Health officials concerned over COVID-19 uptick as holidays approach, mask mandates end

The rolling average of new COVID-19 cases in the Kansas City area continued to increase for the second consecutive week, raising the concerns of health officials ahead of the holidays. The upswing in cases has health officials concerned what will happen in the coming months as mask mandates have been allowed to expire and people head indoors for the winter months and for holiday celebrations. “When you start taking off masks and you go indoors, people are going to get sick again and we’re going to see the increasing rise of COVID-19 numbers,” said Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System. “And that’s exactly what we’re starting to see and I’m concerned.”
Source: The Kansas City Star

Ranson Financial2021-11-17T07:27:13-06:00November 16, 2021|News|

Lawrence community celebrates new mural at Cottin’s Hardware

A crowd gathered Sunday to celebrate the completion of a new mural at Cottin’s Hardware, 1832 Massachusetts St. Artists Dave Loewenstein, Ardys Ramberg and Missy McCoy got started on the mural, “Tiempo de la Tierra,” on Sept. 7, just after the Lawrence City Commission gave it final approval. Loewenstein, conservation leader Brett Ramey, a member of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, and Haskell Indian Nations University Professor Daniel Wildcat, a Yuchi member of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma, spoke eloquently and with passion about the mural, our community, the global community and the precarious situation our earth is in, Tom Harper wrote of the event. “We were also reminded of the beauty that surrounds us & good people making meaningful contributions to make the world a better place. In our town, everyone involved in the mural and yesterday’s gathering are shining examples of this truth,” Harper wrote.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Ranson Financial2021-11-17T07:27:39-06:00November 16, 2021|News|

“A Bolder Humboldt” initiative aimed at making the town a vibrant place to live and visit

Ten years ago, Humboldt, Kansas, was a lot like thousands of small towns across the United States. Economic and social shifts had left the once-booming downtown feeling eerily abandoned. Walmart stores had opened up to the north and south of town, “sucking the life out,” as one local man put it. A highway bypass had been built. And, because of mechanization, the many farms in the area required fewer workers. As a result, many storefronts were empty and the town population was dwindling. But the residents of this town of 1900 people didn’t give up. The area economy was actually quite sound. There were three successful industries—farming, a cement plant, and a fast-growing trailer hitch company. It was the downtown and the sense of wellbeing that needed a shot of adrenaline. That boost is now being provided by Joe Works, the founder and CEO of B&W Trailer Hitches, and a group of young people, mostly made up of his children, who launched an initiative called A Bolder Humboldt aimed at making the town a vibrant place to live and visit. “Why should people have to move elsewhere to enjoy the nicer things in life? Why can’t they have all those things in a small town in the Midwest?” says Joe.
Source: Pivot Projects

Ranson Financial2021-11-17T07:28:34-06:00November 16, 2021|News|

Save Century II activists want safeguards to prevent renaming the center for money

The Century II Convention and Performing Arts Center will be Century II for the foreseeable future, but City Hall and its recently approved private management company could seek to rename parts of the facility for those who are willing to pay. City Manager Robert Layton said Tuesday that the city would be unlikely to get any bids for renaming the entire Century II, but there could be some opportunities to sell naming rights within the facility. Layton gave that update in response to questions raised by supporters of the Save Century II movement at Tuesday’s council meeting and in an earlier teleconference meeting with city officials and officials of ASM Global, which will take over the management of the now publicly run center in January.
Source: Wichita Eagle

Ranson Financial2021-11-17T07:28:48-06:00November 16, 2021|News|

Atchison Approves COVID Premium Pay from ARPA Funds

City Commissioners approved a one-time payment of $1,000 per employee for front-line employees who were deemed essential and forced to continue to work during the shutdown during the height of the COVID pandemic panic during Monday’s regular meeting. To be eligible for the payment, the employee must have started working with the City in 2020 or before and still be an employee of the organization. Department heads and those who were able to work remotely during the shutdown in 2020 are not eligible. The money is an allowable use of American Rescue Plan Act funds, of which the city is receiving nearly $1.6 million.
Source: www.atchisonglobenow.com

