News – Page 1208 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Cities and States Find New Ways to Tax Streaming Services

info2022-02-01T07:35:16-06:00February 1st, 2022|

More than half the states and dozens of cities now levy taxes or fees on digital streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, aiming to recoup the revenue they lose when people cut the cable cord. Cable customers pay sales taxes and a variety of other taxes and fees imposed by state and local governments. For example, states and localities require cable companies to pay franchise fees—up to 5 percent of gross receipts, under federal law—for the easements allowing them to run cable in public rights-of-way. Cable companies recover these costs by adding charges to customers’ bills. But as more consumers [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for January 31, 2022

info2022-02-01T07:33:20-06:00February 1st, 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.

Bostic says Fed could do half-point March hike if needed

info2022-02-01T07:32:46-06:00February 1st, 2022|

The Federal Reserve could opt to raise its benchmark rate by 50 basis points if a more aggressive approach to taming inflation is needed, Raphael Bostic, president of the Fed’s Atlanta branch, told the Financial Times in an interview. Bostic stuck to his prediction that three quarter-point increases starting in March is the most likely scenario, though stubbornly high consumer prices may justify a more robust rate rise. The Fed typically increases rates in quarter-point increments. “Every option is on the table for every meeting,” Bostic said on Friday. “If the data say that things have evolved in a way that [...]

Wichita task force seeks retail ban on single-use bags, Dillons working on phased elimination

info2022-02-01T07:31:07-06:00February 1st, 2022|

The purposeful life span of plastic bags that are a staple of retail stores can be measured in minutes, while these thinnest of load-bearing containers take decades to decompose in landfills. The familiar store-to-home bags have a knack for finding their way into the environment as litter on the ground or floating in streams, rivers and oceans. When multiplied by about 500 billion each year, these easy-come, easy-go bags become a menace to the planet. Alternatives exist — reusable cotton or non-woven polypropylene satchels, for example — but convincing people at grocery stores, restaurants and convenience stores to make the switch [...]

Wyandotte County ushers in historic change with slate of new African American leaders

info2022-02-01T07:30:08-06:00February 1st, 2022|

Barely a month after Tyrone Garner was sworn in as mayor and CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, he and the county commission selected Cheryl Harrison-Lee to be the new interim county administrator. The appointment means African Americans, for the first time in county history, hold five key UG positions simultaneously: mayor, police chief, district attorney, county administrator and general manager of the Board of Public Utilities. For Garner, the milestone was about more than just breaking racial barriers. “What resonates more to me than anything else is that I see a new energy in [...]

How much snow? Biggest storm of the season so far is forecast for Wichita this week

info2022-01-31T23:46:17-06:00January 31st, 2022|

Enjoy the warmer weather while you can. A winter storm — with potentially six inches of snow for the Wichita area — is headed for parts of south central and southeast Kansas. Here’s what National Weather Service meteorologist Eric Metzger says is expected. He notes the forecast could change: Rain is expected early Tuesday afternoon. The rain-sleet mix is expected to transition to all snow early Wednesday, Metzger says. The wind chill is expected to get steadily worse starting Tuesday night. Metzger says the area could see wind chills of 11 or 12 below zero. Driving advisories will be in effect. [...]

Rural towns say they need a hand to fight off hackers and ransomware

info2022-01-31T23:41:20-06:00January 31st, 2022|

The federal government set aside $1 billion to help cities and counties improve their cybersecurity, but rural communities worry they will be left out and end up more susceptible to attacks like ransomware. The funding comes from the congressional infrastructure law, with $250 million dollars specifically targeted at rural areas. The funds are distributed to states over the next four years and will begin going out later this year. But rural community leaders say they lack the resources and expertise to come up with a comprehensive cybersecurity plan and to pursue the grants. Source: KCUR News

4.5-magnitude earthquake rattles Wichita, south-central Kansas on Monday

info2022-02-01T07:28:16-06:00January 31st, 2022|

People across Wichita and south-central Kansas are saying on social media that they felt a earthquake rattle the area late Monday morning. Reports started rolling in on Twitter and Facebook shortly after 11 a.m. The United States Geological Survey’s earthquake map says the quake was centered about seven kilometers — or 4.3 miles — northwest of Medford, Oklahoma, not far from the Kansas-Oklahoma state line. It was about 7.8 kilometers deep and had a magnitude of 4.5, according to the USGS. The earthquake’s epicenter was about 75 miles south of Wichita. But it was strong enough to make the ground shake [...]

Why municipal electric utilities seek deals with cryptocurrency miners

info2022-01-31T23:35:29-06:00January 31st, 2022|

What to do when your municipal electric utility is slammed by huge bills after the state electric grid failed to balance supply and demand? Bring in a new power-hungry customer to help pay off those bills. That's what Denton, Texas, is doing. Now, the money it realizes from having Core Scientific as a customer will pay the town’s $7 million in annual debt service it has from the $140 million in debt Denton issued to cover the cost of power when the price of electricity from Electric Reliability Council of Texas, ERCOT, soared to $9,000 per kilowatt hour, said Tony Puente, [...]

Pottawatomie County planning to extend moratorium on solar farms to 2023

info2022-02-01T07:28:42-06:00January 31st, 2022|

Pottawatomie County commissioners gave consensus Monday to extend its ongoing moratorium on solar farms until January 1, 2023. Doing so doesn’t mean the board and the county planning commission can’t still meet to draft zoning regulations. Commissioner Greg Riat says without it, a resident could in theory start building a solar farm operation on their property. “Just say we’re not going to do any solar farms in our county until January 1 of 2023 and for some reason we get our planning and zoning done in August we take it off.” The current moratorium is set to expire in March. The [...]