News – Page 895 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

Newton celebrates mural, time capsule

info2022-12-08T21:20:02-06:00December 8th, 2022|

As Newton’s sesquicentennial year draws to a close, a group of around 30 showed up to celebrate the completion of a new mural across from the Amtrak station at 414 N. Oak Street to commemorate the event. The mural–called the “Ice House” or “Tie-Dye Flag” mural–portrays a Newton flag with all the colors of the rainbow. The flag will be visible to residents as well as those coming in on Amtrak trains, thanks to the City of Newton pitching in for lighting. The mural was completed by the Newton Murals and Arts Project after the city approached the group about doing a [...]

Emporia discusses skate park expansion

info2022-12-09T12:45:30-06:00December 8th, 2022|

The Emporia City Commission continued discussions on potential updates to the Lorenzo Delgado Sports Complex skateboard park Wednesday afternoon. The skateboard park received an anonymous $250,000 donation last year to make improvements and updates. The donation came after Maddox Gutierrez, a local teenager, petitioned the city to do some work on the park. In March, the city reviewed renderings from American Ramp Company as well as pricing quotes for construction, with costs ranging from $250,000 - $500,000 for the work. Some hiccups to the plans emerged when it was discovered that the Santa Fe Railroad, which owns the property on which [...]

Eudora looking for new city manager as longtime leader takes Maryland job

info2022-12-08T22:16:46-06:00December 8th, 2022|

The City of Eudora will be looking for a new city manager just as the eastern Douglas County community is expected to see an influx of growth from development of the nearby $4 billion Panasonic battery plant. Longtime City Manager Barack Matite announced at Monday’s Eudora City Commission meeting that he had accepted a job as deputy city manager in Rockville, Maryland, a community of about 70,000 people in the Washington, D.C., metro area. He will start that position in late January. Eudora Mayor Tim Reazin said the City Commission would soon announce an interim city manager and would begin working [...]

An update on De Soto’s $4B Panasonic battery plant, including starting wages and talk of an expansion of Kansas Highway 10

info2022-12-08T10:56:03-06:00December 8th, 2022|

Many starting wages at the new $4 billion Panasonic battery plant in nearby De Soto will be in the $20 to $25 an hour range, a Lawrence consultant working with the company said. That’s good information for potential job seekers to have, but also valuable information for area companies as well, Rob Richardson, the Panasonic opportunities manager for the Lawrence chamber, told a crowd on Tuesday. Many area companies indeed will be vying for the same workers that Panasonic hopes to employ. “That is kind of what the competition is going to be,” Richardson said as he announced the $20 to [...]

‘It is killing people’: The fentanyl crisis in Lawrence is on the rise and ‘it’s everywhere in the city’

info2022-12-08T10:55:06-06:00December 8th, 2022|

In May of last year, the Lawrence Police Department warned the community about a potent drug that was killing area residents. It was not the usual “stay away from drugs” message directed at teens, but something far more urgent and directed at everyone: “About three to five grains of table salt — that’s the potential fatal dose of fentanyl for an adult,” a department news release stated. “We’re not trying to scare people,” interim Chief of Police Adam Heffley was quick to say. “What we’re trying to do is save someone’s life.” A year and a half later, the dire warning [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for December 7, 2022

Henry Schmidt2022-12-08T09:12:08-06:00December 8th, 2022|

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS "investment grade" yields. Every issuer's credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman, Beth Warren and Henry Schmidt.

City of Emporia adopts new official logo

info2022-12-08T01:41:46-06:00December 8th, 2022|

The city of Emporia has officially adopted a new logo. After months of searching and refining, the city of Emporia has adopted the latest redesign of the city’s logo, created by local graphic designers Lot & Ilk. The new logo has been a topic of heavy discussion for the city commission and Emporia residents since its initial proposal in July. The logo design was awarded to Lot & Ilk, run by local Emporians Justin Ogleby and Jamie Darcy, in August. The original design of the logo was sent back to Lot & Ilk with requested changes after the Oct. 19 city [...]

Lawrence City Commission interested in $4.6M housing project but holds off on decisions for ARPA funds

info2022-12-08T01:35:29-06:00December 8th, 2022|

Members of the City of Lawrence’s Housing Initiatives Division requested the city spend $8.29 million left from federal COVID-19 relief funds on housing solutions, but city commissioners stopped short of adopting that recommendation. Though commissioners showed an interest in plans to spend a little more than half of that total on a modular housing project, they are allowing other agencies to vie for some of the American Rescue Plan Act funds. “While I felt like a good portion of these funds should address our needs for affordable housing and … addressing issues of the unhoused, I did not anticipate us using [...]

Kansas town’s library lease renewed after months of debate about LGBTQ content

info2022-12-08T01:34:00-06:00December 8th, 2022|

The Pottawatomie Wabaunsee Regional Library’s lease is safe for another year, following community uproar and legal pressure from the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas. The Saint Marys City Commission voted to extend the lease, without restrictions, during a meeting Tuesday night. The lease renewal was up for debate because the library had refused to accept a renewal clause asking for the removal of all LGBTQ and socially divisive books from the shelves. Source: The Lawrence Times

Governor Laura Kelly Announces Groundbreaking of Sports Complex in Overland Park

info2022-12-08T08:31:55-06:00December 8th, 2022|

Governor Laura Kelly today announced the groundbreaking of the 420,000-square-foot multi-sport complex at the Bluhawk development in Overland Park. The facility is part of the $400 million-plus, 277-acre, mixed-use project funded partly by STAR Bonds. The Bluhawk Sports Facility will be built in two phases, anchored by a neighborhood shopping center, restaurants, and retail outlets. The multi-sport complex will drive a projected $3.8 million economic impact for Overland Park during its first year of operation. In addition to private funding, Overland Park has been authorized to use up to $46.5 million in STAR Bond funds for this phase. Source: Kansas Department of Commerce