News – Page 1237 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Emporia may oppose end to grocery tax

info2022-01-05T07:16:47-06:00January 5th, 2022|

“Axe the tax” may be a hot phrase in Topeka. But that may not be the view of the Emporia City Commission. With the new state legislative session one week away, commissioners will vote at their Wednesday meeting on a list of goals for 2022. It takes issue with proposals to end the state sales tax on groceries, which is favored by both Gov. Laura Kelly and likely election challenger Derek Schmidt. One of the 13 points will “generally oppose any further exemption to the base of state and local sales taxes, including sales of food.” Instead, the commission would recommend [...]

Rural areas continue to lose grocery stores, gain dollar stores

info2022-01-05T01:13:50-06:00January 5th, 2022|

Rural residents have fewer options to buy food and have to rely more on dollar stores and long drives for groceries, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA released data last week that shows in rural areas across the country, there was a six-year period ending in 2015 that saw a 20% decrease in grocery, specialty food and convenience stores. There was modest growth in dollar stores and superstores like Walmart over that same time period. "The number of grocery stores has been declining in these (rural) counties, particularly after the Great Recession. These trends [...]

City officials pass Master Food Plan to tackle food deserts in Wichita

info2022-01-05T01:12:15-06:00January 5th, 2022|

Wichita City Council members voted on Tuesday in favor of a food master plan to address the nearly 100,000 Wichitans that live in a food desert. A food desert is an urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food. "I am going to enthusiastically make a motion that the city council adopts the City of Wichita Sedgwick County Food System Master Plan," said city council member Becky Tuttle. "We have received seven votes, that motion does pass," said Mayor Brandon Whipple. The unanimous vote brings the city one step closer to solving the 44 square [...]

Experts and ranchers react to Biden’s $1 billion plan for meatpackers

info2022-01-05T01:09:27-06:00January 5th, 2022|

President Joe Biden announced Monday that the administration will make a $1 billion investment to help farmers and ranchers when it comes to processing their livestock, by giving them options other than giant companies. George Bachman is the owner of JB Ranch located southwest of Augusta. He says there are several issues ranchers like him are facing as we start the new year. "The increase in costs and fuel and especially labor. Labor is really hard to find right now. Besides fuel costs and labor costs, is really the bottleneck at the producer level." Source: KSNF/KODE

Prairie Village says new city mask mandates ‘not on the table’ but wants county to act

info2022-01-05T01:07:24-06:00January 5th, 2022|

Prairie Village will not reimpose a citywide mask order, but city leaders are drafting a letter to send to the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners to urge proactive mitigation against renewed spread of COVID-19. Prairie Village was the first Johnson County city with a mask mandate this fall, but that order expired on Oct. 31. At a Monday meeting of the city council’s committee of the whole, several councilmembers said they were against the idea of bringing back a citywide mask mandate. Instead, a majority of the city council agreed that COVID-19 mitigation measures like a mask order should be coming [...]

Manhattan: Employees, but not public, have to wear masks inside city-operated buildings

info2022-01-05T07:18:00-06:00January 5th, 2022|

A week after setting a mask mandate, the Manhattan city government reversed its decision on requiring the public to wear masks inside city-operated buildings. City officials announced Monday that employees still have to wear masks inside all city-operated facilities, but the public will no longer have to wear masks unless people are in staff-only areas. The policy applies to people two-years-old or older. Previously, city manager Ron Fehr had implemented mask requirements for city staff and the public in city-operated facilities on Dec. 27, citing recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Riley County Health Department and [...]

UG plans to apply for FEMA grant reimbursement for COVID expenses

info2022-01-05T01:00:36-06:00January 5th, 2022|

A proposal to apply for budget authorization for FEMA reimbursable expenses related to COVID-19 moved forward at Monday night’s Unified Government Economic Development and Finance Committee meeting. In November, the federal government extended the FEMA reimbursement period through April 1, according to UG officials. Previously, it had been set to expire in December. Source: Wyandotte Daily

Kansas schools resume classes amid COVID case surge and full hospitals after Christmas, New Year

info2022-01-04T07:04:33-06:00January 4th, 2022|

Kansas schoolchildren and teachers return to the classroom this week amid a post-Christmas and New Year coronavirus surge and pleas from doctors to wear masks. Kansas Department of Health and Environment data suggest the COVID-19 case surge in the week after Christmas has been worse than any previous peak in the pandemic. "If you want to keep schools open and you want to keep businesses open, you got to keep people healthy," said Steve Stites, the chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, when asked Monday whether mask mandates should be reinstated. "You're either not going to have [...]

Historic Rice County Jail transformed into an Airbnb and escape room

info2022-01-04T06:59:35-06:00January 4th, 2022|

Jail cells line the second floor of a bright, vintage-looking home. During years past, sheriffs of Rice County and their families lived on the ground floor, processing inmates and addressing drunken troublemakers. In 1929, the Rice County Jail opened, serving the community until 2001 when Rice County built the new Law Enforcement Center, which is west of town near the Lyons Airport. Today, the historic site purchased by Chris McCord in 2020 is an Airbnb and escape room named The Slammer Historic Rice County Jail, where guests can stay in a piece of Rice County history or learn the narrative of [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for January 3, 2022

info2022-01-04T06:58:05-06:00January 4th, 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.