County commission approves communications tower permits

Lyon County Commissioners unanimously approved a pair of conditional use permits allowing for the construction of two new communications towers during an action session Thursday morning.

The towers — which will be located in the 2300 Block of Road G near Americus and the 700 Block of Road M near Olpe — will be operated by US Cellular with the goal of providing a signal boost to customers in more rural areas. The towers are expected to be approximately 150 feet tall and could eventually be used by other cell service providers pending future leasing agreements.

“These towers are stand-alone towers, so they don’t need any of the extra wiring or lighting,” Commissioner Scott Briggs said. “Hopefully they’ll be able to get people in Olpe and Americus some better service in the area … If these towers ever end up falling due to weather or things like that, they’re built to collapse on themselves so there should be no extra danger there, too. Both of them were approved by the [Zoning and Planning] Board beforehand, so our approval went through pretty easy.”

(Read more: Emporia Gazette)

Ranson Financial2019-12-30T18:41:51-06:00December 30, 2019|News|

Kansas police officer fabricated McDonald’s coffee cup story ‘as a joke,’ chief says

The Herington police chief said a former police officer fabricated an incident with a McDonald’s coffee cup involving an expletive and a pejorative “as a joke.”

Herington Police Chief Brian Hornaday said in a news conference that a police officer at the center of the case is no longer with the department. Hornaday had originally claimed in a Facebook post that a McDonald’s employee wrote “(expletive) pig” on a coffee cup given to one of his officers, and that it was “a black eye” on Junction City.

“This is now, absolutely, a black eye on law enforcement,” Hornaday said in the news conference.

Stafford County makes plan for joint extension district with Edwards County

Combined resources is a necessary change for rural Kansas counties, according to leadership in Stafford County.

Declining budgets and difficulty hiring agents has led to many counties in Kansas consolidating into larger Extension districts under the umbrella of K-State Research and Extension services. Stafford County and Edwards County agents see advantages to a combination between the two counties that would enable them to provide better services to their constituents.

“It’s true, as they say, that most of us are better together or two of something is better than one,” said K-State Research and Extension Agent Stafford County Amy Collins. “The same holds true for rural areas trying to stay relevant, progressive and be resilient in an ever changing world.“

(Read more: Kiowa County Signal)

Ranson Financial2019-12-30T17:55:07-06:00December 30, 2019|News|

Liberal’s DMV office completes renovations to enhance services

The DMV office in Liberal has already undergone some changes in recent times, with the biggest change being a change in operating hours and recently, the office saw some renovations done.

The renovation work started at the beginning of December, and according to David Harper, Director of Motor Vehicles, the work in the Liberal office was part of a statewide project that had been discussed last year.

“It had started about a year ago, we’d been talking about our driver’s license refresh project and started working with our regional managers so we could put together a list of offices that would need to be relocated or remodeled/rehabbed,” Harper said. “We’ve been working on a lot of offices throughout the state, so this has been on our radar since roughly last year and we got the Liberal office done recently. Statewide, as we got out and visited the offices across the state, it was very apparent there were several that weren’t performing fully to the standards we wanted, so that prompted the start of discussing the project. Then we started talking to our regional managers and some other employees and they let us know some of the things they thought should be done in order to improve not only the appearance but overall function. Then we took those ideas and drew up some plans and those things and we got to work.”

(Read more: Liberal First)

Ranson Financial2019-12-30T17:53:43-06:00December 30, 2019|News|

Diamond Vista pays Marion County $269,325

Marion County received its first payment in lieu of taxes check for $269,325 from Diamond Vista wind farm Dec. 16, county clerk Tina Spencer said.
It appears that no money was withheld from the county for consulting fees of more than $686,000 despite a clause in the agreement with Enel Green Power that would have allowed it to deduct from its payments any amount that exceeded $250,000.
“It appears to be the full PILOT payment, but I would have to verify by looking back at our agreement,” Spencer said.

(Read more: Marion County RECORD)

Ranson Financial2019-12-30T20:58:18-06:00December 30, 2019|News|

Kansas Election Officials Say They’re On Guard For Hackers Messing With Your 2020 Vote

Kansas and federal election officials say they know the 2020 election could come under attack from foreign governments or rogue hackers. They also insist they’re braced to guard against efforts to tamper with voting.

In recent elections, Russian hackers tried to breach election systems in more than 20 states and successfully accessed voter registration data in Illinois. The top election official in Kansas assumes the state’s voting system could be next.

“We got a U.S. Senate seat up for election, so that even makes it more of a target,” Republican Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab said. “We’re not going to assume we’re safe, even though we are right now.”

(Read more: Rural Messenger)

Ranson Financial2019-12-30T20:53:23-06:00December 30, 2019|News|

‘He cares deeply about the city of Lenexa.’ Travis Vaughn new Fire Department chief

Travis Vaughn is succeeding Lonny Owens as the chief of the Lenexa Fire Department, as of Dec. 21. The appointment follows Owens’ retirement.

Vaughn has worked 25 years in the department, which has more than 90 employees. He began as a firefight and advanced to captain, battalion chief of operations, battalion chief of emergency medical services, division chief of administration and deputy chief.

“I have great confidence that Travis will excel in this new role,” Lenexa City Manager Beccy Yocham said in a news release. “He cares deeply about the city of Lenexa and will do an exceptional job leading this important department that provides vital services for our community.”

(Read more: Joco 913 News)

Ranson Financial2019-12-30T21:01:20-06:00December 30, 2019|News|

Top leaders wrap up Reno County careers

Reno County Commissioner Ron Hirst called Monday “a joyful and sad day” as the commission presented framed certificates to a trio of leaders who are leaving their posts after their last day of employment Friday: County Administrator Gary Meagher, Public Works director Dave McComb and Sheriff Randy Henderson.

Hirst said he knows Meagher works long hours.

“I see your pickup here early and late,” Hirst said.

Commissioner Ron Sellers said he has never worked with someone as open, candid and helpful to a commissioner as Meager, who worked for the county for 10 years. His successor, Randy Partington, will start Feb. 17.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Ranson Financial2019-12-30T21:00:35-06:00December 30, 2019|News|

Emerald Ash Borer Confirmed in Jackson County

The Kansas Department of Agriculture, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has confirmed the presence of emerald ash borer (EAB) in Jackson County, Kansas.

On November 13, 2019, EAB adults and larvae were recovered from a girdled tree trap near Denison by KDA in cooperation with local citizens, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s Plant Protection and Quarantine (USDA-APHIS-PPQ), and the Kansas Forest Service. KDA sent the specimens to a laboratory with USDA-APHIS-PPQ which confirmed KDA’s findings on November 22.

(Read more: Rural Messenger)

Ranson Financial2019-12-30T20:59:18-06:00December 30, 2019|News|

Shawnee tables Tobacco 21 ordinance, restricts future locations of e-cigarette shops in the city

The Shawnee city council has tabled the discussion and adoption of a Tobacco 21 ordinance.

The proposed ordinance would prohibit the sale of tobacco products to people ages 18 to 20 in the city of Shawnee.

Councilmember Eric Jenkins on Monday had suggested tabling the vote on Tobacco 21 until the federal government had determined next steps on the legal purchasing age for tobacco products. Last Friday, President Donald Trump had signed a $1.4 trillion spending package that raises the federal legal age for purchasing tobacco from 18 to 21.

Ranson Financial2019-12-29T18:41:13-06:00December 29, 2019|News|