info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Proposed raise for Lawrence city commissioners would make pay among highest in state

info2019-06-24T08:48:11-05:00June 24th, 2019|

If a proposed pay raise for Lawrence city commissioners is approved, it would move commissioners from among the lowest-paid elected city leaders in the state to among the highest, trailing only Wichita, which has about four times the population of Lawrence. An increase in pay for Lawrence’s five city commissioners is on the table after commissioners have gone 20 years without an increase in pay. City Manager Tom Markus’ recommended budget for 2020 is proposing the first salary increase for city commissioners since 1999, but commissioners disagree on how much salaries should go up, the Journal-World previously reported. Read more: LJWorld.com.

Junction City looks to renew special sales tax for debt relief

info2019-06-24T08:59:27-05:00June 24th, 2019|

Junction City officials will look to renew a special sales tax for debt relief purposes. City Finance Director Lindsay Miller presented an option to place a special question on the Nov. 5 general election ballot during Tuesday night’s city commission meeting. The city’s 1 percent sales tax for debt services is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2020. If the sales tax is approved by voters, it would be renewed for 10 years. The sales tax brings in an estimated $3.5 million annually, Miller said. “If it does not pass, the city will need to pursue other sources of revenue,” Miller [...]

Kansas A to Z: ‘X’ is for Kansas Expocentre

info2019-06-23T23:51:10-05:00June 23rd, 2019|

TOPEKA — Rock concerts, horse shows, sporting events and demolition derbies are among the wide variety of entertaining activities offered by Topeka’s Kansas Expocentre. “Went there for monster trucks and had a wonderful time,” Danielle Goodwin wrote Jan. 5 on the Expocentre’s Facebook page. “The circus was amazing and I always have fun watching hockey there,” Topekan Mimi Murphy commented April 4 on that page. (Read more: Leavenworth Times)

UPDATED: Peabody sandbags downtown; Marion water contaminated but deemed safe

info2019-06-23T23:45:31-05:00June 23rd, 2019|

Volunteers, mainly from Peabody fire department, sandbagged a block’s worth of downtown stores Saturday afternoon after an unrelenting thunderstorm dropped nearly nine inches of rain and sent water into as many as a dozen businesses there. Meanwhile, in Marion, low levels of dangerous microcystin toxins from blue-green algae in Marion Reservoir were detected late Friday in Marion drinking water, which still is deemed safe but is being monitored closely. At midday Saturday in Peabody, floodwater still had not receded on S. Olive St. and S. Maple St., and water continued vigorously bubbling up from manhole covers as sandbaggers protected stores against [...]

American State Bank announces $5,000 contest winner

info2019-06-23T23:40:00-05:00June 23rd, 2019|

American State Bank & Trust held its very first “Growing for Good” contest this spring and has announced the winner. The city of Macksville will receive a $5,000 prize to help improve its city park. “The idea of the contest was to help improve a Kansas community,” stated bank CEO Greg Quarles. “We believe that the best way to be a community bank, is to be a part of the community. We live here and work here too, so Kansas communities are important to us.” The contest was open to anyone in the state of Kansas to submit ideas for how [...]

President Trump OKs disaster funds for parts of Kansas

info2019-06-23T23:34:03-05:00June 23rd, 2019|

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has approved a disaster declaration covering more than half of the Kansas’ 105 counties. The federal assistance approved Thursday will provide service and funds to help recovery from severe weather that began on April 28 and included tornadoes and flooding. The declaration provides funding for emergency work, repair and replacement of damaged facilities and mitigation of hazards. (Read more: Junction City Post)

USDA, DHS formalize transition $1.2 billion NBAF research facility

info2019-06-23T23:30:34-05:00June 23rd, 2019|

Two agencies of the federal government signed an agreement outlining the construction-to-operation transition of the $1.2 billion National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility under development in Manhattan, Kansas officials said. Gov. Laura Kelly said Friday the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security completed a memorandum formally spelling out how the departments would transfer the animal research complex from DHS to USDA. Under terms of the deal, DHS is to lead construction and commissioning of the facility. USDA will assume responsibility for operational planning and eventually take over management control of NBAF. Construction is on scheduled and on [...]

Kansas jobless rate at 3.5 percent, up 0.2 percent from year ago

info2019-06-23T23:27:15-05:00June 23rd, 2019|

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Kansas climbed to 3.5 percent in May, a 0.2 percent rise from one year ago. The jobless rate across the state was steady from April to May at 3.5 percent, but above the 3.3 percent mark reported in May 2018. Average monthly job growth in Kansas during the past three months stands at 2,100, based on analysis by the Kansas Department of Labor and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Read more: Leavenworth Times)

Summer is the deadliest days for teen drivers

info2019-06-23T23:24:13-05:00June 23rd, 2019|

Summer, which officially arrived Friday, is regarded as the deadliest days of the year for teen drivers. Memorial Day to Labor Day, when students are out of school, is a time period known as the 100 deadliest days for young, inexperienced drivers. A study by the American Automobile Association (AAA) shows the average number of deadly teen vehicle crashes climbs 15% during the summer compared to the rest of the year. (Read more: Leavenworth Times)

Kansas A to Z: ‘W’ is for Waterfalls at the Geary County Lake

info2019-06-23T23:22:18-05:00June 23rd, 2019|

GEARY COUNTY — Travel and landscape photographer Mickey Shannon, of Wichita, has visited most of the 80 waterfalls in Kansas on his list. In a 2017 blog on “There’s No Place Like Kansas” website, Shannon ranked Geary Lake Falls No. 1. Located south of Junction City, Geary County Falls is formed by the outlet from Geary State Fishing Lake and is only active in the spring or after a heavy rain. Like most spillway falls in Kansas, when the water is running low, they nearly dry up. (Read more: Leavenworth Times)

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