info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Downtown banners official in Newton

info2023-09-11T13:32:46-05:00September 11th, 2023|

Collaboration, and school and town pride were the themes for the ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday morning celebrating the installation of Newton High School and Bethel College banners in downtown Newton. The event was at the Newton Train Station park. “A great day,” said Sal Lujano, who came up with the banner idea. “Everything is falling in line. The weather is great. I want just to kind of repeat the word collaboration because it has been a collaboration of many people coming together to reach this goal and lift our schools and our students and highlight them with pride in our downtown. I [...]

Downtown’s new dawn: Major developments set to propel Wichita’s core

info2023-09-11T13:31:06-05:00September 11th, 2023|

In just a few years, a $300-million biomedical campus is expected to rise in place of nondescript parking lots near Broadway and William streets and a neighboring city transit center destined for replacement. It's a landmark endeavor in downtown Wichita's history, and the project's driving visionary says it couldn't have happened without being audacious. "What all this has taught me is that you need to have big, bold ideas," Wichita State University president Rick Muma said. "I think sometimes, in the Midwest, people are not prone to have those kinds of big ideas." Muma says conversations and planning surrounding the project [...]

Johnson County group fought to get contentious issue on ballot. Too late, official says

info2023-09-11T13:29:46-05:00September 11th, 2023|

A contentious battle over whether Prairie Village residents will vote this fall on restructuring the city government reached a screeching halt Friday afternoon. As the city and a group of homeowners awaited clarification on a judge’s ruling over proposed ballot initiatives, the Johnson County election office said the fight is essentially over for now. Election Commissioner Fred Sherman said the deadline has passed for his office to have time to place new questions on the Nov. 7 ballot. But the group of homeowners behind the initiatives, PV United, hasn’t given up. In a letter to the election office shared with The [...]

Wichita to pay $262,500 after police stood outside as man stabbed roommate

info2023-09-11T13:32:15-05:00September 11th, 2023|

The Wichita City Council is set to approve a six-figure payout related to a 2019 incident where police officers stood outside of a house as a man killed his roommate by stabbing her up to 50 times. The family of the victim, Devin Andrea Cook, had sued the city in state court over officers’ failure to intervene during the deadly assault. The agenda for Tuesday’s meeting includes the authorization of a $262,500 payment as “full settlement of all claims against the officers and the City of Wichita” arising from a domestic violence incident on Nov. 23, 2019. That’s the day that [...]

GCFD firefighters deployed to Alaska inform City Commission of experience

info2023-09-11T13:27:43-05:00September 11th, 2023|

Members of the Garden City Fire Department shared information and their experience on a Wildland Team deployment in Tok, Alaska, with the Kansas Fire Module at the Garden City Commission’s regular meeting Tuesday. The Kansas Fire Module was comprised of members from the Kansas Forest Service, the GCFD and the Olathe Fire Department. The module spent 14 days, beginning on July 29, in the Tok area, in which the protection boundary is comprised of 8.5 million acres of land. Firefighter Raymond Hestikind spoke on the experience on behalf of firefighters Chris Talmage and Ljay Geist, who were unable to make the [...]

Kansas school districts look for ways to entice kids back to class

info2023-09-11T13:27:02-05:00September 11th, 2023|

Three years after the pandemic sent most Kansas kids home to learn, schools have a vexing new challenge: getting them to come back to class. Missing school has become a crisis statewide. State education leaders are still compiling data from last school year, but they expect the problem is getting worse. “Definitely a dramatic uptick … which is not what anybody would want to see,” said Robyn Kelso, who monitors attendance for the Kansas Department of Education. “At the same time, I don’t know that I’m necessarily surprised.” Many older students struggled with the transition to remote learning and then back [...]

Celebrating Heritage: Arvonia hosts history preservation tour

info2023-09-11T10:43:01-05:00September 11th, 2023|

A busload of tourists converged on tiny Arvonia, Kansas, on Labor Day, ready to learn about the historic Welsh settlement and efforts to restore and preserve local heritage. More than 30 people participated in the tour, a supplemental excursion offered through the North American Festival of Wales, held in Lincoln, Nebraska, the previous week. Arvonia Historical Preservation Society board members and volunteers prepared the restored Township Hall for lunch with wooden tables and benches, decorated with daffodils and small Welsh flags. Displays of local maps and platts, correspondence, newspaper articles, school records and other documents and pictures were set up around [...]

Kelly touts budding economic development as boon for state

info2023-09-11T10:40:02-05:00September 11th, 2023|

With a number of economic initiatives propelling Kansas forward, Gov. Laura Kelly believes the State of Kansas is taking monumental steps to invigorate its economy and foster industry growth in the Emporia area. Kelly, who spoke to The Gazette this week, emphasized that this achievement is a direct outcome of the state’s strategic plan for economic development. This comprehensive plan, instated under her administration, provides a modern roadmap for growth — a departure from the outdated strategies that had hindered Kansas’ economic progress for decades. Source: Emporia Gazette

Claflin Fire District receives donation from Anheuser-Busch

info2023-09-11T10:35:33-05:00September 11th, 2023|

Claflin Fire District No. 1 has received a grant from Anheuser-Busch through the Emergency Drinking Water for Wildland Firefighters program. Drinking water is used directly for firefighter comfort and safety. The grant included a case of powdered electrolyte replacement additive and 98 cases of canned drinking water, which is loaded to coolers on each truck and helps firefighters stay hydrated on fire calls. Source: Great Bend Tribune

Amid housing fight, Prairie Village residents confused by judge’s contradictory rulings

info2023-09-11T10:34:29-05:00September 11th, 2023|

PV United, a group opposed to proposals to increase affordable housing in Prairie Village, circulated three petitions that would change the city's government and zoning rules. A judge this week gave an oral ruling on which petitions could appear on the ballot in November, but later contradicted that decision in her written ruling. Source: KCUR

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