Bourbon County Jail Inmates Moved to Other Counties

Bourbon County Jail inmates are being sent to other counties, according to the Bourbon County Law Enforcement Center Administrator. “The Bourbon County Jail will be farming out most, if not all, of their inmates to other counties in southeast Kansas,” said Major Bobby Reed in an email with the daily reports sent to news entities. “The facility is doing this because of staffing shortages.” “Approximately 56 inmates out of 65 are being housed elsewhere,” Reed noted to fortscott.biz.” The cost (to the county) is $40 per day per inmate.” That amounts to $2,240 per day in payments to other counties, by Bourbon County. … Staffing is at a critical point. “I have 16 positions when fully staffed,” he said. “I have not been fully staffed in a long time.”
Source: Fort Scott Biz

Ranson Financial2022-06-17T07:24:44-05:00June 17, 2022|News|

Fireworks to be discharged in North Newton for one day

A couple of citizens expressed concerns during the Monday night North Newton City Council meeting about extending the days fireworks can be ignited in town during a lengthy discussion about the matter. Gwen Neufeld and Evelyn Adams were against the proposed idea of extending the days to Saturday and Sunday, since the Fourth of July in on a Monday this year. The amount of time fireworks can be discharged in North Newton is only on the Fourth of July. “There’s a reason people don’t want to live on the other side of the railroad tracks,” Neufeld told the council, adding the nightmare of the noise used to stress her out when her children were quite young. … City Administrator Kyle Fiedler told the council they received copies of an email and letter sent to the city against extending fireworks days. He also said the city of Newton is allowing the sale and discharge of fireworks from June 27 through July 4 and that the North Newton Council hasn’t addressed changing the town’s stance on the matter for 23 years.
Source: Harvey County Now

Ranson Financial2022-06-17T07:23:35-05:00June 17, 2022|News|

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

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

Ranson Financial2022-06-17T07:20:50-05:00June 17, 2022|News|

KDOT bridge inspector resigns after railing falls in Topeka

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 27 News

Ranson Financial2022-06-17T07:20:25-05:00June 17, 2022|News|

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

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 some cases, houses selling for double their asking prices. McKenzie said some two-bedroom, one-bath houses that used to be in the mid $70,000 to low $80,000 range have been selling for $140,00 to $150,000. “It’s just absolutely nutty,” he said. “Until we get inventory up, we’re going to continue to see the market that we’re in.”
Source: Wichita Eagle

Ranson Financial2022-06-16T08:20:47-05:00June 16, 2022|News|

Douglas County Commission denies petition to incorporate City of Clearfield

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 people per square mile.
Source: LJWorld

Ranson Financial2022-06-16T08:12:46-05:00June 16, 2022|News|

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

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

Ranson Financial2022-06-16T08:09:51-05:00June 16, 2022|News|

Municipal Bond Trends for June 15, 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 Financial2022-06-16T08:09:11-05:00June 16, 2022|News|

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

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 unusually large one, and I do not expect moves of this size to be common.”
Source: CNBC

Ranson Financial2022-06-16T08:05:48-05:00June 16, 2022|News|

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

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 “dot plot” of individual members’ expectations, the Fed’s benchmark rate will end the year at 3.4%, an upward revision of 1.5 percentage points from the March estimate. The committee then sees the rate rising to 3.8% in 2023, a full percentage point ramp higher.
Source: CNBC

Ranson Financial2022-06-16T08:04:55-05:00June 16, 2022|News|