info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Wheat Festival wraps up in Wellington

info2023-07-17T10:43:13-05:00July 17th, 2023|

The 123rd Kansas Wheat Festival came to a close over the weekend. Saturday was about teaching kids the process of wheat harvesting as well as more information on elements of the farming community. “We had the southwest dairy farmers down there this morning, and they had wheat threshing demonstrations and just a lot of tractors on display, and it was just really neat and really cool, and it was popular,” said Valerie Earl, executive director of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. Source: KSN-TV

Johnson County feels lingering impacts of storm

info2023-07-18T10:57:03-05:00July 17th, 2023|

For Midwesterners used to sudden summer storms, Friday night still felt unusual. “That … was terrifying,” one Kansas City area resident said on Twitter, echoing the sentiments of many others in the aftermath of a powerful storm system that downed tree limbs, uprooted whole trees and knocked out power to tens of thousands. As of Sunday afternoon, Evergy said nearly 90% of metro customers had power restored. But more than 16,000 Johnson County customers were among those who remained without power and officials with the utility warned it could be into Tuesday before all customers’ power was back on. “It’s going [...]

Olpe Downhome Days celebrates community improvements

info2023-07-17T10:28:46-05:00July 17th, 2023|

Since the Olpe Downhome festival was reinstated in 2003, its purpose has been fundraising for improvements at Olpe’s Jones Park. Multiple activities on Saturday provided a day filled with family-oriented fun, from a 6:30 a.m. breakfast provided by the Methodist church to a street dance lasting until midnight. “This is our 21st year,” Joyce Wilson, festival organizer and Olpe City Clerk, said. “There was no event in 2020, due to COVID. We actually had celebrations sporadically through the 1980s and early 1990s–originally, the festival was put on by the fire fighters to raise money.” Wilson and her husband brought the festival [...]

Marion’s new city administrator is settling in

info2023-07-17T10:25:18-05:00July 17th, 2023|

Marion gained a new city administrator on May 1. Marion City Administrator Brogan Jones graduated in May with his Masters in Public Administration from Wichita State University. He just turned 28 at the end of June. This is his first time being a city administrator, but he lived in and worked for the city of Lyons in code enforcement building inspections so there is some crossover for him. Jones, who is married with a child on the way—his wife is due in August—is happy to be settling into small town Marion. He and his wife moved there recently and enjoy many [...]

Kansas has record high teacher vacancies. But are schools finally at a turning point?

info2023-07-17T08:26:29-05:00July 17th, 2023|

The number of teacher vacancies in Kansas schools remains at a record high, but state education officials have reason to believe a tide of increasing educator attrition is starting to turn. Kansas, as of earlier this spring, had 1,634 teaching vacancies, as reported by school districts to the Kansas State Department of Education’s licensure division, said director Shane Carter. That’s compared to 1,628 vacancies in fall 2022. Comparatively, school districts reported 1,381 vacancies in spring 2022, and 1,253 vacancies in fall 2021. Source: CJonline

Indigo Moo’d offers ice cream and a place for Lindsborg residents to gather

info2023-07-16T08:20:57-05:00July 16th, 2023|

With memories of grabbing a cone as a child, and realizing the city didn't have an ice cream shop, one woman decided to open one in downtown Lindsborg. Alison Replogle, who owns and operates Indigo Moo'd, said that when she and her husband, Shawn, would take walks in downtown Lindsborg, they would talk about how there weren't many places open in the evening for families and other people in the community. "It's (here) to have a place for people to gather and celebrate," Replogle said. Source: Hutch News

Engage Dodge Program: Connecting citizens to Dodge City

info2023-07-16T08:19:09-05:00July 16th, 2023|

The City of Dodge City is excited to announce the launch of the 2023 Engage Dodge Program, an interactive educational opportunity designed to introduce citizens to City services, programs, and the dedicated employees who serve the Dodge City community. This program aims to enhance awareness, understanding, and engagement in local government, creating stronger connections between residents and the city they call home. The Engage Dodge Program consists of eight evening sessions, held on Tuesday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m., starting Aug. 8 and concluding on Sept. 19. Source: Dodge City Globe

Johnson County $4 billion Panasonic plant may get $8 billion in taxpayer incentives: report

info2023-07-14T11:56:34-05:00July 14th, 2023|

Panasonic is expected to invest some $4 billion in a new De Soto battery plant, but it could receive twice that amount in taxpayer incentives. The Japanese electronics giant is poised to get as much as $6.8 billion from provisions in last year’s federal Inflation Reduction Act. That’s according to incentive watchdog group Good Jobs First, which analyzed the potential windfalls five electric vehicle battery plants could receive from a new tax credit program. Good Jobs First says the 45X Advanced Manufacturing Tax Credit, which aims at increasing production of electric vehicles, could cost American taxpayers $200 billion over the next [...]

Park City to see changes after license approved for historic horse racing facility

info2023-07-14T11:55:36-05:00July 14th, 2023|

The Wichita Greyhound Park will now be transformed into the Golden Circle Historic Horse Racing Facility. Being the only one in Kansas, many expect the new attraction — home to 1,000 historic horse racing machines — to bring in people from all across the region. "You have a large building on almost 80 acres up in Park City. It's a three-story building. The bones of the building are in great shape, but obviously, it hasn't been in use for a decade and a half," said Jason Watkins with Ruffin Holdings, Inc. ... The facility adds another piece of economic development for [...]

After school shutdown, rural Kansas community tries to divorce district

info2023-07-14T11:47:00-05:00July 14th, 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 KSDE [...]

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