info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

As Kansas farms grow bigger, more people leave and rural life gets lonelier

info2024-09-18T11:12:46-05:00September 18th, 2024|

Kansas farms have expanded their operations and are now bigger than ever, which has led to an economic boom. But that also means fewer farmers, and that has contributed to depopulation in rural parts of the state that were socially isolated to begin with. Kansas farms are more specialized, sticking to large-scale farming of one or two commodity crops. There are government incentives for these crops, and bigger farms get more federal dollars. That economic efficiency might actually be hurting smaller towns, exacerbating some of the health challenges rural Kansans already face. Larger farms push out smaller farms and lead to [...]

Kansas housing shortage leaves all ‘in the same boat’

info2024-09-18T11:10:56-05:00September 18th, 2024|

“Kansas has been a magnet for economic development lately,” says Jeri Hammerschmidt, a senior housing specialist for First Step Builders in Independence. “Everybody wants to come here. We’ve got the highways and the railways and all of that. But you can’t really recruit these things unless you have your housing and you have your day care, right?” The annual report of the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) shows the agency funded 61 housing developments across the state in 2023, creating 3,234 new homes in 38 counties. Twenty-five developments fell under the “affordable housing” definition and the rest were moderate income, meaning [...]

Hutchinson City Council votes to push STAR bonds to the next step

info2024-09-18T11:09:23-05:00September 18th, 2024|

Some of Hutchinson’s most recognizable landmarks are one step closer to getting a facelift. Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) bonds were the center of discussion at a public hearing held in Hutchinson. The city council heard from the public and then voted to push STAR bond(s) to the next step. The Cosmosphere, Memorial Hall, and the old Landmark building are all set to be improved, remodeled or renovated. Source: KSN-TV

Hutchinson firefighters going to Colorado to fight wildfire

info2024-09-18T11:08:01-05:00September 18th, 2024|

Firefighters from Hutchinson are on the move, heading to Colorado to help fight a wildfire. Three firefighters left with a brush truck heading west to help with the Pearl Fire northwest of Fort Collins, close to the Colorado-Wyoming state line. So far, the fire is 128 acres in size and is 5% contained, according to InciWeb. The fire started around 6 a.m. on Tuesday morning. The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office determined that the fire originated on private property and was human-caused. Source: KSN-TV

Goats to chew away at Wichita’s Oak Park

info2024-09-18T11:06:57-05:00September 18th, 2024|

The goats from Restoration Grazing LLC will be at Oak Park in Wichita on Monday to clear overgrowth and brush. The City of Wichita announced it in a social media post. Last year, the City hired goats to clear brush, poison ivy and other plants from Sim Park. They worked so quickly that it was done in half the predicted time. The City touted that the goats were eco-friendly and could reach places that machines could not. It was reported that the cost of cleaning that park was $5,000. The public is invited to watch the goats in action at Oak [...]

Coffeyville gets new fire chief

info2024-09-18T11:06:04-05:00September 18th, 2024|

Mike O’Connor has been with the fire department since 2007, where he started as a driver. The Coffeyville native is also an assistant football coach at the high school, something he has done for the past 13 years. Source: KSNF/KODE

Lenexa City Council denies county homeless shelter permit. What happens now?

info2024-09-18T11:05:24-05:00September 18th, 2024|

After almost a year of discussions at both the county and city level, the Lenexa City Council voted on Tuesday to deny a special use permit for a proposed Johnson County homeless shelter off Interstate 35. A more than six-hour council meeting that stretched past midnight ended with a majority of the governing body agreeing that plans for the shelter, also known as the Homeless Services Center, were too flawed to approve a permit needed for it to operate. “I think it creates more of a downside than upside,” Councilmember Chris Herron said. The 5-2 vote followed the recommendation of city [...]

Ordinances in development on homeless encampments in Wichita

info2024-09-18T11:04:15-05:00September 18th, 2024|

Wichita City Manager Robert Layton says two ordinances are being developed in response to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that gives cities more authority to remove homeless encampments. The Supreme Court ruled in June that cities can ban people from sleeping and camping in public places. Layton said the ordinances being drafted will address notification issues and time frames, along with definitions of items that would be defined as valuables. He said staff has been working on the second or third draft of the ordinances and it’s not known when they will be ready for consideration by the City Council. [...]

City of Leon plans for $1.1 million splash park

info2024-09-18T11:02:29-05:00September 18th, 2024|

On Monday evening the City of Leon passed two resolutions approving the City to apply for grants to secure funds for a splash park with the price tag of $1,134,410. The potential splash park has been in the works since this summer after BG Consultants, (Manhattan, KS), and Ranson Financial, (Wichita, KS), presented renderings and finances to the City Council in August. The $1.1 million price tag includes the splash park, with dimensions of 70ft x 65ft, or 4,550 sq ft total, an outdoor covered pavilion, with dimensions of 16ft 8in x 21ft 6in with benches and shade, and a building [...]

Prairie Village goes back on track to ban short-term rentals

info2024-09-17T15:12:09-05:00September 17th, 2024|

The city of Prairie Village has reversed course and is now back to its original idea to ban short-term rentals. The Prairie Village City Council on Monday during its committee meeting unanimously directed city staff to draft an ordinance that limits rentals to operate on a 30-day stay minimum, effectively banning short-term rentals like AirBnbs or Vrbos that are typically booked for weekend or week-long stays. Source: Johnson County Post

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