info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Salina, Saline county agree to agree on roads

info2018-06-20T07:00:41-05:00June 20th, 2018|

“We accept your proposal,” Saline County Commission Chairman Robert Vidricksen told Salina city commissioners. “We’ve talked it out.” With that, nine years of legal wrangling between the city and county are coming to an end. Vidricksen made the comment at the beginning of a joint meeting Monday afternoon between city and county commissioners. The county had sued to force the city to annex some roads that officially were in the county but were effectively city streets. The county also wanted the city to help pay to maintain some streets, such as West Water Well Road, that deteriorated because of heavy city [...]

Hutch City Council approves pollution monitoring contract

info2018-06-20T06:59:11-05:00June 20th, 2018|

The Hutchinson City Council held its first evening meeting in years to honor repeated requests to give the public a better chance to attend. A few people did show up for what was a light agenda. The council approved an annual contract with Burns McDonald for monitoring the Obee Landfill and 4th and Carey pollution sites. The cost of the service is $96,600. Both sites have been under the responsibility of the city since a settlement was reached with the companies responsible for the pollution. The city received a total of around $11 million and used that money to help fund [...]

Topeka, Shawnee County elected officials to move ahead with trying to acquire high-speed broadband

info2018-06-19T07:27:33-05:00June 19th, 2018|

After voicing concern last month about the high cost of acquiring high-speed broadband access for this community, local elected officials voted Monday evening to move ahead with trying to accomplish that. The board of directors of the Joint Economic Development Organization voted 7-0 to conduct outreach to broadband service providers, including doing interviews and putting out a “request for information” from companies interested in helping meet the needs of residents of Shawnee County, including Topeka. JEDO board members also voted 7-0 to appoint Topeka City Councilman and Deputy Mayor Brendan Jensen and Shawnee County Commissioner Shelly Buhler to review a draft [...]

Reno County EMS awarded Lifeline Gold Plus award

info2018-06-19T07:17:18-05:00June 19th, 2018|

For the third consecutive year, the American Heart Association has named Reno County EMS winner of the Lifeline EMS Gold Plus Award designation. An AHA spokesman said the award is in recognition of outstanding care provided by Reno County EMS personnel for patients suffering from a STEMI heart attack, which is imperative to increase the odds for a favorable outcome. The achievement illustrates his staff’s commitment to providing guideline-based care while meeting high standards of performance. Reno County EMS is one of four to receive the Gold Plus designation in Kansas from among the 174 providers of emergency medical care. “Reno [...]

Sunday beer discussion back on Reno Commission agenda for Tuesday

info2018-06-19T07:15:46-05:00June 19th, 2018|

The Reno County Commission will take up a petition Tuesday to allow Sunday beer sales in unincorporated parts of the county. The commission discussed the issue last week after owners of O’Brien’s Marina on Cheney Reservoir petitioned for it, and they agreed to bring it up for a vote. Initially, however, the board talked about tabling the item until closer to the November general election, to prevent having to call a special election on the issue. The law requires publication of a legal notice about the proposed action, and then 60 days for residents to gather signatures of 5 percent of [...]

Lawrence City Commission to review new proposal to regulate massage businesses

info2018-06-19T07:14:40-05:00June 19th, 2018|

As part of an effort to deter human trafficking, the city may soon take on the responsibility of regulating the many massage businesses in Lawrence. At its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will consider a new draft of the ordinance to regulate massage and other bodywork businesses, which typically number more than 50. The original draft, which was proposed in March 2017, was strongly opposed by a group of massage professionals, and the new version does away with several provisions. Those include provisions that allowed law enforcement to inspect business premises, banned businesses from operating overnight and required businesses to [...]

Barton County Sheriff’s inmate medication costs set to exceed budget

info2018-06-19T07:12:51-05:00June 19th, 2018|

Inside the budget for the Barton County Sheriff’s Office is an expense line for inmate medication. Jails are required to provide medication to inmates that are prescribed by contracted physicians while the subjects are incarcerated. Sheriff Brian Bellendir says as of June 15, the Sheriff’s Office was at 95 percent of its allotted $19,000 budget for medication for the year. Bellendir says the Sheriff’s Office is at the mercy of whatever the price is for inmates’ medication and that many of the prisons in Kansas are dealing with this issue. The Barton County Jail has averaged 105 to 108 inmates per [...]

Warren Buffett to open company in Lenexa, creating 500 jobs

info2018-06-19T07:11:25-05:00June 19th, 2018|

Business icon Warren Buffett plans to open a new Geico Insurance service center that will bring 500 jobs to Lenexa. The Kansas City Area Development Council said in a news release Monday that the center will begin hiring customer service and sales employees immediately. It will open in August and add 500 jobs over five years. Buffett is scheduled to be in Lenexa Tuesday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the center. Geico is owned by Buffett's company, Berkshire Hathaway. The commerce department says Geico invested almost $10 million in a Lenexa office building for the center. Tim Cowden, president and CEO [...]

Unemployment remains low in Riley County, across the region

info2018-06-19T07:10:25-05:00June 19th, 2018|

Preliminary estimates reported by the Kansas Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.4 percent in May. This was unchanged from April and down from 3.6 percent in May 2017. “The number of unemployed Kansans looking for work dropped below 50,000 for the first time since May of 2000,” said Secretary Lana Gordon. Northeast Kansas jobless rates remain low, with the unemployment rate in Riley County at 2.8 percent. (Read more: Little Apple Post)

Overland Park community has its say about plans for Santa Fe Commons Park

info2018-06-19T07:00:52-05:00June 19th, 2018|

The word “park” is integral to Overland Park’s name, and residents care deeply about their public spaces. That was obvious Thursday night when about 100 people showed up for an open house to explore the future of Santa Fe Commons Park, 8045 Santa Fe Drive, in downtown Overland Park. “I want it to stay the way it is,” said Joan Norman, who lives on 80th Street and loves the 3.8-acre park’s trees and pastoral setting. “We need the green space. It’s the only green space we have in downtown.” The city is working with a consulting firm, Omaha-based RDG Planning and [...]

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