info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Panasonic answers concern Kansans to pay for electricity infrastructure serving De Soto plant

info2024-01-17T10:49:11-06:00January 17th, 2024|

Panasonic executives involved in construction of the $4 billion electric vehicle battery plant at De Soto said Tuesday the facility would begin production in early 2025 and negotiations continued with Evergy on delivery of electricity to manufacturing space occupying 4.7 million square feet. The company broke ground in July 2022 on a project backed by up to $1 billion in state economic incentives with the promise of employing 4,000 people in production of lithium-ion batteries used in vehicles. In testimony to the House energy committee, Panasonic said the December decision not to build a comparable plant in Oklahoma didn’t indicate presence [...]

Halstead expands funding to revitalize downtown

info2024-01-17T10:47:49-06:00January 17th, 2024|

After seeing some businesses struggling to maintain their buildings downtown, the City of Halstead started a grant program for these businesses. The grants, known as “DRAGON Grants,” provide businesses with between $1,000 and $10,000. Reimer said that, in the past, the city allotted $40,000 for grants each year, but the city council voted to expand that to $50,000 for 2024. City Manager Ethan Reimer said these grants are a way for the city to provide some support to businesses in the community that they don’t get elsewhere. “It’s a recognition of the fact that some of our larger businesses qualify for [...]

Lawrence city commissioners express support for updates to land development code, hope to implement it this year

info2024-01-17T10:46:12-06:00January 17th, 2024|

City commissioners on Tuesday received an update on the city’s new land development code, which aims to update zoning regulations to allow for more sustainability, affordable housing and equity. Elizabeth Garvin of Clarion, a national land-use consulting firm, gave a presentation to commissioners outlining the work of city staff, planning commissioners and a steering committee for the updated code. The city began work to update the land development code in 2022 and is hoping to implement the new one this year. Currently, the project is in its third of four stages, which is drafting the new land development code. One of the [...]

Johnson County application window opens for Senior and Disabled Veteran Property Tax Relief program

info2024-01-17T10:44:34-06:00January 17th, 2024|

Johnson County residents who are 65 or older or are a disabled veteran and who meet income and other requirements may now apply for up to $200 in property tax relief. Residents can now apply to participate in the new program online by completing the application form and submitting it, along with proof of income and/or disability status. The form can be submitted in person, by email or by postal mail. Those interested in participating in the program should submit the application before the April 15 deadline. Residents must be at or below income limits and have a home with a [...]

AGCO’s Hesston facility welcoming back furloughed employees

info2024-01-17T10:43:23-06:00January 17th, 2024|

AGCO said in a news release Friday facility the critical updates to the facility in Hesston went live on Jan. 1, and the company is welcoming back furloughed employees. The news release says the upgrades required all production areas to be shut down and that employee furloughs were not demand-related. "During this time, AGCO has worked to provide impacted eligible employees with supplemental pay and retention bonuses," AGCO said in the release. The employees' return will happen in waves The first group returned to work the first week of January, an additional wave returned the following week, and the rest of the [...]

Newton Fire/EMS practicing ice rescues on frozen Spring Lake Pond

info2024-01-17T10:42:39-06:00January 17th, 2024|

Newton Fire/EMS is practicing ice rescues on Spring Lake Pond, which has frozen over. "We don't often get weather like this that we can afford as a training and the real-world experience with the ice, so we're taking advantage of it," said Newton Fire/EMS Division Chief Zane Hansen. Hansen says they cut a hole in the ice to simulate a rescue and then have a crew go out in ice suits to rescue a "victim." "They're gonna have the ice suits, and we're gonna tether them to rescuers on the shore. So they're gonna move out to the ice, trying to [...]

Commission discusses wind project moratorium

info2024-01-17T10:41:19-06:00January 17th, 2024|

The Labette County Commission may consider extending the current moratorium on the construction of wind harvesting projects in the county. The current moratorium ends in April, commissioners were told, and discussed if voting on the issue in March would provide enough time for legal publications to notify the public about the decision. The board attorney said that would provide enough time. The commission enacted the 15-month moratorium by resolution in late November 2022. The purpose is to allow the county planning committee to get zoning regulations in place. Foster and Associates, hired to assist with the process, is still working on [...]

Halstead fire crews battle large fire in bitter cold

info2024-01-17T10:40:03-06:00January 17th, 2024|

Harvey County fire crews battled a large fire in bitterly cold temperatures early Tuesday around 12:20 a.m. at an automotive repair shop. Halstead Fire/EMS said the fire happened on Halstead Road just south of U.S. Highway 50. Upon arrival, crews discovered the building had flames throughout and through the roof. Pictures from Halstead Fire/EMS show flames engulfing a metal-framed building. Several fire crews, including Newton Fire/EMS, were called to help battle the fire. Halstead Fire/EMS said the state fire marshal was on scene. There is no word on what started the blaze. The investigation is ongoing. No injuries were reported. Source: KSN-TV

Is Wichita affordable for single renters? This report says it’s the top city in the US

info2024-01-17T10:39:13-06:00January 17th, 2024|

If you’re a single renter looking for more affordable cities to live in, you may want to take a close look at Kansas. According to a report by apartment rental company RentHop, Wichita was ranked the most affordable city for a single renter in the U.S. The company conducted the December report by measuring median nonfamily household incomes, city population counts, advertised prices for studio apartments and year-over-year changes to studio prices. The median cost of a studio apartment in the Air Capital is $565 a month, Renthop says in the report, meaning the average person would have to spend 17.65% of [...]

‘We care about each other’: Topekans weigh in on city’s homeless initiative

info2024-01-17T10:37:48-06:00January 17th, 2024|

Community leaders are moving into the next phase of addressing the city's homeless population. On Tuesday, the 'Homeless Initiative,' partially led by design chair Brianna Sylver, held an ideation session to brainstorm solutions to Topeka's homeless problem. "The goal is to come up with seven to 10 different solutions," Sylver said. "Typically, those will range in terms of short-term versus long-term solutions." The City of Topeka brought Sylver in to help manage the entire process. The best way, in Sylver's opinion to approach this, is by involving as many people as possible. Topeka residents and community leaders spent for several hours offering [...]

About info