info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Teen councils provide area youth with close-up look at governing their communities

info2022-03-22T23:21:21-05:00March 22nd, 2022|

The business of government is viewed as a playground for adults by many Americans. Yet in their midst, teens are getting to play in this sandbox through councils. They’re learning firsthand how our communities operate from the very leaders themselves. In the Johnson County area, at least three cities have teen councils: Olathe, Overland Park and Prairie Village. Olathe started its teen council in 2002. The purpose was to create a youth-led organization educating teens about local government and providing them with the opportunity to be involved and have their voices heard. High school students who live in Olathe are eligible [...]

Kansas debates expanding student transfers in public schools

info2022-03-23T08:50:15-05:00March 22nd, 2022|

Republican legislators who argue that Kansas parents need more education choices are pushing to allow them to move their children from the public schools they'd normally attend to others outside their local school district's boundaries. The GOP-controlled state Senate gave first-round approval Monday to a measure that would allow parents of K-12 students to transfer them to any other school districts with enough space to take them. Under the bill, the program would start during the 2023-24 school year. The measure is partly a response to the closing of school buildings in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic and different local school [...]

Attention on short-term rental rules after deadly Overland Park shooting — Here are JoCo cities’ current regulations

info2022-03-23T08:51:19-05:00March 22nd, 2022|

The exact circumstances around the shooting are not yet known, but Fox 4 reported that some neighbors in the surrounding subdivision of Brookhighland have voiced concerns about short-term rentals in the past, including the home where the shooting occurred. The Brookhighland Homeowners Association president, who lives near the home, told the TV station that the HOA is “taking a very serious look at what can be done” and potentially changing its bylaws. Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog issued a statement on Monday that said issues with residents using their homes for short-term rentals are growing in the city. Skoog said he [...]

Atchison Considers Pet Protection Ordinance

info2022-03-23T08:51:49-05:00March 22nd, 2022|

City Commissioners discussed and heard a first reading of a potential ordinance that would eliminate the ability for property owners to keep pets on vacant lots within the City during Monday’s regular meeting. The Protect Our Pets Ordinance would require that habitable structures with active utility service be present on a lot for pets to be kept on the property. If property owners had multiple lots and wanted to keep pets on a lot separate from the residence, they would have to have the lots legally combined first. The ordinance was presented as a first reading without action to allow time [...]

Sedgwick approves design for murals in city park

info2022-03-22T22:59:12-05:00March 22nd, 2022|

Within the next couple of weeks Sedgwick residents should see painting on the new storm shelter at the city park. City Council approved a deposit payment of $2,500, half the total cost of the project, so work would begin in about two weeks. Randi Tolin, Sedgwick Connect President, said she thought the murals would be complete in about a week. Sedgwick resident Mickey Maddox will oversee the project. When done, all four sides of the shelter will contain murals, which were also approved by the council last week. Tolin said the city didn’t need to do anything to prepare for the [...]

Fire and County leaders meet to discuss ways to mitigate fires, purchase requests

info2022-03-23T08:53:29-05:00March 22nd, 2022|

A passionate Fire Chief stood before the Reno County Commission asking for help after weeks of destructive and deadly wildfires torched the community. "It's not the average homeowner just going out and starting one brush pile. We had one individual start 75 brush piles in one day... 75...," Fire Chief Steven Beer with the Hutchinson Fire Department said. "A person can not manage that. It's right in your ordinance they have to manage that burn pile and be on site to contain those issues." Even though this study session was scheduled months in advance of the weeks of deadly and destructive [...]

Wind and ice created power problems in Kansas

info2022-03-23T08:53:43-05:00March 22nd, 2022|

Thousands of customers lost electricity Tuesday morning due to strong wind and ice. As of noon, Midwest Energy said about 7,500 customers were still without power. Mike Morley, a spokesperson for Midwest Energy, said crews are dealing with 255 downed power poles and more than 100 broken cross arms. He said some of the power lines have two to three inches of ice on them are are "galloping" in 30-40 mph winds. Morley shared video of some ice-covered lines being hit with strong winds. The line at the bottom has shed its ice, and is largely unaffected. Source: KSN-TV

Clay Center woman helps others from behind the scenes

info2022-03-22T22:45:33-05:00March 22nd, 2022|

Dana Rickley has been Clay County's Health Administrator for nearly 25 years. Although she is the boss at the health department, that's not the way she likes to think about it. "They tell me things that they want to do and then I find a way to make it happen and when we work together I become their employee," Rickley said. Whether it's checking in patients at a family planning clinic or doing COVID testing during the pandemic, Rickley was there for it all. "I've been out there doing the testing when it is snowing," Rickley said. "I've been out there [...]

Parsons: Dogs must have microchip when licensed

info2022-03-23T08:54:21-05:00March 22nd, 2022|

When registering a dog for a license with the city of Parsons, an owner must provide proof of a microchip in the canine. Parsons city commissioners Monday approved an ordinance requiring that dogs be microchipped for identification purposes. Commissioners said this was a good action to implement. City Attorney Ross Albertini explained to commissioners he has heard both positive and negative views about requiring microchips at the time of a license issuance, but he said he’s heard mostly positive things. Source: Parsons Sun

Lawrence Mayor Courtney Shipley: ‘We know what we value’

info2022-03-23T08:54:44-05:00March 22nd, 2022|

Lawrence will always persevere, and we know what we value, Mayor Courtney Shipley said during her State of the City address on Tuesday. Reflecting on the past year, she spoke of lessons learned throughout the pandemic. “We hope COVID is waning, but the experience of the Unified Command has really taught us how to keep our relationships with our partners stronger in a way I don’t think that we ever have before,” she said. “So as unfortunate as it was, we learned some valuable lessons. We’re working smarter, not harder, with our partners.” Shipley noted the city’s multimodal transfer hub coming [...]

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