info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Great Bend community helps each other out after powerful winds brought major damage

info2023-07-18T10:45:02-05:00July 18th, 2023|

Residents in Great Bend woke up bright and early to start clearing out debris after straight line winds up to 85 mph caused trees to fall all around the city. "The definition of people helping people, come to Great Bend. You'll see, everyone's coming out to help everybody," said life long Great Bend resident Gary Parr. Gary drove throughout different neighborhoods in his golf cart offering people an extra hand, chainsaw, and cold drinks. Residents said this is the Great Bend standard. "Pretty much nobody asked. It was just as soon as we seen the damage we all started helping and [...]

The end of Mission Gateway? Johnson County city pulls funding for beleaguered project

info2023-07-18T10:45:30-05:00July 18th, 2023|

The Mission City Council on Monday terminated its redevelopment agreement with Mission Gateway, yanking away millions of dollars in tax incentives the developer argued were necessary to get the project done after nearly two decades of broken promises. A likely death knell for the stalled project, the council voted unanimously to toss out the deal — its fifth iteration for the long-plagued development — because the property owners failed to pay nearly $450,000 in taxes due in May. The city sent a default notice on May 15, giving the property owners, Aryeh Realty, 60 days to pay up. That deadline expired [...]

Governor Kelly Proclaims Rural Road Safety Awareness Week

info2023-07-18T10:50:06-05:00July 18th, 2023|

Governor Laura Kelly has proclaimed July 17-21 as Rural Road Safety Awareness Week (RRSAW) in Kansas to call attention to the high number of traffic fatalities on rural roads. The weeklong observance is part of a nationwide campaign spearheaded by the National Center for Rural Road Safety and includes the participation of the Kansas Department of Transportation. With one of the main causes of rural crashes being speeding, this awareness campaign is driving home the need to slow down. “Raising awareness about rural road safety will save lives and put the state of Kansas on the path to ‘Drive To Zero’ traffic [...]

Students can spread their wings at Fowler Grade School, where Goldbugs learn to lead

info2023-07-18T10:50:20-05:00July 18th, 2023|

Fowler sprang to life last week for the 42nd annual Fowler Threshing Days community festival. Under the coordination of a dedicated team of volunteers, many organizations throughout the community collaborated to provide family-oriented festivities all week long with an “Adventures in the Great Outdoors” theme. Fowler Grade School appreciates the work that these team members and organizations do to provide memorable experiences for the local children, Principal Corri McDowell said. Through the USD 225 school-wide leadership program, McDowell said students learn what it takes to lead the next generation of local volunteers and community leaders that will keep the community spirit and Fowler Threshing [...]

Overland Park tourism rebounds to ‘pre-pandemic levels’

info2023-07-17T11:05:47-05:00July 17th, 2023|

A new report shows tourism in Overland Park saw a spike in 2022, rebounding to pre-pandemic levels. Data put together by international advisory firm Tourism Economics shows 4.7 million visitors came to Overland Park in 2022, spending more than $850 million and generating some $95 million in local tax revenues. “Overland Park’s visitor economy has rebounded beyond pre-pandemic levels,” said Warren Wilkinson, president of Visit Overland Park, the city’s tourism and marketing bureau. “While these results are fantastic, we must continue to compete with other communities to expand our position as a great place to visit, live and work.” Overall, year-over-year [...]

Lenexa wants to add more ‘missing middle housing’

info2023-07-18T10:54:28-05:00July 17th, 2023|

Lenexa is hoping to add more midrange housing options — including potentially townhomes and affordable starter homes — to areas of the city still open for development. This type of housing, often called “missing middle housing,” tends to be more dense and attainable cost-wise, though it’s lacking in many communities where there might be a market for it, Community Development Director Scott McCullough said. Encouraging these new housing options has so far been a major focus of the city’s comprehensive plan update process. Exactly what the end result of this process will look like for Lenexa is unclear at this stage, [...]

Water transfer battle continues in Wichita hearings

info2023-07-17T11:01:25-05:00July 17th, 2023|

A hearing is scheduled to begin next week in Wichita District Court, allowing a non-profit Central Kansas water advocacy group to present additional evidence why it opposes a plan by the cities of Hays and Russell to implement a water transfer from a location in Edwards County to Ellis County in the Smoky Hill river basin. The evidentiary hearing, set to begin July 19, results from a remand order by the Kansas Supreme Court in June that places the challenge issued by the Water Protection Association of Central Kansas back within the confines of the district court to consider supplemental additions [...]

Tap water in Kansas was tested for ‘forever chemicals.’ Here’s where they were found

info2023-07-18T10:55:27-05:00July 17th, 2023|

Forever chemicals, also known as polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, have been detected in recent years in drinking water in the Lawrence, Topeka, Manhattan and Wichita areas, according to a study published July 5 by the U.S. Geological Survey. The federal agency collected tap water samples from 716 locations across the country, including water from public supplies and private wells. The agency modeled that data and found at least 45% of drinking water could contain at least one PFAS. Some of the PFAS, which have been linked to health problems, found in Kansas water exceeded proposed limits. Those samples were taken from [...]

Russell community reacts to vandalism at new park

info2023-07-18T10:55:38-05:00July 17th, 2023|

A brand new Historic park, splash pad, and visitors center opened July 8th and by July 14th three different instances of vandalism had already occurred at the facility. “I just don’t even understand why anyone would do that. I mean, it’s just absolutely disheartening,” Russell community member, Jeannine Byers-Long. This is the sentiment echoing throughout Russell, Kansas as they work to get to the bottom of an ongoing vandalism problem. “There has got to be something more fun and more entertaining for people to do than to ruin and vandalize property,” said Byers-Long. “There was some damage in the restroom facilities [...]

After school shutdown, rural Kansas community tries to divorce district

info2023-07-18T10:55:46-05:00July 17th, 2023|

Barton County residents will decide whether to break up with their school district and “start fresh” following heartbreak and anger over the closure of a rural community’s high school. The change could result in hundreds of students displaced and three more schools shut down. The Aug. 1 disorganization vote is a test case for rural communities that increasingly have to make decisions to shut down or consolidate as populations dwindle and schools face financial strain. “This is brand new territory for the Department of Education, for the State Board of Education and basically every district in the state of Kansas,” said [...]

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