info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Norton County Hospital says rumors of closing are just rumors

info2023-03-30T07:08:47-05:00March 30th, 2023|

Norton County Hospital (NCH) says rumors in the community that they are closing are absolutely false. In a news release to KSN, the hospital board president and its CEO said that although the board did receive a January financial report that showed the previous year had been a bad year financially for the hospital, the same has been true for rural hospitals across the country. They say the board is committed to making financially responsible decisions that preserve the hospital. Source: KSN-TV

Effort to block cities, counties from recouping lost sales tax fails

info2023-03-30T07:07:39-05:00March 30th, 2023|

The Kansas Senate on Tuesday rejected a plan from Republican leadership designed to prevent local governments from increasing property taxes to backfill lost sales tax revenue from a separate GOP bill. The Senate last month passed a plan to exempt food from both state and local sales taxes, which would have cut an estimated $180 million a year from local government revenue. Officials warned that the only option for local governments wishing to maintain the same level of services would be to raise property taxes. In an effort to prevent property tax increases, Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, followed up with [...]

Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment – Local City and County Meeting Invite

info2023-03-30T08:28:19-05:00March 29th, 2023|

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is developing a Vulnerable Road User (VRU) Safety Assessment to plan for improved safety for people walking and biking on all public roads in Kansas. This assessment will be conducted in compliance with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) guidance memorandum dated October 21, 2022, which states: The purpose of this memorandum is to provide background and guidance to clarify the requirements for the Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment as described in 23 U.S.C. 148(l), as amended by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (Pub. L. 117-58, also known as the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” (BIL)). [...]

KU Will Offer Redesigned, Remote Training For Volunteer Fire Officers In Kansas

info2023-03-29T10:21:28-05:00March 29th, 2023|

The University of Kansas Achievement & Assessment Institute’s Center for Certification & Competency-Based Education (C3Be) has partnered with KU's Kansas Fire & Rescue Training Institute (KFRTI) to develop a new volunteer fire officer training course through the adoption of a competency-based instructional and authentic assessment model. Set to launch in early April, the redesign will make the course more accessible to volunteer firefighters across the state of Kansas, including those in rural communities, and will improve leadership at all ranks. KFRTI provides science-driven training and credentialing for fire and emergency services personnel. Courses are comprehensive, designed for entry-level firefighters through executive [...]

Newton School District cancels school as it victim of “network security incident”

info2023-03-29T07:59:29-05:00March 29th, 2023|

The Newton School District will not have school Wednesday, as it is experiencing a district-wide Internet outage. It was out of Internet on Tuesday. “Upon further investigation, we have learned that it is a network security incident,” a district release stated. “We have been working with external information technology experts to conduct a detailed technical investigation into the incident. We have also notified law enforcement. Please remember that our investigation is in its earliest stages and is still ongoing.” The release stated, out of an abundance of caution, the district will remain offline until it’s confident it can safely bring its [...]

Harvey County trying new technique to solve cracking on Halstead Road

info2023-03-29T07:56:55-05:00March 29th, 2023|

Harvey County Road and Bridge Superintendent Jim Meier said the county would be trying a new technique this summer for a vexing problem that has resurfaced again and again – how to keep cracks from returning on Halstead Road. Meier said the six-mile stretch between Southwest 36th Street to the county line had a history of lateral cracking in a relatively short period, especially compared to other roads. He said the cracks that appeared were wider than those that appeared on other road projects. That allows more water to penetrate the surface and new paving material. He said the water seeped [...]

Kansas Senate moves ahead with bill limiting train length, parking distance from crossings

info2023-03-29T00:53:41-05:00March 29th, 2023|

Sen. Carolyn McGinn has found herself on the wrong side of the track as idling freight trains miles long blocked crossings in her home community of Sedgwick. It’s more than an inconvenience to local residents, the Republican said, because motionless trains also presented life-safety hazards. Not everyone has patience to wait out the delay, she said. “In one situation,” McGinn said, “it was 20 degrees out and the kids were trying to get home from school. They started crawling underneath the boxcars to get home. Very dangerous situation.” Source: Kansas Reflector

This Johnson County suburb was named the most pickleball-obsessed city in the country

info2023-03-29T00:52:35-05:00March 29th, 2023|

Betting and gambling site Offer.bet analyzed Google searches around the country to find out which city was the most obsessed with Pickleball. It named Overland Park because of internet search patterns in the city, and the abundance of venues dedicated to pickleball. Overland Park ranked number one over cities like Salt Lake City, Grand Rapids, Michigan and Tempe, Arizona. St. Louis also made the list coming in at 26 out of 50 cities. Pickleball was created nearly 60 years ago, after three men tried to improvise a game of badminton and wound up inventing a brand new paddle sport. Source: KC [...]

Wichita police to test new Tasers and virtual reality, consider expanding body cam use

info2023-03-29T07:57:36-05:00March 29th, 2023|

Wichita police are wanting to test a virtual reality training simulator and a new Taser, with plans to implement them department-wide if the tests are successful. Officials from Arizona-based Axon Enterprise were in Wichita on Tuesday presenting its products to the department’s highest-ranking officers. Police Chief Joseph Sullivan said the new Taser 10 is safer for both officers and the suspect and the virtual reality would cut down on taking officers off the street for long periods of time for training. Sullivan said they use the current Taser “pretty frequently.” Source: Wichita Eagle

Tricia Reiser hired as new Winfield USD 465 superintendent

info2023-03-29T07:58:04-05:00March 29th, 2023|

Tricia Reiser, assistant superintendent at Great Bend USD 428, has been hired as the new superintendent at Winfield USD 465, the Winfield board of education announced Tuesday morning. Reiser was one of five candidates interviewed for the position last week. She will replace current USD 465 superintendent Nathan Reed, who has accepted a job in the Wichita area. Reiser will begin working here on July 1. Source: The Arkansas City Traveler

About info