info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Lawrence explains odd shape of Queens Road taxing districts; judge to decide in coming weeks whether to halt project for lawsuit

info2019-02-26T10:53:25-06:00February 26th, 2019|

Whether the multimillion-dollar reconstruction of Queens Road will be postponed so a lawsuit against the city can go forward is now in the hands of a judge. At a hearing in Douglas County District Court on Monday, both sides laid out their case as to whether the controversial taxing districts, which go toward funding the $5.3 million road project, should be delayed so the lawsuit can be heard. In January, homeowner Kurt Schaake filed a lawsuit claiming that the taxing districts, under which property owners near Queens Road would pay most of the cost of the improvements, are out of line [...]

KDHE’s KIC Website Offers New Data from Emergency Departments Tool makes diagnoses and other statistics available online for first time

info2019-02-26T09:31:44-06:00February 26th, 2019|

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has added a new dataset to its online health data query tool, Kansas Information for Communities (KIC). Emergency department data from the state’s general hospitals is now available on the KIC page. “Using KIC, individuals and policy makers will be able to see the diagnoses that bring almost 900,000 residents to emergency departments at Kansas hospitals,” said KDHE Acting Secretary and State Health Officer Lee A. Norman, M.D. “This information can provide an insight into the injuries and illnesses affecting Kansans, many of which are preventable.” Using the KIC emergency department data, individuals [...]

FlightSafety International chooses Wichita for drone training location

info2019-02-26T09:30:10-06:00February 26th, 2019|

FlightSafety International has chosen Wichita and Las Vegas as the locations of new training centers for unmanned aircraft systems. A company spokesperson says that the Wichita location will be based at FlightSafety’s Wichita East Learning Center, 9721 E. Central. The Wichita location is expected to be operational in the coming months, though a specific opening date is still being finalized. The company also announced in a press release that it has chosen one of its local leaders, Clinton Strong, to head both drone training locations. The centers will offer practical flight training for unmanned aircraft systems in conjunction with Praxis Aerospace [...]

‘This is big’: KC renames The Paseo “MLK Blvd.”

info2019-02-26T09:29:06-06:00February 26th, 2019|

On an otherwise quiet and cold Monday morning, the voices of elated Kansas Citians singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” echoed off of the homes near 34th Street and The Paseo, where crews installed the first signs for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The group’s rendition of the song, commonly known as the Black National Anthem, came as community leaders celebrated victory in a hard-fought battle to rename The Paseo in honor of the late civil rights leader. City Council members voted 8-4 last month in favor of the change. The Council’s approval last month came after a months-long push [...]

Clark County’s St. Jacob’s well

info2019-02-26T09:26:26-06:00February 26th, 2019|

It is 84-feet wide, but at 58-feet deep it is not bottomless and there are no blind fish swimming in its depths. It is reported while St. Jacob of Nisibis Mesopotamia was on a pilgrimage to find Noah’s Ark, he rested near the top of Mt. Qardu. In his sleep an angel placed a piece of the Ark close to him and woke him. At the spot where he rested, a sacred spring with healing powers emerged. It is fitting that St. Jacob’s Well in Clark County 15 miles south of Minneola is named for him. It sits in the Little [...]

Bel Aire expanding Woodlawn, asking for public input

info2019-02-26T09:24:29-06:00February 26th, 2019|

A big construction project is in the works for Woodlawn north of Wichita. The city of Bel Aire is looking to expand Woodlawn between 37th to 45th streets. It knows what it plans to do for the first stretch from 37th to the railroad tracks, but it's looking for public comment about the next stretch up to 45th Street. "We typically go out on this furthest North drive," said Julie Breault, Heartland Animal Hospital manager. For the past 18 years, Breault said she's watched the traffic outgrow this stretch of Woodlawn in front of her practice. "As you can see, the [...]

City of Topeka adopts Housing First approach to homelessness

info2019-02-26T09:23:01-06:00February 26th, 2019|

More than a dozen people Monday received vouchers for housing after the city of Topeka changed course and began embracing the Housing First model. The approach, first conceived around 1990, connects those experiencing homelessness to housing without preconditions. Along with several people, most of whom have been living outside, Nichole Deal filled out paperwork for the Shelter Plus Care program on Monday. “What do we put for address?” she asked. Deal has been living unsheltered for three years. “I left a domestic violence relationship,” she said, “and lost everything. I didn’t have a support team.” The Topekan said living outside was [...]

Great Bend Chamber gives Legacy Award to Great Bend Recreation Commission

info2019-02-26T09:21:35-06:00February 26th, 2019|

Children and families are the cornerstone of any growing community, and no organization has worked harder at improving Great Bend’s quality of life than the Great Bend Recreation Commission. It is for that reason that the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce & Economic Development awarded The Great Bend Rec with the 2018 Legacy Award during their Annual Meeting & Banquet on February 23, 2019. In 2018, the Great Bend Recreation Commission enrolled more than 6,969 residents in recreation programs plus another 645 non-residents for a total of 7,614 people participating throughout the year. When you count all the individual programs they [...]

Finney, Scott counties to receive rural roads funding

info2019-02-26T09:20:17-06:00February 26th, 2019|

Projects in 16 Kansas counties, including Finney and Scott counties, will receive a combined approximately $4.5 million in funding to improve safety on rural roads as part of the Kansas Department of Transportation’s High Risk Rural Roads program. Finney county is receiving a $362,000 for systemic work to include upgrading signage on all 65 mph, off-system roads in the county. Scott County is receiving $134,000 for systemic work that will include upgrading signage on all major collectors in the southwest quarter of the county. Counties sent in applications for the program, with projects selected earlier this month. The funds are for [...]

Regulator: Return tax savings to Kansas gas customers

info2019-02-26T09:18:36-06:00February 26th, 2019|

Kansas regulators have ordered Kansas Gas Service to return more than $17.9 million in tax savings to its customers. The Kansas Corporation Commission said in a news release Monday that its order will mean a one-time bill credit of $22.78 for residential customers. The agency says the savings are the result of a federal law that reduced the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent in January of last year. The Commission had required utilities to track and keep separate savings from the tax cut pending its review. Kansas Gas Service had asked to keep the savings to offset [...]

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