info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Fate of masks in schools this fall

info2021-07-21T07:41:55-05:00July 21st, 2021|

As COVID numbers continue to increase in parts of the state, many school districts are considering masks in the classroom this fall. The Wichita school district has announced masks won’t be required, but that decision could change.... Terri Moses is the safety director for Wichita schools. She says staff are paying close attention to COVID trends in the county and taking the advice of medical experts. If hospitalizations and positive cases increase, the school board will adjust. “Change is a constant part of our response. And then in order to work with our community and keep our buildings as safe as [...]

It’s official: The Covid recession lasted just two months, the shortest in U.S. history

info2021-07-21T07:38:31-05:00July 20th, 2021|

The Covid-19 recession is in the books as one of the deepest — but also the shortest — in U.S. history, the official documenter of economic cycles said Monday. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the contraction lasted just two months, from February 2020 to the following April. Though the drop featured a staggering 31.4% GDP plunge in the second quarter of the pandemic-scarred year, it also saw a massive snapback the following period, with previously unheard of policy stimulus boosting output by 33.4%. "In determining that a trough occurred in April 2020, the committee did not conclude that [...]

South Hutchinson bridge in need of repair, ownership in question

info2021-07-20T07:31:52-05:00July 20th, 2021|

A bridge in South Hutchinson desperately needs repairs. But before the bill is paid, Reno County and the city need to figure out which one of them actually owns it. The bridge on Scott Boulevard in South Hutchinson was built in 1963. It's not clear if the city or county built it initially, but the county has maintained it over the years. The cost to repair it is $700,000. The city is asking the county to split the bill so it doesn't come at the expense of taxpayers. "We've asked the county to participate as a 50/50 partner on this bridge [...]

‘Giving patrons a calming place to go.’ Johnson County library gardens grow interest in plants

info2021-07-20T07:27:59-05:00July 20th, 2021|

While Johnson County’s libraries are growing a readership inside, outside their green spaces are growing an interest in botany. Several branches have gardens on their properties for educational or community use. At Corinth in Prairie Village, there’s a large container garden just beyond the emergency exit door in the children’s section that opens to the public for specific library programs. Diana Spencer, youth information specialist, and Meagan Condon, youth services librarian, took what was a fairly bare concrete area and made it bloom. Source: Joco 913 News

Busy weekend ends Ark City’s 150th celebration

info2021-07-20T07:27:38-05:00July 20th, 2021|

Arkansas City’s five-day, 150th anniversary celebration concluded Sunday with a weekend full of events. A free concert, featuring both Bad Mechanix and BackRhodes, was presented Friday evening in the Wilson Park Rotunda. The concert was sponsored by Burford Theatre Arts, which also operated a beer garden at the event. The concert was followed by a firework display that was postponed Thursday due to the threat of inclement weather. Source: The Arkansas City Traveler

Bull riders, ropers and barrel racers from across the country bullseye for the Pretty Prairie Rodeo this week

info2021-07-20T07:21:26-05:00July 20th, 2021|

The PRCA Pretty Prairie Rodeo is ready to roll. According to the group's organizers, this year will bring top cowboys and cowgirls to Pretty Prairie to compete for prize money. Last year's rodeo paid off more than $80,000 in prize money. "We’ll have something for everyone," said Julie Graber, executive secretary of the booster club that puts on the rodeo. The show starts at 8 p.m. this Wednesday through Saturday, July 21-24. Source: Hutch News.

Access ridership in Hays down by half during pandemic

info2021-07-20T07:20:39-05:00July 20th, 2021|

Access public transportation in Hays has seen its ridership cut in half since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. The service usually provides 65,000 to 70,000 rides per year in Ellis County. It typically serves about 1,000 clients per year. The service closed for about a month in April 2020 as a result of the statewide shutdown. It has been operating since with COVID restrictions, which means riders must wear masks and only two riders can be on the bus at the same time to allow for social distancing. Source: Hays Post.

Junction City bed tax idea goes to the County Commission

info2021-07-20T07:17:17-05:00July 20th, 2021|

Junction City Mayor Jeff Underhill and City Manager Allen Dinkel Monday to outline an idea that would establish a City transient guest tax and leave the County with a bed tax only for Grandview Plaza and Milford. Under this plan the convention and visitor's bureau would also come under Chamber of Commerce auspices once again, instead of being a separate organization. "What we talked about was them dissolving their transient guest tax and us being able to implement our own in the city that we would be able to utilize and we would operate the CVB at that point..." Source: JC [...]

Sedgwick County Zoo’s new superstar, a 400-pound goofball rhino baby, is drawing crowds

info2021-07-19T23:45:59-05:00July 19th, 2021|

The Sedgwick County Zoo has a new superstar — a 400-pound potato who likes to roll in the mud, pretend to charge at visitors, and run around like a clumsy puppy who isn’t quite used to his feet. He’s such a star that he’s lured lots of visitors since the zoo at 5555 W. Zoo Boulevard reopened post-COVID-19, officials there say. And he’s so popular that he even has his own merch display in the zoo’s gift shop. But for as much joy as he’s brought to zoo staff and to Wichita zoo visitors, KJ the baby black rhino — born [...]

Sedgwick County EMS Director Dr. John Gallagher placed on paid administrative leave

info2021-07-20T06:57:00-05:00July 19th, 2021|

Sedgwick County EMS Director Dr. John Gallagher was placed on paid administrative leave Monday following a Wichita Eagle investigation into slow response times and a staffing shortage in the department, as employees complain about his leadership style. County Manager Tom Stolz made the decision Monday. Stolz has been under increasing pressure from EMS employees and Commissioner Jim Howell to act quickly after two EMS employees quit last week, blaming unresponsive leadership during an ongoing public health crisis. Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

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