On August 27, the cities of Hays and Russell filed a motion with the Kansas Water Transfer Panel asking that group to hold the hearing for the final approval of the R9 water transfer application. Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty announced the filing at the end of last week’s City Commission Meeting. He reminded commissioners that the R9 water transfer application was approved in February 2025; however, the Water Transfer Panel delayed the final step of approval, a statutorily required hearing. “They [the Water Transfer Panel] used the Supreme Court case as justification to hold off on their final hearing. We’ve [...]

Mortgage holders know interest rates have risen over the past year. But they’re not alone: governments and business borrowers are facing the same pressure. In the United States, 10-year interest rates sit around 4.7%, surging nearly half a per cent just this year, while the benchmark 30-year bond is near a two-decade high. In the UK, 10-year bond rates on Tuesday hit the highest level since the global financial crisis. In Australia, the Reserve Bank of Australia also lifted the cash rate to fight inflation. That government now has to offer investors more than 5% on its 10-year bonds, which hit a 15-year high on [...]

Erie, Kansas has maintained the Old Soldiers and Sailors Reunion for 153 consecutive years, making it the longest continuous military celebration in the United States. Founded in 1866 after the Civil War, Erie was established as an affordable place for veterans to purchase land and reconnect with fellow soldiers. The town combines its military heritage with modern attractions including a dinosaur park, local businesses, and community initiatives like a scavenger hunt that celebrates everyday details residents often overlook. Read more: www.koamnewsnow.com

The Barber County Commission approved a Google data center before a packed chamber during a special meeting on Monday. Commissioners finalized the agreement by a vote of 2-0. One commissioner abstained. The new data center, dubbed Project Helium, is going up north of Sharon and will be 1.7 million square feet and house thousands of computer servers. Google said the data center will create up to 500 new jobs, and most of the positions will be on-site and full-time. Read more: KSN-TV

Shawnee County leaders are looking for ways to save money as costs rise for a widely-used weight loss drug. Shawnee County commissioners held a work session on Monday, Aug. 31 to discuss issues impacting the county's employee benefit program. One of the major contributing factors to these problems includes the rising cost of GLP-1 weight loss medications. Read more: KSNT 27 News

Merriam is welcoming its first grocery store in eight years with a new Trader Joe's opening Wednesday morning at Antioch and Shawnee Mission Parkway. The city has been without a grocery store since 2018. Now, residents are getting two at once Trader Joe's and an Aldi, which is joining Merriam Town Center just a few blocks away. Read more: KSHB News

After years working as a traveling dentist, Dr. Michael Kemmling was ready to fill a different gap. When a dental broker reached out about an opening in Eudora, he said he jumped at the opportunity to serve a smaller community that still allows him to enjoy his family life in Shawnee. For the past three months, he’s owned Eudora Dental. The move comes six years after he last owned a dental practice. After 10 years of running his own practice in Shawnee, Kemmling sold the business to explore different opportunities in dentistry, like working for a pediatric surgery center before leaving [...]

During its peak season, Carey Park uses around 400,000 gallons of drinking water a day, mostly irrigating the Carey Park Golf Course. But the City of Hutchinson is making plans to replace that with treated wastewater that would otherwise be released into the Arkansas River, Utilities Department Project Manager Erin Patterson said on Thursday, Aug. 27, at a public meeting about the project. As part of those plans, the city is considering how it could simultaneously enhance the pond north of Stremel Fields for recreation. Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

In the meantime, the county will release proposed zoning regulations for data centers to the public on Sept. 24 to gather public feedback and plans to consider whether to continue the pause into 2027 at a meeting on December 2. Read more: Wichita Eagle

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer's credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.