A tradition that started over 50 years ago continues on this weekend in Baxter Springs. — Cowtown Days, which began in 1969. This year’s fun kicked off Friday evening and this morning started off with the annual parade. Over 150 vendors and food trucks gathered around the library grounds for families to browse. On top of that, there was live music, bounce houses, a car show — and much more.
Source: KSNF/KODE
A Topeka company is preparing to expand, thanks to a new incentive agreement. On Wednesday, Topeka and Shawnee County’s Joint Economic Development Organization (JEDO) board approved an incentive agreement with Global Grain. Global Grain announced plans to open in Shawnee County in 2018 with help from JEDO incentives. The company helps connect farmers in the region with opportunities to market and export their agricultural products. The Greater Topeka Partnership projects the expansion will bring an economic impact of more than $51 million to the area over the next 10 years. The expansion is expected to result in six new positions.
Source: KSNT 27 News
Residents of Gage Park and visitors to the Topeka Zoo can expect changes following the implementation of a new sales tax. The tax, which went into effect last month, is expected to generate about $8 million per year, with 20 cents of every $100 spent in Shawnee County going to Gage Park. A breakdown of the allocation of funds shows that 58% of the tax revenue will go towards the Topeka Zoo, 15% to the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center, 22% to the county for commissioners to decide on park improvements, and the last 5% to the Gage Park Improvement Authority.
Source: KSNT 27 News
The city of Osawatomie recently celebrated another completed mural project in the city. A ribbon-cutting took place April 27 for the newly finished “Bee the Good” mural at the Eighth Street levee wing walls by Art by Lynnsey. The event gave the city the opportunity to congratulate artist Lynnsey Fletcher and pay tribute to the mural, located near the historic Creamery Bridge. In a post on her Art by Lynnsey Facebook page, Fletcher said butterflies and wildflowers are always a perfect choice.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com
Improvements along Kansas Highway 7 may be necessary down the line to deal with increased traffic on Shawnee’s growing western side, but a new study of that major transportation corridor shows that its capacity is adequate for now. Specific areas to keep an eye on, according to a special presentation to the Shawnee City Council Monday, are around westbound 55th Street, westbound 67th Street, eastbound Shawnee Mission Parkway and stretches of K-7 itself. Those roads will need to be focused on as that part of the city continues to grow and be built out, Kurt Rotering, from Olsson Associates, said.
Source: Prairie Village Post
A local artist is hitting the streets of Galena, for her second community project in the last month. “I love Galena,” said Sandra Pemberton, local artist. It’s been a busy month for local artist Sandra Pemberton, as she’s wrapping up her second project in the Galena area, within the past month. Her last job was the train-themed mural inside of the “Galena Mining and History Museum”, which city organizers enjoyed so much, it left them wanting more. “We looked at it, and was like ‘that’s amazing’ and let’s look around here and see if there is somewhere else we can put one. And now, doing this one, there are a few other businesses in town that are going to have her freshen up signs or maybe do some more murals,” said Galena City Councilman Robert Laturner.
Source: KSNF/KODE
Inflation is still too high. That probably won’t lead Federal Reserve policy makers to raise rates when they meet next month, but unless inflation comes down significantly in the months ahead, Fed policy makers will lace up their boots and start hiking all over again. And maybe inflation will come down. The Labor Department on Wednesday said that the consumer-price index, its measure of consumer prices, rose 0.4% in April from March, putting it 4.9% above its year-earlier level. Core prices, which exclude food and energy items to better reflect inflation’s underlying trend, also rose 0.4%, and were up 5.5% from a year earlier. … There were some aspects of the inflation report that will please the Fed. It has been focusing on what has been termed supercore inflation—the change in services prices excluding energy and housing costs. This is because, first of all, services prices are more closely linked to U.S. wages, as opposed to prices for goods, which are more driven by global demand, and which have been whipsawed by supply-chain problems since the pandemic started.
Source: WSJ.com: Markets
As enrollment dwindles in the Hutchinson School District, the need for buildings decreases. But this year, the largest school district in Reno County is facing a new problem − not enough applicants to fill their 14 open teacher slots. Because of this dilemma, the USD 308 staff met with community members at McCandless, Faris and Lincoln elementary schools on Wednesday and Thursday to try to figure out a solution. They threw out all sorts of possibilities, including closing an elementary school. Hutchinson’s superintendent, Dawn Johnson, Ed.D., wants to keep the community involved in what is happening. She is proposing a special board meeting, where community members can speak, be held next Monday evening to focus on this topic.
Source: Hutch News
Providers of fiber internet will now have more options for where cable can be placed near homes in Salina after approval by the City Commission. During its meeting Monday, the commission approved a resolution to allow fiber optic cable to be placed in utility easements within the city in addition to the public right of way, which was already allowed. Assistant City Manager Shawn Henessee said a utility easement in Salina is typically located at the rear or side of a residence, whereas the right of way is typically located in front of a home. “The city has voluntarily allowed utilities, in the past, to access…the easement in the rear,” Henessee said. As more fiber providers are making their way to Salina, Henessee said the city has been looking at the issue of where fiber cable could be placed.
Source: Salina Journal
The City of Pittsburg Public Housing Authority (PHA) is one of 62 agencies chosen by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to receive housing vouchers to provide supportive services to those facing homelessness in rural communities. The Pittsburg Housing Authority was awarded five stability vouchers to assist individuals and families who are homeless, at-risk of homelessness, fleeing domestic violence, or were recently homeless. These vouchers are in addition to 15 Emergency Housing Vouchers issued to the PHA in July 2021.
Source: City of Pittsburg
200 W Douglas Ave, Suite 110
Wichita, KS 67202
(316) 264-3400
info@ransonfinancial.com
Registered municipal advisor with the MSRB and SEC
© 2026 Ranson Financial Group LLC. All rights reserved.
