info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Truckload of Bottled Water helps Caney Valley School District midst water shortage

info2023-11-01T09:34:33-05:00November 1st, 2023|

Caney Valley School District in Kansas is proactively addressing the ongoing water shortage by implementing innovative measures. School Superintendent Blake Vargas recently discussed the district's approach, which includes temporarily closing school on specific days while ensuring compliance with the required number of school days for the year. Vargas explained the rationale behind the decision, stating, "The determination was made. It's a variety of days. The majority are on Mondays; we do have a couple of Fridays. But up to our Thanksgiving and Christmas break, we will be off. Essentially, what we've done is by eliminating those days, we know that we [...]

Fort Scott City Manager announces his resignation

info2023-11-01T10:58:06-05:00November 1st, 2023|

The Fort Scott City Manager is resigning from his position. Brad Matkin posted a video on Facebook this morning announcing his resignation. He sent his letter to the City Commission Tuesday night. His resignation will be effective Jan. 3. Matkin says he'll continue the duties of his role in addition to helping in the transition of finding a new city manager, continuing to close out ongoing projects and planning for next year. Source: KOAM News

Dodge City in mourning, disbelief after deadly weekend shooting

info2023-11-01T09:29:24-05:00November 1st, 2023|

Hours after gunfire ripped through the Central Station Bar & Grill, Dodge City is still in shock, with many saying they can't believe something like this happened here. "There's two mothers right now that aren't going to be able to hug their children. So I just hugged her and we just talked," resident Regina Heavener said. Shortly after 1 a.m., Heavener received a phone call that shook her to her core. Her daughter, Carlee, who is a bartender at Central Station, was feet away from where a gunman opened fire at a Halloween party at the bar. The shooting claimed the [...]

EPA will propose stiffer lead pipe rules

info2023-10-30T07:52:42-05:00October 28th, 2023|

Decades after officials banned lead in gasoline for new cars and stopped the sale of lead paint – huge steps toward eliminating lead exposure to the public – there are still an estimated 500,000 U.S. children with levels of lead in their blood that are considered high, and experts say lead in drinking water is one important reason. Now, the Environmental Protection Agency is aiming to further reduce lead levels in drinking water ... President Joe Biden has already called for eliminating the country’s estimated 9.2 million lead pipes, lines that connect water mains under the street to homes and businesses [...]

High-res imagery important to county, cities

info2023-10-27T12:06:32-05:00October 27th, 2023|

Barton County Cartographer Bj Wooding describes the value of the ultra-high-resolution digital orthoimagery very simply. “It’s been used by several different departments and agencies, and I don’t know how they do their jobs without it, frankly,” she said, addressing the Barton County Commission Tuesday morning. Commissioners then approved the purchase of the imagery for the Mapping Department at a cost of $28,500. This will cover the four major cities in the county (Claflin, Ellinwood, Great Bend and Hoisington) for a total of 79 square miles. The county will pay half, with the balance split among the communities based on size. Source: [...]

Shawnee bans short-term rentals like AirBnBs in residential areas

info2023-10-27T12:05:52-05:00October 27th, 2023|

Shawnee will ban short-term rentals like AirBnB and VRBO in single-family neighborhoods. After its fourth meeting on short-term rental businesses, the Shawnee City Council on Monday decided to move forward with banning them entirely in residential areas. During the city council committee meeting, the city council asked city staff to draft an outline that will ban rental businesses like AirBnB and VRBO in R-1 (single-family residential) districts. Source: Prairie Village Post

Stafford’s newest mural available in wearable version

info2023-10-27T11:56:21-05:00October 27th, 2023|

A wearable version of Stafford’s mural project has been delivered and is available for purchase or pickup if pre-ordered. “We will have extras to sell,” said City Administrator Jami Downing, who noted that available colors and sizes will be posted soon. A $5 portion of the proceeds from each T-shirt or sweater purchased will be put into the city’s Community Development Fund, earmarked for future mural projects. “We’ve got a few ideas, it’s just going to depend upon what we go to next,” Downing said. “ Source: Great Bend Tribune

Ford County Commission approves 1.5-mile setback between turbines, airport

info2023-10-27T11:57:30-05:00October 27th, 2023|

The Ford County Commission unanimously approved a reduction in the minimum distance a wind turbine must be set back away from private airports and air strips at its Oct. 16 meeting. The decision to reduce the required distance from three miles to 1.5 miles rejected the Ford County Planning and Zoning Board recommendation to adhere to the federal three-mile setback rule for all airports in the county for safety reasons. The 3-mile setback disqualified 12,000 acres of Bucklin area private property from receiving an estimated thirty-four turbines. Source: Dodge City Daily Globe

Alma Cheese Curds wins 2023 Coolest Thing Made in Kansas contest

info2023-10-27T11:58:41-05:00October 27th, 2023|

Alma Cheese Curds is the 2023 Coolest Thing Made in Kansas — People’s Choice, after six weeks of competition, the Kansas Manufacturing Council announced Tuesday. The winner was announced during the KMC Kansas Manufacturing Summit held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Wichita. “The KMC is excited to celebrate Alma Creamery ‘s cheese curds as the 2022 Coolest Thing Made in Kansas. Thank you to everyone who nominated and voted for their favorite Kansas-made products. It has been a fun competition,” said KMC Executive Director Brandie McPherson. “The manufacturing industry is an important part of the Kansas economy." Source: Emporia Gazette

De Soto EV battery Plant incentives helping people nearby

info2023-10-27T10:50:47-05:00October 27th, 2023|

The $4 billion Panasonic Electric Vehicle Battery Plant in De Soto is already having a big impact outside the massive campus. New interchanges are already completed and lead to roads that are currently under construction south of K-10. The development agreement just announced this month lays out how the tax incentives will help cover the upgrades and leave a lasting impact on the surrounding area. "There is a lot of infrastructure improvements that will be needed," De Soto City Administrator Mike Brungardt said. "It'll cost a lot of money, and the development is going to largely fund that through the TIF incentives." Much of that [...]

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