info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Democracy, Civility, and Rural America: An ICMA blog post by Russell city manager Jon Quinday

info2022-11-27T22:00:14-06:00November 27th, 2022|

While often referred to as flyover states, rural America can be the calm and example for “of the people, by the people, for the people.” ... We often hear of rural decline, which is true in some areas but not all in the rural Midwest. Listen to the conversations; some folks believe that rural decline is inevitable, with the belief that as older generations age and pass on, the younger generations are moving to big cities. In some instances, this is true. Take a closer look, and you see the younger generations returning to rural Kansas. Whatever their reason, it is [...]

Saline County signs mental health responders program into action

info2022-11-24T22:20:23-06:00November 22nd, 2022|

A new program will go into effect after final county approval Tuesday, allowing for mental health co-responders to assist local law enforcement on calls which involve or potentially involve subjects in need of mental health services. The move comes at a time where similar programs are gaining popularity nationwide, and as policing methods adapt to those trends. ... “Saline County has been looking at this program for a while and when the ARPA funding became available, this is one of the things that we wanted to target,” County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes said. Source: Salina Journal

Fixed cameras that read license plates are coming to Salina

info2022-11-24T22:20:41-06:00November 22nd, 2022|

Nearly two dozen cameras with the ability to scan license plates will soon be installed across the city after the Salina City Commission approved a request from the police department. The unanimous action by the commission means that the city will enter into a three-year agreement with Flock Safety for the installation and leasing of 22 fixed automatic license plate readers (ALPR). Sean Morton, interim chief for the Salina Police Department, said ALPRs, which can alert law enforcement to vehicles of interest, are not a new technology for the department, which bought two mobile readers in 2015. Source: Salina Journal

Hidden History: Superior townsite fades away with founder’s Kansas dreams

info2022-11-22T11:23:33-06:00November 22nd, 2022|

The very first attempt at a settlement in what is now Osage County was called Council City. But Council City had a problem. The settlement company that funded and planned it was disorganized, and no one could quite decide where the best location should be – or even if it should be called Council City! After multiple attempts at establishing a location, in an area that covered nearly half a township between Switzler and Dragoon creeks, principal settlement seemed to find a resting place at approximately where Burlingame is today. At the head of the Council City enterprise in the earliest [...]

Andover tornado recovery drags on amid supply chain, labor issues

info2022-11-22T11:23:03-06:00November 22nd, 2022|

Supply chain delays and labor shortages have dragged out recovery in Andover after an EF-3 tornado tore through the area on April 29. "It was about the worst time in terms of lead times," said Justin Smith of Smith Builders, who's in the process of rebuilding 11 homes in the Reflection Lakes neighborhood. On the ground for 21 minutes, the tornado damaged roughly 300 to 400 structures in portions of Sedgwick and Butler counties and injured four people, officials have said. But recent headwinds in the construction industry have posed challenges for homeowners and businesses wanting to rebuild. Source: Wichita Business [...]

Douglas County invites community to discuss process to move to 5 commission districts

info2022-11-22T09:07:35-06:00November 22nd, 2022|

Douglas County leaders will hold a community meeting to discuss the process of moving to five commissioner districts. Voters in the Nov. 8 election voted roughly 61% to 39% to add two additional commissioner districts to the current three. During the meeting, “County Clerk Jamie Shew will provide an overview of the process for moving to five districts. There will be an opportunity for the public to weigh in on the districts during roundtable discussions at the meeting,” according to information from the county. “The Board of County Commissioners will adopt a resolution outlining the new districts before or on Jan. [...]

City of Lawrence reveals new logo as part of brand update process

info2022-11-22T09:05:13-06:00November 22nd, 2022|

he City of Lawrence has revealed its new logo as part of an ongoing update to the city’s brand and marketing strategies. The logo continues to use a symbol that represents both a flame and a phoenix, a reference to the city’s abolitionist roots and struggles against pro-slavery factions leading up to the Civil War, but with some updates. City spokesperson Maureen Brady said that public input sessions showed that the community had a strong connection to the flame and phoenix logo, so the design was refreshed rather than created anew. Source: LJWorld

Fed’s Mester wants more progress on inflation before ending interest rate hikes

info2022-11-22T01:53:40-06:00November 22nd, 2022|

Cleveland Federal Reserve President Loretta Mester said Monday inflation will need to show more signs of progress before she's ready to stop advocating for interest rate increases. While acknowledging that recent data has been encouraging, the central bank official told CNBC that the progress is only a start. "We're going to have more work to do, because we need to see inflation really on a sustainable downward path back to 2%," she said in a live "Closing Bell" interview with Sara Eisen. "We've had some good news on the inflation front, but we need to see more good news and sustained [...]

Former Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay Announces Intention to Sue the City of Wichita

info2022-11-22T01:52:12-06:00November 22nd, 2022|

Former Wichita Police Dept. Chief Gordon Ramsay is intending to sue the City of Wichita. A notice was released on Monday, November 21st from Wichita Attorney James Thompson in which Ramsay accuses city leaders of undermining him in police investigations and discipline, as well as defamation and corruption. Wichita City Manager Robert Layton and City of Wichita Human Resources Director Chris Bezruki were directly named in the notice. Ramsay alleges an “inappropriate relationship” between Bezruki and the Fraternal Order of Police. Also alleged is that both Layton and Bezruki covered up misconduct and lied about their knowledge of incidents involving several [...]

Sedgwick is looking for alternatives to the current internet service

info2022-11-22T10:49:21-06:00November 22nd, 2022|

Sedgwick council member Brenda DeHaven said she had Cox Communications service outage update placed on last week’s agenda so people know it’s an issue the council is aware of and that they’re trying to think of solutions. She said that everyone’s Cox service that she knows is having issues. “It’s spotty. It’ll go out. Sometimes we have to reboot,” DeHaven said. “It’s been for months. And they always say we are aware there’s an issue in your area. That’s their excuse you get every time.” She asked about City Hall’s service and City Clerk Janise Enterkin said the phones have been [...]

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