info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Pittsburg Festival of the Arts returns with new elements, live performances

info2021-06-18T07:19:39-05:00June 18th, 2021|

Crawford County residents eager to get out of the house can enjoy a free weeklong event that will showcase area talent including music, art and theater in venues at Pittsburg State University and at Block22 in downtown Pittsburg. Now in its ninth year, the annual Pittsburg Festival of the Arts is slated from Sunday to Saturday, June 19. It brings together local artists by giving them a public platform to exhibit their work during the summer months. Last year’s event was held virtually due to the pandemic but will resume in person this year. In collaboration with the PSU music department [...]

Economic development projects in WYCO received boost from state

info2021-06-18T07:19:04-05:00June 18th, 2021|

Wyandotte County has been a big beneficiary of economic development efforts in Kansas, according to Gov. Laura Kelly. The state intensified economic development efforts in the past few years, moving up in state rankings for its efforts and recently receiving the Gold Shovel Award from Area Development magazine, she said on Tuesday. Only eight states received the award, and Kansas was the only small state that received this economic development award this year, she said. “We set a record for new capital investment in 2020,” Gov. Kelly said. “We brought in over $2.5 billion in capital investment, more than ever before. [...]

Lacking lifeguards: Local pools making due, but hope to hire more

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

The heat has hundreds rushing to their local pools and splash pads. Nationwide, there is a shortage of lifeguards. "We started the year kind of strong. We've already lost six lifeguards since the summer has begun," said Ted Nelson, the superintendent of aquatics for Hutchinson Recreation. Day by day, Hutchinson is keeping their splash aquatic center open, but they are still feeling the heat to hire more lifeguards this summer. "Just the shortage of applicants, and not a lot of our returners coming back," said Nelson. There were concerns across Kansas that some pools might have to cut back on hours [...]

Explaining the volatile stock and bond market moves this week following the Fed’s update

info2021-06-18T07:17:27-05:00June 18th, 2021|

Strategists say the the Fed's slight step toward tightening policy didn't shock markets Wednesday, but it will likely make them volatile going forward. The Fed, in essence, is acknowledging the door is now open to future rate hikes. ... The yields of shorter-duration Treasurys, like the 2-year note, rose, while longer duration yields, such as the benchmark 10-year fell. That so-called "flattening" is a go-to trade when interest rates rise. The logic is that longer yields fall since the economy may not do as well in the future with higher interest rates, and short-end yields rise to reflect expectations of the [...]

Treasury yields ebb lower as investors shake off Fed policy update

info2021-06-18T07:15:25-05:00June 18th, 2021|

U.S. Treasury yields ebbed lower on Friday morning, as investors continued to shake off the Federal Reserve's hawkish turn in its latest policy update. ... Yields drifted lower despite the Fed having raised its inflation expectations, following its two-day meeting which concluded on Wednesday. The Fed also indicated that an interest rate hike could come as soon as 2023, after saying in March that it saw no increases until at least 2024. In a note sent to CNBC Thursday, Kleinwort Hambros Chief Investment Officer Fahad Kamal said that ... he sees inflation as transitory in the short term, and expects it [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for June 17, 2021

info2021-06-18T06:48:08-05:00June 18th, 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.

Wichita City Council gives initial approval to anti-discrimination ordinance

info2021-06-18T06:46:14-05:00June 18th, 2021|

After a couple hours of discussion, which became heated at times, Wichita’s City Council gave initial approval on an a proposed anti-discrimination ordinance. The 4-3 vote approved what is called a first-reading, and changes can still be made before the ordinance is put into effect. A second-reading of the proposed ordinance is set for July 6. Some council members expressed concern regarding transparency, saying the public did not have much of a chance to look at the proposed ordinance before the vote. There was also concern that ordinance did not go through advisory boards that the city has set up. The [...]

Kansas awards $900K to healthcare providers to boost COVID-19 vaccinations

info2021-06-18T01:01:58-05:00June 18th, 2021|

In a new push to increase vaccinations in the state, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced $900,000 in grants going to healthcare providers to support vaccination efforts on Wednesday. "We've got to work with the primary care provider groups to make sure that they have the resources they need to get them all barred in to this concept of get to your doctor and get vaccinated," Gov. Kelly said. The money will be used across the state to hire dedicated staff members to promote and administer vaccines. The governor held a roundtable discussion with primary care providers, joined by Dr. Marci Nielsen, [...]

Overland Park commission OKs rezoning for proposal to turn former Sears building into 164K square foot office

info2021-06-18T00:54:55-05:00June 18th, 2021|

The Overland Park Planning Commission on Monday unanimously advanced a rezoning request for the former Sears site on Metcalf that marks a significant departure from the mixed-use concept initially pitched back in 2018. Klover Architects first unveiled the updated plan, which eliminates the multi-story apartment building that had drawn some protest from area homeowners, in a neighborhood meeting earlier this month. The re-envisioned development now centers on accommodating the interests of a company that plans to transform the former Sears building into a new center for its operations. Klover Architects President Henry Klover, who brought the rezoning request before the city [...]

Pendergast adapting quickly to role as Scott City administrator

info2021-06-17T14:57:03-05:00June 17th, 2021|

Brad Pendergast doesn’t have the luxury of easing into his position as the new administrator for the City of Scott City. Just seven days into his new job, Pendergast and the council held a 2022 budget workshop to decide spending priorities for the upcoming year. ... “It’s good to be kept busy,” says Pendergast. “It’s good to be in a community that’s addressing its needs in a proactive way.” His first order of business when stepping into City Hall on June 8 was to meet with each of the department heads and get a better understanding of their job responsibilities. Pendergast, [...]

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