info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Task force says Kansas schools should ban cellphones for all students

info2024-10-23T09:22:31-05:00October 23rd, 2024|

An advisory group created by Kansas education leaders is recommending that schools ban cellphones for students at every grade level. A majority of the 36-member Blue Ribbon Task Force on Student Screen Time voted to recommend that districts prohibit students from using cellphones for the entire school day, including during lunch and passing periods. They also voted to recommend that students store personal devices “in a secure location that is not accessible to them during the school day.” The group meets again this week and plans to make its final report with recommendations to the Kansas State Board of Education in [...]

Wichita gets look at how much water rates could increase

info2024-10-23T09:20:01-05:00October 23rd, 2024|

The cost of providing water and sewer services in Wichita has gone up more than expected. So, the Wichita City Council is being asked to pass some of the costs on to customers. The city has been using the same rate plan since December 2019. On Tuesday, Gary Janzen, director of Wichita Public Works and Utilities, told the council that the 2019 plan is no longer sustainable due to rising inflation and staffing costs. He recommends a 6.14% rate hike in 2025. For residential customers who don’t use much water, it would be an increase of $3.21 a month. Mid-level users [...]

$9 million to be invested to address water woes in Kansas

info2024-10-23T09:18:53-05:00October 23rd, 2024|

The Biden-Harris Administration has announced $9 million in funding for the Equus Beds Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Project and the Kansas Water Transition Assistance Program. The Equus Beds Aquifer Storage and Recovery Project diverts water from the Little Arkansas River when levels are high, removes particulates, salt and other chlorides, organic material, and sediment, and pumps the water into the Equus Beds Aquifer that is deep underneath Sedgwick, Reno, Harvey, and McPherson counties. The project has been active since the early 2000s, but there has been a significant drop in water levels over the past few years. In addition, the [...]

Garden City Fire Department giving out free smoke alarms, installation

info2024-10-23T09:17:32-05:00October 23rd, 2024|

The Garden City Fire Department said it is giving away free smoke and carbon monoxide alarms for Finney County residents. A Facebook post from the GCFD said the initiative is a part of the “Get Alarmed Kansas” program. Detectors for hearing-impaired individuals are also available. GCFD said it will also install the detectors as well. Source: KSN-TV

Franklin’s Miners Hall Museum plans for preservation and expansion

info2024-10-23T09:16:12-05:00October 23rd, 2024|

Preserving the past and preparing for the future are part of the same program at a southeast Kansas museum. Staff with Franklin’s Miners Hall Museum are participating in an assessment of their facility and collection to do just that. Two assessors, paid from by a grant from the Foundation for Preservation and Advancement, aren’t just assigning a dollar value, though. They’ll also be giving advice on how to make sure these artifacts can last for generations to come. Source: KSNF/KODE

Long lines at Sedgwick County voting sites set record for first day of early voting

info2024-10-23T09:15:12-05:00October 23rd, 2024|

More than 3,600 people turned out Monday in Sedgwick County to cast their ballot on the first day of early in-person voting for the 2024 general election. Long lines formed outside early voting places in the county, and Tuesday morning saw more of the same. Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Laura Rainwater said Monday was a record-setting day for the first day of early voting, but figures for comparable first days in the 2016 and 2020 November general elections were not immediately available. Monday ended with a 3,627 in-person votes cast. In 2016, about 51,000 early in-person votes were cast, and 2020 [...]

County in ongoing litigation over Bitcoin mine

info2024-10-23T09:14:09-05:00October 23rd, 2024|

After repeated denials for rezoning requests from both Harvey County Commissioners and planning and zoning board, Print Crypto Inc. filed an appeal with the courts to overturn the decision. Since late 2022, the county heard from both Butler Rural Electric Cooperative and Print Crypto, Inc. about the Bitcoin mining operation taking place at the cooperative’s substation located at 8399 S.E. 84th, Whitewater. The company received a conditional use permit, and Print Crypto, Inc. paid Butler Electric to use one acre of land for its Bitcoin mining operation. After Planning and Zoning Director Karen Rothe received several complaints from neighboring residents, Rothe [...]

Out-of-district enrollment impacts districts differently

info2024-10-23T09:11:57-05:00October 23rd, 2024|

With legislative changes to out-of-district enrollment allowing students to choose which district to attend, some Harvey County schools were more open to the change than others. Halstead saw a jump in overall out-of-district students, although only a portion was from open enrollment. Superintendent Ron Barry said the district had 71 out-of-district students this year, which is a jump from 55 students last school year. Source: Harvey County Now

City returning solar regs to planning commission

info2024-10-23T09:09:16-05:00October 23rd, 2024|

The Great Bend City Council sent an ordinance on solar regulations within the 3-mile zone back to the Planning Commission when it met Monday. City Administrator Logan Burns had already recommended that action so the commission could consider recommended changes. After Great Bend resident Leslie Barrett shared community concerns about setbacks, the council added those to the list of possible changes. Source: Great Bend Tribune

Governor Kelly Announces Evergy to Invest More than $2B in Two New High-efficiency Natural Gas Plants

info2024-10-23T09:08:34-05:00October 23rd, 2024|

Governor Laura Kelly joined Evergy executives and legislative leaders today to announce that the company will invest more than $2 billion in building two new 705 megawatt (MW) combined-cycle natural gas plants in Kansas. Together, the new projects will provide more than 1,400 MW of dispatchable power. “Kansas is experiencing record economic growth, and Evergy is prepared to deliver the reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy needed.” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Evergy’s multi-billion-dollar investment brings direct value to the Hutchinson and Sumner County areas in jobs and tax dollars. It also ensures Kansas can continue to invite business growth that benefits the [...]

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