Wichita heads back to the future as riverfront possibilities abound

After more than a year of disruption and delay because of the pandemic, new questions are being asked about the future of Wichita’s riverfront. Public projects on the riverfront have had some success over the years, such as Exploration Place and the Keeper of the Plains. But the centerpiece of Wichita’s riverfront, the area that stretches from Douglas to Kellogg along the east bank of the Arkansas River, has been the subject of redevelopment plans for decades that have had mixed results. Pieces of some of those plans — such as the Hyatt Regency, the Boathouse, WaterWalk Place and the Fairfield Inn — were successes. Some died on the City Hall drawing board while others were implemented and failed.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Ranson Financial2021-10-04T00:12:45-05:00October 4, 2021|News|

Paola PD to host Children’s Fall Festival

The Paola Police Department will host a Children’s Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 2. The festival will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Paola Justice Center, located at 805 N. Pearl St. The event will feature a free lunch, children’s face painting, fingerprint ID cards, games and more. Children will also be able to check out emergency vehicles from the Paola Police Department, Miami County Sheriff’s Office, Paola Fire Department and Kansas National Guard. Bicycles will be raffled for multiple age groups. Winners must be present for the drawing at 2:30 p.m., according to a news release.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com

Ranson Financial2021-10-04T00:11:08-05:00October 4, 2021|News|

Atchison sees rise in tourism for haunted attractions

On a late September weekend, the city of Atchison was bustling with tourists looking for a good scare. With fall beginning and the return of Halloween season, the city of about 11,000 people becomes a hot spot for out-of-town tourists and national publications like BuzzFeed. Kaycee Slough, director of marketing at the Atchison Chamber of Commerce, said it’s one of the most thrilling times of the year for the city. “We know that people are so excited about everything that Atchison has to offer, specifically the haunted aspect, and so really delivering on all of those things is something that’s really important to us,” she said. Haunted attractions like the Sallie House, a turn-of-the-century home that’s drawn paranormal investigators to it, and the 1889 McInteer Villa, which brings in visitors on self-guided tours and overnight stays looking for evidence of the paranormal. Each year, Slough said, it seems like their popularity grows.
Source: News | atchisonglobenow.com

Ranson Financial2021-10-04T00:09:42-05:00October 4, 2021|News|

Shawnee Tribe and City of Fairway will investigate the Shawnee Indian Mission boarding school

At a press conference Thursday to mark Orange Shirt Day — a memorial to the thousands of lives lost at Indian residential schools — the chief of the Shawnee Tribe announce a partnership with the city of Fairway to investigate the history of the Shawnee Indian Mission, while calling on the federal government to research U.S. Indian boarding schools nationwide. Earlier this year, the Department of Interior announced an initiative to find out the inner workings of federally-operated Indian boarding schools. Places like Shawnee Indian Mission, which was an Indian boarding school from the 1830s to 1860s on 2,000 acres of Shawnee Tribe land, isn’t included in the initiative since it was operated by Methodist missionaries. Now, the Shawnee Tribe is partnering with the city of Fairway to begin looking into the operational details of the Shawnee Indian Mission. But Shawnee Tribe Chief Ben Barnes said the federal government “needs to step up” as well.
Source: KCUR News

Ranson Financial2021-10-04T06:37:59-05:00October 4, 2021|News|

Kansas county fixing systems after ransomware attack

Computer systems are being restored in an eastern Kansas county after hackers launched a ransomware attack on Sept. 17, county officials said Friday. Pottawatomie County resolved the attack by paying less than 10% of the hackers’ original demands, County Administrator Chad Kinsley said in a statement. The eastern Kansas county did not disclose the amount it paid, WIBW-TV reported. “We are a small county with small resources,” Kinsley said. “With the extraordinary demands that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on local governments like ours, we wanted to make sure that the hackers understood that there was no way we could even come close to meeting their demand.” Technical workers have installed more sensors on all servers to prevent further attacks. The investigation into how the hackers gained access to the system is continuing.
Source: KAKE – News

Ranson Financial2021-10-04T00:06:52-05:00October 4, 2021|News|

City of Lawrence bans airsoft, BB and paintball guns in parks after hearing community concerns

As a parent who visits the playground at Brook Creek Park regularly with her child, Jamie Benvenutti felt surprised last week to learn that BB and compressed air guns were permitted in city parks near areas where children and families congregate. “Shouldn’t there be a sign posted at each public park so parents can decide if they feel safe enough to bring their children to a place where it’s OK to shoot BB guns? I know I certainly don’t feel OK taking my child to a park where shooting guns is allowed,” Benvenutti said in an email late last week. Benvenutti’s concerns cropped up after reading a neighborhood post on a social media platform about squirrel hunting with BB guns at Brook Creek Park, 1200 Brook St.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Ranson Financial2021-10-04T00:03:44-05:00October 4, 2021|News|

Local governments struggle to hire public sector workers

Some local Kansas governments are operating with 10% of their positions unfilled, making it hard to deliver the services that citizens expect. Across the state, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that Kansas has seen a 4.7% drop in the number of public sector workers, which translates into about 12,000 vacant jobs, but some towns are being hit harder. The pandemic has made the situation worse because the competitive labor market makes it hard to replace older employees who decided to retire.
Source: KSN-TV

Ranson Financial2021-10-04T00:02:23-05:00October 4, 2021|News|

Local governments struggle to hire workers; some are operating with 10% of positions unfilled

In Concordia, City Manager Amy Lange has gotten a lot of mileage out of the “Kansas strong, Kansas nice” mindset. The north-central Kansas city is down six workers. While that may not seem like a lot, it accounts for about 10% of the city government’s workforce. Residents might not notice the impact unless they’re paying attention. Potholes don’t get fixed quite as quickly, and it might take a bit longer for questions about taxes to be answered. But Lange said this obscures the real impact, noting her staff is having to cover for vacant positions — even though they are already down to the bare minimum of workers that are needed to perform the city’s functions. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated hiring issues that already existed pushing older employees into retirement. The competitive labor market has made it hard to replace them.
Source: Salina Journal

Ranson Financial2021-10-04T06:44:18-05:00October 2, 2021|News|

Can you pronounce these 10 city names correctly? If so, there’s a good chance you’re from Kansas.

“The one thing I really love about language is how language can point to our history of human contact, relationship and movement,” said Mary Kohn, an associate professor at Kansas State University, who holds a doctorate degree in linguistics. “That’s very true for Kansas, as well. “Whenever we look at place names or pronunciation, what we’re getting is a cultural representation that reflects our history, and I think that’s really beautiful.” When it comes to pronouncing the names of places in Kansas — cities, counties, and even local and regional landmarks — native residents of the state may have a leg up.
Source: CJonline

Ranson Financial2021-10-02T08:38:45-05:00October 2, 2021|News|

Kansas tax collections beat estimate by $162.2 million, indicate growing economy and business profits

Kansas state officials reported more tax revenue was collected than expected over the past month, indicating a growing economy and improved profit margins for businesses. September total tax receipts were $876.5 million, beating the estimate by $162.2 million, or 22.7%. The revenues also beat September 2020 collections by $147.6 million, or 20.2%. “Our tax collection numbers continue to show promising growth,” Gov. Laura Kelly said in a Friday news release. “In the months ahead, we must maintain fiscally-responsible policies to strengthen our growing economy.” The additional revenue was primarily due to individual and corporate income tax collections, as well as retail sales taxes.
Source: Dodge Globe

Ranson Financial2021-10-02T08:37:06-05:00October 2, 2021|News|