A legend is lost in Clearwater: Former city council member, city administrator Yvonne Coon dies March 12

Community legend Yvonne Coon died on March 12 at the age of 87.“Mom was a great mother of three, David, Donald and Belinda,” said Yvonne’s son, David. “She loved family, friends, singing in the choir and her favorite city – Clearwater, Kansas.” Yvonne served the City of Clearwater for 49 years before retiring in 2020. She began working for the city in 1971 as a part-time employee, eventually becoming the first female city administrator in the state…
Source: Times-Sentinel Newspapers

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

‘It takes a village’: Community walk in Kansas City, Kansas, draws police and residents

Karl Oakman looked out at a crowd of about 200 people gathered Saturday morning at Mt. Zion Church in Kansas City, Kansas, and felt proud that a “peace walk” hosted by the police department had drawn such a large gathering. The event was organized to bring residents of Wyandotte County together with members of the police department. Police Chief Oakman hoped the walk would inspire more collaboration and positive engagement. “I really wanted to let the community see that the police is here to work with them,” said Oakman, who was sworn in as the new leader in June. “Rather than just talking, I wanted to show it.”
Source: KC Star Local News

Ranson Financial2022-03-27T22:43:22-05:00March 27, 2022|News|

Geneseo says ‘space ships welcome’ with hopes of becoming the UFO capital of Kansas

In the Rice County town of Geneseo, population 200, there is a sign at the entrance of the city museum beckoning visitors. All kinds of visitors. “Space Ships Welcome.” Welcome to Geneseo, where a movement is underway to name the town the UFO Capital of Kansas and perhaps even host a special global event on July 2 — World UFO day. Evidence of otherworldly visitors is in a new permanent exhibit at the Geneseo City Museum. When it comes to viewing the exhibit, think of a mix of Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast of 1938, and episodes of “Lost in Space” and “My Favorite Martian” from the 1960s. The UFO collection was originally gathered by Elmer Janzen, a Geneseo chiropractor.
Source: KCUR News

Ranson Financial2022-03-28T07:11:38-05:00March 27, 2022|News|

Munis end rough week with yields rising double digits on short end

Municipal yields rose Friday to close out a rough week, with the short end of the curve again seeing the brunt of the damage, with double-digit cuts to triple-A scales. U.S. Treasuries yields rose another 14-15 basis points on the short end, while equities ended mixed. Munis saw up to 12 basis point cuts on the short end, while USTs saw cuts up to 15 basis points inside the 10-year.
Source: The Bond Buyer

Ranson Financial2022-03-28T07:00:08-05:00March 27, 2022|News|

Western Kansas’ lack of arts opportunities deters young people from living on the plains

Garden City saw a weekend packed with theater performances from the local high school and community college in late February. Audiences were treated to productions of “Godspell” and “Crimes of the Heart”, but they had to choose between the two: Each scheduled Friday and Saturday evening performances and a Sunday matinee. Overlapping show weeks isn’t a new trend with theater in Western Kansas. Smaller districts’ annual plays have been historically slapped into “Buffer Week,” the break between fall and winter sports, as a student’s one chance to perform with friends as a cast. This trend of “feast or famine” when it comes to performance opportunities is quite modern, since the craft of acting and storytelling have been around to entertain and educate since our most primitive civilizations. What our modern culture chooses, in the end, to promote and fund has shifted. Thus today’s young Kansans’ dreams have been turned away from the plains.
Source: Kansas Reflector

Ranson Financial2022-03-27T22:24:55-05:00March 27, 2022|News|

Overland Park clears way for $440K in federal funds to improve 4 city parks

Overland Park’s long-term plan will soon include improvements to more than $400,000 worth of improvements to four public parks in the north of the city. At its Monday meeting, the Overland Park City Council approved an amendment to the city’s Community Development Block Grant program, which uses federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on projects targeted toward low to moderate-income areas of the city. The amendment makes way for improvements on four city parks to be included in the CDBG Consolidated Plan for 2020-2024.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Ranson Financial2022-03-28T07:04:03-05:00March 27, 2022|News|

Wichita Monitoring Multiple Water Leaks, But Says Service is Not Threatened

The City of Wichita said Thursday that it is repairing two leaks near the water treatment plant. The city said there are two leaks in a 42″ water main pipe between the Hess pump station at 1601 Museum Blvd and the current water treatment facility. Public Works and Utilities officials said they have been working around the clock to monitor the leak and water pressure since becoming aware of the issue on March 23rd. The city assured residents that the issue was no cause for alarm, and that they should not experience any service impacts from the leaks at this time. The pipe with the leak is one of three that supplies treated water to the Hess Pump Station.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI

Ranson Financial2022-03-28T07:04:15-05:00March 27, 2022|News|

Fans visiting Wichita for first time with NCAA Women’s basketball tournament

For Becky Lamb, this is her second weekend on the road. Last weekend she was in Waco for South Dakota’s upset of Baylor. “We just have a lot of fun.” Lamb says one of the perks of traveling to all these cities for the games, she and her friends and family get to experience new cities. “Its fun to find local establishments, we like to find a favorite to go to before or after the game.”
Source: KAKE – News

Ranson Financial2022-03-27T22:15:22-05:00March 27, 2022|News|

Douglas County Sheriff’s Office donates ballistic vests to Ukraine

A call went out and the Douglas County Sheriff’s office answered. The office said it donated 20 ballistic vests after the National Guard asked law enforcement agencies for help. The vests will eventually be shipped to Ukraine and given to people who are fighting the Russian invasion. The Sheriff’s Office said the vests are past their warranty dates and deputies would no longer be allowed to use them anyway. “In law enforcement we seek to help however we can and when we can. Like the rest of this community, we have felt very helpless and have wanted a way to help the people of Ukraine. This opportunity through the state National Guard presented us with that opportunity, and it is our hope that our tiny little donation will provide some safety to someone who may not have had it otherwise. If that is the case, it will have been our honor to have participated,” Sheriff Jay Armbrister, Douglas County, said.
Source: KSNT 27 News

Ranson Financial2022-03-27T22:14:11-05:00March 27, 2022|News|

Expanded golf cart use still being considered

Winfield city officials are still gathering information on potentially allowing limited golf cart usage on city streets, Winfield city manager Taggart Wall said Friday. A group of Winfield residents went before the Winfield City Commission in February and requested that the ordinance regarding golf carts be revised to allow limited street usage. Golf cart usage on public streets is currently allowed in a handful of Winfield neighborhoods and at some city-owned properties. Wall said that, once the information is gathered, it will be presented to Winfield’s Access Advisory Board. The board will review the information, then make a recommendation to the city commission about revising the ordinance. “We’ve received some comments from the public, which will be part of the review process,” Wall said about the issue. Comments have been both in favor of and against expanding the city ordinance.
Source: The Arkansas City Traveler

Ranson Financial2022-03-28T07:05:38-05:00March 27, 2022|News|