info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

SE Kansas Mining History preserved through donations

info2022-10-30T22:10:41-05:00October 30th, 2022|

Kansas Tourism announced this week that Miners Hall Museum will receive $337,500 to help preserve an important piece of SE Kansas Coal Mining History. The grant goes toward relocating and renovating a Page 618 Walking Dragline, which is a unique piece of coal mining machinery that was used to dig for coal in Cherokee County. This is only one of eighteen Page 618 Walking Draglines ever built and only one of two Page 618s still in existence. It will be the largest walking dragline preserved for public display in the U.S., and is the only restorable walking dragline of its kind known [...]

Downtown Pittsburg art district designation will open doors for new projects

info2022-10-30T22:09:38-05:00October 30th, 2022|

There's already a lot of public art in Downtown Pittsburg, and more of it is now on the way. Earlier this week, the Pittsburg City Commission gave its blessing to the creation of an arts district in the downtown area. Crista Cunningham is the president of the Pittsburg Artwalk Association, the group that has been pursuing the idea for the last year. She says the new designation will pave the way for even more public art in that part of town. "To hopefully enhance what's already happening, so if there's a way for those business owners to get grants using that [...]

Erie has best small library in state

info2022-10-30T22:08:54-05:00October 30th, 2022|

The Erie City Public Library has been named the Kansas Library Association’s Best Small Library in Kansas. Erie Library Director Julie Kent ... said she kind of just fell into doing the seed library. “When this whole thing started, when I got the grant for the greenhouse two or three years ago from the county, in my grant, I put in $50 for seeds.” She happened to find a five-gallon bucket of seeds on sale at Tractor Supply for $20. Then she thought she could probably get donations of seeds if she asked. She reached out to Baker Creek Seeds and [...]

Mobile library unveiled in Goddard

info2022-10-30T22:04:32-05:00October 30th, 2022|

On Oct. 17, the Goddard Public Library officially unveiled its new mobile library. The converted recreational vehicle will help the library expand its outreach. “We do a ton of outreach in the area,” said library director April Hernandez. The library does outreach activities through the Goddard School District, not just in the city itself. Hernandez said the mobile library will make it much easier to perform those services. The library has loads of crates and other items that previously needed to be loaded and unloaded for each event. Staff members thought it would be good to have a dedicated vehicle. Source: [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for October 28, 2022

info2022-10-30T08:44:05-05:00October 30th, 2022|

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS "investment grade" yields. Every issuer's credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.

Enforcing fowl in Hutchinson: What to do with chickens

info2022-10-30T08:38:50-05:00October 30th, 2022|

Holly Wright first thought about raising chickens when food prices started to go up during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She researched for several months before investing in them, she said, since it required building a coop and run, and buying feed, and then she and her husband started their flock in their yard on East Second Avenue. A few months ago, she spotted a story about the city discussing changes in a city ordinance related to the birds after Councilwoman Sara Bagwell asked for a review to allow larger backyard flocks. Source: Hutch News

Maple Hill city council opposes closure of Maple Hill Elementary under USD 329 bond proposal

info2022-10-28T12:55:36-05:00October 28th, 2022|

The Maple Hill City Council is opposing a plan from USD 329 Wabaunsee to close Maple Hill Elementary School as part of a multimillion-dollar bond issue on the Nov. 8 ballot. City council members approved a resolution at their Oct. 10 meeting that states the council is “unanimously opposed to any effort” of the USD 329 school board to close Maple Hill Elementary, as district officials look to consolidate all facilities into one central campus. The resolution states in part that the city council believes a pre-K-through-fifth-grade attendance center is “a vital attribute” in attracting new residents to town and developing [...]

Doggone project soon gone: Pet owners in Overland Park will receive permanent tags

info2022-10-28T12:54:57-05:00October 28th, 2022|

If you own a pet, you know the drill. You properly license the dog or cat before receiving a tag that’s good for one year. That’s the easy part. Then comes the epic struggle to replace the old tag with the new one on the animal’s collar. It may take pliers or fingernails of steel, if you can get the dang things to move at all. But with a new licensing procedure that will take effect in January, Overland Park hopes fewer people will be growling in frustration. And the city will save some money, too. Source: Joco 913 News

Kansas history tied to railroad development

info2022-10-28T12:44:13-05:00October 28th, 2022|

In territorial Kansas, a fifth of all land was granted to railroad companies. The grants shaped settlements and business development in the state. Leo Oliva of Woodston talked about the railroad’s impact on Kansas development at a program last week at Marion City Library. Railroad companies chose where to lay tracks and sold land close to tracks at higher prices and land farther out at lower prices. Source: PEABODY Gazette-Bulletin

Prairie Village to take single-family districts out of housing discussion

info2022-10-28T12:43:33-05:00October 28th, 2022|

Single-family housing districts in Prairie Village have been temporarily removed from the conversation on the city’s housing recommendations. Moving forward, the city’s discussion is now narrowed down to focus on commercial, multifamily and mixed-use districts. This takes any consideration of multifamily housing within single-family housing districts — one of the most controversial aspects of a special task force’s recommendations — out of the equation for now, unless attainable housing cannot be addressed otherwise, per a planning commission work session on Tuesday. Source: Prairie Village Post

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