News – Page 1086 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Merriam needs 10 property owners’ OK to move forward on $2.6M 55th Street project

info2022-05-23T23:19:42-05:00May 23rd, 2022|

The city of Merriam is taking steps to move forward on a $2.6 million project along 55th Street but must first try to gain the approval of some property owners who have yet to sign off on temporary construction easements in the right-of-ways in front of their properties. Why it matters: The long sought after project to improve the 55th Street corridor can’t continue until the city gets all 35 impacted property owners to sign off on temporary construction easements to work in the right-of-ways. Currently, there are 10 property owners that have yet to give the city the green light. [...]

Advisory board calls for transparency in Lawrence’s social services funding process

info2022-05-24T07:38:27-05:00May 23rd, 2022|

As the City of Lawrence formulates its 2023 budget, some social services leaders and members of an advisory board want more transparency, equity and public engagement in the priority-based budgeting process used to distribute funding for social service agencies. Members of the Special Alcohol Funding Advisory Board (SAFAB) are charged with reviewing requests and making funding recommendations for the special alcohol tax to the Lawrence City Commission. They submitted their annual report to Assistant City Manager Casey Toomay in late April demanding clarity in the process and their role in it. They also want city officials to acknowledge the power differential [...]

Hutchinson plant hit with more layoffs, ‘hibernation’ as wind turbine industry faces challenges

info2022-05-23T23:08:06-05:00May 23rd, 2022|

An international wind turbine company's struggles — and overall headwinds the onshore wind industry is facing — are having an impact on south-central Kansas. On Friday, Siemens Gamesa announced its nacelle assembly facility in Hutchison and its blade manufacturing plant in Fort Madison, Iowa, will be put into "temporary hibernation" in July and June, respectively, due to what the company called "production demand" issues in the U.S. onshore market. Ninety-two employees in Hutchinson and 171 in Forth Madison are being laid off. “The hibernation of our manufacturing and assembly facilities is an unfortunate but necessary measure to address the current challenges [...]

Emergency units prepare for major earthquake

info2022-05-23T07:36:15-05:00May 23rd, 2022|

The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a 2.2-magnitude earthquake in South Hutchinson just before 9:24 p.m. Monday, with its epicenter just off West Sixth Avenue and North Broadacres Road. It was the first earthquake recorded in the county since July of last year. Then, at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, local emergency response officials reported another, much larger quake. This one resulted in more than two dozen injuries and was centered at the former Dillon Living Center on the Hutchinson Regional Medical Center campus. The second quake was a scenario created by local emergency response officials to conduct a mass casualty exercise involving more [...]

Salina is preparing to reach 50,000 people

info2022-05-23T07:33:52-05:00May 23rd, 2022|

Salina is in a unique place of growth, with employers finding it a great location to bring new industry, with new employees buying and renting houses to a point where the city is in a housing crisis. The population of this city has been close to the 50,000 mark for a while, with many people expecting Salina to reach that mark in the next few years. “For a long time, there’s been community discussion as if 50,000 is the threshold for certain retail and restaurants,” said Salina City Manager Mike Schrage. h Schrage said while that perception is somewhat true, there [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for May 20, 2022

info2022-05-23T07:27:28-05:00May 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.

Adopt a siren in Sedgwick County

info2022-05-23T07:26:56-05:00May 23rd, 2022|

Sedgwick County is looking for people to adopt a siren. The person would be a siren observer for one of 152 outdoor warning sirens in the county. The sirens are tested every Monday at noon, barring holidays, and inclement weather. The county said even with all the technology and two-way communication they still rely on human observation. The county encourages anyone within an eye-shot of a siren to sign up here. Source: KSN-TV

Muni bonds still have role amid federal infrastructure dollars

info2022-05-23T07:18:50-05:00May 23rd, 2022|

Municipal bonds still have a role to play in financing infrastructure despite the billions unleashed by the new federal law and state and local governments that are brimming with cash. “There is of course the need to leverage this money in order to get projects done,” said Patrick Brett, managing director of municipal debt capital markets at Citigroup, during an online briefing on the deployment of the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act hosted by the Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research. The $1.2 trillion IIJA includes about $550 billion in new money, which will be spent over the next [...]

Governor Laura Kelly Announces Recipients of $10 Million Investment Expanding Broadband Access Across Rural Kansas

info2022-05-23T07:26:32-05:00May 23rd, 2022|

Governor Laura Kelly today announced the 11 recipients of the Broadband Acceleration Grant program resulting in more than $10 million of investment in high-speed broadband access across 10 rural Kansas counties. “We’re continuing to deliver on our bold and ambitious goal to make Kansas a top 10 state for broadband access by 2030,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Affordable broadband is necessary for our communities to remain viable and competitive, and every Kansan deserves a reliable connection to the world. These grants accelerate our efforts to make that a reality.” Source: Kansas Department of Commerce

Municipal yields fall, following a UST flight-to-safety bid

info2022-05-23T07:12:29-05:00May 23rd, 2022|

Municipals were better Friday after catching a bid in the secondary, finally following U.S. Treasuries in a flight-to-quality, while still underperforming, keeping valuations above 100% on the 10- and 30-year. Equities pared back earlier losses to end mixed after the S&P 500 dipped into bear market territory earlier in the session. "The correlation between stocks and U.S. Treasuries is finally starting to normalize," noted Barclays PLC in a weekly report. "Whereas the two were selling off or rebounding in sync amid higher inflation expectations and a hawkish Fed, over the past several weeks, the relationship has reverted to historical averages, with [...]