‘Long time coming:’ After 15 years, a building rises at Mission Gateway in JoCo

For the first time in 15 years, something new is rising from the dirt and weeds of the long-vacant site of the former Mission Mall in Johnson County.

After years of false starts, construction is well underway at the Mission Gateway development — a $225 million project that’s highly visible for commuters along Shawnee Mission Parkway, just west of Roe Avenue. It will include a massive entertainment complex, food hall, apartments, offices and shops.

“It’s been a long time coming, that’s for certain,” Mission Councilman Ken Davis said. “I am glad that we’ve persisted and we’ve kept our relationship with the developer on track. He has stuck with it, and we’re grateful for that. I think it’s going to be a real benefit for the city.”

(Read more: KC Star Local News)

Ranson Financial2020-01-19T17:34:11-06:00January 19, 2020|News|

Power restored in Hays after outages amid falling ice

The power has been restored in Hays Friday evening.

The city of Hays, as well as other parts of Ellis County, had been affected by a power outage Friday. Officials say that falling ice caused some of the breakers in the area to blow.

The Midwest Energy Inc. outage viewer said about 500 customers in the area had been affected.

(Read more: KSN-TV)

Ranson Financial2020-01-19T17:31:06-06:00January 19, 2020|News|

Topeka City Council may undo previously approved move to outsource

Topeka’s governing body has three new members as it prepares Tuesday to consider rescinding the action it took last month aimed at outsourcing the city’s program that provides grant funding to social service agencies.

The governing body, which consists of the nine city council members and Mayor Michelle De La Isla, plans to meet at 6 p.m. in its chambers at 214 S.E. 8th. The Shawnee County Commission won’t meet Monday because of the Martin Luther King holiday.

New Topeka City Councilwoman Christina Valdivia-Alcala proposed last week that the city’s governing body rescind the action it took Dec. 17 in a 7-2 vote to authorize city staff members to solicit proposals from anyone interested in operating the program through which the city provides grant funding to social service agencies. Votes from six governing body members would be needed to undo that.

Ranson Financial2020-01-19T17:29:35-06:00January 19, 2020|News|

4.4 magnitude earthquake shakes ground near Hutchinson. Did you feel it?

A 4.6 magnitude earthquake shook the ground near South Hutchinson Sunday afternoon, geologists said.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the earthquake at around 1:08 p.m. about a mile west to southwest of the town in Reno County. The USGS initially recorded the quake as a 4.4 magnitude, but the Kansas Geological Survey later reported it was a 4.6 magnitude.

Geologists ask those who felt the ground shake to report it online. A USGS map shows the quake was felt in Wichita, Dodge City, Hays, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Lincoln and elsewhere.

(Read more: Local News |)

Ranson Financial2020-01-19T17:28:14-06:00January 19, 2020|News|

Roeland Park looks to move forward on historical markers, Roe House replica in 2020

The Roeland Park city council this month set plans to work toward completion of two unfinished projects from its 2019 agenda: the Roe House replica at Nall Park and historical markers regarding the Roe family as well as the city’s general history.

“There’s a few items that were budgeted for and that staff and the governing body has undertaken, but for a myriad of reasons, were not accomplished in 2019,” Mayor Mike Kelly said.

The goal of the historical markers is to honor and recognize the Roe family, after whom the city is named. Councilmember Jennifer Hill, who was tasked with overseeing the initiative, said that although there are plenty of ideas, she and the others working on the project want to ensure the final product hasn’t been neglected.

Ranson Financial2020-01-19T17:22:54-06:00January 19, 2020|News|

Recycling report tops Pratt County meeting

The Pratt County Recycling Center continues to reduce the total amount of waste going into the Pratt County Landfill. Jason Winkel, county landfill manager, said the average ton per day of 14.9 tons at the landfill in 2019 was down one ton from 15.9 tons per day in 2018. The total intake for 2019 was 10,497 tons and that was down 521.58 tons from the previous year. Winkel presented recycle center and landfill stats to the Pratt County Commissioners at their regular Monday meeting. Commissioner Glenna Borho was absent from the meeting.

