info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Emporia Municipal Band plays Thursday

info2022-06-23T21:15:17-05:00June 23rd, 2022|

The Emporia Municipal Band invites the community to travel the world with music this week. The band hits the stage at Fremont Park at 8 p.m. Thursday. The theme is “Travel Around the World with EMB.” The musical offerings include “The Star Spangled Banner,” written by Francis Scott Key and arranged by John Philip Sousa; the “Orpheus Overture,” “Russian Sailors’ Dance,” “Festivo,” “At the Dixieland Jazz Funeral” and much more. The Emporia Municipal Band is currently in its 80th season. All concerts are free and open to the public. Source: Emporia Gazette

Muni yields fall on back of UST strength

info2022-06-24T06:36:05-05:00June 23rd, 2022|

Municipals outperformed (dropped in yield more than) moves in U.S. Treasuries Thursday, playing catch up to taxables' massive flight-to-safety rally that hit Wednesday, while equities ended in the black. Municipal triple-A yield curves saw up to 10 basis point bumps on the long end while UST saw yields fall four to eight basis points. Source: The Bond Buyer

Bentley residents cleaning up after storm

info2022-06-23T21:08:29-05:00June 23rd, 2022|

Bentley residents have been dealing with the aftermath of a severe storm Wednesday evening that hit the city with straight-line winds and golf-ball sized hail. Resident Doug Frazier spent several hours Thursday morning cleaning limbs up from his front yard on Devinshire Avenue. “I’ve got most of it down now,” he said. “I’ve got a few more limbs to trim off that [tree] there.” Two weeks ago, he’d cut down a large tree in his back yard, and he was thankful that was gone before the storm. “Otherwise I probably would have had more damage,” he said. Source: Harvey County Now

Kansas schools are poised to ditch class hours for real-world training as graduation requirements

info2022-06-23T21:04:10-05:00June 23rd, 2022|

For more than a century, Kansas students have earned credits — and, after enough of them, a high school diploma — based on how much time they spend in a classroom. The age-old “Carnegie unit” approach to education became the academic law of the land way back in 1906. And it stuck: One credit equals about 120 instructional hours in one subject. Kansas requires students to pass at least 21 credits to graduate from high school. But a group in charge of evaluating the state’s graduation requirements says that classroom time makes for a poor yardstick for measuring learning. So it [...]

Nickerson aims to revitalize the high school library

info2022-06-23T08:23:10-05:00June 23rd, 2022|

With encyclopedias from the 1960s and other literature students have not checked out in decades, the Nickerson High School Library aims to renovate the space into a student-focused location, including a coffee shop and a new “student union” feel. This summer, Nickerson High School staff plan to take the first step toward a new renovation of the library by removing old books and reorganizing shelves to create more space. From Thursday, June 23 to Saturday, June 25, Nikki Barton, a paraeducator at Nickerson High School, said she plans to give away about 5,000 old books from the library. “There are still [...]

Topeka sees rise in number of authorized fireworks vendors

info2022-06-23T08:22:09-05:00June 23rd, 2022|

Local residents hoping to paint the sky this Independence Day have an increased number of places at which to buy fireworks. Licenses to peddle pyrotechnics have been issued for 50 sites in Topeka and Shawnee County, up from 47 last year. Twenty-eight are in Topeka and 22 are outside the city limits ... People outside Topeka city limits face a mish-mash of differing rules on when fireworks may be sold or discharged, depending on where they’re located. Source: CJonline

Harvey County discusses wind farm possibility

info2022-06-23T08:16:05-05:00June 23rd, 2022|

Planning and Zoning Director Karen Rothe updated the Board of Harvey County Commissioners on Tuesday about Next Era Energy’s plans to develop wind energy in the county. Rothe said the planning commission met June 7 to look over the regulations for wind energy. She also said she was putting together a spreadsheet comparing Harvey’s land-use regulations to those of other counties. “We have really good regulations,” she said. “We are among the stricter regulations in the area.” Rothe noted that Brian Stucky of Goessel asked the planning commission to ban wind turbines altogether from the county. No action was taken. She [...]

Hutchinson councilwoman wants to allow more backyard chickens

info2022-06-23T08:12:24-05:00June 23rd, 2022|

Just three months after the city updated its regulations on keeping animals on residential property, Hutchinson City Councilwoman Sarah Bagwell suggested Tuesday significantly loosening rules for backyard poultry. “I want an agenda item to have an ordinance change to let people have 12 chickens,” Bagwell said. “If they have more than 2 acres, up to 50 with a permit.” She also suggested allowing both layers and meat hens. The average lot size in the city is 6,000 square feet, Bagwell said, which limits flocks to three chickens. The code also prohibits the slaughtering or processing of chickens. Source: Hutch News

Hutchinson approves new law enforcement contracts with the Reno County

info2022-06-23T08:11:32-05:00June 23rd, 2022|

The Hutchinson City Council Tuesday approved amendments to a few contracts it has with Reno County on shared costs of operating the Law Enforcement Center and E-911 Emergency Communications in response to disputes that surfaced last year. ... The primary change in the Law Enforcement Center agreement is that the city’s share of the cost of operating the Reno County Correctional Facility will drop from 14% to 12%. That's because the Reno County Sheriff’s Office is no longer transporting prisoners for municipal court or driving individuals to Larned State Hospital in city-related cases. Source: Hutch News

Municipal Bond Trends for June 22, 2022

info2022-06-23T08:05:22-05:00June 23rd, 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.

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