info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Study: Remote learning a ‘primary driver’ of widening achievement gaps

info2022-05-10T01:04:15-05:00May 10th, 2022|

A new working paper analyzed testing data from 2.1 million students in 49 states plus D.C. and found that “remote instruction was a primary driver of widening achievement gaps.” The Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research at the American Institutes for Research, and NWEA, a nonprofit research and educational services provider, collaborated to write “The Consequences of Remote and Hybrid Instruction During the Pandemic.” The paper follows mounting research that pivoting to remote learning harmed students’ mental health, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while annual learning [...]

Sedgwick County Had Siren Silent Spots

info2022-05-10T01:03:02-05:00May 10th, 2022|

Sedgwick County officials acknowledge that some residents living in rural areas likely did not hear sirens going off before an EF-3 tornado roared through parts of the Kansas county April 29th. While much of the attention after the storm focused on heavily populated Andover, rural areas close to the city and in Butler County also sustained significant damage from a tornado that was on the ground for nearly 13 miles. Some residents there say they did not hear sirens before the tornado hit. Sedgwick County Emergency Management Director Julie Stimson stressed that the sirens were never intended to warn people inside [...]

Johnson County Planning Commission to take up solar farm regulations for a 10th time

info2022-05-10T07:08:07-05:00May 10th, 2022|

The Johnson County Planning Commission has spent more than a year working on regulations for commercial solar facilities. On Tuesday, it will take up the contentious issue again — this time with firm marching orders from county commissioners to make proposed regulations less onerous. The debate on regulations for large and utility-scale solar facilities started in September 2020, when NextEra Energy Resources LLC put forward plans for a $450 million, 320-megawatt solar farm on 1,600-2,500 acres west of Gardner. In addition to solar panels, the NextEra project would include battery storage. County staff worked with Virginia-based Berkeley Group to look at best [...]

10-year Treasury yield rises to its highest level since November 2018

info2022-05-09T07:32:39-05:00May 9th, 2022|

The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield hit 3.17% on Monday morning, as investor focus remained on inflation and economic slowdown concerns. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note climbed 4 basis points to 3.1726% at 4 a.m. ET. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond moved 4 basis points higher to 3.2659%. The 10-year rate reached the 3% mark at the beginning of last week, for the first time since 2018, and had hit 3.14% by Friday. The Federal Reserve announced a 50-basis-point interest rate hike on Wednesday but the central bank's efforts to combat rising inflation with more aggressive rate [...]

As trail project moves forward in Baldwin City, officials seek $20M grant for another one that would run to Ottawa

info2022-05-09T07:22:22-05:00May 9th, 2022|

A multi-use trail project along more than three blocks of Midland Railway tracks will soon be moving forward in Baldwin City, and city officials will also be seeking $20 million in grants for a project that would link the city with a 51-mile trail that connects Ottawa and Iola. On Friday, Baldwin City Administrator Glenn Rodden said the Kansas Department of Transportation would soon be starting the bidding process for construction of a concrete multi-use trail on the east side of the Midland tracks. The trail will be 8 feet wide and will run from the existing multi-use trail on Elm [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for May 6, 2022

info2022-05-08T20:52:10-05:00May 8th, 2022|

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS "investment grade" yields. Every issuer's credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.

Dodge City police warn of high school ‘challenge’ that involves crimes against strangers

info2022-05-08T20:44:48-05:00May 8th, 2022|

Dodge City police are urging parents to speak to their children after discovering that some high school students have been participating in a challenge that includes committing crimes. Police Chief Drew Francis said on the department's Facebook page that many of the JR/SR challenge tasks include committing crimes such as battery, disorderly conduct, criminal damage, theft, drug and alcohol-related offenses, reckless driving and kidnapping. That's not a complete list of tasks students have come up with. And the chief said most criminal acts are to be done to unsuspecting strangers. Source: KAKE - News

Kelly signs bill to boost housing

info2022-05-08T16:27:36-05:00May 8th, 2022|

Gov. Laura Kelly signed bipartisan legislation Thursday creating incentives in the form of state income tax credits for investors in construction of residential housing that contributes to economic development in Kansas. The Kelly administration’s statewide survey of housing needs — the first of its kind in three decades — pointed to the need for affordable housing, especially in rural communities. The shortage was identified as an impediment to expansion of existing businesses and attracting new employers. The tax credit administered by the Kansas Housing Resource Corporation and the Kansas Development Finance Authority would be capped at $13 million annually. The law [...]

Communities, lawmakers search for how to tackle housing dilemma

info2022-05-08T16:11:06-05:00May 7th, 2022|

For Ryan Jones, home in Wabaunsee County feels a lot like Philadelphia. In a literal sense, this couldn’t be further from the truth. The City of Brotherly Love remains one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the U.S. and its population of 1.5 million is a far cry from the roughly 800 residents in Alma, a town best known for its creamery. But outside of an internship in Philadelphia, Jones said his downtown apartment here is the most urban living arrangement he has ever had. The bank and post office are a short walk away, as is his job at the [...]

Mural tourism becoming more popular in Kansas, and the same is true for Reno County

info2022-05-08T16:08:19-05:00May 7th, 2022|

Hutchinson has more than 40 murals that bring pride to the city. These murals boast of Kansas wildlife, the street art movement, the beauty of Kansas and its state symbols, Hutchinson landmarks and community stories. Mural tourism has become a fascination for many, and interest has increased in part because influencers have posted their photographs on popular social media. "It's becoming a big deal," said Jordan Roemerman, marketing manager for Kansas Tourism, "a movement that began outside the state, but Kansas has picked up on it and run with it." She said, for example, music artist Taylor Swift had a butterfly [...]

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