News – Page 281 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

What did Kansas look like 150 years ago? A KU professor’s photo book shows the drastic change

info2024-09-12T10:22:42-05:00September 12th, 2024|

Robert Benecke captured 19th-century western Kansas landscapes before massive European migrations to the area transformed them. In the intervening years, the dust bowl, mass extinction of bison, and expansion of mechanized agriculture have all led to a profusion of trees, ponds and lakes across the Sunflower State. When railroad companies hired Robert Benecke to help advertise Kansas land for sale in the 1870s, the German-born photographer captured a unique window into life on the Great Plains at a very early time in the state’s history. A century and a half later, University of Kansas professor of ecology and evolutionary biology Town [...]

How Wyandotte County deals with unsheltered homelessness

info2024-09-12T10:20:57-05:00September 12th, 2024|

In a 24-hour period in January this year, surveyors for the annual point-in-time count found 226 people who reported being homeless. Of that number, 152 of them – or nearly 70% of the overall count – said they were unsheltered, meaning they were living outside, or in cars, vacant buildings and other places not designed for human habitation. The point-in-time count is imprecise, and advocates say that number is almost certainly an undercount. But of that overall total, 55 individuals fit HUD’s definition of being chronically unsheltered, meaning they had experienced homelessness in increments that add up to at least a [...]

Pittsburg considers new ordinances to address shopping cart and trash concerns

info2024-09-12T10:16:46-05:00September 12th, 2024|

Shopping carts and trash are on the table for the city commission in Pittsburg with the hopes of keeping the city clean and cutting the costs residents and businesses are currently taking on. “It’s more that when we don’t have these ordinances and this activity is allowed to happen, you end up with the town just looking trashy,” said Roger Lomshek, Pittsburg resident. Roger Lomshek is just one of the residents and business owners who’ve brought the issue of digging through trash and abandoned shopping carts to the city of Pittsburg. Issues he’s seen frequently. “We have people pushing shopping carts [...]

Kansas power plant investing $63 million in power generating tech

info2024-09-12T10:14:54-05:00September 12th, 2024|

Liberty Utilities is investing in new power generating equipment for its Riverton Power Plant. The oldest remaining generators at the plant will soon be removed to make way for new, industrial gas turbines — complete with the latest in power generating technology. They will replace two aging generators built in the 1960’s. Because of their age, spare parts for repairs are no longer made by the manufacturer. According to the company, the new generators feature better performance — especially in cold weather — and are nearly 40% more efficient. They are also Liberty Utilities first units designed to use hydrogen as [...]

Companies look to bring more than 300 jobs to Topeka

info2024-09-12T10:13:30-05:00September 12th, 2024|

Local businesses are working to expand in Shawnee County, possibly bringing hundreds of jobs. At Wednesday’s Topeka and Shawnee County Joint Economic Development Organization (JEDO) meeting, members approved two incentive funding proposals with the goal of expanding and bringing more jobs to the capital city, one is called “Project Finish Line” and the other is “Project Brick“. According to the JEDO meeting agenda, Project Finish Line is a local manufacturing company working with GO Topeka to assist in an expansion in their corporation to Topeka. The project comes with a capital investment of $57 million, $37 million in real property and [...]

County seeks renewal of quarter-cent sales tax for road and bridge projects

info2024-09-12T10:11:54-05:00September 12th, 2024|

Miami County commissioners are hoping voters in November will renew a quarter-cent sales tax to continue funding road and bridge improvements throughout the county. Commissioners, during their Aug. 28 meeting, unanimously agreed to put the question on the general election ballot Nov. 5. The five-year tax would take effect Jan. 1, 2026, upon the expiration of the current quarter-cent sales tax. Before approving the ballot wording, commissioners asked for a slight modification so the words “continue to levy” could be added. The ballot wording would mirror what was proposed five years ago, and it would emphasize that this would be a [...]

Local farmers learn water treatment options

info2024-09-12T10:09:26-05:00September 12th, 2024|

“There’s no way by looking at a pond to tell if it is safe or not,” Bhullar said. “You must test it.” Thanks to a mobile water treatment trailer, Bhullar was able to do just that during the “Non Trad Ag Coffee Talk” event Aug. 15 in partnership with the Miami County Conservation District. The informal farmer-to-farmer coffee talk series covers conservation and agricultural topics that are relevant to small/medium-scaled, non-traditional producers and people involved in supporting the local and regional food system. Previous discussion topics have included social media marketing strategies, Community Supported Ag (CSA) models, organic certification, breaking into [...]

Voters will decide: Wichita school board sets date for $450 million bond issue election

info2024-09-12T10:05:07-05:00September 12th, 2024|

The Wichita school board has approved a special election for a $450 million bond issue that would pay for a plan to significantly reshape the state’s largest school district — a plan filled with school closings, consolidations and new “right-sized” buildings as the district braces for shrinking future enrollment. The election will be held Feb. 25, 2025. If it passes, the bond issue would extend a 7.5 mill levy for 20 years, a similar rate to what property taxpayers pay now based on a bond issue that passed narrowly in 2008 and was set to expire in 2029. If it fails, [...]

Lawrence City Commission to vote next month on purchase of building to move city hall

info2024-09-12T10:02:38-05:00September 12th, 2024|

Lawrence city commissioners will vote next month on an agreement to purchase a building near Sixth and Iowa streets to serve as the new city hall. The proposed building, at 2000 Bluffs Drive, would provide about 50,000 square feet of space and would require an estimated $11.7 million in remodeling on top of a $4.2 million purchase agreement. That’s $15.9 million total. The current City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St., was dedicated in 1980. At 35,544 square feet, it’s no longer big enough to hold the city workforce, according to presenters during the meeting. Commissioners have included $12 million in their [...]

Wonderful Wamego: A Trip to the Wamego Historical Society

info2024-09-12T10:01:17-05:00September 12th, 2024|

On Friday, August 23, 2024, Dr. Mary Kohn, director of the Chapman Center for Rural Studies, Kim Wescott, and Hannah Palsa traveled to the Wamego Historical Society and Museum. The purpose of the visit was to introduce ourselves and the Chapman Center more broadly to newly hired curator, Michele Johnson. We explained that the Chapman Center helps small museums and institutions throughout the state of Kansas by assisting on digitization projects, preserving lost town history, and creating digital history projects to showcase on the Chapman Center’s website. While there, we received a tour lovely from Michele Johnson and one of the [...]