News – Page 1234 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Single and looking to rent? The top city for an apartment is in Kansas, study says

info2022-01-07T07:12:29-06:00January 7th, 2022|

Wichita is the most affordable U.S. city for a single person to rent an apartment, an analysis of 1.2 million studio apartment listings has concluded. The RentHop Singles Index ranks cities based on the median cost of a studio apartment relative to the average salary of single people who live there. Researchers for the apartment rental service determined that single Wichitans spend less of their annual income on rent than their counterparts in any of the nation’s 50 largest cities. Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Pickleball growing big following in Iola

info2022-01-07T07:11:17-06:00January 7th, 2022|

Pickleball, a relatively new sport, is gaining followers across the country and in Iola. Lyle Kern is the pioneer of the game in the area and the game is gaining a robust following in Iola and LaHarpe. Pickleball is growing in popularity across America, and here in Iola. A mix of different sports, pickleball has a dedicated following in Iola. So what exactly is Pickleball? Lyle Kern, one of the more seasoned pickleball players in the area, tells it best. “I tell people it’s like if you could stand on a ping-pong table and play ping-pong,” Kern said. “You have a [...]

Plan for faster COVID-19 testing being worked on in Sedgwick County

info2022-01-07T07:09:59-06:00January 7th, 2022|

The surge in COVID-19 cases leads to a rise in testing. First, there is an issue of people getting an appointment. Many testing slots are booked in just an hour after opening, and if you make it to a testing site, some people are waiting in line for hours. Commissioners are looking to open an emergency testing site. Source: KSN-TV

Kelly issues executive order to ease hospital burden

info2022-01-07T07:09:34-06:00January 7th, 2022|

Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday declared a new short-term emergency, signing executive orders aimed at relieving hospitals and nursing homes struggling with staffing shortages as COVID-19 rages again with the spread of a new variant. Kelly declared a 15-day emergency, clearing the way for executive orders that will give hospitals and nursing homes more flexibility to use staffers to treat and test Kansans who are coming down with COVID-19 in increasing numbers. “Our hospitals have sounded the alarm of the impact this surge is having on the facilities, their staff and their patients,” Kelly said. “We needed to do this and [...]

City of Pittsburg businesses prosper, lead to housing and future job market

info2022-01-07T07:08:56-06:00January 7th, 2022|

Over the past year one southeast Kansas community has been seeing its hard work pay off — improving its quality of life and laying the groundwork for the years ahead. "It's going to be business as usual," said Daron Hall, Pittsburg City Manager. The usual for Pittsburg is pretty impressive. The city has seen some big advancements over the past year. Many local businesses say its seen some of their best sales in 2021. "We've been very fortunate, our sales tax is up 11.5%, which is unprecedented, but it's constantly a struggle to keep amenities and things that draw people to [...]

A Kansas small town crime is creating big problems

info2022-01-07T07:08:26-06:00January 7th, 2022|

A vandalism incident is creating a lot of headaches for people living in and around Reading, Kansas. That's not because of the damage that needs cleaned up, but because of the long term implications that could come from it. Reading's downtown consists of a café, a Church, a bank, the Fire Department, and the Post Office. ... On Monday, someone vandalized the lobby area of the Post Office, where individual mail boxes, posters, and package boxes are located. ... Basic vandalism, with a big impact for people trying to send or receive mail. Source: KSNT News

Topeka Metro reducing services due to COVID-19 related staff shortages

info2022-01-07T07:07:41-06:00January 7th, 2022|

The Topeka Metro is hosting a series of public meetings in January to educate residents about proposed system-wide reductions in the metro system due to workforce shortages. The meetings will be held on Jan. 12, 13 and 18 according to a press release from Director of Marketing and Communications Keri Renner with the Topeka Metropolitan Transit Authority. "Over the last several years it has become increasingly more difficult to recruit and maintain bus operators," Renner said. "This has been the experience both regionally and nationally." Source: KSNT News

Hawkish Fed signals it may have to raise rates sooner to fight inflation

info2022-01-06T07:46:57-06:00January 6th, 2022|

A "very tight" job market and unabated inflation might require the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates sooner than expected and begin reducing its overall asset holdings as a second brake on the economy, U.S. central bank policymakers said in their meeting last month. In a document released on Wednesday that markets took as decidedly hawkish, the minutes from the Dec. 14-15 policy meeting showed Fed officials uniformly concerned about the pace of price increases that promised to persist, alongside global supply bottlenecks "well into" 2022. ... The language showed the depth of the consensus that has emerged at the Fed [...]

Support expressed for looking locally for firm to help Topeka find city manager

info2022-01-06T07:45:07-06:00January 6th, 2022|

Though out-of-state firms helped Topeka's city government find its last three permanent city managers, the mayor and council members voiced support Tuesday for looking locally this time for a company to help conduct that search. "I really don't feel we need a national search firm," said Councilman Neil Dobler. Mayor Mike Padilla and most other members of the nine-person council joined Dobler in voicing support for hiring a search firm that's local, or at least regional, to help find a replacement for former city manager Brent Trout. Source: CJonline

Municipal Bond Trends for January 5, 2022

info2022-01-06T07:35:35-06:00January 6th, 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.