County Update: Commissioner Becky Fast on ‘getting through unprecedented times’

During these uncertain times, it’s very important to keep connections alive with your local, state, and federal elected officials to inform them what you are feeling, observing, and thinking. As community spread of COVID-19 continues throughout our region, Johnson County is taking aggressive action to flatten the curve and protect the health and livelihood of our residents.
The County is working closely with regional hospital CEOs, state, and federal health officials, and emergency response officials across the metro area (Jackson County, KCMO, Wyandotte County/KCK). We are working together to mitigate the spread to preserve the capacity of our hospitals for those who need medical care.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)

Ranson Financial2020-03-26T08:42:06-05:00March 25, 2020|News|

‘We are all in this together’: Shawnee mayor issues statement on community response to COVID-19

In a message Tuesday evening to Shawnee residents and businesses, Mayor Michelle Distler offered empathy to the community and provided updates on the city’s action plan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Distler recommended everyone heed the advice from the CORE 4 partner governments in the Kansas City metro area as well as federal and state guidelines.
And in bold text, Distler urged residents to continue shopping at local businesses, utilizing curbside pickup and other social distancing measures, in order to keep the local economy intact as much as possible. A complete copy of her address is below.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)

Ranson Financial2020-03-26T08:42:18-05:00March 25, 2020|News|

AG Derek Schmidt: New rules to keep government meetings transparent during COVID-19 ‘social distancing’ limitations now in effect

New rules for state and local governments to comply with the Kansas Open Meetings Act (KOMA) during ‘social distancing’ emergency restrictions have been approved by the State Rules and Regulations Board and are now legally binding, Attorney General Derek Schmidt said today….
Overall, the new regulation advises public bodies to keep the need for transparency prominently in mind if stay-home orders or other pandemic-response requirements prevent the public from attending meetings or cause members of public bodies to meet without physically gathering in person. Public bodies subject to the KOMA should “take any actions as may be necessary and reasonable under the circumstances of the emergency declaration to advance the state policy that ‘meetings for the conduct of governmental affairs and the transaction of governmental business be open to the public.’”
(Read more: Kansas Attorney General News Releases)

Ranson Financial2020-03-26T08:56:05-05:00March 25, 2020|News|

MHK Together raises over $100K in grocery assistance

More than $100,000 has been raised by the community to support grocery assistance to those experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
MHK Together, a collaboration between the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation, 502 Media Group, Konza United way, and Shepherds Crossing began raising money Friday with a goal of matching the $150,000 donations supporting the initiative from the Ward & Brenda Morgan, Lincoln & Dorothy Deihl and Mary Vanier Donor Advised Funds.
By Wednesday afternoon, the donations amounted to $105,000. Blade Mages with the 502 Media Group explains the purpose of MHKTogether.org
(Read more: 1350 KMAN)

Ranson Financial2020-03-26T08:57:10-05:00March 25, 2020|News|

$5 million of HIRE Fund loans have been awarded to Kansas hospitality businesses

Within 48 hours of Governor Laura Kelly announcing the establishment of the Hospitality Industry Relief Emergency (HIRE) Fund, all $5 million allocated for the loan program have been awarded.
“The hospitality industry in Kansas was one of the first to be hit financially by the COVID-19 crisis,” Governor Kelly said. “Department of Commerce Secretary David Toland and the teams at Commerce and NetWork Kansas moved swiftly to stand up the HIRE Fund program and process applications in a short period to help us quickly get these critical dollars into the hands of hospitality businesses across the state.”
The initial response to the HIRE Fund program was overwhelming. More than 1,400 applications for funding were received, with more than 800 submitted within 24 hours of the program being announced.
(Read more: hiawathaworldonline.com)

Ranson Financial2020-03-26T08:58:05-05:00March 25, 2020|News|

Old-time gas stations beloved landmarks of Marion County’s past

From Tampa to Florence, old gas stations throughout Marion County stand as a reminder of American days gone by.
David Mueller owns a renovated gas station in Tampa that has been around since the 1950s.
“It had always been kind of a landmark,” he said. “The problem was it was in such disrepair. It was a matter of visualizing what it used to look like and what it could look like again.”
(Read more: HILLSBORO Star-Journal)

Ranson Financial2020-03-26T08:58:46-05:00March 25, 2020|News|

What businesses and residents need to know about Sedgwick County’s stay-home order

The essential activities and essential businesses outlined in Sedgwick County’s stay-at-home public health order offer many reasons why residents can leave their homes for the next 30 days.
County commissioners, acting as the Board of Health, approved the draft 3-2 on Monday and sent it to public health officer Garold Minns, a physician at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, who signed it Tuesday morning.
(Read more: KAKE – News)

Ranson Financial2020-03-26T08:59:15-05:00March 25, 2020|News|

Douglas County leaders to consider paid leave for all employees not working under stay-at-home order

Douglas County leaders will soon consider approving paid leave for county employees who will not be working because of the coronavirus outbreak.
As part of its meeting Wednesday, the Douglas County Commission will consider a proposal to pay employees regardless of whether they must report to work under the stay-at-home order issued by local health officials in response to the virus. Department heads have identified essential and nonessential staff, the latter of which would be put on administrative leave with pay for the duration of the shutdown under the proposal, according to a county agenda report.
Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health has issued a stay-at-home order beginning Tuesday, and that will remain in place through April 23. The order closes all businesses and functions that are deemed nonessential.
Read more: LJWorld.com.

Ranson Financial2020-03-25T08:45:39-05:00March 25, 2020|News|

Kansas residents hunker down amid virus’ economic fallout

Aircraft parts maker Spirit Aerosystems temporarily suspended production work for Boeing at its Wichita facility on Tuesday amid the coronavirus outbreak that has been sending shock waves through the economy and has more than half of Kansas residents under shelter-in-place orders.
The move came after Boeing announced Monday that it was suspending operations at its Seattle-area facilities.
Gov. Laura Kelly announced Monday that she was limiting public gatherings to 10 people or fewer, after originally instituting a 50-person cap. She said she wasn’t issuing a statewide shelter-in-place order as some other governors have done because 89 of Kansas’ 105 counties had yet to see a confirmed coronavirus case as of Monday morning. But she warned that such an order could become “unavoidable in the coming days.”
Read more: LJWorld.com.

Ranson Financial2020-03-25T08:44:55-05:00March 25, 2020|News|

White House and Senate strike a deal on historic $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill

The White House and Senate leaders reached a deal early Wednesday on a massive $2 trillion
relief bill — said to be the largest rescue package in American history — to combat the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
“At last we have a deal,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said after 1:30 a.m. ET from the floor of the Senate.
Efforts to pass the measure have taken on urgency as hospitals, companies, states and individuals have all pleaded for needed resources to battle the pandemic.
Read more: CNBC.

Ranson Financial2020-03-25T08:42:08-05:00March 25, 2020|News|