Elkhart has Super Bowl watch party for Kansas coach

Did you know that Darrin Simmons, the assistant head coach and special teams coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, is from the small town of Elkhart, Kansas? Some Elkhart residents say the Cincinnati Bengals special teams coach had an amazing ride this year getting to the Super Bowl. “Sometimes, when people leave a small town, they tend to forget where they came from,” said Mica Nave, as she organized a Super Bowl watch party in Elkhart on Sunday. “And this is one guy that, Elkhart is his home. He’s proud to say that, and he’s never forgotten where he came from.”
Source: KSN-TV

Ranson Financial2022-02-15T07:17:18-06:00February 15, 2022|News|

No more overdue fines? Wichita Public Library board considers eliminating them

Roughly 44,000 Wichita Public Library card-holders are blocked from checking out books because they owe more than $10 in fees. The library’s board of directors is considering a proposal that would do away with overdue fines on books and other items in a move aimed at making city libraries more equitable. Library Director Jaime Prothro said she thinks wiping out library debt, which has become a nationwide trend, would encourage wayward readers to revisit the library collection without stress or shame.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Ranson Financial2022-02-15T07:15:29-06:00February 15, 2022|News|

How will Wichita recruit and select its next police chief? Community input promised

Wichita City Manager Robert Layton is ultimately responsible for hiring the city’s next police chief. He already has basic ideal-candidate criteria in mind. But he says what the community wants will also shape his opinion. With current Police Chief Gordon Ramsay out on March 1, the city is gearing up to find his replacement. The last time Wichita searched for a police chief, in 2014, finding the right person for the job took over a year.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Ranson Financial2022-02-15T07:15:15-06:00February 15, 2022|News|

Lawrence school board consensus: No school closures this year

The Lawrence school board, partway through a Monday evening budget work session, decided to take school closures off the table. Board members gave a general consensus that at this time, and with the school closures that have been proposed, no schools should be closed as soon as the 2022-23 school year. Though some board members said they might consider closures down the road, but not with the tight timeline in which they would need to make those decisions to go into effect for the fall. The district faces a $3.2 to $3.85 million budget shortfall. School district committee members, staff and board members have been working for months to determine how to make cuts to reach a balanced budget by July 1.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Ranson Financial2022-02-15T07:12:21-06:00February 15, 2022|News|

Fed’s Bullard says the central bank’s ‘credibility is on the line,’ needs to ‘front-load’ rate hikes

St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard made his case for a rapid move higher in interest rates, saying Monday that the central bank needs to react to accelerating inflation. “I do think we need to front-load more of our planned removal of accommodation than we would have previously. We’ve been surprised to the upside on inflation. This is a lot of inflation,” Bullard told CNBC’s Steve Liesman during a “Squawk Box” interview. “Our credibility is on the line here and we do have to react to the data,” he added. “However, I do think we can do it in a way that’s organized and not disruptive to markets.”
Source: CNBC – Bonds

Ranson Financial2022-02-14T21:45:06-06:00February 14, 2022|News|

Broadband leaders tout initiatives, programs

Kansas state broadband leaders say federal and state funding established last year to improve connectivity across the state helped support nearly 100 projects, and they are optimistic additional funds are on the way. During the pandemic, the SPARK task force earmarked $60 million in CARES Act funding for two broadband grant programs related to the pandemic response. Connectivity Emergency Response Grants totaling $50 million are funding a total of 65 projects across the state and 25 Broadband Partnership Adoption Grants totaling $10 million helped facilitate internet access for low-income households, defraying internet subscription costs, funded hot spots, and provided devices to eligible households. Stanley Adams, who leads the broadband development office at the Kansas Department of Commerce, said the programs are having a positive impact on communities.
Source: The Iola Register

Ranson Financial2022-02-14T21:39:50-06:00February 14, 2022|News|

Riley County appraiser analyst says home values up 7% from 2021

A Riley County appraiser analyst says the average home valuation has increased more than 7% in the last year. Allen Todd spoke to Riley County commissioners on Monday to discuss the local real estate market. He told The Mercury the average valuation for existing single family homes in Riley County increased 7.21% between 2021 and 2022. He said the increase in Manhattan is 7.43%. Meanwhile, the average valuation for single-family homes in Riley County is $229,682. The average in Manhattan is $244,865.
Source: themercury.com

Ranson Financial2022-02-15T07:21:24-06:00February 14, 2022|News|

South Hutchinson warns drivers to slow down

With continuing concerns about the safety of the U.S. 50 interchange in South Hutchinson, the city council this week agreed with a city manager recommendation that speeds in the area “be more aggressively enforced.” City Manager Joseph Turner also told the council Monday that he’s planning an “exhaustive review” of police, fire and municipal court operations, with the intent of offering future recommendations. The council previously identified public safety as one of its top issues to address in the community, Turner said, thus the review.
Source: Hutch News

Ranson Financial2022-02-14T09:59:06-06:00February 14, 2022|News|

When Kansas police use license plate readers, should data collected be public record?

Kansas crime-fighters are using license plate readers to collect vehicle data, and they want lawmakers to block the release of that data to the public. Law enforcement organizations argue the bill would protect data privacy, but they also indicate the issue came to a head as part of a desire to avoid filling open records requests. “It will protect this license plate data from the open records requests,” lobbyist Ed Klumpp said of the proposed legislation. “And it will protect that data and protect the people whose data we have.” Klumpp requested Senate Bill 434 on behalf of the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police, Kansas Sheriffs Association and Kansas Peace Officers Association. He told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that law enforcement want to protect citizens from crime. Senators passed the bill out of committee favorably on Friday.
Source: CJonline

Ranson Financial2022-02-14T09:56:27-06:00February 14, 2022|News|

JOCO Commission, De Soto discuss Sunflower Ammunition Plant

Johnson County Board of Commissioners approved the City of DeSoto’s request for creating a TIF District on the former Sunflower Ammunition Plant property.
The vote passed 5 to 2 with commissioners Michael Ashcraft and Charlotte O’Hara dissenting. Ashcraft said he was struggling with the proposed TIF district only containing 6,000 of the 9,000 acre property and wanted to know how it will impact future cleanup and regrowth of the site. Ed Eilert, county chairman, said the 6,000 acres of the property were in the city limits of DeSoto, but they didn’t have authority over the other 3,000 acres. “The Army is still active, and we have to wait the Army’s action,” he said. “It will stay within the county.”
Source: Gardner News

Ranson Financial2022-02-13T21:00:55-06:00February 13, 2022|News|