info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

KC, OKC got Topgolf for nothing but Wichita offered millions; project study had flaws

info2021-06-21T07:44:29-05:00June 21st, 2021|

The city of Wichita is moving forward with a $10.2 million subsidy for a Topgolf sports attraction and neighboring development — but other cities in the region didn’t pay anything to land the golf-themed business and there’s a glaring error in the economic study that justified the project. Oklahoma City and Overland Park officials told The Eagle they didn’t spend any public money to get Topgolf, a popular sports entertainment company owned by publicly traded golfing behemoth Callaway Golf Co., a company currently valued at $5.9 billion. “We gave them no incentives, no reimbursement,” said Sean Reilly, a spokesman for Overland [...]

Grant helps to fund Winfield ambulance

info2021-06-21T00:11:49-05:00June 21st, 2021|

The City of Winfield approved the $151,000 purchase of a new ambulance at its regular meeting, which was held in special session on Thursday. The ambulance will be funded in part through a matching USDA Rural Development grant award of $125,000. Smaller in design, the ambulance approved is a customized Ford 350 Transit. “This will be our first van-based ambulance,” City Manager Taggart Wall said. “It is a great way to test the waters and determine what type of vehicle works best for the patient and our staff in different situations.” Wall said that the investment represents the continued goal to [...]

Plan would restore rail service to big swath of the Midwest

info2021-06-21T00:07:56-05:00June 21st, 2021|

Proponents of expanding passenger rail service through Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas hope an anticipated influx of federal infrastructure funding will get the the long-discussed route off the ground. The project, which is among 39 new routes that Amtrak has proposed, calls for extending the Heartland Flyer. The train now travels south from Oklahoma City in the morning and returns in the evening, with an afternoon layover in Fort Worth, Texas. With the expansion, one daily trip would start and end farther north in Newton in the early morning, traveling over tracks owned by BNSF, the largest U.S. railroad. From Newton, travelers [...]

Hill’s Pet Nutrition Plans to Build New Factory in Tonganoxie to Help Meet Growing Demand for its Pet Food

info2021-06-21T07:47:53-05:00June 21st, 2021|

Hill's Pet Nutrition announced their intent to invest more than $250 million to build a new factory in Leavenworth County in their home state of Kansas to help meet the growing demand for their #1 vet recommended Hill's pet nutrition. "Hill's Pet Nutrition's decision to invest $250 million in Kansas and bring 80 new jobs to Tonganoxie is further proof that Kansas' Animal Health Corridor can out-compete any region in the world for these industry investments and jobs," Governor said. "With our central location, talented workforce and reputation as a global leader in animal health and science, our partnership with Hill's [...]

Riley County clerk: More budget announcements published equals more money spent

info2021-06-21T07:48:45-05:00June 20th, 2021|

The Riley County clerk says a new state law intended to help people understand where their tax dollars go will in turn cost taxpayers more money to implement. Riley County and Manhattan city government officials met for a joint meeting Thursday to discuss the potential “unintended consequences” of the passage of Senate Bill 13. The bill, approved by Kansas lawmakers this past session, establishes new requirements for public notices and hearings to alert residents if a municipal entity’s budget might surpass what’s called the “revenue neutral rate” for a local property tax levy. Riley County clerk Rich Vargo said the new [...]

National arts grant will give downtown Wichita businesses some creative curb appeal

info2021-06-21T07:48:51-05:00June 20th, 2021|

A new placemaking initiative in Wichita funded by a national grant will help give a few downtown businesses a little more curb appeal. In a partnership with the city, Downtown Wichita was one of 63 recipients of a $75,000 Our Town Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The funding will support a new initiative called the Front Porch Project, which will pair local artists with business owners to come up with a creative outdoor extension of their storefronts. Source: Wichita Business Journal

Kansas officer critically hurt, suspect dead after shootout

info2021-06-20T23:49:42-05:00June 20th, 2021|

A Kansas police officer is in critical condition and the person who fired at officers is dead after a shootout in Wichita, authorities said. Two police officers were checking on the welfare of a 32-year-old woman and her 13-year-old daughter at a home in south Wichita around 10:15 p.m. Saturday when the shooting began. Police said the woman reported having a physical fight with her boyfriend before officers arrived, but she thought the man had left. Wichita Deputy Police Chief Jose Salcido said officers found the man, 28-year-old Tyler Hodge, hiding in a shed in the backyard with a rifle. Body [...]

Lecompton has a long and rich history. A new mural titled ‘Resilience’ depicts the town’s story and significance.

info2021-06-19T07:52:38-05:00June 18th, 2021|

The town of Lecompton is known for its rich history. Founded in 1854, the town was originally named Bald Eagle and became Kansas' territorial capital 11 years later. The small town is known as being "the birthplace of the Civil War, where slavery began to die." Lecompton's history is now represented through a new mural painted on the south wall of the former Lecompton High School gym. The mural, created by artist Rick Wright, depicts a landscape with a bald eagle emerging from the clouds. On each side of the eagle are buildings and wagons and below is the phrase "Populi [...]

Housing crisis threatens to stifle rural Kansas towns hoping to grow

info2021-06-18T07:43:21-05:00June 18th, 2021|

On the east edge of town, an empty sidewalk flanked by dirt and gravel curls around a bend into the shape of a cul-de-sac. Soon, it will lead to the front doors of three dozen new homes — the first houses in Hays built to sell for $225,000 or less in the past several years. Doug Williams, who heads the local housing and economic development coalition Grow Hays, expects the first homebuyers to move in by the end of this year. And in his view, it’s not a moment too soon. Nor is it enough. “We have what I would deem [...]

Tenants to Homeowners to hold open house for solar-powered small home; project is first to use Lawrence’s density bonus

info2021-06-18T07:23:49-05:00June 18th, 2021|

An open house for the project, Solar Prairie, will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday at 1443 Prairie Ave. The two-bedroom, 925-square-foot home is Tenants to Homeowners’ third small home, and the second small home built on the lot, making it the first project to use the city’s density bonus. The Lawrence City Commission voted in 2019 to approve the density bonus, which allows two homes to be built on lots of a certain size as long as both homes remain permanently affordable. Like other Tenants to Homeowners projects, the solar-powered small home will be sold at an affordable [...]

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