info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Shawnee approves public finance incentives district for proposed Bellmont Promenade project

info2018-06-13T09:04:53-05:00June 13th, 2018|

Shawnee has taken a significant step to move the proposed Bellmont Promenade project at Shawnee Mission Parkway and Maurer Road forward, approving the creation of a redevelopment district that could ultimately provide the developer with millions in public finance incentives. The Shawnee council voted 6-1 at its Monday meeting to approve establishing the Bellmont Promenade Redevelopment District, a 26-acre stretch of land adjacent to the highly-trafficked I-435 corridor. The council had approved the creation of similar districts last year, but the developer ended up revising the plan. Council member Mike Kemmling voted no. Council member Justin Adrian was absent. (Read more: [...]

Goal is to keep Antioch library branch and new community center together

info2018-06-12T07:08:56-05:00June 12th, 2018|

The city of Merriam and the Johnson County Library will present results of an agreed upon site plan for a proposed shared site with its Antioch branch and the city’s new community center slated to open in 2020. The results come after a joint study in which both parties examined options to co-locate. After listening to the board’s feedback, both parties decided against the first plan and said they were “hopeful” they would find a solution that satisfies the city and the library. The “sticking point” for the plan to work, Casserley says, is that both buildings are adjacent, giving visitors [...]

Pretty Prairie saves small town theater for the future

info2018-06-12T07:03:20-05:00June 12th, 2018|

Five years after the roof of Pretty Prairie’s theater blew off in a storm, it’s back in business and operated by local high school students. For more than 30 years it was known as Pretty Prairie Civic Theatre but has been renamed the Blue Shoes Theatre because the words “Blue Shoes,” were painted on the bricks above the Collingwood General Merchandising store and spotted by Cliff Wray in a historic photograph. It was Wray, from Hutchinson, who restored the building before handing it over to the high school’s entrepreneur, career, and technical management classes. Wray was concerned when he heard talk [...]

Analyst: Wichita must change its thinking to stop decline, start to grow

info2018-06-12T06:59:55-05:00June 12th, 2018|

Wichita has to fundamentally change its approach to growth, or the stagnation that has plagued the city for decades will continue, a Wichita-raised and Harvard-trained economic analyst said Monday. While other cities across the Midwest have grown significantly over the past decade in a thriving economy, Wichita has actually declined, James Chung said Monday during a presentation that drew gasps at times from an overflow crowd at the new Advanced Learning Library. "The market is saying very clearly that the Wichita way is not working," Chung said after his final report on the city's strengths, problems and potential. The city has [...]

WPD reports record low number of arrests at Wichita Riverfest

info2018-06-12T06:49:29-05:00June 12th, 2018|

The 2018 Wichita Riverfestival was the city's best yet, at least when it comes to crime statistics from the Wichita Police Department. At its daily briefing Monday, Wichita police reported taking 14 cases with two arrests made during the festival. WPD Public Information Officer Charlie Davidson says this is a record low for cases and arrests at the Riverfest. He says police assisted with the first arresting case that involved a minor in possession of alcohol and obstruction. Police made the second arrest at the tail end of Riverfest. (Read more: KWCH News)

Lenexa allocates $350,000 for wayside horns to reduce noise in Old Town

info2018-06-12T06:48:21-05:00June 12th, 2018|

The more than 1,200 homes and businesses that sit within a half mile of the busy railroad crossings in Lenexa’s Old Town should be in for some relief in the coming year or so. The city council has approved the expenditure of $350,000 on a new wayside horn system for the crossing that will substantially reduce noise pollution from the train horns that are required by law to blast as the moving trains approach crossings with roads. Lenexa’s move to the wayside signaling system, which will have the horns sound from posts mounted alongside the tracks instead of from the trains [...]

City, police officials to update Lawrence school board on status of planned new police headquarters

info2018-06-12T06:45:30-05:00June 12th, 2018|

City and police department officials will update the Lawrence school board Monday on the status of the new police headquarters, to be built just west of Free State High School. Capt. Anthony Brixius, of the Lawrence Police Department; Melinda Harger, the city's assistant director of utilities; Amanda Sahin, city transportation engineer; and Mark Hecker, assistant director of Lawrence Parks and Recreation, will provide the update to the school board on various aspects of the planned $17 million police headquarters. The project is of interest to the school district because the headquarters is set to be built immediately west of the FSHS [...]

Lawrence City Commission to consider 5 traffic-calming projects, including bike boulevard

info2018-06-12T06:45:20-05:00June 12th, 2018|

The city is recommending that speed bumps and other traffic calming devices be added to five Lawrence streets, one of which would be converted into a bicycle boulevard. As part of its work session Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will consider approving the 2018 traffic-calming project list. City staff used a ranking system to decide which projects to recommend for the $200,000 allocated for traffic calming, according to a staff memo to the commission. The traffic-calming project list is part of the commission’s consent agenda. The projects and their rankings are as follows: (Read more: LJWorld.com / Lawrence, Kansas)

Bike share program comes to Lakin, Deerfield

info2018-06-11T08:43:20-05:00June 11th, 2018|

A free bicycle rental service has been launched in Lakin and Deerfield by the Kearny County Wellness Coalition, courtesy of a local consulting company and a body shop. “We are so excited about this opportunity to share bikes with everyone and make it much easier to get outside and add activity into the day,” Krysta Harvey, chairperson of Kearny County Wellness Coalition, stated in a release. MountainHawk Corporation, a technical consulting company based out of Lakin, was hired by the Coalition to provide access to BikeShareMaps.com and help establish a local Bike Share Committee who will be responsible for maintaining the [...]

Annual Bike Across Kansas starts Saturday

info2018-06-11T08:42:24-05:00June 11th, 2018|

The 44th annual Biking Across Kansas will start Saturday at the Colorado border and follow a 558-mile southern route across the state. Some 700 bicyclists and support registered for the ride, which will end at the Missouri border on June 16.Participants represent 26 states and 124 cities in 65 Kansas counties, with ages ranging from 10 to 85. This year’s route will pass through Ulysses, Meade, Greensburg, Coldwater, Zenda and Belle Plaine in the western ... (Read more: Local - The Hutchinson News)

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