News – Page 472 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Bringing together families and nature is at the center of Andover’s recreational park revamp

info2024-06-26T10:46:10-05:00June 26th, 2024|

Andover is expecting to see a large influx of population in the near future. Taking this into consideration, the city proposed a 1% sales tax increase to fund projects that will support the incoming population. One of those projects included the revitalization of the Andover 13th Street Sports Park. The park is heavily utilized each year by hundreds of youth baseball players, but often fell short in the ability to host the number of games needed. Other problems like drainage issues were common throughout the park, and the parking lot and spectator seating were in desperate need of expansion. All of [...]

Newton reviews land bank policies

info2024-06-26T10:39:18-05:00June 26th, 2024|

The land bank also considered policies to standardize practices. The policies included goals, like transferring ownership of unclaimed blighted properties to a taxpayer, reducing properties under violation, supporting homeownership and expanding the tax base. The land bank said they would like to look at changing the goals to include nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity. Daniela Rivas, city manager, said that generally land banks were used for putting land back on the tax roll, but nonprofits could be included. Source: Harvey County Now

Zoning changes could help Newton childcare shortage

info2024-06-26T10:38:19-05:00June 26th, 2024|

With current childcare regulations, a person wanting to run a facility from their house must get permission from the city in many areas. ... The commissioners said they would like to look into changing the zoning requirements in the future so childcare facilities can open in the heart of the city without opening the property up to other businesses if the current owner were to move. Source: Harvey County Now

Fed Governor Bowman says she’s still open to raising rates if inflation doesn’t improve

info2024-06-26T09:52:08-05:00June 26th, 2024|

Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman said Tuesday the time is not right yet to start lowering interest rates, adding she would be open to raising if inflation doesn't pull back. "Should the incoming data indicate that inflation is moving sustainably toward our 2 percent goal, it will eventually become appropriate to gradually lower the federal funds rate to prevent monetary policy from becoming overly restrictive," Bowman said in prepared remarks for a speech in London. "However, we are still not yet at the point where it is appropriate to lower the policy rate." Those comments reflect a prevailing sentiment at the [...]

Cowley County’s first temporary homeless shelter welcomed its first guest last week

info2024-06-26T09:50:32-05:00June 26th, 2024|

An emergency shelter is now open in Cowley County, and it has already housed its first temporary residents. The shelter has been in the works for years but now has the opportunity to change lives. In Cowley County, resources for housing are slim. The Cowley House of Hope shelter is meant to fill those gaps. The shelter’s been in the works since 2017 when thousands of dollars had to be raised to make it a reality. The shelter is built similarly to a duplex. It sleeps five people and has two rooms with several beds in each. Each room also has a small kitchen [...]

‘It’s helped a lot’: Evergreen Recycle passed its fire inspection just weeks before massive blaze

info2024-06-26T09:46:59-05:00June 26th, 2024|

Fire crews have been fighting a blaze at Evergreen Recycle in Park City for more than two days. During a similar fire in 2022, investigators said part of the challenge was that the owner wasn’t following fire code with the wood piles, and it took nine days to put out. "It's a challenge. I don't know that it's a strain. We've got maybe 40% of our resources out here right now," said Sedgwick County Fire Marshal Brad Crisp. "In 2022 when we were here, we put about 1,500,000 gallons of water on it." In October of 2022, crews rushed to a [...]

New retail stores could boost Pittsburg’s economy

info2024-06-26T09:44:40-05:00June 26th, 2024|

The city of Pittsburg approved a tax incentive for a new retail development featuring three major stores. The plan includes adding Ulta, Rack Room, and Five Below to the city’s shopping options, aiming to retain local shoppers and provide more variety. The agreement with a group representing the Pittsburg Town Center Shopping Complex redistributes the 1.5% local sales tax collected by three new retailers. 2/3 of it will go to the city. The other 1/3 will go to the developer to recoup construction costs, with a cap of $600,000 or 20 years of collections, whichever comes first. Officials expressed interest in [...]

Shawnee Mission task force looks to clarify district’s approach to accepting, allocating donations

info2024-06-26T09:40:38-05:00June 26th, 2024|

Troubled by what they see as a perceived pattern that favors wealthier neighborhoods, some Shawnee Mission school board members have begun to discuss how the district should handle private donations, bequests and gifts. A three-member task force of board members Jessica Hembree, Jamie Borgman and David Westbrook met for the first time on the topic last week. Their aim is to better understand the existing policies on donations and find a way to clarify the district’s position on how that money should be spent. Almost every Shawnee Mission school board meeting includes at least one vote on whether to accept private donations [...]

AGCO announces layoffs, citing ‘weakened demand’

info2024-06-26T09:32:43-05:00June 26th, 2024|

AGCO has announced that around 6% of its workforce will be laid off due to "weakened demand in the agriculture industry." It is not known exactly how many employees will be affected at their Hesston production facility, or the timing as to when the layoffs will take effect. In a statement, the company says the layoffs are not related to a shift in production to Mexico that was announced earlier this month. AGCO says that the Hesston facility will continue to manufacture Massey Ferguson windrowers, large square balers, combines and combine headers. The company has invested more than $28 million into [...]

Pittsburg approves purchase of garbage trucks for public trash service

info2024-06-26T09:29:56-05:00June 26th, 2024|

The city of Pittsburg approved the purchase of two garbage trucks for a total of $489,996 to help operate a public trash service. They also approved the purchase of 500 96-gallon poly carts, 50 2-yard dumpsters, and 50 4-yard dumpsters for a total of $97,108. The city is investing in a publicly operated trash service in the wake of issues residents have been having with CARDS Recycling and Waste Management. Officials say the public service will be another option for residents. KOAM will continue following the progress and updates for residents concerning the City's planned trash service. Source: KOAM News