News – Page 473 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Developer plans hotel, amphitheater

info2024-04-04T11:21:30-05:00April 4th, 2024|

Plans to build a hotel north of Burlington also include a proposal for an amphitheater to seat up to 2,500, the Coffey County Republican reported. Developers hope to use STAR bonds to help fund building projects and they require a tourism draw, Coffey County commissioners learned earlier this week. A developer plans to build a 72- to 80-room hotel with other facilities such as restaurants or an RV park on a 9-acre tract. Another development would include Hoover’s Thriftway, Bomgaars and a 30-acre tract east of the hotel where the amphitheater will be constructed. The community improvement district would collect sales tax to [...]

Maize program has students growing food for lunch

info2024-04-04T11:19:13-05:00April 4th, 2024|

Students at Maize schools are getting the opportunity to reap what they sow. A grant from the Department of Agriculture allowed them to buy 35 hydroponic gardens to be distributed in all 14 schools. Megan Barnard, the director of food service for Maize, says they looked for a way to get local, sustainable, fresh produce. Each garden is equivalent to a 40-square-foot farm. There are 18 different varieties, including kale, spinach, peppers, and tomatoes. "Using less water than if we were to purchase it from a farm grown in Arizona and California," Barnard said. "So our footprint is a little bit less when [...]

Commerce Awards Nearly $1.5M in CDBG Grants for Housing and Commercial Projects

info2024-04-04T11:18:03-05:00April 4th, 2024|

The Kansas Department of Commerce has announced that five Kansas cities will receive a share of $1,450,000 through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to assist with community development projects. CDBG, administered by the Department of Commerce, is a federal grant program that provides funding for projects that help low- to moderate-income neighborhoods prosper. “These grants provide critical support to Kansas communities and downtown areas for important projects that might not otherwise happen,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “The CDBG program allows Commerce to partner with local communities and address specific housing and building issues standing in the way [...]

Fed’s Powell emphasizes need for more evidence that inflation is easing before cutting rates

info2024-04-04T11:15:28-05:00April 4th, 2024|

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Wednesday it will take a while for policymakers to evaluate the current state of inflation, keeping the timing of potential interest rate cuts uncertain. Speaking specifically about stronger than expected price pressures to start the year, the central bank leader said he and his fellow officials are in no rush to ease monetary policy. "On inflation, it is too soon to say whether the recent readings represent more than just a bump," Powell said in prepared remarks ahead of a question-and-answer session at Stanford University. "We do not expect that it will be appropriate to [...]

Employees drawn to Rural Kansas Apprenticeship Program

info2024-04-04T11:13:59-05:00April 4th, 2024|

Three newly-hired apprentices at two companies say the chance to earn money while they learn more about their jobs was one of the main reasons they considered positions created through Kansas Farm Bureau’s (KFB) award-winning Rural Kansas Apprenticeship Program (RKAP). South Bend Industrial Hemp used the program to hire Joseph Rogers and Kaidence Sanchez as hemp processing facility operators at the Great Bend-based company. “I think it’s really cool the apprenticeship comes with some educational opportunities,” Rogers says. Sanchez says he’s never seen anything like the apprenticeship program and believes “it’s an exciting way to learn more and earn more money.” Camron Hicks is [...]

Wichita.gov would become ‘official city newspaper’ under council proposal

info2024-04-04T11:11:58-05:00April 4th, 2024|

City Hall’s own website, Wichita.gov would be recognized as the “official city newspaper” under a proposed charter ordinance the City Council will vote on Tuesday. Doing so would allow the city to terminate its contract for publishing copies of new ordinances and notices of other official actions in The Eagle, including notices about imposing taxes, creating benefit districts and amending the zoning code. The publication of legal notices in a designated newspaper is required by state law. In supporting documents, the city cites a July 2023 nonbinding legal opinion by Attorney General Kris Kobach declaring that second-class cities — those with [...]

Cold War exhibit coming to Abilene

info2024-04-04T11:09:55-05:00April 4th, 2024|

A new temporary exhibit is now on display at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene. The exhibit, “Cold War: Soviets, Spies and Secrets,” displays pieces from the Cold War, which was an integral era of history. The information, activities, and artifacts highlight the Cold War era from spies that infiltrated governments to the stockpiling of nuclear weapons. The exhibit is on loan from the Nixon Presidential Foundation and Library and will be available to view through March 2025. Source: Derby Informer | News

New $10 million library opens in Newton

info2024-04-04T11:09:16-05:00April 4th, 2024|

A $10 million library in Newton is complete and opens to the public Monday at 10 a.m. The 30,000-square-foot facility is southeast of the old library. On Dec. 27, 2022, the Newton City Commission voted to accept a bid for the construction of the new library, and the ground was broken in early 2023. The new facility includes a children's library with a learn-play-grow area, early literacy computers, and a family restroom and nursing room. The new teen area has a game zone and book collection. There are also six study rooms and a digital access lab for individuals and small groups to [...]

Governor Kelly Announces KMW to Invest $105M in Sterling, Create 251 New Jobs in Kansas

info2024-04-04T11:06:14-05:00April 4th, 2024|

Governor Laura Kelly today announced that KMW, a precision manufacturer of agricultural front loaders, backhoes, and other attachments, will invest $105 million to construct a new North American headquarters and state-of-the-art production facility in Sterling. The venture will create 251 new jobs, resulting in a local workforce of 485. “There’s no doubt – this investment will grow our economy and create more opportunities for Kansans,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Our efforts to make Kansas one of the most pro-business states in the country is paying off for workers everywhere, including our rural communities.” KMW selected Sterling in Rice County after a [...]

Kansas is one step away from harsher penalties for those who kill law enforcement animals

info2024-04-04T11:03:37-05:00April 4th, 2024|

Kansas could soon have harsher penalties for anyone who kills a police animal after lawmakers voted Tuesday on a bill that was introduced after a wanted man ran from police and hid in a storm drain where he then strangled Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office K-9 deputy Bane. Bane, an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois, died at the scene of the Nov. 16 police standoff in southeast Wichita. The state House approved HB 2583 115-6 on Tuesday. It is now up to Gov. Laura Kelly to sign or veto the bill. The current punishment for killing or harming a police dog ranges from 30 [...]