News – Page 1106 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Officials announce Hutchinson’s 150th anniversary will be marked by a massive block party

info2022-05-04T07:41:17-05:00May 4th, 2022|

Organizers of an event to mark the sesquicentennial of Hutchinson’s founding are planning a mile-long block party. Actually, they are hoping for a dozen individual block parties, but all on Main Street during the same time, extending the mile from Avenue C north to Ninth Avenue. “I’m very excited about it,” said Hutchinson Mayor Jade Piros de Carvalho. “I convened this little committee to start thinking about a community-wide celebration in August, and we started brainstorming what it would look like.” ... The Aug. 18th anniversary date falls on a Third Thursday, so organizers of the event are hoping to draw [...]

Kansas to waive replacement fees for state documents lost in Friday’s severe weather

info2022-05-04T07:35:12-05:00May 4th, 2022|

Kansas will waive replacement fees for the birth certificates, marriage certificates, and vehicle registrations of residents affected by Friday’s severe weather, Gov. Laura Kelly announced Monday. “Last Friday’s storm placed significant emotional and financial burdens on many Kansans. My administration is working to ensure those who lost everything get back on their feet,” Kelly said in a news release. The Kansas Department of Revenue will waive penalties associated with late vehicle registrations. KDOR will also waive fees associated with the reprint or replacement of vehicle registration documentation, printed vehicle certificate of titles, driver’s licenses, and/or identification cards. Source: Wichita Eagle

Derby FD aids in Andover tornado response

info2022-05-04T07:34:48-05:00May 4th, 2022|

After a tornado touched down in southeast Wichita and Andover on April 29, first responders were quick to action in the aftermath. ... Given the massive scale of damage, multiple units from around the area responded – including staff from Derby Fire and Rescue. Chief John Turner noted a crew of six were among the initial response team from Derby, with two more helping in the second shift on April 30. Once Derby Fire personnel were alerted to the tornado April 29, they made their way to Andover, first stopping in eastern Sedgwick County to help clear roads for other emergency [...]

Derby makes pay adjustments related to inflation

info2022-05-04T07:33:34-05:00May 4th, 2022|

In an effort to address both inflation and attraction/retention of employees, City Manager Kiel Mangus brought a proposed general pay adjustment before the Derby City Council at its April 26 meeting, which the council approved 6-0. Mangus proposed a mid-year 3% general pay adjustment (GPA) given the increasing inflation trends that continue to shrink the true impact of employees’ take-home pay. Inflation-adjusted average hourly earning fell 2.7% from March 2021 to March 2022. Additionally, the Consumer Price Index increased 8.5% in that same 12-month span – the highest such increase since 1981. The pay adjustment was also recommended due to an [...]

Olpe hopes post office ‘suspension’ really temporary

info2022-05-04T07:33:01-05:00May 4th, 2022|

Olpe will be without a post office in two weeks, due to what the U.S. Postal Service calls a “change of ownership.” “We found out, probably two or three weeks ago, that there was a lease issue,” Mayor Keith Pimple said Monday. “We didn’t find out until last week that there was not an agreement made.” A letter sent to residents Friday by Emporia Postmaster Tess Weimar says the USPS had a “loss of lease” on its Olpe location at 118 Westphalia Street. Source: Emporia Gazette

Municipal Bond Trends for May 3, 2022

info2022-05-04T07:32:11-05:00May 4th, 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.

How small Kansas companies bring fast internet to rural places that telecom giants ignore

info2022-05-04T07:31:29-05:00May 4th, 2022|

With a family of five and a farming operation to run, Clay Scott’s home internet didn’t come close to cutting it. Pulling up a weather page in a browser could take so long it produced an error message rather than a forecast. ... Like many rural Americans, Scott’s home in southwest Kansas connected to the internet over an old copper wire. A better-than-nothing update on century-old telephone technology that struggles to handle Zoom calling, video streaming or a myriad of other internet uses that people in big cities largely take for granted. ... With fiber-optic cable installation costing tens of thousands [...]

“Tornadoes are not respecters of codes,” Andover EF-3 Tornado damage sheds light on building codes

info2022-05-04T07:27:33-05:00May 4th, 2022|

After surveying the damage from Friday's twister, [Lead National Weather Service Forecaster in Wichita, Bradley] Ketcham tweeted concerns. "New construction (2 years old) was shoddy at best. Subfloors were bolted, but walls were just nailed straight into the top of the subfloor. Causing the whole house to lift off like a rocket," the tweet reads. Butler County Building Inspector Jay Cook says the exterior walls of a home have to be bolted down into the concrete and interior walls just need to be nailed. "The codes become more strict as time goes. However, the material that is used is not necessarily [...]

Nearly half of Shawnee tenants are ‘rent-burdened’ with limited housing options, study shows

info2022-05-04T07:18:06-05:00May 4th, 2022|

The city of Shawnee suffers from a lack of affordable housing, according to a study by United Community Services of Johnson County. Nearly half of its tenants are rent-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent. Last week, Shawnee’s city council made a change that critics say disadvantage low-income renters further. It voted unanimously to ban “co-living,” which it defines as four or more unrelated adults living together. “Households making under $50,000 who rent have more difficulty finding attainable options than those that can purchase, because of fewer options and rents increasing faster than incomes,” the study [...]

Did Shawnee really ban roommates? Here’s what the new ‘co-living’ restrictions mean

info2022-05-04T04:19:36-05:00May 4th, 2022|

Last week, the Shawnee City Council voted unanimously to ban co-living in all of its residential districts. The decision came as a surprise to some, but the city council had been discussing the role of co-living in the city for some time. Some renters concerned about affordable housing have expressed frustration at the council’s move to eliminate an option that allows people to share rent costs. But Shawnee 4th Ward City Councilmember Jill Chalfie said the ordinance is primarily in response to arrangements that treat co-living more as a business and less of a communal space. Source: KC Star Local News