info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Labette County close to agreement for battery storage facility

info2024-06-14T08:37:58-05:00June 14th, 2024|

Labette County commissioners are close to an agreement with a company that wants to develop a battery energy storage system on Wallace Road near the Evergy Neosho Substation. Ben Weisel, senior director of development services for Plus Power, spoke with commissioners Monday about the company's plans to build the battery storage facility south and east of Service Valley Charter Academy. The storage facility would be on the south side of the Evergy substation and start about 1,300 feet east of Wallace Road. The battery storage structures may be about 14 feet tall and will sit on a concrete platform. Weisel said [...]

Melvern abloom this weekend during annual Sunflower Days

info2024-06-14T08:27:30-05:00June 14th, 2024|

Sunflowers will be blooming in “the great outdoors” in Melvern this weekend. The Osage County community will be celebrating its annual Sunflower Days Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 14-16, 2024. This year’s parade theme will be “The Great Outdoors”; the parade begins at 7 p.m. Saturday, with line-up at the school grounds. The communitywide celebration will include a baby show, bingo games, live music, kids’ races, homemade ice cream, funnel cakes, watermelon and the grand parade finale. Source: Osage County News

Humboldt named one of 15 Best Small Towns to Visit in 2024 by Smithsonian Magazine

info2024-06-13T13:08:01-05:00June 13th, 2024|

Faced with a declining population, a group of Midwest natives kicked revitalization efforts into overdrive. In 2016, they established A Bolder Humboldt, an economic development organization formed with the support of the local community, which focuses on reimagining and rebuilding the 167-year-old town for a new generation of entrepreneurs, citizens and visitors. Source: Smithsonian

Wichita’s mayor gives update on citywide cyber attack

info2024-06-12T15:40:55-05:00June 12th, 2024|

After being shut down for a little over a month, the city of Wichita said almost all of its forward facing services are back up and running. These are things people use daily, such as public Wi-Fi, bus fares, and bills. "We had to work from the background to the foreground and so the background work has been happening over the last few weeks before we can turn the system back on," said Wichita's mayor Lily Wu. Source: KAKE - News

Pittsburg advances downtown development with community input

info2024-06-12T15:40:37-05:00June 12th, 2024|

The City of Pittsburg is continuing to work on the development of downtown. City staff have taken all of the thoughts and concerns from the community from last week's Downtown Community Conversation and given them to a consultant to review and put into a report. Some of the feedback includes upgrading the general aesthetics within downtown, expanding parking options, and keeping the area safe. Source: KSNF/KODE

Fed holds rates steady, indicates only one cut coming this year

info2024-06-12T15:32:06-05:00June 12th, 2024|

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday kept its key interest rate unchanged and signaled that just one cut is expected before the end of the year. ... New forecasts released after this week’s two-day meeting indicated slight optimism that inflation remains on track to head back to the Fed’s 2% goal, allowing for some policy loosening later this year. ... For the period through 2025, the committee now sees five total cuts equaling 1.25 percentage points, down from six in March. If the projections hold, it would leave the federal funds rate benchmark at 4.1% by the end of next year. Source: [...]

‘Take it seriously,’ SEC’s muni chief warns municipal bond market

info2024-06-12T15:38:24-05:00June 12th, 2024|

The Securities and Exchange Commission's chief of the Office of Municipal Securities Dave Sanchez urged issuers and muni professionals to stay vigilant in a smorgasbord of areas that regulators are watching, from late audits to shady conduit deals to unregistered advisors in the public-private partnership space. "If you guys aren't able to have this discipline on your own, this is where outside forces will start to want to impose discipline," Sanchez said Saturday, speaking to the Government Finance Officers Association's Debt Committee during the GFOA's annual meeting. Source: The Bond Buyer Ranson Financial is not a "bond sales firm". We are a [...]

Inflation slows in May, with consumer prices up 3.3% from a year ago

info2024-06-12T12:59:06-05:00June 12th, 2024|

The consumer price index showed no increase in May as inflation slightly loosened its stubborn grip on the U.S. economy, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. The CPI, a broad inflation gauge that measures a basket of goods and services costs across the U.S. economy, held flat on the month though it increased 3.3% from a year ago, according to the department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for a 0.1% monthly gain and a 3.4% annual rate. The monthly rate rose 0.3% in April while the annual rate was 3.3%. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, core CPI increased [...]

City of Wamego, ECODEVO respond to announcement of Caterpillar closure

info2024-06-12T12:57:14-05:00June 12th, 2024|

Local officials are responding to Thursday’s announcement from Caterpillar that it plans to shutter its Wamego facility sometime next year. Wamego City Manager Stacie Eichem says they learned of the situation late in the day Thursday. Eichem says the announcement comes as a major blow to the community. Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Shanna Goodman provided the following statement Friday morning. “This news is a significant disappointment for our entire region, as Caterpillar has been an integral part of our community for decades. We are actively collaborating with regional partners to provide resources and support for displaced workers. However, [...]

Wichita proposes to buy former Park Elementary School to use as homeless shelter

info2024-06-12T12:51:15-05:00June 12th, 2024|

Wichita wants to convert the former Park Elementary school into a new shelter for people who are homeless. For months, the city has been seeking a location for what it calls a multiagency center: a facility with emergency shelter beds, affordable housing units and social services. Now, the city has settled on the former school at 9th and Main. Wichita Public Schools shuttered Park Elementary earlier this year as the district faced a $42 million budget deficit. “Given its close proximity to multiple homeless service providers, the location is ideal for referrals and coordinated services, easy access and mobility for those needing services and [...]

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