Wichita high school students will have to pass through metal detectors to get to class

After a spate of brawls, school security deploying pepper spray and students arrested with guns, the Wichita School Board on Monday approved spending $1.5 million for metal detectors at public high schools. “I tried to put myself in the parents’ positions last week, and I would have been scared,” board member Kathy Bond said. “I’d be scared with what has happened.” The detectors will be placed at the entrances of North, South, East, West, Northwest, Northeast, Southeast and Heights high schools. Every student who enters the building in the morning will have to pass in a single-file line through the metal detectors to be checked for weapons and other large metal objects.
Source: Wichita Eagle

Ranson Financial2022-09-13T07:50:00-05:00September 13, 2022|News|

Working for Lenexa: planning for the future of the City

Christa McGaha, planner II with the City of Lenexa Community Development Department, grew up in a small town an hour northwest of Boston where she was close to the Atlantic Ocean, mountains, and scenic outdoor trails. She’s now 1,400 miles from her family but Kansas City has quickly become home. “Moving here by myself was definitely a huge change,” she said. “I always had roommates and I’ve never gone somewhere not knowing anyone. I’m proud of myself for doing it and for making a home here.” When people hear the job title “planner,” they often think of event planning for small or large-scale personal or corporate events. City planners review new buildings and development happening within city limits. That means when a new chain restaurant or a family-owned business comes to Lenexa, the city planners are the first to review the application.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Ranson Financial2022-09-13T07:11:09-05:00September 13, 2022|News|

Wichita may decriminalize small-time marijuana possession under City Council proposal

The Wichita City Council is poised to repeal the city’s marijuana laws, making the state’s largest city the least restrictive on marijuana possession in Kansas. On Tuesday, the City Council will vote on whether to decriminalize possession of less than 32 grams of marijuana in the city limits. If that passes, marijuana cases could no longer be filed in municipal court. The change would not affect state and federal prohibitions on marijuana. Wichita police could still arrest people for marijuana possession or use it as a reason to search their property.
Source: Wichita Eagle

Ranson Financial2022-09-13T07:48:37-05:00September 13, 2022|News|

Paola school bond proposal narrowly fails by 77 votes

Paola USD 368’s $40 million bond proposal to make improvements districtwide failed by 77 votes, according to the unofficial final results of the mail-in ballot election posted Thursday, Sept. 8, by the Miami County Clerk and Election Office. Ballots were mailed out Aug. 19 to 8,602 registered voters within the Paola USD 368 boundaries, and 3,094 were returned to the Miami County Clerk’s Office by the noon deadline Thursday, Sept. 8. That puts the voter turnout at 36 percent. There were 1,506 “Yes” votes (48.75 percent) and 1,583 “No” votes (51.25 percent), according to the posted results.
Source: The Miami County Republic

Ranson Financial2022-09-13T06:48:57-05:00September 13, 2022|News|

Municipal Bond Trends for September 12, 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 and Beth Warren.

Ranson Financial2022-09-13T07:09:40-05:00September 12, 2022|News|

Sedgwick County sheriff deputy completes dunk; NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal to donate 1,000 laptops, shoes to Wichita youth charity

Wichita children are soon to be the beneficiaries of the generosity of Shaquille O’Neal. In his appearance at Koch Arena on Saturday night for a Wichita charity basketball game, the NBA legend and Hall of Famer promised to buy 1,000 laptops and 1,000 pairs of his new “Shaq Attaq” Reebok shoes for Storytime Village, a Wichita-based children’s literacy nonprofit organization, to distribute. The promise didn’t come without a stipulation, however. The catch? In his halftime sit-down interview, the Big Diesel, a children’s book author who made the stop in Wichita to help promote children’s literacy with the local charity, went off-script and challenged a Sedgwick County sheriff deputy to dunk in the second half of the charity basketball game to earn the donation. Sitting in his courtside seat on his team’s bench, Vince Folston couldn’t believe it when O’Neal called him out on the microphone in front of the crowd.
Source: Wichita Eagle

Ranson Financial2022-09-12T07:39:45-05:00September 12, 2022|News|

Parsons PD faces issues of keeping, recruiting officers

Police and fire departments in small towns such as Parsons face a multitude of problems recruiting and retaining officers and a big portion of that problem is pay. “I’ve got multiple positions open in the police department because I’ve been cherry-picked by private industry and the larger departments who can throw money at my officers,” Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks. “Is that something new? No.” Spinks said it has been that way for 25 years under three different chiefs of police and various city managers and city commission members. The Parsons Police Department has gone through 100 staff members since 2009, Spinks said.
Source: Parsons Sun

Ranson Financial2022-09-12T07:09:14-05:00September 12, 2022|News|

$4.5 million bond passes issue for Ellis County

Ellis residents Thursday voted in favor of a $4.5 million bond to improve district facilities. The issue passed with a vote of 440-98. Ellis Junior/Senior High School and Washington Grade School will get improvements through the bond. The junior and senior high facility improvements include a new secure entry, renovated science labs, new exterior doors and a partial roof replacement.
Source: KSN-TV

Ranson Financial2022-09-12T07:07:14-05:00September 12, 2022|News|

Grant Funding Available to Revitalize Downtown Buildings Statewide

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland announced a second round of Historic Economic Asset Lifeline (HEAL) grants intended for revitalizing downtown buildings in small communities across the state. The HEAL program, which is funded by the Department of Commerce and the Patterson Family Foundation, will invest $850,000 in projects in the Fall 2022 grant round. The HEAL program is designed to bring downtown buildings back into productive use as spaces for: New or expanding businesses; Housing; Arts and culture; Civic engagement; Childcare or
Entrepreneurship. … Information about the HEAL grant program and the online application can be viewed at www.kansascommerce.gov/healfall2022.
Source: 101.3 KFDI

Ranson Financial2022-09-12T07:03:45-05:00September 12, 2022|News|

Fire hydrant maintenance essential to Holton water quality

Keeping Holton’s water supply and distribution system in excellent shape involves making sure that the city’s 142 fire hydrants are also in good shape, according to Holton Water and Wastewater Superintendent Dennis Ashcraft. Flushing the distribution system also allows Ashcraft’s crew to identify issues with fire hydrants that are in need of repair, such as the hydrant at the intersection of Second Street and Wisconsin Avenue that water employees P.J. Oldehoeft and Cory Miller were recently seen repairing.
Source: Holton Recorder

Ranson Financial2022-09-12T07:01:56-05:00September 12, 2022|News|