News – Page 1164 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Kansas schools are bringing people from outside the classroom to teach during staffing crunch

info2022-03-16T07:38:32-05:00March 16th, 2022|

Teaching wasn’t always the plan for Lindsey Kepka, the business teacher at Avenue A School in Hutchinson, but after 10 years into a business career, she decided to switch paths. She specialized in philanthropy and finance during her career, but after re-evaluating her impact on the community, she enrolled in the Transition to Teaching program at Fort Hays State University two years ago.... As Kansas schools address teacher shortages, more districts are looking to restricted license programs — university programs meant to train industry veterans like Kepka from outside the education industry to be teachers — to help staff high school [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for March 15, 2022

info2022-03-16T07:37:03-05:00March 16th, 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.

Forecasters see growing chance of a recession as Fed hikes rates this year to fight inflation

info2022-03-15T22:37:31-05:00March 15th, 2022|

Forecasters have raised their outlooks for a recession and boosted their inflation outlook as the Federal Reserve faces the quandary of fast-rising prices and greater uncertainty from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to the latest CNBC Fed Survey. The probability of recession in the US was raised to 33% in the next 12 months, up 10 percentage points from the Feb. 1 survey. The chance of a recession in Europe stands at 50%. Respondents debated whether the recent surge in commodity prices would prompt the Fed to raise rates faster because it adds to inflation or raise rates less because they [...]

Governor Laura Kelly Announces $20 Million in Business Investment and 150 New Jobs in Wichita

info2022-03-16T07:31:55-05:00March 15th, 2022|

Governor Laura Kelly today announced Fagron Sterile Services’ (FSS) new expansion in Wichita which will result in more than 150 new jobs and $20 million in capital investment over the next three years. “International investment is an important economic driver for Kansas, and we are proud to work with Fagron in support of their continued growth in Wichita,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Through Fagron’s expansion, Wichita and surrounding communities will see the benefits of continued economic growth. My administration will keep investing in the tools that make Kansas the best place in the nation to do business.” Fagron Sterile Services U.S. [...]

Pottawatomie County approves amnesty month in May for collection of old tires, appliances

info2022-03-15T22:32:40-05:00March 15th, 2022|

Pottawatomie County residents will have the opportunity in the month of May to dispose of unwanted passenger tires and refrigeration appliances at no cost. County Commissioners approved an amnesty month specific to those materials. County Sanitarian Scott Schwinn says it’s been a successful program in the past. “Here we’re asking to do a cleanup which rather than one day, gives people a full month to try to come in and get rid of some of the stuff would sit around with water in it,” he said. “There’s still some old refrigeration stuff out there that is still dangerous to children and [...]

Hiawatha City Administrator tenders resignation, takes position in North Kansas City

info2022-03-16T07:32:23-05:00March 15th, 2022|

Hiawatha City Administrator Mike Nichols will be leaving the City on April 6, after offering his resignation at Monday night's meeting. Nichols has secured the same position with North Kansas City, Mo., and will begin on April 11 after serving the City of Hiawatha since December of 2013. Nichols briefly addressed his departure at Monday night’s meeting of the Hiawatha City Commission. His last commission meeting will be on March 28. Source: City Government | hiawathaworldonline.com

Council addresses Derby Fire and Rescue staffing needs

info2022-03-16T07:33:17-05:00March 15th, 2022|

Both recent efforts and looming deadlines led the Derby City Council to move forward – on multiple fronts – in pursuit of hiring more firefighting personnel at its meeting on March 8. Firstly, the city council approved authorization of a contract for a fire staffing study through AP Triton (at a total cost of $29,831), something City Manager Kiel Mangus reported has not been done since Derby shifted to a full-time department in 2005. In 2021, the city applied for a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant from FEMA to hire three additional full-time firefighters with the intent [...]

More than 96% of Wyandotte County homes increased in value this year

info2022-03-16T07:33:35-05:00March 15th, 2022|

Property owners in Wyandotte county can expect to see their home appraisal values in the mail soon, and most can expect the value of their property to go up. According to Wyandotte County Appraiser Matthew Willard, 96% of homes in the county will see an increase in value. The county’s overall median home price went up 17% in 2021 in comparison to the previous year. The average home sale price is $206,176 and the year over year increase is 13.20%. ... The market is hot. One of the main factors driving up home values is the lack of supply in the [...]

Topeka receives $1.7M for homeless housing program

info2022-03-15T22:11:42-05:00March 15th, 2022|

The City of Topeka will receive $1.7 million to help fund its homeless housing and service program from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. According to a City of Topeka spokesperson, along with an additional $51,737 in planning funds, this cash will go to Topeka's Shelter Plus Care program. This announcement comes just one day after the city said their homeless population had increased since 2021 with its Point in Time Homeless Count. “Shelter Plus Care helps around 240 households on a given month," Corrie Wright, Division Director of Housing Services for the City of Topeka, said. "This renewal [...]

City of Topeka to discuss redistricting plans due to population shifts

info2022-03-16T07:27:22-05:00March 15th, 2022|

City of Topeka leaders are meeting tonight to discuss drawing new city council districts. Each district in the city needs to have around 14,000 people in it. Two city districts don't have enough to meet that number at the moment and three of them have too many. Districts 1 and 2 in Topeka each need an additional 600 people to balance out the map. District 1 Councilwoman Karen Hiller says redistricting is about more than the numbers. "That redistricting commission looks at the numbers but they also look at what are the natural boundaries," Hiller said. "Whether it's the river or [...]