info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Overland Park unveils new police transparency webpage

info2022-12-08T08:38:59-06:00December 8th, 2022|

An Overland Park mother is applauding the city’s efforts at bringing more transparency to its police department. The Overland Park Police Department last week unveiled a new “police transparency” webpage that includes information, links and policies that aim to more openly define the department’s processes and current measures in place to hold officers accountable. The page has earned the praise of Sheila Albers, a leading advocate for police transparency, whose son John was shot and killed by an Overland Park police officer in 2018. Source: Prairie Village Post

Prairie Village to discuss attainable housing again in early 2023

info2022-12-08T08:39:25-06:00December 8th, 2022|

Prairie Village city leaders will meet early next year to again discuss the city’s controversial housing recommendations. The planning commission and city council will meet in a joint session sometime early in 2023, in part, to gauge the council’s support for potentially using public tax incentives to encourage the development of more attainable “missing middle” housing, like townhomes and duplexes, in parts of the city. Source: Prairie Village Post

Wichita wants to incentivize landlords to provide low-income rentals

info2022-12-08T01:12:57-06:00December 8th, 2022|

The city of Wichita plans to incentivize landlords to rent units to low-income residents who receive rental assistance. On Tuesday, Wichita's City Council voted to support the new program with $250,000 from the city's allocation of American Rescue Plan Act funding. The program is in response to rising rental rates in Wichita, as well as several recent major sales to new out-of-state property owners who have decided not to accept housing choice vouchers, a form of rental assistance for low-income people and families, formerly Section 8. The city says it is often presumed that housing choice tenants are more likely to [...]

Ashland School District cancels school Thursday due to illness

info2022-12-08T08:40:41-06:00December 8th, 2022|

The Ashland School District has canceled school on Thursday, Dec. 8, due to a high number of illnesses among its students and staff. The district is also canceling all school-sponsored activities and practices, and all buildings will be closed. The junior high basketball game scheduled for Thursday will be rescheduled. A new date has not yet been set. "We anticipate still playing High School basketball on Friday," says the district. Source: KSN-TV

Hays USD 489 committee looks at new logos but still split on Indian mascot

info2022-12-07T11:24:48-06:00December 7th, 2022|

A rebranding committee is still split on the potentially offensive nature of Hays High School's Indian mascot. The Hays USD 489 school district rebranding committee met for the first time on Monday night. The school district conducted a survey and found a majority of respondents wanted to keep the Indian mascot. However, at a community meeting on Nov. 15 and at the rebranding meeting Monday, some community members said they believe the high school mascot should be changed. Source: Hays Post

Recycling future at risk: Shawnee County eyes rising costs in weighing program’s fate

info2022-12-07T07:06:25-06:00December 7th, 2022|

Shawnee County would greatly extend the lifespan of its Rolling Meadows Landfill by offering curbside recycling, county commissioners were told in 2012 as they prepared to establish that program. But nearly a decade later, that landfill’s life expectancy has risen by only four months, commissioners learned last month from Bill Sutton, director of the county’s solid waste department. Meanwhile, the cost of offering curbside recycling has risen to the point where it is increasingly impractical for government entities. Source: CJonline

Hutchinson City Council OKs new hotel and hires city manager

info2022-12-07T07:01:57-06:00December 7th, 2022|

Hutchinson City Council approved both a new city manager and a new hotel during Tuesday's meeting. Kendal Francis, who is currently the city administrator of Great Bend, will begin work in Hutchinson in January. Francis started in Great Bend in mid-2018. Francis also served as city manager in Coffeyville. He is a graduate of Kansas State University, having a bachelor's and master's degree from the school. ... "We're going to roll up our sleeves and we'll get to work soon," Francis, a Kansas native told the commissioners. Source: Hutch News

City Council approves new contract for Wichita firefighters

info2022-12-07T01:30:47-06:00December 7th, 2022|

Wichita City Council members voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a new three-year contract for the city’s firefighters. The contract will provide for a general pay increase of 9 percent along with merit-based step increases. There will also be pay increases for medical certification, among a number of other provisions. Ted Bush, president of Local 135 of the International Association of Firefighters, said the contract will provide a much-needed sense of security and stability to the union members. He said it will be life-changing for firefighters and their families and it will make Wichita one of the best cities in the country [...]

City input session planned regarding future Aggieville projects

info2022-12-07T07:12:41-06:00December 7th, 2022|

A public input session is planned by Manhattan city officials next week regarding the upcoming Aggieville streetscape projects. City officials are working with design consultants on plans for the next infrastructure phases to improve streets, sidewalks, landscaping and amenities in Aggieville, along with lighting and other underground utilities. Upcoming projects include 12th Street improvements from Laramie to Moro Streets, Laramie Street from 11th to North Manhattan Ave. and the pedestrian path between Rally House and Goodcents, north of the parking garage. Source: 1350 KMAN

People Are Leaving Kansas in Droves

info2022-12-07T01:25:41-06:00December 7th, 2022|

Across the country, hundreds of thousands of companies have established remote work policies in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. No longer bound to an office, millions of Americans are now free to relocate without having to consider proximity to their employer - and some clear trends are emerging. A recent study from moving services company United Van Lines showed that in some parts of the country, far more people are leaving than are moving in. According to the United Van Lines study, there were 2,741 moves to or from Kansas in 2021. Of those moves, 56% were outbound - the [...]

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