info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

E-scooters to cease operations in Manhattan after company announces U.S. shutdown

info2023-12-29T12:01:42-06:00December 29th, 2023|

E-scooters will no longer be a mode of transportation in Manhattan in the new year. City officials announced this week that effective Sunday, the LINK/Superpedestrian e-scooters will no longer be available throughout the community or on the Kansas State University campus. The company that oversees those e-scooters, Superpedestrian, will cease operations after the new year, due to financial challenges as reported by Tech Crunch earlier this month. E-scooters were introduced in Manhattan in August 2020 after the city contracted with Superpedestrian (formerly LINK) for a pilot program, deploying about 150 scooters into the city, at the request of Kansas State University. That fleet [...]

One of the two water tanks complete in Newton

info2023-12-29T11:50:49-06:00December 29th, 2023|

The City of Newton recently announced the completion of its First Street water tank. The city has been working since 2016 to replace a 3.1 million gallon water tank located nearby with two concrete 1.9 million gallon tanks. In 2021, the city purchased property to build the new tanks on from BNSF, due to the closeness of the location to existing infrastructure that serves the old tank. The project began in May of 2022 and then was put on hold for 10 months by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment due to new pollution being discovered on the property. Over that time period, [...]

Hillsboro moves forward with housing plans

info2023-12-29T11:48:27-06:00December 29th, 2023|

Housing was once again the main topic of discussion at Tuesday’s Hillsboro City Council meeting. In a follow-up from the Dec. 6 meeting, the group voted and agreed to transfer six acres of land to Mennonite Housing for a workforce housing project. Mennonite Housing will be applying for tax credits to pay for a 24-unit project that will be located near Dollar General and Carquest. The plan is for the housing to be made up of 12 Duplex buildings and would include a clubhouse maintenance garage. Duplexes would be two and three-bedroom units—each with a garage unit to fit within the requirements of [...]

UG approves new funding source for affordable housing, childcare

info2023-12-29T11:39:05-06:00December 29th, 2023|

Wyandotte County leaders will start 2024 with a new plan for funding community programs. Earlier this month, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, approved an ordinance creating a Community Benefits Fund. Beginning in January, half of all administrative and issuance fees paid by developers receiving tax incentives through tools like industrial revenue bonds (IRBs) or tax increment financing (TIF) will be placed into the fund and used for community programs. The fund aims to leverage fees from developments in the western part of the county to support historically underserved or underdeveloped portions of the county. Funds will support the senior home repair [...]

Overland Park development defaults on bonds meant to help attract commerce to Kansas

info2023-12-29T11:37:56-06:00December 29th, 2023|

The Prairiefire development has defaulted on close to $65 million in outstanding bond debt, further substantiating concerns among Kansas lawmakers that the Overland Park project hasn't generated enough sales to make payments in a timely manner. Bondholders recently were notified that Prairiefire missed the Dec. 15 maturity date for $14.9 million in sales tax revenue (STAR) bonds, the balance of a $15 million tranche. That tranche was the first of three Overland Park issued in 2012, totaling $65 million, to build the 56-acre retail and entertainment complex south of 135th Street, between Lamar and Nall avenues. STAR bonds are a state [...]

Olathe reworks requirements for developers to get tax incentives

info2023-12-29T11:36:43-06:00December 29th, 2023|

Olathe is changing how developers can get tax incentives. Earlier in December, the Olathe City Council approved amendments to multiple economic incentive policies, updating the requirements for the use of tax abatements, Community Improvement Districts (CID), Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and the issuance of Industrial Revenue Bonds (IRB). The changes bar incentives for delinquent taxpayers and prevent tax breaks for developers threatening legal action against the city. Beginning Monday, incentives typically granted through a CID, TIF or the creation of a benefit district will not be approved if the developer has a financial interest in an existing development with delinquent taxes within the city. Applicants [...]

Call it ‘Swiftonomics’: How Taylor Swift brought a gold rush to Kansas City

info2023-12-29T11:31:18-06:00December 29th, 2023|

2023 was a big year for Kansas City. The Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl in February. Taylor Swift’s two-night Eras Tour performance in July included an additional song in her set and a new music video debut to accompany her release of "Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)." The city went all out for her stop, creating a lineup of Swift-themed events. But perhaps the most unexpected high for the city was when Swift showed up at a Chiefs game in September, making her relationship with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce public. Swelce — or Traylor, or Tayvis — brought renewed [...]

Researchers are finding high levels of fertilizer in drinking water from rural Kansas wells

info2023-12-29T11:28:06-06:00December 29th, 2023|

Matthew Kirk has an unpleasant task: breaking the news to families about fertilizer chemicals in their drinking water. The Kansas State University geology professor and his collaborators check for nitrogen pollution in the private wells that so many rural households depend on. “Most of the well owners that I've talked to,” Kirk said, “this isn’t something that’s really on their radar.” Researchers aim to test about 150 private wells in south-central Kansas in Barton, Stafford, Pawnee, Edwards, Rice, Pratt and Kiowa counties. Students and scientists from K-State and Barton and Dodge City community colleges have teamed up to test about 90 so far. Of those, half [...]

Salina Fire Department has a new alerting system

info2023-12-29T11:22:00-06:00December 29th, 2023|

The Salina Fire Department announced on Wednesday that they have implemented a new fire station alerting system. According to the SFD, the Phoenix G2 Fire Station Alerting System by USDD Honeywell offers the latest standards and technologies in emergency response. The new system features "heart-healthy ramping tones, lights, message boards, and color-indicating lights that provide a comprehensive alerting system for the firefighters." The SFD says that this system will enhance efficiency and safety for both the SFD and Saline County Rural Fire Districts serving Salina and Saline County residents. "The automation of the alerting process allows dispatch to stay on the line [...]

Marching on: City band director plays in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

info2023-12-29T11:13:56-06:00December 29th, 2023|

Jenna Morris, a music teacher at Southern Coffey County and director of the Iola Municipal Band, took part in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this year. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a spectacle enjoyed by millions every year, but for Jenna Morris, a local musician and music educator, it became a dream come true as she recently took part in the parade with the Band Directors Marching Band. Morris, a music teacher for the Southern Coffey County school district in Le Roy, had the opportunity of a lifetime to join the group of band directors and music educators from across North [...]

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