Harvey County launching drug court in October

Harvey County will be launching a drug court next month for those who have been battling substance abuse and mental health issues. County Attorney Jason Lane and District Judge Marilyn Wilder provided a PowerPoint presentation on Tuesday to the Board of Harvey County Commissioners about what drug court would try to accomplish and how it would operate. Lane cited national statistics that show a reduction of recidivism from 10-15 percent in places with drug courts. He said the reduction was even higher, up to 40 percent, in Kansas for those who successfully complete the program. Wilder invited commissioners and the public to the Oct. 13 launching of the first session.
Source: Harvey County Now

Ranson Financial2021-09-10T06:42:22-05:00September 9, 2021|News|

Bird scooters are coming to Prairie Village

Electronic dockless scooters are headed to Prairie Village. The Prairie Village City Council on Tuesday evening narrowly approved entering a memorandum of understanding with e-scooter company Bird Rides, Inc. to bring a fleet of at least 50 scooters to the city for a one-year pilot program. The council split evenly on the issue 6-6, and the tie-breaking vote when to Mayor Eric Mikkelson, who voted in favor of the pilot program. It’s not yet clear when Bird scooters will begin appearing on city streets.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Ranson Financial2021-09-10T06:42:40-05:00September 9, 2021|News|

Roeland Park aims to help businesses enforce city mask mandate with new signage

Roeland Park will spend up to $1,000 to print signs for business owners in the city to better notify customers to wear face masks indoors in the city. The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved authorizing the expense in an amendment to its Aug. 23 face mask resolution, which took effect Aug. 24 and is currently set to expire Oct. 19. Roeland Park became the second Johnson County city to enact a citywide mask mandate, following Prairie Village, which instituted a similar measure that took effect Aug. 24.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Ranson Financial2021-09-09T19:22:17-05:00September 9, 2021|News|

Municipal Bond Trends for September 8, 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 Financial2021-09-09T06:45:46-05:00September 9, 2021|News|

Emporia looks at developing upper-floor apartments downtown

Special projects coordinator Jim Witt explained to the Emporia City Commission during its Wednesday morning study session that an applicant had come forward with a proposal to install 10 new upper-floor apartments in the 700 block of Commercial Street. Witt said this would be the first such project in Emporia to be completed after new legislation became effective July 1 allowing Kansas cities with fewer than 60,000 people to issue Rural Housing Incentive District bonds to renovate the upper floors of buildings at least 25 years old in central business districts for residential use.
Source: Emporia Gazette

Ranson Financial2021-09-09T06:45:03-05:00September 9, 2021|News|

Wichita Fire Department gets funding for needed upgrades

Communication takes the lead when it comes to responding to an emergency, but for the Wichita Fire Department, the technology is falling behind. Wichita Fire Chief Tammy Snow said the alerting systems to notify crews about an emergency are outdated. The other challenge is the equipment is different between the stations. This means there’s a need to update the system and even add signal boosters for the radios. The Wichita City Council approved nearly $3 million, using funding from the American Rescue Plan.
Source: KSN-TV

Ranson Financial2021-09-08T19:05:52-05:00September 8, 2021|News|

Stair climb planned to honor 9/11 responders

The Parsons Fire Department is inviting fire departments from across the four states and beyond to participate in a stair climb event Saturday at Belmont Towers, 1900 Belmont Ave. The event is in honor of the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and in rural Pennsylvania. Beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, the 9/11 stair climb will have opening ceremonies, a presentation of colors and the national anthem. The official stair climb is open only to firefighters, but the public is invited to attend and participate in activities outside the towers. The purpose of the stair climb is to honor the 343 firefighter lives lost during the terrorist attacks in 2001 as well as raise funds for the Jed Head memorial scholarship. During the climb, photos of many of those who lost their lives will be displayed in the stairwell along with additional memorial photos on individual lanyards worn by participants making the 2,205 stair climb.
Source: Parsons Sun

Ranson Financial2021-09-08T19:03:45-05:00September 8, 2021|News|

Sedgwick nears the end of its city administrator search

A new administrator will most likely be chosen by the end of the month, according to Sedgwick Mayor Bryan Chapman. Chapman has led a three-member committee consisting of him and council members Randi Tolin and Carol Truesdell. They narrowed the field to two candidates to be interviewed by the full city council. The first interview took place last week during a thirty-minute executive session at the city council meeting. Chapman said the second interview would likely happen at the next council meeting on Sep. 20. “We’re at the very end and we’ll have an announcement soon, as soon as we get the other interview done because they’re both pretty good candidates,” Chapman said.
Source: Harvey County Now

Ranson Financial2021-09-08T18:53:32-05:00September 8, 2021|News|

After calls from activists, Wichita forms board to act on climate change, environment

The Wichita city council voted unanimously to establish a sustainability board on Tuesday, which will advise the council and city staff on climate change resiliency, environmental concerns and economic vitality. The vote comes after a coordinated effort that put 27 presentations by Wichita citizens in front of the city council over the past 6 months, passionately speaking about climate change concerns. Eight citizens spoke in favor of the ordinance during the city council meeting today, including a representative of the League of Women Voters, who said their organization was fully supportive of the formation of this task force.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Ranson Financial2021-09-08T18:51:34-05:00September 8, 2021|News|

Lenexa adjusts alcohol rules around civic campus and Public Market

The Lenexa Public Market has adjusted its rules regulating alcohol that can be consumed in the market and the surrounding area around the civi campus off 87th Street Parkway. Since the food hall and incubator of small businesses launched in 2017, the Lenexa Public Market, 8750 Penrose Lane, has prohibited the possession and consumption of liquor that’s purchased outside of the common consumption area surrounding the market … the Lenexa City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved several revisions that govern that common consumption area of the Lenexa Public Market in an attempt to give the city more flexibility at events.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post

Ranson Financial2021-09-09T10:32:23-05:00September 8, 2021|News|