Ranson Financial, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Johnson County is recruiting gardeners to help prevent flooding

Kansas City sits at the intersection of many rivers — the Missouri River separating downtown from the Northland, the Kansas River in Wyandotte and Johnson counties, and Turkey Creek, the Blue River, Mill Creek and Brush Creek forming a spider web across the bistate area. And this is no accident, said Heather Schmidt, the stormwater program manager in Johnson County. “Whenever anybody develops or settles anywhere, they want to be by the stream,” Schmidt said. “It’s their water source, and it’s their source to get things away. And that’s always been problematic, because they also get flooded out.” Johnson County has a complex watershed — some water feeds into Mill Creek and eventually the Kansas River, and in the east it feeds into the Blue River or Brush Creek and into Missouri. Although the state line represents an important governmental boundary in Kansas City, floodwater does not respect state lines. And when flash flooding occurs, it can create a regional crisis that requires collaboration from cities and counties across both Kansas and Missouri.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Ranson Financial2023-06-13T11:17:33-05:00June 13, 2023|News|

City of Derby announces land donation for senior services

On June 5, the city of Derby announced an upcoming donation from the Cross of Glory Lutheran Church. The church will donate its building and land at 1315 S. Rock Road to the city later this year, which is planned to be the new home for the Derby Senior Center. The city announced via press release that plans to utilize the facility would focus on the senior services of Derby. The release stated that the donated property will be the future home of the Derby Senior Center. Cross of Glory Lutheran Church will continue its regular services and operations while working to determine its next steps throughout the rest of the year. According to spokesperson Linda Boaldin, the church is still an active congregation, and its primary focus at this time is directed at continuing to meet the needs of its members. Director of Senior Services and Transportation Jenny Foster-Farquhar noted that the donation will provide the green space that the Derby Senior Center has been lacking in its current location at the City Hall complex. “We are really excited about the opportunity to meet our current needs and expand our services. We are grateful for the generosity from the Cross of Glory Lutheran Church,” Foster-Farquhar said. “Not only will it provide opportunities for the future of the senior center, but it will provide opportunities for us to move our senior garden. We will have additional green space and could have some natural fits for intergenerational programs with Park Hill Elementary.”
Source: Derby Informer | News

Ranson Financial2023-06-13T11:15:37-05:00June 13, 2023|News|

Affordable High Speed Internet Project Coming to Bourbon County

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Kansas State Director Christy Davis today announced a $49.9 million loan to connect thousands of rural Kansans to reliable, affordable high-speed internet. The project will improve service for 149 businesses, 821 farms and over 4,000 people in Bourbon, Cherokee, Crawford, Labette and Neosho counties. “High-speed internet is essential in today’s world of online business, learning and communication,” Davis said. “This investment will help ensure rural Kansas remains a place of opportunity to live, work, and raise a family.” This is the fourth funding round of the USDA ReConnect Program. Since the beginning of the Biden-Harris Administration, the Department has invested in 142 ReConnect projects that will bring high-speed internet access to 314,000 rural Americans.
Source: Fort Scott Biz

Ranson Financial2023-06-13T11:12:12-05:00June 13, 2023|News|

City of Leawood and two police officers dropped from lawsuit alleging excessive force

The City of Leawood and two of its police officers have been removed from a lawsuit that alleged police used excessive force against a woman seeking treatment at a local hospital. Muriel Martin, 76, of Kansas City, filed a federal lawsuit on May 19 in the U.S. Court for the District of Kansas. An amended complaint now names Saint Luke’s Health System as the sole defendant. “The lawsuit in its original form included false and damaging statements about the Leawood Police Department and its employees,” said Chief Dale Finger. “We responded immediately to these untrue allegations by bringing forward undisputable evidence proving otherwise.”
Source: KC Star Local News

Ranson Financial2023-06-13T19:06:05-05:00June 13, 2023|News|

Overland Park let people keep chickens in their backyards, and it was a clucking success

As the program approaches its ending date December 31, the city animal control department noted there have been no documented complaints on properties with chicken permits since the pilot began in March 2022. City councilmembers now will begin to consider whether to make the chicken rules permanent, as some members of the council’s Community Development Committee proposed at a meeting Wednesday. They also discussed reducing the quarter-acre minimum requirement or even dropping it altogether. Since the pilot program began, chicken ownership has proved popular for those smaller lots, said city planner Colin Victory. The city approved 31 of its 57 permit requests. Of those approved, 22 were for lots from a quarter to a half acre. All of the six denials were because the property didn’t meet the minimum size. Only four of the approved permits were south of Interstate 435.There have been some calls and letters requesting that the lot size requirements be reduced, and the animal control department officials said as small as a 0.2-acre minimum would be acceptable. Anything lower could cause problems with duplexes, officials said.
Source: KCUR News

