News – Page 554 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Solar develops flocking to Kansas, but communities are skeptical

info2023-11-27T14:54:53-06:00November 27th, 2023|

About 10 miles north of El Dorado on U.S. Highway 77, a break appears in the rolling cattle ranches and farmland of the Flint Hills. It’s a different sort of farm – a solar farm. It supplies electricity to several small towns throughout Lincoln Township in Butler County. “We’re not anti-solar,” said Terry Lowmaster, a trustee of the township, which gets some of this electricity. “We have a one megawatt here in our backyard that benefits our local residents.” At the same time, he and other local residents protested earlier this year when a Chicago-based developer applied for a permit to [...]

Halstead schools embracing new reading method

info2023-11-27T10:12:05-06:00November 27th, 2023|

After seeing a decrease in reading scores from COVID-19, the Kansas Department of Education is funding new education for teachers, which Halstead schools are welcoming. Marcie Carr, the director of student learning at Halstead, said she’d seen the dip in scores herself among students. Carr said, during the pandemic, learning was interrupted as schools switched to remote learning, and this interruption created the dip in scores schools are seeing now. Carr said the district looked at scores to fill in gaps where students were struggling and is using the new education many staff members received to better educate students on reading. The staff [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for November 24, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-11-27T09:52:05-06:00November 27th, 2023|

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.

New book ‘How Salina Works’ tells stories of life and work in Salina

info2023-11-25T09:48:57-06:00November 24th, 2023|

Mike Durall has something in common with those who are naturally curious. He likes to write about places and things he knows nothing about. He admits this in an introduction to his new book about Salina in which he peers into what keeps the growing town's gears turning. Each page inks a story he used to know nothing about, but after connecting with the people whose lives shape those narratives, he was able to learn quite well what makes Salina special. ... From stories about the Salina Sirens Women's Roller Derby team, a narrative on managing the Rolling Hills Zoo, the [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for November 21, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-11-22T09:10:00-06:00November 22nd, 2023|

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 November 20, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-11-21T09:46:46-06:00November 21st, 2023|

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.

Trying to save an ER in rural Kansas

info2023-11-20T11:01:33-06:00November 20th, 2023|

When the emergency room in Fort Scott, Kansas, closes next month, the next closest in-state facility will be 40 minutes away — and some patients may not make it that far. Mayor Matthew Wells says the closure shows the need for the Kansas Legislature to pass Medicaid expansion. When Fort Scott, Kansas' Mercy Hospital closed in early 2019, the community of 7,550 people in southeast Kansas briefly lost its emergency room. Mayor Matthew Wells remembers the time without an ER clearly. Now, his town is once again in that position after the community’s stand-alone ER closed, leaving residents to travel at [...]

Kansas City, Kansas, has a new strategic plan for balancing development and history

info2023-11-20T10:59:47-06:00November 20th, 2023|

Urban sprawl and decades of disinvestment have created a strain on Kansas City, Kansas' ability to grow a healthy and vibrant community. A new long-range comprehensive plan aims to reverse that trend through strategic investment and intentional development. PlanKCK will focus on 11 elements — including economic development, transit access, historic preservation, and housing — in an effort to make strategic decisions that balance equity, access, health and regeneration. "They want access to attainable housing, reliable transportation, childcare, all of those things that make community vibrant," said Alyssa Marcy, long range community planner for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. [...]

Hungry for ‘braised urban squirrel’? A Lawrence, Kansas, cook-off will star wild foods

info2023-11-20T10:58:32-06:00November 20th, 2023|

Squirrel, elderberries and pawpaws aren't usually the stars of Kansas cuisine. But they — and other ingredients found in the Kansas outdoors — are taking center stage at Wild Foods Cook Off in Lawrence this weekend. Amy Bousman, an education specialist at the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and organizer of the event, said the idea came from a similar event focused on invasive species in Oregon. "I thought, why aren't we doing this cook-off with wild foods?" she said. "There's so many hunters and anglers and foragers in our state, and also in Missouri, that aren't getting to feature their skills and [...]

What is the Ogallala Aquifer and why is it running out of water?

info2023-11-20T10:46:43-06:00November 20th, 2023|

Millions of years ago, sediment from the Rocky Mountains was deposited in the High Plains. Over thousands of years, water dripped below the surface creating an underground water deposit called the Ogallala Aquifer. The water — which spans from South Dakota to Texas and was once the size of Lake Huron — at one point accounted for 30% of the crop and animal production in the U.S. Kansas accounts for about 10% of the water in the Aquifer, the third most of the eight states that can access the water. The Ogallala aquifer is the principal source of water for agriculture [...]