Ranson Financial, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Manhattan Regional Airport awarded $5.9 million Department of Defense grant to help rebuild runway

The Manhattan Regional Airport will be receiving a nearly $6 million grant to help reconstruct the airport’s runway. According to the city, the project is expected to cost more than $47 million. The current runway is 150 feet wide and 7,000 feet long. Airport Director Jesse Romo said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will only participate in funding 100 feet of that width. That is where the DOD grant comes in to help. Romo said losing that extra 50 feet would be hugely detrimental for the region.
Source: KSNT News

Ranson Financial2021-10-06T00:19:46-05:00October 6, 2021|News|

City officials welcome Top City Golf to Topeka

A local business is celebrating the official opening of its new facility. GreatLIFE North’s Top City Golf will provide the ultimate golfing experience to the Capital City. The concept of Top City Golf is just like Topgolf in Kansas City. The closer you can get the ball to your target, the more points you earn. City officials welcomed the golf experience to Topeka with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. They said it should give Topeka yet another fun activity for people to enjoy in town. Top City Golf is located at 350 NE U.S. 24 HWY.
Source: KSNT News

Ranson Financial2021-10-06T00:18:02-05:00October 6, 2021|News|

With 60 open jobs, this Kansas jail is feeling understaffing effects

Understaffing has always been an issue for guards in detention centers, but since the pandemic, the issue has only worsened. The pandemic, the overtime, the time away from families and the mental health effects have deterred people from working at correctional facilities. At Shawnee County Jail, they have felt these effects for a while. “Everybody’s tired but on top of being exhausted from working so many hours, ” said Sgt. Caitlyn Ross, “It’s now the workload because you’re now working for other officers because we don’t have them.” The department currently has 120 officers working but is budgeted for 180 workers. This means that they have 60 vacancies, which is 50% of the workers they have on staff right now.
Source: KSNT News

Ranson Financial2021-10-06T00:15:33-05:00October 6, 2021|News|

Is Ark City affordable? One ranking says yes

It may not feel this way to some local residents, but Arkansas City is one of the most affordable cities in Kansas. That’s according to a research group attempting to rank cities of 5,000 people or more by affordability. SmartAsset, a New York company that offers online financial advice, said it examined closing costs, real estate taxes, homeowners’ insurance, mortgage rates, and the cost of home ownership in 64 Kansas cities each over a five-year period. That cost was then measured as a proportion of median household income to determine affordability, and indexed on a scale from 0 to a top score of 100. This year marked the seventh annual study. Ark City landed as fifth most affordable city in Kansas. It held the same ranking in 2020 but was not in the top 10 in 2019, according to the SmartAsset website. With increasing water rates, planned increases in sewer rates and rising landfill costs, some might find it hard to believe Ark City’s ranking. But city commissioners contacted Monday welcomed the information even as they said they were surprised by it.
Source: The Arkansas City Traveler

Ranson Financial2021-10-06T00:10:57-05:00October 6, 2021|News|

LaHarpe tech center keeps growing

Interest in the Regional Rural Technical Center in LaHarpe continues to grow, with a record 87 students taking part in five areas of study, and two new teachers who are familiar faces to Iola High School students. Welding continues to be the most popular program at the tech center, USD 257 Superintendent Stacey Fager said. In fact, the class has become so popular that it expanded to three sessions. Three adults also are taking classes. “I think a lot of kids just like doing it. They like welding,” Fager said. “And I think it has caught on as a financial consideration for a future career.” Welders remain in high demand. The average annual salary is about $42,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Source: The Iola Register

Ranson Financial2021-10-06T06:46:57-05:00October 6, 2021|News|

Audit: Inadequate IT security at Kansas schools leaves vital information exposed

A legislative audit revealing many school districts are not practicing basic security measures for information technology systems raised eyebrows Tuesday from a panel of legislators. According to the K-12 Cybersecurity Resource Center, security incidents at schools have increased by 18% since last year. The limited-scope audit focused on how schools were approaching IT security, which contains sensitive data including grades, medical records and financial information. Members of the Legislative Post Audit Committee expressed disappointment upon hearing that most respondents to a survey of all Kansas school districts do not have adequate IT security measures. “I can’t believe in this day and age that we’re this far behind. It’s gonna take two or three years just to get up to par,” said Sen. Rob Olson, an Olathe Republican. “I think the Legislature should pick this up and set some minimum standards, but it’s really up to the state school board to pick this one up.”
Source: The Lawrence Times

Ranson Financial2021-10-06T00:06:27-05:00October 6, 2021|News|

Hackers demanded $1 million from Pott. Co.

