info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Rural grocery stores are dying off. Here’s what some communities are doing to save them

info2023-03-27T08:28:21-05:00March 27th, 2023|

in many small towns, a grocery store is a thing of the past. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 76 counties nationwide are without a single grocery store, and 34 of those counties are in the Midwest and Great Plains. Rural communities have been losing population for decades making it harder for businesses to stay afloat, said Rial Carver, program leader for the Rural Grocery Initiative at Kansas State University. “So as small towns get smaller, that means fewer sales coming in the door for our grocery store,” Carver said. Big box stores and grocery [...]

Home rule again on chopping block

info2023-03-27T06:55:09-05:00March 26th, 2023|

Kansas is officially a Home Rule state. It has been since 1961, when an amendment to the Kansas state constitution officially declared that Kansas cities are “empowered to determine their local affairs…except when” such actions are “limited or prohibited” by an act of the state legislature. That’s an important acknowledgement of local democracy—or at least potentially so. In my observation over the years, though, our elected representatives in Topeka tend to pay far more attention to the “except when” clause, thus leading the principle of Home Rule to be observed more often in the breach than in fact. Source: Cowley CourierTraveler

County to apply for grant on behalf of SCK Health

info2023-03-26T23:53:53-05:00March 26th, 2023|

Cowley County commissioners agreed Tuesday to apply for a grant on behalf of SCK Health that, if awarded, could help the provider transition to the Rural Emergency Hospital designation. The State of Kansas has set aside $10 million for the Rural Hospital Innovation Grant program to help hospitals convert to the new REH designation in the next two years, according to a letter from SCK Health trustees. The grant requires counties to apply on behalf of the hospitals seeking funds, and is open to all rural counties in Kansas. The program is a 2:1 matching grant. SCK Health is requesting $1 [...]

AC hospital takes steps toward scaled down facility

info2023-03-26T23:52:41-05:00March 26th, 2023|

The SCK Health Board of Trustees in Arkansas City took a step toward becoming a Rural Emergency Hospital on Thursday, and also moved to officially close its obstetrics department. CEO Jeff Bowman said that after discussion about converting to a Rural Emergency Hospital, which provides more funding opportunities to the hospital, but limits hospital stays to 24 hours on average, more than half of the OB department resigned in that one week. Source: Cowley CourierTraveler

Gimme shelter: In wake of bank fail fallout, municipal bonds in demand

info2023-03-26T23:50:27-05:00March 26th, 2023|

Municipals finished out a nerve-wracking week on a strong note, with yields falling by as much as nine basis points on the short end while U.S. Treasuries strengthened and equities came under pressure. As holders of bank stocks headed for the exits and muni investors looked on nervously from the sidelines as the Federal Open Market Committee met this week, bonds have seen renewed interest as the idea of safety suddenly became uppermost in eyes of buyers one again. The muni market started off the week on a quiet note, with action subdued in both the primary and secondary ahead of [...]

Ruined beauty of Kansas: Ghost towns and buildings splinter under weight of time

info2023-03-27T07:01:20-05:00March 26th, 2023|

We first stopped by the unincorporated community of Miller, in Lyon County. Its post office had closed 65 years ago. On the main drag, a new fire department building sat on one side of the road, while an abandoned and overgrown former fire department building sat on the other side, a block away. My son and I, of course, looked over the abandoned one. On this March day, the gray undergrowth and blue sky lent the brick structure an austere kind of beauty. To the side of the building, you could glimpse this decayed sign, which suggested better times in the [...]

How small rural towns can access Inflation Reduction Act funding

info2023-03-26T23:45:57-05:00March 26th, 2023|

Rural towns and utilities could get funding for all kinds of projects through the federal Inflation Reduction Act — but experts say it will take dedicated community members stepping up to help make that happen. The act, passed in August, has money for rural development and energy infrastructure, as well as electric vehicle infrastructure and incentives. There are incentives for homeowners to make energy efficient improvements to their houses. Communities with coal plants or natural gas plants can repurpose those into cleaner energy sources. Source: KCUR News

Contentious Olathe apartment plan on Lenexa city line wins key approval

info2023-03-26T23:44:59-05:00March 26th, 2023|

The Woodland Forest apartment project near K-10 and Woodland Road near Olathe’s border with Lenexa is one step closer to reality. Earlier this week, a divided Olathe City Council voted 4-3 to approve a preliminary site development plan and attached rezoning request that will bring multifamily housing to the last leg of the Woodland Corridor area in that city. That area of Olathe, annexed in the late 1990s, was identified for conventional single-family neighborhoods and green space development in line with the Woodland Corridor Plan. Source: Prairie Village Post

Wichita Housing Authority Landlord Incentive Program provides bonuses to landlords

info2023-03-26T23:43:36-05:00March 26th, 2023|

The City of Wichita is working to get more people off the streets. That's why it launched the Landlord Incentive Program at the beginning of 2023. Sally Stang is the director of housing and community services for the City of Wichita. She says the problem isn't necessarily a lack of housing assistance vouchers but a lack of housing for people to use those vouchers. "Much of that was driven by the market," Stang said. "Rents have increased significantly, there was increased demand, landlords were choosing to take a market price tenant over an assisted tenant, less paperwork, etc." Source: KSN-TV

NLC Expands Support for Solar Energy Transition to 500 New Local Governments

info2023-03-26T23:41:50-05:00March 26th, 2023|

The National League of Cities (NLC) is expanding its support for solar energy transition at the local level through its partnership with SolSmart, a solar energy designation and no-cost technical assistance program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Since the program launched in 2016, SolSmart has helped hundreds of local governments and their residents save time and money by reducing the soft costs of going solar, which are the non-hardware costs that drive up the expense of installations. Source: NLC

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