info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Halstead esports league a new experiment for the high school

info2023-10-18T09:40:54-05:00October 18th, 2023|

The Halstead esports league has taken off after receiving licensing approval to join the esports league. The Halstead High School Principal, Chad Baalman, received significant interest from students for joining an esports league. He and some interested students presented to the board. They requested the purchase of a curriculum and several computers. The curriculum costs $5,000. The board approved funding for licensing but didn’t approve the purchase of the curriculum or additional computers. This is a test year to gauge interests. Students play from home on their personal devices. They coordinate practice times together online and are supervised by their coach. [...]

The Grain Belt Express will bring clean energy from western Kansas to Missouri

info2023-10-18T09:34:59-05:00October 18th, 2023|

A transmission line carrying clean energy into Missouri is one step closer to being realized. On Thursday, Missouri's Public Service Commission approved the final plans for Invenergy to build its Grain Belt Express transmission line. The line will bring 5,000 megawatts of energy, or roughly four nuclear power plants' worth, from western Kansas through Missouri, Illinois and Indiana, before sending it to other markets in the Midwest and beyond. It's expected to save residents of Missouri, Kansas and Illinois $11 billion in its first 15 years. Source: KCUR

Wichita, Sedgwick County to expand integrated care teams

info2023-10-18T09:33:12-05:00October 18th, 2023|

The city of Wichita and Sedgwick County are expanding their integrated care team. The group works with law enforcement in responding to mental health crises. The goal of growing the program is to reduce the number of arrests and de-escalate situations. The addition of three new integrated care teams is a result of the success seen with the first team, ICT-1. The expansion lets the city and county assess where they should place funding for mental healthcare in the future. ICT-1 was formed as a way to bring people support in mental health crisis situations without taking them to jail or [...]

Museum preserving piece of JoCo’s past to be upgraded with federal grant

info2023-10-18T09:30:54-05:00October 18th, 2023|

A national grant will help fund an organization dedicated to the history of Monticello Township. The self-funded, all volunteer Monticello Community Historical Society received a $3,000 grant from the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area. The society runs mostly on fundraisers and donations. The society’s museum in an old fire station on 83rd Street — straddling the city lines between Lenexa and Shawnee — highlights artifacts and stories about the former Johnson County township, which was annexed by Lenexa and Shawnee in 1988. Source: Prairie Village Post

Shawnee Mission’s Michelle Hubbard named Kansas Superintendent of the Year

info2023-10-18T09:27:54-05:00October 18th, 2023|

Michelle Hubbard of the Shawnee Mission School District has been named Kansas Superintendent of the year by the Kansas Superintendents’ Association — an honor that also puts her in the running for national superintendent of the year. Hubbard, who has been Shawnee Mission’s superintendent since 2021, was cited by the Kansas association for her leadership and commitment to student success. In particular, the Kansas superintendents’ group mentioned Hubbard’s prioritization of the district’s Market Value Assets program encouraging seniors to develop industry-valued skills that make for a smooth transition from school to the workplace or to higher education. Source: Prairie Village Post

City of Wichita to pave more than 150 dirt roads over next 10 years for $35 million

info2023-10-18T09:22:13-05:00October 18th, 2023|

The City of Wichita plans to spend millions of dollars to pave more than 150 streets in the city. Its first priority is the streets around Wichita schools. One dirt road is about to get a facelift is Lilac Lane between Pike and Morris. Construction on the dirt road is expected to start on October 30th. The 10-year project will cost taxpayers $35 million. And, it's making those who live along Lilac Lane very happy. "It's going to be a lot better for the simple fact that my dog for instance him, he likes to go on roads and he doesn't [...]

Wichita adds CROWN Act to non-discrimination ordinance

info2023-10-18T09:20:03-05:00October 18th, 2023|

The Wichita City Council approved changes to the city's non-discrimination ordinance to include the adoption of the CROWN (Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Act. It adds definitions of race and protective hairstyles, prohibiting discrimination based on hair texture or styles like braids, afros, twists, or tightly coiled hair. "If we aren't offending anyone else, personally, financially or with bodily harm, I think that we all should be supportive of allowing people to be themselves," said Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau. A similar ordinance has passed in Lawrence. Sen. Faust-Goudeau is pushing for it to be passed by lawmakers next [...]

Renewed battle over eminent domain in energy sector starts taking shape

info2023-10-18T09:19:00-05:00October 18th, 2023|

The stage is being set for a battle in the Legislature over how eminent domain is used to construct new electric transmission lines across Kansas in the aftermath of a controversial line approved for construction from Kansas into Missouri. The state's leading agricultural groups - the Kansas Farm Bureau and the Kansas Livestock Association - signaled Tuesday that they may very well seek changes next year in how eminent domain is used in Kansas. Left hanging last session, the issue stands to be one of the bigger debates on the energy front when the Legislature convenes in 2024. Source: Sunflower State [...]

Topeka City Council finalizes hotel purchase

info2023-10-18T09:13:31-05:00October 18th, 2023|

City leaders have agreed to pay for Hotel Topeka, in full by the end of October. At Tuesday's meeting, Topeka City council members passed a resolution finalizing the purchase of Hotel Topeka at City Center. Councilmembers approved paying the remaining $6.9 million needed to buy the property seven to two, with council women Christina Valdivia-Alcala and Sylvia Ortiz voting against it. The governing body approved the purchase in May of this year for $7.6 million. Before tonight's meeting, $767,000 has already been deposited for the hotel. The city's ultimate goal is to secure an entity that will purchase, operate, and manage [...]

Topeka ahead of nation’s ‘murder capital’ with per capita homicide count

info2023-10-18T09:12:40-05:00October 18th, 2023|

Topeka police recently marked a grim new milestone for the Capital City with the announcement that the all-time homicide count has been broken. In 2023, the Topeka Police Department is investigating 31 homicide cases with the most recent being reported on Oct. 15. This broke a previously established record set in 2017 for 30 homicides. As Topeka reaches this new record, how does it stack up when compared with other cities in Kansas along with other U.S. cities with traditionally high homicide counts? Earlier this year, Chicago was named the "murder capital" of the U.S. with 697 homicides in 2022. The [...]

About info