News – Page 1620 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Merriam seeks information about names found in time capsule at old community center

info2020-10-01T07:26:23-05:00September 30th, 2020|

The city of Merriam is searching for interesting stories about — or living relatives of — the names found in the Irene B. French Community Center's 1911 cornerstone time capsule. The city of Merriam is seeking information about names found in a time capsule at the Irene B. French Community Center. Denton Excavating crews stumbled upon the time capsule in the 1911 cornerstone when demolishing the old community center last month. Now, the city is looking for any information — interesting stories or living relatives — about the names of students and Merriam residents. Source: Shawnee Mission Post

New energy crucial to a town’s survival

info2020-10-01T07:26:45-05:00September 30th, 2020|

Heather Horton has a few pandemic messages for her fellow Kansans. “Don’t give up. Take each day as it comes,” she says, which is good advice in any situation. But also: “Think about the people, not the profit margin, because that’s what matters in the end.” Horton and her husband, Roger, co-own two small businesses in Pittsburg. They opened Sweet Designs Cakery, where they bake party-type desserts, in 2009. A block away is Toast, which they opened last October, with a concept that was unusual for Pittsburg. Source: The Iola Register

‘We’re still open’

info2020-10-01T07:26:59-05:00September 30th, 2020|

With a smile and a wave, Paola Free Library Director Emily Burgdorf greets regular patron Bob Ayres as he takes a seat at one of the library’s computers. It’s a scene that’s happened countless other times at the library, but everything is just a little bit different during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ayres is wearing a mask, the computer next to him is off limits due to social distancing protocol, and the library is far from bustling with activity because there is a limit of 10 patrons at any given time. “The library is not closed, we’re still open” Burgdorf said. Source: [...]

Kansas airports face years of recovery after coronavirus slowdown

info2020-10-01T07:27:26-05:00September 30th, 2020|

Katie Hansen’s recent trip from Columbus, Ohio, through Chicago O’Hare International Airport to Wichita felt pretty familiar. Sure, several restaurants sat closed, but O’Hare looked busy and her flights were full. “If people didn’t have masks on,” Hansen said, “there would be nothing different.” The sense of bustling airports is a mere illusion, the result of a smaller number of air travelers grouped into a reduced number of flights. Source: News - Dodge City Daily Globe - Dodge City, KS

Extended unemployment benefits program to begin

info2020-10-01T07:23:54-05:00September 30th, 2020|

Gov. Laura Kelly announced Wednesday that the state’s Lost Wages Assistance Program is set to start Friday. The program will give Kansans already receiving unemployment benefits an additional $300 per week. “Short term, the Lost Wages Assistance program will help provide critical support to unemployed Kansans due to the coronavirus pandemic,” the governor said in a statement. “I urge the Senate to pass legislation to extend federal benefits to those still in need.” Source: News - The Garden City Telegram

Kansas governor backs new guidelines on nursing home visits

info2020-10-01T07:23:18-05:00September 30th, 2020|

Gov. Laura Kelly says she supports new federal guidelines detailing how nursing homes can begin allowing visits to patients. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last week said nursing homes should continue to follow COVID-19 related protocols, such as social distancing and temperature screening. But it said indoor visitations can be allowed at facilities that take Medicare and Medicaid if they have not had any new COVID-19 cases for 14 days and are not conducting active outbreak testing. State officials said Tuesday that it will take some time to implement the new guidance because each facility will have to respond [...]

Kansas still in ‘first wave’ of coronavirus according to top doctor

info2020-10-01T07:23:33-05:00September 30th, 2020|

Kansas has experienced another spike in coronavirus cases over the last week. The state's top doctor says Kansas has possibly not seen the worst of it yet. Since Monday, the state has seen an increase of 1,120 cases; that brings the total number of cases since the beginning of the pandemic in Kansas to 59,749. Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Dr. Lee Norman said he believes Kansas is still in the first wave of the virus. The state is currently seeing an average of 500-600 new cases each day. Secretary Norman anticipates cases will begin to level off before [...]

USDA Provides Over $2.65 Million to Kansas Cities to Promote Economic Development

info2020-09-30T11:44:20-05:00September 30th, 2020|

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director for Kansas Lynne Hinrichsen today announced that the USDA is investing $2,659,746 in loans and grants to support rural economic development. “This economic development funding is a great asset for rural communities to save and grow jobs,” Hinrichsen said. “Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, USDA has been working tirelessly to be a strong partner to rural Kansas in building stronger and healthier communities, because we know when rural America prospers, all of America prospers.” Alma - This project will provide a $600,000 loan to Grandma Hoerner's Foods, [...]

Governor Laura Kelly Announces Nearly 1,000 Permanent Jobs and $8 billion of Total Investment to Kansas

info2020-09-30T11:43:40-05:00September 30th, 2020|

Governor Laura Kelly today joined Kansas Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary for Business Development Bill Murphy and Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for Invenergy Kris Zadlo to announce Inevergy’s new Grain Belt Express transmission line. “Kansas is uniquely positioned to be a regional and national leader in the development and expansion of clean and renewable energy,” Governor Kelly said. “The Grain Belt Express will be instrumental in helping to power Kansas and other states, and will bring nearly 1,000 jobs and billions in economic investment and energy savings to our state. My administration is committed to rebuilding our foundation and [...]

Airbnb data portal to aid city tourism economies amid COVID-19

info2020-09-30T07:35:21-05:00September 30th, 2020|

Even before COVID-19, Airbnb had expressed a desire to work with local governments on addressing some concerning trends around use of the platform in cities. One of those trends included the growing popularity of "party houses," or rental houses that sometimes host hundreds of people, in violation of local rules around the size of gatherings. Airbnb banned users under the age of 25 from renting homes as a result, and city leaders can now directly go to the City Portal platform to block a party house from appearing on the platform. Source: Smart Cities Dive - Latest News