News – Page 2254 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Saline County Administrator Deister to retire in March

info2019-01-03T08:21:26-06:00January 3rd, 2019|

After serving Saline County for 27 years, Saline County administrator Rita Deister will be retiring March 24. Deister has been the county’s administrator for 18 years. Before that, she served in the roles of personnel director and assistant county administrator for Saline County. Deister said she has enjoyed her time in county government. “I think I’ve served under 8 boards and 21 commissioners,” she said. “It’s been fun, and I’ve enjoyed getting up and going to work every day.” Saline County Commission chairman Bob Vidricksen announced Deister’s retirement Wednesday morning. “Thank you for your years of service,” he said. “You have [...]

Ford County pays more than $70,000 to firm hired in voting rights case

info2019-01-03T06:50:49-06:00January 3rd, 2019|

Ford County has paid more than $70,000 in legal fees to the firm representing County Clerk Debbie Cox, who was sued over voting access in one of the state’s few majority-minority cities. In October and November, the county paid $71,481 to the Hinkle Law Firm, which is based in Wichita, a document obtained through an open records request indicates. The money comes from the county’s general fund, Cox said. The ACLU sued Cox in late October after she moved Dodge City’s sole voting location outside city limits because the original location was to undergo construction. The lawsuit alleged that the move [...]

Geary County Rural Fire Department to receive funding through state program

info2019-01-03T06:48:35-06:00January 3rd, 2019|

The Geary County Rural Fire Department will receive $5,523 through the Kansas Firefighter Recruitment and Safety Grant Program. The department is one of 70 Kansas volunteer or part-time fire departments to be awarded funds. Rural Fire Chief Garry Berges noted the funds will be used to purchase structure firefighter gear for three new firefighters. The gear will include coats, helmets and boots. (Read more: Junction City Post)

Old airport terminal building demolition expected to begin this month

info2019-01-03T06:47:59-06:00January 3rd, 2019|

The old airport terminal building at Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport won’t be around much longer. Conco Inc. has pulled a $5.5 million building permit related to demolition of the remaining structure. A copy of the permit will appear in the next weekly edition of the Wichita Business Journal. Brad Christopher, assistant director of airports for the Wichita Airport Authority, says the razing of the old building is expected to begin in late January and run through the middle of June. Demolition of the old terminal, which served the city for more than 50 years, was spilt into separate projects [...]

New assistant Manhattan city manager named

info2019-01-03T08:31:58-06:00January 3rd, 2019|

Manhattan City Manager Ron Fehr has announced that Dennis Marstall has been named Assistant City Manhattan. Marstall, a 1987 Manhattan High School graduate, was selected from a group of four finalists. He plans to begin work January 25th. Marstall will be responsible for assisting with the day-to-day management of City operations including supervision of staff and administrative policy development, working with the city manager and deputy city manager on various projects and redevelopment activities, serving as the city manager’s designated representative to the Riley County Law Board, staff liaison to the City-University Special Projects Fund Committee and coordinating state legislative activities. [...]

Lawrence bus drivers prepared for possible strike after city changes contractor

info2019-01-02T11:37:51-06:00January 2nd, 2019|

Amid renegotiation of their contract, members of the local transit union are prepared to strike, raising the possibility that local bus service could come to a halt. The city of Lawrence and the University of Kansas recently decided to hire a different company to operate their coordinated bus services. The City Commission voted in November to hire First Transit, which is set to replace longtime contractor MV Transportation on Jan. 1. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1754 President Justin Priest said that union members, at a meeting on Sunday, voted to strike. Priest explained that the vote doesn’t mean that drivers, mechanics [...]

Spring Hill’s Broadband Task Force kicks off fiber feasibility study

info2019-01-02T11:21:47-06:00January 2nd, 2019|

The Broadband Task Force officially kicked off its fiber feasibility study with CTC Technology and Energy last month. The Task Force met with CTC Sept. 7 and mapped out how the next six months will go during the study and what Internet options the Task Force may be able to recommend to the Spring Hill City Council early next year. The Task Force, with assistance from City staff, will work with a team of six people throughout the course of the study. Options for better Internet speeds could range from making Spring Hill a more fiber-friendly community to potentially attract more [...]

Reno County Commissioners to Deming: Learning from his example

info2019-01-02T11:18:38-06:00January 2nd, 2019|

Reno County Commissioner Dan Deming wraps up his eighth and final year on the board when Ron Sellers is sworn in Jan. 14. The farewells began Monday because Commissioner Bob Bush will not be present for Deming’s last commission meeting on Jan. 8. Commission Chairman Ron Hirst presented Deming with a certificate etched in glass. “I’ll keep that at home with a lot of pride,” Deming said. During the last two years, Deming, 76, served with first-term commissioners Hirst and Bush. They told Deming they learned from his example. “I wish I emulated you more,” Bush said, as a “budget hawk.” [...]

Industrial park in Parsons discusses possible tenant

info2019-01-02T11:16:40-06:00January 2nd, 2019|

Labette County commissioners heard Monday that the owner of the administration building at the former Kansas Army Ammunition Plant may have an interested tenant or purchaser. Becky Dantic, Tim Peoples and Bob Wood provided commissioners with an update on activities at Great Plains Industrial Park, which occupies the former KAAP. The Army announced the plant would close in 2005, which generated a community response to take over the property and market its buildings and parcels to create jobs. Dantic is Great Plains project manager, Peoples is property manager and Wood is a Great Plains board member. Peoples said he performs maintenance [...]

Landowners to receive written notice of wind farm hearing

info2019-01-02T11:08:44-06:00January 2nd, 2019|

Owners of property within a thousand feet of any proposed wind turbine location in NextEra Energy’s planned Pretty Prairie Wind Farm will receive notice by first-class mail of the public hearing - tentatively expected to take place Feb. 21 in Hutchinson. As of Monday morning, NextEra Energy had not submitted its application for a conditional use permit, but that probably needs to be filed before Jan. 15 if the company wants to meet pre-hearing requirements for a Feb. 21 hearing, according to County Counselor Joe O’Sullivan. In the application, O’Sullivan said, the exact proposed location for each of the towers should [...]