info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Fight over $22 million Stryker complex could doom Wichita’s biggest soccer league

info2018-09-12T07:09:40-05:00September 12th, 2018|

A no-bid contract to privatize the city-owned Stryker Sports Complex was blocked at the goal line Tuesday, after officials of the city’s biggest youth soccer league said it could run them out of business. The City Council decided to put off a vote and take another week to try to resolve conflict between the owners of the Wichita Sports Forum, the for-profit business proposed to take over Stryker, and the Sedgwick County Soccer Association, the city’s dominant youth league. The controversy comes 11 months after the council voted to spend $22 million to upgrade the mammoth sports complex near K-96 and [...]

Nightly fireworks in Andover spark complaints on social media about noise at bedtime

info2018-09-12T06:56:28-05:00September 12th, 2018|

Fireworks are expected to explode in the sky of Andover’s Central Park every night this week, and some people are not excited. “This is ridiculous. Some people have to work tomorrow,” Jeanette Kay Cole commented on a Monday night Facebook post by the City of Andover. “Wish we had been told earlier and I think they should stop earlier it’s a school night,” Rose Mayginnes said in a comment. The fireworks are a part of the National Fireworks Association annual convention in Wichita and Andover this week. But convention attendees can shoot off fireworks from dusk until 10:30 p.m. Monday through [...]

With new community center coming, Merriam leaders talk future of Irene B. French facility

info2018-09-12T06:51:50-05:00September 12th, 2018|

While Merriam is in the final stages of design for its new community center at Vavra Park, city leaders began talks on the future of the Irene B. French Community Center. Mayor Ken Sissom and City Administrator Chris Engel asked councilmembers on Monday for input on how the city should proceed with formalizing plans for the historic building at 5701 Merriam Drive. In light of some complaints from residents over the past several weeks on the process of designing and building the new community center, many councilmembers shared their hopes to avoid frustrations during the process of planning for the future [...]

Potential land deal between Ark City and school district resurrects building memories

info2018-09-12T06:50:20-05:00September 12th, 2018|

A proposed land swap between the City of Arkansas City and the Arkansas City school district could give the city ownership of an old stone concession stand and bridge that has conjured up memories of the old Curry Field. The city and the school district have only held informal discussions about the properties, but some residents are concerned what might happen to the structures and the tradition and history they represent. Ark City School Board member Evelyn Shoup also has fond memories. She said thousands of people had crossed the bridge and purchased tickets and concessions at the building located there. [...]

Rain slows ETA on Russell power transfer; human, mechanical burps cited in outage

info2018-09-12T06:46:49-05:00September 12th, 2018|

A schematic of Russell’s electric power system is drawn in detail on the office whiteboard of Russell Utility Director Duane Banks. Banks and engineers from area power providers are sorting out ways to tie-in Russell to an additional power transmission feed. A second tie-in would prevent 16-hour blackouts like the one the city suffered a week ago Thursday, Banks said. “An alternate feed would be an ideal solution, but it’s very costly,” Banks said. “I have engaged with an engineer to look at this very item .... and I’ve met with Sunflower Electric with conceptual ideas for an additional feed. These [...]

Maple Leaf festival in Hiawatha to feature Children’s Discovery Center’s Mobile Museum

info2018-09-12T06:43:52-05:00September 12th, 2018|

One of the highlights of this year’s Maple Leaf Festival on Saturday, Sept. 22 in Hiawatha is the addition of the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center’s Mobile Museum. Hiawatha Chamber and Visitor’s Bureau board members are excited about the mobile museum, which will be featured at no cost to families in the community. “Without the local sponsorships, this would not be possible,” said Ryan Meininger, chairman of the HCVB’s Maple Leaf committee. The Kansas Children’s Discovery Center is a hands-on children’s museum that since opening in 2011 became a special place where children can explore, create, discover and learn through play. Families [...]

Extravagant ‘Disney-style’ fireworks show coming to Andover this weekend, and every night this week between 8 and 10pm

info2018-09-12T06:38:13-05:00September 12th, 2018|

Fourth of July may have been months ago, but what’s likely to be the biggest fireworks show in Wichita this year is coming Friday. All week long, the National Fireworks Association is hosting its annual trade show at the Hyatt Regency Wichita. To cap off the week, the association is planning a grand public display in Andover’s Central Park on Friday night showcasing the latest and greatest in fireworks technology. The fireworks will start at 8 p.m. Friday. The show is expected to be more than 20 minutes long. Admission to the show is $5 in advance at Andover City Hall, [...]

Wichita, you probably don’t want to be No. 1 on this ranking of U.S. cities

info2018-09-12T06:32:36-05:00September 12th, 2018|

A new report said Wichita lost more workers than any other U.S. city in the past year, though government data suggests the area’s workforce grew in nearly the same time frame. For every 10,000 LinkedIn members in Wichita, 280 left the city between August 2017 and August 2018, business networking site LinkedIn said in a report Tuesday. It based the report on members who changed the location of their profile during those 12 months. A LinkedIn official would not say how many members the site has in Wichita; it has 150 million members in the United States. Jeremy Hill, director of [...]

Life Expectancy Estimates Available by Neighborhood in Kansas Census Tract-Level Data: from 62.5 years in Wyandotte Co. to 89.7 years in Gray Co.

info2018-09-12T08:53:13-05:00September 12th, 2018|

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s (KDHE) Office of Vital Statistics, Bureau of Epidemiology and Public Health Informatics, has partnered with the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) to produce life expectancy estimates in each census tract in the United States. Six years of data was used, through 2015, for the calculations of this indicator. Kansas specific geographic health statistics. “These census tract-level life expectancy estimates—based on state death records and population estimates from the U.S. Bureau of the Census—have previously been unavailable nationwide,” said Lou Saadi, Ph.D., State Registrar and Director of the KDHE Bureau of Epidemiology and Public [...]

Wichita OKs $81 million for new stadium project, $2.2 million for Wingnuts to go

info2018-09-12T06:17:22-05:00September 12th, 2018|

Wichita will spend as much as $81 million on building a new ballpark for the Triple-A baseball franchise that is planning to move to Wichita. And the city will pay $2.2 million to the Wichita Wingnuts to break the independent baseball team’s lease at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, which will be torn down to make way for the new stadium. City officials hope to have the 84-year-old stadium demolished by the end of the year. The new team, now known as the New Orleans Baby Cakes, will be responsible for maintaining the stadium and will keep all the revenue from tickets, parking, concessions [...]

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