News – Page 1411 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Pierceville residents oppose development of a sand mine

info2021-06-12T14:28:39-05:00June 11th, 2021|

Residents of Pierceville Township spoke against the development a sand quarry run by Huber Sand in Pierceville at the June 7 Finney County Commission meeting. A Board of Zoning Appeals meeting is being held on June 16 at 9 a.m. at Garden City Hall in Commission Chambers as Huber Sand has filed an application for a conditional use permit to run a sand gravel quarry in Pierceville. The land is currently zoned as “A” Agricultural and is generally located at South Main Street and East Avenue D. The property straddles the Finney County and Gray County line. Pierceville resident Dionisio Garcia [...]

Economic development initiative underway to bring new business to Independence Industrial Park

info2021-06-11T07:18:01-05:00June 11th, 2021|

At this evening’s meeting, the Independence City Commission cleared the way for a major economic development project in the West Laurel Industrial Park. The commissioners approved the sale of 36.1 acres of land in the industrial park at a reduced cost to JDKS Bundle LLC, a company that plans to develop a warehouse and distribution facility on the property. Commissioners also approved the extension of public utilities and Enterprise Drive to the facility site, as well as approved submission of any applicable grants to fund related public infrastructure improvements. The utility and roadway expenses total up to $1.1 million. Source: Independence, [...]

Rural hospitals to get help with funding in wake of financial crisis

info2021-06-11T07:17:10-05:00June 11th, 2021|

Rural hospitals in Kansas that faced mounting financial struggles during the pandemic are getting more money to provide critical care to patients. Last month, the state has taken one of its first steps in securing new sources of funding to help rural hospitals, enacting the Rural Emergency Hospital Act. Governor Laura Kelly held a ceremonial signing for the bill, House Bill 2208, on Thursday. The bill aims to increase access to health care and mental health services, especially in rural communities, where options are limited. "It protects our rural hospitals and it increases access to telemedicine. Each initiative will benefit Kansans [...]

El Dorado survivors remember ‘Wrong Way Tornado’ 63 years later

info2021-06-11T07:16:48-05:00June 11th, 2021|

63 years ago Thursday, a massive tornado tore through El Dorado, Kansas. The EF-4 twister was on the ground for eight miles and was 300 yards wide. Leroy Burton of El Dorado was 9-years-old during the tornado, "He [dad] said, if it ever stops moving you know it's coming right at you. And at about that time it stopped moving. We went out the backdoor and ran like hell to the storm shelter." Stephen Sheridan of El Dorado was only 1-year-old during the tornado, but it nearly took his life. "She [mom] said she went and picked me up out of [...]

Federal telehealth bill heightens conversation about broadband access in rural Kansas

info2021-06-11T07:15:43-05:00June 11th, 2021|

New federal legislation to make pandemic-based telehealth allowances permanent has researchers, broadband advocates and lawmakers talking about the importance of bridging the digital divide in rural Kansas. The Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act championed by U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), alongside Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), is aimed at ensuring “rural and underserved” health care providers can offer telehealth services after the pandemic. Services would include audio-only telehealth appointments, acknowledging many rural areas lack reliable broadband. Changes would include allowing payment-parity for audio-only health services, waive any restrictions to allow patients to be treated from [...]

City of Humboldt sells street signs for $10 a piece

info2021-06-11T07:14:00-05:00June 11th, 2021|

The City of Humboldt, Kansas is selling some lightly used street signs. They’re moving from white and black signs, to blue and white. You can get yourself one of the street signs for $10 a piece. Source: KOAMKOAM

Johnson County judge moves towards ruling new emergency management laws unconstitutional

info2021-06-11T07:12:08-05:00June 11th, 2021|

Portions of an expansive new Kansas emergency management law that opened the door to lawsuits challenging local COVID-19 precautions could become invalid after a Johnson County judge said this week they hold “significant constitutional problems.” In an order Tuesday, Johnson County District Judge David Hauber asked Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who helped draft the law and is running for governor, to appear in court as he considers ruling portions of it unconstitutional. The request came in Hauber’s ruling on a lawsuit parents filed against the Shawnee Mission School District seeking to force an end to the district’s mask mandate. The suit [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for June 10, 2021

info2021-06-11T06:45:13-05:00June 11th, 2021|

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.

An Old Schoolhouse Full of Chickens Irks a Fading Kansas Town

info2021-06-11T06:44:23-05:00June 11th, 2021|

If Angelus were still a prosperous farm town and had more children than chickens, then maybe the two-story brick schoolhouse would still be a school and not a chicken coop. But it isn’t and it doesn’t. So instead of students, the ground floor of the century-old building is occupied by poultry, goats cavort on the muddy front lawn and there are reports—unconfirmed—of pigs in the gym. The situation is raising hackles among the 28 residents of Angelus, as well as former students and history buffs elsewhere in northwest Kansas. “It saddens you every time you go by there,” said Bill Bixenman, [...]

Debate continues on proposed city of Golden as public hearing nears

info2021-06-11T06:42:35-05:00June 11th, 2021|

For Jennifer Williams and the nearly 300 others who signed a petition to establish a new 9-square-mile third class city named Golden north of Hillsdale Lake in Miami County, the need is clear. The neighbors are concerned because of what is happening just north of the county line, where NorthPoint Development is working with the city of Edgerton to annex land for proposed industrial warehouses. Becoming a city would give them more control over potential rezonings and help them preserve their rural lifestyle. “We don’t want to wait until they infiltrate the Miami County border and it’s too late for us,” [...]