info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Ordinance changes to allow newly elected officials to take office earlier

info2019-11-21T18:22:57-06:00November 21st, 2019|

With a change from the Kansas Legislature this past session, local governments across the state now have the option of deciding if they want elected officials to take office between Dec. 1 to the second Monday of January following the general election. In the past, elected officials had to wait until the second Monday before being sworn into office. In Great Bend, that means missing the first meeting of the year. City Attorney Bob Suelter says a new resolution will allow elected officials to be sworn in during the first meeting. “There were no protest petitions so I provided the resolution [...]

Wichita police, law enforcement to host community discussion event

info2019-11-21T18:20:49-06:00November 21st, 2019|

The Wichita Police Department will host a community-wide event Saturday, November 23, to hear feedback from citizens about law enforcement. At the event, "What's Going On and What More We Can Do", police officers and other criminal justice leaders will meet with Wichita citizens to discuss community issues like criminal justice reform and the mental health crisis. "The more we interact with our community and talk about struggles that we face both within the system and that community members face, I think the better off we are," said Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay. (Read more: KAKE - News)

Hutchinson police, community gift man with new electric scooter

info2019-11-21T18:20:05-06:00November 21st, 2019|

The Hutchinson community is going above and beyond to help one of its citizens. Last week, we told you about how Morgan Gibson and Nick Longhofer helped officers get a man home after his electric wheelchair miles away from home. Well, Wednesday afternoon Gibson, Longhofer, members of the Hutchinson Police Department gifted the man with a brand new electric scooter. (Read more: KWCH News)

USD 506 touts low high school dropout rate

info2019-11-21T18:17:17-06:00November 21st, 2019|

At November’s regular meeting of the Labette County USD 506 Board of Education, Superintendent John Wyrick presented an overview of the area high school graduation rates. Wyrick stated Labette County High School is at the top of this list, as well as having the best college and career readiness programs for graduates. Kansas Report Card 2018-2019 reported the district’s graduation rate, based on an adjusted four-year cohort rate, rose from 95% in 2017 to 97.3% for 2018, far exceeding the overall statewide percentage, though it also showed a trend for improvement. (Read more: Parsons Sun)

Parsons delays decision on common consumption

info2019-11-21T21:15:31-06:00November 21st, 2019|

City leaders want to give the public a chance to comment on an ordinance that would allow people to carry alcoholic beverages from business to business during special events downtown. The common consumption ordinance was a late addition to the Parsons City Commission’s regular Monday meeting. The ordinance wasn’t on the agenda issued late Friday afternoon but was approved as an addendum at the meeting at the request of city staff. The ordinance would designate the common consumption area with boundaries of Central Avenue, 17th Street, Washington Avenue and Broadway Avenue. Main Street is included in the area. (Read more: Parsons [...]

USD 232 planning centralized career and technical center, early childhood facility on one site

info2019-11-21T18:14:58-06:00November 21st, 2019|

After years of conversations about finding new ways to get students career ready after graduation, Unified School District 232 is advancing plans to build a dedicated Career & Technical Education Center to better serve the needs of students. Once complete, the new center will be connected to a new Early Childhood Center as one facility located on district-owned property on the northeast corner of 83rd Street and Mize Boulevard next to Mill Creek Middle. “We want every student in our school district, when they graduate, to be prepared to go to college, but we also recognize that not every student needs or [...]

Overland Park councilmembers talk details of possible open mic time at city meetings

info2019-11-21T18:12:00-06:00November 21st, 2019|

Open mic time at Overland Park City Council meetings could end up being limited to 30 minutes at the end of the meeting with participants signing in for a maximum of three minutes apiece, under rules being discussed by a council committee. The Finance, Administration and Economic Development committee took up the issue Wednesday after hearing a report on how other city and county governing bodies handle open comments. Overland Park is a rarity among local governments in that it does not have a designated time during council meetings for people to express themselves on any issue. They can talk during [...]

Parsons focuses on downtown

info2019-11-21T21:11:33-06:00November 21st, 2019|

Parsons City leaders are working to improve commuter safety in the downtown area. The city approved an ordinance making it illegal for extra long vehicles to park on main street between 16th St. and Central Ave. It’s now illegal for any part of the vehicle, it’s load, or equipment to leave less than 20 feet of open space in the main road. The ordinance does make an exception for loading or unloading less than 5 minutes. (Read more: KSNF/KODE – FourStatesHomepage.com)

Lawrence Public Library proposes eliminating fines for overdue books

info2019-11-21T21:00:07-06:00November 21st, 2019|

he Lawrence Public Library wants to join a growing list of libraries that have eliminated fines for overdue books and other media. Library staff recommended this week that the library eliminate overdue fines and charge people only for lost or damaged items. Staff presented the recommendation Monday to the library board, which will vote on the matter at its next meeting. The American Library Association has stated that fines create barriers for low-income people, and the Lawrence library’s executive director, Brad Allen, said the library shared those concerns. Read more: LJWorld.com.

Lawrence to host public meeting regarding proposals to ban or charge for plastic and paper bags

info2019-11-21T20:59:09-06:00November 21st, 2019|

The City of Lawrence is seeking public input on a proposal to ban or charge a fee for single-use plastic and paper bags. The Lawrence Sustainability Advisory Board previously recommended that the city charge a 16-cent fee for disposable plastic and paper bags, but it has since updated that recommendation to indicate it would also support a ban, as the Journal-World recently reported. The Lawrence City Commission has indicated it is interested in either a fee or a ban. Read more: LJWorld.com.

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