info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Should Kansas City, Kansas and Wyandotte County split after 25 years? Opinions vary

info2023-10-23T11:39:20-05:00October 23rd, 2023|

After nearly three decades, should the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, change its consolidated government structure? That will be a key question posed at neighborhood discussions in the coming weeks after the mayors of KCK, Edwardsville and Bonner Springs announced plans to create a task force to hear resident concerns, and solutions, about the UG. While no meetings have been set, current and former officials are divided on the region’s future, especially over the suggestion that KCK and county could break up. Mike Jacobi, who was a leader in the consolidation effort in the 1990s, considered the [...]

City staff members explain plans to reduce campsites around Lawrence

info2023-10-23T11:38:19-05:00October 23rd, 2023|

Within two days of announcing a new online form to report people living outside to Lawrence’s homeless programs team, the city had received more than four dozen responses regarding approximately 20 camps. City staff members are upping their efforts to discourage people from making new campsites in areas where the city has deemed it illegal. That includes parks, sidewalks, the public right of way, and on private property without the owner’s consent. Staff members are also formulating plans to make progress with residents of the longer-term campsites that are pretty well established and have larger populations. The city on Wednesday announced [...]

Community celebrates 150 years of Emporia Fire Department

info2023-10-23T11:36:35-05:00October 23rd, 2023|

Emporia Fire Chief Brandon Beck was more than pleased to welcome the community to the fire department’s 150th anniversary celebration Saturday. And he was even happier to see how many people turned out for the event. “We’ve had a great turnout today. It’s been just kind of a steady flow of people since 8 a.m. this morning,” he said as the celebration began winding down Saturday afternoon. Battalion Chief Tony Fuller told The Gazette last week that EFD recognizes every 25-year milestone. Beck, who joined the fire department as a volunteer in 1993, said it was exciting to be on hand [...]

Grant to improve 988 hotline capacity in Kansas

info2023-10-23T11:35:24-05:00October 23rd, 2023|

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly says the state will receive a federal grant that will help build local capacity for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and related crisis services. The grant of over $5.4 million is from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. It will be provided to the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. Governor Kelly said the funds are critical to ensure that Kansas has the staff and resources to address the mental health crisis in the state. The funding will give Kansas the ability to recruit, hire and [...]

New agreement with De Soto lays groundwork for Panasonic’s $4B battery plant

info2023-10-23T11:34:33-05:00October 23rd, 2023|

Panasonic has starting filling in details about hiring plans and how it will use tax incentives to build a $4 billion electric-vehicle battery plant in De Soto. On Thursday, the De Soto City Council approved a development agreement with Panasonic Energy of North America that outlines tax incentives for the company’s EV battery manufacturing plant. The agreement details the scope of the project and the company’s commitment to support community infrastructure needs and future employment quotas. “This is a hugely complex, impactful and important document for our city. It’s had our top priority and attention for the past several months,” City Administrator Mike [...]

Preserving History and Using Cemeteries to Learn

info2023-10-23T11:16:28-05:00October 23rd, 2023|

Mount Olive Cemetery stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of those who rest within its peaceful and beautiful grounds. The City of Pittsburg's Parks and Recreation Department takes great pride in providing a tranquil final resting place, where the community's history is etched into the landscape. Toby Book, the director of the City of Pittsburg Parks & Recreation, highlights the significance of this cemetery. He mentioned, "I still get a lot of requests from families out of state to bring the remains or cremains back to this cemetery to be buried where they're from, to be back in their [...]

Want to eat the squirrel in your backyard? This class teaches you how

info2023-10-23T11:12:50-05:00October 23rd, 2023|

Have you ever wanted to trap, cook and eat the squirrels in your backyard? If the answer is yes, the upcoming squirrel clinic in Lawrence could be right up your alley. Amy Bousman, an education specialist with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP), is gearing up for the clinic happening later this month. This unique learning opportunity is focused on teaching locals how to eat the squirrels in your neighborhood in a safe, legal and ethical manner. "I'm a pretty out-of-the-box program designer," Bousman said. "I try to develop programs that speak to the community in new and innovative ways." Bousman, who [...]

Mountain lion spotted in Parsons on Oct. 13

info2023-10-23T11:11:28-05:00October 23rd, 2023|

A security video recorded a young mountain lion walking around a shed on property near 17th Street and Kennedy along Labette Creek on Oct. 13. The sighting was reported to Parsons police who reported it to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks on Monday. KDWP visited the location and was satisfied that the animal, likely between 1 and 3 years old, had moved on. Matt Peek, wildlife research biologist for KDWP, told the Sun the lion is likely the same animal seen southeast of Iola on Oct. 9 based on distance and the timing of the two confirmations. “We were [...]

Grants awarded to expand child care in Kansas

info2023-10-23T11:10:09-05:00October 23rd, 2023|

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund have announced grants to 27 statewide organizations to create new child care slots and support the expansion of high-quality affordable child care programs. The grants are part of the Child Care Capacity Accelerator Grant Program. In June, a first round of awards provided $43 million to 52 providers and community partnerships to create 4,211 new child care slots. The second round will provide another $11.4 million to 27 organizations and providers to create an additional 1,468 slots. In all, the grant program has provided a total of $55,018,294 to 67 communities and [...]

Fed’s Raphael Bostic doesn’t foresee rate cuts coming until ‘late 2024’

info2023-10-23T11:09:03-05:00October 23rd, 2023|

Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic on Friday said he doesn't envision interest rate cuts happening until well into 2024. Though he cited progress on inflation and a slowing economy, the central bank official told CNBC that there's still a lot of work to be done before the Fed reaches its inflation goal of 2% annually. "I would say late 2024," Bostic replied when asked for a time frame when the first decrease could come. The Fed has raised its key borrowing rate 11 times since March 2022 for a total of 5.25 percentage points. While Bostic said he doesn't see [...]

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