News – Page 1133 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Dry land, high cost: How Kansas could lose billions in land values as its underground water runs dry

info2022-04-12T01:05:14-05:00April 12th, 2022|

In increasingly dry western Kansas, underground water makes everything possible. Irrigation for crops. Stock water for cattle. Drinking water for towns. In all, the Ogallala Aquifer provides 70-80% of water used by Kansans each day. So how much is all that water worth? A recent study from Kansas State University says the aquifer under western Kansas increases land values by nearly $4 billion. But those billions are drying up at an accelerating rate. Aquifer water levels across western and central Kansas dropped by more than a foot on average this past year. That’s the biggest single-year decrease since 2015, according to [...]

Wichita City Council to vote on fuel surcharge for contracted groundskeepers

info2022-04-12T00:59:29-05:00April 12th, 2022|

Rising gas prices are bringing challenges to many people and businesses. For some under contract, it's putting them in a tight spot. The City of Wichita has several contracts with local businesses to maintain their grounds. Those crews pay for gas to travel to sites and to fuel their equipment. One contractor says the price at the pump is significantly higher now than when they entered their contract. "You are going from two something a gallon up to three something a gallon," said Tracy Smith with Kansas Turfworx. "It definitely impacts because when you put gasoline in mowers every day and [...]

Newton Police Department welcomes new K-9 unit

info2022-04-12T00:54:27-05:00April 12th, 2022|

The Newton Police Department (NPD) announced on Facebook Monday that they have welcomed a new K-9 unit. Two-year-old Kilo, a Belgian Malinois imported from the Netherlands, has been partnered with Officer Austin Sontag. According to the NPD, the two have just completed five weeks of training together. Kilo and Officer Sontag received their initial training and certification from Hill Country Dog Center in Pipe Creek, Texas. The post states Kilo has been trained in narcotics detection, tracking, evidence recovery and patrol functions, which include building searches, area searches and suspect apprehension. Source: KSN-TV

Governor vetoes bill banning bag restrictions

info2022-04-12T00:49:45-05:00April 12th, 2022|

Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday vetoed a bill barring local governments from regulating plastic grocery bags and other material, saying it was an issue that should be left in the hands of local government. “This issue is a local decision, and it should be left to local governments based on what’s best for their constituents, stakeholders, and businesses in their community,” Kelly said in a statement. “As this bill advanced through the process, no evidence was provided demonstrating why the Legislature had a compelling public interest to repeal city and county local control and home rule over these matters. The Legislature [...]

Gov. Kelly signs bill to ban local ‘sanctuary city’ ordinances

info2022-04-12T07:17:53-05:00April 12th, 2022|

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday signed a bill pushed by state Republicans to overturn three communities’ policies that could help immigrants stay in the state illegally. The bill was filed after Wyandotte County passed a “sanctuary” ordinance in February that would provide local identification cards for immigrants and other residents and would prevent local law enforcement from helping the federal government enforce immigration laws unless public safety is threatened. Lawrence and Roeland Park have similar ordinances. Kelly said in a statement announcing that she would sign the bill that immigration policy is a federal responsibility which can’t be resolved at [...]

Topeka named as ‘Zoom Town’ in online report

info2022-04-12T00:33:08-05:00April 12th, 2022|

The City of Topeka made a top 25 list for "Zoom Towns" in the U.S. which have a lot to offer to remote workers. The report, released Monday by the online real-estate website Ownerly.com, examined 1,488 cities across the U.S. to come up with a list of 25 which offer the most amenities to remote workers. Amenities include affordable housing, high-speed Internet, outdoor green space, childcare options and more. Topeka made the list, coming in at number four thanks to a variety of factors. These included things such as affordable housing, good access to public Wi-Fi, a high broadband score and [...]

Salina government facing issues of hiring more employees

info2022-04-11T07:29:30-05:00April 11th, 2022|

Employers across the nation are having a difficult time hiring right now, and one area where that is apparent is the shortage of workers in government. The City of Salina is facing issues hiring new employees. As of April 5, the city's jobs website showed a total of 51 available openings in fulltime and part-time positions. There have been a number of factors leading up to this workforce issue, but the pandemic has made things much worse and more pronounced, even as studies have been showing this might be an issue in the public and municipal sector. "In city management circles [...]

Tasty H2O in Ark City

info2022-04-11T07:10:00-05:00April 11th, 2022|

Who has the best tasting water in Kansas? According to the judges at a contest sponsored by the Kansas Rural Water Association last week, Arkansas City does. That honor is a repeat performance for the new water plant that opened in 2018. Ark City won the same award during the previous KRWA conference in 2019. “Congratulations to our water professionals,” City Manager Randy Frazer said. “They did a great job of producing the best-tasting water in the state of Kansas.” Water samples from more than 20 communities were judged by a team of professionals. Frazer said the judges narrowed the competition [...]

Chanute Housing programs explained

info2022-04-11T07:03:59-05:00April 10th, 2022|

Some residents do not understand how the Chanute Housing Authority assists people with rent, and there has been upset over increases in rental costs. The authority offers Housing and Urban Development programs, Executive Director Nicci Wiltse said, but some applicants and taxpayers might be confused about how they work. CHA has two programs. Section 8 is a voucher program, where tenants rent from landlord owners. Tenants in the other program live in city-owned housing with rent options of either a flat rate or based on 30 percent of the participant’s gross annual income. Although different, many applicants confuse the two programs. [...]

Here’s how the Fed raising interest rates can help get inflation lower, and why it could fail

info2022-04-11T07:05:07-05:00April 10th, 2022|

The view that higher interest rates help stamp out inflation is essentially an article of faith, based on long-held economic gospel of supply and demand. But how does it really work? And will it work this time around, when bloated prices seem at least partially beyond the reach of conventional monetary policy? It is this dilemma that has Wall Street confused and markets volatile. In normal times, the Federal Reserve is seen as the cavalry coming into quell soaring prices. But this time, the central bank is going to need some help. "Can the Fed bring down inflation on their own? [...]