Sedgwick County threatens to bill Wichita for minor marijuana cases after city decriminalizes

The Sedgwick County Commission has ordered a cost analysis of the Wichita City Council’s decision to decriminalize marijuana, exploring how much it would cost the county to book people in jail for misdemeanor marijuana offenses and pursue charges in district court. Commission Chairman David Dennis said Wednesday he plans to bill the city for any future costs of jailing and prosecuting people on misdemeanor marijuana charges. “At what point do we start charging the city of Wichita for this process,” Dennis said. “Because we’re going to bill them for all the people that go into our jail.”
Source: Wichita Eagle

Ranson Financial2022-09-15T08:18:02-05:00September 15, 2022|News|

Pickleball court ready for action in Sedgwick

Sedgwick Park is a new destination for pickleball enthusiasts. In the past week, the city finished converting the west side of its basketball slab into a pickleball court. City council member Monty Leonard, who spearheaded the project, was at the park last Friday afternoon applying a special paint to the concrete surface. “I grossly underestimated how much it takes to paint a pickleball court,” he said.
Source: Harvey County Now

Ranson Financial2022-09-15T08:20:33-05:00September 15, 2022|News|

Wichita, Sedgwick County growing more slowly than predicted

The populations of Wichita and Sedgwick County are growing slower than predicted. A 2015 city-county comprehensive plan predicted that, by 2035, Sedgwick County would reach a population of 610,000 and Wichita would reach 448,000. Now, the city-county planning department is predicting this won’t happen until 2045.
Source: Derby Informer | News

Ranson Financial2022-09-15T08:20:52-05:00September 15, 2022|News|

Why are people moving to a Kansas town of 120?

There’s no stoplight, no high rise, not even a Mcdonald’s. However, what the small town of Damar, Kansas, lacks in infrastructure, it makes up for in heart and personality. “It’s wonderful because most of it is the people here. They want to be here. They are not here just because they are born and raised here. They want to stay here,” said Jim Desbien, the treasurer for the Damar Community Foundation. Desbien’s family settled in the French Canadian heritage town, also known as the “Acadia of the West,” in the late 1800s.
Source: KSN-TV

Ranson Financial2022-09-14T07:33:56-05:00September 14, 2022|News|

Wichita City Council votes to decriminalize marijuana and fentanyl test strips

The Wichita City Council voted Tuesday to reduce the penalties for people caught with marijuana or fentanyl test strips. It was an issue that has been up for discussion in the past several months. Fentanyl strips would no longer be classified as drug paraphernalia, and marijuana possession would be decriminalized in the city. An average of 850 cases for illegal possession of marijuana are filed each year in municipal court. Possession of marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia would remain illegal under state law. Any charges for these crimes would need to be filed by the district attorney.
Source: KSN-TV

Ranson Financial2022-09-14T07:32:00-05:00September 14, 2022|News|

Pratt firemen honor 9-11 with bell ringing

It was a quiet Sunday morning in Pratt, but at specified times the big bell in front of City of Pratt Fire Department on Jackson Street rang out in honor of those who lost their lives, particularly first responders and fire fighters in New York City during a terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. Pratt City Fire Chief David Kramer, joined by firemen Mac Calloway, Eric Welch, Justin Garrett and a few others throughout the morning, rang the bell at 8:46 a.m. when the north tower was struck, again at 9:03 a.m. when the south tower was struck, and then at 9:37 a.m. when the Pentagon was hit by an airplane. “It’s been 21 years, but we still remember,” said Kramer. “We have had a busy week and at least of a third of our department is still on a training weekend so we didn’t plan a big public ceremony. But we are here because this is such a very important day in the history of our country. We hope others took the time to remember those who lost their lives in service.”
Source: Pratt Tribune

Ranson Financial2022-09-14T07:27:11-05:00September 14, 2022|News|

Bond yields continue climbing, 2-year Treasury tops 3.8%

U.S. Treasury yields continued to climb higher on Wednesday as investors digested the previous session’s dramatic market route triggered by a hot inflation reading. The yield on the 2-year Treasury, the part of the curve most sensitive to Fed policy, was trading 1 basis point higher at around 5:00 a.m. ET to reach 3.773%, at one point hitting as high as 3.805%, its highest level since November 2007. Tuesday’s session saw it surge 17 points. Yields move inversely to prices, and a basis point is equal to 0.01%. Meanwhile, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note was up just over one basis point, trading at 3.439%. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was up just over half of a basis point at 3.517%.
Source: CNBC – Bonds

Ranson Financial2022-09-14T07:24:03-05:00September 14, 2022|News|

Wichita beer festival, on hiatus since COVID, is making its big comeback at a local park

Beer lovers used to look forward every fall to the big Midwest Beerfest, which in its heyday would fill Century II with local, regional and national breweries passing out samples of their best brews. That event — which was always put on by the Wichita Chapter of the American Institute of Wine and Food — hasn’t happened since before the pandemic and still isn’t back this year. But another growing beer festival, which also has been on hiatus since the COVID-19 pandemic, is making a 2022 return and will be set up at a new venue.
Source: Wichita Eagle

Ranson Financial2022-09-14T08:03:54-05:00September 14, 2022|News|

Newton begins eminent domain process to claim land for rail spur

The city of Newton will begin the eminent domain process and condemnation proceedings to acquire land to build a railroad spur to serve the Kansas Logistics Park. They approved a resolution to begin the process at their Tuesday commission meeting. “It’s been a little while since we’ve seen condemnation,” City Attorney Chris Towle said, explaining that the act allows the government to take private property and compensate a property owner with a fair market value for the property.” The state recently announced a $3.04 million award to the city to pay for the spur. The resolution allows the city to begin surveying and providing a description of the area that the city would need to use for a rail spur. The city isn’t locked into condemning an area once the survey is completed.
Source: Harvey County Now

Ranson Financial2022-09-14T08:04:15-05:00September 14, 2022|News|

‘I hope I’m alive to see it completed’: Kellogg construction project gets underway

A construction project on Kellogg that will stretch from east Wichita to Andover will take years, but it could’ve been much worse. “I hope I’m alive to see it completed,” said Debbie Maltbie, who lives near Kellogg. Maltbie was at the east Kellogg construction meeting Tuesday where the Kansas Department of Transportation talked about its plans to build a new highway all the way to Andover next year. However, after just getting done with three decades of Kellogg construction, she’s a little nervous to start more. “It’ll be a little painful, you know, during construction and the learning curve of getting around,” she said.
Source: KAKE – News

Ranson Financial2022-09-14T07:16:56-05:00September 14, 2022|News|