4.5-magnitude earthquake rattles Wichita, south-central Kansas on Monday

People across Wichita and south-central Kansas are saying on social media that they felt a earthquake rattle the area late Monday morning. Reports started rolling in on Twitter and Facebook shortly after 11 a.m. The United States Geological Survey’s earthquake map says the quake was centered about seven kilometers — or 4.3 miles — northwest of Medford, Oklahoma, not far from the Kansas-Oklahoma state line. It was about 7.8 kilometers deep and had a magnitude of 4.5, according to the USGS. The earthquake’s epicenter was about 75 miles south of Wichita. But it was strong enough to make the ground shake across the city for several seconds, causing a flurry of online posts.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Ranson Financial2022-02-01T07:28:16-06:00January 31, 2022|News|

Why municipal electric utilities seek deals with cryptocurrency miners

What to do when your municipal electric utility is slammed by huge bills after the state electric grid failed to balance supply and demand? Bring in a new power-hungry customer to help pay off those bills. That’s what Denton, Texas, is doing. Now, the money it realizes from having Core Scientific as a customer will pay the town’s $7 million in annual debt service it has from the $140 million in debt Denton issued to cover the cost of power when the price of electricity from Electric Reliability Council of Texas, ERCOT, soared to $9,000 per kilowatt hour, said Tony Puente, general manager of Denton Municipal Electric. “We will get about $8 million net revenue from the utility that will offset that $7 million in debt service,” Puente said. Denton signed the agreement with Core Scientific in October. The company, which uses its facilities and technology for both hosted mining and self-mining of digital assets, is expected to start operations in March.
Source: The Bond Buyer

Ranson Financial2022-01-31T23:35:29-06:00January 31, 2022|News|

Pottawatomie County planning to extend moratorium on solar farms to 2023

Pottawatomie County commissioners gave consensus Monday to extend its ongoing moratorium on solar farms until January 1, 2023. Doing so doesn’t mean the board and the county planning commission can’t still meet to draft zoning regulations. Commissioner Greg Riat says without it, a resident could in theory start building a solar farm operation on their property. “Just say we’re not going to do any solar farms in our county until January 1 of 2023 and for some reason we get our planning and zoning done in August we take it off.” The current moratorium is set to expire in March. The process of drafting regulations has been a complicated one that continues to try to hash out concerns over property rights, environmental concerns and other circumstances that may arise.
Source: 1350 KMAN

Ranson Financial2022-02-01T07:28:42-06:00January 31, 2022|News|

Noble Health Announces Reopening a Hospital in Fort Scott

Officials and community members gathered in the McAuley Center at the former Mercy Hospital building on Jan. 31, 2022, to hear Noble Health’s announcement to reopen a hospital. Fort Scott will get a new hospital. The Fort Scott City Commission and the Bourbon County Commission signed a contract in July 2021 to facilitate Noble Health Corp’s feasibility study of reopening the former Mercy Hospital building as an acute care hospital. Today, the decision was announced by Noble Health Corp. to move forward with the project. Bourbon County, the City of Fort Scott, and other government officials and members of the community gathered in the McAuley Center at the former Mercy Hospital this morning to hear the announcement.
Source: Fort Scott Biz

Ranson Financial2022-01-31T23:29:22-06:00January 31, 2022|News|

For sale: Kansas missile silo, $380,000

Yes, you will have privacy and the ability to withstand a nuclear strike. Although not unheard of, Zillow is offering a rare find, an old missile complex for sale that could be used as a home, apartments, or even a bed and breakfast for the right family. The property is a decommissioned Atlas F missile silo complex on 11 acres near Abilene. The 6,900 square foot complex has two upper levels once used for launch control and living quarters. The main missile silo is 170 feet deep. Zillow, who lists the property, said the facility has water, electricity, and a forced sewage system to the ground surface. A 4,000 square foot Quonset building with water, electricity, and plumbing comes with the property.
Source: KSNF/KODE

Ranson Financial2022-01-31T23:24:27-06:00January 31, 2022|News|

Girard fire department provides free smoke detectors

First responders in Kansas are doing their part to keep the community safe. The Girard Fire Department is offering free smoke detectors for city residents. This was made possible through the Future Fund Giving Circle grant from the Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas. “In case if someone’s house were to catch on fire, it would help alert them if they were asleep or they were home and they didn’t know their house was on fire, it will help alert them that there is smoke inside the residence. So we don’t have any victims trapped inside the residence,” says Johnny Moutz Jr., Girard Fire Chief. To request a smoke detector you can call the fire department to arrange an installation, or leave a message with your name, phone number and address.
Source: KSNF/KODE

Ranson Financial2022-02-01T07:29:04-06:00January 31, 2022|News|

Lawrence community replicates students’ steps through school closure, boundary revision scenarios

A group set out Monday afternoon with a goal of showing what it’s like to walk a mile or two in a student’s shoes. Walkers began the 1.8-mile journey at Schwegler Elementary under a sunny sky en route to Broken Arrow Elementary. With water bottles and backpacks in tow, families marched south down Ousdahl Road hoping to show the school board the realities students would face trudging back to the Broken Arrow neighborhood should the board vote to close their neighborhood school. Save Our Schools 497 sponsored the gathering with the intent of following the city and school’s collaborative Safe Routes to School map. Students who live within 2.5 miles of their school don’t receive busing from the district unless they qualify through other services such as special education or English to Speakers of Other Language programs.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Ranson Financial2022-01-31T23:21:08-06:00January 31, 2022|News|

Legislature Looks At Adding Regulations On Green Energy

Green energy companies and environmentalists are fighting a revived push in the Kansas Legislature for stricter limits on wind turbines and solar farms in a state where renewable resources account for nearly half the capacity for generating electricity. Two Senate committees have held hearings on bills backed by a key conservative lawmaker and landowners upset with wind turbines going up near their homes. Wind energy officials said the proposed rules would be so strict that no new wind or solar farms could be built in Kansas. The measures are pushed by Senate Utilities Chair Mike Thompson, who questions whether wind and solar farms can provide a reliable power supply.
Source: WIBW News Now

Ranson Financial2022-01-31T23:18:20-06:00January 31, 2022|News|

Sedgwick County Sued For Racial Discrimination

A former Sedgwick County employee alleges in a lawsuit that his coworkers called him the “colored guy” and sang spirituals from the slavery era while he worked as a bridge crewman. David Partridge filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the Sedgwick County commissioners, The Wichita Eagle reported. Partridge alleges that he encountered a racially hostile work environment while working for the county from December 2019 to August 2021. After Partridge complained, a county investigation verified the racial discrimination, and Partridge was told he would not have to return to that work crew, according to the lawsuit.
Source: WIBW News Now

Ranson Financial2022-01-31T23:16:20-06:00January 31, 2022|News|

Governor Laura Kelly announces Building a Stronger Economy (BASE) Grant Application

Governor Laura Kelly, today, announced the launch of the Building a Stronger Economy (BASE) program. BASE is a new grant opportunity to help support infrastructure development and advance economic development opportunities across Kansas. “Programs like this provide vital funding to ensure Kansas communities continue to recover from COVID-19 and grow their economies,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “These dollars represent an important opportunity for communities to build economic foundations for the future.” The grant program will be administered by the Kansas Department of Commerce. As proposed by the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Executive Committee, the program offers matching funds to address economic development opportunities with the goal of expanding the state’s base of businesses and residents as we continue to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Kansas Department of Commerce

Ranson Financial2022-01-31T23:14:38-06:00January 31, 2022|News|