News – Page 232 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

About 1,500 Kansas students change school districts under new open enrollment policy

info2024-11-15T09:25:10-06:00November 15th, 2024|

Kansas school districts showed caution in allowing transfers through a new open enrollment option that lets students attend school outside their home district, data presented Wednesday to the Kansas State Board of Education showed. About 1,500 students transferred out of their home district under the new law for the 2024-2025 school year, making up just 6% of all district transfers, according to data from the Kansas State Department of Education. Transferring between districts has been permitted for years under different methods, and even with the new law, the total number of students who transferred to a district outside their own declined [...]

City broadens energy portfolio

info2024-11-15T09:23:25-06:00November 15th, 2024|

Iola City Council members agree it’s a good idea to diversify the city’s energy profile. How? By adding 3-megawatts of power to the city’s energy portfolio through a solar agreement. Recently, the Kansas Municipal Energy Association (KMEA) and NextEra Energy entered into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Through the agreement, KMEA anticipates purchasing up to 90-megawatts of electric energy from a 200-megawatt solar facility called Ninnescah Flats Solar in Pratt County. As a member of KMEA, the City of Iola is eligible to purchase a portion of the energy. Source: The Iola Register

Kansas Republicans say changes to ‘the most hated tax’ are top priority for next year

info2024-11-15T09:20:48-06:00November 15th, 2024|

For months Kansas Republicans campaigned on promises to take action on property taxes as soaring home values in recent years enraged voters. Now comes the time to deliver. After Republicans bolstered their supermajority in the Legislature in last week’s elections, lawmakers have begun weighing plans for the 2025 session that begins in January. They are emphatic that property taxes sit at the top of the to-do list. “We’ve sort of got a mandate from voters,” said Sen. Virgil Peck, a Havana Republican who sits on the Senate Tax Committee. “The property tax relief issue, I think, is urgent. That is the [...]

10-year Treasury yield jumps on week as Powell says Fed not in a hurry to keep cutting rates

info2024-11-15T09:19:46-06:00November 15th, 2024|

U.S. Treasury yields were higher on Friday, ending a week where the 10-year Treasury yield jumped amid new inflation data and comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell that suggested the central bank may not be as aggressive next year with its rate-cutting campaign. The 10-year Treasury yield was last higher by about three basis point to 4.451%. The 10-year rate ended last week around 4.31%. The yield on the 2-year Treasury rose by nearly five basis points to 4.341%. The 2-year yield ended last week around 4.25%. One basis point equals 0.01% and yields and prices move in opposite directions. [...]

Powell says the Fed doesn’t need to be ‘in a hurry’ to reduce interest rates

info2024-11-15T09:18:20-06:00November 15th, 2024|

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that strong U.S. economic growth will allow policymakers to take their time in deciding how far and how fast to lower interest rates. “The economy is not sending any signals that we need to be in a hurry to lower rates,” Powell said in remarks for a speech to business leaders in Dallas. “The strength we are currently seeing in the economy gives us the ability to approach our decisions carefully.” In an upbeat assessment of current conditions, the central bank leader called domestic growth “by far the best of any major economy in [...]

Governor Kelly Announces Nearly $6M in KDOT Cost Share Program Projects

info2024-11-15T09:16:33-06:00November 15th, 2024|

Governor Laura Kelly announced Thursday that $5.9 million will be awarded to seven transportation construction projects through the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Cost Share Program for fall 2024. This cost-share investment will leverage $9.8 million in community matching dollars for a total investment of more than $15 million. “Infrastructure projects funded through the Cost Share Program aren’t just about roads and bridges; they are about increasing job growth and retention and strengthening the economic climate across Kansas,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “By leveraging this partnership with KDOT, communities are able to address necessary, long-term solutions to their local transportation issues.” The [...]

Wichita asking for input on bicycle plan

info2024-11-15T09:15:27-06:00November 15th, 2024|

The City of Wichita is asking for public input on an update of the city’s Bicycle Plan. A process was started in 2023 for a ten-year update of the plan and it will go to an advisory board and then the City Council. The goal of the plan is to create a comprehensive biking network that identifies priority projects to make biking safer, more comfortable and convenient, and it is aimed at representing the community’s vision and goals for biking across the city. Source: 101.3 KFDI

‘Makes me proud to be from De Soto’ — New mural pays homage to JoCo city’s rural roots

info2024-11-15T09:14:02-06:00November 15th, 2024|

A giant goat now looks over a sunflower field facing east from downtown DeSoto. The DeSoto Arts Council, helped by a grant from the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, commissioned Kansas City-based artist Alex Eickhoff to paint the city’s second downtown mural. Council President Leanna Donald said the group had been looking for an opportunity to bring more art to the community, after the first mural of sunflowers by artist Emily Euler was completed in 2018. “We wanted the mural to represents the community’s past and future, have a small town vibe to it, be colorful and fun and of course [...]

Mission gets closer to adopting tree preservation policy

info2024-11-15T09:12:45-06:00November 15th, 2024|

Another northeast Johnson County city is getting closer to adopting a tree preservation ordinance. The Mission City Council during the Nov. 6 community development committee moved a draft tree preservation ordinance forward to a city council meeting for formal consideration. This comes a few months after the city of Mission began discussing a tree preservation ordinance, with a focus on protecting mature trees on commercial or a big residential project. In nearby Roeland Park, the city council recently adopted a tree preservation ordinance after years of discussion on the issue. Other cities like Fairway and Prairie Village have had such ordinances [...]

Overland Park takes aim at getting rid of racist property records

info2024-11-15T09:11:42-06:00November 15th, 2024|

Overland Park has started the legal process of removing historically racist deed restrictions on residential property records in older parts of the city. A century ago, racist covenants barred Black and Jewish people from owning homes in some communities but haven’t been enforceable for decades. Still, the offensive language has remained on property records like plats, deeds and neighborhood declarations. Last week, the Overland Park City Council Community Development Committee unanimously voted to recommend the city take the first step in releasing such restrictive covenants. City staff described the action as mostly symbolic since the original documents won’t be changed, but [...]