info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Emporia discusses update to alcohol laws

info2019-02-15T12:14:51-06:00February 15th, 2019|

City Attorney Christina Montgomery addressed the Emporia City Commission Wednesday about changes to state cereal malt beverage laws. In April, grocery stores, convenience stores and CMB bars that only serve low-alcohol-volume beer may be allowed to carry enhanced cereal malt beverages. An enhanced cereal malt beverage, according to Commissioner Becky Smith, who owns Twin Rivers Winery and Gourmet Shoppe, is essentially a strong beer — up to but no more than 6 percent alcohol; IPAs may fall into this category. She said the changes to enhanced cereal malt beverage laws won’t have any impact on her business because it’s a farm [...]

Sedgwick community works together, builds playground

info2019-02-15T12:11:21-06:00February 15th, 2019|

On Feb. 2, volunteers gathered at the R.L. Wright Elementary School playground to install the new playground equipment purchased by the school last fall. The community had been asked to sign up for two-hour shifts, though some stayed for several shifts. The building began at 7:30 a.m. and they finished by 2:30 p.m. Principal Julie Scott said that everything went very well. “We had to make a run for more concrete or we would have been done an hour earlier,” she said. Scott estimated that over 50 people helped throughout the day. “It was just great that so many parents, staff, [...]

Mission Hills moving forward with study of flooding issues near Brush Creek, Rock Creek confluence

info2019-02-15T12:09:11-06:00February 15th, 2019|

The Mission Hills city council this week approved spending $75,000 on an engineering contract with Water Resource Solutions for 2D and 3D modeling of the Rock Creek/Brush Creek confluence as the city looks to address the potential of overflow and flooding in the area. The total cost of the engineering project is $150,000 with Mission Hills splitting the expense with the Army Corps of Engineers. Significant rain events have caused overflowing where Rock Creek and Brush Creek meet, leading to flooding damage in some Fairway homes. The modeling will identify whether there is a viable way to improve the problem and [...]

Leavenworth County Commission approves land use recommendation

info2019-02-15T12:08:20-06:00February 15th, 2019|

When they met Wednesday, Leavenworth County commissioners voted for a recommendation for future land use along a County Road 1 corridor south of Tonganoxie. This will not be the commission’s final action on the matter. The recommendation will now be forwarded to the Tonganoxie City Council for review. The issue will be brought back to the County Commission at a later date for final adoption, according to Krystal Voth, deputy director for the Leavenworth County Planning and Zoning Department. The commission had previously hired the firm Vireo to do a land use analysis of the County Road 1 corridor. The corridor [...]

Seward County partners with community college for firefighter-resident program

info2019-02-15T12:06:13-06:00February 15th, 2019|

With a shortage of volunteers for local fire departments, students at Seward County Community College are stepping in to fight fires when they're not in class. The Seward County Fire Department partnered with the college to start the student-resident firefighter program. They say the goal is to be out the door in two minutes. "We can get three engines, a 3,000-gallon tanker out the door within two minutes basically at any time now. Before that, you were looking at 10 – 15 minutes by the time the page call person got back," said Seward County Fire Chief Andrew Barkley. The fire [...]

Small hospital, clinics in southeast Kansas will close

info2019-02-15T12:02:48-06:00February 15th, 2019|

A hospital in a small southeast Kansas town is closing immediately, in part because it doesn't have enough money to pay employees. The board of directors of Oswego Community Hospital announced the decision Thursday. The board said the Oswego Community Hospital, the Oswego Community Clinic and the Chetopa Community Clinic will all close. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the hospital is one of three Kansas hospitals owned by EmpowerHMS, which has struggled to pay its bills at rural hospitals across the country. Its other two hospitals in Kansas are in Horton and Herington. The board also said Kansas officials' refusal to expand [...]

Labette to fill Oswego hospital closure void

info2019-02-15T12:04:39-06:00February 15th, 2019|

Labette Health is moving swiftly to fill the gap in medical services left by the abrupt closure of Oswego Community Hospital, the company said Thursday. “We’ve already hired some of their staff, so things are moving pretty fast,” said Kerri Beardmore, marketing director for Labette Health. The company said it is working with Oswego’s mayor, as well as private citizens, to ensure that medical services remain available and “to meet the needs of Oswego, Chetopa and the surrounding area.” Oswego Community Hospital, along with the affiliated Oswego Community Clinic and Chetopa Community Clinic, unexpectedly announced closure of the facilities Thursday. (Read [...]

🎥 ‘It’s time we get it done.’; Hays frustrated with delays in R9 Ranch water project

info2019-02-15T11:57:25-06:00February 15th, 2019|

Nearly four years ago, the cities of Hays and Russell filed applications with the state of Kansas requesting the transfer of water from their jointly-owned R9 Ranch in Edwards County to Hays in Ellis County. They’re still waiting. At the end of Thursday night’s Hays city commission meeting, Mayor Henry Schwaller read a brief historical statement about the project to acquire a long term water supply. He acknowledged “the process is long.” The Water Transfer Act, which takes water from one water basin to another, has never been triggered in Kansas. Schwaller said the city has had a good working relationship [...]

Kansas bill setting minimum setbacks for commercial wind turbines to have hearing next week

info2019-02-15T11:56:04-06:00February 15th, 2019|

Legislation that would set minimum setbacks for commercial wind turbines in Kansas at 1 ½ miles from residential homes is scheduled to be heard by a House committee next week. HB 2273, dubbed the Wind Generation Permit and Property Protection Act, was introduced by Rep. Randy Garber, R-Sabetha, on Tuesday and referred to the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications. That committee, chaired by Joe Siewert, R-Pretty Prairie, will take testimony on the bill starting 9 a.m. Tuesday. The Climate and Energy Project sent out an email alert about the bill Thursday afternoon, calling the proposed setbacks “prohibitive,” and the bill [...]

Smaller JoCo cities passing laws protecting LGBTQ residents. Why not Olathe, OP?

info2019-02-15T11:54:37-06:00February 15th, 2019|

More than two years ago, advocates for gay, lesbian and transgender individuals urged the Olathe City Council to adopt protections against discrimination for the LGBTQ community. Equality Kansas representatives and others realize Olathe isn’t Johnson County’s only big city. They have recently talked to officials in Overland Park and Shawnee. Those cities also have yet to act. Olathe Mayor Michael Copeland was not available for an interview. In a statement late Thursday to The Star, he said the city has been presented with a great deal of information, but questions remain. “We will not simply create an ordinance without the capacity [...]

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