Potential sites for Sedgwick County psychiatric hospital have been reduced to four

2023-12-13T10:12:45-06:00December 13th, 2023|

The state of Kansas is about to make big changes to its mental healthcare system, with a new psychiatric hospital located in Sedgwick County. "We see the mental health crisis that's occurring, we see the homeless crisis that's occurring, we see it in our front yard, we see it out our back door," says Historic Midtown Society President Makayla Welch. "So we had a vested interest in where they were planning on putting this hospital that is desperately needed." Scott Brunner with the state's Department of Aging and Disability Services unveiled the possible locations at a public meeting in Wichita on [...]

Garden City to break ground on new Fire/EMS station

2023-12-13T10:09:35-06:00December 13th, 2023|

A new station for the Garden City Fire Department and emergency services is coming soon. Garden City will be breaking ground on the new fire station on Dec. 19. It will be at East Schulman Avenue and North Jennie Barker Road. "This significant event marks a milestone in our community’s commitment to public safety and emergency services," The Garden City Fire Department said in a news release. When finished, the station will be able to house up to 10 firefighters and six EMS personnel. GCFD said it will serve as a vital hub strategically positioned to respond swiftly to emergencies, ensuring residents' safety and [...]

Wichita to begin anti-violence program

2023-12-13T10:07:56-06:00December 13th, 2023|

Wichita City Council members have voted to approve an agreement with three agencies to begin the implementation of a violence prevention program in two areas of the city. The city began working with Chicago-based Cure Violence Global in 2022 to develop a violence interrupter program.  The purpose is to detect and prevent potentially violent events, provide for behavior change and support to the highest-risk individuals, and change community norms that allow and encourage incidents in chronically violent neighborhoods. The program in Wichita will be focused on socially and economically stressed neighborhoods that have had high rates of gun violence. The city is contracting with [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for December 12, 2023

2023-12-13T09:38:28-06:00December 13th, 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 December 11, 2023

2023-12-12T09:37:33-06:00December 12th, 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.

Governor Kelly Encourages Kansans to Vote on New License Plate Design

2023-12-11T14:37:28-06:00December 11th, 2023|

Governor Laura Kelly today shared how Kansans will be able to weigh in on the next State of Kansas license plate. Starting today, Kansans can go to KSPlates.kansas.gov to vote for their favorite plate among five designs created by Mammoth Creative Co., a Kansas-based marketing firm, in partnership with Kansas Tourism. Voting will end at 5 p.m. on Friday, December 15. ... The five options, while continuing to align with Kansas Tourism’s “To the Stars” branding and the already announced guidelines, incorporate previous public feedback such as a lighter blue on the original proposal, a State of Kansas outline, wheat, and [...]

Going from economic rut to groove in Liberal, Kansas

2023-12-11T14:36:50-06:00December 11th, 2023|

Is Liberal stuck in a rut? A year and a half ago, José Lara thought so. The U.S. Census showed Liberal and Seward County losing population. There were only about 10 new houses being built each year in town. He wasn’t seeing new businesses open. “Our actual growth at that point was very, very limited. I definitely believe Liberal was in a rut,” he says. “We were not growing at a point that I would be comfortable with.” Lara, 32, an insurance agent who is married with three young kids, decided to get involved in his community. He ran for a [...]

Kansas childcare task force calls for ‘one-stop shop’

2023-12-11T14:45:09-06:00December 11th, 2023|

A panel of early childhood leaders in Kansas is calling on state leaders to reduce "red tape" regarding the childcare system. Kansas Early Childhood Transition Task Force (ECTTF), established by Governor Laura Kelly through the first executive order of her second term, presented its final report for 2023 on Monday. Gov. Kelly responded to questions about what she'd be able to get done on her "wishlist" for early childhood education during next year's session. "I don't see it as a wishlist. I see it as a roadmap and a blueprint for how we can rearrange programs that we're already providing, but do it [...]

JoCo Notes: Overland Park residents can weigh in on new parks master plan

2023-12-11T10:40:30-06:00December 11th, 2023|

Overland Park is revising its citywide parks master plan for the first time in a decade, and the public is being invited to weigh in. The city will host a public open house Monday night from 5-7 p.m. at Matt Ross Community Center, 8101 Marty St., in which residents will be able to provide their thoughts on city parks going forward. Residents can also share their feedback through an online survey through the end of December. The master plan revision, dubbed Playbook OP, is billed as way to guide Overland Park’s “efforts to acquire and develop parks and greenways and enhance [...]

City of Hutchinson working to help homeless

2023-12-11T10:38:00-06:00December 11th, 2023|

The City of Hutchinson is seeing a rise in the homeless population, and community leaders said they want to do what they can to help. People sleeping under bridges is becoming more of a common sight in Hutchinson, but community advocates say this growing issue goes beyond not having a place to stay. "On a larger scale, there's cuts and budgets with health care and mental health concerns and substance abuse so that directly affect homelessness, and that's definitely something that we feel the weight and burden of that right now," Jerome Bernard, the manager at Noel Lodge, said. The United Way of [...]

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