News – Page 2095 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Shawnee Mission administration sends apology letters to student plaintiffs in 1st Amendment case

info2019-06-17T10:01:55-05:00June 17th, 2019|

As part of compliance with the settlement agreement approved by a federal judge in April, the Shawnee Mission School District has issued letters of apology to students who sued the district last year for violating their 1st Amendment rights during the National School Walkout protests in spring 2018. Plaintiffs received letters by certified mail in recent weeks with a letter signed by Superintendent Michael Fulton. The copy of the apology is as follows: On behalf of the Shawnee Mission School District, I want to express my sincere and heartfelt apology to you for the incidents that took place around the April [...]

Motoring Monday – Dog Parks in Kansas

info2019-06-17T10:48:37-05:00June 17th, 2019|

Are you scratching your head about where you can take your dog to experience a fun day of play? There are more than 20 dog park locations that offer plenty of open spaces for your pup to release some energy and have a ball. We are highlighting a few of them in today’s Motoring Monday. Starting in northwest Kansas and located off of Old U.S. 40 in Hays - the Friends of the Hays Dog Park offers two separate fenced-in areas depending on the size of your furry friend. There are shelter houses and doggy drinking fountains to help keep your [...]

Some Lawrence leaders express concern about proposed utility rate increases; average utility bill would be more than $100

info2019-06-17T10:23:38-05:00June 16th, 2019|

Utility rate hikes proposed for 2020 would increase the average Lawrence household’s bill to about $103 per month, and some city leaders are asking whether such a steep increase is actually necessary. City utility bills are made up of charges for water, solid waste and stormwater, and rates for all three services would increase as part of the budget recommended by City Manager Tom Markus. The recommended budget calls for an 8% rate increase for water, a 3% rate increase for solid waste and a 3% rate increase for stormwater. The utility rate increases would amount to a $78 annual increase [...]

Newton animal-control officer helps shelter pets affected by flooding

info2019-06-14T10:35:48-05:00June 14th, 2019|

Monty wasn’t used to being caged. He’d meow. He wanted attention, and he got it. “Monty was very loving and wanting to be cuddled,” said Jennifer Burns, City of Newton animal control officer who volunteers with the Kansas State Animal Response Team (KS SART), which sets up animal shelters during disasters. “Everyone got to hold Monty at some point in the day.” Monty was one of nine cats sheltered during flooding evacuations at the end of May in Manhattan. In all, they took in nine cats, two dogs and two parakeets at a church in Manhattan that’s perched high on a [...]

Arkansas City Police: bikes and skateboards forbidden on downtown sidewalks

info2019-06-14T10:35:17-05:00June 14th, 2019|

Arkansas City police officers this summer will make an effort to conduct foot patrols downtown to increase communications with business partners and the community. Their first foot patrol Wednesday yielded some concerns from the business community about bicycles and skateboards on the downtown sidewalks, according to an ACPD Facebook post. Police observed one bicyclist and one skateboarder on the sidewalks and discussed the city ordinance with them. (Read more: The Arkansas City Traveler)

Expocentre gets new name

info2019-06-14T10:34:21-05:00June 14th, 2019|

Stormont Vail Health will pay Shawnee County more than $2.57 million over 10 years to acquire sponsorship naming rights for the former Kansas Expocentre under a contract county commissioners approved Thursday. Commissioners Bob Archer, Bill Riphahn and Kevin Cook voted 3-0 to adopt the agreement, which arranges for the facility for the next 10 years to be known as the "Stormont Vail Events Center."" This is really a big day for our community, and we have a lot to celebrate," ... (Read more: Local - The Topeka Capital-Journal)

Newton creates housing incentive program

info2019-06-14T10:33:54-05:00June 14th, 2019|

Tuesday night the Newton City Commission created a housing incentive program — one designed to help reduce the risk of losses by builders of spec homes that stay on the market.Under the program, the city will provide builders with assistance to pay interest payments on new homes — homes that, according to a housing study and a work group, often sit on the market so long that interest payments on loans for materials and construction eat up the profits seen by builders ... (Read more: Newton Kansan)

Kansas Supreme Court finds new K-12 education funding law constitutional

Jarrod Jansen2019-06-14T10:25:01-05:00June 14th, 2019|

The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the state’s newest education funding plan is constitutional. The plan, which was approved in April, increased K-12 education funding by roughly $90 million. The years-long saga began when four school districts sued Kansas in 2010. Before Friday, the state Supreme Court had issued six rulings directing lawmakers to increase the state’s spending in a little more than five years, so that aid to public schools now tops $4 billion a year. The court said in an order last year that a 2018 law promising additional funding increases into the future wasn’t sufficient because it [...]

City attorneys’ education never stops …

info2019-06-14T10:34:31-05:00June 14th, 2019|

There is a large contingent of city attorneys being educated and updated today in Wichita. Twice a year, the City Attorneys Association of Kansas puts on a CLE (continuing legal education) seminar to keep municipal attorneys up-to-date on the latest developments in case law, legislation and best practices.

Gardner approves $43K study to decommission police station on Main

info2019-06-14T10:21:57-05:00June 14th, 2019|

Special to The Gardner News With the new Gardner Justice Center set to open in the summer, the city is already putting into gear efforts to decommission the current police station on Main Street. During a council meeting June 3, Michael Kramer, public works director, recommended the city enter into an agreement with Treanor Architects, a KCMO based firm, to conduct a needs assessment for the decommissioning of the police station. Kramer said that per previous studies and council direction, the police station is intended to be demolished for future re-development in accordance with the downtown development plan with the garage [...]