info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Hutchinson Zoo gets fundraising support after flooding

info2019-06-25T08:58:38-05:00June 25th, 2019|

When a nonprofit group asked for donations to help the Hutchinson Zoo recover from flood damage, it hoped to raise $10,000 in a month or two. Supporters passed the goal in five days. A Facebook fundraiser organized by Friends of the Hutchinson Zoo started June 18 and passed the $10,000 goal Saturday. The Hutchinson News reports the zoo has been closed since May 21 because of flooding. The animals are safe in temporary housing but playgrounds and five buildings were damaged. (Read more: KSN-TV)

Longtime Kansas Rep. Jan Meyers dies at age 90

info2019-06-25T08:25:00-05:00June 25th, 2019|

TOPEKA, Kan. — Longtime Rep. Jan Meyers, the first Republican woman elected to the U.S. House from Kansas, has died. Meyers died Friday at the age of 90 at a nursing home where she was living. The cause of death was not announced. A native of Nebraska, Meyers lived in Overland Park, Kansas, while representing the state’s 3rd Congressional District from 1985 to 1997. Before that, she served in the Kansas Senate from 1972 to 1984. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday ordered flags flown at half-staff at the Capitol complex to honor Meyers. (Read more: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 - [...]

3rd earthquake in 4 days reported in northwest Kansas

info2019-06-25T08:23:26-05:00June 25th, 2019|

ROOKS COUNTY — Another earthquake shook portions of northwest Kansas early Monday. The quake just before 2 a.m. measured a magnitude 2.6 and was centered just north of the Ellis County line in Rooks County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Monday’s quake follows a pair of stronger earthquakes in Rooks County. The U.S. reported a 4.5 magnitude quake Saturday morning and a 3.3 temblor Friday. Both of those were centered northwest of Plainville. (Read more: Great Bend Post)

Ellis, Trego, Rooks counties organizations awarded $165,000 in grants by HCF

info2019-06-25T08:21:55-05:00June 25th, 2019|

HCF The Heartland Community Foundation (HCF), which serves Ellis, Rooks and Trego Counties, recently awarded over $165,000 in spring grants to area organizations across the three counties. The following organizations received funding through the foundation’s Dane G. Hansen Community Grant Funds for Ellis, Rooks and Trego Counties, the Kansas Health Foundation Fund, the Stockton Community Fund and the Trego Legacy Fund. (Read more: Hays Post)

Price hands USD 308 keys to Folks

info2019-06-25T08:11:14-05:00June 25th, 2019|

Outgoing Hutchinson USD 308 Superintendent Gary Price wore formal dress and his successor, Mike Folks, took a front-row seat in the audience for an 11-minute school board meeting Monday night. “Here we are, the last meeting,” Price told the school board. “This is my 46th year as an educator, and 30 years as a superintendent,” Price said. Contributing to those 30 years were Price’s stint as USD 308 superintendent from 1995 to 2000, and his return in 2017 for two years at the helm. (Read more: Local - The Hutchinson News)

USDA: More than $2 billion in federal loans available for rural projects

info2019-06-25T08:07:33-05:00June 25th, 2019|

Acting Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Joel Baxley today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has more than $2 billion remain available this year to invest in community facilities and infrastructure projects in rural areas across the country, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday. The news came as Acting Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Joel Baxley released the names of 40 rural communities that are receiving a total of $50 million for projects that will benefit 631,000 rural residents. “Modern and accessible education, health care, public safety and municipal services are foundational to quality [...]

Residents asked to avoid contact with Shunganunga Creek

info2019-06-25T08:05:02-05:00June 25th, 2019|

Because water from the city’s sanitary sewer system may have gotten into Shunganunga Creek, Topeka’s city government is asking residents to avoid contact with that creek from S.W. Washburn Avenue west to the point where it enters the Kansas River. Residents are also advised to keep pets out of that creek, said Molly Hadfield, the city’s media relations coordinator. “This issue is due to recent heavy rain events and a mechanical issue at one of our pump stations in Central Park,” Hadfield said. “The stormwater infrastructure has been struggling to handle the excess water from recent rain events and saturated soils, [...]

A broken van, a struggling family. A community — and a commissioner — step up to help

info2019-06-24T08:52:05-05:00June 24th, 2019|

Jonathan Hunter spends all his time in a wheelchair and is dependent on his family. But spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy doesn’t keep the 22-year-old from doing what he loves — listening to music, eating ice cream and going to the park, among other things. Jonathan’s parents, Melody and Ed Hunter of Derby, rely on a wheelchair-accessible van to take their son everywhere. But their 1997 Dodge Caravan breaks down often. Sedgwick County Commissioner Jim Howell, a family friend, decided to fix that. He started a fundraiser to buy the family a more reliable van, and the community rose to the occasion [...]

Winds up to 111 mph damaged Derby. NWS surveying whether storm spawned a tornado

info2019-06-24T08:51:40-05:00June 24th, 2019|

After strong winds reported to be up to 111 mph caused damage in Derby early Sunday morning, the National Weather Service surveyed whether the storm spawned a tornado. The Wichita office of the weather service said officials would be in Derby on Sunday afternoon to conduct a survey to determine whether damage was caused by extreme straight-line winds or a tornado. A 111 mph wind gust with sustained winds of 76 mph was recorded at around 5:09 a.m. in the southeastern Sedgwick County town at a Weather Underground station, according to NWS local storm reports. But the National Weather Service later [...]

To modernize parking enforcement, Lawrence city manager proposes increasing cost of parking and tickets downtown

info2019-06-24T08:49:17-05:00June 24th, 2019|

City leaders agree that the coin-fed meters and other outdated devices used to enforce parking rules downtown need to be modernized, but how much parking rates and tickets should increase next year to fund that modernization is up for debate. City Manager Tom Markus’ recommended budget for 2020 proposes increasing parking meter, garage and permit rates, as well as the fine for parking tickets. If ultimately approved by the City Commission, the increases would help replace pay stations in the city’s parking garages and the technology used by parking enforcement staff for writing tickets, which would also give downtown visitors the [...]

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