info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Mission mourns loss of former city councilmember Suzie Gibbs, a ‘one of a kind’ civic leader

info2022-05-03T02:02:09-05:00May 3rd, 2022|

The Mission community is mourning the loss of Suzie Gibbs, a beloved and active leader this week. Gibbs served more than two dozen years on the Mission City Council, volunteered countless hours of her time to various charities and managed her own small business, died Tuesday, April 26. A resident of Mission since 1967 (except for a brief stint in retirement at the Lake of the Ozarks), Suzanne Greenlee Barnhart Gibbs, was born Feb. 22, 1935. She was preceded in death by her former husband, Scott Barnhart, and is survived by her husband, Jack Gibbs, and his granddaughter, Kelsey Gibbs, among [...]

Riley County signs deal to offer fraud detection service

info2022-05-03T07:16:24-05:00May 3rd, 2022|

Riley County residents will be able to sign up for a service that aims to detect property and mortgage fraud. The Riley County Commission unanimously approved Monday an agreement with Fidlar Technologies to implement a property fraud alert system. The system will allow residents to sign up to receive alerts when a document has been filed with the Riley County Register of Deeds under their name. Those who opt in to the service can get a notification in the form they select when they register, such as email or text message. The licensing and set-up will cost the county $8,000 with [...]

Andover residents coming to grips with new reality after EF-3 tornado

info2022-05-03T01:58:59-05:00May 3rd, 2022|

Days after a powerful tornado left widespread damage and heartbreak, residents in Andover were still picking up pieces left from the EF-3 storm. Leaders said it could be years before the community is whole again. The twister carved a 4-mile path, affecting more than 1,000 homes and buildings. It came 31 years after another powerful tornado ripped through the suburb, killing 17. While there were no deaths from this year's tornado, it did toss cars, demolish homes, and send a variety of debris flying. Source: KSN-TV

Kansas tornado, storm victims get help from state government

info2022-05-03T01:56:54-05:00May 3rd, 2022|

Kansans impacted by severe weather in the form of tornadoes, hail and high winds on Friday, April 29 will receive some help from the state government. The Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR) and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) have been directed by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly to help weather victims by waiving fees associated with birth certificates, marriage certificates and vehicle registrations. This aid is being extended to the residents of Butler, Dickson, Greenwood, Jackson, Jefferson, Marion, Morris, Pottawatomie, Sedgwick, Wabaunsee and Washington Counties. Source: KSN-TV

Hundreds of people stepping up to volunteer with Andover tornado clean up

info2022-05-03T01:55:37-05:00May 3rd, 2022|

Since the tornado struck Sedgwick County and Butler County Friday night, many people have been asking how they can help. On Monday, The City of Andover invited volunteers to sign up at United Methodist Church. People were already lined up as soon as they opened at 10 a.m. Monday. The line stretched across their building and down the hallway. Some waited over an hour to sign-up. "The community is behind these people, and we're all pitching in to help and do what we can," said volunteer Roger King. Organizers say more than 200 people signed up to volunteer. Source: KSN-TV

4th Annual Big Kansas Road Trip information

info2022-05-03T01:53:48-05:00May 3rd, 2022|

Communities across Southeast Kansas are preparing for visitors. The fourth annual "Big Kansas Road Trip" will make its way to Cherokee, Crawford, and Bourbon County. It will start Thursday May 5th, and continue through Sunday. Every year the Kansas Sampler Foundation works together with county leaders across the state to promote rural tourism. To help, seven information centers have been set up across the three counties with free guidebooks. "This book is just chock-full of restaurants, lodging facilities, events and attractions. I think there's more included in this guidebook than in any other road trip previously," said Liz Simpson, BKRT Cherokee [...]

Garden City focused on ensuring the city has adequate water supplies

info2022-05-02T15:02:39-05:00May 2nd, 2022|

... Buffalo Dunes, Garden City’s municipal golf course, ... is halfway through converting more than 20 acres of irrigated bluegrass to buffalo and other native grasses. The move is expected to save up to 20 million gallons of water a year and 16 to 18 hours of labor each week. ... The project launched in 2019 and is planned for completion in time for the course’s 50th anniversary in 2026. What’s happening at Buffalo Dunes, roughly a 10-minute drive from Garden City, melds nicely with Lee Richardson Zoo and the town’s parks and recreation infrastructure. The city did away with an [...]

The most photographed tornado in history? Army of cellphone journalists documented storm

info2022-05-02T07:49:37-05:00May 2nd, 2022|

It’s been a decade since a major tornado hit the Wichita area, and during that time, technology has advanced — to say the least. On Friday night, just after a tornado ravaged the Andover area, social media was suddenly flooded with high-quality photos and videos from citizen journalists who’d spotted the twister outside their houses or captured it from their cars. Source: Wichita Eagle

Headcounts are down at public schools. Now budgets are too.

info2022-05-02T07:48:38-05:00May 2nd, 2022|

In Olathe, Kansas, where the school system is cutting 140 jobs, Deputy Superintendent John Hutchison said the extra federal money merely put off the inevitable. Now it is trimming millions of dollars from its budgets because enrollment, having peaked at more than 30,000 students in fall 2019, fell by around 900 in the first full school year of the pandemic. Less than 100 of those students have returned. “Where did those kids go?” Hutchison asked during a recent public meeting. “Where are they? They didn’t come back this year. That’s what’s laying on that additional reduction in our funding.” Families opting [...]

Heavily damaged elementary school won’t reopen this spring, Andover district says

info2022-05-02T07:46:52-05:00May 2nd, 2022|

The Andover elementary school slammed by a tornado Friday night will not be used for the rest of the school year, the Andover school district said Saturday night. Prairie Creek Elementary School “suffered significant damage,” the district said in a Facebook post. “Some rooms were untouched, while others were heavily damaged.” Students who attended Prairie Creek will not have school this coming week while district leaders determine where they will attend for the rest of the school year. Source: Wichita Eagle

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