News – Page 1651 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

$330M development planned on Schlitterbahn water park site

info2020-09-01T08:08:22-05:00September 1st, 2020|

Two former soccer club executives are hoping to help fund a planned $330 million redevelopment of the shuttered Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City, Kansas, with sales tax funds. Robb Heineman, Sporting KC’s former CEO, and Greg Cotton, its former chief operating officer, and chief counsel, have proposed building a multisport complex on the site, which was sold in June last year. Unified Government of Wyandotte County-Kansas City officials say the redevelopment would “remove (the) blight and political stigma” that has tainted the park since 2016 when a 10-year-old boy was decapitated while on a ride billed as the world’s tallest [...]

New micro hospital looks to grow closer with Topeka community

info2020-09-01T08:07:53-05:00September 1st, 2020|

Topeka ER and Hospital opened in July, but is looking to grow closer with the community. The hospital is fully-functional with the same abilities as any other major hospital in the country. It has an eight-bed emergency room and six-bed inpatient unit for those who may need to stay for an extended period of time. The hospital can handle anything from cuts and scrapes to heart attacks and major illnesses. “The whole idea behind it is to try and be within the community rather than being a larger that’s hard to get to or feel comfortable with,” Dr. Jared Schreiner, Topeka [...]

Mayors Of College Towns Brace For The Economic Impact Of Remote Learning

info2020-09-01T08:11:07-05:00September 1st, 2020|

Across the country, colleges and universities are struggling to decide how to teach students in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some schools have turned to remote learning; some have attempted to reopen campus with various precautions in place. Others are trying a mix of both. For the municipalities that are host to colleges and universities, these decisions can be costly. Whether it's curtailing the spread of the virus in their communities, or losing the typical influx of student spending that arrives each fall, these cities and towns are bracing for a challenge. In South Bend, Ind. earlier this month, the [...]

Speed and accuracy driving force behind new Johnson County medical examiner’s office

info2020-09-01T08:26:09-05:00September 1st, 2020|

Johnson County cut the ribbon on a 33,000-square-foot medical examiner’s facility in a virtual ceremony Aug. 13. The equipment at the $21 million Olathe building will allow the county to move many lab tests in-house, giving workers faster results. Before the opening, autopsies had been done at a private forensic pathology facility in Kansas City, Kansas. A 2016 vote for a public safety sales tax raised the funds for the new building, located at 11894 S. Sunset Drive. Source: Joco 913 News

Merriam finds early 20th century time capsule during Irene B. French Community Center demolition

info2020-09-01T08:12:03-05:00September 1st, 2020|

As Denton Excavating crews worked on demolishing Irene B. French Community Center, they stumbled upon a piece of history. A time capsule was found in the 1911 cornerstone — that crews were removing for preservation — of the former Merriam community center. The time capsule included a handwritten roster of the then-elementary school students and Merriam founding families, Hauck said. Photo courtesy of the City of Merriam. "It just kind of brought the whole project full circle,” said Meredith Hauck, assistant city administrator. “From what an important construction project this building was in 1911 and then now, how we’re moving forward [...]

Lawrence agrees to $80,000 settlement with motorist who was shot during altercation with police officer

info2020-08-31T07:40:00-05:00August 31st, 2020|

The City of Lawrence has reached an $80,000 settlement with a Black driver who was shot by a rookie police officer after a traffic stop turned violent. The driver, Akira Lewis, filed an excessive-force lawsuit in September 2019 against former Lawrence Police Officer Brindley Blood, who shot him, as well as additional claims against the other officer involved in the traffic stop, the City of Lawrence, its police department and the police chief. The lawsuit alleges in part that Blood used excessive force against Lewis and that the city and its police department failed to properly train and supervise officers. The [...]

Court rules Save Century II petition is not valid, giving a win to Wichita

info2020-08-31T07:34:33-05:00August 31st, 2020|

A Sedgwick County judge threw out a citizens petition calling for a binding vote on whether to demolish the Century II and replace it with new convention and performing arts facilities. Sedgwick County District Judge Eric Commer ruled Friday that the Save Century II initiative is void, delivering a defeat to a grassroots campaign to give voters more control of city-owned buildings such as Century II and the Central Public Library. The judge said the city needs to take no further action to respond to the petition. However, the city immediately put out a statement saying the Wichita City Council is [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for August 28, 2020

info2020-08-31T07:33:42-05:00August 31st, 2020|

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.

Closing an opportunity gap: Community leaders stress importance of comprehensive broadband plan

info2020-08-31T07:29:37-05:00August 30th, 2020|

At Gina Millsap’s home in Shawnee County, fast and reliable internet speed isn’t the norm. Millsap, CEO of the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, said she pays about $80 a month for 5 megabits per second of download speed and 1 Mbps of upload speed — but she doesn’t usually get that. "I measure mine because I used to do IT," Millsap said, "and I’ve never gotten more than 2.5 (Mbps). That’s enough to stream — most of the time — but there are times when I’m getting less than two, I’m getting close to one." When her speed drops [...]

More than 7,000 businesses apply for COVID grant money

info2020-08-31T07:30:39-05:00August 30th, 2020|

Thousands of businesses across Kansas hope to dip their toe in a pool of $138 million in federal funds for COVID-19 pandemic recovery. On Wednesday, Aug. 26, the governor’s office announced more than 7,000 businesses and nonprofit organizations applied for Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Economic Development and Connectivity grants in the first week of the application process that began Aug. 19. Of the 7,000-plus grant applications submitted, more than 5,000 were for Small Business Working Capital (SBWC) grant funds, according to the governor’s office. The SBWC grants are available for Kansas businesses with fewer than 500 employees, according to [...]