Ranson Financial, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Residents asked for their own city to avoid Johnson County development. Board says no

The Miami County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday rejected a petition asking to incorporate a new city in Kansas, an effort led by rural residents fighting to stop ever-encroaching industrial development from taking over their land. “It was very disappointing to hear the vote,” resident Charlie Koch said. “This kind of comes as a left hook.” Roughly 300 Miami County residents — who live in the unincorporated outskirts of Edgerton’s sprawling industrial park in southwestern Johnson County — filed the petition to form their own town: the city of Golden. They argued that their own city borders would have protected their agriculture and residential land, which has become increasingly surrounded by warehouses and semi trucks.
Source: Joco 913 News

Ranson Financial2021-10-14T01:29:46-05:00October 14, 2021|News|

Wichita stormwater team working around the clock to keep roads clear during fall rain

When streets in Wichita flood during rain and storms, sometimes the problem is clogged drains, especially this time of year when there’s extra debris like leaves and sticks. But Wichita has a team on standby around the clock to keep them clear. “We’ll run it in, and we’ll get that debris, and we’ll pull it back to whatever structure that we’re sitting at. And then we can suck it up from there,” said Wichita stormwater worker Derek Kostner. Kostner is in his eighth year working for Wichita’s stormwater team, driving a big truck around town unclogging drains during storms. With about 60,000 drains and 1,000 miles of stormwater pipe in Wichita alone, it’s no easy task.
Source: KAKE – News

Ranson Financial2021-10-14T01:26:35-05:00October 14, 2021|News|

KDOT, Topeka put exclamation point on $234 million plan to replace I-70 viaduct near Capitol

State and local officials punctuated plans Wednesday for overhaul of the heavily traveled snake-shaped portion of Interstate 70 in Topeka by affirming a partnership agreement to improve safety for motorists, create jobs and gain traction with the new statewide transportation system upgrade. Moving ahead with a project estimated to cost $234 million includes replacement of the Polk-Quincy Viaduct and expansion of I-70 to six lanes from MacVicar Avenue to Topeka Boulevard. The project scheduled to begin in 2024 would be primarily financed through the Kansas Department of Transportation. The work would remove a sharp curve on the viaduct and provide better options for vehicles entering or leaving the downtown area. It would require relocation of about 30 businesses.
Source: Kansas Reflector

Ranson Financial2021-10-14T01:23:59-05:00October 14, 2021|News|

Kansans will pay more for natural gas this winter

Your natural gas bill is going to go up this winter. Natural gas prices run nearly double what they did a year ago and experts predict the increased prices to last at least through the winter. Utility companies pass the cost of natural gas directly on to their customers. As the price of wholesale natural gas increases, so will the fee your utility charges every month. For Kansas Gas Service customers, that fee this month is $5.67 per thousand cubic feet of gas used. Last October it was only $3.76. Other large gas utilities have made similar increases.
Source: KCUR News

Ranson Financial2021-10-14T01:21:13-05:00October 14, 2021|News|

More than $1 billion in federal relief money went to Kansas schools; new numbers show how it’s being spent

Kansas schools received about $1.4 billion in federal relief money. On Tuesday, Kansas school board members voted to allocate roughly $15 million to school districts to training teachers in literacy and math, two areas that faced setbacks during the pandemic. Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson delivered an annual report showing the latest numbers on the pandemic’s impact in Kansas schools. Education officials have pointed to learning loss as a problem in schools, especially as students and teachers struggled to adjust to remote learning last year. Watson told Kansas Capitol Bureau the state is trying to find a way to address the issue. “We’re talking about having a good process, executing that process, using the money from the federal government gives us for the pandemic to really try to reach out and form better partnerships, and help those kids learn,” Dr. Watson said.
Source: KSN-TV

Ranson Financial2021-10-14T01:17:45-05:00October 14, 2021|News|

Abused dog finds award-winning new life working in Kansas law enforcement

An abused four-year-old German shepherd rescued in 2018 from the animal shelter in Junction City is now being recognized as the 2021 Detector Dog Case of the Year after she sniffed out 95 pounds of methamphetamine during a traffic stop. The German shepherd was brought to the Junction City-Geary County Animal shelter in October 2018. The shelter’s staff named her Nova. They said she had a deep wound around her muzzler, which made them think she had been bound with a rope or wire. The Geary County Sheriff’s Office had discussed getting a second drug-detecting dog from a shelter. That’s when deputies found Nova. In March of 2019, Nova became certified in narcotics detection and tracking through the heart of the America Police Dog Association with her handler, Lt. Justin Stopper.
Source: KSN-TV

Ranson Financial2021-10-14T01:14:08-05:00October 14, 2021|News|

Here’s how Wichita public officials handled the water shutdown

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

Ranson Financial2021-10-14T01:10:07-05:00October 14, 2021|News|

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

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 small in scale and cost, but they add up to a big impact.
Source: The Iola Register

Ranson Financial2021-10-14T01:07:01-05:00October 14, 2021|News|

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

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

Ranson Financial2021-10-14T06:56:39-05:00October 14, 2021|News|

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

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 that would prevent such an ordinance at the city level, but that bill died in May 2020, according to the advisory board’s agenda materials. The pandemic, too, had implications — particularly early on, as uncertainty about whether COVID-19 could spread via surfaces spurred some stores to temporarily ban customers from bringing their own reusable bags.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Ranson Financial2021-10-13T07:27:25-05:00October 13, 2021|News|

About Ranson Financial

Residents asked for their own city to avoid Johnson County development. Board says no

Wichita stormwater team working around the clock to keep roads clear during fall rain

KDOT, Topeka put exclamation point on $234 million plan to replace I-70 viaduct near Capitol

Kansans will pay more for natural gas this winter

More than $1 billion in federal relief money went to Kansas schools; new numbers show how it’s being spent

Abused dog finds award-winning new life working in Kansas law enforcement

Here’s how Wichita public officials handled the water shutdown

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

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

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

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