Parsons leadership creates safe exchange zone for community

Safety is always a primary concern throughout any community. With the increased use of online shopping through platforms, this has community leaders looking for ways to create an environment for any in-person exchanges. And soon, one of those will be coming to Parsons. “Marketplace and Craigslist and all that stuff has really gotten huge over the past few years,” says Leland Crooks, Parsons City Commissioner, “It’s individuals selling to individuals, there’s no guarantees, you don’t have a store you can go back to.”
Source: KSNF/KODE

Ranson Financial2022-01-03T02:05:31-06:00January 3, 2022|News|

Bel Aire getting disc golf

Bel Aire residents could have a new outdoor activity available by the spring if everything goes according to plan. The city is in the early stages of planning a disc golf course at Alley Park. Alley Park is located near the Park Vista subdivision north of 48th North and Oliver. Currently, the park doesn’t offer many amenities. It is a natural park with a large fishing pond and plenty of space.
Source: Ark Valley News

Ranson Financial2022-01-02T21:39:57-06:00January 2, 2022|News|

Wichita’s Non-Discrimination Ordinance Passed in October Goes Into Effect New Year’s Day

A new non-discrimination ordinance for the City of Wichita that was passed in October goes into effect today. The ordinance prohibits discrimination in the areas of housing, employment and public accommodation based on age, color, disability, familial status, gender identity, genetic information, national origin or ancestry, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other factor protected by law. It allows people to have their discrimination complaints for housing, employment and public accommodation filed with the city and adjudicated locally.
Source: Country 101.3 KFDI

Ranson Financial2022-01-02T20:44:59-06:00January 2, 2022|News|

Processional for Wichita Firefighter stretched for miles as first responders and residents pay their respects

t the corner of Central and Elder in West Wichita, sits Fire Station 8 where Joshua Bruggeman was assigned. “We are family. It’s like losing a brother. It is losing a brother,” Chief Derek Davis said. “Today the least we could do was pay our respects.” Joshua Bruggeman was a 17-year member of the Wichita Fire department. Friday morning, there was a procession from Wesley Hospital to the mortuary. The procession passed by his former station, where his protective gear was on display.
Source: KAKE – News

Ranson Financial2022-01-02T20:38:20-06:00January 2, 2022|News|

Flurry of small earthquakes in Salina area spur questions about responsibility oil and gas industry

Linda Berry, spokeswoman for the KCC, said the commission’s staff was working with the Kansas Geological Survey and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to investigate potential links between the latest earthquakes in Saline County and drilling or injection activity. She said there had been no drilling in the past three months adjacent to the earthquakes south of Salina in central Kansas. That serves to rule out theories hydraulic fracturing directly induced the quakes, she said. There are no KDHE-regulated Class I wastewater disposal wells within 15 miles of the earthquakes, Berry said. There are approximately 38 KCC-regulated Class II Arbuckle disposal wells within the 15-mile investigation area, she said. “KCC staff has compiled the injection data for these wells dating back to 2015 and shared it with KGS and KDHE,” Berry said. “As we analyze this data, we will look for any patterns or trends that could be leading to the increased number of earthquakes.”
Source: The Iola Register

Ranson Financial2022-01-02T20:36:03-06:00January 2, 2022|News|

City of Lawrence requiring masks in all facilities, suspending exercise and free play at rec centers

The City of Lawrence is once again putting in place more strict measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Among those measures, recreational facilities will be closed to general exercise and free play, the city announced Friday. “Scheduled programs at these facilities will be limited and facility cleaning will be enhanced.” In addition, masks will again be required inside all city facilities for anyone ages 2 and up. Officials with Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health have moved the county’s community transmission indicator status to red, meaning the rolling 14-day average number of new cases reported daily has topped 50 — as of Wednesday, it was 55.79 — and total active cases in the county have topped 1,000. Wednesday’s update showed 1,216 active cases.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Ranson Financial2022-01-02T20:33:58-06:00January 2, 2022|News|

Municipal Bond Trends for December 31, 2021

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 Financial2022-01-02T17:54:50-06:00January 1, 2022|News|

Cash Floods Municipal-Bond Market

Investors have poured more money into municipal bond funds so far this year than they have in decades, providing the fuel for borrowing by states and cities to fund new bridges, sewers and other state and local projects to a second-straight 10-year high. Municipal bond funds now hold an unprecedented 24% of outstanding debt compared with 16% five years ago, according to Federal Reserve data. The move marks the latest step in a fundamental shift away from a buy-and-hold market where individual investors quietly collect interest year after year. The record levels of borrowing and investing in 2021 are evidence that investors have moved well past their early worries the pandemic would drive a wave of municipal defaults and bankruptcies. Buoyed by stimulus funds, state and local governments issued $301.9 billion of debt for new projects as of Dec. 21, the most in at least a decade.
Source: Wall Street Journal

Ranson Financial2021-12-31T08:38:01-06:00December 31, 2021|News|

South-central KDOT crews pretreating some highways

In anticipation of wintry precipitation starting Friday — going into a holiday weekend — Kansas Department of Transportation crews in south-central Kansas are pretreating some highways. They are especially focusing on elevated areas including bridges, where the surface tends to freeze faster. Pretreatment varies within the region because of varied forecasts from area to area. Around Lyons, for example, a crew has been pretreating with a mix of brine and beet juice. Beet juice is sticky, so it holds the ice-fighting brine to the pavement longer and at lower temperatures. The beet juice looks brown, and it can be washed off vehicles.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler

Ranson Financial2021-12-31T01:14:21-06:00December 31, 2021|News|

Developer plans to bring 3.5 million-square-foot industrial project to De Soto

A recent annexation by the city of De Soto, Kansas, could lead to a new industrial development taking root in western Johnson County. In November, the De Soto City Council approved the annexation of roughly 367 acres of land near Edgerton Road and 103rd Street. The annexation also included 6,000 acres of land within the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant north of 127th Street. On Dec. 2, the De Soto City Council voted 3-1 to approve a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Flint Development for the development of roughly 350 acres near Edgerton Road and 103rd Street. The MOU outlines the city’s intent to incentivize development on the property through a 10-year, 85% tax abatement. In return, the developer commits to fund upgrades to public streets, water and sewer infrastructure.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF

Ranson Financial2021-12-31T01:12:27-06:00December 31, 2021|News|