mayor's Christmas Tree Fund has been a holiday-season fixture in Shawnee for more than a decade, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for non-profit organizations in the City. This year, Mayor Mickey Sandifer selected Shawnee Community Services as the sole beneficiary of the fundraiser and they have a specific need your donations will help fund. 
We talk to David Aramovich and Craig Gibson from the Shawnee Community Services Board of Directors about their experience with the organization, the good work it does, and the need to build a new storage space behind the main building to help even more people.
If you'd like to donate to the Mayor's Christmas Tree Fund, you can visit: https://www.cityofshawnee.org/mctf 
And, if you'd like to join us for Dine at the Vine on Tuesday, Dec. 2, you can call the Wandering Vine at 913-379-1300 or visit: https://www.wanderingvine.com/mct2025 to reserve your seats now.

This month, we talk with Elizabeth Griffith, the Volunteer Coordinator the City of Shawnee. She connects residents and companies who want to help out with residents who need assistance. From small, house-hold maintenance to snow shoveling, the programs she administers helps hundreds of residents each year in Shawnee.
She'll tell us how the programs originally started with help from the community and how they've grown over the years. 
If you'd like to get involved in helping your neighbors, visit: cityofshawnee.org/volunteer or email: egriffith@cityofshawnee.org.