News – Page 1025 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Poverty simulation boosts understanding

info2022-07-22T07:18:47-05:00July 21st, 2022|

StepMC has been helping the McPherson community understand poverty for over 10 years and will continue that mission this Thursday, July 23, with a poverty simulation. StepMC was founded in 2010 by a group of city leaders who recognized the problem of poverty in the community. They realized that the programs in place at the time were not addressing the underlying issues. McPherson had resources to help pay rent and utilities or get food at the time, but there were no programs to help people get out of poverty. Those leaders recognized that building relationships across socioeconomic lines had the potential [...]

Emporia Main Street celebrates accomplishments

info2022-07-22T07:19:23-05:00July 21st, 2022|

Emporia Main Street had a lot to celebrate last year, and it’s looking to expand on those successes over the next year. Main Street had its annual meeting at the Lyon County History Center on Wednesday. Main Street Director Casey Woods says successes like the startup of the Fab Lab, a second business going into the Incubator space and upper-story housing are all promises kept to the community, which is important because people are drawn to results. For the next year, he says Main Street needs to “tell a different story.” Main Street also announced its award winners, including the Lyon [...]

Lifeguard shortages lead to more changes at McPherson Water Park

info2022-07-22T07:20:31-05:00July 21st, 2022|

Lifeguard shortages continue to cause changes at McPherson Water Park. Staffing shortages have led to the water park being closed on Mondays. On Tuesday, the city commission made additional changes to help keep the water park open for the remainder of the season. All swimming parties scheduled for July and August have been canceled. There will be 10 total refunds given, totaling $2,225. Additionally, the McPherson Recreation Commission free swim special event has been canceled for the year. "Right now, the most important thing is to ensure that the greatest priority remains on safety, not just that of our residents but [...]

Cleanup at old Sunflower site still years from completion, but Army says that shouldn’t impact Panasonic factory

info2022-07-22T07:21:25-05:00July 21st, 2022|

Roughly 25 years after its closure, cleanup on the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant south of K-10 highway in De Soto is still forecast to take at least six more years, even as a new $4 billion electric vehicle battery plant is set to be built on the long-abandoned site. At a public meeting Wednesday night at De Soto City Hall, representatives from the U.S. Army gave an update on ongoing efforts to clear the site of explosive and contaminated materials. The U.S. Army has been working on remediation efforts alongside the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Kansas Department of [...]

JoCo homeowners can get money back for sustainable yard projects

info2022-07-22T07:21:47-05:00July 21st, 2022|

There’s still a lot of summer left, Johnson County — leaving ample time for home improvement projects. If you’re undertaking a DIY endeavor especially around your yard this summer, you may consider getting some money back if it’s an eco-friendly addition like a rain barrel, native plantings or a compost bin. There are several Johnson County cities that offer reimbursements for such projects through city or county-sponsored programs. But to be clear, the programs in this story are specifically yard-related and differ from other local sustainability grant programs that reimburse residents for things like solar panel installations. Source: Prairie Village Post

Lenexa could soon become last big JoCo city to put public meeting videos online

info2022-07-22T07:22:26-05:00July 21st, 2022|

The Lenexa City Council may soon be joining Johnson County’s other larger cities in providing recordings of their regular meetings online. Among Johnson County’s largest cities, Lenexa is the only one that currently does not livestream its city council meetings. Overland Park, Olathe, Prairie Village, Shawnee and Leawood all livestream their city council meetings on their YouTube channels or city websites and also archive videos of past meetings online. Lenexa currently does provide audio clips of meetings on request, but staff members said those requests are infrequent. Source: Prairie Village Post

JoCo residents seek help from Kansas AG after losing legal challenge to Edgerton warehouse project

info2022-07-22T07:23:22-05:00July 21st, 2022|

In the year and a half since she began trying to stop a slew of warehouses from being built on rural land dotted with single-family homes near Edgerton, Jennifer Williams has gotten used to hearing the metaphorical sound of doors slamming shut. Challenges to city hall on annexation and rezoning, a stab at creating a new city – all failed. But another failure, this time in court, has re-energized Williams and her group, Protect Rural JoCo. On paper, it still counts as a loss, but that matters less to Williams than what the judge said during the hearing. Those comments have convinced her [...]

Drainage concern raises need for city oversight in Scott City

info2022-07-21T15:13:36-05:00July 21st, 2022|

A new asphalt parking lot to the west of the First Christian Church may be a welcome addition for members of the congregation, but not so much for the Scott County Library less than a half block to the south. Concerns with the flow of water off the asphalt surface were raised during Monday’s Scott City Council meeting. Because the library is at a lower elevation than the parking lot, water will inevitably flow in that direction. ... The council decided that if there are any issues with drainage they will need to be resolved between the church and the county [...]

Lawrence approves regulations, fees for long-term program to allow patios in downtown parking stalls

info2022-07-21T07:40:09-05:00July 21st, 2022|

After some debate about increasing the fee beyond the proposed $1,000 per parking stall, city leaders adopted the proposed long-term regulations for a program that has temporarily allowed downtown businesses to construct patios and outdoor dining areas in downtown parking stalls. As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission voted 4-1, with Vice Mayor Lisa Larsen opposed, to adopt an ordinance that establishes limitations, design criteria and other regulations for the “parklets,” and charges businesses $1,000 per year per parking stall used. Though a few commissioners said they would consider increasing the fee, ultimately commissioners decided to stick with [...]

Concerns grow about blocked crossings in Marshall County

info2022-07-21T07:34:07-05:00July 21st, 2022|

Union Pacific trains blocking crossings in Marshall County has gained more attention in recent years as trains have gotten longer, some extending beyond two miles. The Marshall County Sheriff’s Office issued a reminder to the public last week to contact the Federal Railroad Administration through their website if they have concerns about long waits for trains to pass at highway, town or county road intersections. Source: The Marysville Advocate