Ranson Financial2023-06-13T19:06:17-05:00June 13, 2023|News|

Four mobile mental health teams will soon be responding to 911 crisis calls in Wichita

Mental health professionals will soon be embedded in the Wichita Police Department to respond to 911 calls, providing face-to-face help for people in crisis, rather than relying on officers who may or may not be trained to do that. At least one of four teams will be on call seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. — when first responders say they receive the most mental health-related calls — and the clinicians can be deployed with officers or called to the scene after contact is made. “It’s an exciting time because we’re really looking at treating the person who’s in crisis where they’re at so we’re able to manage mental health-related calls and get people connected quickly to care at the time of crisis,” said Jennifer Wilson, Sedgwick County Comcare’s director of crisis services. The development of a 24/7 mobile mental health response system was one of 58 recommendations put forward by the task force charged with addressing systemic failures that contributed to 17-year-old Cedric Lofton’s death in 2021. Police responded to a crisis call about Lofton, then took him to a juvenile detention facility where he was fatally restrained. Source: KLC Journal

Ranson Financial2023-06-13T10:55:44-05:00June 13, 2023|News|

Hutchinson Airport, council, community weigh in on future plans

After obtaining a long report from a consultant, the Hutchinson Airport is getting ready to grow. On Tuesday evening, the city council, airport stakeholders and the community met to brainstorm on next plans for the airport. Lindsey Dreiling, who most recently served as deputy director of aviation and unmanned aircraft systems for the Kansas Department of Transportation and is currently the aviation director at Kansas State University Polytechnic, led the meeting, using engaging activities and to-the-point commentary as well as question and answer sessions. Through a series of questions and activities, stakeholders, employees, councilmembers and community members realized maintenance, hangars (where planes are housed) and more businesses − namely maintenance and repair − are top priorities.
Source: Hutch News

Ranson Financial2023-06-11T16:35:28-05:00June 11, 2023|News|

Pittsburg celebrates annual 620 Day

The City of Pittsburg’s Downtown Advisory Board (DAB) is inviting the community to celebrate 620 Day with an All-Day City-wide Celebration and a Downtown Block Party. The idea of 620 Day (or June 20) comes from Pittsburg’s area code. The purpose of this annual event is to cultivate pride and celebrate the Pittsburg community.

Source: City of Pittsburg

Ranson Financial2023-06-09T08:44:50-05:00June 9, 2023|News|

City of Great Bend and Barton County agree to share projects

Members of the Great Bend City Council and the Barton County Commission crowded in the cramped first floor Barton County Courthouse conference room for their third joint session Thursday evening. During what has become an annual event, the elected representatives and other city and county officials shared thoughts and concerns, and brainstormed ideas. They also teased one another while noting the value of this new-found spirit of cooperation between the two entities.
Source: Great Bend Tribune

Ranson Financial2023-06-09T08:43:48-05:00June 9, 2023|News|

Debate over stone bridges continues

Discussion continues on whether two stone bridges in Cowley County should be preserved or replaced, with a local resident who works near one of the bridges saying there might be more support for replacement. At their May 16 meeting, county commissioners approved applications for two grants through the State of Kansas that, if awarded, would be used to replace the Esch Spur/Pudden Bridge on 232nd Road over Grouse Creek, which was closed in 2016 due to structural failure, and the bridge over Rock Creek, one half-mile north and 1.6 miles east of Rock. If awarded, the grants would be used to replace two closed stone arch bridges with modern structures. Supporters of the bridges have said they should be allowed to stand, possibly with modern bridges built alongside, in the name of historical preservation. However, a resident who works on land adjacent to one of the bridges said he supports replacement because the bridge is in disrepair and adds miles to his daily drive. Jon Johnson, who farms and ranches on either side of the Esch Spur/Pudden Bridge, told the CourierTraveler in an email that there might be more desire to replace the bridges instead of preserve them, especially from people who live and work in the surrounding communities.

Source: Cowley CourierTraveler

Ranson Financial2023-06-09T08:39:46-05:00June 9, 2023|News|

About Ranson Financial

Johnson County is recruiting gardeners to help prevent flooding

City of Derby announces land donation for senior services

Affordable High Speed Internet Project Coming to Bourbon County

City of Leawood and two police officers dropped from lawsuit alleging excessive force

Overland Park let people keep chickens in their backyards, and it was a clucking success

Four mobile mental health teams will soon be responding to 911 crisis calls in Wichita

Hutchinson Airport, council, community weigh in on future plans

Pittsburg celebrates annual 620 Day

City of Great Bend and Barton County agree to share projects

Debate over stone bridges continues

Services

Company