News – Page 1802 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Mural takes shape in St. John

info2020-04-06T08:19:36-05:00April 5th, 2020|

An old, blank wall in St. John is being transformed into a history lesson as a gifted artist brings the history of the founding of the town to life on a canvas of mortar. Artist Inga Ojala climbs a scaffold and draws in the likeness of William Bickerton, a member of the The Church of Christ, that founded the town in 1875. The wall is roughly 15 feet tall and 55 feet wide. The mural will be a depiction of Bickerton and his wife Dorothy arriving at Ion Valley, the site where St. John would be established, Ojala said. (Read more: [...]

Sedgwick County’s dash for supplies to protect against COVID-19 tangled in red tape

info2020-04-06T08:20:20-05:00April 5th, 2020|

Wichita hospitals are facing a shortage of personal protective equipment as the coronavirus pandemic continues its community spread in Sedgwick County. But a worldwide scramble for supplies, layers of red tape and a lack of coordination are making it increasingly difficult for those supplies to get to the front lines of the fight against COVID-19, according to local and state officials. To gear up for a surge of patients, estimated to reach Kansas later this month, Sedgwick County is pushing the Robert J. Dole Veteran’s Affairs hospital to hand over a stockpile of respiratory protective gear and medical supplies to help [...]

Wyandotte County ramping up stay-at-home enforcement after rapid increase in cases; UG employee dies

info2020-04-06T08:35:29-05:00April 5th, 2020|

Officials in Wyandotte County are stepping up enforcement on the stay-at-home order after seeing a rapid rise in coronavirus cases, including the death of a Unified Government employee. According to the county's chief medical officer, there have been 137 cases of in Wyandotte County as of Friday night. Dr. Allen Greiner said that's a 191% increase from one week ago. ...County health officials are stressing that residents and businesses need to take the stay-at-home order seriously. ...Residents can report any businesses or individuals whom they believe are not complying with the order by calling the KCK Police Department’s special reporting line [...]

Shawnee County’s health officer thrust into spotlight after years of relative anonymity

info2020-04-06T08:34:14-05:00April 5th, 2020|

In 1994, Gianfranco Pezzino had a decision to make. As one of his mentors put it, he would have to choose between being a “big fish in a small pond” or a small fish in a bigger — but possibly nicer — pond.Pezzino chose Topeka. Today, Shawnee County’s health officer calls it “the best decision ever” and takes exception to those who once questioned his move or even said they felt sorry for him. (Read more: Local - The Topeka Capital-Journal)

Kansas Supreme Court balks at price discrimination against home solar producers

info2020-04-06T08:30:47-05:00April 5th, 2020|

The Kansas Supreme Court said Friday state regulators engaged in illegal price discrimination by allowing utility companies to assess higher electric fees on residential customers who generated their own wind or solar power. The decision means Kansas utility companies can’t charge customers producing their own energy more than the companies charge other customers based on that distinction. (Read more: Local - The Topeka Capital-Journal)

Gov. Laura Kelly signs bill for new transportation program

info2020-04-06T08:30:15-05:00April 5th, 2020|

Gov. Laura Kelly on Friday signed legislation to launch a 10-year transportation program. The Legislature before adjourning in March adopted the $9.9 billion Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program to replace the expired T-Works program. The new plan includes completion of T-Works projects left marooned by a decade of annual funding sweeps."Investing in Kansas' infrastructure means putting people to work," Kelly said. "It means fixing our roads and bridges. (Read more: Local - The Topeka Capital-Journal)

Hospitals, cities suffer revenue shortfalls

info2020-04-06T08:23:49-05:00April 5th, 2020|

Arkansas City commissioners were warned Friday to expect a big financial hit to the city and hospital due to the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. During a study session Friday, City Manager Nick Hernandez predicted serious problems in the next few months. The city does have reserves, but might also have to borrow from other sources to cover expenses. “I’m telling you straight up right now, we’ll probably have to transfer some of our utility funds over to help cover the offset in lost revenue,” he said. “If sales tax decreases 50 percent, you’re talking about a $1.6 million hit [...]

Reno Commissioner offers challenge to community in video

info2020-04-03T08:58:52-05:00April 3rd, 2020|

In a brief video recorded Thursday in the Reno County Commission chambers, Commissioner Bob Bush challenged he community to keep the county’s death toll from the novel coronavirus at zero by everyone staying at home and, if people must go out, practicing the oft-repeated health guidelines of social distancing and good hygiene. Bush touches on the efforts being made by local public and health agencies, who gather on a conference call each morning to “talk about how to unity and come together so we have the resources when people get sick,” as well as the county’s burn ban and the need [...]

Early projections have Johnson County government losing $18-$38 million in tax revenue due to pandemic

info2020-04-03T08:58:23-05:00April 3rd, 2020|

The county could lose anywhere from $18 million to $38 million in tax revenues due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the earliest projections prepared by budget director Scott Neufeld. And that doesn’t even include parks and library budgets. Johnson County commissioners got a sobering look at the potential impact of the business shutdowns on sales and other taxes collected for the rest of the current budget year. Biggest losses were estimated to come from lagging sales tax, but the county could also expect to lose substantially on investment income because of cuts to interest rates by the Federal Reserve, he [...]

Gardner forgives many March electric bills for residents, businesses

info2020-04-03T08:57:42-05:00April 3rd, 2020|

With many residents and business owners hurting financially because of the new coronavirus, the city of Gardner is forgiving many of the electricity charges it billed during March. The move, which will cost Gardner about $790,000 in lost revenue, eliminates the entire monthly bill for residential customers and will grant credit for the first 5,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity used by businesses. “We know we have residents who are financially struggling with bills and other obligations due to the impacts of COVID-19,” Gardner Mayor Steve Shute said in a news release. “We are fortunate that we own our utilities, so we can [...]