info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Mayor Butler proclaims Thursday as “Ron Fehr Day” in Manhattan

info2024-04-17T12:21:13-05:00April 17th, 2024|

At Tuesday’s Manhattan City Commission, Manhattan mayor Wynn Butler proclaimed this Thursday Apr. 18 to be “Ron Fehr Day” in Manhattan to honor City Manager Ron Behr’s commitment to public service in the city and Fehr’s retirement after 24 years as the city manager. “This honor is in recognition of [Ron’s] many achievements,” said Butler. “And on behalf of the City Commission, the City employees, and the citizens of Manhattan in expressing our gratitude and appreciation for many years of loyal and exemplary service to the community.” Fehr has worked for the local city government since 1982 when he was appointed to the [...]

Wichita removes curfew on electric scooters

info2024-04-17T12:20:09-05:00April 17th, 2024|

Wichita City Council members have voted unanimously to do away with the nighttime curfew on the use of electric scooters in the community. The city previously had a restriction that began at dusk or 9 p.m., whichever is earlier, and ended at sunrise. Veo, the company providing the electric scooters, asked the city to look at changes to extend the hours of operation. Wichita is the only city in the Midwest and Plains region that has a curfew on scooters. Interim Wichita Transit Director Penny Feist said the Police Department recommended wording in the ordinance to call for headlamps and reflectors for [...]

Powell Suggests Interest Rates Could Stay High for a Longer Period

info2024-04-17T12:18:25-05:00April 17th, 2024|

The Federal Reserve is likely to wait longer than initially expected to cut interest rates given stubborn inflation readings in recent months, the central bank’s top two officials said Tuesday. Policymakers came into 2024 looking for evidence that inflation was continuing to cool rapidly, as it did late last year. Instead, progress on inflation has stalled or even reversed by some measures. “The recent data have clearly not given us greater confidence and instead indicate that it’s likely to take longer than expected to achieve that confidence,” Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chair, said at an event in Washington on Tuesday. He did [...]

Governor Kelly Announces $18M for 34 Municipalities and Special Districts for Water Infrastructure

info2024-04-17T12:17:01-05:00April 17th, 2024|

Governor Laura Kelly and the Kansas Water Office today announced an $18 million investment into 34 municipalities and special districts related to water across Kansas. Nineteen Technical Assistance Grants and 15 Water Project Grants are being awarded. “This investment is vital to the water resources and livelihoods of Kansans in these rural communities,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “By working together, we are making progress on our water crisis while ensuring communities have access to the resources they need to address their pressing water issues.” The grants were made possible through the 2023 Senate Substitute for House Bill 2302, signed by Governor Kelly in [...]

This southwest Kansas newspaper printing press is an oasis in an expanding news desert

info2024-04-17T12:15:07-05:00April 17th, 2024|

Print media is struggling in many areas, but it survives in 15 towns thanks to a printing press still churning out newspapers in Liberal, Kansas. The light blue machine takes up most of a warehouse, about the size of a school bus, with newspapers flying through different pulleys as ink is applied. At medium speed, it can spit out 500 papers per minute. Danny Morua, the pressman for almost 20 years, makes a small adjustment, and within seconds is pushing a new roll of paper that weighs 700 pounds back onto the mechanism. “Me casa is su casa," Morua said while [...]

Wichita could go to a stage-two drought in mid-late summer if more rainfall doesn’t come

info2024-04-17T12:13:42-05:00April 17th, 2024|

Water restrictions may come as soon as mid to late summer if we don't get rain soon. The city of Wichita says if Cheney Lake levels don't get higher, you might not be able to water your lawn as often. Right now, the lake is 3% points away from the city having to go to a stage-two drought based on a 12-month average. “I've been out there. It's, it's a little jarring to see it so low, and to know that that's where the city water comes from., and to see it dwindling in that way,” said Homeowner Jonathan Peters. The [...]

Hoisington teacher wins ‘Wheel of Fortune’

info2024-04-17T12:12:31-05:00April 17th, 2024|

A middle school English teacher in Hoisington, Kiley Klug, took her language skills to the big stage, winning "Wheel of Fortune." "At the end of the day, it didn't really matter how much I won or if I won; I just wanted to experience that and check it off my bucket list," Klug said. Klug says being a middle school English teacher, she loves all word games. She applied multiple times before getting her shot. After she got the "yes" she'd been waiting for, she began thinking of logistics. Klug says as a teacher, she wasn't sure what they would be able to afford. "We [...]

City puts resources into affordable housing for disabled residents

info2024-04-17T12:10:34-05:00April 17th, 2024|

A Wichita apartment complex that houses people who are low-income and disabled is in the process of rebuilding. On Tuesday, the Wichita City Council approved industrial revenue bonds for a sales tax exemption for the rebuild at The Timbers. The apartment complex is knocking down its older units built in the 1970s to create new ones that follow updated ADA guidelines. What the City did Tuesday was grant The Timbers $13 million worth of industrial revenue bonds for a sales tax exemption. In simpler terms, that means they don't have to pay sales tax on supplies they buy for their renovation project. Having the [...]

Need a job? City of Wichita has 293 positions open

info2024-04-17T12:09:33-05:00April 17th, 2024|

The City of Wichita is hosting a career fair from 1- 4 p.m. on Monday, April 22, at the Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas, 2021 N. Amidon, Suite 1100. Applications will be accepted for all job openings, and staff will be on hand from the following departments to answer questions: Airport Police and Fire; Fire; Information Technology; MAPD (Metropolitan Area Planning Department); Municipal Court; Park & Recreation; Police; Public Works & Utilities; and Wichita Transit. The City has 293 open positions across its departments, including multiple seasonal opportunities. To learn more and apply for a job, visit www.wichita.gov/jobs. Source: KSN-TV

Governor calls tax plan ‘too expensive’; expert weighs in

info2024-04-17T12:07:40-05:00April 17th, 2024|

Gov. Laura Kelly is weighing in on a tax package sent to her desk, which includes a slew of tax cuts. The package received bipartisan support in the Senate, with one Democrat voting in favor of the plan, and it passed unanimously in the House. However, Gov. Kelly said Tuesday that her initial interpretation of the bill is that it's 'too expensive.' "I think what I said when it got passed, though, is it's a little out of the ballpark. It's too expensive so I really need to take a look at that and have some serious conversations with my budget people looking [...]

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