News – Page 1096 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Overland Park Police respond to recommendations from state commission, local groups

info2022-05-13T07:32:47-05:00May 13th, 2022|

Overland Park police have already accomplished many of the recommendations from a governor’s commission on racial equity and a citizen civil rights group, and are actively working on others, Deputy Chief Eric Houston told the city council’s Public Safety Committee Wednesday. Houston filled in for Police Chief Frank Donchez to give the department’s response on recommendations from the Kansas Commission on Racial Equity and Justice, as well as an update on five priorities of a Johnson County civil rights group seeking better ways to give feedback on police conduct. Source: Prairie Village Post

Under new sports betting laws, Ruffin poised to reopen Wichita Greyhound Park with historical horse racing

info2022-05-13T07:26:14-05:00May 13th, 2022|

New sports betting legislation that Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed into law Thursday is expected to bring historical horse racing, a new form of electronic gambling, to the long-shuttered Wichita Greyhound Park in Park City. "We've been working on it for about a year, and we finally got it done," said track owner and Las Vegas casino magnate Phil Ruffin. Source: Wichita Business Journal

Fuel prices forcing Lyon County to cut maintenance

info2022-05-13T07:22:57-05:00May 13th, 2022|

Everyone seems to be pinching pennies, or maybe dollar bills, when it comes to fuel prices. Even the Lyon County budget is feeling it. “The amount has almost doubled for gasoline and doubled for diesel fuel,” county commission chair Rollie Martin said Thursday. “I believe the county uses between 8,000-10,000 gallons a month.” Add that to what Martin calls “wage pressures,” and the county budget for 2022 already is looking perilous. “We've got to start thinking in different ways, to keep things under control until the end of the year,” Martin said. For instance, the County Commission voted Thursday to chip [...]

Maize School District changes who’s eligible for bus rides because of driver shortage

info2022-05-13T07:21:39-05:00May 13th, 2022|

Students in the Maize school district who live within 2.5 miles of their school will not be eligible to ride the bus next school year. Maize USD 266 said it is because of a bus driver shortage. Transportation Director Kathy Massell said she’s already having to cancel routes three to four times a week this year. “Some of these kids, we're the only way they can get to school, and as a mom, that, I understand that,” Massell said. “That's insanely difficult to tell a family that, ‘I'm sorry, we just… we can't do it anymore.’” Source: KAKE - News

Newly signed Kansas law transfers $1 billion to cover KPERS outstanding debt

info2022-05-13T07:20:05-05:00May 13th, 2022|

Gov. Laura Kelly signed Thursday legislation transferring more than $1 billion from state coffers to cover historical underfunding of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System. These transfers will take place over two installments, totaling $853.9 million in 2022 and two additional payments subject to State Finance Council approval in 2023 of remaining funds. Kelly said the payments would provide immediate and long-term value by reducing debt owed and improving upon historically strong financial footing in the state. Source: Kansas Reflector

10-year Treasury yield pulls back to 2.84% as investors rotate into bonds for safety

info2022-05-12T08:00:59-05:00May 12th, 2022|

U.S. Treasury yields fell on Thursday morning, as investors digested hotter-than-expected inflation data, released in the previous session. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note dropped 7 basis points to 2.8407% at 4:25 a.m. ET. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond moved 4 basis points lower to 2.9942%. April's consumer price index, released Wednesday, rose 8.3% year-on-year. That was higher than the anticipated 8.1% growth in inflation, but was below March's 8.5% CPI reading. ... The latest inflation reading supports the Federal Reserve's plans to more aggressively hike interest rates to combat persistent pricing pressures, fueling recession fears. Source: [...]

Inflation barreled ahead at 8.3% in April from a year ago, remaining near 40-year highs

info2022-05-12T07:59:52-05:00May 12th, 2022|

Inflation rose again in April, continuing a climb that has pushed consumers to the brink and is threatening the economic expansion, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. The consumer price index, a broad-based measure of prices for goods and services, increased 8.3% from a year ago, higher than the Dow Jones estimate for an 8.1% gain. That represented a slight ease from March’s peak but was still close to the highest level since the summer of 1982. Source: CNBC

President Biden gives shoutout to Reno County-based IdeaTek for offering free internet

info2022-05-12T07:46:11-05:00May 12th, 2022|

Buhler-based internet provider IdeaTek received a shout-out this week from President Joe Biden during a press conference at the White House on an initiative to bring free or reduced-price internet service to those who struggle to afford it. IdeaTek is one of about 20 providers in the nation participating in the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program, or ACP, and the only Kansas-based one. The company has participated in the program since it was started in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now it is expanding the effort further as additional federal funding was authorized, said Jade Piros de Carvalho, the company’s director of [...]

Haven Police Department removes “In God We Trust” from department vehicles

info2022-05-12T07:45:35-05:00May 12th, 2022|

The Haven City Council voted to remove decals stating "In God, We Trust" from Haven Police Department vehicles at the City Council meeting Monday, May 2. Haven Police Chief Stephen Schaffer described the varied support from the community, some in favor of removing the decals and some against the removal. "(The Haven City Council) brought it up as a motion during council concerns. Within a few minutes, they just voted and seconded that it was a done deal," Schaffer said. Source: Hutch News

‘God’ decals to remain on Cowley sheriff’s vehicles

info2022-05-12T07:44:54-05:00May 12th, 2022|

A recent decision in a Reno County town to remove decals with “In God We Trust” from police department vehicles has led to questions about similar items on Cowley County Sheriff’s Office trucks, with local officials saying the decals have mostly been well-received. The Haven City Council voted May 2 to remove “In God We Trust” decals from all police vehicles after a citizen complaint, according to The Wichita Eagle. The motion, which was approved unanimously, also required Haven Police Chief Stephen Schaffer to remove a post including a scripture quote from the department’s Facebook page. Source: ctnewsonline