info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Municipal bonds see ‘remarkable’ turnaround, but caution is warranted

info2022-05-31T07:51:33-05:00May 31st, 2022|

Municipals made further gains on Friday, pushing yields down as much as another eight basis points, to close out a seven-day rally, the likes of which haven't been seen since the end of March 2020 as the market began to rebound from the COVID-19-led turmoil. Triple-A yields have fallen more than half a percentage point on the 10- and 30-year, as the asset class has outperformed U.S. Treasuries... However, there are still a lot of uncertainties on the economic front, rate volatility might spike again, and supply might surprise to the upside, they said. Source: The Bond Buyer

Salina Police Department Pledges to Advance Women in Policing

info2022-05-31T07:49:02-05:00May 31st, 2022|

Today, the Salina Police Department has signed on to the 30x30 Pledge – a series of low and no-cost actions policing agencies can take to improve the representation and experiences of women in law enforcement. The activities help policing agencies assess the current state of a department with regard to gender equity, equality and identify factors that may be driving any disparities and develop and implement strategies and solutions to eliminate barriers and advance women in policing. These actions address recruitment, assessment, hiring, retention, promotion, and agency culture. Source: Salina KS News

Derby’s Zollinger, crew keep cemeteries maintained for Memorial Day

info2022-05-31T07:48:19-05:00May 31st, 2022|

While cemeteries might be an afterthought most of the 365 days each year, they are central to the services that routinely take place every Memorial Day. And they’re central to the services Derby’s Paula Zollinger provides. For 26 years now, Zollinger has helped with the upkeep at Derby’s local cemeteries (El Paso and Hillcrest). Zollinger and her maintenance crew mow and trim the cemeteries, dig and backfill graves and generally keep things tidy. Those maintenance responsibilities then go into overdrive around Memorial Day – one of the biggest days of the year for the Derby cemeteries. Source: Derby Informer

Newton looking for people to pay for home weatherization

info2022-05-31T07:46:50-05:00May 31st, 2022|

There’s free money out there for painting and guttering if you live in a neighborhood revitalization area in Newton. In August of 2021, the city allocated $50,000 to a program that would pay half the cost of painting or guttering improvements to homes in the revitalization area. The program would pay up to $1,000 for buying materials. So far though, no one’s really used it. “Just three rebates have been issued,” said Rebecca Likiardopoulos, Director of Administrative Services with the city. “I don’t think it’s made its way into the mainstream,” she said of knowledge of the program. Source: Harvey County [...]

Four weeks since the Andover Tornado, city and community look towards long term recovery

info2022-05-31T07:45:58-05:00May 31st, 2022|

If you drive through the Reflection Lake neighborhood in Andover and you see the shells of the dozens of homes. It was one of the hardest hit locations by the Andover tornado last month. For HOA President Scott Rackley “it does seem like just yesterday, and like you said, we're four weeks removed.” Rackley says the last four weeks of cleanup have been a testament to the power of community. “It's been a chance for us to unite as a neighborhood." However, he also knows that this is going to be a long process, with insurance agencies still figuring out payouts [...]

With fewer volunteers, Lenexa Cemetery Association hopes to pass responsibility to city

info2022-05-31T07:45:10-05:00May 31st, 2022|

The Lenexa Cemetery located on 87th Street Parkway and Pflumm Road could become the city’s responsibility by the end of the year. The Lenexa Cemetery Association has been responsible for the grounds since 1872. On Tuesday, the Lenexa City Council was presented with a memorandum of understanding seeking a change in operations. The association says it’s concerned about its ability to take care of the property in the future with a dwindling number of volunteers. There are about 2,000 burial plots in the four-acre cemetery and 700 have been sold. At a rate of about 10 burials a year and approximately [...]

JoCo authorizes loan to partially finance affordable housing apartment complex in Shawnee

info2022-05-31T07:44:50-05:00May 31st, 2022|

The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners has authorized a $1 million loan to partially finance the construction of a new affordable housing apartment complex in Shawnee. This is the first time Johnson County Government has provided funding for this type of project, and received authorization from the BOCC on Thursday, May 26. The Hedge Lane Apartments is a joint venture between Sunflower Development Group and Consolidated Housing Solutions. The $30.5 million project will be built just west of K-7 Highway and 75th Street. All apartments will be dedicated to workforce housing. Source: Johnson County Kansas

School leaders raise concern over new open enrollment law

info2022-05-31T07:42:27-05:00May 31st, 2022|

A new state law lets parents choose which school district to enroll their children in instead of being limited to the district where they live. While lawmakers say this gives families more options, school leaders say it is a headache and could cost them money. While this law doesn't go into effect until the school year starting in 2024, several school officials are already raising alarm about the law turning open enrollment into a lottery for every student that might want to join an out-of-district school. "In Buhler, we have anywhere from 25 to 30 percent out-of-district students right now, and [...]

Wichita libraries returning to ‘new normal’ with in-person summer reading programs

info2022-05-31T07:41:39-05:00May 31st, 2022|

After two years of hosting online and hybrid reading programs because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wichita in-person summer reading programs are making a comeback. With COVID much reduced but still lurking, the programs won’t be exactly the same as they were pre-pandemic, said Erin Downey Howerton, youth services manager for the library system. “We are still taking safety measures to ensure programs are socially distanced, and are encouraging staff and customers to wear masks if they wish,” said Downey Howerton. “We are limiting participation numbers in most of our youth programs to ensure simple safety measures can be in play.” Source: [...]

As Wichita pools open, officials count cost of vandalism: ‘It affects everybody’

info2022-05-31T07:41:20-05:00May 31st, 2022|

As Wichita pools prepare to open for summer, city officials are counting the cost of vandalism during the off-season. Since November, windows have been broken, bathrooms destroyed and graffiti painted on signs at city parks and recreation centers. “It’s been really really frustrating,” said Director of Parks and Recreation Troy Houtman. “It’s been really upsetting that we spent so much time and effort trying to make these pools really nice for the community and it’s just a handful of some really bad actors and you can’t just blame everybody but just a few of them are just making life miserable.” Source: [...]

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