News – Page 1848 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Wichita State University enters wind turbine tech partnership

info2020-02-28T06:22:42-06:00February 27th, 2020|

Wichita State University and WSU Ventures have entered into a new strategic partnership with California-based Lightning Diversion Systems (LDS), a Ducommun Company. The partnership involves the exclusive licensing of a lightning strike protection system for rotor blades in the wind turbine industry, the product of several years of research and development by LDS and Billy Martin, senior research scientist for WSU’s National Institute for Aviation Research, and his team in NIAR’s Environmental Test Lab. Lightning strikes are a destructive force in the wind energy industry. “There are 56,000 turbines in North America alone, and they are all prone to lightning strike,” [...]

Topeka committee begins planning for 2020 TopCity Interns

info2020-02-28T06:23:14-06:00February 27th, 2020|

In anticipation of nearly 200 college students flocking to Topeka this summer, a handful of community members have begun planning for this year’s TopCity Interns program. The program, now in its fourth year, encourages college students to live, work and play in Topeka as they complete internships at area businesses. “The idea is to expose the interns to different leaders while they’re in Topeka and really just to show them everything that Topeka has to offer,” said Kim Konecny, co-chair of the program. The students who participate in TopCity Interns don’t apply for the program itself. Instead, they are invited to [...]

Legislative bill tied to bonds and interest could bring savings to USD 378 taxpayers

info2020-02-28T06:26:13-06:00February 27th, 2020|

USD 378 Riley County Schools Superintendent Cliff Williams is keeping an eye on a pair of legislative bills that could alter state aid when it comes to bonds and interest, tilting the scales in favor of taxpayers. Williams says Senate Bill 382 and House Bill 2526 are similar in their approaches, but favors the Senate bill which increases state aid for those districts that have passed bonds between 2015 to 2020. “We would go from having 0% state aid to having 17% state aid and so just passing that would be a big relief for our taxpayers. I’m hoping the House [...]

Recent Johnson County parks board decision allows electric bikes on all paved trails

info2020-02-28T06:26:38-06:00February 27th, 2020|

The Johnson County Parks and Recreation District last week approved the use of Class 1 and Class 3 electric bikes on all paved JCPRD trails, effective immediately. The decision comes after six-month pilot project, from July 2019 to January 2020, of the two classifications of e-bikes. Superintendent of Parks and Golf Courses Bill Maasen said in a release that the Johnson County Board of Park and Recreation Commissioners are suspending the code limiting patrons from using motorized vehicles on paved trails. BikeWalkKC Director of Bike Share & Business Services Eric Vaughan is currently working with JCPRD to roll out a bike [...]

Partnership offers free land for jail

info2020-02-28T06:27:05-06:00February 27th, 2020|

Free land was offered for construction of a new Marshall County Jail at Monday’s Marshall County Board of Commissioners meeting. Marshall County Partnership for Growth economic development director Ellen Barber and board members Rob Peschel and Frank Popejoy met with the board to propose the county take ownership of 5.4 acres north of KanEquip in east Marysville for its proposed jail project. In addition, the partnership plans to work to purchase five more acres east of the proposed 5.4 acres so the county can have the access to the best area for the lift station that will service the whole 10 [...]

House approves proposal to raise scrutiny of power pole siting

info2020-02-28T06:27:19-06:00February 27th, 2020|

Dozens of 105-foot-tall Evergy poles in residential front yards of a low-income Wichita neighborhood inspired passage Wednesday by the Kansas House of an amendment expanding regulatory oversight of transmission line siting decisions in urban areas. The 2018 project initiated by Westar Energy, which now operates as Evergy, sidestepped requests to place the double-deck poles elsewhere. Critics alleged the massive metal poles damaged their property values and would have never appeared in yards of wealthy homeowners. Westar subsequently apologized and donated $1.2 million to a community fund. Rep. Gail Finney, D-Wichita, urged House colleagues to expand authority of the Kansas Corporation Commission [...]

The bond market will be slapped by coronavirus for months, this analysis finds

info2020-02-28T06:27:51-06:00February 27th, 2020|

As concerns about the coronavirus epidemic from China has gripped markets, observers have struggled to find historical analogies to predict the likely impact on economic growth. Many have focused on prior global health emergencies, like the H1N1 swine flu and SARS, but a new analysis suggests those episodes may not provide the best comparisons. (Read more: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories)

Rush to Invest in Municipal Debt Pushes Yields to Record Lows

info2020-02-27T06:51:35-06:00February 27th, 2020|

Municipal-bond yields are hitting 38-year lows due to investors’ coronavirus concerns driving up demand in the $4 trillion muni market. Fears of the coronavirus’s impact on global markets led to a stock selloff on Monday and Tuesday. Investors flocked to munis and other fixed-income investments for stability. The S&P Municipal Bond Index Monday logged its biggest one-day gain in 20 months. A daily gain that big—about one-third of a percentage point—has occurred only five times in the past three years. “Fear is present and investors are taking some risk off the table,” said Sylvia Yeh, co-head of municipal fixed income at [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for February 26, 2020

info2020-04-16T08:06:34-05:00February 27th, 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.

Beards? Goatees? You may start seeing them on Wichita police officers

info2020-02-27T06:48:56-06:00February 27th, 2020|

Since November, many Wichita police officers have been sporting goatees and extra facial hair, which is against the rules. The rules were bent for a good cause to raise money for local non-profits, but it could become a permanent lifestyle for officers in the near future. “Some guys just like to wear facial hair, and it is something we are not allowed to do per our policy,” says officer Anthony Villegas. However, when you step inside Anthony Villegas’s patrol car you’ll see him sporting a goatee. “The approachability and the relatability are increased and that is obviously one of the perks [...]