Ranson Financial, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Appeals court: rules for city tour guides unconstitutional

A federal appeals court has ruled that a South Carolina city’s rules requiring tour guides to memorize facts about the city is unconstitutional. The unanimous ruling Thursday from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond upholds an earlier ruling from a lower court. A libertarian legal group, the Institute for Justice in Arlington, Virginia, filed the lawsuit on behalf of several would-be tour guides. The group argued it was an unconstitutional restriction on free speech to require tour guides to receive a license to talk to tourists about the city.
(Read more: Politics & Government News |)

Ranson Financial2020-06-12T08:44:10-05:00June 12, 2020|News|

Lifeline Program offers relief to those struggling to keep phone service

Low income and recently unemployed Kansans may qualify for phone service discounts of up to $17.02 per month with the Lifeline program. Currently more than 10 million low-income Americans, including 35,000 Kansans, are benefiting from Lifeline discounts on home and wireless phones as well as broadband. At a time when many Americans may be unemployed or facing other circumstances that make them eligible for the program for the first time, the Kansas Corporation Commission is joining utility regulators nationwide in increasing awareness of the Lifeline program.
(Read more: Fort Scott Tribune)

Ranson Financial2020-06-12T08:14:22-05:00June 11, 2020|News|

USDA Ensures All Kids Can Get Free Meals This Summer as Nation Reopens

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has announced a nationwide extension of another key flexibility for USDA’s child nutrition programs. This waiver allows local partners, who have been working overtime serving meals to kids during the health crisis, the ability to continue serving free meals to all children – regardless of where they live – for the remainder of the summer. This action is part of USDA’s ongoing commitment to making it as easy as possible for local program operators to get food to children impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Read more: Fort Scott Tribune)

Ranson Financial2020-06-12T08:14:41-05:00June 11, 2020|News|

Pittsburg commission approves funding for CHCSEK residency program facilities

The Pittsburg City Commission this week approved a grant of up to $600,000 — 10 percent of an estimated $6 million total cost — to be paid upon completion of a project to expand Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas’ facilities to accommodate its new family practice residency program. In making his case to commission, Jason Wesco, executive vice president of CHCSEK, said the organization’s goal is to provide access to healthcare, but that goal goes beyond just being a health clinic.
(Read more: Education – Morning Sun)

Ranson Financial2020-06-12T08:15:04-05:00June 11, 2020|News|

Individual KS districts to decide how school will look when fall semester begins

he Kansas State Board of Education Wednesday held a virtual meeting to discuss how Fall 2020 could look for schools across the state. The biggest takeaway from that meeting is that the board is going to let each individual district decide what the fall semester will look like for them. The board will be recommending guidelines as it has hundreds of educators and health officials working together.
(Read more: KWCH News)

Ranson Financial2020-06-11T08:17:37-05:00June 11, 2020|News|

National Guard working in Johnson County to package 4 million meals for food insecure Kansans

Social distancing requirements have made it difficult for a variety of businesses and programs to operate — including meal packaging efforts for food insecure individuals. As COVID-19 stay-at-home orders progressed volunteer groups began cancelling meal packaging events with The Outreach Program, a national nonprofit aiming to address hunger. This created a supply issue for food banks that still needed access to shelf-stable goods. Then, the Kansas National Guard stepped in. Rick McNary, vice president of strategic partnerships at The Outreach Program, received a call from the Kansas Division of Emergency Management, which was willing to fund production costs. KDEM informed McNary that the National Guard could be used as volunteers, since they were deployed and didn’t have to comply with social distancing guidelines as soldiers. Now, the guardsmen have packaged three million meals — currently working on the fourth million — for food insecure Kansans.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post)

Ranson Financial2020-06-11T08:15:39-05:00June 11, 2020|News|

10-year Treasury yield drops below 0.7% on fears of a second coronavirus wave

Treasury yields dropped on Thursday as rising fears of a second wave of the virus and a cautious economic outlook from the Federal Reserve drove investors to safe-haven bonds. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note plunged 6 basis points to 0.681%, hitting the lowest level since June 3. The yield on the 30-year bond fell 7 basis points to 1.440%. Yields move inversely to prices. The coronavirus pandemic remains on investors’ radar, with confirmed infections in the U.S. now exceeding 2 million and several areas of the country reporting spikes following the reopening of their economies.
(Read more: CNBC – Bonds)

Ranson Financial2020-06-11T08:13:23-05:00June 11, 2020|News|

Near-zero rates here to stay; “Dot plot” expects no rate changes for 3 years

The Summary of Economic Projections, released Wednesday, shows Federal Open Market Committee members expect the fed funds rate target to remain at zero lower bound through next year, with all but two participants expecting no rates hikes in 2022 as well. One member expects rates to jump a full point in 2022, while the other outlier sees rates climbing 25 basis points in 2022. Over the longer run, most members see rates at 2.5%, with others ranging from 2.0% to 3.0%. And in his post-meeting press conference, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said, “We are not even thinking about thinking about raising rates.”
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)

Ranson Financial2020-06-11T08:12:53-05:00June 11, 2020|News|

Shawnee to consider extending sidewalk for outdoor seating downtown during COVID-19 pandemic

Shawnee will consider allowing restaurants and bars to have temporary outdoor seating along Johnson Drive downtown. To accommodate downtown businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, Shawnee city staff on Monday proposed a plan similar to what Leawood now offers for the food and drink service industry: Extended outdoor seating. Shawnee’s plan would include parklets. Parklets are sidewalk extensions — decks built in parallel parking spaces adjacent to restaurants and bars — where guests could sit, dine, wait or recreate. Shawnee proposes allowing parklets in parallel parking spaces on Johnson Drive. The decks must allow stormwater to drain, so they can be elevated to curb level. The parklets must also be accessible.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)

Ranson Financial2020-06-11T08:04:09-05:00June 11, 2020|News|

Shawnee to provide lease assistance for Drastic Measures, a new cocktail bar coming downtown

The Shawnee City Council on Monday agreed to help pay rent for a new cocktail bar coming to downtown. The owners of Drastic Measures, a spirits and cocktail bar coming to 5817 Nieman Road, requested lease assistance for the first three years of business as they get their feet on the ground….The city’s lease contribution comes from the Shawnee Entrepreneurial and Economic Development program, which supports private efforts to reinvest and redevelop the downtown area and Nieman Road corridor, according to a city memo.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)

Ranson Financial2020-06-11T08:03:39-05:00June 11, 2020|News|

About Ranson Financial

Appeals court: rules for city tour guides unconstitutional

Lifeline Program offers relief to those struggling to keep phone service

USDA Ensures All Kids Can Get Free Meals This Summer as Nation Reopens

Pittsburg commission approves funding for CHCSEK residency program facilities

Individual KS districts to decide how school will look when fall semester begins

National Guard working in Johnson County to package 4 million meals for food insecure Kansans

10-year Treasury yield drops below 0.7% on fears of a second coronavirus wave

Near-zero rates here to stay; “Dot plot” expects no rate changes for 3 years

Shawnee to consider extending sidewalk for outdoor seating downtown during COVID-19 pandemic

Shawnee to provide lease assistance for Drastic Measures, a new cocktail bar coming downtown

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