News – Page 2429 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Eureka community remains positive after tornado

info2018-07-02T09:42:59-05:00July 2nd, 2018|

Hundreds of people exhausted from cleaning up after Tuesday's tornado gathered tonight in Eureka. The hope is to make sure everyone gets the help they need. "People remember what it was like last time, and they want to make sure that they get taken care of," said Eureka resident JoAnn Craighead. Joann and John Craighead moved to Eureka five years ago. In their short time here, they've seen two tornadoes and straight-line winds damage the small community. "Surprisingly, with as hot as it's been, long of days as we've been working, I'm still impressed, because everybody seems to just want to [...]

Lansing plans to withdraw from fire district

info2018-07-02T09:35:07-05:00July 2nd, 2018|

The city of Lansing plans to withdraw from Leavenworth County Fire District No. 1 at the end of next year. That is according to a letter signed by Mayor Mike Smith and most of the members of the Lansing City Council. Fire District No. 1 provides fire department services to the city of Lansing and Delaware and High Prairie townships. The district has a five-member governing board with three members from Lansing and one member from each of the two townships. The district is supported financially through its own property tax levy. The fire district has been in existence since 2004. [...]

Barton County Emergency Manager wants to see more wildfire education

info2018-07-02T09:33:30-05:00July 2nd, 2018|

A legislative audit says Kansas’ wildfire suppression system is underfunded and understaffed and operates with a fragmented leadership. Barton County Emergency Risk Manager Amy Miller read through the audit and felt that most of the audit’s issues came from the State of Kansas’ response to emergencies with the Kansas Department of Emergency Management, Office of the State Fire Marshal, and the Kansas Forest Service. Auditors recommended the legislature choose one agency to lead the state’s wildfire response and appropriate the money to ensure enough resources are deployed to fight fires. Miller would like to see more public education distributed to keep [...]

Neosho County reorganizes 911, emergency management

info2018-07-02T09:29:49-05:00July 2nd, 2018|

Neosho County Commissioners considered resolutions Friday to reorganize 911 dispatching and emergency management. With the retirement of Emergency Management Director Byron Shultz, Emergency Management and 911 dispatching become separate departments no longer under the Sheriff’s Department. The commission approved four resolutions to establish the two functions as departments and to appoint Lori Nally as 911 Director and Melanie Kent-Culp as Emergency Management Director. The resolutions also established a five-member 911 advisory board. The board will consist of the Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center EMS Director, Chanute Fire Chief, police chiefs of Chanute and Erie, and the Neosho County Sheriff. County Counselor [...]

Water transfer plan meets challenge from local irrigators

info2018-07-02T09:28:34-05:00July 2nd, 2018|

Hays’ long-anticipated bid to transfer water from a city-owned ranch in Edwards County for municipal use hit an unexpected obstacle, as a local organization dedicated to protecting farmers’ water rights presented its case last Thursday afternoon. In a scheduled meeting of the Kansas Division of Water Resources at the Twilight Theater in Greensburg, KWR Chief Engineer David Barfield, along with representatives from Hays and Russell as stakeholders, presented the draft proposal outlining both the conversion of the R-9 Ranch’s agricultural water rights to municipal use and approval under the state’s Water Transfer Act. The draft summary was presented as the public [...]

Douglas county no longer using schools as polling places

info2018-07-02T09:26:24-05:00July 2nd, 2018|

The Douglas County Clerk’s Office sent letters this week to the more than 10,000 affected voters who will now be assigned to different polling places than they’ve used in the past, the Lawrence Journal-World reported . County Clerk Jamie Shew said Wednesday he made the change after Lawrence school district officials expressed concerns over allowing people easy access in and out of school buildings while classes were in session. “Now that we have put secure entrances in all of our buildings, we are finding it very difficult to provide an adequate level of security at the elementary buildings during polling,” said [...]

Dog park design named, approved by Spring Hill Parks Advisory Board

info2018-07-02T09:25:34-05:00July 2nd, 2018|

The dog park at the new Veterans Park has received a name: Melvin Murry Dog Park. At their May meeting, the Parks Advisory Board approved the design of the new dog park and its name. The dog park is planned to feature fire-themed items to honor the former, longtime Spring Hill fire chief, who died in 2014. The Murry family was present at the meeting in support of renaming the park. Currently, a different City park is named after Murry — Melvin Murry Park located in the Woodland Ridge subdivision. The Parks Advisory Board agreed to move the name to the [...]

Sales tax decrease in Abilene starting Sunday

info2018-07-02T09:23:17-05:00July 2nd, 2018|

According to a release from the Abilene Area Chamber of Commerce, effective Sunday, the Abilene tax rate on retail sales will drop to 8.75%. The decrease is due to the expiration of the .35% special tax that was implemented in 2008 to pay for renovations to the Abilene Public Library and City Pool. The Abilene sales tax will drop again in 2023 with the sunset of a 0.25 tax implemented for Abilene city streets. (Read more: The Salina Post)

Hays approves new aquatic park play area

info2018-07-02T09:22:10-05:00July 2nd, 2018|

The Hays Aquatic Park will include a new play area when it opens next year, but the Hays City Commission’s 3-1 approval Thursday night didn’t come without some discussion. The $185,000 structure with 14 play features including two slides and a large bucket drop will replace a starburst water sprayer in the zero-depth entry pool. Parks director Jeff Boyle said construction of the feature will begin Aug. 21 after the pool closes, with a completion date of Dec. 21, although the vendor, RJR Enterprises, would like to finish sooner. A new feature was proposed in January, when city officials and Hays [...]

Shawnee, Johnson County renew plans to fund low-income housing rehab

info2018-07-02T09:20:03-05:00July 2nd, 2018|

Shawnee has renewed its commitment with Johnson County to direct funds toward low-income housing. This year’s commitment brings about $100,000 in total to homes that needs rehabilitating, according to a June 25 memo from the city. The Shawnee council approved in a 6-0 vote Monday, June 25, a three-year memorandum of understanding with Johnson County that supports Shawnee residents who own low-income housing. Through this arrangement with Johnson County for 2019 through 2021, Shawnee residents can participate in the Johnson County HOME Consortium program, which allocates funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for rehabilitating low-income housing. This [...]