info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Low-income Kansans are going into debt because unpaid traffic tickets rack up interest

info2024-08-18T11:43:42-05:00August 18th, 2024|

Unpaid traffic tickets can end up costing low-income Kansans thousands of dollars when cities send unpaid fines and fees to collection agencies and add interest on top. Critics say the system is unfair to lower income Kansans who already could not afford the initial fine and courts should consider alternatives to monetary punishment. It’s also unclear if it’s even legally allowed under Kansas law. Proponents of the system argue it is legal, and communities need to be able to add interest to make sure some drivers who ignore traffic laws don’t go unpunished. Kansas Legal Services, a nonprofit legal agency, helps [...]

Watch out, pickleball: Growing sport arrives in Kansas City area. More courts are coming

info2024-08-18T11:39:25-05:00August 18th, 2024|

It’s kinda like tennis, kinda like squash. Padel is gaining popularity in the United States, though for decades it’s had a presence in Spain, Argentina, Mexico and several other countries. But until now, the Kansas City area hasn’t had padel courts. Then along came six current and former Sporting KC players. Teammates Roger Espinoza, Andreu Fontas, Uri Rosell, Johnny Russell, Daniel Salloi and Graham Zusi partnered with engineer Jamie Mahoney to create their new venture, La Casa del Padel. Last week, they opened two padel courts at the Overland Park Racquet Club, 6800 W. 91st St. “We were surprised to see [...]

Halstead Market feeds the town for many years

info2024-08-18T11:36:33-05:00August 18th, 2024|

Forty-seven years. That’s how long Russ Friesen of Halstead has worked at and/or owned Halstead Market. He began working there at age 16. “Started out as a carryout boy, and then he went to meat cutting,” his wife and other co-owner Charlene Friesen said. Now, he’s 63. The Halstead couple purchased the business in 2003, and they added a bakery to their endeavor in 2010. The bakery has the scent of sugary treats floating on the air, and there’s an entryway through which people can get to it through the market or they can use the bakery’s front door. There, they [...]

Ohlsen vs. City of Seneca (zoning reasonableness)

info2024-08-16T09:46:08-05:00August 16th, 2024|

The City of Seneca (the City) and the Board of Zoning Appeals of the City of Seneca (the Board) granted a conditional use permit (CUP) to Ag Partners Cooperative, Inc. (APC) after a public hearing. Brett Ohlsen—the owner of neighboring property—sought judicial review of the Board's decision. The district court found he failed to prove the actions of the Board were unreasonable under K.S.A. 12-760. Ohlsen now appeals the district court's decision and argues this court should overturn the Board's granting of the CUP because its decision was unreasonable. But while Ohlsen points to some instances where the Board may not [...]

JC commission weighs making its own website the ‘city newspaper’ to save money

info2024-08-16T09:26:57-05:00August 16th, 2024|

The Junction City Commission this week considered establishing the city government’s own website as the “city newspaper” to avoid paying for the publication of legal notices. Three commissioners — Pat Landes, Jeff Underhill and Ronna Larson — expressed support for the idea and asked city attorney Britain Stites to provide more information on website visits and how much the city government would save by doing it. Currently, The Junction City Union is the official city newspaper. “What has happened, in the last 20 years, the internet and online publications have affected the paper press,” Stites said. “Not saying it’s good, not [...]

Sedgwick residents lend a hand digging out from major windstorm

info2024-08-16T09:23:35-05:00August 16th, 2024|

A strong summer storm blew through Wednesday evening, with Sedgwick receiving the brunt of the damage. The National Weather Service stated that the storm had winds between 60-70 miles per hour. The Sedgwick Area reported uprooted trees as well as downed power lines. “It pretty well rained down fury over here,” Sedgwick City Administrator Kyle Nordick said. Once the storm moved through the city crews as well as the fire department got to work putting up barricades and dealing with damage. “We got to town at 10:30 and didn’t stop until 3 a.m.,” Nordick said. He added that they got about [...]

Lenexa recommends denying a crucial permit to operate Johnson County homeless shelter

info2024-08-16T09:19:13-05:00August 16th, 2024|

The city of Lenexa is recommending that officials deny the request for a special use permit to operate a homeless shelter, potentially throwing a wrench in Johnson County’s ability to close on the sale of the hotel it wants to convert in a tight timeline. Last month, reStart, Inc., the Kansas City-based homeless services organization selected to own the site, submitted to the city of Lenexa an application for a permit to operate the hotel building as a shelter. Johnson County has committed roughly $10.5 million in federal funds toward purchasing and renovating the La Quinta Inn and Suites off of [...]

Roeland Park drafts revised tree rules a year after voting down previous version

info2024-08-16T09:16:52-05:00August 16th, 2024|

The city of Roeland Park is getting closer to adopting a long-discussed tree preservation ordinance. Following years of work inventorying the city’s tree canopy and hosting local ward meetings to discuss proposed rules aimed at preserving it... The draft lays out protections for right-of-way trees — that is, trees in public strips of land between residential properties and the street — as well as trees in private front yards. Source: Johnson County Post

Overland Park wants to clean up this city lake. The process is ‘kind of stinky.’

info2024-08-16T09:15:18-05:00August 16th, 2024|

Overland Park intends to improve the water quality in its lakes, including Regency Lake in the city’s southern half this year, by dredging sediment from the lake floors. But city staff warn the process is likely to be disruptive — and probably a little stinky — for residents who live near the lake. Source: Johnson County Post

Redevelopment plan could put affordable housing next to Panasonic

info2024-08-16T09:14:53-05:00August 16th, 2024|

The rehabilitation of World War II-era housing could lead to more affordable options near Panasonic’s 4,000-job electric-vehicle battery plant in De Soto. Wheatland Investments Group submitted an application to the city to create a Kansas Rural Housing Incentive District (RHID) covering the Clearview Village apartment complex at 36000 W 103rd St. Clearview Village, formerly known as Sunflower Village, was built in 1943 to meet the housing needs of military members working at the Sunflower Army Ammunition plant. The housing complex sits across from Panasonic’s $4 billion, 4.7-million-square-foot plant on the opposite side of 103rd Street. The ammunition plant was decommissioned in [...]

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