News – Page 2185 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

City looks to ditch Westar as legislature considers mandating rate study

info2019-03-19T07:24:15-05:00March 19th, 2019|

On Tuesday, as the City of Pittsburg reviews two potential contracts related to a plan to take over electric utility service from private provider Westar, the Kansas House of Representatives has a hearing scheduled for a bill which recently passed the State Senate and which would mandate an independent study of electric utility rates. “There’s been a lot of pressure on Westar to lower their rates,” Deputy City Manager Jay Byers told the Morning Sun on Friday. But the bill -- if passed would require a bipartisan legislative council to select an outside organization to complete an electric utility rate study [...]

JoCo leaders plan summit to address the future: A metro area rocked by climate change

info2019-03-19T07:03:03-05:00March 19th, 2019|

When a United Nations report detailed the irreversible and long-lasting effects of global warming, Shawnee Councilwoman Lindsey Constance found herself fixating on the future of her 8-year-old daughter, Lucy. The Weather Channel had ranked Kansas City fifth of 25 U.S. cities most likely to be affected by climate change. Scientists say more days above 90 degrees, extreme drought and heavier rains are in store for the metropolitan area. “I flipped in my head to 2030,” said Constance, referring to the year her daughter graduates high school. “To me it was terrifying to think about the fact that we might not have [...]

Merriam is taking no action on petitions regarding new community center process

info2019-03-18T11:31:15-05:00March 18th, 2019|

The city of Merriam has determined that it will take no action regarding three petitions it received earlier this year from Merriam residents about the city’s process for building the new community center. The petitions contained a list of requests from a group of Merriam residents regarding design of the new aquatics center, the sale of land in Vavra Park and how money is spent from the city’s I-35 tax increment financing (TIF) district fund. The group who submitted the petitions — the self-named Merriam Concerned Citizens — is made up of Merriam residents who submitted the petitions in January, citing [...]

How Southwest Kansas could get the college grads it needs

info2019-03-18T11:30:12-05:00March 18th, 2019|

Check out Dodge City. A new $12 million waterpark. A shiny new craft brewery — not far from the new whiskey distillery. And, yes, that trendy new downtown cafe. A nearly $6 million addition to Boot Hill Museum just kicked off last fall. That’s about when Dodge City wrapped up $86 million in renovations and expansions to its schools. Much of rural Kansas is withering. Not Dodge City. It offers a growing anchor in the state’s southwest, grounded in the meat industry and energized by the thousands of people who work at its slaughterhouses. But the town’s success story risks hitting [...]

Hoisington wanting pets vaccinated by March 31

info2019-03-18T11:28:50-05:00March 18th, 2019|

The City of Hoisington recorded 20 bites from dogs or cats in 2018, a number that was three times higher than a year before. For Hoisington Code Enforcement Officer Dolores Kipper that number is alarming, but could be less alarming if owners take their pets to get vaccinated. Kipper encourages pet owners to get the vaccinations prior to March 31 because after that date the price will double. Those dog and cat owners that do not get their animals vaccinated by March 31 will receive a reminder letter from the City of Hoisington. Kipper says if owners ignore the letters, a [...]

Topeka officials consider banning arrow signs

info2019-03-18T11:28:08-05:00March 18th, 2019|

Saying they make the city look bad, Topeka’s planning and development department recommends prohibiting the portable, marquee-type signs seen at various locations in Topeka. “Please ban the arrow signs,” requested one anonymous respondent to a survey the city recently conducted using the SurveyMonkey website. Another wrote about those signs: “They have been institutionalized in this community and I HATE them. Boyles Joyland’s sign business was protected for many years and the result is the blight we see today. Is it possible to get the horse back in the barn? I hope so!” Doing away with those types of signs is among [...]

Ballpark developments aren’t so promising, economists say. But some cities disagree

info2019-03-18T11:26:55-05:00March 18th, 2019|

As Mayor Jeff Longwell touts everything a baseball park can do for Wichita, he points to several cities where he says new Minor League ballparks successfully spurred development. Sports economists say that’s not usually what happens. “In general, the idea that if you build it they will come — and if you build a sports facility and development will spring up around it — is a myth,” said sports economics journalist Neil deMause. Yet there’s no question that there’s thriving development around the ballparks that Longwell uses as his top examples. There is a question, though, if the ballparks can claim [...]

How Wichita is planning to pay for a new $75 million baseball stadium

info2019-03-18T11:25:18-05:00March 18th, 2019|

Here's a breakdown of how the new baseball stadium in Wichita will be financed, based on numbers provided by the city on March 14. (Read more: Local News |)

Dodge City region searching for access to 4-year college

info2019-03-18T11:24:37-05:00March 18th, 2019|

Dodge City officials say the Kansas town's recent economic growth is endangered by the lack of a four-year college. The city anchors a 28-county region in western Kansas without a four-year college. In recent years, the city completed $86 million in renovations and expansions to its schools, an addition to the Boot Hill Museum, a new $12 million waterpark and several new businesses. The Kansas News Service reports city officials believe the lack of a four-year college forces students to leave to pursue higher education. That, in turn, means many middle-class jobs such as teaching or health care go unfilled. Joann [...]

Pratt County commissioners approve storage containers

info2019-03-18T11:23:56-05:00March 18th, 2019|

In a split vote, Pratt County Commissioners approved the establishment of a combination container storage and RV storage area in the southeast portion of the county. Several months ago in October 2018, Kelly Nienke, agent for Donna Weigle storage, established an area at 30065 SE 30th Avenue for container storage and RV storage. Some storage containers were placed on the site. However, Nienke did not go through the necessary steps with the Planning and Zoning Committee and the Pratt County Commissioners to establish the facility, said Tim Branscom, Zoning administrator. Nienke filed with Planning and Zoning Board for special use application [...]