Hackers who gained control of Pottawatomie County computers Sept. 17 demanded a ransom of $1 million, according to County Administrator Chad Kinsley, who released the information Monday afternoon, though the county ultimately paid far less than that. “Following a successful negotiation, the ransom paid included $71,250 to the threat actor and $356.25 in exchange fees to facilitate the cyber currency payment,” he said in the prepared statement. “This was paid from the general fund, and a substantial portion will be refunded by our self-insurance pool.” The statement also noted the county spent $5,000 to purchase the enhanced decryption software needed to unlock the files the hackers had encrypted.
Source: themercury.com

Ranson Financial2021-10-06T06:43:47-05:00October 6, 2021|News|

Emporia Public Library receives $12,000 grant

The Emporia Public Library has received a grant from Humanities Kansas worth more than $12,000. The SHARP Recovery Grants are awarded to Kansas cultural organizations providing humanities programming that are facing financial difficulty as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Emporia Public Library was one of 121 organizations to receive a SHARP Recovery Grant. The $12,080 grant will be used for general operating support, staff retention and needed digital and/or operational transitions for cultural work in the post-pandemic era. “Humanities Kansas is honored to be able to support Kansas cultural organizations as we recover from the impact of Covid,” said Julie Mulvihill, Humanities Kansas executive director in a written release. “This past year has demonstrated that Kansans lean into the humanities during challenging times. Kansas cultural organizations that do work in the humanities provide important social connections and contribute to the economic well-being and strength of our communities.”
Source: Emporia Gazette

Ranson Financial2021-10-06T00:00:35-05:00October 6, 2021|News|

New data shows Kansas school districts with highest COVID-19 rates among children

Smaller, rural school districts are home to some of the highest COVID-19 infection rates in Kansas, new state health department data shows. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Friday released a new dashboard tracking vaccination rates and COVID-19 cases among children by public school district. The dashboard includes all cases among school-aged children, ages 5 to 17, over a 14-day period.
Source: Wichita Eagle

Ranson Financial2021-10-05T07:26:46-05:00October 5, 2021|News|

This tiny town got the first big Kansas wind farm 20 years ago. Here’s what happened

“I like them,” said Orville Williams. “They’ve been a very great economic boost for this area.” Williams has lived in Montezuma in Gray County since 1961. He was one of the first people to lease part of his land to the company now known as NextEra Energy. … Counties who let them go up get paid too. While wind farms are tax-exempt in Kansas, counties generally work out separate payment agreements with the energy companies to make up for some of the property tax losses. The Gray County Wind Farm, for instance, meant $5.3 million in payments to the county. And it’s just one of four in the county that, combined, meant $15 million since 2001 for a place that’s home to barely 6,000 people. … Meanwhile, in Montezuma, Mayor Grant Salmans said he’s heard there’s a company looking to bring more turbines to the county south of town. … “We hear somebody in a certain part of the state that doesn’t want one,” he said. “And we’re kind of like that doesn’t really make much sense to us.”
Source: KCUR News

Ranson Financial2021-10-05T07:25:25-05:00October 5, 2021|News|

About Ranson Financial

Manhattan Regional Airport awarded $5.9 million Department of Defense grant to help rebuild runway

City officials welcome Top City Golf to Topeka

With 60 open jobs, this Kansas jail is feeling understaffing effects

Is Ark City affordable? One ranking says yes

LaHarpe tech center keeps growing

Audit: Inadequate IT security at Kansas schools leaves vital information exposed

Hackers demanded $1 million from Pott. Co.

Emporia Public Library receives $12,000 grant

New data shows Kansas school districts with highest COVID-19 rates among children

This tiny town got the first big Kansas wind farm 20 years ago. Here’s what happened

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