17 Friday, June 17

Girard police officer & restauranter to compete in Nat’l BBQ competition

2022-06-17T07:20:50-05:00June 17th, 2022|

The search to find one of the best outdoor cooks could hold the power to help make a Southeast Kansas couple's dream come true. "I never for a moment thought I was going to make it as far as I have," said James Jarvis, Hero's BBQ Co-Owner. Girard Police Officer James Jarvis is currently competing in the Char Champion Competition, a search to find one of the best outdoor cooks in North America. "If I'm not mistaken, there were approximately 25,000 plus entrants in this competition. We've been fortunate enough to advance to the quarterfinals," said Mr. Jarvis. Source: KSNF/KODE

17 Friday, June 17

KDOT bridge inspector resigns after railing falls in Topeka

2022-06-17T07:20:25-05:00June 17th, 2022|

KDOT announced Thursday one of its bridge inspector has resigned after pieces of the Polk-Quincy Viaduct fell from the bridge earlier this week. KDOT said it conducted an internal review of the bridge inspection process. During that review, KDOT discovered the inspection of the Polk-Quincy Viaduct on May 23, 2022, did not follow protocols, according to a press release. This comes after a 60-foot barrier wall fell off the Polk-Quincy Viaduct into an empty parking lot on June 11. The falling wall was likely due to high temperatures and deterioration of the steel that connects the concrete barrier to the viaduct deck. Source: KSNT [...]

16 Thursday, June 16

Wichita’s housing market is still hot, but what about future sales — and appraisals?

2022-06-16T08:20:47-05:00June 16th, 2022|

Nationally, the housing market may be experiencing a correction, but in Wichita, there’s still a boom on. That’s because the greater Wichita area is still seriously short of houses, so it comes down to supply and demand. “It’s economics 101,” said John McKenzie, president and CEO of Coldwell Banker Plaza Real Estate, who is in his 50th year in real estate. He said the past 24 months — particularly the past 12 months — are like nothing he’s seen before. That includes potential buyers “crawling all over each other other” at a home with 18 showings in a day and, in [...]

16 Thursday, June 16

Douglas County Commission denies petition to incorporate City of Clearfield

2022-06-16T08:12:46-05:00June 16th, 2022|

Douglas County won’t be adding a new city within its borders for now, after the Douglas County Commission denied a petition to incorporate the proposed City of Clearfield following a three-hour public hearing on Wednesday night. The commission cited a few chief concerns as reasons for that decision. Among them were that there was no concrete plan for how to provide city government services and that the 18-square-mile boundary proposed for the community — which would have made Clearfield roughly the 13th-largest city in the state by land area covered — might have a maximum population density of only dozens of [...]

16 Thursday, June 16

Why Rural Americans Keep Waiting for Fast Internet, Despite Billions Spent

2022-06-16T08:09:51-05:00June 16th, 2022|

The U.S. government has spent billions of dollars on several rounds of programs to upgrade internet speeds in rural areas over the past decade. Despite those efforts, many residents are still stuck with service that isn’t fast enough to do video calls or stream movies—speeds that most take for granted. Many communities have been targeted for broadband upgrades at least twice already, but flaws in the programs’ design have left residents wanting. Source: WSJ

16 Thursday, June 16

Municipal Bond Trends for June 15, 2022

2022-06-16T08:09:11-05:00June 16th, 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.

16 Thursday, June 16

Powell says the Fed could hike rates by 0.75 percentage point again in July

2022-06-16T08:05:48-05:00June 16th, 2022|

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday he expects the central bank to raise interest rates by a similar magnitude again at the next policy meeting in July. "From the perspective of today, either a 50 basis point or a 75 basis point increase seems most likely at our next meeting," Powell said a press conference following the central bank's policy decision on Wednesday. "We anticipate that ongoing rate increases will be appropriate." "The pace of those changes will continue to depend on incoming data and evolving outlook on the economy," Powell said. "Clearly, today's 75 basis point increase is an [...]

16 Thursday, June 16

Fed hikes its benchmark interest rate by 0.75 percentage point, the biggest increase since 1994

2022-06-16T08:04:55-05:00June 16th, 2022|

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday launched its biggest broadside yet against inflation, raising benchmark interest rates three-quarters of a percentage point in a move that equates to the most aggressive hike since 1994. Ending weeks of speculation, the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee took the level of its benchmark funds rate to a range of 1.5%-1.75%, the highest since just before the Covid pandemic began in March 2020. Additionally, members indicated a much stronger path of rate increases ahead to arrest inflation moving at its fastest pace going back to December 1981, according to one commonly cited measure. According to the [...]

16 Thursday, June 16

Newton resident makes a case to quiet trains

2022-06-16T08:03:45-05:00June 16th, 2022|

Zelly Walker asked the Newton City Commission to do something about train noise. That something she suggested would be to put in a partial quiet zone during the evening in Newton. To do so, the city of Newton would need to apply for a variance with the Federal Railroad Administration. She mentioned multiple communities in Kansas, such as Dodge City, Parsons, Fort Scott Overland Park, Lenexa, Edgerton and Belle Plaine had all been successful in establishing quiet zones – places where trains don’t have to blare their horns going through intersections. Walker said Newton is having more trains and they seem [...]

15 Wednesday, June 15

Pottawatomie County employees to receive mid-year pay raise of 3.5 percent

2022-06-15T19:38:17-05:00June 15th, 2022|

Pottawatomie County employees will get a slight mid-year pay increase following commission action Monday morning in Westmoreland. Commissioners unanimously settled on a 3.5 percent increase, effective July 1 to help assist employees struggling to stay afloat amid rising inflation. The increase was agreed upon after an initial proposal Monday from County Administrator Chad Kinsley, seeking a 10 percent pay increase for employees, rivaling a 10.5 percent increase Riley County approved last month. Source: 1350 KMAN

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