News – Page 590 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Heartland Flyer subject of virtual public meeting

info2023-10-25T11:40:14-05:00October 25th, 2023|

Expansion of the Heartland Flyer from Oklahoma City to Newton will be the subject of a virtual public meeting being hosted by the Kansas Department of Transportation. KDOT is looking at providing rail service between Oklahoma City and Newton, where it would connect with Amtrak's Southwest Chief. The Heartland Flyer currently provides daily service between Ft. Worth, Texas, and Oklahoma City. The Southwest Chief provides daily roundtrip service between Chicago and Los Angeles. It also has stops in Garden City, Dodge City, Hutchinson, Topeka, Lawrence, and Kansas City, Missouri, in addition to Newton. The virtual meeting is scheduled for Nov. 8, starting [...]

Leawood plans to cap building heights to 4 stories along 135th

info2023-10-25T11:33:24-05:00October 25th, 2023|

Concrete plans to cap building heights in Leawood, but only along 135th Street, are starting to take shape. The Leawood City Council on Oct. 16 considered creating specific rules for new office and mixed-use buildings on 135th Street. City leaders had initially proposed and discussed capping building heights on all new office and mixed-use developments citywide. The city council’s decision last week comes as the latest of extensive discussions in Leawood about amending the city’s development ordinance to keep future developments from creating too much density in the southern part of the city. The Leawood Planning Commission first saw the city [...]

Mulvane Fire Rescue gets new tools to increase efficiency for extrication

info2023-10-25T11:26:36-05:00October 25th, 2023|

Mulvane Fire Rescue received a Firehouse Subs grant for over $24,000 to buy new extrication tools. One of those is more commonly known as the jaws of life. Extrication tools help get victims out of trapped vehicles, machinery, buildings or debris. The most common use is for car crashes. Mulvane Fire Rescue responds to roughly 150 crashes a year, using the extrication tools about once a month on average. Every second counts in an emergency and the new tools will make the extrication process quicker. "The ultimate goal is to get them out as quickly as possible because we have what we call the [...]

City of Pratt employee held at gunpoint; Wife listened on the phone

info2023-10-25T12:13:25-05:00October 25th, 2023|

The man who led law enforcement on a multi-county chase on Monday pulled a gun on a City of Pratt employee. The victim's wife was on the phone during the incident. Catelyn Shaw says she was at home when her friend messaged her about the police chase. Soon after, her husband called during his lunch break at Casey's. She was shocked by what she heard on the phone. "He was like, 'Oh my God, they just pulled into Casey's.' And I was like, 'No way,' and he was like, 'Yeah, they did,'" explained Shaw. The typical day took a turn as Shaw's husband [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for October 24, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-10-25T10:41:13-05:00October 25th, 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 October 23, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-10-24T09:55:40-05:00October 24th, 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.

Bond Rout Drives 10-Year Treasury Yield to 5%

info2023-10-23T11:40:33-05:00October 23rd, 2023|

A deepening selloff in the U.S. bond market drove the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note to 5% for the first time in 16 years, extending a rout that has rattled stocks, lifted mortgage rates and fueled persistent fears of an economic slowdown. A critical driver of U.S. borrowing costs, the 10-year yield rose to within a few thousandths of a percentage point of 5% last week following an unexpectedly strong retail-sales report and comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell that reinforced investor bets on stubbornly high short-term interest rates. The 5% barrier barely held then, but broke in an early Monday climb. The 10-year yield [...]

Should Kansas City, Kansas and Wyandotte County split after 25 years? Opinions vary

info2023-10-23T11:39:20-05:00October 23rd, 2023|

After nearly three decades, should the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, change its consolidated government structure? That will be a key question posed at neighborhood discussions in the coming weeks after the mayors of KCK, Edwardsville and Bonner Springs announced plans to create a task force to hear resident concerns, and solutions, about the UG. While no meetings have been set, current and former officials are divided on the region’s future, especially over the suggestion that KCK and county could break up. Mike Jacobi, who was a leader in the consolidation effort in the 1990s, considered the [...]

City staff members explain plans to reduce campsites around Lawrence

info2023-10-23T11:38:19-05:00October 23rd, 2023|

Within two days of announcing a new online form to report people living outside to Lawrence’s homeless programs team, the city had received more than four dozen responses regarding approximately 20 camps. City staff members are upping their efforts to discourage people from making new campsites in areas where the city has deemed it illegal. That includes parks, sidewalks, the public right of way, and on private property without the owner’s consent. Staff members are also formulating plans to make progress with residents of the longer-term campsites that are pretty well established and have larger populations. The city on Wednesday announced [...]

Community celebrates 150 years of Emporia Fire Department

info2023-10-23T11:36:35-05:00October 23rd, 2023|

Emporia Fire Chief Brandon Beck was more than pleased to welcome the community to the fire department’s 150th anniversary celebration Saturday. And he was even happier to see how many people turned out for the event. “We’ve had a great turnout today. It’s been just kind of a steady flow of people since 8 a.m. this morning,” he said as the celebration began winding down Saturday afternoon. Battalion Chief Tony Fuller told The Gazette last week that EFD recognizes every 25-year milestone. Beck, who joined the fire department as a volunteer in 1993, said it was exciting to be on hand [...]