info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

New transit route in Reno County gives access to shopping

info2023-08-29T23:23:30-05:00August 29th, 2023|

Residents in Reno County will soon have a way to get to grocery stores and other shopping. A news release from Reno County says the Reno County Area Transit announced a new Shopping Route that begins Tuesday, Sept. 5. The route is available to designated housing facilities, allowing transportation specifically for grocery and other shopping. The release says the bus used for this route is larger than other vehicles and has more room for bags. Those using the route will also have more time to get their purchases on and off the bus. Source: KSN-TV

New restrictions on large solar farms in Butler County

info2023-08-29T23:22:28-05:00August 29th, 2023|

The Butler County Commission voted Tuesday to restrict the size of a solar farm to no more than 2,500 acres. It also prohibits such development in the protected Flint Hills Eco-Region. The decision comes after a company submitted a proposal in April for a large solar farm facility that would've been almost 4,000 acres in size. Moving forward, any new solar farm must be three miles outside of any city limit as well. The main concern of residents was protecting the native grasslands in the Flint Hills Eco-Region. Source: KSN-TV

Voters say no to Valley Center school bond issue

info2023-08-29T23:20:58-05:00August 29th, 2023|

The preliminary results are in for the Valley Center school bond, and it appears the $73.9 million bond issue failed. The Sedgwick County Election Office posted the unofficial results shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday. The difference between the yes and no votes is 176 votes. The special election was by mail, and all the ballots had to be turned in by noon Tuesday. The election office reports that of the 11,235 people registered to vote in the school district, only 4,154 voted. Twelve votes are not included in the total. There will be a vote canvass on Sept. 7 for the [...]

Sen. Marshall visits Osawatomie as city pushes for national park designation

info2023-08-29T23:18:02-05:00August 29th, 2023|

The city of Osawatomie continues to gain more traction, both locally and in Washington D.C., on its goal of gaining a national park designation. In May, the Miami County Commission approved a resolution supporting the city’s request to establish the John Brown National Historic Park Site. The commissioners also agreed to give $22,000 to the city to assist in purchasing property for parking surrounding the John Brown Ghost Cabin at the Adair Homestead about two miles west of John Brown Memorial Park. Source: Local News | republic-online.com

Yoder Heritage Day packs in live music, homemade pie and a huge parade

info2023-08-29T09:17:03-05:00August 29th, 2023|

The sounds of children cheering, tractors puttering, and candy crunching under wheels in Yoder heralded the beginning of 2023 Yoder Heritage Day as the parade made its way through town Saturday. For many attendees, Yoder Heritage Day starts with the midmorning parade, although the festivities officially began at 6 a.m. with the all-you-can-eat pancake and sausage breakfast. ... The annual parade is quite the draw, with up to 10,000 people expected to watch. A count hasn’t been publicized yet, but that’s a believable estimate since the street was packed several layers deep as far as the eye could see — kids [...]

Educators start with raises: All Shawnee County teachers will get at least $1,350 salary increases

info2023-08-29T09:14:51-05:00August 29th, 2023|

Shawnee County school districts are wrapping up their budgets, and that includes finalizing contract negotiations with their teachers' unions. Teachers in Shawnee County public schools are set to see raises of at least $1,000 this year, in addition to any other additional pay increases for continued education and years of experience. The Capital-Journal previously reported on Topeka USD 501's and Seaman USD 345's negotiated agreements, finalized or agreed to in principle earlier this month. Source: CJonline

WSU study projects metropolitan shift

info2023-08-29T09:07:04-05:00August 29th, 2023|

Harvey County is expected to shrink in population, rural areas will continue to decline, and in 50 years, more than three-quarters of the state’s population will live in metropolitan areas. Those are the findings of a study by the Center for Economic Development and Business Research based out of Wichita State University. It projects an average growth rate of 0.3 percent per year, a decline from the 5.4 percent annual growth experienced between 1960 and 2010. “Kansas is expected to be pulling out of the period of population slowing that we’ve seen over the past few years,” Jonathan Norris, research economist [...]

Johnson County schools start year with hundreds of vacancies. The worst hit: Special ed

info2023-08-29T09:06:12-05:00August 29th, 2023|

Johnson County is starting the school year with hundreds of positions unfilled, as districts in the region manage a record number of vacancies, especially in special education. Labor shortages continue to plague school districts in Kansas and Missouri this year, as educators leave their jobs at higher rates and fewer applicants seek to replace them. Last month, Shane Carter, director of teacher licensure with the Kansas education department, said schools in the state reported 1,634 teacher vacancies this spring. That’s up from 1,381 the spring before, when officials warned it was the state’s worst-ever shortage. The highest number continues to be [...]

Child care can cost more than a mortgage in Kansas, but providers can barely afford to stay open

info2023-08-29T09:05:16-05:00August 29th, 2023|

Ann Elliott runs one of the largest child care centers in all of Kansas. The Family Resource Center, or The Center, in Pittsburg, Kansas, is licensed to care for over 350 kids At $145 a week for toddlers, $135 a week for 30 month to 5 year olds, and $185 a month for preschool — parents might assume Elliott and her staff are rolling in money. They aren’t. They lose money on child care and grants help offset the loss. “It doesn't pay for an employee to make a living wage,” Elliott said. “We've been around 25 years. So somehow we're [...]

Lawrence school district partners with county to prevent truancy

info2023-08-29T09:04:30-05:00August 29th, 2023|

The Lawrence school district is partnering with county agencies to hopefully prevent students from being introduced to the criminal legal system for missing too much school. The district is partnering with Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez’s office, Douglas County Youth Services and the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) to address truancy. Students are considered truant if they are absent without excuse for a “significant portion” of the school day for three days in a row, for five days in a semester, or for seven days in a school year. At the high school level, a “significant portion” of [...]

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