info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

How many county commissioners make a meeting? One wants the attorney general to rule

info2018-10-26T07:44:18-05:00October 26th, 2018|

The day after three Sedgwick County commissioners changed commission rules to allow three of five members to conduct a meeting, one of the dissenting commissioners said he’ll ask the attorney general to review whether that’s legal. Commissioner Jim Howell, a former state representative, said he spoke with Attorney General Derek Schmidt at a drug summit meeting Thursday morning and asked if it was legal for the commission to reduce its official quorum from four to three members. “I kind of surprised him with my question,” Howell said. “He said he thought it was a pretty good question.” Howell said he expects [...]

Owners of crumbling historic downtown Newton building slowly working on restoration; could result in tax credits

info2018-10-26T07:38:42-05:00October 26th, 2018|

A portion of a wall at 519/520 N. Main facing Main Street crumbled Sept. 24, and since that time it appears little has been done — but the work to get the sidewalk cleaned up and Main Street fully reopened has progressed. Albeit, behind the scenes. McElroy has been working to help facilitate work on the building — though her role, and the role of the city, is limited. “It is a privately owned building. It is not an expense of the city nor is it our jurisdiction other than to oversee code in the building,” Kelly McElroy, assistant city manager [...]

More opposition brought to wind project discussion

info2018-10-26T07:31:22-05:00October 26th, 2018|

Thursday, the Secretary of State’s Office admitted that new voters in Ford County have been confused about where to cast their ballots, thanks to notifications handed out to all newly registered voters. Those standard notifications, says Brian Caskey in the Secretary of State’s election office, automatically listed the regular polling site instead of the temporary one in use this November. The county elections office moved the site after pending construction made the regular site at the Dodge City Civic Center unusable. Instead, voters will have to drive out to the Western State Bank Expo Center outside of town. In the case [...]

Polling site confusion in Dodge City draws international attention

info2018-10-26T07:26:14-05:00October 26th, 2018|

Thursday, the Secretary of State’s Office admitted that new voters in Ford County have been confused about where to cast their ballots, thanks to notifications handed out to all newly registered voters. Those standard notifications, says Brian Caskey in the Secretary of State’s election office, automatically listed the regular polling site instead of the temporary one in use this November. The county elections office moved the site after pending construction made the regular site at the Dodge City Civic Center unusable. Instead, voters will have to drive out to the Western State Bank Expo Center outside of town. In the case [...]

Shawnee hires architect, owner’s representative for community center project

info2018-10-26T06:58:33-05:00October 26th, 2018|

The Shawnee council has officially hired an architect and owner’s representative for a proposed community center near 60th Terrace and Woodland Drive. Some councilmembers considered these steps to signal the city’s clear intention to move toward a public vote on the project. The council at its Monday meeting approved 6-1 both of staff’s recommendations on the project. “While the official action this evening is limited to the approval of architectural services and an owner’s representative, tonight, in my opinion, is about so much more,” said councilmember Stephanie Meyer. “Tonight, we are affirming to our residents our intention to move forward towards [...]

Reno Commission leans toward offering incentives for fewer jobs

info2018-10-26T06:55:57-05:00October 26th, 2018|

A majority of the Reno County Commission indicated support this week for amending the county’s job incentive policy to grant cash payments to companies adding five to nine new jobs. The debate, however, again evolved into the intent of the policy and its likely impact, leaving the door open to additional future changes. As presented, the amended policy proposed paying a company that adds five to nine new jobs paying at least $15 per hour half of the incentive paid for each position when adding 10 or more jobs, or $250 each. The current policy doesn’t offer incentives for less than [...]

New hotel, crash lab, and the YMCA: Construction boom continues at Wichita State University

info2018-10-26T06:42:30-05:00October 26th, 2018|

Wichita State University on Thursday updated multiple construction projects, headlined by a new plan for a Hyatt Place hotel. The university said the four-story, 110-room hotel will be built at 19th and Oliver and, pending approval of the plan from the Kansas Board of Regents, construction will begin this spring. The hotel is expected to open in spring 2020. Hotel management group Lodging One Hospitality is developing the project. The new hotel will also include a restaurant and bar, meeting space, indoor pool and fitness center. The new hotel plans were among multiple construction updates the university provided Thursday, which also [...]

County’s oldest newspaper ends publication

info2018-10-26T06:39:36-05:00October 26th, 2018|

The oldest newspaper in Marshall County is closing this week. The Telegraph, which is based in Waterville and covers the Valley Heights community, is ending publication with this week’s edition after 148 years. That leaves only two newspapers in the county, the Frankfort Area News and the Marysville Advocate. Telegraph co-publisher Don King said his weekly newspaper has been for sale for several months but he could not find a buyer. The Telegraph’s circulation was 335. “The real reason we are closing down is we’re not making any money,” King said. “We’ve been trying to keep it alive. We offered to [...]

Central Kansas cities apply to be new home of USDA offices

info2018-10-26T06:33:07-05:00October 26th, 2018|

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced Monday that cities in 35 states had expressed interest in being the new home of the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Of the 136 expressions of interest, five came from cities in Kansas: Kansas City, Lawrence, Manhattan, Salina and Wichita. “Why are we interested? Well, jobs and investment are the two biggest reasons why we’re interested in one, or both, of the USDA offices moving here,” said Mitch Robinson, executive director of the Salina Economic Development Organization. Salina EDO submitted the expression of [...]

‘Florence nearing water deal’ council member says

info2018-10-26T06:32:06-05:00October 26th, 2018|

Florence city council held a 40-minute executive session at Monday’s meeting to discuss the lease regarding Crystal Springs. The council was present, along with mayor Bob Gayle and city attorney Randy Pankratz. Pankratz addressed the audience regarding how much eminent domain would cost, if that were the result. Local business owner Sarah Dawson requested a worst-case scenario from the attorney for the cost of the case. A letter with 60 signatures was presented to show community concerns and support for the DeForests, owners of the land. (Read more: Marion County RECORD)

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