info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Water woes in Towanda: Close to $114,000 down the drain

info2024-03-13T13:43:05-05:00March 13th, 2024|

A mysterious water leak in Towanda has city officials scrambling to find out when and how it happened. In a city council meeting just last month it was announced the leak was losing 50,000 gallons of water per day costing the city approximately $114,000. City Administrator Andy Newbrey said, “This whole thing has been baffling.” Newbrey thinks the leak started in June of 2023 when water costs jumped but after further investigation, he realized it may have started in June of 2022. Source: KAKE - News

Can one tax solve problems with a different kind of tax?

info2024-03-13T13:42:28-05:00March 13th, 2024|

Could higher sales taxes be the answer to slowing skyrocketing property taxes? That's one idea Sedgwick County commissioners are discussing. Property tax relief is a growing concern for Kansans across the state, leaving local and state leaders scrambling for ways to lesson the burden. "We knew it was going to go up," said Jeremy Lankton, a Sedgwick County homeowner. Source: KAKE - News

Hays celebrates the grand opening of a new MicroFactory

info2024-03-13T13:40:51-05:00March 13th, 2024|

The City of Hays is celebrating the grand opening of a new MicroFactory on Wednesday. ... GrowHays said the MicroFactory is designed to meet the needs of startup manufacturers. The goal is to build a manufacturing base in Ellis County. Source: KSN-TV

Battery energy storage system approval a decision not to be taken lightly

info2024-03-13T13:31:11-05:00March 13th, 2024|

While Concurrent seeks predictability and wants to lower its risk of investing in a project only to have the city deny its permit, Halstead is taking a look at its own risks—namely, how safe are battery energy storage systems (BESS)? Last month, legal counsel told Halstead’s planning commission that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) developed Standard 855 to provide minimum installation requirements for mitigating the hazards associated with energy storage systems. Standard 855 was developed in response to the many fires and explosions taking place. It was published in 2019. Harvey County Now will continue to research, but so far [...]

Newton parks department preparing for spring at the cemeteries

info2024-03-13T13:29:45-05:00March 13th, 2024|

In addition to maintaining parks, the City of Newton Parks Department is responsible for maintaining Newton’s loved ones’ final resting places. Parks Superintendent Hondo Collins said the cemetery keeps the department busy year-round, but with the warmer weather coming up, maintenance would be increasing. Newton has two city-run cemeteries: Greenwood and Restlawn. According to the city, Greenwood is one of the largest municipal cemeteries in Kansas, with 15,000 filled lots and between 100 to 150 burials each year. Greenwood was founded in 1872 and is 71.35 acres. Restlawn is 15.09 acres. Source: Harvey County Now

House moving to close part of Main Street

info2024-03-13T13:28:35-05:00March 13th, 2024|

Being stuck behind a train is a common excuse for being late Newton. Wednesday, motorists can be stuck behind a house. The City of Newton sent out a notification that parts of Main Street will be blocked Wednesday morning as crews will begin transferring a home northward upon Main Street to North Newton. The home will be moved a little under a mile northward ... Source: Harvey County Now

Wichita man loses toy laser after pointing it at law enforcement plane, police say

info2024-03-13T13:26:55-05:00March 13th, 2024|

A 56-year-old Wichita man had his toy laser taken from him after shining it at a law enforcement plane flying above the scene of a drive-by shooting, police said. The laser incident, which appeared on a police report released Tuesday morning, happened at 2:08 a.m. Saturday in the 600 block of South Terrace, which is near Kellogg and Oliver. The laser was pointed at a Kansas Highway Patrol plane helping police after the drive-by shooting. Police interviewed and released the man, but took his laser as evidence. It’s a federal crime to point a laser at an aircraft, with the possibility [...]

City of Lawrence names new director of finance

info2024-03-13T13:04:51-05:00March 13th, 2024|

Rachelle Mathews, currently the acting chief financial officer for the City of Topeka, will be the new director of finance for the City of Lawrence. The city announced Mathews’ hire in a news release Tuesday afternoon. Her position will be effective Monday, April 15. Mathews received her Bachelor of Arts in business and accounting from Kansas Wesleyan University and her MBA from Washburn University, according to the release. She’s a certified management accountant, and she began her career in public finance as an accountant in Topeka in 2015, according to the release. She is currently studying for the Government Finance Officers [...]

Consumer prices rose 0.4% in February and 3.2% from a year ago

info2024-03-13T13:03:34-05:00March 13th, 2024|

Inflation rose again in February, keeping the Federal Reserve on course to wait at least until the summer before starting to lower interest rates. The consumer price index, a broad measure of goods and services costs, increased 0.4% for the month and 3.2% from a year ago, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. The monthly gain was in line with expectations, but the annual rate was slightly ahead of the 3.1% forecast from the Dow Jones consensus. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, the core CPI rose 0.4% on the month and was up 3.8% on the year. Both were one-tenth [...]

Douglas County launching local program to restore people’s legal competency as they await trial

info2024-03-13T12:59:04-05:00March 13th, 2024|

People who are booked into jails statewide have long waited several months — even more than a year — for beds at state mental hospitals, so their competency to understand court proceedings can be restored. Douglas County is now working on a local solution to that problem. The Douglas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council heard a report about the program Tuesday morning. The county plans to launch the new process on April 1. The district attorney’s office cannot prosecute people who are not mentally competent to participate in their own defense, Douglas County DA Suzanne Valdez said Tuesday. Katy Fitzgerald, criminal justice coordinator [...]

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