News – Page 476 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Kansas communities begin cleanup, damage surveys after storms rip off roofs, down trees

info2024-05-24T09:21:21-05:00May 24th, 2024|

The National Weather Service had survey teams out Monday assessing storm damage in Halstead, Newton and Russell after severe storms hit central Kansas on Sunday night. Those storms brought rain, large hail, strong wind gusts and a few reported tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service. The strongest wind gusts in the state were recorded at 100 mph at the Salina airport. The Newton and Halstead areas saw 60 mph winds gusts, according to the NWS. The NWS received 15 reports of tornadoes Sunday in Kansas, Oklahoma and Colorado, with six of those reported in Russell, Ellsworth, Lincoln and Osage County. [...]

Evergy says economic development will push it to boost electric generation plans

info2024-05-24T09:19:17-05:00May 24th, 2024|

An economic development boom in Kansas and Missouri will drive Evergy to more than double its renewable energy generation while also adding more natural gas plants in the next 20 years. The Kansas City-based utility said its new resource plan includes 1,900 megawatts more in generation capacity than its 2023 plan. The plan, filed Friday with the Kansas Corporation Commission, outlines the company’s intention for serving customers in the next 20 years. Evergy said it will need to increase electricity generation to keep up with economic growth and the need to feed more electricity to the regional power grid. “In Kansas and Missouri, [...]

Munis in midst of correction as yields rise further; 10-year tops 3%

info2024-05-24T09:15:22-05:00May 24th, 2024|

Municipals sold off Thursday with more cuts across the curve as a correction has ensued for the asset class just ahead of the summer reinvestment season. U.S. Treasuries saw losses and equities were also in the red. Municipal bond mutual funds saw the second week of outflows as investors pulled $217.6 million from the funds after $546.2 million of outflows the week prior, according to LSEG Lipper. High-yield continued to show strength, though, with inflows of $206.5 million after $125.7 million of inflows the previous week. The market correction may have finally begun, as triple-A yields have risen as much 13 to 17basis points [...]

Governor Kelly Announces $6.65M for Rural Road Safety Improvements

info2024-05-24T09:13:41-05:00May 24th, 2024|

Governor Laura Kelly today announced that $6.65 million in federal funds will go to 10 rural projects to increase the safety and efficiency of local roadways. The effort is part of the Kansas Department of Transportation’s High Risk Rural Roads (HRRR) Program. “Our rural roads are important to the local and state economy,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Programs like this enable commerce to flow smoothly and improve safety for Kansas families as they travel our state.” The HRRR program is federally funded through the Highway Safety Improvement Program and is designed to improve rural road safety. An additional $2.37 million in local funds [...]

Appraiser estimates $2.6 million in damage from Westmoreland tornado

info2024-05-24T09:12:22-05:00May 24th, 2024|

It’s been three weeks since a tornado devastated Westmoreland and damage estimates are coming more into focus. According to the Pottawatomie County Times, Pottawatomie County Appraiser Robin Knoblauch noted at Monday’s weekly commission meeting that through her own investigation, the estimated loss in value to the city is around $2.6 million. This included 17 properties that were total losses and 10 properties that were extremely damaged and are non-livable. In addition, about 43 other properties sustained minor to major damage. Four parcels just beyond the Westmoreland city limits also sustained an estimated $400,000 in loss, including one property that was a brand [...]

As a 750-acre solar farm awaits answers, lessons learned from a Maize solar initiative on a much smaller scale

info2024-05-24T09:11:17-05:00May 24th, 2024|

The project from Chicago solar energy construction company Invenergy, called the Chisholm Trail Solar Energy Center, is on hold as the county works on zoning and planning regulations for solar projects of a large scale. Maize, in fact, is not a stranger to solar projects. In 2019, propelled by the work of Maize High chemistry and physics teacher Stan Bergkamp and the Maize Solar Initiative, the city had a 720-panel solar project that went live outside of the Maize Career Academy. Bergkamp, who is also a landowner and farmer with solar panels in his shop in Kechi, was influential in generating $300,000 for [...]

Federal Reserve minutes indicate worries over lack of progress on inflation

info2024-05-24T09:09:01-05:00May 24th, 2024|

Federal Reserve officials grew more concerned at their most recent meeting about inflation, with members indicating that they lacked the confidence to move forward on interest rate reductions. Minutes from the April 30-May 1 policy meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee released Wednesday indicated apprehension from policymakers about when it would be time to ease. The meeting followed a slew of readings that showed inflation was more stubborn than officials had expected to start 2024. The Fed targets a 2% inflation rate, and all of the indicators showed price increases running well ahead of that mark. "Participants observed that while [...]

Immigrants stopping population loss in parts of rural Kansas, but few are reaping benefits

info2024-05-24T08:28:53-05:00May 24th, 2024|

...immigration has redefined southwest Kansas over the past 40 years. The communities that have embraced their diversity have seen their population stabilize, bucking the trend of rural areas losing population. And this new diversity might end up being what saves these rural communities from deterioration. Source: CJonline

Municipal Bond Trends for May 22, 2024

Henry Schmidt2024-05-23T02:28:26-05:00May 23rd, 2024|

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS "investment grade" yields. 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.

Get paid to move to Kansas?: County shares effort to draw new residents

info2024-05-22T07:30:27-05:00May 22nd, 2024|

Lincoln County Economic Development Foundation will pay someone to move there. It’s a part of a growing trend in rural America. The county, of 2,899 people in 2022, is looking to grow, and it will pay someone $4,500 to do so. “Rural Kanas, rural America has been losing population for many, many years,” said Kelly Gourley, director of Lincoln County Economic Development Foundation. “If we want to grow, we have to have more people.” Source: KWCH