info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

‘It’s the highest it’s ever been’: Local animal shelters see an uptick in pet surrenders

info2021-11-08T00:45:30-06:00November 8th, 2021|

Shelters and rescues across the state are witnessing an increase in animals being surrendered by their owners. Some rescues say it's more than they can handle. Wichita Animal Action League Executive Director, Christy Fischer, says it's something they have never seen before. Currently, their shelter is overpopulated, and they are having trouble relocating many of these pets. However, she says it's not only the local animal shelters that are dealing with this but animal rescues across the country. Adding many owners are surrendering animals who have not yet been spayed or neutered and are leaving them while pregnant inside the shelter. [...]

Overland Park’s bulky item pickup program could see major changes in future — here’s why

info2021-11-08T00:44:02-06:00November 8th, 2021|

Sine 1988, Overland Park has offered residents a bulky item collection event to provide an opportunity to dispose of large items, such as furniture and appliances not collected by weekly trash pickup. However, changes to the popular program could be coming soon because city staff say it is no longer as effective as it once was. In this year’s event alone, each of the four collection weekends were followed by a full week or more of follow-up collections, according to city documents. The city’s environment programs coordinator Jim Twigg told a city council committee this week that the city-run program is [...]

Leawood looks for solutions to daily traffic jams on Mission Road caused by school dismissal

info2021-11-08T07:47:36-06:00November 8th, 2021|

When Curé of Ars Catholic School in Leawood lets their students out at the end of each school day, the event is hard to miss. The school, which has over 700 kids who attend daily, sits along Mission Road, just south of 93rd Street. The large student population, coupled with the fact that the surrounding area has many businesses and residential subdivisions, often makes it hard for the school to keep the end-of-day traffic contained within its own parking lot. Source: Prairie Village Post

Kansas explores new road for highway funding

info2021-11-08T00:39:42-06:00November 8th, 2021|

The days of paying gas taxes at the pump may eventually be as passe as using a landline to place a phone call. States across the country are studying new ways to tax the driving public for transportation as gas taxes become less sustainable with more fuel-efficient and electric vehicles on the road. At least 10 states have passed legislation to study what’s known as a road-user charge. Many are already looking at how they could move to a tax based on miles driven as compared to how much gas a driver buys. Source: Sunflower State Journal

Louisburg to offer Snow Buddies program again this winter

info2021-11-08T00:37:24-06:00November 8th, 2021|

With winter just around the corner, the city of Louisburg is ready to roll out its annual Snow Buddies program.Snow Buddies is a volunteer program that matches the city’s senior citizens or those who may have a disability and are unable to shovel snow from their sidewalks with a volunteer who is able to assist with snow shoveling, according to a city news release. The program also asks for volunteers to shovel a path from the front door to the sidewalk or street, if there is no sidewalk on the property. To qualify, a Louisburg resident must be a senior citizen [...]

Dickinson County clerk retires after 44 years with the office

info2021-11-05T07:49:07-05:00November 5th, 2021|

When Barbara “Barb” Jones went to work in the Dickinson County clerk’s office more than 44 years ago one of her job duties included typing tax statements — emphasis being on the word “typing.” “When I tell people I typed tax statements they say, ‘You did what?’ There were a lot of typewriters flying then,” Jones recalls with a laugh. “And that was done on three-part carbons. So if you made a mistake, you couldn’t just erase it a little.” After more than four decades in the clerk’s office, including 12 years serving as county clerk/election officer, Jones will retire Nov. [...]

After more residents express interest, Douglas County to hold public meeting on expanding commission from three members to five

info2021-11-05T07:37:11-05:00November 5th, 2021|

Douglas County is seeking to hear from residents about whether they would like to see the County Commission expand from three members to five. The county has scheduled a listening session for Dec. 9 to gather residents’ input about expanding the commission after more residents started getting in touch with local leaders about the idea. Commissioners initially expressed interest in expanding the commission to five members in March, but at a meeting in July they essentially decided to put the conversations aside because few residents had expressed interest in the idea. At that time, commissioners agreed that unless they heard from [...]

Ignite Emporia seeking feedback on child care needs in Lyon County

info2021-11-05T07:36:25-05:00November 5th, 2021|

Child care access has been identified as one of the four major barriers to local workforce development. Through the course of the pandemic our community saw the critical role that our child care providers contribute and how limitations and disruptions can impact families in a variety of ways. One critical impact is the decision that families must make to balance workforce participation with the cost and access of child care services. To better understand the needs our community is facing, Ignite Emporia has partnered with the University of Kansas Center for Public Partnerships and Research. This brief online survey will help [...]

Survey says most Lawrence residents like parklets

info2021-11-05T07:34:42-05:00November 5th, 2021|

Most visitors to downtown Lawrence like the street parking stalls-turned-al fresco dining spaces and would use them in the long term, according to the city’s recent survey. The temporary right-of-way program, implemented to help restaurants stay in business amid the COVID-19 pandemic, is set to expire on Dec. 31. The city is considering implementing a long-term version of the program. City commissioners asked staff to gather public feedback to help determine what to do next. Those results are in, and staff now recommends extending the temporary parklets through the end of March 2022 to allow time to develop a long-term plan. [...]

Proposal to consider changing Johnson County’s name one of 18 items before Charter Commission

info2021-11-05T07:34:06-05:00November 5th, 2021|

A recommendation to consider whether Johnson County should be named after its slave owning namesake is among 18 suggested changes that have been submitted by members of the county Charter Commission for its consideration. The list of amendments and recommendations also includes some ideas about which county races should be partisan and which should be elected — subjects that have proved controversial among people who have attended the charter commission’s recent public hearings. The proposal to consider a name change asks county commissioners “to adopt a process for meaningful consideration of Rev. Thomas Johnson as the namesake of Johnson County.” Source: [...]

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