info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

A sports park’s financial woes highlight a risky corner of the municipal-bond market.

info2023-08-28T12:10:39-05:00August 28th, 2023|

Legacy Park in Mesa, Ariz., spread over 320 acres, filed for bankruptcy in May, 15 months after it opened and three years after a local government entity agreed to issue muni bonds to pay for the park’s construction. The bonds recently traded at roughly 10 cents on the dollar, and the park is looking for a buyer. The local entity that issued the bonds is known as a conduit issuer and, unlike a city or town that issues muni bonds, bears no responsibility for repaying the debt. The park’s financial troubles have raised questions about whether the conduit setup, in addition [...]

Taking Sidewalks Seriously

info2023-08-28T12:09:03-05:00August 28th, 2023|

It’s been 50 years since the sociologist Mark Granovetter published his landmark study celebrating “weak ties” — the casual everyday relationships that add to the stronger connections with family and close friends and make a critical contribution to human well-being in any town or city. Weak ties are the informal contacts we make at the grocery store, at the pharmacy, at the bank, in church and in a whole array of other places we frequent. They bring order and opportunity to our lives. But the most important locus of these contacts may be one we tend to forget about: the plain [...]

KDOT will use $45 million from feds to help fix bridges across state

info2023-08-28T12:05:48-05:00August 28th, 2023|

Kansas transportation officials want to help local governments pay for repairs to bridges. "This is really to address what I consider one of the big issues that will be coming to our state in the coming decades, and that is the backlog of bridges on the local system that will need to be addressed," said Calvin Reed, acting secretary of the Kansas Department of Transportation. ... Through a new federal program in the bipartisan infrastructure law, Kansas has been allocated $45 million a year to address bridges. State officials decided the best way to spend the money is on local bridges. [...]

USDA Announces More Than $49 Million to Strengthen Rural Kansas Water Infrastructure

info2023-08-28T12:04:29-05:00August 28th, 2023|

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Kansas State Director Christy Davis today announced that USDA is investing $49.1 million to help rural utilities build and improve clean drinking water and sanitary wastewater systems in rural Kansas. ... The details of the Kansas projects are: A $6,400,000 loan will help complete rehabilitation work on the water and wastewater systems in Perry. The project will rehabilitate approximately 24,000 linear feet of the collection system, upgrade approximately 15,000 feet of lines and other equipment, repair lift stations, and install backup generators. It will help provide the city with safe and reliable water and [...]

Amtrak gives timeline for Newton station upgrades, future expansion

info2023-08-28T12:02:58-05:00August 28th, 2023|

Amtrak will provide upgrades to the Newton station, and an expansion of service remains very much on the table. Amtrak officials met with representatives for the City of Newton on Wednesday to discuss plans and left generally impressed with the preparations the city has made. “You’re ready to go, and to have a fruitful and substantive discussion with us” Derrick James, Amtrak director of government affairs, told those present, including Mayor Leroy Koehn, Commissioner Rod Kreie and City Manager Kelly McElroy. James reviewed plans the city drew up for upgrades to the station and surrounding area and discussed how they would [...]

Oberlin, Hugoton to vote on school bond issues Tuesday

info2023-08-28T10:53:02-05:00August 28th, 2023|

Voters in two Kansas school districts will head to the polls on Tuesday, Aug. 29, to decide whether to support school improvements in their towns. Residents in USD 294 Oberlin will vote on a $29.15 million issue to replace a 96-year-old elementary school and update the 84-year-old Decatur County Junior and Senior High School with additions and renovations that would also house the grade school. The district said the bond would be financed over 30 years. Hugoton USD 210 will vote on $35.6 million in school improvements on Tuesday. The high school would see classroom renovations, security improvements and a new [...]

K-State local foods program to offer fellowships for Kansas communities

info2023-08-28T10:51:32-05:00August 28th, 2023|

A Kansas State University program that aims to improve the health of Kansans by increasing access to locally grown foods is giving the effort a big boost this fall. Over the next two years, the K-State Research and Extension Local Food Systems team will offer 34 paid fellowships to Kansas communities interested in helping to build the state’s local food network. Program coordinator Amanda Lindahl said the 320-hour paid positions not only provide jobs for local residents, but also dedicated time and energy for a local foods system project. “We hope that this elevates the capacity of the system, facilitating access to [...]

Marysville city administrator takes Mulvane job

info2023-08-28T12:03:27-05:00August 28th, 2023|

Marysville City Administrator Austin St. John has accepted a new position as Mulvane city administrator effective Oct. 6. Mulvane’s city council voted to hire St. John on Monday, said Marysville Mayor Jason Barnes. “I’m sad to see him go,” Barnes said Friday. “From what I understand it’s more money and he and his wife have family in that part of the state.” St. John was hired in 2016... Source: The Marysville Advocate

‘Getting myself back’: Allen County Drug Court changes lives

info2023-08-28T10:48:51-05:00August 28th, 2023|

Four graduates of the Drug Court program shared powerful stories about addiction and recovery. One woman credited the program with saving her life. Their stories were markedly different in many aspects, but with similar themes. The four most recent graduates of Allen County Drug Court — an intense, supervised recovery program drug offenders can complete as a means to escape a life of addiction — shared stories at a ceremony Thursday. Graduates Ashten Wilson, Amanda Sharp, Jacob Bancroft and Tabitha Valentine each described, in varying tones, how tough circumstances in their younger years eventually led to drug addiction and eventually legal woes. Each shared the [...]

SEED grants available for rural quality-of-life initiatives

info2023-08-28T10:45:26-05:00August 28th, 2023|

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland announced on Tuesday that $275,000 will be available through a second round of Strategic Economic Expansion and Development (SEED) grants. The SEED program supports economic development and revitalization efforts in smaller counties across Kansas through investments in quality-of-life initiatives. “SEED grants help improve community appeal and have already been game-changing for more than 60 cities across the state,” said Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland. “The Kelly Administration is committed to developing community assets and investing in new opportunities that will support growth in rural areas throughout Kansas.” The grants will be [...]

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