info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Wichita city council members move to make downtown traffic safer, more pedestrian friendly

info2023-02-08T00:02:21-06:00February 8th, 2023|

City council members in Wichita moved to make downtown traffic safer and more pedestrian-friendly on Tuesday. "That's the goal," said Council Member Jeff Blubaugh. "There's going to be more livability downtown, so we've got to be able to ensure that we are providing the safest route." Council approved $460,000 to get started on a project to make changes to roadways off Douglas Avenue downtown. Areas like Topeka and Main could eventually change from one-way traffic to two-way near 1st and 2nd streets with the plan. Source: KSN-TV

Newton rolls out business registry

info2023-02-07T16:08:31-06:00February 7th, 2023|

Newton businesses will receive a letter and information in the coming days about the City’s new Newton Business Registry. The purpose of the registry is to streamline local businesses’ administrative work with the City by establishing a single record of contact information and licensing and permit needs. For example, this registry would have been extremely helpful in recent years as the City was rolling out information about COVID-relief grants available to businesses. There is no fee for the registration, and it is not mandatory to operate a business in Newton. Source: City of Newton

Leawood combating antisemitism in wake of recent hate crimes

info2023-02-07T13:04:05-06:00February 7th, 2023|

Leawood took formal steps to combat antisemitism this week, following at least two incidents at Johnson County schools involving racist and antisemitic language. The Leawood City Council on Monday adopted a resolution aimed at defining antisemitism and developing educational tools that address it. While the measure does not legally compel people to obey any new law, city leaders noted Leawood is the first in Johnson County to pass such a measure in support of the Jewish community. Source: Shawnee Mission Post

Prairie Village leaves housing recommendations largely intact

info2023-02-07T13:03:34-06:00February 7th, 2023|

The Prairie Village City Council opted to leave the city’s controversial housing recommendations largely intact following a lengthy discussion over proposed amendments Monday night. Two councilmembers proposed a motion that would have modified the most hotly contested recommendation, which encourages the city to explore “attainable housing” options across the city, including in single-family housing districts. Ultimately, the city council, after hours of public comments from both supporters and opponents of the recommendations, kept their wording mostly untouched. Source: Shawnee Mission Post

Lenexa offering up to $5K in city funds for home repairs

info2023-02-07T13:02:51-06:00February 7th, 2023|

Some homes in Lenexa may be eligible for the expanded Exterior Grant Program, which offers money for residents looking to improve or repair their houses. Lenexa is putting up more money in 2023 for its annual grant program designed to help residents in older homes maintain their properties. “It encourages homeowners who obviously have older homes in our community to make exterior or neighborhood benefiting upgrades or repairs to their homes,” Angel Whitaker, Lenexa’s community standards supervisor, said. Source: Shawnee Mission Post

Plans in works for celebration mural celebrating Winfield’s 150th birthday

info2023-02-07T12:54:55-06:00February 7th, 2023|

Plans are under way to paint a mural celebrating Winfield’s 150th birthday, a project sponsored by the Winfield Arts and Humanities Council. The theme of the mural is “The Building Blocks of Winfield,” WAHC director Cheri Kindt-Gonzalez told the CourierTraveler. It will be painted on the north-facing wall of Home Lumber and Supply Co., at 1201 Main St. The mural will reflect the values, occupations, recreational activities and significant events that are part of Winfield’s heritage and have shaped its culture. Source: Cowley CourierTraveler

Fed’s Kashkari says strong jobs data show need for more hikes

info2023-02-07T12:48:38-06:00February 7th, 2023|

Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari said Tuesday that explosive jobs growth in January is evidence that the central bank has more work to do when it comes to taming inflation. That means continuing to hike interest rates, as he sees a likelihood that the Fed’s benchmark borrowing rate should rise to 5.4% from its current target range of 4.5%-4.75%. “We have a job to do. We know that raising rates can put a lid on inflation,” Kashkari told CNBC during a Tuesday morning interview on “Squawk Box.” “We need to raise rates aggressively to put a ceiling on inflation, then [...]

Making Ellsworth County bright with art

info2023-02-07T10:48:00-06:00February 7th, 2023|

Last summer, the Ellsworth County Economic Development received a $10,000 grant from the Kansas Office of Rural Prosperity and the Kansas Department of Commerce. The matching grant was used to create new murals and public art projects. Ellsworth County Economic Development Executive Director Stacie Schmidt said the funds completed three murals in the City of Ellsworth and one in the City of Holyrood. "Not only does it improve our aesthetics, we also think it draws attention to the businesses hosting those murals," said Schmidt. "It draws a little bit of a tourist component too. We wanted to make them for an [...]

Lawrence to hold public meetings about transitioning city’s fleet of 850 vehicles to environmental options

info2023-02-07T07:19:15-06:00February 7th, 2023|

The City of Lawrence will hold two public meetings this week to share information and gather input about the city’s plan to transition its fleet of vehicles to more environmental options. The Lawrence community is invited to attend “discovery session” presentations for the city fleet analysis process that will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, according to a city news release. The meetings will help the city develop a plan for combating transportation emissions and improving the environmental performance of the city’s vehicle fleet. Source: LJWorld

Proposed KPERS bond buyback program could save Kansas millions in interest

info2023-02-07T01:21:39-06:00February 7th, 2023|

A new finance bill would buy back bonds used to inject much-needed cash into the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System two years ago, potentially saving the state millions of dollars in future interest payments. The House Financial Institutions and Pensions Committee had a Monday hearing on House Bill 2102. The bill would allocate $250 million from the State General Fund to repurchase bonds issued two years ago under House Bill 2405. HB 2405 authorized the Kansas Development Finance Authority to issue bonds to pay off KPERS unfunded pension liabilities. The strategy was to lower the cost over a 30-year period, addressing a $6 billion [...]

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