Broad coalition seeks $50 million for rural housing

These should be good times for Norton County. It’s got four companies ready to invest $6 million in expansions, adding about three dozen jobs. Plus, area businesses have posted another 185 job openings. All welcome news in this northwest Kansas county with a population of 5,459. But there’s a catch. The county has so few homes available that it’s not only struggling to attract employees to fill existing openings, but fighting to meet the demands of new development. It’s a problem facing all parts of the state especially western Kansas, which has prompted a broad coalition of business and government interests to ask the Legislature for a one-time $50 million appropriation to help solve a rural housing shortage.
Source: Sunflower State Journal

Ranson Financial2022-03-02T07:17:49-06:00March 2, 2022|News|

Williamsburg holds second annual Mardi Gras Parade

Williamsburg held its annual Mardi Gras Parade over the weekend as an early celebration of the holiday, which falls on Tuesday, March 1 this year. Mardi Gras, French for Fat Tuesday, originated as a way for Christians to have one last day of feasting before Lent begins the next day. The city of New Orleans holds a world-famous Mardi Gras celebration each year, but for those who couldn’t make it to the Big Easy, Williamsburg held its very own mini-parade, complete with a Cajun feast. All proceeds from the dinner went to the Wellsville Community Building. The event was sponsored by the Williamsburg Community Club.
Source: The Ottawa Herald

Ranson Financial2022-03-02T00:05:50-06:00March 2, 2022|News|

Grant allows county to replace aging bridge at reduced cost

A state grant announced on Thursday will allow Reno County to replace an aging bridge in the southwest part of the county this year at a significantly reduced cost. The bridge on Fairview Road, crossing Smoots Creek some 7.4 miles west and 2.7 miles south of Pretty Prairie, is one of 29 around the state that will share more than $5 million in state funds as part of the Kansas Local Bridge Improvement Program. The current 76-foot-long bridge, consisting of four spans, was built in 1959, said Reno County Public Works Director Don Brittain. The bridge is still open, but it’s in poor condition and has a weight limit of a 7-ton single-unit truck.
Source: Hutch News

Ranson Financial2022-03-01T09:21:10-06:00March 1, 2022|News|

Treasury yields fall sharply, 10-year rate drops to 1.74%

U.S. Treasury yields dipped on Tuesday morning, as investors remained focused on Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell 3 basis points to 1.8044% at 4:40 a.m. ET. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond moved 3 basis points lower to 2.1435%. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has entered its sixth day. The attack has roiled global markets and seen investors look to safe haven investments like U.S. government bonds, pushing yields down. … Investors will be watching Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s testimonies to Congress this week, for any indication on whether the Russia-Ukraine conflict will affect the central bank’s plans for tightening monetary policy.
Source: CNBC – Bonds

Ranson Financial2022-03-01T08:05:17-06:00March 1, 2022|News|

Municipal Bond Trends for February 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 Financial2022-03-01T08:01:51-06:00March 1, 2022|News|

Liberal celebrates International Pancake Day

March 1 is international pancake day this year. The small Kansas town of Liberal celebrates it like no other. It all started back in 1445 in Olney, England, when a woman was making pancakes to use up her cooking fats before lent. While making the pancakes, she heard the church bells ringing for the shriving service. She ran 415 yards to the church, skillet and pancake in hand. In the following years, it became a race as neighbors joined in to see who could make it to the church first to collect a kiss of peace from the bell ringer. It was brought to Liberal in 1950 when a magazine showed a picture of Olney women racing to church. Liberal Jaycee President R.J. Leete contacted the Vicar of St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church in Olney, Reverand Ronald Collins, challenging their women to race against the women of Liberal. The prize of the race in Liberal is also a kiss of peace from the bell ringer.
Source: KSN-TV

Ranson Financial2022-03-01T08:00:58-06:00March 1, 2022|News|

BP seeks to appeal Kansas town’s lawsuit over gas price hike

The energy company BP says in new court documents that it wants to appeal a judge’s ruling allowing residents of Mulberry to sue over sharp hikes in natural gas prices last February. The Wichita Eagle reports BP filed two court documents in the last week that indicates it wants the lawsuit dismissed. One seeks permission to appeal Chief District Judge Lori A. Bolton Fleming’s decision on Feb. 8 to let the lawsuit proceed. The second document outlines BP’s belief that it cannot be sued by residents of the town.
Source: KSN-TV

Ranson Financial2022-03-01T00:57:01-06:00March 1, 2022|News|

Kansas first responders seek to normalize, provide relief for job-induced mental trauma

Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister says first responders carry a lifetime of scars, mental and physical, from experiences in the field that require years of healing. It is the mental traumas from the day-to-day sights that are most hazardous and difficult to overcome, he said. Armbrister testified in support of Senate Bill 491 last week, which would secure workers’ compensation for first responders suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and shared his traumas. He shared how the emotional damage of seeing the body of a dead child dwarfs the physical injury suffered after smashing a window in a submerged vehicle. He shared on the Kansas Reflector podcast he would tell his story to make clear why supporting first responder wellness is critical, no matter how many scars it rips off. “It is absolutely worth it in order to get the legislators to understand exactly what it is that they’re talking about,” Armbrister said. “It’s really about destigmatizing the terms but also understanding that day to day, our local first responders are dealing with some s*** that ain’t nobody supposed to be dealing with.”
Source: The Lawrence Times

Ranson Financial2022-03-01T00:38:32-06:00March 1, 2022|News|

Lieutenant Governor Toland Announces Public Comment Period for the Broadband Acceleration Grants

Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland announced the opening of a public comment period for the Broadband Acceleration Grants. The Kansas Office of Broadband Development (KOBD), a division of the Kansas Department of Commerce, has opened a public comment period for the state’s Broadband Acceleration Grant Program. The open comment period is part of an extensive review of the 36 applications submitted to KOBD that are competing for $5 million in available grant funding. The public and other interested stakeholders can participate by reviewing proposed service areas and expressing either support or specific concerns about the proposed grant projects. The program funds 50% of the total project amount, with a 50% match that results in $10 million in total investment in broadband infrastructure projects targeted for completion by October 2023.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce

Ranson Financial2022-03-01T07:58:16-06:00March 1, 2022|News|

Pott County to cover $26,000 gap to St. Marys Fire after state error on valuations

Pottawatomie County commissioners have agreed to cover a nearly $26,000 gap in funding to the St. Marys Fire Department, caused by a change up at the state level for assessed utilities. The result, which county officials say the state plans to correct in fiscal year 2023, led to a $6 million drop in valuations for properties around the Jeffrey Energy Center, in what is now the former Fire District No. 1. The county has an annual agreement with the city fire department to provide service to the rural area surrounding St. Marys. County Clerk Dawn Henry says the county received utilities in June, which is when they noticed a problem. She says the new company handling valuations for the state took over and changed how they report those values to the state.
Source: 1350 KMAN

Ranson Financial2022-03-01T07:58:49-06:00March 1, 2022|News|