News – Page 2013 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Shawnee adopts protections for LGBTQ people

info2019-09-03T17:47:59-05:00September 3rd, 2019|

With two council members dissenting, the city of Shawnee has passed an ordinance protecting people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Its effective date is Sept. 3. Voting against the proposal on Aug. 26 were council members Eric Jenkins and Mike Kemmling. Council member Mickey Sandifer was absent. A number of other Johnson County municipalities have passed similar ordinances. Among them are Leawood, Mission, Merriam, Prairie Village and Roeland Park. (Read more: Joco 913 News)

The treasures of nature: Geocaching catches on at the Overland Park Arboretum

info2019-09-03T17:46:27-05:00September 3rd, 2019|

If you want to feel like you’re uncovering buried treasure, the Overland Park Arboretum may be the place for you. The GeoArboretum program offers nine different geocaches throughout the facility. In geocaching, participants use a GPS device, along with a set of coordinates, to find specific points around the world. When you find a geocache, there’s usually a small trove of trinkets inside, along with a notebook for each person to record when he or she found the cache. You can take a trinket and leave a different one in its place. (Read more: Joco 913 News)

Ribbon cuttings mark completion of three bond projects

info2019-09-03T17:44:58-05:00September 3rd, 2019|

School officials and students at Wineteer Elementary School cut a ribbon Thursday at the school’s new library, which was completed as part of a recent bond project at the school. Other new additions in the $4.7 million project include a storm shelter with over 7,000 square feet of classroom and administration space, as well as the renovation of over 23,000 square feet. The Wineteer ceremony was one of three held last week, along with ribbon cuttings at El Paso and Park Hill elementary schools. (Read more: Derby News | derbyinformer.com)

New bumper stickers made in Hutchinson part of state bus safety campaign

info2019-09-03T17:43:55-05:00September 3rd, 2019|

State education officials are hoping a new bumper sticker placed on the back of school buses across Kansas will raise awareness of drivers when they are near buses and remind them that all vehicles must stop when a bus “stop arm” goes out. Two Hutchinson businesses — Collins Bus and Lowen Color Graphics — teamed up to manufacture 10,000 of the high-quality stickers, which the Kansas State Department of Education will distribute to school districts across the state at upcoming KSDE meetings. The 12-by-4-inch “Stop on Red, Kids Ahead” stickers were the idea of a subcommittee of a Department of Education [...]

Report: Kansas a leader in charge toward renewable energy

info2019-09-03T17:42:21-05:00September 3rd, 2019|

A new report on clean energy production nationwide over the past decade shines a light on Kansas as a leader in wind energy gains and overall renewable power generation. The unveiling Tuesday of a solar panel field in Baldwin City is the latest example of the state’s growing portfolio of renewable sources and an indication of ongoing progress. Researchers, clean energy advocates and utility officials praise technological advances that have made renewable energy comparable in cost to power generated from fossil fuels. Kansas is positioned for additional gains over the next decade in the march toward eliminating all emissions in energy [...]

Kansas City-area schools innovate to fill teacher vacancies

info2019-09-03T17:38:22-05:00September 3rd, 2019|

Kansas City-area schools are rehiring retired teachers and training counselors and coaches to teach due to a critical teacher shortage. The Kansas City Star reports that last October the Kansas Department of Education logged a 19% increase in vacant teaching positions from a year earlier. About 11% of teaching positions are vacant in Missouri schools every year. The shortage affects urban, rural and some suburban schools. (Read more: 1350 KMAN)

Drone racers take to the sky at Wichita park: ‘You can feel like you are flying’

info2019-09-03T17:37:29-05:00September 3rd, 2019|

The racers float at the starting line. They soar into the sky at 50 mph, then dive and bend through gates. These racers are drones, flown by pilots on the ground wearing goggles with a live video feed. On this humid August afternoon, the pilots are racing drones they built themselves at McAdams Park in central Wichita. The racers are part of ICT FPV (short for first-person view), a local chapter of MultiGP, the largest drone-racing league in the world. (Read more: Local News |)

Atchison set to dive in to expedition

info2019-09-03T17:36:08-05:00September 3rd, 2019|

Every generation has its great adventurers, its finders of lost treasures, its celebrated leaders of discovery. From Howard Carter and King Tut to Neil Armstrong and the Moon, these leaders have inspired countless millions to curiosity in the arts and the sciences. One of the leading artists of imagination and exploration of our time, Robert Ballard, is due to appear at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Atchison High School, 1500 W. Riley St. in Atchison, Kansas, to speak on his career, his vision for a society built on questions about the world around us and his quest to solve one of the [...]

Strategic Doing meetings set for Ellis, Rooks and Trego counties

info2019-09-02T23:44:30-05:00September 2nd, 2019|

The Heartland Community Foundation, which serves Ellis, Rooks and Trego counties, has scheduled the next round of Strategic Doing meetings for each county. Strategic Doing is an engaging process that actively helps residents implement their ideas for community improvement projects. Current working groups who attend will report on their progress and continue work to move their projects forward. New ideas and working groups are also encouraged to attend and start working through the Strategic Doing process. (Read more: Hays Post)

City of Topeka, Shawnee County sued in identity case

info2019-09-02T23:43:55-05:00September 2nd, 2019|

William D. Blue sued the governments of Shawnee County and the city of Topeka this past week over a situation last September in which a man arrested after a robbery and chase falsely identified himself as Blue to Topeka police, who shared that information with news media. Topeka attorney Eric Kjorlie, representing Blue, filed the suit Wednesday in Shawnee County District Court alleging the city and county negligently placed Blue in a "disreputable false light." (Read more: News - The Topeka Capital-Journal)