info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Selection process to bring historical horse racing facility to Sedgwick County begins Tuesday

info2023-07-11T00:00:48-05:00July 11th, 2023|

The Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission will begin the selection process to bring a historical horse racing facility to Sedgwick County on Tuesday. The Mayor of Park City says that it's been a 16-year-long battle to bring a facility like this to the area. in 2007, the Wichita Greyhound Park closed shortly after Sedgwick County voters said "no" to slot machines. Now with the possibility of the park being given new life, the Mayor says the City Council is hoping that will happen but says both proposals could mean significant opportunities for the city and south-central Kansas. Source: KSN-TV

Lawrence city managers draft 2024 budget includes $2M new homeless programs department

info2023-07-10T12:58:52-05:00July 10th, 2023|

... the City of Lawrence is planning to create a department specifically focused on unhoused people. The Lawrence city manager’s proposed budget for 2024 includes creation of a Homeless Programs Department with a budget of $2 million. The draft budget anticipates about $471.3 million in total expenditures in 2024. “Affordable housing and homelessness were the top identified issues facing our community during the strategic planning process,” City Manager Craig Owens wrote in his 2024 budget memo to the commission. City commissioners will review the draft budget Tuesday during their regular meeting at City Hall. The budget discussion will be a work [...]

Hillsboro makes plans to honor former city leaders

info2023-07-10T12:57:55-05:00July 10th, 2023|

Honoring two former city leaders who have recently died was a topic of discussion at the Hillsboro City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 27. City Administrator Matt Stiles said, “In the last few months, we have had some pretty big losses for community leaders—Delores Dalke and Larry Paine. Delores spent decades on the council and as mayor. Larry Paine was here for over 13 years and moved a lot of things forward for the city.” Stiles went on to say that he and Mayor Lou Thurston have discussed both leaders’ service and possible ways to honor their impact on the community. [...]

Topeka’s city leaders may toughen rules against retaliatory eviction

info2023-07-10T12:42:45-05:00July 10th, 2023|

A proposal Topeka's mayor and city council will consider Tuesday would add "the hammer" to city rules regarding retaliatory evictions, says Councilwoman Karen Hiller. The measure would allow for landlords to be fined and/or jailed for committing acts of retaliation against tenants in good standing who are acting within their legal rights. "We've got to protect those folks," Topeka City Councilman Spencer Duncan said at a June 21 meeting of the council's public health and safety committee. Source: CJonline

Auditors assert state law violated on spending of aid for at-risk students

info2023-07-09T22:58:00-05:00July 9th, 2023|

The Kansas Legislature’s auditors produced the second report in four years highlighting violations of state law in distribution by public school districts of millions of dollars in state funding earmarked for students at risk of failing academically. The latest audit concentrated on $406 million appropriated during the 2021-2022 academic year to improve achievement of students who qualified for the federal free-lunch program. The Kansas State Department of Education had provided districts a list of 272 at-risk program options. The new report said none of 40 programs selected at random for review by auditors met statutory criteria. Many programs lacked evidence of [...]

Derby moving forward on wastewater plant upgrades

info2023-07-09T22:56:52-05:00July 9th, 2023|

As the city of Derby continues to make progress on larger-scale plans to improve the water and wastewater needs of the community, a common issue has come up – long lead times in purchase of construction equipment for projects. With phase one of Derby’s wastewater treatment plant improvements nearing completion, staff and council took action at the June 27 meeting to help keep that process moving, approving multiple equipment purchases for planned future upgrades at the plant. The project is currently scheduled to be bid in late 2023. However, with lead times up to a year (some longer), City Engineer Alex [...]

Officials work to deliver weather warnings to Spanish-speaking population in southwest Kansas

info2023-07-09T22:49:45-05:00July 9th, 2023|

Kansas Reflector National Weather Service meteorologists and media professionals in southwest Kansas are working to reach more underserved populations by offering bilingual weather information. NWS-Dodge City meteorologist-in-charge Lindon Steadman said his office is creating and distributing materials, such as safety posters, that are printed in both Spanish and English. Source: Garden City Telegram

WPD proposing new regulations on Wichita party buses

info2023-07-09T22:48:35-05:00July 9th, 2023|

Rakestraw is talking about party buses, and he says they are a problem in Wichita. "Over the last several years, we've had several incidents involving party buses, mainly with the younger crowd that get on there. There's really no regulation of them. It goes out over social media that there's, you know, that they've got the party bus, and people show up there. There's no oversight over those," he said. Rakestraw says it's a problem he sees trending in a concerning direction. Source: KAKE - News

Hutchinson police cracking down on unsanctioned fights

info2023-07-09T22:45:53-05:00July 9th, 2023|

The Hutchinson Police Department (HPD) is cracking down on kids and teens involved in a fight club group that police say has evolved into jumping people and capturing it on video. HPD says the fights are set up in public and private locations, and in a Facebook post, screenshotted an Instagram account that appears to be setting them up. Some fights are scheduled, but there have been some that are not. In some cases, police say kids are getting beaten, which is being recorded and then passed around. Source: KSN-TV

Battling blight: Wichita plans to spend more to deal with unsightly unsafe properties

info2023-07-09T22:44:31-05:00July 9th, 2023|

Wichitans have had it with overgrown weeds, garbage-laden yards and dilapidated houses. Code enforcement scored the lowest — 24% approval — of all city services included in Wichita’s 2022 resident survey. The proposed 2024-2025 city budget aims to boost enforcement efforts, with an additional $112,000 for nuisance abatement next year and an extra $100,000 for the demolition of structures deemed dangerous and unsafe. “We are seeing an increase in nuisance conditions and blight in some areas,” said Chris Labrum, director of the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department, which is responsible for inspections, notifying property owners of violations and bidding out [...]

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