info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Deal to bring license office to Winfield advances

info2018-06-29T09:54:45-05:00June 29th, 2018|

Cowley County commissioners on Tuesday approved a contract with the Kansas Department of Revenue that would bring a drivers’ license office to Winfield. The contract would need to be approved by the state, which approached the county about wanting to find a new facility for the DMV office, according to county administrator Lucas Goff. They do not want to own a facility but to lease it, he said. The county has space in the Albertson Annex, across from the courthouse on Ninth Street, which was formerly used by Juvenile Corrections and needs a new tenant. At the June 19 county meeting, [...]

Drone video of tornado damage in Eureka, Kansas

info2018-06-29T09:52:39-05:00June 29th, 2018|

A tornado caused widespread damage in the town of Eureka, Kansas on Tuesday night. A few injuries were reported from the storm. Drone footage the next day shows the damage from the air. (Read more: Wichita Eagle)

Dancing WPD officer goes viral…community policing at its best

info2018-06-29T09:50:24-05:00June 29th, 2018|

Wichita Police Officer Timothy Baird has served with the department for nearly ten years. He was blocking traffic for a parade last weekend, when he met the First Phaze Dance Team. What happened next has gone viral. “I thought, ‘Hey that looks like a blast. I’ve been standing around here, getting warm. Maybe I’ll move around some,’” Baird said. So he jumped out to join them, and it was received pretty well – though Baird says his skills weren’t quite up to par. “I was trying to do what they were doing,” Baird said. “Didn’t go really well like they were [...]

Volunteers flock to Eureka to help after EF-3 tornado

info2018-06-29T09:47:36-05:00June 29th, 2018|

Residents of a Kansas town where a tornado injured eight people and damaged dozens of homes are starting to clean up the mess. The state Adjutant General’s Department says in a news release that more volunteers are needed in Eureka after more than 300 people showed up on Thursday to help. The twister that hit the town of about 2,400 residents Tuesday night has been classified as an EF-3 with winds of at least 136 mph. Nearly 80 homes were damaged and at least 10 were destroyed. The high school also was damaged. (Read more: Great Bend Post)

Overland Park looks into suing drug companies to recover costs of responding to opioid-related emergencies

info2018-06-29T09:46:41-05:00June 29th, 2018|

Overland Park has become the first among Johnson County’s largest cities to take steps toward recovering costs associated with the overuse of opioid painkillers. The city council recently gave the go-ahead to find a lawyer to investigate suing opioid manufacturers. The suit would seek to recoup money the city spends on, for example, police and paramedic calls to handle drug overdoses. The idea is an emerging trend among local and state governments as the abuse of the pain killers increases. Opioid overdoses killed 42,000 nationwide in 2016, with 40 percent of that involving a prescription opioid, according to the National Center [...]

WaterOne and KC Water blame bad weather, old pipes for high water main break numbers

info2018-06-29T09:45:24-05:00June 29th, 2018|

Crews hadn’t even finished repairing her driveway after a water main break two weeks ago, when the same main broke again Thursday. Advertisement “It sounds like a boom,” DeYoung said. “The guy comes to my door and he says 'I’m sorry. It blew again.'” Every year, there are hundreds of water main breaks on both sides of the state line. “Water comes out of the ground,” Jerry Koukol, a spokesperson for WaterOne in Johnson County, said. “It creates a bit of a mess.” Summer is the peak season when homes and businesses can lose water for hours when they need it [...]

Holcomb City Council still at odds with FCEDC funding

info2018-06-29T08:36:21-05:00June 29th, 2018|

The Holcomb City Council on Wednesday received its quarterly report from the Finney County Economic Development Corporation, which transitioned into discussion that gave the council a better understanding what what the FCEDC does for the county and the cities of Holcomb and Garden City. There also was discussion indicating there needed to be better communication between the two entities. Lona DuVall, president of the FCEDC, along with chairman Tom Walker were on hand during Wednesday’s meeting to discuss the quarterly report. During past meetings, Mayor Brian Rupp disputed Holcomb’s $25,000 membership contribution to the FCEDC for its 2017 dues, which was [...]

Collectors collaborate on new store in historic building in Peabody

info2018-06-28T10:54:59-05:00June 28th, 2018|

What better location for a new antique store than in a building with a story fit for a big screen? Steve Blackwell, owner, has been diligently spending his time, energy, and money restoring a building on Peabody’s 1880’s Main Street, along with the help of business partners Christine Flaming and Morgan Marler. The trio’s new shop, Fannie Sterling 1884, opened Saturday and will have its formal grand opening this Saturday along with Peabody Market. “There were 100 years worth of well-intentioned repairs done and a lot of structural issues,” Marler said. “So now, the building will last another 100 years.” The [...]

Recycling’s future in doubt: Marion County will retain costs but lose payoff

info2018-06-28T10:51:53-05:00June 28th, 2018|

Whether the county will continue to recycle is in doubt now that commissioners have learned the county is no longer being paid for goods recycled. Refuse director Bud Druse told commissioners that Waste Connections, the South Hutchinson company that accepts paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum and steel cans, and plastic items recycled by county residents has notified him it won’t be paying for such items. “They have stopped reimbursement for everybody,” Druse said. “I have looked into it and talked to the guy, and he said as soon as prices go back up, they’ll start reimbursing again.” Druse said he would rather [...]

Oread Hotel developer, bookkeeper indicted; allegedly defrauded City of Lawrence

info2018-06-28T10:49:26-05:00June 28th, 2018|

A federal indictment accuses a Lawrence hotel developer and his bookkeeper of a scheme to collect more than $400,000 in fraudulent tax refunds from the city. The U.S. attorney’s office for Kansas on Wednesday announced the indictments of 52-year-old Thomas Fritzel and 46-year-old Keela Lam. Both face charges of conspiracy to defraud the city and interstate transportation of stolen funds. Fritzel developed the seven-story Oread Hotel in Lawrence. The city established a Tax Increment Financing district and agreed to reimburse Fritzel for development costs. The indictment alleges that Fritzel and Lam defrauded the city by seeking reimbursements of hundreds of transactions [...]

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