News – Page 2055 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

As Rural America Slips, Governors Look for Ways to Help

info2019-07-29T22:01:05-05:00July 29th, 2019|

... governors recognize there’s a huge disconnect between the nation’s superstar cities and rural areas left wondering when the recession’s going to end. Governors of states including Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina and Pennsylvania have started programs to bolster rural economies... Rural America is too vast and varied to paint with a single brush. Many rural areas are thriving. Still, it’s clear that overall, the rural economy is falling far behind major metropolitan counties. ... In Kansas, Gov. Laura Kelly has created an Office of Rural Prosperity. The effort is beginning with a listening tour of rural areas, led by Lt. Gov. [...]

New broadband map for Kansas coming soon

info2019-07-28T21:55:38-05:00July 28th, 2019|

An updated and finished detailed broadband access availability map of Kansas will be “rolled out” Tuesday in Dodge City, in conjunction with a telephone service association conference. The end of July was the deadline for Connected Nation’s mapping project, carried out in partnership with the governor’s office and the Kansas Department of Commerce, said Connected Nation’s vice president of government affairs, Brent Legg. “What it’s going to show is service availability at the street level, essentially, for broadband all across the state,” Legg said. “Seventy broadband service providers participated in the map, and then we had another 10 who elected not [...]

Frontenac files lawsuit against Pittsburg

info2019-07-28T21:55:20-05:00July 28th, 2019|

The dispute between the Pittsburg and Frontenac city governments over a section of Wild Red Road — sometimes erroneously referred to as Wild Berry Road — escalated this week, with Frontenac’s filing of a lawsuit in Crawford County District Court on Tuesday. According to a copy of the suit obtained by the Morning Sun, Frontenac is seeking a court order that the portion of the road within its city limits — which was built by Pittsburg last year and intersects with East Atkinson Avenue near the Pittsburg Highlands housing development — be removed. Frontenac is also seeking at least $85,000 in [...]

Wichita officials respond to T-Mobile lawsuit saying, City Council can’t be sued

info2019-07-28T21:54:51-05:00July 28th, 2019|

Wichita officials respond to a lawsuit by T-Mobile against The City of Wichita and the Wichita City Council. T-Mobile alleges that The City of Wichita violated the Telecommunications Act of 1996 when a “conditional use permit application” requested by the phone carrier was denied by the city. The suit includes Wichita City Council as a defendant, however, a government body is “not capable to sue, or be sued” according to previous court precedents. (Read more: KSN-TV)

59th Annual Dodge City Days kicks off

info2019-07-28T21:46:17-05:00July 28th, 2019|

Dodge City Days kicked off Thursday night, celebrating its 59th year in the Ford County community well known for its rich history associated with the Wild West. The week-and-a-half-long celebration carries on through next Sunday (Aug. 4). You can find further information on the celebration, including a detailed schedule of events on the Dodge City Days website. (Read more: KWCH News)

Nine counties added to the disaster declaration

info2019-07-28T21:42:46-05:00July 28th, 2019|

Today, FEMA notified the State of Kansas that nine additional counties will be added the to FEMA Disaster Declaration DR-4449 following severe weather damage April 28 to July 12, 2019. President Trump has approved Governor Laura Kelly’s request to add the applicants in these counties, now eligible to apply for Public Assistance funding to restore damaged public infrastructure. (Read more: KSN-TV)

State overreach: Local government doesn’t need tax lid constraint

info2019-07-28T21:39:42-05:00July 28th, 2019|

Local units of government - Scott County, Scott City and USD 466 - have crunched the numbers and each are proposing budgets during the upcoming year that will reduce the property tax mill levies. The three units have combined to lower the overall tax levy by 4.478 mills. Of course, an increase in the county’s assessed valuation by slightly more than $4.3 million helps, but that’s not the only factor. A lot of credit goes to department heads in the city and county who are careful with the spending of tax dollars. And county commissioners, city councilmen and school board members [...]

Johnson County faces ‘puzzling,’ ‘catastrophic’ threats of plunging revenues

info2019-07-28T21:34:59-05:00July 28th, 2019|

Month after month, officials around Johnson County are watching the sales tax numbers come in, hoping they’ll improve. It doesn’t make sense. The economy is humming, the tax base is growing and the unemployment rate is historically low. But in the most affluent county in Kansas, retail sales tax revenues — among the key sources of funding that cities use to function — is flatlining or even shrinking. “It makes you go, OK, well what is going on here? And we don’t have an answer for it,” said Merriam City Administrator Chris Engel. (Read more: KC Star Local News)

Chief Justice Nuss to retire from Kansas Supreme Court

info2019-07-28T21:31:38-05:00July 28th, 2019|

Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss plans to retire in December, giving Gov. Laura Kelly a second appointment on the court. Nuss announced Friday that he plans to step down Dec. 17 after serving on the court since 2002 and as chief justice since 2010. He was an appointee of Gov. Bill Graves. During the 66-year-old Nuss’ tenure as chief justice, the seven-member court came under increasing criticism from conservative Republicans for rulings that overturned death sentences in capital murder cases and directed legislators to increase spending on public schools. And the court ruled in April that the state constitution [...]

Game wardens help rescue 2 adults, child after boat sinks on Kan. lake

info2019-07-28T21:27:41-05:00July 28th, 2019|

Kansas game wardens helped in a dramatic water rescue Thursday in Jefferson County. Shortly after 3a.m., Jefferson County officials dispatched a Kansas Game Wardens to a reported boat that had sunk on Perry Lake with at least three or four people trapped out on the water, according to a social media report. After experiencing mechanical problems and discovering his boat was taking on water, the owner swam to shore wearing a personal flotation device to call for help. (Read more: Junction City Post)