News – Page 1125 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

A look at how the city treats water for nearly 170,000 customers

info2022-04-19T07:31:37-05:00April 19th, 2022|

How does water get from the Kansas River to the faucet of the 170,000 customers Topeka Water Department serves? The answer is a multistep process that begins at Topeka's water treatment facility just off of Interstate 70. The water is first pumped out of the river. It is sent to three large basins, where a polymer is introduced twice to encourage bonding between negatively charged particles. Pure chlorine is added next as the initial disinfectant. Ammonia is added to make chloramine, and then a flocculant is introduced to encourage clumping. Source: CJonline

Treasury yield touches 2.91%, a level not seen since late 2018

info2022-04-19T07:22:48-05:00April 19th, 2022|

The 10-year yield hit its highest level since late 2018 on Monday, trading at 2.884% at one point. Concerns around rising inflation and its effect on economic growth has seen investors sell out of bonds over the past couple of months, pushing up yields. Data released last week showed consumer and producer prices continued to rise, fueling investor beliefs that the Federal Reserve could increase the size of its interest rate hikes, in a bid to control this inflation. St. Louis Fed president James Bullard told CNBC's Steve Liesman on Monday that "quite a bit has been priced in" in terms [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for April 18, 2022

info2022-04-19T07:16:09-05:00April 19th, 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.

Buy America policy may boost already-inflated construction costs, transportation advocates warn

info2022-04-19T07:02:11-05:00April 19th, 2022|

The White House Monday detailed its new policy requiring that U.S.-made materials be used in all new infrastructure projects, a cornerstone of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure law that some transportation advocates warn may increase costs and delays. The Build America, Buy America Act in the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act aims to boost U.S. manufacturing by requiring that all infrastructure projects that use federal funds – from highways to passenger rail, airports and water systems – must use construction products and materials produced in the U.S. The provision builds on existing Made in America laws, which have applied to [...]

Fed’s Waller sees likelihood of multiple half-point interest rate hikes ahead

info2022-04-19T07:05:24-05:00April 19th, 2022|

Getting inflation under control will require raising interest rates at a faster pace than normal even though the pace of price increases probably has peaked, Federal Reserve board member Christopher Waller said Wednesday. That means the central bank likely will hike short-term rates by half a percentage point, or 50 basis points, at its meeting in May, and possibly follow it up with similar moves in the next several months, Waller told CNBC. The Fed normally increases in 25-basis-point increments. A basis point equals 0.01%. "I think the data has come in exactly to support that step of policy action if [...]

Governor Laura Kelly Announces Largest Economic Development Investment in Kelly Administration History (Manhattan)

info2022-04-19T07:09:49-05:00April 19th, 2022|

On Monday, Governor Laura Kelly announced her administration’s most significant economic development project to date. Scorpion Biological Services, a subsidiary of Heat Biologics, Inc., is commencing on a planned development of a new 500,000 square foot biomanufacturing facility in Kansas. The $650 million business investment project will create 500 new, high-paying jobs in Manhattan within the next seven years. “Kansas is the center of the country, with quick access to either coast, a strong workforce and a growing economy—so there’s no better state for Scorpion to locate to address potential threats to public health,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Scorpion’s selection of locating this [...]

According to new survey, nearly all residents feel good about living in Johnson County

info2022-04-19T07:10:16-05:00April 19th, 2022|

In Johnson County’s annual community survey, residents again gave high marks for the county’s quality of life, services and programs, and voiced their opinions on the services most important to them. Results from the 2022 community survey were shared Thursday, April 14, with the Board of County Commissioners during a Committee of the Whole meeting. The six-page survey consisted of 25 questions and was conducted in January and February by ETC Institute of Olathe. “When it comes to being a place to live, raise children, work and retire, Johnson County is head and shoulders above the national and other large community [...]

More than $1.6 million in federal grant funding to help support Johnson County’s older adults

info2022-04-19T07:10:29-05:00April 19th, 2022|

Federal grant funding of more than $1.6 million and a new staff position for the Johnson County Aging and Human Services Department were approved Thursday, April 7, by the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners by unanimous vote. The funds are provided to the department through the Johnson County Area Agency on Aging from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 by the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services. The ARPA provided federal funding to states, including grants through the Older Americans Act, to help communities provide services for aging adults. A BOCC priority is to strengthen and finance [...]

Roeland Park could be impacted by new Kansas immigration law

info2022-04-19T07:11:25-05:00April 19th, 2022|

Roeland Park’s “safe and welcoming” ordinance, which has been on the books for more than a year, could be impacted by a new state law recently signed by Gov. Laura Kelly. HB 2717, among other provisions, prohibits municipalities from “preventing the enforcement of federal immigration laws.” Under the law, local law enforcement agencies are now required to notify officers of their “duty to cooperate with state and federal agencies in the enforcement of immigration laws.” The law also bars the use of municipal IDs for any state purpose, such as voting. Source: Shawnee Mission Post

Haven residents thankful to be home after evacuations from gas plant fire

info2022-04-19T07:12:03-05:00April 19th, 2022|

It has been a long 24 hours for a lot of the residents on 6th St. and Westland Dr. in Haven. Around 1:30 Thursday afternoon, Catherine Harber says she was at home when she starts to hear a rumbling above her house. "Oh my gosh, I didn't know what happened, it was so loud and then I stepped out and see flames." Those flames were coming from the Tenawa Natural Gas plant just down the road. Fire crews spent most of the afternoon and evening working to put out the flames. Down the street on 6th and Kansas, Verbena Strasner says [...]