News – Page 1794 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Here’s how Sedgwick County epidemiologist ‘disease detectives’ investigate coronavirus

info2020-04-13T08:17:11-05:00April 12th, 2020|

The new coronavirus pandemic has led the Sedgwick County Health Department to more than double its number of epidemiologists, the health care workers who investigate and analyze data on infectious diseases. “We are the ones that if you come down with chicken pox or whooping cough, we’re going to be calling you to figure out who you’ve been around that could have given it to you and also who you’ve been around that you could have spread it to,” said Kaylee Hervey, the epidemiology program manager for the Sedgwick County Health Department. “Our goal is always to prevent the spread of [...]

KHF opens $2 million COVID 19 grants initiative

info2020-04-13T08:17:32-05:00April 12th, 2020|

The Kansas Health Foundation will begin accepting applications next weeks for its 2020 Impact and Capacity Grants Initiative, this year focused on COVID-19 response and recovery. The $2 million initiative provides one-year grants of up to $25,000 for nonprofits who are mission-aligned with KHF. Due to the urgency of responding to COVID-19 impacts, KHF is moving up its normal May 1 application launch date to April 13. Applications will be accepted through Aug. 31, or until all designated 2020 funds are awarded. (Read more: Local - The Hutchinson News)

Topeka city officials take 3% pay cuts while expecting significant revenue shortfall

info2020-04-13T08:17:59-05:00April 12th, 2020|

Topeka’s city government appears destined, because of the coronavirus pandemic, to bring in significantly less sales tax revenue this year than it planned, city media relations coordinator Molly Hadfield announced in a news release. The city is responding by taking steps that include reducing salaries by 3% for management and executive staff, asking employees represented by labor unions to accept a 3% pay cut and implementing a freeze on hiring, except for jobs for which a critical or citywide operational need exists, Hadfield said in the release put out Friday. “This type of loss in one budget year is substantial and [...]

JoCo begins drive-thru coronavirus tests: ‘No time more important than next week’

info2020-04-13T08:18:45-05:00April 12th, 2020|

At 9 a.m. on Friday, Lee Jarrell of Leawood joined a line of more than 100 cars wrapped around the College Boulevard Activity Center in Olathe. As she waited, Jarrell meditated on the fact that she will finally know — after days of worrying about her cough and the possibility of infecting her family — whether she has coronavirus. Jarrell was among the first randomly selected group of Johnson County residents invited to go to the drive-thru testing site on its opening day. (Read more: KC Star Local News)

Independence announces emergency grant recipients

info2020-04-13T08:19:27-05:00April 12th, 2020|

Within the last few days, the City of Independence has disbursed a total of $355,000 to locally owned brick-and-mortar businesses as part of an emergency relief grant program designed to offset losses incurred during the COVID-19 crisis. The following 71 recipients each received funding:... (Read more: Independence, KS - News Flash)

Osawatomie hires new city manager (might be the first city manager ever appointed while in quarantine)

info2020-04-10T14:14:30-05:00April 10th, 2020|

Michael Scanlon said he is eager to begin work as Osawatomie’s new city manager – as soon as he gets out of quarantine. The 58-year-old Scanlon did not contract coronavirus (COVID-19) but he lived in one of Colorado’s highly contagious counties in high ski country that was on a no-travel list in many states. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) last month issued an advisory that anyone who had traveled or worked in Pitkin County (Aspen, Colo.) should go into self-quarantine for 14 days as soon as they returned to Kansas. Scanlon made his way from Aspen to Kansas [...]

Fed muni purchases seen as ‘smart move’ for market’s long-term stability

info2020-04-13T08:21:24-05:00April 9th, 2020|

The municipal market rallied Thursday, with yields declining at least 10 basis points across the curve against a backdrop of the Federal Reserve’s announcement that it would purchase up to $500 billion of short-term municipal notes. While the announcement signaled the Fed would prop up short-term munis, long-term bonds are not going to be a part of the programs, at least for now. Many participants said the shift to a more constructive tone was based more on the fundamentals of the municipal market itself than the news that the Fed would selectively purchase up to 24-month securities from states — whose [...]

Pittsburg Parks & Recreation Department Easter Egg Surprise

info2020-04-09T21:59:21-05:00April 9th, 2020|

Each year, the Pittsburg Parks & Recreation Department hosts its annual Easter Egg Hunt at Lincoln Park, drawing hundreds of children to gather brightly-colored eggs. Sadly, this year the event was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. Since families could not come to us, we brought Easter to them! Our staff got creative and collaborated with Pittsburg USD 250 School District to place eggs inside their school lunches. (Read more: City of Pittsburg)

Johnson County cuts $20M from budget, furloughs staff as COVID-19 depletes revenues

info2020-04-09T21:56:40-05:00April 9th, 2020|

As the coronavirus pandemic takes its toll on local revenue, Johnson County has furloughed more than 260 employees and has a plan to cut about $20 million from its budget, officials announced Thursday. But Johnson County commissioners warned that those cuts will likely only begin to address the shortfalls as the outbreak continues to overturn nearly every facet of life. Scott Neufeld, budget director, estimates the county could lose between $18 million and $38 million in tax revenues. Officials project sales tax revenues will take the biggest hit, although the county could also see a significant reduction on investment income due to the [...]

Sedgwick County group limit of 10 remains in effect for churches

info2020-04-09T21:55:53-05:00April 9th, 2020|

One of the biggest church attendance days of the year, Easter, is just around the corner. Combine that with some lawmakers’ concerns about constitutional protections of religious freedom and there’s now a fight at the statehouse over whether Kansas can ban church gatherings of more than 10 people. It’s a fight Sedgwick County leaders see as partisan bickering that does not apply in their county. “I don't think there's a Democrat virus and a Republican virus,” said Pete Meitzner, chair of the Sedgwick County Commission, at a news briefing Thursday morning. “But it kind of gets that way a little bit [...]