info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Hixson winds up long tenure in Mulvane

When Kent Hixson accepted the job of Mulvane’s city administrator in 1994, little did he know that his service would stretch almost three decades. “Back then, I would have laughed at the idea of staying 29 years,” he said. “I wanted to stay long enough so our two sons could get through high school.” But after about 10 years in Mulvane, he realized how good he had it – and he was having a great time as well. As he asked: “Why go someplace else?” But that run is coming to an end as Hixson is retiring, with Oct. 6 as his last day on the job. “It’s bittersweet, but it’s my time to move on and I’m looking forward to the next chapter.”
Source: Derby Informer | Area

info2023-10-02T14:43:09-05:00October 2, 2023|News|

Valley Center Fall Festival draws a crowd

The game is over, but this year’s Valley Center Fall Festival may have set a new high score. With the theme “Let the Games Begin,” the annual festival drew hundreds of people to Main Street for a two-day community celebration Sept. 22 and 23. Officials with the Valley Center Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the event, said the chamber is gathering data on the potential number of attendees.
Source: AV News

info2023-10-02T14:41:20-05:00October 2, 2023|News|

Liberal creates public affairs position, hires Moree

Keeley Moree was a fixture for several years at Southwest Medical Center and recently, she took on a new position as the City of Liberal Director of Public Affairs. Moree said she is a part of Liberal through and through. “I grew up in Liberal, went to school, and ultimately came back. I went to Kansas State University, I’d taken classes through Seward County Community College and I’m a Liberal High School graduate, so Liberal is definitely my home,” Moree said. “When I returned from college, I got the opportunity to work at Southwest Medical Center for about 10 years and very recently made the transition to working for the City of Liberal, where I’m the new Director of Public Affairs. For me, being in this community and being able to step into a role that’s even more connected to transforming life for the better is a real passion of mine.” … While most positions have a transition period so the employee can get themselves situated, Moree said the work began almost immediately. “Things actually took off really quickly. With the new role, there’s been a lot of stepping into projects and figuring out where we’re at and where we’re looking to go. I’ve already been handed several projects that are really interesting, and that’s something I absolutely love about this position,” Moree said.
Source: LiberalFirst

info2023-10-02T14:38:55-05:00October 2, 2023|News|

Fully staffed, new Great Bend police station gives staff room to grow

Great Bend city officials met with the contractor and architect last week going over an interior punch list of the newly constructed Justice Center at the intersection of 12th Street and Baker Avenue. New furniture is expected to arrive this week as the Oct. 20 open house date gets closer. The 20,100 square-foot facility nearly triples the size of the current police station on Williams, and Assistant City Administrator Logan Burns said the building will give the police department room to grow in the future.
Source: GB Post

info2023-10-02T14:36:58-05:00October 2, 2023|News|

The economic impact of two major facilities closing in Southeast Kansas

Two major facilities, providing jobs to the community of Baxter Springs for decades, have closed. So how does that impact employees and the city’s economy? “We’re talking about 100, maybe a little more. And that’s pretty significant for the population of the City of Baxter Springs,” said Amy Kauffman, Cherokee Co. Economic Development Executive Director. 100 employees, perhaps with families – perhaps bringing the only income home. This comes following the closures of two major plants – National Safety Apparel – also still known by its former name – King Louie. And YRC Freight, or “Yellow Freight.” They both announced closures at the end of July and the beginning of August. National Safety Apparel’s final day of operations was Friday. Close to 70 workers are now looking for new jobs – as are more than 30 employees from YRC Freight. “That’s a loss not only for those individual families, but also for consumer spending as a whole. You can consider, 100 people are not buying as much groceries, they’re not buying as much gas. So, there’s a loss of consumer spending,” said Kauffman.
Source: KSNF/KODE

info2023-10-02T14:30:11-05:00October 2, 2023|News|

Shawnee County Mounted Posse meets with senior residents

The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office made a special appearance at the Presbyterian Manor in Topeka today on horseback. A member of the Mounted Posse, Kelley Hamersky, is also the business manager at the assisted living facility. Hamersky offered to bring out a few of the horses for a meet and greet with the residents. The Mounted Posse primarily serves in search and rescue missions. Events like these are an opportunity for the horses to get exposure to a new environment. “It’s good for the horses to get used to being out and around lots of people and different types of people and different situations,” Hamersky said. While not all of the residents wanted to pet the horses, many of them were able to get an up-close experience. Two residents said they really enjoyed the event, and are grateful for the opportunity to participate.
Source: KSNT 27 News

info2023-10-02T14:28:59-05:00October 2, 2023|News|

Kansas collects $7 million from $1.85 billion in sports bets in first year of legalized gambling

