Rossville celebrates another Tall Corn Festival

Rossville is celebrating its annual Tall Corn Festival this weekend. Rossville’s Tall Corn Festival takes place annually, on the second weekend of August. The event started almost 100 years ago on a hot summer weekend, as a way for the town to kick off harvest season and because Rossville is a farming community, the festival is a way to show appreciation for their Rossville farmers. This year’s festival theme is “Blame it all on my roots” and was held at the city park and in other downtown areas. The festival began Friday afternoon with a Rossville High School band performance, a watermelon feed, corn eating contest, Rossville High dance performances, and fireworks in the park.
Source: KSNT 27 News

Ranson Financial2022-08-15T23:45:30-05:00August 15, 2022|News|

A directly elected mayor for Lawrence? City Commission to discuss putting question on ballots

Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will resume a discussion on the city’s form of government and whether to ask voters if they want to directly elect a mayor. The ongoing conversation is about potential changes to the city government. A task force suggested that rather than the current five city commissioners who are elected at large — meaning by voters across the whole city, rather than by districts — the city should have six commissioners who each represent a district of Lawrence. The task force also recommended that voters should directly elect a mayor to serve a four-year term. Currently, the mayor and vice mayor positions rotate every year to the commissioners who receive the most votes in elections.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Ranson Financial2022-08-15T23:42:47-05:00August 15, 2022|News|

City of Lawrence joins national effort to monitor COVID-19 and monkeypox in wastewater

The City of Lawrence has joined a nationwide initiative to detect infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and monkeypox, in local wastewater, according to a news release Monday. The initiative is part of WastewaterSCAN, led by researchers at Stanford University and Emory University and aimed at providing local public health officials with tools to respond to crises. Previously known as the Sewer Coronavirus Alert Network (SCAN), the initiative has now advanced to detecting additional viruses along with COVID-19 and its variants, including monkeypox, influenza A, and RSV.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Ranson Financial2022-08-15T23:41:43-05:00August 15, 2022|News|

Wichita looks to waive building permit fees to encourage more housing projects

Wichita’s City Council will consider adopting a new two-year pilot program on Tuesday that would provide incentives to encourage infill residential construction within the city’s neglected central neighborhoods, according to an agenda report for the upcoming meeting. The city says the program’s ultimate goal is to provide more affordable housing options to meet workforce needs, as well as reinvigorate declining neighborhoods. If adopted Tuesday, the program would waive building permit fees for all residential construction within designated “formative” areas of Wichita, particularly in areas north, west and south of the downtown core. Homeowners for DIY projects, as well as builders, contractors and landlords, are eligible to participate, as long as they are current on all real estate taxes and outstanding special assessments.
Source: Wichita Business Journal

Ranson Financial2022-08-16T07:26:50-05:00August 15, 2022|News|

The Local Infrastructure Hub Opens Enrollment for Technical Assistance Program to Help Small, Mid-Sized Cities and Towns Access Federal Infrastructure Dollars

Today, the Local Infrastructure Hub opened registration for small and mid-sized cities to participate in a new technical assistance program to help them access federal infrastructure funding. The specialized training bootcamps will let them access some of the first grant opportunities available as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. … For smaller cities and towns, submitting strong applications for competitive federal infrastructure money can be particularly challenging. Local teams are stretched and rarely have in-house grant writing resources. … Beginning today, the Local Infrastructure Hub is enrolling towns and cities with 150,000 residents or less in a technical assistance program designed to help them prepare strong applications for five upcoming federal grant programs included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which represent $4 billion in funding. In the months ahead, the Hub will provide support for additional federal grant opportunities.
Source: NLC

Ranson Financial2022-08-16T07:29:34-05:00August 15, 2022|News|

Faster Internet Is Coming to America—as Soon as the Government Knows Where to Build It

The government’s $42.5 billion plan to expand internet service to underserved communities is stuck in a holding pattern nearly nine months after approval, largely because authorities still don’t know where gaps need to be filled. The broadband plan, part of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill signed by President Biden last November, stipulates that money to improve service can’t be doled out until the Federal Communications Commission completes new maps showing where homes and businesses lack fast service.
Source: WSJ.com

Ranson Financial2022-08-16T07:30:48-05:00August 15, 2022|News|

Fed’s Barkin says rate increases need to continue until inflation holds at 2%

Despite positive inflation data this week, Richmond Federal Reserve President Thomas Barkin said Friday that more interest rate increases will be needed to tamp down price pressures. Releases this week showing that consumer and wholesale price increases softened in July were “very welcome,” Barkin told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” in a live interview. “So we’re happy to see inflation start to move down,” he added. But he noted that, “I’d like to see a period of sustained inflation under control, and until we do that I think we’re just going to have to continue to move rates into restrictive territory.”
Source: CNBC – Bonds

Ranson Financial2022-08-14T20:49:27-05:00August 14, 2022|News|

Gunshots damage Shawnee City Hall overnight Friday, nobody inside at time

Shawnee Police are investigating after gunshots were fired in at least two places along Johnson Drive overnight Friday. At least two bullets appear to have struck Shawnee City Hall during the incidents, damaging a door and window on the front side of the building which faces Johnson Drive. Investigators say city hall was unoccupied at the time the shots were fired, and nobody was reported injured in either shooting incident.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Ranson Financial2022-08-15T06:55:50-05:00August 14, 2022|News|

Johnson County police handle more mental health calls. The nearest crisis center is in KCK

In the past year, Overland Park police officer Justin Shepherd has responded to mental health calls including a homeless man experiencing hallucinations and another person who was having thoughts of self-harm. But Shepherd has few options for getting someone in distress the help they need. Only two options are available 24 hours a day for people without insurance: take them to a hospital emergency room or to the crisis center in Kansas City, Kansas.
Source: KC Star Local News

Ranson Financial2022-08-14T20:43:28-05:00August 14, 2022|News|

Mission Hills is installing cameras, license plate readers at 10 intersections

Mission Hills hopes to have 10 intersections outfitted with cameras or license plate readers by the end of the summer. The city has been installing cameras and automatic license plate readers at key intersections to help police solve crime, said Capt. Ivan Washington with the Prairie Village Police Department, which contracts with Mission Hills for police services. “The purpose of the initiative is to help as an investigative tool to provide tips or leads to the investigation division to hopefully be able to bring criminal cases to a positive resolution,” Washington said.
Source: KC Star Local News

Ranson Financial2022-08-15T06:56:36-05:00August 14, 2022|News|