info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Here’s how Wichita public officials handled the water shutdown

info2021-10-14T01:10:07-05:00October 14th, 2021|

Confusion reigned last Thursday evening as a major water main break that left roughly half a million Kansans without reliable drinking water for 36 hours spurred uncertainty. As city crews worked nonstop to address the burst pipe, the failure to communicate vital information between organizations and to the general public compounded the confusion of the moment. Officials knew early on that Wichita water couldn’t be deemed safe before Saturday morning, but that timeline wasn’t made clear for hours, keeping families and businesses guessing late into the night about what Friday may bring. Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

USDA’s rural energy program a boost to family farms and small businesses

info2021-10-14T01:07:01-05:00October 14th, 2021|

As legislators calculate the right balance on how much to spend on infrastructure and clean energy, they should take stock of both the environmental and the economic gains that everyday Americans earn through the transformation to an efficient, clean energy economy. And make no mistake: The transition is underway, built up from many small projects and successes. Congress can maintain momentum by funding smart policy choices, such as USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program. In its nearly 20-year history, this program has supported more than 20,000 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects for rural businesses and farms. These projects are mostly [...]

Family receives $350K settlement from Wamego government after son’s death at city pool

info2021-10-14T06:56:39-05:00October 14th, 2021|

The Wamego city government has reached a settlement with the family of a swimmer who drowned last year at the Wamego Aquatics Center indoor pool. In a joint news release Tuesday, the family and the Wamego city government announced that John and Seana Balman of Manhattan received $350,000 for the wrongful death of their son, Thomas “Wyatt” Balman, 20 in a pre-litigation settlement. On Oct. 13, 2020, Balman, a 2018 Manhattan High graduate, fainted while swimming laps and drowned. Source: themercury.com

Lawrence’s Sustainability Advisory Board to revisit single-use bag fee

info2021-10-13T07:27:25-05:00October 13th, 2021|

The Sustainability Advisory Board on Wednesday will revisit, and might vote on, a proposed ordinance that would require establishments to charge customers 15 cents per single-use disposable bag for any purchase. Talks about such an ordinance began in May 2018, when concerned students of the former Kennedy Elementary School made a presentation to the Lawrence City Commission about the damaging environmental effects of plastics. The SAB’s Single Use Plastics Subcommittee presented a report to the City Commission in August 2019 and then collected further public feedback. The topic was moved to the back burner while the Kansas Legislature considered a measure [...]

USD 232 now tracks online how it will spend $7M in federal COVID-19 relief

info2021-10-13T07:26:32-05:00October 13th, 2021|

USD 232 in De Soto has published an online platform to share how it will spend federal COVID-19 relief dollars. The district is participating in the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund, which Congress enacted in March 2020 to help out schools with financial support during the pandemic. In a brief presentation to the school board Oct. 4, Superintendent Frank Harwood shared about the platform and timeline for spending, and also offered some clarification on how the district can tap into the funding. Source: Shawnee Mission Post

Festa Italiana returns to Frontenac for 22nd year

info2021-10-13T07:25:55-05:00October 13th, 2021|

The city of Frontenac celebrates twenty-two years of bridging cultures, and celebrating their heritage. And they’re doing this at their annual, Festa Italiana. “There’s German food, Italian food, there’s more Italian food than anything, just because that’s the heritage of Frontenac,” said President of the Frontenac Education Foundation, Ann Brown. Plenty of people were gathered to taste good food and enjoy each other’s company, but the event had a larger impact, especially on children in the town. Source: KOAMKOAM

Miami County Commissioners could render decision on proposed City of Golden at today’s meeting

info2021-10-13T07:25:17-05:00October 13th, 2021|

Miami County commissioners could decide the fate of a proposed city named Golden in northwest Miami County as early as their regular 1 p.m. meeting Wednesday, Oct. 13. ... The last item currently listed on the County Commission’s agenda for its regular 1 p.m. meeting Wednesday is to “consider authorizing to approve or deny the incorporation of a new third-class city named Golden in Northwest Miami County.” Commissioners would have to vote unanimously in favor of incorporation for the proposal city to be approved. Source: republic-online.com

Municipal Bond Trends for October 12, 2021

info2021-10-13T06:49:26-05:00October 13th, 2021|

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.

Kansas natural gas utility nears deal to pass on $100M in cold snap costs to wholesale customers

info2021-10-13T01:57:40-05:00October 13th, 2021|

Kansas’ largest natural gas utility is close to reaching a deal to recoup more than $100 million from large-scale customers that failed to provide enough natural gas during a February cold snap that forced power outages across the Midwest. During the worst of the cold snap, which saw average temperatures in Kansas City fall below 15 degrees for 10 days, natural gas prices shot up to record levels and utilities scrambled to keep customers’ heat on. In some cases, natural gas marketers, companies that use Kansas Gas Service’s distribution system to provide natural gas to wholesale or transportation customers, failed to [...]

50 new jobs will be available in Montgomery County from a new soybean processing facility

info2021-10-13T01:55:31-05:00October 13th, 2021|

New jobs are coming to a southeast Kansas community. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly says an agribusiness company called Bartlett is investing about 325 million dollars to build a new soybean crushing facility in Montgomery County that will employ 50 workers when complete. She says the new operation will be able to process about 38.5 million bushels a year, creating refined soybean oil for renewable fuels, food products and animal feed. Source: KSNF/KODE

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