News – Page 56 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Tourism grant helping turn old schoolhouse into a vacation rental

info2024-12-13T09:00:00-06:00December 13th, 2024|

Kansas Tourism last week presented property owner Clay Graber with a $25,000 check to go toward the revitalization project. Graber estimates the total renovation cost to be $150,000. The Wabaunsee County District No. 1 Primary School at 38130 Elm St. in Wamego was built of limestone in 1879 and saw the education of hundreds of school children. Graber owns and operates Our Little Schoolhouse LLC and has been leading the restoration project since September. He sees the old schoolhouse as a space “where locals and out-of-towners alike can come get away from the busyness of everyday life, enjoy small-town living and [...]

Passenger rail could come to Wichita in the next several years. Here’s what’s happening

info2024-12-13T08:58:24-06:00December 13th, 2024|

A rail line connecting the Southwest Chief route in Newton to the Heartland Flyer in Oklahoma City could be fully operational by 2029, the Kansas Department of Transportation says. The connection would include a stop in Wichita, at Union Station, which hasn’t had passenger rail service since the 1970s. For Wichitans, the nearest passenger rail station now is 25 miles north in Newton, and the only pickup time is at 2:45 a.m. Amtrak provides a bus between Newton and Oklahoma City, with a stop in Wichita, in lieu of rail service. Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

US electric vehicle infrastructure has tripled in 5 years. Here’s how Kansas compares.

info2024-12-13T08:56:22-06:00December 13th, 2024|

Car buyers who are weary of electric vehicles often share the same concern: "What if I run out of juice and there's nowhere to charge my car?" That was a fair question in 2007. At the time, there were only 139 public EV charging stations. But in the years since, public and private entities have invested billions into building out charging infrastructure to make EVs a more practical option. In 2023, 0.6% of cars on the road in Kansas were electric or plug-in hybrid. As of November 2024, there were 655 charging stations available. In the last three years, the federal [...]

County solves grant matching problem

info2024-12-13T08:54:41-06:00December 13th, 2024|

At their Tuesday morning meeting, Allen County Commissioners discussed ways to help Your Community Foundation meet a $70,000 matching grant, without affecting the management of the county's environmental fund. With the help of County Counsel Bob Johnson, the commission arrived at a solution. Source: The Iola Register

Leffler named ACC President

info2024-12-13T08:53:42-06:00December 13th, 2024|

Allen Community College trustees announced Tuesday evening that Dr. Lyvier Leffler has been selected as the next president of the college. Leffler’s career includes 11 years at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa, where she served as dean of academic services and director of counseling services. Source: The Iola Register

Kansas’ smallest school district to dissolve following voter, state board approval

info2024-12-13T08:52:43-06:00December 13th, 2024|

Two students are enrolled this year at the Healy Public Schools district in western Kansas, a decrease from 20 students the previous year. Steadily declining enrollment led area voters in November to favor dissolution, and the Kansas State Board of Education affirmed the vote Tuesday. Healy’s neighboring district, Scott County Schools, will absorb its territory and property, and eventually collect taxes that would have typically gone toward the Healy district. Source: The Lawrence Times

Lawrence city commissioners approve street design with separated bike lanes for section of Mass Street

info2024-12-13T08:50:51-06:00December 13th, 2024|

Community members asked the commission in April to push for the stretch of road, which was already set for a redesign, to include protected bike lanes. City staff members looked at street designs with protected bike lanes in several cities to help evaluate options. The design includes one lane of vehicle traffic in each direction, a center lane for turns, and 5-foot-wide bike lanes separated from the street by a 3-foot-wide median. Residents along the stretch could put their trash carts in the median zone, and solid waste workers could complete trash pickup from the lanes of traffic. Source: The Lawrence [...]

Why all of Kansas would feel loss of Ogallala Aquifer

info2024-12-13T07:56:09-06:00December 13th, 2024|

Depletion of the water supply would be a critical blow to major farming and beef industries, which would send reverberations across the state. Simply living farther east in places like Wichita, Topeka or the Kansas City area won’t make you immune to the effects of lost jobs and tax revenue. Source: Hutch News

Federal government to study water supply and depletion of Ogallala Aquifer

info2024-12-12T15:42:53-06:00December 12th, 2024|

The U.S. House passed the Water Resources Development Act 399-18 on Tuesday. ... A section of the 624-page bill authorizes a federal study in coordination with other federal and state agencies. The comprehensive study will assess "water supply, availability, drought resilience, aquifer recharge, and causes of aquifer depletion, for those regions overlying the Ogallala Aquifer." Source: CJonline

Municipal Bond Trends for December 11, 2024

Henry Schmidt2024-12-12T08:46:22-06:00December 12th, 2024|

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. 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.