info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Wichita school board approves $450 million plan to rebuild some schools, close others

info2024-08-28T09:52:26-05:00August 28th, 2024|

The Wichita School Board has unanimously approved a plan to significantly reshape the state’s largest school district — a plan filled with school closings, consolidations and new “right-sized” buildings as the district braces for shrinking future enrollment. School district officials also laid out the stakes of a $450 million bond issue that would be needed to pay for the plan. The specifics of the bond issue are expected to be discussed and voted on by the board on Sept. 9. A bond issue would require approval from voters during a special election. Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld said the “newer and fewer” plan [...]

Inclusive playground opens at Newton elementary school

info2024-08-28T09:49:27-05:00August 28th, 2024|

Slate Creek Elementary in Newton officially opened its inclusive playground, designed for all students to play together. The kids started the project by raising $20,000 in the spring of 2021. “It’s absolutely wonderful to hear the screaming and the laughter to see them all playing together. It just brings my heart so much joy. I’m so proud that the students noticed this was an issue, and this is where we ended. It’s amazing,” Lenae Alfaro, Slate Creek Elementary principal, said. The principal says the original goal was just to have a swing, but the idea grew, and the entire playground cost [...]

K-9 helps find lost hearing aids after man thrown from horse

info2024-08-28T09:47:41-05:00August 28th, 2024|

A sheriff’s K-9 helped recover the lost hearing aids of a man thrown from a horse. The Geary County Sheriff’s Office says over the weekend, deputies responded to a report of a man being thrown from a horse in a pasture out in the county. As the man was being assessed at the scene for injuries, deputies learned that he had lost both of his hearing aids after being thrown. Deputy James Regaldo and his K-9 partner Klesto began searching the pasture. Klesto found both hearing aids 10 feet apart, and they were returned to the injured man. Source: KSN-TV

Wichita mayor: Paid parking plan target date on pause for now

info2024-08-28T09:46:29-05:00August 28th, 2024|

Wichita’s mayor says the implementation date of Jan. 1 for paid parking in downtown, Old Town, and Delano has been paused. City council members, business owners, and community members met at a town hall on Monday to discuss their expectations for the policy. The town hall conversation was somewhat heated. Nortons Brewing Company organizers tell KSN that their goal with this meeting was to facilitate a more solution-minded discussion. “What we’ve done is put a complete pause. And getting feedback,” said Wichita Mayor Lily Wu. People and business owners are still not happy with the proposed switch to paid parking, which [...]

‘He was extraordinary’: Arkansas City Fire Department remembers fallen firefighter Trevor Rusk

info2024-08-28T09:44:13-05:00August 28th, 2024|

The Arkansas City Fire Department is mourning the loss of one of its own this weekend. Trevor Rusk died while off-duty. KSN spoke with several firefighters about the outsized impact Rusk had on his brothers and sisters. Rusk is described in many words, which is fitting given that one of his brothers called him a man of many words. He was known around the station for his wicked sense of humor and the many pranks he’d pull. He was also a respected, integral part of the team with an instinct and passion for the job. Rusk was a firefighter and EMT [...]

Wolf Creek officials assuage commissioners’ concerns

info2024-08-28T09:41:02-05:00August 28th, 2024|

Coffey County commissioners whether a wind farm or a solar farm in the county were negatively affecting the nuclear power plant’s level of production. An official said no, it would be a problem if renewable energy sources were not available to help meet demand. Coffey County commissioners questioned Evergy officials at their meeting last week whether neighboring wind and solar plants were posing undue competition to the Wolf Creek Generating Station, which Evergy has 94% ownership, according to the Coffey County Republican. Commissioners Don Meats and Jesse Knight asked, respectively, whether a wind farm or a solar farm in the county [...]

‘Non-resident homeless’ people will be sent to their ‘place of origin’ under Lawrence policy

info2024-08-28T09:38:32-05:00August 28th, 2024|

The City of Lawrence released new details Tuesday about its policy to serve primarily people who are from Douglas County with homelessness resources, and to send others elsewhere. Under the policy, the city provides “non-resident homeless individuals” with short-term assistance and helps them return to their “place of origin,” according to a city news release. Service providers working with the city are expected to follow suit. “We’re not servicing individuals long term that cannot prove that they’re residents, and that’s going to start going into our contracts, because we just don’t have the bandwidth to do that,” Misty Bosch-Hastings, director of [...]

Hesston told grocery store two years out

info2024-08-28T09:36:17-05:00August 28th, 2024|

With a crowd of standing-room-only and overflow to the outdoors, several hundred people turned out to receive an update on a long-discussed grocery store project at a community conversation at Hesston’s Dyck Arboretum. Brad Heppner, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Beneficient, was the featured speaker of the conversation, during which he gave a long talk about the history of grocers in Hesston, his vision for the store and revitalization of Main Street, before opening the floor to questions. Hesston has been without a grocery store since 2018. “I’m Hesston,” he said. “My family was one of the [...]

Newton Fire/EMS receives $500,000 grant

info2024-08-28T09:32:40-05:00August 28th, 2024|

After resourcefully building their own tender to haul water years ago, the Newton Fire/EMS department received just over half a million dollars toward a new fire tender. This will be the first time in nearly 10 years the department has a traditional tender. In 2015, when the engine that hauled 1,000 gallons of water was replaced, the new one only carried half as much. For three years, the department went without a tender. “The city couldn’t afford it,” Deputy Chief Cory Lehman said. In 2018, the department worked together and transformed an old 1983 military truck into a new water tender. [...]

Washington School’s new lease on life

info2024-08-28T09:30:49-05:00August 28th, 2024|

First built in 1887, the Washington School heard the pitter-patter of young feet for nearly 100 years. The original three-story building was replaced in 1937 with the current one-story structure that served Kindergarten through sixth grade until 1980. For a short while after, it was an adult reading center, then used for storage. In 2008, then-owner Randy Vilela had the building registered as a national historic landmark. In August 2023, Washington School got a new lease on life. Purchased by Point Forward, a local non-profit, the school is currently undergoing a radical remodeling and transformation into a childcare facility. On Tuesday, [...]

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