info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Kansas’ rural legacy needs participation

info2020-10-06T07:16:16-05:00October 5th, 2020|

The state’s Office of Rural Prosperity and the Kansas Sampler Foundation announced an important partnership over the summer that may have gone overlooked by some. Kansas Power Up and Go is targeted at young professionals and aims to collect information about how they want to live and work — all with the goal of revitalizing our state’s rural areas. It’s a most worthwhile goal. After all, Kansas is a state with a storied legacy of farms and frontier families, folks braving the odds to create new lives for themselves on the plains. Our state’s history is one of determination and bravery, [...]

Tourism takes a hit in Wichita metro area from COVID-19

info2020-10-06T07:16:24-05:00October 5th, 2020|

Visit Wichita is reporting tourism is down roughly $18 Million. But there is room for optimism as some of it is bouncing back after taking a hit from COVID-19. The Allen House in Wichita, a rare Frank Lloyd Wright home completed in 1918, is seeing tourism come back. But they have taken a hit on both fundraising and fees from visitors. "It's coming back, yes," said Amy Reep, Ops Manager at Frank Lloyd Wright's Allen House. "We are doing events, but won't have a couple hundred people at a time here to enjoy the home." Source: KSN-TV

Committee to review Topeka police policies

info2020-10-06T07:16:33-05:00October 5th, 2020|

The Police and Community committee will begin reviewing police training procedures as it highlights four key areas of police policy to focus on. Committee members Karen Hiller, Sylvia Ortiz and Mike Padilla all agreed to review Topeka police’s use of force training, standard interactions and bias profiling, escalation and de-escalation tactics, and duty to intervene. Ortiz said these are the first four topics and is not the full scope of what the committee will review. “We have good officers, we have bad officers. We have good individuals, we have bad individuals,” said Ortiz, who also serves as the committee chair. “I [...]

More Kansas counties enter COVID school red zone — but case rates improved statewide

info2020-10-06T07:16:39-05:00October 5th, 2020|

More Kansas counties have moved into the red zone of the school reopening criteria due to high numbers of coronavirus cases. The addition of more counties to the list comes as the Wichita area and statewide rates for new cases compared to population improved last week. Sedgwick County is one of 75 counties in the red zone of the incidence rate, Kansas Department of Health and Environment data shows. That is 10 more counties in the worst school reopening zone than a week ago. Only three of the state’s 105 counties are in the least-restrictive green zone, which had seven counties [...]

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s money will help run Sedgwick County’s 2020 elections

info2020-10-06T07:16:46-05:00October 5th, 2020|

Sedgwick County is turning to private funds to help run its 2020 election. Sedgwick County, the second-largest county in Kansas by population, has been awarded $816,458 from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a nonprofit foundation, to boost the efforts of the county election office to hold an election in the midst of the pandemic. The money comes from a $250 million donation by Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, and his wife, Priscilla Chan. The billionaire married couple said in a news release that they hope the money helps “ensure that every voter who intends to cast a ballot is [...]

Harvey County speeds up voting equipment upgrade

info2020-10-06T07:17:03-05:00October 5th, 2020|

Thanks to a grant, the Harvey County Clerk’s Office was able to take a bite — about 12 percent — out of a planned upgrade to voting equipment upgrades planned for 2021. The Center of Tech and Civic Life awarded a grant of more than $67,629 to the Harvey County Clerk’s Office to use for elections. The county commission will be asked to consider a purchase of $45,475 — new ballot tabulation and auditing equipment — Oct. 6. That purchase comes early, and removes the equipment purchase from capital improvement funds for the county clerk’s office. Source: Newton Kansan

Sabetha sees increased sales tax distributions

info2020-10-06T07:17:49-05:00October 5th, 2020|

Sabetha’s sales tax distributions are above last year’s distributions for September. This is according to the September County/City Local Sales Tax Distribution Report released by the Kansas Department of Revenue. The state issues these distributions two months after collection, so the September distribution is a reflection of July sales. Sabetha saw increased sales tax distributions in the month of September alone — with distributions of $40,202.07, a 7.3 percent increase from the $37,480.93 distributed in September 2019. Sabetha’s local sales tax rate is 1 percent. Source: Sabetha Herald

It’s a ‘new normal’ at Iola High School

info2020-10-06T07:18:45-05:00October 5th, 2020|

It’s 7:57 on a Monday morning, and Brett Willis and his friends are walking up the sidewalk to the high school. Brett forgot his mask. He throws his water bottle into the courtyard and stomps away, while his friends make their way through the line of fellow students waiting to get their temperatures checked before they can enter. “It made me really mad because I had to go back out to my car,” Brett says. This is just a “new normal” day at Iola High School during the coronavirus pandemic, which has brought several changes in terms of safety and hygiene [...]

Neosho County’s economic recovery stumbles

info2020-10-06T07:19:54-05:00October 5th, 2020|

Neosho County’s economic recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic suffered a hiccup during August in unemployment numbers and sales tax totals. In August, Neosho County had 5,772 people working and 527 unemployed for a preliminary rate of 8.4 percent. Revised figures for the previous month showed 71 more jobs but 58 more people unemployed for a higher rate of 9.1 percent. Since April, the county has recovered 313 jobs, but the number of people out of work is still more than twice what it was before COVID-19. Source: www.chanute.com

Municipal Bond Trends for October 2, 2020

info2020-10-05T06:16:42-05:00October 5th, 2020|

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.

About info