info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Emporia commission to discuss homelessness taskforce findings this week

info2023-04-19T12:29:47-05:00April 19th, 2023|

The Emporia City Commission will receive its first report on the homelessness taskforce, created to find workable solutions for the community last year. The taskforce is expected to recommend that a camping ordinance be maintained in the City of Emporia through July 8, in order to give the group more time to study the ordinance and formulate longterm solutions and recommendations for the city. The homelessness taskforce was established in Dec. 2022 following the city’s approval of an “unlawful camping” ordinance on Nov. 17, 2022. Source: Emporia Gazette

Wichita City Council approves multi-million dollar pickleball complex

info2023-04-19T10:14:57-05:00April 19th, 2023|

Drive around some Wichita parks on a day like Tuesday and you'll find people enjoying the nice weather by playing pickleball. It's a sport people like Patti Mackey love. “It all started, my husband was at the downtown Senior Center and he called me and he said, 'Patti, there are some older people on this court with a little yellow ball and I just keep hearing, ping, ping, ping.'" Mackey is a volunteer ambassador for USA pickleball and was in the crowd Tuesday as the Wichita City Council voted 7-0 to put an additional $3.15 million towards its proposed pickleball complex [...]

Wichita approves $300,000 for improvements to city’s dog parks

info2023-04-19T10:13:32-05:00April 19th, 2023|

The City of Wichita has approved spending $300,000 to make improvements to the city's dog parks this year. The City Council unanimously approved the measure during its regular meeting Tuesday. A total of $600,000 is set aside in the city’s Capital Improvement Program for the project. Half the money is available this year and the other in 2024. “Not only do people love pets, but really want the best for their pet, and if we want to keep Wichita a vibrant city, we have to respond to the wishes of the public,” Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple said. Whipple said the push [...]

A lack of affordable housing in Kansas prevents Section 8 tenants from using rent subsidies

info2023-04-19T10:12:05-05:00April 19th, 2023|

Kamber Corpening felt relief when she first landed a Section 8 voucher in 2020, a promise that she qualified for substantial rent subsidies from federal taxpayers. Then came the hard part — finding a landlord willing to deal with the accompanying red tape and to open units to lower-income tenants. She tried almost 100 places over the course of a year and found few that took Section 8 vouchers. In the meantime, she crashed at shelters, in the homes of friends and with family. Source: KCUR News

Pratt voters to decide on USD 382 school bond issue

info2023-04-19T10:10:32-05:00April 19th, 2023|

Advance mail voting begins in Pratt for the school district's special election. Election Day is May 9. Residents are deciding whether to support a $16.6 million bond. The money would renovate the ACE building or the old high school into a fourth and fifth-grade center. It would also add four new classrooms to the elementary school, which could double as a storm shelter. "We're going to have our PreK there, and we can expand our PreK to all day three-year-olds, which is also part of that answering the challenge for child care and helping people get their kids to preschool so [...]

Take a closer look at northeast JoCo’s newest playground

info2023-04-19T10:07:27-05:00April 19th, 2023|

The long-awaited playground at R Park in Roeland Park is finally open, completing the final phase of a three-part plan to revitalize the park on Juniper Drive. Improvement efforts for the park on the site of a former elementary school began in 2015. Weather-related delays this past winter set the playground’s completion date back earlier this year. Now that the playground is open — and the days are sunnier and warmer — children and their caretakers are flooding R Park to play and enjoy the new amenity. Source: Prairie Village Post

Rural childcare shortage

info2023-04-19T10:03:46-05:00April 19th, 2023|

Kansas is now facing a need for more childcare options for working parents. The problem is significant in our rural areas of Kansas. The COVID-19 pandemic further exasperated the shortage; many in Kansas now refer to this as a childcare crisis. According to Child Care Aware of Kansas, Kansas meets 49 percent of the needed childcare slots. Since 2020 Kansas has lost 344 childcare providers. Currently, Kansas needs 85,000 childcare slots to meet the current demand. Our local area faces similar childcare challenges as the rest of the state. The Meadowlark Extension District, which encompasses Jackson, Jefferson, and Nemaha counties, needs [...]

Riley County talks with residents about city levee project

info2023-04-19T10:00:15-05:00April 19th, 2023|

Riley County officials on Monday attempted to address two residents’ concerns about the Manhattan city government’s levee project. Amanda Webb, planning director, and Darrin Hobbs, planning compliance specialist, provided information and answered questions about the project during the county commission meeting. During the March 20 commission meeting, residents Richard and Angela Britt raised concerns about the project to the commission. Richard specifically pointed out what he said was the city’s lack of a “no-rise” certificate for the entire project, which is needed for floodway projects. To receive a certificate, a state-license engineer needs to determine the project won’t increase flooding risks. [...]

One year after tornado, Andover YMCA preps for May waterpark opening

info2023-04-19T09:56:15-05:00April 19th, 2023|

Closed since it was struck by a destructive EF-3 tornado nearly a year ago, the Andover YMCA branch is targeting a May 27 reopening of its outdoor waterpark. "We're cautiously optimistic about that, a few things have to fall into place but we're working toward that," said Ron McMahon, CEO of the Greater Wichita YMCA. "The waterpark will have all new features." Source: Wichita Business Journal

Clay Center takes next step toward child care center

info2023-04-19T12:32:09-05:00April 19th, 2023|

In response to what officials say is a child care crisis in Clay County, the Clay Center City Council approved moving forward with a grant proposal seeking up to $2.8 million to design, build and begin operating a child care facility in Clay Center on the Lincoln school grounds. The action does not obligate the city to any expenditures but is required for the proposal to be considered by the funding agency. Source: www.ccenterdispatch.com

About info