info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Lawrence residents will soon be able to contribute to help neighbors in need pay their bills

info2021-06-09T08:10:18-05:00June 9th, 2021|

The Lawrence City Commission on Tuesday gave a nod of approval to a program that will allow residents to donate to a utility assistance program to help others who can’t pay their bills. The program will be administered by Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, which was the only group to respond to a city request for proposals, for $250 per application that gets approved by the city. The city already has a special rate for residents ages 60 and up who earn 110% of the federal poverty level or less, but this program will expand assistance to other customers with low [...]

Rescued! Maize police and Eagle Valley Raptor Center come together to save gray horned owl

info2021-06-09T08:09:51-05:00June 9th, 2021|

Ruffled, some feather injuries, but alive, that’s the fate of a gray horned owl captured in Maize Monday morning. The Maize Police Department was busy after a gray horned owl got stuck in the netting at a local batting cage. They shared the following clip on their Facebook page Monday. The Maize Police Department eventually turned for help by calling a local raptor center. “So I kind of gave them instructions on the bird and how to get it out safely without getting hurt, put it in a cardboard box, and then one of the police detectives brought it here to [...]

The Symphony in the Flint Hills returns

info2021-06-09T08:08:16-05:00June 9th, 2021|

The Symphony in the Flint Hills is back after two years of cancellations — and so far there’s no threat of another cancellation on the horizon. Through art, music and educational presentations, the Symphony in the Flint Hills tells the story of one of the last standing tallgrass prairies in North America. The 2019 event was cancelled after storms damaged the concert site, and the pandemic was the culprit in 2020. As vaccinations rise and the weather forecast looks more promising, Operations and Donor Relations Manager Kelly Tastove said she is excited to welcome people from across the country to the [...]

First week on the job for Abilene’s new city manager

info2021-06-09T08:07:09-05:00June 9th, 2021|

During a meeting in April, The Abilene City Commission and Mayor Brandon Rein approved the appointment of Ron Marsh as the new Abilene City Manager. Marsh started his new position June 1 with hopes to help the local community. “I came to the city management profession a little bit later in life,” Marsh said. Long before joining city services, Marsh spent five years in the Army and had several jobs inside the private sector. He started his career in city and county management in Sedgwick County as a public works administrative assistant. “I came to really like public service and really [...]

Salina airport to add daily flight to Houston

info2021-06-09T07:55:05-05:00June 9th, 2021|

The Saline County board of commissioners accepted a grant request from the Salina Airport Authority Tuesday that could prove huge in helping the Salina economy surge out of the pandemic. The airport will sign a one-year agreement with SkyWest Airlines to schedule nonstop jet service to Houston, Texas, starting Sept. 1. With the commission’s approval, the county will award the airport authority $1.64 million to reimburse SkyWest for any revenue shortfalls from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31, 2022. Source: Salina Journal.

Douglas County Commission to consider development of new rezoning standards to protect agricultural land

info2021-06-09T07:52:19-05:00June 9th, 2021|

County leaders will soon consider moving forward with the creation of a new tool to evaluate rural rezoning requests and protect prime agricultural land. At its meeting Wednesday, the Douglas County Commission will decide whether to initiate the process to develop an amendment to the zoning and land use regulations for unincorporated or rural areas. The amendment, once developed and approved, would establish a system and standards to evaluate requests to rezone agricultural land to another use, according to a county planning memo. Source: LJWorld.com.

Municipal Bond Trends for June 8, 2021

info2021-06-09T07:51:03-05:00June 9th, 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.

City of Lawrence would pay Catholic Charities $250 per approved application to utility assistance fund under proposed contract

info2021-06-09T07:48:00-05:00June 9th, 2021|

The Lawrence City Commission on Tuesday will consider a contract that would pay Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas $250 for each application approved for a utility assistance program. That amount is roughly equivalent to two or three months’ worth of the average residence’s city utility bills, which include water, sewer, stormwater, and solid waste and recycling. According to the commission agenda item, the city can now allow residents to opt in to donate to a utility assistance program through their own bills. The city already has a special rate for residents ages 60 and up who earn 110% of the federal [...]

Wichita hopes to attract commercial interest in vacant land near ballpark with building height change

info2021-06-09T07:48:42-05:00June 9th, 2021|

On what are now empty grass lawns just east of Riverfront Stadium, the city hopes to more easily attract new commercial development surrounding the ballpark with a change in building height requirements. On Thursday, the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission voted to approve a request to amend the maximum building heights that are allowed on two oddly shaped parcels within the existing Ballpark Village Planned Unit Development. The request still has to go in front of the District 4 Advisory Board and City Council, but the change is expected to increase the allowed building heights from 50 to 85 feet on the [...]

Winfield Public Library offers Chromebooks, hotspots and e-readers for check-out

info2021-06-09T07:49:19-05:00June 9th, 2021|

The Winfield Public Library is offering personal hotspots and Chromebooks for check-out, joining e-readers as electronic devices available from WPL. Hotspots can be taken home and checked out for two weeks. Chromebooks are for use on WPL’s campus and can be checked out for 90 minutes. Thanks to a grant from the American Library Association, personal hotspots are available at WPL to 67,156 residents to provide internet access to families and households that lack Wifi services. Source: Cowley CourierTraveler

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