News – Page 582 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Union Pacific sued over chemical spill affecting Wichita neighborhoods near 29th, Grove

info2023-10-16T09:35:22-05:00October 16th, 2023|

Wichita residents living above a chemical spill from Union Pacific Railroad face property damages and a loss of property value as a result of the company’s negligence, according to a federal lawsuit filed this week by law firms across the country. The class-action lawsuit addresses a chemical spill at a Union Pacific rail yard near 29th North and Grove, which many Wichita residents learned about last year. The spill – which contains trichloroethylene, a carcinogenic degreasing agent – contaminated the groundwater beneath about 2,800 addresses. The groundwater plume runs about 3 miles, from 29th Street to the north to Murdock to the [...]

Some seniors, disabled Wyandotte County residents to be exempt from fee on BPU bills

info2023-10-16T09:33:13-05:00October 16th, 2023|

Wyandotte County residents of a certain age and income, or who are disabled, will soon be able to seek exemptions from a Unified Government fee on their utility bills. The Board of Commissioners, Wyandotte County’s governing body, on Thursday passed PILOT relief for people ages 65 or older who have an income of $37,750 or less. The exemptions for qualifying residents will start in 2024. Ratepayers have long complained of the UG fee on their bills from the Board of Public Utilities, the publicly-owned utility that provides water and electricity to Wyandotte County. The PILOT fee, which stands for payment in lieu of taxes, [...]

Merriam begins appraising downtown properties for flood control project

info2023-10-16T09:31:48-05:00October 16th, 2023|

Merriam is taking steps to buy properties in its flood-prone downtown. Kansas City-based real estate appraisal company Bliss Associates won a contract with the city to begin evaluating properties along Turkey Creek. Last summer, Merriam entered into a design agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Upper Turkey Creek Flood Risk Management project. Before USACE can finish designing the project, Merriam is surveying downtown properties to determine whether it will need to purchase land to build levees or flood walls. “Just because we complete an appraisal, it doesn’t mean that the acquisition will occur. It will just help us for [...]

Johnson County tests hundreds after Olathe tuberculosis case

info2023-10-16T09:30:42-05:00October 16th, 2023|

The Johnson County Health Department spent the day testing hundreds of people for tuberculosis at a local high school. It comes after an Olathe Northwest student recently tested positive for the disease. The Kansas City Start reports health officials tested over 250 people on Thursday, determining if there are any other cases. Tuberculosis is spread through the air by coughing, sneezing, laughing or singing, but the only way to contract the disease is through frequent or close contact with someone who has an active case. "This is a disease that is not passed easily from person to person," said Charlie Hunt, Johnson County health director. "The [...]

City of Wichita holds round table to discuss emergency winter shelter for city’s homeless

info2023-10-16T09:29:18-05:00October 16th, 2023|

Finding temporary emergency shelter space for Wichita's homeless population is a pressing concern to the city. "If we do nothing, we obviously know that the situation is worsening. We have a crisis on our hands with the emergency winter shelter," said Sedgwick County Commissioner, Ryan Baty. Over a dozen Wichita city council members, Sedgwick County commissioners and state lawmakers met Friday morning to figure out how to address the immediate winter shelter needs. The meeting was prompted by last week's announcement that Humankind will not be opening their emergency winter shelter in November. "If we have a winter like we've had [...]

Boo! at the Zoo in Garden City returns for 28th year on Oct. 21

info2023-10-16T14:31:54-05:00October 16th, 2023|

Celebrate Halloween at Lee Richardson Zoo on Oct. 21 with the return of Boo! at the Zoo. The event will be held from 4-8 p.m. Boo! is a fundraiser put on by the Friends of Lee Richardson Zoo annually with the goal of supporting improvements at the zoo and the zoo’s mission to promote education and conservation activities that “will foster an appreciation and understanding of wildlife and their habitats.” Jessica Norton, executive director of FOLRZ, said the project they are fundraising for now is a new playground by the Primate Forest, which was built in 2020. “I don’t know that we’re actually going to [...]

Kansas’ class of 2023 has record-low ACT test scores

info2023-10-16T07:56:43-05:00October 14th, 2023|

As more Kansas high school students take the ACT, the state continues to fall behind the average national score, which itself has fallen to a three-decade low. Data released last week by the standardized testing company shows that scores from Kansas high schools’ graduating class of 2023 fell to an average of 19.3, or behind the national average of 19.5. That national figure marks a sixth-consecutive year of decline and the lowest in 32 years. Source: Hutch News

Could state limit tax hikes?

info2023-10-16T07:59:00-05:00October 14th, 2023|

As rising property values bring higher taxes for Kansas homeowners, top Republican lawmakers plan to make a proposed constitutional amendment a top priority. The idea on the table is to limit property valuation increases to a maximum of 4% per year, unless there is a market transaction. But there is no guarantee that limiting assessment growth would result in lower property taxes. That’s because local governments could still raise the mill levy to bring in the same amount of tax. And for those who do benefit, it would likely be because the tax burden is shifted onto others. “It does not [...]

Are Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, due for a breakup 25 years after unification?

info2023-10-13T13:51:16-05:00October 13th, 2023|

The door is open — albeit slightly — to dissolving the 25-year-old Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. The mayors of Kansas City, Kansas, Edwardsville and Bonner Springs announced Wednesday they will meet with residents in the coming months to hear complaints and solutions to what they say are mounting financial problems. One possible solution? Breaking apart the Unified Government. "The three of us mayors recognize the need to review and evaluate the current state of affairs," said Bonner Springs Mayor Jeff Harrington. On April 1, 1997, Wyandotte County residents voted to consolidate the the governments of Kansas [...]

Agreement announced on water rights for south central Kansas region

info2023-10-13T11:19:29-05:00October 13th, 2023|

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and U.S. Senator Jerry Moran have announced a bipartisan agreement to resolve water needs in an area of south central Kansas. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kansas Department of Agriculture have agreed to work together on water rights issues for the Rattlesnake Creek Basin, which has provided water for area farms and for the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Stafford, Rice and Reno counties. The Fish and Wildlife Service has agreed to pause its request to secure its senior water right as agriculture officials and local stakeholders look for a solution to the region’s [...]