Reno County resident forms fire watch group

Dr. Christine Sanders recalls seven or eight years ago experiencing a wildfire near her home for the first time after moving into the Spyglass subdivision northeast of Hutchinson. “I came home from work to get the dogs,” she said. “Ashes and embers were landing everywhere, I realized that I didn’t know how to turn on the sprinklers.” It ended up not being a problem be on the winds blew the fire north, but Sanders decided she needed to be better prepared…. She asked the fire department to assess her property and then hosted an educational session, which was attended by about two dozen people and put by the fire department, Kansas Forestry Service and Natural Resource Conservation Service…. Sanders also set up a text group with her neighbors, so they can communicate when there are fires in the county and look out for each other.
Source: Hutch News

Ranson Financial2022-03-29T07:09:10-05:00March 29, 2022|News|

Municipal Bond Trends for March 28, 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 Financial2022-03-29T07:04:06-05:00March 29, 2022|News|

Wichita begins effort to remove sand from major streets

The City of Wichita is starting its annual program to remove sand that was put down on major streets during winter storms. Assistant public works director Ben Nelson said the city used about 16,000 tons of salt and sand mix during the past few months, and half of that is sand that remains on the streets. He said removing the sand will make the streets safer for pedestrians, motorcycles and bicycles, and it also keeps sand from getting into the storm drainage system. Nelson said the city will be running six street sweeper vehicles during the overnight hours, and some crews are being moved from first shift to second and third shifts to get the work done. He said the focus will be on the arterial streets, secondary snow routes and school access snow routes that were treated during winter storms. The goal is to finish the cleanup by June 15th, but the work could be finished in May.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI

Ranson Financial2022-03-29T01:38:17-05:00March 29, 2022|News|

Houseless in Johnson County will have few options after shelter closes at end of March

Bob Winner has spent almost every night this winter on a plain cot inside the Lenexa church where the nonprofit Project 1020 hosts Johnson County’s only emergency shelter for single adults who find themselves without a place to stay. The building is warm, the food is good and the volunteers are kind. Yet Winner rarely sleeps. He is consumed with what will happen to him and hundreds of other unhoused people who have sought help from the shelter come April 1, when the winter-only facility closes its doors for the season, exposing a hole in the Kansas City area’s safety net for people experiencing homelessness.
Source: KC Star Local News

Ranson Financial2022-03-29T01:30:56-05:00March 29, 2022|News|

The bond market is flashing a warning sign a recession may be coming. Here’s why

The bond market is flashing a warning sign for the U.S. economy. That harbinger is called an “inverted yield curve.” These inversions in the bond market have been reliable predictors of past recessions. Part of the yield curve inverted on Monday. An economic downturn isn’t assured, though. Some economists think the warning is a false alarm. Here’s what to know.
Source: CNBC – Bonds

Ranson Financial2022-03-29T01:24:10-05:00March 29, 2022|News|

City of Wichita crews find three leaks at water treatment plant

Public works crews from the city found leaks at the water treatment plant. It’s now time to fix the problem. On Monday, KSN received an update from public works director, Alan King, who told us crews found not two leaks as the city originally reported, but a third leak was found at the site. This is something crews did not know about until divers went down on Friday and discovered the additional leak inside the pipe. Crews isolated the problems, closed off the line and sealed it off. Right now there are questions about how much this is going to cost to repair. “We’re starting to get closer to summer and we generally experience much higher demands on our water system because of irrigation so there was some concern with what we had would we be able to meet that great of demand,” said King.
Source: KSN-TV

Ranson Financial2022-03-29T06:59:18-05:00March 29, 2022|News|

Strang Park set to reopen this summer with Overland Park’s first all-inclusive playground

A new and improved St rang Park in Overland Park is on track to reopen this summer for the first time in more than two years with several new features aimed at making the park more inclusive and accessible. Efforts to remake the 11-acre park at West 88th and Farley Street have been ongoing since last August, and the city gave an update on its Facebook page last week, announcing that Strang Park should reopen this June. The improvements at Strang include a new all-inclusive playground with elevated climbing nets, a sensory tunnel, in-ground trampolines and a rock wall, all aimed at “promot[ing] tactile, motor and visual skills,” according to the city’s website.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Ranson Financial2022-03-29T01:17:59-05:00March 29, 2022|News|

Johnson County considers bolstering security at admin building in Olathe

The Johnson County administration building in downtown Olathe, where the county commission meets, has serious security deficiencies that need to be addressed by scanning people as they come and go, according to Sheriff Calvin Hayden. In light of sometimes “highly volatile” meetings in the building, Hayden has proposed adding six staffers for building security, plus improvements in certain lobby areas. The county already has working scanning equipment left over from the old courthouse, he said.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Ranson Financial2022-03-29T06:59:44-05:00March 29, 2022|News|

Local Governments Attractive Targets for Hackers and Are Ill-prepared

President Joe Biden on March 21 warned that Russian cyberattacks on U.S. targets are likely, though the government has not identified a specific threat. Biden urged the private sector: “Harden your cyber defenses immediately.” It is a costly fact of modern life that organizations from pipelines and shipping companies to hospitals and any number of private companies are vulnerable to cyberattacks, and the threat of cyberattacks from Russia and other nations makes a bad situation worse. Individuals, too, are at risk from the current threat. Local governments, like schools and hospitals, are particularly enticing “soft targets” – organizations that lack the resources to defend themselves against routine cyberattacks, let alone a lengthy cyber conflict.
Source: Route Fifty – All Content

Ranson Financial2022-03-29T01:11:39-05:00March 29, 2022|News|

Residents review Paola’s comprehensive plan draft

The potential future of Paola was on display Thursday, March 24, during a public open house that unveiled a draft of the city’s new comprehensive plan. Maps, charts and statistical information were displayed throughout the gymnasium at the Paola Fire Station for the event, and members of the public were encouraged to walk through, ask questions and provide feedback. The displays covered topics like existing and future land use maps, parks and recreation, natural resources and conservation, housing and neighborhoods, economic development, infrastructure and transportation. There also was a print version of the lengthy draft residents could flip through.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com

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