News – Page 2375 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Merriam formally kicks off new community center construction with groundbreaking ceremony

info2018-08-31T09:40:11-05:00August 31st, 2018|

Merriam celebrated the beginning of construction for its new $30 million community center with a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday morning. Residents, city leaders and representatives from the contractor, McCarthy Building Companies packed into the upstairs training room of city hall as a thunderstorm, which forced a last-minute relocation of the event, rolled through town. Mayor Ken Sissom said talks for the city to build a new community center began in 2014, prompted by major expenses from maintaining two of the city’s facilities, the existing Irene B. French Community Center and the Merriam Aquatic Center. After several studies and soliciting feedback from residents [...]

Change to weed director’s job ‘not a demotion,’ Shawnee County commissioners told

info2018-08-31T09:38:56-05:00August 31st, 2018|

A change approved Thursday to John Welbourn’s job overseeing county weed control operations is not a demotion, Shawnee County commissioners were told Thursday. Commissioners Kevin Cook, Shelly Buhler and Bob Archer subsequently voted 3-0 to approve a “repurposing” of the department’s organizational structure, which included reclassifying Welbourn’s position from “weed director” to “weed supervisor.” In response to Cook’s question as to whether the proposal involved would constitute a “demotion” for Welbourn, parks and recreation director John Knight said it would not. The move would instead reclassify the job Welbourn holds from that of an appointed department head who serves at the [...]

Merriam officials discuss strategies for keeping Town Center tenants from departing

info2018-08-31T11:13:08-05:00August 31st, 2018|

Two years after tax increment financing for Merriam Town Center expired, some retail stores are facing the prospect of higher rent — and city officials are keeping a close eye on potential business departures. The announcement in July that Hen House was leaving the shopping center after two decades in business raised eyebrows among city officials, who are concerned about the associated drop in sales tax receipts that get directed to the city’s budget. At Monday’s city council meeting, Merriam officials discussed what efforts the city could be taking to keep the center vibrant and prevent other tenants from leaving. Chris [...]

Salina dedicates marker to local abolitionist

info2018-08-31T10:51:22-05:00August 31st, 2018|

The City of Salina dedicated a historical marker Thursday in front of the Smoky Hill Museum to August Bondi, a local Jewish-American abolitionist who fought against slavery and for the American ideal of freedom.Jerry Klinger, President of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, who initially proposed creating the marker, spoke about Bondi’s life during the ceremony.“The story of Mr. Bondi isn’t so much a Jewish story, it’s an American [...] (Read more: News - Salina Journal)

Real or retaliation?: Sign claims 400 tiny homes for Wichita

info2018-08-31T10:50:55-05:00August 31st, 2018|

A sign popped-up in east Wichita overnight advertising 400 tiny homes. It's by 143rd and 21st street. That is miles north, but on the same road, as a tiny homes development that was just approved to move forward last week despite opposition from neighbors worried about their property values. "This would be very bad and I would not want to see it at all,” said Dan Jablonski who lives in neighborhood. (Read more: KWCH News)

Power being restored in Russell

info2018-08-31T11:12:09-05:00August 31st, 2018|

Power is being restored in Russell, after a day without lights and air conditioning. A citywide outage was reported at 1:45 a.m. Thursday. By 5:20 p.m., a tweet from the City of Russell said power had been restored to 80% of customers. Russell USD 407 called off school Thursday. Classes will resume Friday. (Read more: KAKE - News)

Sister city ambassadors arrive in Leavenworth

info2018-08-31T10:43:54-05:00August 31st, 2018|

Though they had been in town for only a short time, two visitors from sister city Wagga Wagga, Australia, said Thursday that they were impressed with Leavenworth. Though they had been in town for only a short time, two visitors from sister city Wagga Wagga, Australia, said Thursday that they were impressed with Leavenworth. “It’s beautiful,” said Maddie Smith. Smith and Zoe Martin are visiting Leavenworth after competing in the Miss Wagga Wagga Quest. Martin, who holds the title of Miss Wagga Wagga, described the Miss Wagga Wagga Quest as a personal development program that raises money for charities. (Read more: [...]

Citizens alert city of Parsons of feral cat problems

info2018-08-31T06:50:54-05:00August 31st, 2018|

On a recent sunny day, a cat darted across Betty Nicholas’ yard in the 1400 block of Washington while another rested under a vehicle parked in front of her home. Before long a third cat ambled across the yard heading to a neighbor’s house. It’s a frequent scene at Nicholas’ house, and sometimes up to a dozen cats congregate in her backyard, even though she doesn’t own a single cat. Albertini said feral cats are always a difficult problem with no easy solution, but he commended a local organization, Basic Animal Rights Council, for its efforts to control the feral cat [...]

Britain-based bicyclists stopover in Chanute

info2018-08-31T06:46:35-05:00August 31st, 2018|

Stiff upper lip, and all that. A stop Thursday night in downtown Chanute was planned long before the afternoon rainstorm. After riding for more than a month through sunshine, the damp weather was something the group of British bicyclists could handle. “This is the first weather we’ve seen,” bicyclist and organizer Steve Wesson said. One rider, though, was stranded under a tree by the storm and had to be rescued. The riders with the Bike Adventure commercial touring company stopped in Chanute as part of a trans-America ride. The group included an Australian and couple of Irish, and the company has [...]

Should clubs that let people party after hours be licensed? Wichita police say yes

info2018-08-31T06:44:34-05:00August 31st, 2018|

The sign on the front of the squat, brick building near Harry and Woodlawn says “People’s 316 Association.” Police call it the Lion’s Den. The building used to be a popular burger joint. Now, it’s been flagged as an after-hours establishment where a 2:30 a.m. shooting injured two people this summer. At another after-hours party at different club, a 3 a.m. shooting left one man dead. Police now say the city needs to license and regulate after-hours clubs to make sure they’re safe. “These places are totally unregulated, which is problematic for us to address,” Police Chief Gordon Ramsay told City [...]