News – Page 2144 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Wind farm opponents hire lawyers, plan to sue

info2019-05-02T08:18:03-05:00May 2nd, 2019|

Opponents of a proposed wind farm that would span from Florence to Aulne to north of Peabody have hired two lawyers in an effort to stop potential development. Both lawyers were present to observe Monday’s county commission meeting, but neither Newton lawyer Jim Gillmore nor Overland Park lawyer Robert Titus spoke during the meeting. Their presence was predicted two weeks ago when rural Peabody farmer Randy Eitzen warned commissioners lawsuits “will be filed from different angles” if the county granted a conditional use permit for National Renewable Solutions’ 100-tower Expedition Wind Farm project. [MORE] (Read more: HILLSBORO Star-Journal)

Six Hays municipal water wells to be rehabbed; city commission to consider bids

info2019-05-02T08:17:23-05:00May 2nd, 2019|

Six of the 37 wells that produce water for the city of Hays need to be rehabilitated. Groundwater contains bacteria and minerals which cause well plugging. Screens, gravel pack and formations may become blocked, reducing the amount of water that can be pumped to the surface. Water Resources employees maintain productivity of the wells by acidizing them, but as City Manager Toby Dougherty explains, periodic professional rehabilitation is necessary to maintain peak efficiency. “Maintenance only goes so far and there are times you have to do a complete rehabilitation on those wells,” Dougherty explains. “This keeps them operating as efficiently as [...]

Despite opposition Marion County Commission approves wind farm proposal

info2019-05-02T08:16:13-05:00May 2nd, 2019|

The Marion County Commission met with opposition from landowners who asked for another week to review a newly proposed resolution on road rights-of-way by Expedition Natural Renewal Solutions that was presented at a special meeting on April 29. Despite the strong resistance by constituents, the commission voted 2-1 to approve the resolution. Commissioner Dianne Novak was the dissenting vote. The resolution addresses inclusion of Marion County road rights-of-way within the land area of the proposed wind energy conversion system for Expedition, said Commission chair Kent Becker. It further stated that wind energy conversion systems, including the transmission lines would be within [...]

Federal Reserve on Wednesday held interest rates steady — sees no strong case for hiking or cutting rates

info2019-05-02T08:07:34-05:00May 2nd, 2019|

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday held interest rates steady and signaled little appetite to adjust them any time soon, taking heart in continued job gains and economic growth and the likelihood that weak inflation will edge higher. “We think our policy stance is appropriate at the moment; we don’t see a strong case for moving it in either direction,” Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said in a press conference following the end of the central bank’s latest two-day policy meeting. Read more: Reuters.

Riley County commission approves corrections grants

info2019-05-02T06:47:57-05:00May 2nd, 2019|

The Riley County commissioners approved grants for both juvenile and adult corrections services. These grants came from the Kansas Department of Corrections’ $3 million pool. The funds total approximately $780,000 and will be used for the fiscal year 2020. The funds will be used to focus on three key areas for adult services. These areas are assessing cognitive behavioral health courses, looking at staff’s use of effective practices, and evaluating clients’ risk-need assessment scores. Community Corrections Director Shelly Williams says the allocations for fiscal year 2020 for adult services is projected to be approximately $336,000. This will be a 3.2% reduction [...]

Harvey County Commissioners question county’s juvenile expenses

info2019-05-02T06:36:46-05:00May 2nd, 2019|

Harvey County spends more on juvenile justice per case than McPherson County even though the two share a court district. During a review of the community corrections comprehensive plan for the district on Monday, Commission Chairman George “Chip” Westfall asked Community Corrections Director Janet Cagle why Harvey paid more for juvenile offenders than most other counties. Specifically, he said when commissioners went to out-of-town conferences, Commissioner Randy Hague typically asked commissioners from other counties what they were spending. “The answer I’ve been getting is that really it’s the county attorney that’s driving the costs for juveniles,” Hague said. “Ours is more [...]

Newton’s neighbors see strong Sundays selling alcohol, for now

info2019-05-02T06:32:04-05:00May 2nd, 2019|

With Newton City Commission poised to start allowing Sunday sales, sellers of spirits in nearby communities figure they’ll lose some business. Steve Rizza, owner of Rizza Retail Liquor in Halstead, said he was certain he would lose some business but not enough to discontinue being open on Sundays. “I wondered about that because Newton is apparently contemplating it,” he said. “I would say 30 to 40 percent are outside my usual customer base, and that’s just a rough estimate. I certainly see faces I’ve never seen before on Sunday.” Rizza said some of those who drove over to Halstead to buy [...]

Ellis Co. Commission presented with maintenance challenges on road tour

info2019-05-02T06:30:12-05:00May 2nd, 2019|

Members of the Ellis County Commission toured approximately 50 of the nearly 1,500 miles of Ellis County roads Monday as part of their annual road tour. Along the way, commissioners and members of the Public Works Department took a look at bridges in need of repair, areas that have been flooded or washed out due to recent rains, and the condition of the asphalt on Feedlot Road — one of the key routes of the Northwest Business Corridor. Ellis County Public Works Director Bill Ring said Monday the annual road tour is something that has been going on for several years [...]

Ballots on property tax hike to fund Shawnee community center are hitting mailboxes. Here’s what voters need to know

info2019-05-02T06:28:11-05:00May 2nd, 2019|

Ballots for the mail-in election on a proposed property tax increase to pay for a proposed community center in Shawnee are hitting mailboxes starting today. Registered voters in Shawnee will decide if the city will issue up to $38 million in general obligation bonds — covered by a property tax increase — to pay for building and maintaining a community center at West 61st Street and Woodland Drive. If Shawnee voters approve the ballot measure, the city will finance the costs for the community center through the issuance of bonds for a 20-year period. That means the city would pay about [...]

Petition circulating to draft ordinance that prohibits transport of animals in the back of trucks

info2019-05-01T11:13:07-05:00May 1st, 2019|

A Manhattan woman is hoping to push city commissioners to draft an ordinance to prohibit the transfer of live animals in the back of trucks. Keleigh Schettler became concerned after noticing in March 2018 a tow truck with a dog chained to it driving down Fort Riley Blvd. According to Schettler the chain was long enough that, if the dog fell, it would have easily been strangled. In addition to the danger it poses for the animal, Schettler says there’s also a risk to drivers. Schettler approached the city commission last fall but got no response at the time, partly due [...]