News – Page 491 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Storms lead to flooding, water rescue

info2024-05-01T11:19:11-05:00May 1st, 2024|

Water rescue teams arrived in Allen County this morning to help with recovery after severe storms pounded the area overnight. Flooding left limited routes into or out of Iola, with the U.S. 169/54 intersection closed to traffic. Motorists who need to get to Iola from the east can take a detour east on U.S. 54 to Moran, south to K-39 to Chanute and north to 169 to the Minnesota Road exit to State Street, or take the old highway from Humboldt to Iola. Emergency management officials were working to set up a shelter for those displaced by flooding. A water rescue [...]

New Kansas law provides way to remove racist covenants from property records

info2024-05-01T11:14:35-05:00May 1st, 2024|

A new state law allows Kansas homeowners a way to more easily remove racist language from their property records. Signed into law by Gov. Laura Kelly on April 19, an amended section of House Bill 2562 makes racially restrictive covenants — such as those that exclude Black and Jewish people within homes associations deeds — unenforceable under state law. At the federal level, racist covenants in property deeds have technically been unenforceable since the 1948 U.S. Supreme Court case Shelley v. Kraemer. The new Kansas law now offers homeowners ways to remove racist covenants from their property records. This comes after the cities of Roeland [...]

Jackson County dropped the ball, so Kansas making last-minute drive to lure Chiefs, Royals

info2024-05-01T11:11:07-05:00May 1st, 2024|

Kansas House and Senate members worked Monday to consider whether to approve an economic development package designed to attract the Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals or professional hockey or basketball franchises to Kansas. The legislation would specifically limit the state’s incentives to sports facility projects costing more than $1 billion and the state Department of Commerce would be authorized to negotiate and make offers to no more than two sports teams. The bonds issued for the projects could be used for all costs associated with stadiums and other infrastructure and would be repayable over a 30-year period. The incentive packages would be [...]

Few short-term rentals have registered with Wichita since the city passed regulations last year

info2024-05-01T11:05:59-05:00May 1st, 2024|

The first deadline for owners of short-term rentals like Airbnb and VRBO to get a license from the city of Wichita has passed, and only 13 properties have registered so far. Five short-term rentals have their license, while eight properties have a license pending, according to a city database of short-term rental licenses from last week. The March 12 deadline only applied to owner-occupied properties, according to the city. Short-term rentals where the owner does not live on-site still have until Sept. 12 to be in compliance. The city is aware of more than 400 short-term rentals in Wichita, said council member Brandon [...]

Push emerging to recognize gap-filling community paramedicine

info2024-05-01T11:04:17-05:00May 1st, 2024|

Kansas emergency medical workers respond at a moment’s notice, no matter if they just sat down for dinner or laid down to sleep. Many are volunteers with full-time jobs and families. First responders in the Sunflower State are trained to deal with a multitude of calamities, from traffic crashes to plummeting blood sugar levels in diabetic patients and everything in between. But they often provide non-emergency care that doesn’t receive much recognition or funding. Emergency health care professionals across the state are working to bring awareness to non-emergency practices long implemented by local ambulance crews and paramedics, for the purpose of categorizing those services [...]

Tornado touches down in Westmoreland [VIDEO]

info2024-05-01T14:19:50-05:00May 1st, 2024|

A tornado touched down in Westmoreland on Tuesday afternoon about fifteen miles north of Manhattan damaging homes and buildings, displacing many and also leading to the fatality of one individual and several injuries. The tornado touched down around 4:40pm following the issuance of a tornado warning by the National Weather Service in Topeka. At 4:43pm, reports came in saying the tornado had damaged homes in the area, particularly around Walnut Street. The tornado finally dissipated around 4:50pm leaving many without power, approximately 925 in the city of Westmoreland. (...) At this time, a number of power outages are still active in [...]

More rules proposed for owning dogs, cats in Wichita, including mandatory microchipping

info2024-05-01T11:01:50-05:00May 1st, 2024|

A new proposal could require Wichita pet owners to microchip their cats and dogs. Jan Jarman, assistant city attorney, presented the recommendation from an Animal Control Advisory Board subcommittee last week during a Wichita City Council workshop at City Hall. “We think it would help get animals back into their homes when animals are found running the streets,” Jarman said at the April 23 workshop. “If every animal was required to have a microchip, it would help us keep them out of the shelter, which is our goal, and we think we could implement that.” A microchip is roughly the size [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for April 30, 2024

Henry Schmidt2024-05-01T08:29:11-05:00May 1st, 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.

Municipal Bond Trends for April 29, 2024

Henry Schmidt2024-04-30T09:27:04-05:00April 30th, 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.

Kansas Supreme Court: Cities and counties may enact broad zoning ordinances and procedures so long as they do not violate state zoning statutes

info2024-04-29T18:12:40-05:00April 29th, 2024|

Cities and counties may enact broad zoning ordinances and procedures so long as they do not violate state zoning statutes. State zoning statutes do not prohibit zoning authorities from treating applications for multi-family residential planned unit developments as zoning amendments governed by K.S.A. 12-757. Zoning authorities are not prohibited from applying the protest provisions of K.S.A. 12-757(f)(1) to multi-family residential planned unit development applications. When neighbors file a valid protest petition against a zoning amendment pursuant to K.S.A. 12-757(f), the zoning authority can only approve the amendment by a 3/4 majority vote. If a zoning authority fails to approve a protested [...]