info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Quixotic at OP Arboretum; Gardner Edgerton High to pilot mental health course

info2019-09-17T18:10:25-05:00September 17th, 2019|

The Johnson County Mental Health Center and the Gardner Edgerton School District have been chosen as one of only 35 entities nationwide to pilot a program called teen Mental Health First Aid, which will be offered to all 10th graders at Gardner Edgerton High School. The training, which originated in Australia, is the first of its kind developed for U.S. high school students, officials said. “We are thrilled to introduce teen Mental Health First Aid to our community,” Gardner Edgerton Superintendent Pam Stranathan said in a news release. “The program will teach high school students to recognize and respond when their [...]

Air Ambulances Woo Rural Kansans With Memberships That May Leave Them Hanging

info2019-09-17T18:07:56-05:00September 17th, 2019|

On a hot June day, as the Good Ol’ Days Festival was in full swing, 7-year-old Kaidence Anderson sat in the shade with her family waiting for a medevac helicopter to land. A crowd had gathered to see the display pre-arranged by staff at the town’s historic fort. “It’s going to show us how it’s going to help other people because we don’t have the hospital anymore,” the redheaded girl explained. Mercy Hospital Fort Scott closed at the end of 2018, leaving this rural community about 90 miles south of Kansas City without a traditional hospital. The community has outpatient clinics run by [...]

Economic border war between Kansas, Missouri isn’t quite over yet

info2019-09-16T20:30:34-05:00September 16th, 2019|

There may be a cease-fire, but the economic “border war” involving the use of incentives to lure jobs across the state line in the Kansas City area isn’t exactly over. Missouri officials plan to award more than $62 million in incentives to financial firm Waddell & Reed, based in Overland Park, Kansas, the Kansas City Star reported Monday. Holly Koofer-Thompson of the Missouri Department of Economic Development said the incentives come from the Missouri Works program, which offers payroll tax withholdings or tax credits in exchange for growing or retaining jobs. The company said it will invest about $90 million in [...]

City services uninterrupted by basement flooding

info2019-09-16T17:25:00-05:00September 16th, 2019|

All City of Independence services are fully operational this morning after a weekend water line break caused basement flooding at temporary city hall, 811 W. Laurel. Some repair work is underway in the basement today, so citizens needing to access the Independence Police Department or Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office should go to the second floor of the building and use the courtesy phone to contact these departments. David Cowan, director of Safety and Code Enforcement for the city, explained the break in an 8-inch water line on the west side of the building occurred approximately 2:40 p.m. on Saturday, causing flooding [...]

Boot Hill’s first advertiser

info2019-09-16T17:18:35-05:00September 16th, 2019|

One might argue Dodge City Boot Hill Museum got its impetus on Sept. 14, 1935 when Morris Cannon erected his billboard. Three years before, dentist O.H. Simpson had placed boots and faces at Boot Hill Cemetery as a joke for visiting Rotarians. The joke caught on and the Cemetery became a tourist destination. Cannon capitalized on the new attraction by advertising the cemetery site and setting up a curio wagon. (Read more: News - Dodge City Daily Globe - Dodge City, KS)

KCK outfits 30 officers with body cameras as police department evaluates vendors

info2019-09-16T17:16:59-05:00September 16th, 2019|

About 30 police officers in Kansas City, Kansas, will be outfitted with body-worn cameras from different companies for the next month, the department said Monday. The officers will receive training from each company and report their experiences with the cameras as part of a multi-vendor evaluation. Police officials then expect to pick a company to buy from, the department said in a statement. (Read more: KC Star Local News)

Canton festival aims to draw crowd

info2019-09-16T17:15:00-05:00September 16th, 2019|

Canton is gearing up for its fourth annual Canton Heritage Days, which will be held Sept. 28 and 29. “it’s a good time,” said organizer Terry Gribble. “The proceeds from different events ... we put back into the city.” This year, the event’s registration fees will go towards constructing new bathrooms in Canton’s city park. Canton Heritage Days will start with a 5K run/walk. Registration starts at 7 a.m. Sept. 28 and the races begin at 8 a.m. in the city park. Adults are $20; children ages 12 and under are $10. (Read more: News - McPhersonSentinel - McPherson, KS)

County OKs ‘floating playground” at lake despite protest vote from Archer

info2019-09-16T17:12:53-05:00September 16th, 2019|

A divided Shawnee County Commission voted to budget more than $200,000 Monday to provide a “floating playground” for Lake Shawnee’s Adventure Cove. Commissioner Bob Archer cast the dissenting vote, describing it as “a protest vote against the inequality and unfairness of parks and recreation programs and opportunities in southwest Shawnee County.” Commissioners Bill Riphahn and Kevin Cook were in the majority as commissioners voted 2-1 to approve a project budget of $208,725 to acquire the floating playground, which will include necessary concrete anchors. (Read more: Local - The Topeka Capital-Journal)

Former Garden Plain water operator pleads guilty to making false report

info2019-09-16T17:11:33-05:00September 16th, 2019|

The former operator of the water system in the Sedgwick County town of Garden Plain pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Wichita of falsifying a report on the quality of the city’s drinking water, authorities said. Arthur Wolfe, 64, of Norwich, pleaded guilty to one count of a making a false statement in a report to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Stephen McAllister, U.S. Attorney for Kansas, said the report is required by the Environmental Protection Agency. Wolfe certified a bacteriological report in falsely represented water samples taken at the water treatment plant as samples taken at other [...]

This JoCo district wants to tear down and rebuild more schools. Why not just renovate?

info2019-09-16T17:09:53-05:00September 16th, 2019|

In the past couple of years, the Shawnee Mission school district has torn down five grade schools and constructed six new ones. Now officials are eyeing which ones to rebuild next. In Johnson County, it’s an issue that doesn’t come up as much in the newer school districts to the south and west, where buildings are generally decades younger than the half-century-old schools that were recently demolished across Shawnee Mission. Districts such as Blue Valley and Olathe are either constructing brand new schools are updating and refreshing existing buildings. But in Shawnee Mission, it’s simply more cost effective to knock down [...]

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