News – Page 57 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

USD 259 starts talk Monday about cell phone ban for students in schools

info2024-11-20T09:33:19-06:00November 20th, 2024|

No decision has been made on banning cell phone use in Wichita Public Schools, but school board leaders workshopped the idea on Monday. “We compared our current policy, which restricts cell phones during instructional time, versus the possibility of whether or not we need to do more,” said USD 259 Board President Stan Reeser. “There was a state task force on cell phones which dove into a little more than what our policy deals with.” Reeser is talking about a Blue Ribbon Task Force from the Kansas Department of Education. That task force made some basic recommendations in a report on [...]

Scholarship program boosts enrollment and community spirit in Southeast Kansas

info2024-11-20T09:31:27-06:00November 20th, 2024|

It’s a promise, made from one generation of Neodesha High School graduates to another. For five years, the “Neodesha Promise Scholarship Program” has helped remove barriers for kids looking to go to college. But it turns out the impact goes beyond just dollars and cents. Source: KSNF/KODE

Topeka city leaders consider bringing common consumption area to new side of downtown

info2024-11-20T09:29:46-06:00November 20th, 2024|

City leaders met Monday afternoon to discuss some changes to the downtown Topeka alcohol drinking zone. The City of Topeka Policy & Finance Committee, consisting of City Council members Spencer Duncan, Marcus Miller and Michelle Hoferer, gathered on Nov. 18 to discuss some updates to one of the local common consumption areas (CCA) or “social drinking zones.” City of Topeka Attorney Amanda Stanley was on hand to explain what these changes would look like. Duncan said the original layout for the CCA in downtown Topeka did not initially include the area in front of the Topeka Performing Arts Center (TPAC) located [...]

Plastic bag bans can sometimes backfire: Study

info2024-11-20T09:28:29-06:00November 20th, 2024|

Policies aimed at curbing the use of single-use plastic bags have sometimes accomplished the opposite of their intentions, a new study has found. When two Texas cities prohibited stores from giving away plastic grocery bags for free, the sale of such bags surged in response, according to the study, published in the Journal of Marketing Research. The longer a policy was in place, the longer the behaviors spurred by those regulatory prohibitions persisted, the researchers found. Source: KSNT 27 News

Rural Kansas highway closure to bring more than 50-mile detour for local drivers

info2024-11-20T09:27:06-06:00November 20th, 2024|

State transportation officials say part of K-4 Highway in Dickinson County will close later this month, bringing with it a large detour for locals to follow. The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) announced in a press release on Monday, Nov. 18 that a road work project is slated to run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21 on part of K-4 Highway just south of the town of Hope. Workers will be replacing a railroad crossing that requires the highway to be closed to all traffic while the project is ongoing. Drivers will be unable to use K-4 [...]

State banks seek better climate competing for local, state government deposits

info2024-11-20T09:25:51-06:00November 20th, 2024|

The state's banks are urging lawmakers to take steps to allow them to better compete for local and state government deposits that they say are now flowing to out-of-state financial institutions at a cost to the Kansas economy. The banks say state law is structured in a way that local and state governments are less inclined to invest their funds locally than they are with institutions from out of state, which they say reduces the amount of capital for Kansas businesses that want to expand. Source: Sunflower State Journal

Pott County considering economic incentives for new auto dealership

info2024-11-20T09:24:44-06:00November 20th, 2024|

The Eck Auto Group out of Wichita is pursuing economic incentives for a new auto dealership at the southeast corner of Excel Rd and Hwy 24. The estimated cost of the project is just shy of $11 million. Tyler Ellsworth, attorney with Kutak Rock Law Firm, on Monday presented county commissioners with a brief overview of the proposed project. “We are not asking the commission to take any final action today,” said Ellsworth. “My goal is to provide a brief update on what this project entails and the two types of economic development incentives that the dealership group has requested.” Source: [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for November 19, 2024

Henry Schmidt2024-11-20T08:44:38-06:00November 20th, 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.

Salina rich in 100-plus years of aviation history

info2024-11-20T08:22:44-06:00November 20th, 2024|

November is recognized as National Aviation History Month and in Salina, there is plenty of history to recognize. With names including the likes of Glenn L. Martin and Steve Fossett, and organizations including the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy and even NASA using the city for operations, Salina is steeped in aviation history. Source: Salina Journal

Municipal Bond Trends for November 18, 2024

Henry Schmidt2024-11-19T11:17:14-06:00November 19th, 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.