News – Page 79 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

More details released after cockfighting raid in Mulvane where 400 roosters and hens found

info2025-02-19T08:54:55-06:00February 19th, 2025|

More details were released Friday about a possible cockfighting operation in Mulvane that law enforcement and animal officials raided on Tuesday after a two-year investigation. No one has yet been arrested and names will not be released until charges are filed, Sumner County undersheriff Mike Westmoreland said in an email Friday afternoon. “More than 400 roosters and hens were found living in small wire or wooden structures with little protection from the below freezing temperatures, some without access to clean drinking water,” according to a joint release sent out Friday by the sheriff’s office and Humane World for Animals. “Some of [...]

Is enrollment declining in Wichita schools? What’s happening in city and suburban districts

info2025-02-19T08:53:40-06:00February 19th, 2025|

Public school enrollment has been falling in Wichita for years, following a national trend that has left many districts wondering how to best use resources going forward. Since the 2014-15 academic year, Wichita Public Schools has lost nearly 10% of its students, and it’s projecting a similar drop over the next 10 years. This past fall, enrollment sat at 46,154 students — 9.5% less than when it peaked during the 2015-16 school year, according to Kansas Department of Education data. Overall student enrollment in every grade in elementary and middle school, excluding preschool, is down compared to 10 years ago, with [...]

This small Kansas town is paying people to move there. Here’s what it’s offering

info2025-02-19T08:52:46-06:00February 19th, 2025|

A small town about a two-hour drive from Wichita is offering tempting incentives for people willing to relocate. Neodesha in southeast Kansas has a population of about 2,300 and is looking for that number to grow through a partnership with the company MakeMyMove. The goal? To bring people back to rural communities. The full incentives package includes up to $15,000 in student loan repayment assistance, 100% Kansas state income tax waiver through 2026, a college scholarship incentive reaching up to $25,000 and more. Source: Wichita Eagle

Winfield considering goats to manage vegetation

info2025-02-19T08:51:28-06:00February 19th, 2025|

The City of Winfield is considering the use of goats to help manage vegetation around Island Park, according to information presented at Thursday’s work session. The process would involve hiring a company the brings in a herd of goats, pens off a portion of the land where the goats will graze for a couple of days, then moving the pen and the goats until all of the land has been grazed, Winfield public improvements director Patrick Steward said to commissioners. “It’s relatively low risk, and other communities have had a positive response,” Steward said about using goats as vegetation control. Source: [...]

Lawrence school district reaches 8 inclement weather days; still unclear whether makeup time will be needed

info2025-02-19T08:50:27-06:00February 19th, 2025|

Lawrence Public Schools will be closed for a second day in a row this week because of snow and continued freezing temperatures in the forecast, making for eight total days canceled so far this year. The Kansas State Department of Education forgives local districts the same number of inclement weather hours or days they build into their calendars and use. Wednesday will mark the district’s eighth inclement weather day so far in the 2024-25 school year, the first four happening during the first week classes resumed after winter break. Source: The Lawrence Times

Kansas lawmakers consider expanding window for fireworks sales

info2025-02-19T08:49:25-06:00February 19th, 2025|

A proposed Senate bill would permit year-round fireworks sales from permanent retailers and expand the window around the Fourth of July for pop-up vendors. Senate Bill 199 would allow temporary vendors to sell fireworks from June 20 to July 7. Currently, sales are restricted to June 27 to July 5. Jake Marietta, who owns Jake’s Fireworks — a family-owned business since 1938 — testified Tuesday before the Senate Commerce Committee in support of the bill, explaining that sales at his pop-up fireworks tent can drop by as much as 50% with just one day of rain. Marietta said he was excited [...]

Disruptive public commenting has reached a crisis point for some in public office

info2025-02-19T07:32:54-06:00February 19th, 2025|

For the first time since a pair of public commenters began routinely disrupting government meetings in Lawrence, an official has mentioned the possibility of terminating public comment, at least temporarily. On Monday night, Lawrence school board president Kelly Jones — after an approximately 30-minute standoff with commenter Michael Eravi, who was refusing to obey board rules — said that the time had come to discuss whether public commenting in its current form had simply become too disruptive. Nothing in state law requires that governing bodies hear public comment at their meetings, and local entities have grappled for years now with how [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for February 14, 2025

Henry Schmidt2025-02-17T09:20:22-06:00February 17th, 2025|

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.

Decades-old Johnson County bar to close for city project: ‘Can’t fight the government’

info2025-02-14T09:36:30-06:00February 14th, 2025|

Mary Armstrong knew that the I-35 and Santa Fe corridor project in Olathe would eventually displace her bar, Double Nickel. She said she attended a public meeting about the project last year, though she was under the impression that she would have more time at her current 189 Rogers Road digs. “They made it sound like it would be a while out,” she said. “Surprise. It’s not.” In December, she was given a 90-day demand letter from the city ordering her to vacate the rented space. Source: KC Star Local News

Hopes for more Fed rate cuts dim as Powell notes hot CPI means ‘we’re not quite there yet’

info2025-02-14T09:35:06-06:00February 14th, 2025|

A Federal Reserve interest rate cut won’t be coming until at least September, if at all this year, following a troubling inflation report Wednesday, according to updated market pricing. Futures markets shifted from the expectation of a June cut and possibly another before the end of the year to no moves until the fall, with a minimal chance of a follow-up before the end of 2025. Source: CNBC - Bonds