News – Page 1859 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

KDOT accepting cost share applications for spring 2020

info2020-02-17T16:49:12-06:00February 17th, 2020|

After a highly successful first round of the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Cost Share Program last fall, a second round of applications are now being accepted for spring 2020. Applications will be accepted from Feb. 3 through April 15. The Cost Share Program is designed to provide financial assistance that leverages state funding with local and private funding for projects related to economic development as well as job growth and retention. It will provide funding to local entities for construction projects that improve safety, increase the total transportation investment and help both rural and urban areas of the state improve their [...]

OP Mayor Carl Gerlach talks U.S 69 expansion, public-private partnerships at 2020 State of the City

info2020-02-17T16:47:05-06:00February 17th, 2020|

After 60 years of incorporation as a city, Mayor Carl Gerlach said Thursday that he credits Overland Park’s success to a history of intentional leadership. Hundreds gathered at the Overland Park Convention Center on yesterday afternoon to hear Gerlach deliver the 2020 Overland Park State of the City address. Gerlach mentioned the various factors that led to the city’s recognition on lists as a great place to live, including education, strong community relations and quality of life. “Awards are nice, but the attributes that lead to them don’t just happen,” Gerlach said. “They require intentional leadership — for us that’s 60 [...]

Another 13 Keeper statues will be added to city parks in celebration of Wichita’s 150th

info2020-02-17T16:46:06-06:00February 17th, 2020|

A bunch of Keepers are about to join the parade that started in Wichita in 2015. Together Wichita, a nonprofit made up of businesses that organize and finance projects intended to better the city, will be dispersing 13 10-foot-tall Keepers on Parade sculptures around Wichita as part of a celebration of Wichita’s 150th birthday, which will be marked this summer. Artists have already been selected to decorate the new sculptures, and each of the city’s six City Council districts will receive two. One will be designed and painted for Mayor Brandon Whipple. The artists will get the fiberglass sculptures in March and [...]

AG Derek Schmidt: City of Frontenac violated KORA with fee request

info2020-02-17T20:38:34-06:00February 17th, 2020|

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt has notified the City of Frontenac that it violated the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) when it requested a $3,500 fee in order to furnish copies of public records to a reporter. In October 2019, a representative of the media filed a KORA complaint with the attorney general’s office alleging, in part, that the city’s $3,500 fee request to furnish public records he requested on September 18 was unreasonable. Upon investigation, the attorney general’s office determined that Frontenac’s fee request was unreasonable and thus violated the KORA because it failed to explain or justify its $3,500 [...]

Kansas elections chief’s security plan causes local unease

info2020-02-17T16:44:47-06:00February 17th, 2020|

The top elections official in Kansas is pushing to make the state’s central voter registration database more secure by changing how counties tap into it. Some local officials are nervous about what they see as a big project in an unusually busy election year. Secretary of State Scott Schwab has told county election officials that he wants them to use dedicated tablets, laptops or computers not linked to their counties’ networks to access the state’s voter registration database. He is promising to use federal funds to cover the costs. But some county election officials are nervous about such a huge undertaking [...]

Mission seeks public input on Mohawk Park improvements

info2020-02-17T16:43:45-06:00February 17th, 2020|

The city of Mission on Thursday evening held a public meeting to get feedback from residents on the upcoming improvement project at Mohawk Park, at 67th Street and Lamar Avenue. Confluence, a landscape architecture, planning and urban design firm in Kansas City, and SFS Architecture are leading the Mohawk Park Master Plan. The Confluence team, including Senior Principal Terry Berkbuegler, presented two preliminary options for the park, both of which included the following: Soccer fields (two in option one, three in option two ) A loop trail An updated playground A restroom facility A basketball court Fitness stations for all ages [...]

Skyline school wins grant to establish beehive colony

info2020-02-17T16:38:42-06:00February 17th, 2020|

A new observation beehive will join the campus of Skyline Schools at Pratt to help the community of Skyline learn more about these important insects. Second-grade teacher Carrie Harrold and Ag instructor Anita DeWeese approached the USD 438 school board in September to present the idea of bringing this learning experience to Skyline. “This will especially benefit the second-grade class as they learn about insects, but there is an appeal to all grade levels,“Harrold said. (Read more: Local - The Hutchinson News)

Kansas lawmakers push to legalize year-round firework sales

info2020-02-17T20:40:46-06:00February 17th, 2020|

The latest volleys in the border war with Missouri now involve fireworks. Kansas lawmakers are considering a bill that they hope will create more revenue for the state. ... Senator Bud Estes is the chairman of a committee trying to pass year-round fireworks sales in our state. “This is strictly about the ability for permanent fireworks dealers to be able to sell their fireworks all year round,” said Estes. (Read more: KAKE - News)

Council picks five finalists for Hutch city manager interviews

info2020-02-17T20:41:14-06:00February 17th, 2020|

The Hutchinson City Council on Thursday afternoon selected five candidates for in-person interviews in the search for a new Hutchinson city manager. The council met in executive session for an hour and 45 minutes on Thursday to review videos and questionnaires submitted by six candidates who’d been selected as semi-finalists from among more than 30 applicants. Only one of those was culled for the next step in the process, on-site interviews. (Read more: Local - The Hutchinson News)

Greensburg airport project denied funding

info2020-02-17T16:14:09-06:00February 17th, 2020|

The airport was a hot topic this past week in the city of Greensburg. Not only did the council decide not to lease out the 107 acres of harvestable land that surrounds the operational portions of the property. Immediately following that decision the council was informed by City Administrator Stacy Barnes that the Greensburg Airport was not picked as one of the twenty-three project of the Kansas Airport Improvement Program grants. The Kansas Airport Improvement Program (KAIP) funding is for the purpose of planning, constructing or rehabilitating public use general aviation airports, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation. The council [...]