info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Pottawatomie County officials provide update on Westmoreland tornado cleanup

info2024-05-09T12:38:05-05:00May 9th, 2024|

Pottawatomie County officials provided an update Wednesday on the recovery effort in Westmoreland following last week’s tornado. Public Information Officer Becky Ryan spoke about the county’s new landfill and recycling policy for those in Westmoreland. Ryan says residents can take their recycling to other nearby counties if needed, such as Nemaha and Riley County. Ryan also explains what residents can do with additional storm debris. The response from surrounding communities has been described as “overwhelming” by local officials. Ryan says that the county is pretty well set on items available for those in need and that the community center remains open for [...]

Wichita to hold open house for Bicycle Plan update

info2024-05-09T12:36:37-05:00May 9th, 2024|

The city of Wichita will have an open house Tuesday to get more input on an update of the city’s Bicycle Plan. The city began the process of updating the plan last summer, and city spokesperson Megan Lovely said that input was used to set the goals for the plan. The city is now taking input to get more into the details. The plan is updated every ten years and it’s a roadmap that identifies projects to increase bicycling safety, comfort and convenience. The city has put together a draft of a long-term bicycle network and options for bicycle facilities. The open house will [...]

Kansas Tourism Announces New Grant to Assist Restoration of Historic Barns for Agritourism Businesses

info2024-05-09T12:35:31-05:00May 9th, 2024|

Kansas Tourism today announced the Barn Adaptation and Restoration Needs (BARN) Grant Program is open for applications. This is the first grant program of its kind for Kansas Tourism. The grant has been created to support and expand agritourism businesses across Kansas through converting underutilized or vacant historic barns into new venues. “Transforming barns through the BARN program will preserve historical structures and repurpose them into vibrant hubs for agritourism activities, all while bringing new life and economic opportunities into Kansas communities,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “By revitalizing these iconic buildings, we are honoring our state’s agricultural [...]

Kansas students can soon enroll in new districts. What are top options around Wichita?

info2024-05-09T12:34:30-05:00May 9th, 2024|

A new Kansas law will allow all students to enroll in districts other than the one they live in — as long as the district has availability. The state law was signed in 2022 and goes into effect this upcoming school year. Under the law, the only reason districts can reject students’ enrollment is if there is not a spot available. Nonresident enrollment will open June 1. If a district receives more enrollments than open spots, students will be randomly selected. Once enrolled, students will be allowed to stay in the non-district school through their graduation but are allowed to transfer [...]

Ransomware group called ‘most prolific and destructive’ claims credit for Wichita attack

info2024-05-09T12:33:42-05:00May 9th, 2024|

Wichita’s government operations appear to have been disrupted by a Russian hacker group, according to Eagle research and a cyber threat analyst. A notorious Russian cybercriminal group — LockBit — is claiming credit for the attack on the most populous city in Kansas. A dark web listing flagged by cyber threat analyst Brett Callow indicates LockBit is prepared to post the city’s data for other hackers if a ransom is not paid. LockBit’s demands are unclear. Wichita officials would not confirm whether LockBit or any other group has contacted the city about a ransom. The group is known to ask for [...]

New logo chosen for City of Garden Plain

info2024-05-09T12:32:41-05:00May 9th, 2024|

The City of Garden Plain has a new design for its official flag and community logo. The design was chosen in a contest that received 52 entries, and the Garden Plain City Council gave its approval during a meeting on May 1st. Designed and submitted by Garden Plain resident Pam Weber, the design, titled “Rolling Wheat on the Tracks” features the gold, black, and white color scheme associated with Garden Plain. According to Weber’s description of the meaning and symbolism of the design “It is a nod to the past, present and future of the community. Russian Mennonite settlers brought hard red winter [...]

Wichita water main break causes sinkhole; uprooted tree crushes one vehicle

info2024-05-09T12:32:06-05:00May 9th, 2024|

A water main break on south Market Street in Wichita created a sinkhole that two vehicles fell into Monday morning. One was crushed under a large tree that had been uprooted. The main break occurred in the 1100 block of S. Market, near Morris. Part of Market is temporarily closed as crews from Wichita’s public works department remove the tree and repair the water line. Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Garden City approves new bonding policy for municipal court

info2024-05-06T07:50:27-05:00May 6th, 2024|

The ordinance provides direction to the city, the Garden City Police Department and the establishment of uniform practices concerning bonding practices in the Garden City Municipal Court. James Dummermuth, city attorney, said the new procedures were created after the GCPD, the Municipal Court and some members of the public have felt that the polices created in 2016 and then amended in 2018 have not addressed the recidivism bond. So, a new policy was drafted where they’re not going to use OR Bonds – where people didn’t have to post any type of cash bond, corporate surety bond, or anything of the [...]

Sedgwick County new home construction fell in 2023. Will that make housing shortage worse?

info2024-05-06T07:42:04-05:00May 6th, 2024|

Despite the need, new home construction in Sedgwick County went down last year. The county appraiser estimated a dip in new construction of almost 12%, an estimate that included single-family homes, duplexes and quadplexes. Single-family building permits fell by 9% in the Wichita area, according to the Wichita Area Builders Association. Why? “Inflation, and how fast and high it went up and stayed up — and also interest rates...” Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Has Kansas’ relocation incentive program successfully attracted residents to rural areas?

info2024-05-06T07:41:20-05:00May 6th, 2024|

Between 2012 and 2022, 1,670 people have participated in the student loan payment program, receiving a total of about $13.3 million. According to a program audit reviewed by The Wichita Eagle, 600 people had completed the program and received five years of student loan assistance, 560 had either withdrawn or been disqualified, 260 were involved in the program at the time of the audit, 160 withdrew before receiving any payment and 90 were on the wait list. Source: Wichita Eagle

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