At the recycling center for 2019, plastic totals were up 1.7 tons, glass up 4.9 tons, aluminum up 1.3 tons and tin up 2.8 tons. Newspapers were down 11.0 tons, chipboard up 22.2 tons, office pack down 9.5 tons, magazines up 6.12 tons, phone books up 3.5 tons and cardboard down 5.5 tons. The total fiber intake for 2019 was up 5.9 ton from 2018.

While many bring their cardboard to the recycling center, the center also has a cardboard route covering 12 businesses and that route brought in 27.3 tons of material.

(Read more: Pratt, KS – Pratt Tribune)

Ranson Financial2020-01-19T17:15:58-06:00January 19, 2020|News|

Property Taxes Sink Farmland Owners

Policymakers in Nebraska, Iowa and other agriculture-intensive Midwestern states prioritize property tax cuts, Loughead said. “But real, lasting property tax reform is difficult to accomplish, so these debates can take years to play out.”

The Nebraska Revenue Committee introduced a bill this week that would lessen the property tax burden for taxes levied by school districts. The multi-step plan would reduce the tax evaluation for agricultural property for school district taxing purposes from 75% of its taxable value to 55% over a two-year period. Residential and commercial properties would be taxed from 100% down to 85% over three years.

Nebraska also would use excess state revenue to increase state aid to K-12 education so school districts are less reliant on property taxes. In his budget address this week, Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts recommended putting roughly $500 million over the next three years toward property tax credit relief by controlling local and state spending. Ricketts increased the property tax credit relief fund by more than 20% last year.

(Read more: Route Fifty – All Content)

Ranson Financial2020-01-19T17:11:35-06:00January 19, 2020|News|

Mysterious drone sightings reported in Marshall County

At least two sets of drones flying in formation were reported in Marshall County in the past week. They’re among several reports of groups of drones flying in Nebraska, northern Kansas and northeast Colorado in December and January.

Marshall County Sheriff Dan Hargrave said Monday that a caller reported a set of drones over a farm about a half mile south of Bremen about 1:30 a.m. Saturday.

Hargrave said no action was taken. Marshall County Undersheriff Tim Ackerman said Tuesday that the agency didn’t report it to the Federal Aviation Administration because they were waiting to see whether more reports were made.

(Read more: The Marysville Advocate)

Ranson Financial2020-01-17T07:16:52-06:00January 17, 2020|News|

Riley County losing out on $661,000 in revenue since mortgage tax phase out

Riley County lost out on $661,000 in tax revenue in 2019 mortgage registration fees after the Kansas legislature voted in 2014 to begin a five-year phase out of fees, said Debbie Regester, the county’s register of deeds.

“I guess I’m the only register of deeds in the state of Kansas that still continues to gripe about this or bring it to the board,” Regester said. “In counties that are much larger than ours, I can’t even imagine how much revenue they’ve lost.”

In 2018, the last year of the tax’s phaseout, the county collected $200,792 in mortgage registration tax fees. No tax was collected in 2019, but Regester said that if the 0.026% mortgage registration tax were still in place, the county would have collected $661,000.

(Read more: DerbyInformer.com – news,news/)

Ranson Financial2020-01-17T07:09:21-06:00January 17, 2020|News|

JoCo program focuses on jobs for people with disabilities

A Johnson County agency has set two meetings for families interested in finding community employment for loved ones with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The discussion will focus on Project SEARCH, which is for individuals 18 and over. Operated by Johnson County Developmental Supports, the program places people in a host business, where they participate, in three internship rotations and learn marketable, transferable skills.

“The goal of the program is employment for each intern — defined as a minimum of 16 hours per week in a competitive, integrated setting, earning a prevailing wage or higher,” the county said in a news release. The program will begin its seventh year in August.
(Read more: Joco 913 News)

Ranson Financial2020-01-17T07:06:48-06:00January 17, 2020|News|