Ranson Financial2021-11-17T07:29:43-06:00November 16, 2021|News|

Johnson Drive through downtown Shawnee is going down to 3 lanes

Shawnee’s pilot project to reduce lanes and slow down traffic on Johnson Drive through the downtown area is now underway. Crews have begun re-striping a stretch of Johnson Drive between Flint and Goddard streets. Work is slated to wrap up by Friday. The project, also known as a “road diet,” reduces that part of Johnson Drive from five lanes (two lanes going both directions, with a shared left turn lane) to three lanes (one lane going both directions with a shared left turn lane).
Source: Shawnee Mission Post

Ranson Financial2021-11-17T07:29:56-06:00November 16, 2021|News|

Roeland Park lets Johnson County’s last citywide mask mandate expire

The last city in Johnson County with a face mask mandate has let its order expire. Roeland Park was the only remaining city that required masks to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. On Monday, the city council voted 5-4 to allow its current masking resolution to expire at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16. Mayor Mike Kelly broke the tie. The resolution had taken effect Aug. 24 and was initially set to expire Oct. 19, but the city council later extended the expiration date. The order required masks for all people indoors in places accessible to the public or in crowded outdoor public places, with some exceptions. Roeland Park was the second Johnson County city to enact a mask mandate in the absence of a countywide order after Prairie Village imposed one on businesses starting Aug. 24. The Prairie Village City Council allowed that city’s mandate to expire on Oct. 31.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post

Ranson Financial2021-11-17T07:30:03-06:00November 16, 2021|News|

Bus stop issue resolved

The issue of motorists having to stop for school buses along U.S. 54 just outside LaHarpe has been resolved. LaHarpe City Attorney Fred Works said Monday the Iola school district has reached an agreement with a family allowing buses to use the family’s driveway for pick-up and drop-offs. The bus will no longer stop along the highway. At least three motorists have been ticketed in recent weeks for passing the stopped bus from the opposite direction along the four-lane highway. Motorists must stop for a school bus from both directions if its red lights are flashing and its stop sign is extended. The only exception is when a motorist is approaching from the opposite direction along a four-lane highway divided by a grass median.
Source: The Iola Register

Ranson Financial2021-11-17T07:30:45-06:00November 16, 2021|News|

How will Kansas spend $1.6B in COVID aid? Charities, sheriffs, theaters make their pitch

Help for the homeless. Grants for movie theaters. Hydroelectricity. As Kansas prepares to allocate $1.6 billion in federal COVID-19 aid, business groups, non-profit organizations and civic advocates from across the state are pushing a sweeping range of proposals for spending it. They are all angling for a piece of the one-time funding that could prove transformational for a host of programs and initiatives. The money holds the potential to ultimately touch residents in all corners of the state through dollars for affordable housing, business start-ups, new and improved public buildings, better access to higher education and faster broadband internet. How this funding is spent largely rests with a panel of state, civic and business leaders who have been touring the state, listening to local CEOs, non-profit executives and residents make their case for their particular project. Known as SPARK (Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas), the committee will produce recommendations that will go to the State Finance Council, a body made up of Gov. Laura Kelly and legislative leaders, for final approval.
Source: The Kansas City Star

Ranson Financial2021-11-17T07:30:58-06:00November 16, 2021|News|

$420K COVID grant will aid purchase of hotel for domestic violence shelter in Wichita

Money from a federal COVID-19 grant will be used to help the Wichita Family Crisis Center buy a hotel and transform it into a shelter for victims of domestic abuse. The City Council on Tuesday approved spending $420,000 from the city’s CARES Act money to complete the purchase of the hotel. The council earlier approved $800,000 for the project. Following the approval of the funding, the center’s executive director, Amanda Meyers and about a dozen staff and supporters celebrated in the hallway outside the council chambers. “Truly, we are over the moon,” Meyers said. “It was so needed for so long.” The Family Crisis Center has only been able to provide about eight safe bedrooms for domestic abuse victims and families. The center used to be able to house more people, but the COVID crisis reduced capacity as clients had to be spread out more to reduce transmission of the coronavirus.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Ranson Financial2021-11-16T16:14:24-06:00November 16, 2021|News|