News – Page 1478 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Lenexa adopts new rules for homeless shelters, making way for Project 1020 to stay open

info2021-03-22T07:08:53-05:00March 21st, 2021|

After a year of collecting public input, weighing regional needs with public safety concerns, and deliberating among city leaders, Lenexa has adopted new city codes that regulate homeless shelters. The Lenexa City Council on Tuesday briefly discussed the new regulations before unanimously agreeing to adopt them as part of the municipal code. City councilmembers said the codes strike the right balance between meeting the needs of folks without a roof over their heads and the concerns about public safety in areas around shelters. Source: Prairie Village Post

Mission launches $15,000 rent-mortgage assistance program

info2021-03-22T07:09:37-05:00March 21st, 2021|

The Mission City Council Wednesday evening unanimously approved working with Catholic Charities to administer $15,000 to residents who need help paying rent or mortgage bills. City Administrator Laura Smith has been working on the program, and reached out to the United Community Services of Johnson County which helped the city identify Catholic Charities as a housing support provider. Councilmember Hillary Parker Thomas thanked Smith for “massaging” the rent-mortgage assistance idea into a program that she thinks “is going to make a difference for at least a few” Mission families. Source: Prairie Village Post

Soaring into the future

info2021-03-22T07:09:47-05:00March 21st, 2021|

Allen County Regional Airport may soon be expanding. But what does that mean exactly? To find out more, this Register reporter sat down with Jonathon Goering, economic development director at Thrive Allen County, and Allen County Commissioner, Jerry Daniels, both of whom have been closely involved with the project. To begin, they suggested that the phrase “airport expansion” is a bit tricky, since the primary goal at this stage is to simply have utilities installed on 24 acres in the northwest corner of the airport property (which is owned by the county). Bids are currently being sought to see what those utilities might cost, [...]

Midwest Energy joins electric vehicle charging collaboration

info2021-03-22T07:10:52-05:00March 21st, 2021|

Midwest Energy announced it has joined a collaboration group with nine investor-owned utilities, promoting the construction of a multi-state network of electric vehicle charging stations throughout the Midwestern U.S. Midwest Energy signed a memorandum of cooperation with the other utilities, pledging that the co-op would pursue the completion of a foundational electric vehicle (EV) charging network, to soon allow EV owners to drive from Detroit to Colorado, or from northern Michigan to Texas, knowing they can charge their vehicles along the route. “Automakers worldwide are committing huge investments in electric vehicles, with some signaling they’re phasing out fossil fuel engines by [...]

Housing an issue in Salina

info2021-03-21T09:41:58-05:00March 20th, 2021|

Housing is a complicated and important issue in Salina right now. With companies like Kubota, Schwan’sandothersmovingor expanding manufacturing and business in the community, new workers and their families need places to live. But that is becoming more difficult with the current state of the economy and other factors. Todd Welsh, the owner and broker of SalinaHomes.com, spoke during the Salina Community Economic Development Organization (EDO) board meeting Thursday about the current situation and how the industry is dealing with it. ... He said the reason for the low number of listings is that people are buying as soon as houses come [...]

Pittsburg to host Pittcation in place of Spring Break

info2021-03-19T09:46:16-05:00March 19th, 2021|

Spring Break is a little different this year because of the pandemic, but one city is trying to make the best of it. Brittan Brenner, Pittsburg Community Development Specialist, said, "We just started talking about events that should happen and we were like "Well there's no spring break, maybe we could play off something like that, and then it just kind of blew up." Now the city of Pittsburg is hosting its own version of Spring Break. "We're planning a week long event called Pittcation starting this Saturday March 20th through Saturday March 27th." Pittcation is designed to give the mid-semester [...]

City puts a stop to KCK homeowner’s Chiefs mural, ordering him to take it down

info2021-03-19T09:45:00-05:00March 19th, 2021|

A bit of fun is turning into a bit of a fumble for a Kansas City, Kansas, homeowner after the city threw a penalty flag for the Chiefs mural painted on his house. "We don't have any HOA here. We don't have any restrictions that I know of. I just thought I'm going to paint my house, so let's have some fun," artist Chris Chancey said. But according to city code, that kind of artwork isn't allowed in residential areas. Now Chancey has a deadline to take it down. "I told my wife I was going to be painting the house [...]

Conway Springs City Council appoints new city clerk

info2021-03-19T09:44:13-05:00March 19th, 2021|

The City of Conway Springs has a new city clerk. Courtnie Louia has been named to fill the position that has been vacant since earlier this year. Louia was officially appointed as city clerk at last week’s meeting of the Conway Springs City Council. Louia, who lives in Viola and has a background in business management, takes over the position previously held by Aubrey Hill. Hill resigned to take a position in the private sector. Source: Times-Sentinel Newspapers

Wichita is expanding internet access program

info2021-03-19T09:43:42-05:00March 19th, 2021|

The city of Wichita will be expanding a program that provides internet access for low-income neighborhoods. The city began providing hot spot devices through a pilot program in 2019, and each device provides wi-fi access for up to 15 devices within a home. When initial funding ran out, the city used federal block grant funding to continue the program. Megan Lovely with the Mayor’s Office said federal CARES Act funding is now being used to expand the program to more homes. Source: Country 101.3 KFDI

Douglas County leaders to consider reducing use of chemical herbicides for weed control after environmental groups voice concerns

info2021-03-19T09:00:46-05:00March 19th, 2021|

Following concerns from local environmental groups, county leaders are going to reconsider the county’s level of chemical herbicide use and discuss potential reductions. The Douglas County Commission was scheduled to approve the county’s annual Noxious Weed Management Plan as part of its consent agenda Wednesday, but members of local environmental groups voiced concerns. The county uses chemicals to control weeds in unincorporated areas, has agreements with some other entities for the same purpose, and sells chemicals to the public for weed control. Source: LJWorld.com.