Kansas’ first year of sports betting brought in $7 million in state revenue from $1.85 billion in wagers. In a Sept. 28 update to committee lawmakers, Kansas Lottery finance director Matt Schwartz said revenue projections were basically on track with expectations. “Sports wagering revenues, we’re now a little more than 12 months in,” Schwartz said. “The state’s share of revenues for the first fiscal year, which was 10 months of operation, was a little more than $5.8 million.” The fiscal year ended June 30. From the September 2022 introduction of sports betting through the end of August this year, the state has collected about $7 million in sports betting taxes, and sports bettors have staked about $1.85 billion. Schwartz said the organization wasn’t expecting a “big change” in revenue for the upcoming year, estimating the state’s share of revenue would likely be around $10 million in fiscal year 2024. August numbers reported $94.4 million in settled wagers for the month, generating $484,366 in state sporting bet taxes.
Source: KCUR News

info2023-10-02T14:28:05-05:00October 2, 2023|News|

Choose Saline County incentivizes local shopping

Over $3 million has been generated in economic activity in Saline County because of its new loyalty program, Choose Saline County. It is an app that allows people to earn stars for shopping locally, anywhere from 5%-20% back. Then, they can redeem those stars at other local businesses or donate them to a local nonprofit. “You get cash back,” Melissa McCoy, Saline County spokesperson, said. “And then you have stars that are as good as cash in your pocket that you can use that places like Brown’s Shoe Fit or True Betty Boutique or Sharp Performance. Now, if I need something, I will open that app, and I’ll see, oh, where can I get stars back or where can I redeem my stars instead of spending my money.” Over 114,000 stars have been redeemed, equal to $114,476. The county received ARPA funding and surveyed the community to figure out how to use it. The survey revealed the community wanted local business recovery.
Source: KSN-TV

info2023-10-02T14:27:14-05:00October 2, 2023|News|

This new Johnson County library under construction will replace the aging Antioch branch

The opening of a new public library building in Merriam is inching closer. “It’s just going to be a really beautiful building,” said Elissa Andre, media manager for the Johnson County Library, of the library’s new $13.6 million Merriam Plaza Library, now under construction in Merriam. “We’re really thrilled to bring it on to the Merriam Community Center campus.” The new facility, designed by Kansas City-based Dake Wells Architecture, is contemporary in style with an abundance of windows. It is being built just steps from the Merriam Community Center, which opened in 2020 in the 6000 block of Slater St. The library is scheduled to open in mid-2024. “This building is really architecturally interesting,” said Andre. “We have these big light monitors on the roof that will let in all sorts of natural light and let people who are inside look up and see the changing Kansas sky throughout the seasons.”
Source: Joco 913 News

info2023-10-02T14:24:56-05:00October 2, 2023|News|

Writers from four separate states assemble in SEK to showcase area

A group of travel writers are touring southeast Kansas. Five content creators from Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and Minnesota are touring with Explore Crawford County to tell a story about their time here. In less than 24 hours, they’ve toured about a dozen different locations, including Route 66, downtown Pittsburg, Pichler’s Chicken Annie’s, and the McCune Farm to Market. Each writer is creating vlogs and articles to publish on different publications. “We are showcasing the amazing things that are here to see, from obviously the history of Route 66. There are just a lot of different things, and we’re experiencing some unique food as well while we’re in the area,” said Sara Broers. The group is also attending a few different events while they’re in the area, including a music festival at Big Brutus, the Pittsburg Art Walk, and Pitt State’s Global Fest.
Source: KSNF/KODE

info2023-10-02T14:20:13-05:00October 2, 2023|News|

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Hixson winds up long tenure in Mulvane

Valley Center Fall Festival draws a crowd

Liberal creates public affairs position, hires Moree

Fully staffed, new Great Bend police station gives staff room to grow

The economic impact of two major facilities closing in Southeast Kansas

Shawnee County Mounted Posse meets with senior residents

Kansas collects $7 million from $1.85 billion in sports bets in first year of legalized gambling

Choose Saline County incentivizes local shopping

This new Johnson County library under construction will replace the aging Antioch branch

Writers from four separate states assemble in SEK to showcase area

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