info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Seven counties with flooding added to earlier state disaster declaration

info2019-05-23T15:31:41-05:00May 23rd, 2019|

Several areas at Perry Lake have been closed because of flooding that is expected through the weekend. “Many roads have been closed,” Jason Hurley, Perry Lake park manager, said in the release. “Closed locations are marked with gates or barricades. Please do not drive around any of these barriers as they are in place for everyone’s safety and to reduce further damages to the area. The marinas and Perry State Park are currently open and we encourage visitors to contact those facilities for any changes.” The release said the Corps of Engineers will continue to monitor the flooding and assess the [...]

Lawrence city commissioners concerned by proposal to charge entry fees at recreation centers

info2019-05-22T12:55:26-05:00May 22nd, 2019|

City leaders expressed concern about charging entry fees for the city’s recreation facilities, and officials said they would have to weigh such changes against other options to balance the budget as part of the upcoming 2020 budget process. At the Lawrence City Commission’s meeting Tuesday, Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department Director Derek Rogers told the commission the slower-than-anticipated sales tax growth was requiring the department to spend its reserves and that it was not on track to have a balanced budget without changes. Specifically, Rogers said that the department spent about $86,000 of its reserves in 2018 and $324,000 of its [...]

Cheney lake to open flood gates

info2019-05-22T11:04:28-05:00May 22nd, 2019|

The flood gates to Cheney Lake will soon be opened due to rising water levels caused by flooding. A news release from Sedgwick County says that starting at 6 a.m. on Wednesday morning, the gates will be opened gradually until they are completely opened by afternoon. Even with the release, the lake is still expected to reach a record height of 1,430.5 feet. The released water will run through a 15 mile section along the north fork of the Ninnescah River until it meets the south fork. The water capacity in this channel will flow at approximately 2.8 times the normal [...]

Hutchinson City Council hears report on GreenPlay findings

info2019-05-22T11:02:42-05:00May 22nd, 2019|

The Hutchinson City Council got the report from GreenPlay regarding the parks and rec study that was performed over the past several months. GreenPlay presented its findings in a more than hour-long report to the council on Tuesday. The report talked about better utilizing the parks and making programs more available, especially in economically challenged areas. It also talked about new trends and how such things as various warrior contests and zip lines could be utilized in parks. The study was conducted after Hutch Rec received a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas to pay for the work. The [...]

King of Freight gets Gander building on Arkansas River bank

info2019-05-22T09:54:08-05:00May 22nd, 2019|

The Wichita City Council has approved King of Freight’s move to WaterWalk, signaling that the city has given up on the original plans for a glitzy entertainment district there. (Read more: Local News |)

Reno County Commission again approves a disaster declaration due to flooding

info2019-05-22T09:17:29-05:00May 22nd, 2019|

With flooding widespread and more rain in the forecast, the Reno County Commission once again has approved a disaster declaration for the county. The request came from Emergency Management Director Adam Weishaar. “It opens up our emergency operation plan, basically both our response and recovery operations,” he said. “It also gives law enforcement some teeth to keep people out of the river and make sure people aren’t driving around the barricades as well.” “This opens us up for both state and federal resources and, if we hit our dollar threshold which we already did on our previous disaster which is just [...]

Hutchinson City Council approves grant application for Woody Seat interchange improvements

info2019-05-22T09:16:01-05:00May 22nd, 2019|

The Hutchinson City Council approved funding a grant proposal for the Woody Seat interchange project during Tuesday’s meeting. The city recently received the results of a study on how to deal with the traffic on the interchange and the two aging bridges over Avenues A and B. The application will be done by WSP USA at a cost of $42,686. The move comes as Public Works is working on $2.2 million dollars worth of needed maintenance on the bridges over Avenues A and B. If the city were to get the transportation grant, the interchange project would total about $6 million. [...]

Geary County to consider authorizing funding help for Sundown Salute

info2019-05-22T09:14:09-05:00May 22nd, 2019|

The Geary County Commission received a request Monday to provide funding help for the annual Fourth of July celebration, Sundown Salute. Commission Chair Charles Stimatze reported that Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Director Michelle Stimatze is seeking $20,000 for Sundown Salute. He confirmed the governing body has not yet made any decision on the request. A shortfall in fundraising is the issue. “Shortfall in fundraising. Everybody knows, and it’s not just Sundown Salute. I think it’s all organizations are having a hard time. because all the local businesses are getting hit up for it.” If the funding is approved the money would [...]

After being barred from covering Digital Learning Task Force, Shawnee Mission Post will file open meetings complaint against SMSD

info2019-05-22T09:00:50-05:00May 22nd, 2019|

On Monday, the Shawnee Mission School District explicitly barred the Shawnee Mission Post from attending a meeting of the Digital Learning Task Force that is reviewing the district’s multi-million dollar 1:1 technology initiative, which provides an iPad or Macbook to every student. In 2014, the board of education approved the expenditure of approximately $20 million on the devices on the recommendation of then-Superintendent Jim Hinson — and the district has spent millions and millions more in the intervening years to update and replace them. Administrators at the time extolled the virtues of the initiative, saying it would provide boundless learning opportunities [...]

Shawnee voters soundly reject property tax increase for community center

info2019-05-22T08:57:29-05:00May 22nd, 2019|

Shawnee voters sent a clear message in the mail-in ballot election that wrapped up today: No property tax hike for a community center. Unofficial final results posted by the Johnson County Election Office early this afternoon showed the electorate roundly rejecting the proposal put before them, which would have raised the property tax rate by 2.919 mills to fund construction of a $38 million community center with indoor sports facilities, a pool and meeting rooms, among many other features. Of the approximately 20,000 votes cast, 72.12% of voters rejected the ballot proposal. Just 27.88% supported it. In a statement issued shortly [...]

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