News – Page 2321 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Hannes Zacharias sees river potential in Derby

info2018-10-18T06:45:36-05:00October 18th, 2018|

Local residents may not pay much attention to the Arkansas River boarding Derby’s west side, but they should as it could be useful not just for additional recreational activities but as a economic development tool. That’s just one of the many points Hannes Zacharias made during a recent visit to Derby. He spoke Friday before the Derby Rotary club about his kayaking trip on the river from Colorado to its end in New Orleans as part of the Mississippi River. A native Kansan, Zacharias was the long-time manager of Johnson County and is now professor at the University of Kansas. At [...]

Approval granted for STAR bond district changes in Derby

info2018-10-18T06:39:04-05:00October 18th, 2018|

Changes are coming for Derby’s STAR bond district. At its Oct. 9 meeting, the city council authorized the second reading of an amendment to the development agreement The initial reading was passed on Sept. 11 and then sent on to the Kansas Department of Commerce, which approved it. In a letter to the city, Robert North, interim secretary and chief counsel of the department, said that he granted the approval using the criteria of its prospect for long-term profitability and significance as a travel destination, among other factors. The state and council’s actions mean a new attraction, the Sport Zone, is [...]

Lawmakers concerned on rural broadband

info2018-10-18T06:36:27-05:00October 18th, 2018|

The two U.S. senators from Kansas, along with all four U.S. representatives from the state, on Monday wrote a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai urging that he “restore sufficiency and predictability” to the Universal Service Fund High Cost program. The program helps provide funding to companies working to increase broadband capability to parts of the country with little or no access. “These services are necessary if rural communities are to compete in a global economy,” the lawmakers wrote to the FCC head. “The insufficient and uncertain USF budget continues to hamper rural providers’ efforts to invest in rural [...]

Entities pull together to find health care solutions after Mercy’s closure

info2018-10-18T06:32:51-05:00October 18th, 2018|

City and county officials are joining forces to address the future of local healthcare. On Oct. 4, two days after Mercy Hospital Fort Scott officials announced the hospital would be closing its doors by Dec. 31, city and county officials announced a process had begun to form a task force that will research and identify potential health care solutions after the hospital’s closure. The first Mercy Hospital in Fort Scott opened in 1886. “City and county officials continue to meet to strategize a collaborative approach to the future of healthcare in Bourbon County,” an Oct. 4 news release said. “Officials remain [...]

Great Bend rezones real estate to help owner sell the property; was “wrongfully” zoned to begin with

info2018-10-18T06:31:44-05:00October 18th, 2018|

The City of Great Bend approved a rezoning request for a house on 21st Street to help the owner sell the property. Dray Meredith requested 2547 21st Street be rezoned from C-2 (general commercial) to R-2 (two family). Meredith entered a contract to sell the real estate but the lender would not approve a loan on the property since it is currently zoned commercial and its current use is residential. Great Bend City Attorney Bob Suelter says the Planning Commission approved the change. Suelter added the property was wrongfully zoned in the first place as the structure has always been used [...]

Levee system in Hutch sprouts a few leaks, but otherwise holds up against flooding

info2018-10-18T06:29:37-05:00October 18th, 2018|

They are still waiting for the water to fully recede, but Hutchinson Public Works says — for the most part — the city’s levee system held up to some of the largest flooding in more than 10 years. City Engineer Brian Clennan says they will have to wait for the Arkansas River and Cow Creek to fully recede to completely inspect the levees. Clennan says they did have some damage done to the levee on the South Hutchinson side when water began to flow through the dike around several 48-inch pipes that drain into the river. That area was repaired. Clennan [...]

Moran talks airport expansion, health care with Fort Scott leaders

info2018-10-18T06:27:49-05:00October 18th, 2018|

City and county officials met with U.S. Senator Jerry Moran Monday to discuss the planned airport expansion and how it ties in with health care in the wake of Mercy Hospital Fort Scott’s announcement to close on Dec. 31. Moran toured the Fort Scott Municipal Airport, then went into a closed-door meeting with local officials and leaders of businesses that use the airport. Moran spoke to the Tribune following the meeting. He said Monday’s visit was a result of a town hall meeting held in August in Fort Scott, when one issue raised was the airport. “Folks in this community, particularly [...]

A small Kansas town gets its own bakery and cafe in an unexpected spot

info2018-10-17T08:09:58-05:00October 17th, 2018|

Hesston, population 4,000, isn’t exactly overrun with restaurants. So when a slick new one opened, it got some attention. But the fact that Hesston Bakery & Cafe is the small town’s only bakery isn’t the only thing that makes it unique. Its location is a bit unusual, too. The cafe has opened at Schowalter Villa, an assisted living community owned by Bluestem Communities. And while its managers hope that it will enhance the lives of its residents, they stress that the bakery is a business like any other and is open to the public. Read more here: Wichita Eagle.

Water drops and so does number of rescues, road closures in Reno county

info2018-10-17T07:21:53-05:00October 17th, 2018|

First responders were called to a possible water rescue on Tuesday in the 2500 block of North Pennington Road and to people trapped on top of a pickup truck in flood waters the day before at 56th and Pennington roads. Water levels of Cow Creek and the Arkansas River on Tuesday afternoon showed at least a 2.5-foot drop from the peaks last Thursday. First responders need the levels to drop even further before the damages can be assessed. Reno County Emergency Management listed 37 road closures on Thursday, but the dangerous situations that led to six water rescue calls last Thursday [...]

NASA astronaut and Hoxie native describes close call following failed launch

info2018-10-17T07:18:58-05:00October 17th, 2018|

The NASA astronaut who survived last week’s failed launch and emergency landing knew he needed to stay calm. Air Force Col. Nick Hague, a native of Hoxie, Kan., on Tuesday described the closest call of his career: His space capsule violently ripped from his damaged rocket shortly after liftoff, then with lights flashing and alarms sounding, plunged steeply back to Earth with punishing force. Hague said he and his commander, Russian Alexei Ovchinin, were flung from side to side and shoved back hard into their seats, as the drama unfolded 50 kilometers (31 miles) above Kazakhstan last Thursday. One of the [...]