info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

12 Kansas towns, cities to receive $5M in federal funds in road safety grants

info2023-02-10T11:40:53-06:00February 10th, 2023|

A dozen communities in Kansas are slated to receive federal funds to help improve road safety. Gov. Laura Kelly's office announced that a total of $5 million in federal dollars will be distributed among 12 Kansas communities through the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. This program aims to create local transportation safety plans to identify and address transportation safety concerns. State funding through the new Kansas SS4A match pilot program will contribute to the local match as required of grant recipients. The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) sent 22 letters of support for the first round [...]

Lights, cameras … Kansas? State may revive tax credit, despite effectiveness concern

info2023-02-09T07:53:33-06:00February 9th, 2023|

On paper, Kevin Willmott and Hallmark movies are about as different as can be. Willmott, a Kansas native and professor of film at the University of Kansas, won an Academy Award for his writing of the movie "BlacKkKlansman." Hallmark Media, based within shouting distance of Kansas in Kansas City, has become infamous for its escapist, romantic comedy romps, often set in cozy, snowy small towns. But both are united in support for Kansas reinstating a tax credit for TV and film productions, a move that supporters say is necessary to reignite the industry in the state. Source: CJonline

Finney County approves RFP for future tourism facilities, venues

info2023-02-09T07:52:34-06:00February 9th, 2023|

The Finney County Commission approved a facilities/venues audit and assessment RFP ... with the goal to create a “long-term roadmap for future tourism product development and program enhancements that reflect Finney County’s unique needs, make up, values and existing assets that make it an active and enticing destination for both residents and visitors." ... Commissioner Lon Pishny said the proposal was a yearlong project that he initiated with an unofficial ad-hoc task force with the stakeholders of the county such as the city of Garden City, city of Holcomb, Garden City Community College, USD 457, USD 363, Finney County Economic Development [...]

USD 253 Board of Education pauses discussion of four-day school week

info2023-02-09T07:48:53-06:00February 9th, 2023|

The USD 253 Board of Education is not moving forward with the consideration of a four-day school, five-day work week after reviewing the potential calendar change at its meeting Wednesday evening. Board members agreed Wednesday to set aside preliminary discussions of the revised week, after agreeing that the strategy did not seem like a fit for the district. According to Superintendent Dr. Allison Anderson-Harder, the request came from Thought Box input, informal feedback and responses on the 2024-2025 calendar priorities survey. Anderson-Harder said the presentation of the revised week was designed to “present a neutral foundation of the topic,” to gauge [...]

Will Kansas crack down on Missouri weed?

info2023-02-09T07:48:31-06:00February 9th, 2023|

Kansas and Missouri have a long and colorful history when it comes to crossing state lines for the enjoyment of vices. Most of it has involved liquor and the states’ differing laws. Last year, with Kansas legalizing sports betting, Missourians had to start flocking west to gamble. Now we enter a new era, with recreational marijuana becoming legal in Missouri while all marijuana, including medicinal, is outlawed in Kansas.... Area law-enforcement officials on the Kansas side have said they will continue enforcing marijuana laws just as they always have. That means it won’t matter if your cannabis was obtained legally in [...]

‘Choose Topeka’ expands to accept returning residents, military

info2023-02-09T07:47:36-06:00February 9th, 2023|

City and county leaders are working together to ensure those who currently live outside Topeka see it as a place they might want to call home. The "Choose Topeka," program offers financial incentives to people who relocate to Topeka. Since 2019, it's helped bring almost 100 individuals and families to the Capital City. On Wednesday, the Topeka and Shawnee County Joint Economic Development Organization (JEDO) approved "Choose Topeka 2.0." Members of JEDO approved almost $400,000 from the CarryFoward fund to fund the incentive. The program will now open its applicant pool to former Topeka residents want to return and exiting military [...]

Return of passenger trains to Cowley County lurches forward

info2023-02-09T07:47:07-06:00February 9th, 2023|

Kansans might be riding trains to Texas in the near future. The long overdue return of passenger rail service to south-central Kansas has a much better chance of happening within the next several years than it has had in decades. A big incentive to extend and improve passenger rail service is the availability of billions of dollars in federal funding to be distributed nationwide during the next five years, it was reported at a legislative caucus in Topeka last week. That’s good news to Cowley County passenger rail proponents, who have organized to advocate the return of Amtrak for well over [...]

Communities talk rural health

info2023-02-09T07:46:32-06:00February 9th, 2023|

The inaugural sessions of the Radcliff Lecture Series on Rural Health took place on Thursday at the Physicians Pavilion in Winfield and on Friday at Aunt B’s in Sedan. Hosted by William Newton Healthcare Foundation in conjunction with the Beats Go On community wellness initiative, Dr. Nancy W. Dickey, executive director of the Center for Optimizing Rural Health, spoke to more than 100 attendees on the importance of different entities working together to bolster access to health and wellness resources in rural areas. “If you’re not growing and changing, you’re dying,” emphasized Dickey during Thursday’s presentation. Source: The Arkansas City Traveler

Fed Governor Christopher Waller warns that interest rates could go higher than expectations

info2023-02-09T07:22:40-06:00February 9th, 2023|

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller on Wednesday talked tough on inflation, warning that the fight is not over and could result in higher interest rates than markets are anticipating. Speaking to an agribusiness conference in Arkansas, Waller said the January jobs report, showing nonfarm payroll growth of 517,000, indicated that the employment market is “robust” and could fuel consumer spending that would maintain upward pressure on inflation. Consequently, he said the Fed needs to maintain its current plan of action, which has seen eight interest rate hikes since March 2022. “We are seeing that effort begin to pay off, but we [...]

Washington’s Old City Hall is ‘for sale’

info2023-02-09T00:08:44-06:00February 9th, 2023|

The old city hall building in Washington could be yours for free, but only if you have a plan for the building. At Monday night’s city council meeting, council members agreed to attempt to give the building away one more time. It was said that multiple previous attempts to give the building away have been unsuccessful. The council is now planning to demolish the building this year if someone doesn’t take the building. The council is preliminarily planning to allocate all of this year’s money for housing demolition to take down the old city hall building. Council member Theresa Herrs said [...]

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