As fertilizer pollutes tap water in small towns, rural Kansans pay the price

Fifteen years ago, Robert Ellis got a letter he never wanted. Haviland’s drinking water had failed a state safety test. It had more nitrate than federal limits allow. And as mayor of this small town east of Dodge City, it was his job to help the town figure out what to do. Building a new water treatment plant would cost millions, so the town started installing water filters one home at a time. That penciled out far cheaper than one central plant. But state regulators told them no. Those in-home filters wouldn’t cut it. The town pleaded its case in a series of meetings and hearings that lasted years. To no avail. If Haviland didn’t build a plant, Ellis said, the state would have fined the town thousands of dollars a day.
Source: KCUR News

Ranson Financial2022-03-29T23:46:39-05:00March 29, 2022|News|

City of Lawrence selects Melissa Sieben as the new director of Municipal Services and Operations

Following a national search, the city has selected Melissa Sieben as the new director of Municipal Services and Operations, according to a news release Tuesday. Sieben, who recently served as assistant county administrator at the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas for seven years, has 23 years of local government experience serving communities in Illinois, Iowa and Kansas, according to the release. “I am looking forward to working with Municipal Services and Operations staff and City leadership to implement the goals of the strategic plan and continue to enhance service delivery,” Sieben said in the release. “Lawrence is an amazing community and I look forward to being part of this team that is investing in functional and efficient infrastructure!”
Source: The Lawrence Times

Ranson Financial2022-03-30T07:01:35-05:00March 29, 2022|News|

New manager of human services continues efforts toward safe, accessible housing for all in Douglas County

Gabi Sprague is the new human services program manager for Douglas County. She’ll focus on preventing homelessness and helping unify the work of local social service agencies. Though the title is new for Sprague, the work isn’t. Sprague previously was the Housing Stabilization Collaborative (HSC) program manager with the United Way of Douglas County. HSC represents a joint effort of multiple community organizations that began as a grant-funded program through Family Promise of Lawrence after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The mission: preventing homelessness, eviction and loss of utilities while helping navigate community resources. That process can feel overwhelming to those who need financial support, especially during a pandemic.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Ranson Financial2022-03-29T23:36:32-05:00March 29, 2022|News|

New Lawrence Police Chief Making Policy Changes

The Police Chief in Lawrence since January, Rich Lockhart, has made a couple of policy changes for the department. Lockhart says that he met with several community members and groups with concerns related to the police department. He says that national news coverage brought many questions and comments surrounding the department’s approach to chokeholds and no-knock warrants. Lockhart says no-knock search warrants do not place the value of human life as a priority, and are dangerous to all involved. Even though chokeholds and no-knock warrants were not a practice of the Lawrence Police Department, these tactics are now banned.
Source: WIBW News Now

Ranson Financial2022-03-29T23:33:25-05:00March 29, 2022|News|

Exceeded expectations: Wichita hosts electric NCAA women’s tournament weekend

Wichita was on display for one final women’s basketball match-up Monday night at Intrust Bank Arena, with Louisville clinching the Final Four spot in a 62-50 win over Michigan. The evening capped off an electric weekend in Wichita. An estimated 8,540 tickets were sold for the two Saturday games — including a huge showing from the underdog University of South Dakota — followed by 4,596 in attendance Monday. “I was pleasantly surprised on Saturday,” said Brad Pittman, who is associate athletic director for facilities and operations at Wichita State and serves as tournament director for NCAA games in Wichita. “My goal all along was between 10 to 12,000 total tickets sold, and I think Saturday kind of exceeded those expectations. I think it was an awesome environment. Monday, obviously, you can’t control who wins, so that’s kind of the bummer because South Dakota probably would have brought another 1,000 people with them.
Source: Wichita Business Journal

Ranson Financial2022-03-29T23:31:30-05:00March 29, 2022|News|

Passenger numbers at Eisenhower Airport increased 76% in February

A total of 87,545 passengers flew in and out of Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport in February, marking a 76% increase year over year and furthering the airport’s recovery from the impact of Covid-19. According to new data from the Wichita Airport Authority, a total of 43,695 people flew out of Wichita in February, itself good for a 73% increase compared to last February. The airport said on its website that capacity also increased in February with 99 more flights and more than 19,000 more seats than the same period of 2021.
Source: Wichita Business Journal

Ranson Financial2022-03-29T23:29:24-05:00March 29, 2022|News|

Bonner Springs, Edwardsville could apply for UG’s ARPA funds

Bonner Springs and Edwardsville may be interested in applying for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. At a Unified Government ARPA subcommittee meeting on March 22, representatives of the two cities indicated interest in receiving some of the ARPA funding that the UG has not yet spent. Another ARPA subcommittee event, a community workshop, is scheduled from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. tonight, March 29, both virtually and in person at City Hall, 701 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kansas. At the workshop the public may discuss how COVID has affected them and the community, and discuss how they would prioritize recovery funds. The workshop will be on Zoom.
Source: Wyandotte Daily

Ranson Financial2022-03-29T23:25:35-05:00March 29, 2022|News|

Lawrence police prepared for busy Final Four weekend to bring 100K to town

As we inch closer to Kansas’ Final Four game on Saturday, preparations have already started in Lawrence, but they didn’t just begin this week. The Lawrence police chief said Final Four weekend preps started nearly 3 months ago. Lawrence expects to top the 80,000 visitors from 2008, the last time the Jayhawks won the title. The city estimates the weekend will bring in more than 100,000 people to the city – a number that doubles the city’s population. “Our community is really excited because this is really the largest sporting event we have in the state of Kansas,” Chief Rich Lockhart said. With all the extra people, there will be a significant amount of the law enforcement on the ground in Lawrence, and not just from the Lawrence Police Department.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF

Ranson Financial2022-03-29T23:23:58-05:00March 29, 2022|News|

Chiefs consider move to Kansas, Mark Donovan says

KThe Chiefs have recently considered crossing the state line to become the Kansas City, Kansas, Chiefs. That’s according to a report from Kevin Clark of the Ringer after he spoke to Chiefs President Mark Donovan at the NFL Owners Meetings in Palm Beach, Florida Tuesday morning. Chiefs fans are watching, including Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas. “We look forward to working with the Chiefs, our state of Missouri partners, and local officials to ensure the Chiefs remain home in Kansas City and Missouri for generations to come,” Lucas wrote on Twitter.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF

Ranson Financial2022-03-29T23:22:47-05:00March 29, 2022|News|

Good ideas flow from combined Great Bend / Barton County meeting

From budgeting woes to shortages in house, workforce and childcare, there are many daunting issues facing both the Great Bend City Council and the Barton County Commission. But, both bodies meeting in their second-annual joint meeting Monday night said cooperation will only make these challenges easier to overcome. “It’s up to everyone to make this county a good place,” said Ward 2 Councilwoman Jolene Biggs. “We have a lot of good things going.” “Your constituents are our constituents,” District 2 County Commissioner Barb Esfeld said, echoing Biggs’ sentiments. “We’ve just got to keep working together.”
Source: GB Tribune

Ranson Financial2022-03-29T07:10:57-05:00March 29, 2022|News|

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