info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

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 [...]

KCK district OKs $180 million bond for school improvements to appear on November ballot

info2024-08-16T09:11:46-05:00August 16th, 2024|

With buildings in disrepair and estimated construction costs mounting, Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools officials are putting forward a $180 million bond issue to finance school rebuilds that voters may consider Nov. 5. The seven-member elected school board voted 6-0 Tuesday to advance a proposed investment in aging buildings that district leaders say is long overdue. In dollars and cents, the new proposal is less than half of the more ambitious plan that voters widely rejected during a single-issue special election three months ago. And district leaders say its passage would not increase the tax rate, a major sticking point during [...]

Debate over Wichita paid parking is intensifying

info2024-08-16T09:08:54-05:00August 16th, 2024|

The debate over paid parking coming to downtown Wichita is intensifying. Some business owners and members of the public are left with questions. The exact cost is still unknown, but Wichita City Council member Brandon Johnson said he believes it will start at 75 cents an hour. Others said their frustration wasn’t about feeding the meter but how the city announced it on Saturday in a social media post with very few details. Russell Arben Fox, a professor at Friends University, said his frustration came from the lack of critical details. “The fact they rolled this out with a lot of [...]

Kansas will pay $50,000 to settle a suit over a transgender Highway Patrol employee’s firing

info2024-08-16T09:06:21-05:00August 16th, 2024|

Kansas will pay $50,000 to settle a federal anti-discrimination lawsuit filed by a former state Highway Patrol employee who claimed to have been fired for coming out as transgender. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and eight leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature unanimously approved the settlement during a brief online video conference Thursday. The state attorney general’s office pursued the settlement in defending the Highway Patrol, but any agreement it reaches also must be approved by the governor and top lawmakers. Kelly and the legislators didn’t publicly discuss the settlement, and the amount wasn’t disclosed until the state released their formal resolution approving [...]

Sedgwick County commissioner wants county-wide sales tax to tackle property tax relief

info2024-08-16T09:01:35-05:00August 16th, 2024|

Leaders from 15 Sedgwick County communities met in Wichita to tackle property tax relief. Wednesday’s meeting was only an informational meeting for leaders. No decision or action was taken. The idea is to create an eighth, quarter, or half-cent county sales tax to decrease property taxes. Community leaders want relief for property owners without cutting funding for public programs like the zoo and the arts. Sedgwick County Commissioner Ryan Baty believes a county-wide sales tax is the answer. “We could see an $8, $10, $12 million property tax reduction if we use a quarter-cent or half-cent sales tax,” said Baty. Baty [...]

Community health worker project helping rural Kansas

info2024-08-16T08:59:23-05:00August 16th, 2024|

A common goal of improving health in rural areas is bringing together leaders from higher education and medical providers. The Community Health Worker Project at Kansas State University focuses on sustaining the health and safety of rural Kansans and people working in agriculture. The project is meant to serve as a gateway to help rural residents manage chronic conditions, prevent injuries and reduce risks of getting sick. “A community health worker who understands the hard work that has to be done if you’re on a ranch or farm, having to look at the equipment maintenance, having to look at some of [...]

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