News – Page 2146 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

City of Topeka to consider approving $50,000 claim for backhoe damage to house

info2019-05-01T06:53:29-05:00May 1st, 2019|

Topeka’s mayor and city council next week will consider voting to pay an insurance company $50,000 to settle a claim arising from extensive damage a city backhoe allegedly did in April 2018 to a house at 1111 S.E. 33rd Terrace. Topeka city attorney Lisa Robertson’s office recommends the mayor and city council vote to pay the claim, according to the preliminary agenda for that meeting, which will begin at 6 p.m. May 7 in the council chambers at 214 S.E. 8th. hawnee County appraisal records indicate the house at 1111 S.E. 33rd Terrace has been owned since June 2013 by John [...]

Lawrence and firefighter union prepare for ‘lively debate’ on pay, staffing as part of contract negotiations

info2019-04-30T09:22:17-05:00April 30th, 2019|

Discussions between city and firefighter union representatives will include wage increases, overtime pay and longevity bonuses, and both sides are preparing for a “lively debate.” The current contract covers firefighters, fire engineers and fire lieutenants in the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Department, and it expires at the end of this year. Representatives for the city and the association of Lawrence Professional Firefighters, Local 1596, agreed to open contract negotiations, and the first meeting was held Monday at City Hall. Read more: LJWorld.com.

Salina changes how they test and handle sewage sludge

info2019-04-30T09:10:35-05:00April 30th, 2019|

Salina Utilities Director Martha Tasker said city staff has changed how they test and handle sewage sludge, a byproduct generated by the Salina Wastewater Treatment Plant. This was done after the Environmental Protection Agency determined the city had broken a federal regulation regarding the amount of molybdenum the sludge can contain before it can be applied to farmland. Under the new procedures, no sewage sludge leaves the wastewater treatment plant until staff verify that it complies with federal regulations. City staff are also testing the sludge more frequently and taking multiple samples to ensure the results are representative of the entire [...]

Journalism Class Provides News For Town Without Newspaper

info2019-04-30T09:20:25-05:00April 30th, 2019|

As the media landscape continues to change across the country, more communities are finding themselves in news deserts, without the coverage where they once had thriving newspapers. Meanwhile, journalism students are looking to learn their craft and gain real-world experience. In Kansas, one community is close enough to campus for the two to partner to provide coverage and lessons in today’s media realities. University of Kansas students from the William Allen White School of Journalism & Mass Communications are providing news coverage for Eudora, a city of roughly 6,300 residents about 10 miles from campus. The project began as a way [...]

Shawnee Chamber of Commerce board issues unanimous endorsement of property tax increase for new community center

info2019-04-30T09:03:12-05:00April 30th, 2019|

A week before ballots on a property tax increase to fund the project hit Shawnee residents’ mailboxes, the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors has come out with an endorsement in favor of the community center proposed for 61st Street and Woodland. The board voted unanimously in favor of endorsing a yes vote on the property tax increase at a meeting on Thursday. “As stated in the Shawnee Chamber Strategic Plan, we support economic development initiatives that demonstrate investments in our community which includes public amenities that enhance quality of life,” said chamber board chair Heidi Thummel, who works for [...]

Hill’s expansion approved by Shawnee County Commission

info2019-04-30T09:02:12-05:00April 30th, 2019|

Changing demographics and sales trends in recent years have shown a move to people owning smaller dogs, and Topeka-based Hill’s Pet Nutrition is aiming to stay up with the changes. To that end, Hill’s requested and was granted approval Monday from the Shawnee County Commission for a new 23,000-square-foot research building at its location at 1035 N.E. 43rd. All three commissioners — Bob Archer, Kevin Cook and Bill Riphahn — voted in favor of the project. The building will house up to 80 small dogs of 20 pounds or less, Gary Semjenow, facilities director at Hill’s Pet Nutrition, said at Monday [...]

City leaders address recent incidents in which Topeka was in national media spotlight

info2019-04-30T09:01:14-05:00April 30th, 2019|

The national media spotlight hasn’t been kind to Topeka the past two weekends, but city officials tried Monday to reassure a grieving community that is still trying to process the loss of 23-year-old Washburn University football player Dwane Simmons. Simmons’ shooting death and the injury to recent New York Giants draft pick and former WU player Corey Ballentine early Sunday morning in central Topeka came only eight days after a Topeka Zoo worker was attacked and seriously injured by a tiger. The incidents were splashed everywhere — from websites belonging to the Washington Post and New York Times to broadcasts produced [...]

Sedgwick County launches new career website

info2019-04-30T09:00:20-05:00April 30th, 2019|

Sedgwick County unveiled a new website for job vacancies, directing candidates to apply for careers at https://careers.sedgwickcounty.org/. The new website has additional functionality to assist the County with attracting and communicating with potential employees. The site interacts with major job websites, including LinkedIn and Indeed. Users may apply using their tablets or mobile devices. The website replaces the 19-year-old www.HRePartners.com. The new site is part of an overall recruitment campaign for Sedgwick County. Strategic Communications has created digital ads to share careers across the organization, with special consideration for positions with historically high turnover, or positions that require specialized training. The [...]

Community art project gets started in Pratt

info2019-04-30T08:59:04-05:00April 30th, 2019|

The first step in Pratt’s next big art project got under way Thursday when two dozen Pratt High School students piled into Kerry Thieme’s art room and presented their right arms for casting. The ultimate goal of this project is to create a bronze sphere made up of arm casts of students and community members. The final sculpture will be from five to six feet tall with a location yet to be decided, said artist Tim Joseph. The Vernon Filley Art Museum is sponsoring this activity and writing the grants to pay for the project, said museum director Brittany Novotny, who [...]

Wamego Tulip Festival held as city kicks off spring

info2019-04-30T08:56:39-05:00April 30th, 2019|

This year’s 32nd annual Wamego Tulip festival marked the third year helping organize for Wamego Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Daryn Soldan. He’s been attending since he was a child. Tulip Festival Volunteer Sarah Pacheco, who was at the information booth during the event, says a lot of hours go into helping vendors set up the Friday before. Although the work is hard, Pacheco said it’s worth it to see all the happy, familiar faces. Wamego Mayor Tom Beem says the Tulip Festival is important to the town and it’s fun to show off a little. (Read more: 1350 KMAN)