News – Page 2237 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Basehor hires new city administrator

info2019-01-22T09:19:08-06:00January 22nd, 2019|

The Basehor City Council and mayor have hired a new city administrator. Leslee Rivarola’s appointment to the position was approved Wednesday during a Basehor City Council meeting. She is scheduled to begin her duties as the new city administrator Feb. 4. Rivarola, 37, said she has an extensive background in public service. “I just love serving the public, and I really believe in the work that we do,” she said. She currently serves as the city administrator of Lake Lotawana, Missouri. She has been in this job for about four years. She has held other positions in the public service field [...]

Website created for Salina downtown project

info2019-01-22T09:17:49-06:00January 22nd, 2019|

The website for downtown Salina’s revitalization project is now available at salina2020.com. The website hosts the most up to date information about projects, developments and events related to the renovation. Salina 2020, the master developer of downtown Salina’s revitalization project, and Salina Downtown Inc., will be hosting a cash mob Feb. 9. Shoppers are encouraged to patronize stores, restaurants, bars, and businesses during the event. Social media users have a chance to win a $50 gift card to one of 20 downtown businesses by spreading information about the cash mob across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The social media contest is being [...]

Rural Revitalization gets to work

info2019-01-22T09:15:07-06:00January 22nd, 2019|

Only one committee in the Kansas House of Representatives has a leadership team comprised of three lawmakers living west of U.S. 81. It’s the new Rural Revitalization Committee. The problems of rural Kansas are varied and challenging, “but perhaps we can bend the curve,” said Committee Chairman State Rep. Don Hineman, R-Dighton. Rounding out the leadership team are Vice Chairman State Rep. Adam Smith, R-Weskan, and Ranking Minority Member State Rep. Jason Probst, D-Hutchinson. “It’s pretty open-ended,” Hineman said of the committee’s agenda. “That’s what has most people excited,” according to Smith. Just about any topic that is a concern for [...]

Shawnee County Commission decision brewing on alcohol at softball fields

info2019-01-22T09:09:32-06:00January 22nd, 2019|

Allowing alcoholic beverages at Shawnee County’s four adult softball complexes would help it increase revenues and attract national tournaments, supporters say. But questions remain as to whether the county is prepared to deal with problems that might bring. Teresa Miller, a member of the Shawnee County Parks and Recreation advisory board, told commissioners Dec. 20 about how beer consumption made players more aggressive on the teams for which her husband used to play. “When they had beer, they were pretty rowdy,” she said. “Baseball bats make good weapons.” Parks and recreation director John Knight responded his department plans to arrange for [...]

City of Parsons to consider golf subsidy

info2019-01-22T09:05:31-06:00January 22nd, 2019|

City commissioners likely will grant an $8,000 subsidy to the local golf course on Tuesday. The commissioners plan to receive a financial report from Parsons Katy Golf Course Association and probably will approve the payment to the course. The city has paid the golf course a subsidy for many years but within the last few years began reducing the amount of $12,000 by $1,000 each year. The subsidy is expected to remain at $8,000 unless commissioners decide otherwise. The commission agrees to pay the subsidy annually in order to help keep the business afloat as it is the only golf course [...]

Wind farm moratorium fails again in Neosho County

info2019-01-22T09:03:48-06:00January 22nd, 2019|

Once again, a motion against the proposed Neosho Ridge wind electrical generation project failed to draw a second at Thursday evening’s Neosho County Commission meeting, when matters came to clash over a 1,000-foot setback. Development manager for Apex Clean Energy, Jade Scheele, said a setback of more than 1,000 feet ends the conversation, although Apex has agreed to a setback of 1,640 feet from the middle of properties that are not involved in leases. “If you can’t go more than 1,000, I’m done,” Commissioner Paul Westhoff said. “Let’s just get this done. No windmills.” Apex has signed leases in about 44,000 [...]

Some Lawrence officials frustrated by delayed energy debate

info2019-01-22T09:01:55-06:00January 22nd, 2019|

Several Lawrence officials and residents have expressed frustration that the City Commission didn't discuss an offer to power the city exclusively with wind energy before the option was no longer available. City staffers said Westar Energy's offer was under review but officials hadn't determined whether the energy plan was worth pursuing, the Lawrence Journal-World reported . Westar had approached some of its large-demand customers in July to purchase wind energy at a fixed rate for the next 20 years. The Missouri-based utility had 200 megawatts of wind power available from a planned wind farm to be in operation by next year, [...]

Lenexa, Mission recommit to MARC program coordinating regional traffic signals

info2019-01-22T09:00:50-06:00January 22nd, 2019|

To improve traffic flow and reduce carbon emissions from vehicles, the Mid-America Regional Council is continuing its Operation Green Light program with multiple cities in northeast Johnson County and the Kansas City metro area. Mission and Lenexa in their council meetings this week agreed to renew their commitments to MARC’s Operation Green Light Traffic Control System with surrounding cities, including Fairway, Leawood, Merriam, Mission Woods, Overland Park, Prairie Village, Shawnee and Westwood. Operation Green Light works with federal, state and local agencies to operate a system that coordinates timing of traffic signals as well as communication between intersections across jurisdictional boundaries, [...]

Winfield greivance policy may return

info2019-01-22T08:59:56-06:00January 22nd, 2019|

Winfield City Commissioners will consider additions to the city’s employee handbook, including a new grievance policy to replace one removed last year. The new policy states employees have the right to present a grievance concerning interpretation or application of city policies or department regulations, working conditions, relationships with co-workers or supervisors, or application of equal employment opportunity policies. The new policy states the employee will never be subject to retaliation if they present a grievance. The policy lays out the steps for filing a grievance. Those steps include presenting the grievance first to the employee’s immediate supervisor, who will then respond. [...]

Could modern peanut butter have been invented in Ark City?

info2019-01-22T08:57:10-06:00January 22nd, 2019|

The late Edith Joyce Davis recalled as a child of 10 riding on a horse-drawn wagon as Arkansas City’s original “peanut butter man” made his rounds in the late 1890s. Long before peanut butter became one of the world’s favorite spreads, R.H. Brock was delivering his tasty peanut paste throughout Ark City and to customers in Winfield and Geuda Springs. He also shipped buckets of peanut butter to customers in New York and Iowa. For many years, Ark City residents have referred to him as the inventor of peanut butter, although that’s hard to prove. He certainly is one of the [...]