info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Hays’ first citywide garage sale draws significant interest

info2019-05-30T14:18:52-05:00May 30th, 2019|

The first Hays citywide garage sale is scheduled for this weekend and the community has embraced the event, with sales planned across the community. Event organizer Laurie Mortinger said she wanted to organize the event in Hays after seeing successful events elsewhere. “I know a lot of people that go to garage sales, and a lot of people that have them, and we thought we go out of town, and we go to those sales all the time in the surrounding communities they are kind of fun,” she said. “You take a day and go out and eat with the girls, [...]

Pittsburg City Commissioners debate differences between city ordinance and website wording

info2019-05-30T08:30:35-05:00May 30th, 2019|

For the second meeting in a row, the Pittsburg City Commission on Tuesday discussed the differences between the wording of its street maintenance sales tax ordinance, and the description of the sales tax on the city’s website. “The revenue from said sales tax shall be used to pay for the maintenance and repair of city streets, and not to exceed Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00) annually to pay for a sidewalk repair matching fund for property owners,” states the text of Ordinance No. S-1048, passed in July, 2017. The tax “shall be used to maintain and repair city streets, and shall expire [...]

Hillsboro’s Larry Paine receives Kansas Municipal Utilities Schowalter Award

info2019-05-30T08:27:29-05:00May 30th, 2019|

Colin Hansen, Executive Director of Kansas Municipal Utilities, presented the award to Larry Paine. Hillsboro City Administrator Larry Paine was presented with the 2019 Edgar P. Schowalter Award by Kansas Municipal Utilities (KMU), the statewide association of municipally-owned and operated electric, gas, water and wastewater utilities in Kansas. Paine was presented the award, the highest honor provided by the state association at the KMU 2019 Conference in Wichita on May 9, 2019. The award is given annually to a manager, employee, or policymaker from one of KMU’s member municipal utilities. Larry Paine has left a lasting legacy while continuing to innovate [...]

JoCo mental health experts say they can’t meet demand till private insurance pays more

info2019-05-30T08:26:42-05:00May 30th, 2019|

Johnson County mental health officials — facing what they say is the highest suicide rate in any county in Kansas — told U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids on Wednesday they need private insurers to pay more for treatment, especially outpatient care. Erin Dugan, the president and CEO of the KidsTLC treatment center in Olathe, told Davids that Medicaid pays more for those services than the private sector — something that’s almost unheard of in the physical health realm. “You cannot even break even in this industry (on private insurance rates), and as a nonprofit that’s all we want to do. We don’t [...]

Reno County receives $3.3 million in budget proposals from outside agencies

info2019-05-30T08:25:03-05:00May 30th, 2019|

Eight agencies that receive funding from Reno County made pitches Tuesday for increases in their budgets for next year totaling more than $400,000. One agency, Reno County Emergency Medical Services, accounted for more than 80 percent of the proposed hikes, primarily for new ambulances. At least three, however, asked for extra dollars to expand staff. Commission chairman Bob Bush opened the afternoon meeting noting it was unlikely the county would fund all the additional requests. Though commissioners had questions for some of the presenters, none indicated what they thought of the proposals or which might receive support. (Read more: News - [...]

Tornado that hit Douglas County rated an EF-4, stayed on ground for 31 miles

info2019-05-30T08:24:13-05:00May 30th, 2019|

When Lanae LaBonte called her in-laws Tuesday evening to check on them before a tornado touched down in south Lawrence, her father-in-law, Mike LaBonte, said it was “no big deal, I’m just sitting here eating ice cream.” About 10 minutes after convincing her in-laws to head to their basement closet, Lanae’s mother-in-law, Karen LaBonte, called her son, Brad, and Lanae and said she didn’t think there was anything left of the house. ″(Karen) said she looked out the closet and all she could see was blue sky,” Lanae LaBonte said. The LaBonte family’s house took a direct hit about 6 p.m. [...]

Debris from Linwood tornado found at Kansas City airport, other parts of Missouri

info2019-05-30T08:22:44-05:00May 30th, 2019|

Kansas City International Airport is open again after a harrowing night of storms that left debris over the runway, including debris apparently from a tornado-ravaged town nearly 50 miles away. A tornado warning Tuesday night forced officials to move people from the terminal to a tunnel leading to the parking garage, where they stayed for about an hour. But flights were delayed for several hours because of debris strewn about the airfield. Airport spokesman Joe McBride says debris that included pots, plants and wall panels was apparently blown to Kansas City from a tornado that struck Linwood, Kansas, 47 miles to [...]

Hillsboro hears proposal for storage units

info2019-05-30T08:20:29-05:00May 30th, 2019|

Larry and Joyce Smith own storage facilities in Salina, Lindsborg and McPherson. They made an offer to purchase part of lot 2, and all of lot 3 (both located to the East of the old Dollar General building) in the Hillsboro Heights area in order to build storage units. They are also asking to make purchase options on lots 4 and 5. City Administrator Larry Paine explained that the current zoning code does not permit storage units although there are already existing storage units in the subdivision by Rod’s Tires. Those storage units were approved under the old zoning code that [...]

City profile: Merriam small city with roots in American Indian culture

info2019-05-30T07:59:39-05:00May 30th, 2019|

To learn more about Merriam, Kansas, go back almost 200 years and study the Shawnee Indian Tribe. Members of the Shawnee Tribe settled in the Turkey Creek basin after they moved from Ohio and Missouri to what became Kansas Territory in 1854 and a state in 1861. They had found in their new home “a rich and healthy country and were well pleased with the change,” according to one historic account. Today, Merriam is a vibrant city that continues to prosper. Christopher Engel, the city administrator notes Merriam is “20 minutes from anywhere you want to go.” To look at the [...]

Chanute makes rules for dome, tiny houses

info2019-05-30T07:52:55-05:00May 30th, 2019|

Chanute commissioners passed ordinance amendments Tuesday evening that allow dome and tiny houses – under certain conditions. The measure proposed by the Planning Commission passed 3-2 with Commissioners Tim Fairchild and Phil Chaney opposed. Developer Bernard Neyer has proposed building dome houses of smaller square footage, but said the rules passed Tuesday will make it difficult. Dome houses will be allowed within the Mobile Home Overlay District with a conditional use permit from the Planning Commission. Tiny homes will be allowed within R-1 districts, except for lots of less than 3,000 square feet. The ordinance prohibits metal shipping containers, accessory structures [...]

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