info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Kansas unemployment drops to lowest in 40-plus years

info2019-11-19T17:03:06-06:00November 19th, 2019|

Kansas is reporting that its unemployment rate in October dipped to 3.1% and was at its lowest rate in more than 40 years. Image Kansas Department of Labor The state Department of Labor said Tuesday that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined from 3.2% in September and was below the 3.3% recorded in October 2018. Labor Secretary Delia Garcia said the last time unemployment was 3.1% was in April 1979. The rate has stayed below 4% since January 2017. (Read more: Great Bend Post)

Opportunities expanding for Remington students

info2019-11-19T19:32:10-06:00November 19th, 2019|

As part of the Gemini II group in the Kansans Can School Redesign project, Fredric Remington High School introduced a new look this school year with one of the biggest changes geared toward preparing students to enter the working world. With no previous internship program to speak of, the high school is building from the ground up to offer work experiences for its students, which are geared toward sophomores, juniors and seniors. This year, the school introduced three classes to help prepare students for post-graduation — including career exploration, diversified occupations and employability skills — with the district currently gathering feedback [...]

Dodge City hires Nick Hernandez as new city manager

info2019-11-19T19:30:52-06:00November 19th, 2019|

The city commission voted unanimously to approve the city manager employment agreement with Nick Hernandez at its meeting Monday night. Hernandez’s employment with the city will take effect June 1, 2020, when long-time City Manager Cherise Tieben plans to retire after 30 years of service to the city. Like Tieben, Hernandez is a Ford County native. He is the current manager of Arkansas City, a position he has held for eight and a half years. Prior to that, he served as manager of Osage City for three years. (Read more: News - Dodge City Daily Globe - Dodge City, KS)

Sheriff’s office awarded 911 grant to upgrade dispatch consoles

info2019-11-19T16:51:05-06:00November 19th, 2019|

The Miami County Sheriff’s Office dispatch center is poised for an equipment upgrade. The sheriff’s office has learned it will receive a $284,272.80 state grant to purchase four P25 IP based dispatch consoles, according to a news release issued Tuesday, Nov. 12. “This grant will help offset costs to upgrade the radio communications system within the communications center,” Sheriff Frank Kelly said. More than $2.75 million in grant money was awarded to the state of Kansas, 911 Coordinating Council, by the National 911 grant program administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the National 911 Program. (Read more: The [...]

Spirit AeroSystems approved for up to $40 million in IRBs

info2019-11-19T16:46:34-06:00November 19th, 2019|

The Wichita City Council on Tuesday approved the issuance of up to $40 million in industrial revenue bonds for Spirit AeroSystems Inc. to help the manufacturer finance upgrades to its facilities made in 2019. The new IRBs, which were approved 6-0 as Council member Cindy Claycomb was not in attendance, come from the letter of intent for up to $280 million in IRBs approved for Spirit (NYSE: SPR) in 2016. IRBs require no taxpayer commitment and the city acts only as a pass-through entity. However, using IRB financing can help the company secure a better interest rate on the projects. The bonds will [...]

Church set to celebrate 150 years

info2019-11-19T16:43:31-06:00November 19th, 2019|

One of the oldest churches in the region is still going strong. First United Methodist Church of El Dorado will celebrate its 150th anniversary in December. A combined service with a Christmas Cantata is set for 10 a.m. Dec. 8 with a potluck and time capsule burial to follow. The day marks the significant rich heritage of the church in the Butler County Community. Based on research by RoJean (Erwin) Holem presented 125th anniversary in 1994, as well as information provided by the church’s history committee, First United Methodist is considered the first church of any denomination within the bounds of [...]

Wichita plans to spend $602 million on new water plant project

info2019-11-19T19:57:08-06:00November 19th, 2019|

The total cost of Wichita’s new water treatment plant project could top $602 million, the city told the Environmental Protection Agency in a federal loan application. And water rates are expected to continue increasing for the foreseeable future, city projections show. Wichita needs a new water treatment plant because its existing plant is 80 years old and could fail at any moment, city officials have said. (Read more: Local News |)

New lawsuits in Finch swatting claim wrongful death and rights violations by cops

info2019-11-19T19:56:11-06:00November 19th, 2019|

Two new lawsuits have been filed in federal and state courts in connection with the “swatting” death of Andrew Finch, killed by Wichita police officers responding to a hoax emergency call at his home two years ago. The state lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $75,000 on behalf of Finch’s two young children, identified in court documents as AF and DF. It alleges they’re due compensation for the wrongful death of their father. In the federal suit, Finch’s mother, Lisa Finch, and her boyfriend, Ali Abdelhadi, claim that four Wichita police officers violated their constitutional rights during the follow-up to the [...]

Overland Park hosting conversation on ‘small scale’ housing projects aimed at affordability

info2019-11-18T20:40:09-06:00November 18th, 2019|

City leaders took it to heart when Overland Park residents said they wanted a future city with more moderately priced housing options – ones that would be within the budgets of the janitors, fire fighters, restaurant workers and school aids who work in the city. On Thursday, residents can find out what it means to make that happen, as the non-profit Incremental Development Alliance holds a public discussion of the benefits of “small scale” development. The presentation will be at 6 p.m. at the Matt Ross Community Center Crown Room. The meeting is an attempt to explain some of the ways [...]

‘We’re not going to let them die’

info2019-11-18T20:36:54-06:00November 18th, 2019|

Rural Kansas has a storied past, but decades of population decline stand poised to turn many once-vibrant places into ghost towns. The struggle for survival reveals itself in emptied Main Streets, shuttered factories and tired-looking neighborhoods dominated by houses built before World War II. An exodus that started more than 100 years ago and gained momentum during the Great Depression has now thinned the population of most of the state’s 105 counties to fewer than 10 people per square mile. “Quite a few counties peaked in the 1890 census in terms of total population and have never recovered,” said Kansas historian [...]

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