Wichita adds $14 Million federal grant to build multimodal transportation facility in Delano area

Wichita is getting a grant of $14 Million from the US Department of Transportation.

And it could include up to 600 parking spaces for the Delano area near the new baseball stadium.

“It provides a great transportation option at the baseball stadium that will be both placed on a bus line,” said Mayor Jeff Longwell. “It will help us with transit needs, it will help us with all kinds of portability. But it’s going to help us with parking next to the baseball stadium which is fantastic.”

(Read more: KSN-TV)

Ranson Financial2019-11-21T21:10:46-06:00November 21, 2019|News|

Judge denies city’s request to dismiss lawsuit over alleged maintenance issues at Lawrence Municipal Airport

A judge has denied a request by the City of Lawrence to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a longtime pilot claiming the city hasn’t properly kept up some airport infrastructure.

Great Planes Inc., which operates an airplane hangar and offices at the airport on space leased from the city, filed the lawsuit last spring in Douglas County District Court. The lawsuit alleges that disrepair of the runway damaged one of the company’s airplanes in 2014. Great Planes claims the city breached its contract with the company, and it is seeking damages of about $19,000, plus interest and legal fees.

Ordinance changes to allow newly elected officials to take office earlier

With a change from the Kansas Legislature this past session, local governments across the state now have the option of deciding if they want elected officials to take office between Dec. 1 to the second Monday of January following the general election. In the past, elected officials had to wait until the second Monday before being sworn into office. In Great Bend, that means missing the first meeting of the year.

City Attorney Bob Suelter says a new resolution will allow elected officials to be sworn in during the first meeting.

“There were no protest petitions so I provided the resolution to new ordinance as you directed to do in September,” said Suelter.

In the past, the old governing body would meet the first Monday of January, the elected officials would be sworn in the following Monday, and then take their seat on the board the third Monday.

(Read more: Great Bend Post)

Ranson Financial2019-11-21T18:22:57-06:00November 21, 2019|News|

Wichita police, law enforcement to host community discussion event

The Wichita Police Department will host a community-wide event Saturday, November 23, to hear feedback from citizens about law enforcement.

At the event, “What’s Going On and What More We Can Do”, police officers and other criminal justice leaders will meet with Wichita citizens to discuss community issues like criminal justice reform and the mental health crisis.

“The more we interact with our community and talk about struggles that we face both within the system and that community members face, I think the better off we are,” said Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay.

(Read more: KAKE – News)

Ranson Financial2019-11-21T18:20:49-06:00November 21, 2019|News|

Hutchinson police, community gift man with new electric scooter

The Hutchinson community is going above and beyond to help one of its citizens.

Last week, we told you about how Morgan Gibson and Nick Longhofer helped officers get a man home after his electric wheelchair miles away from home.

Well, Wednesday afternoon Gibson, Longhofer, members of the Hutchinson Police Department gifted the man with a brand new electric scooter.

(Read more: KWCH News)

Ranson Financial2019-11-21T18:20:05-06:00November 21, 2019|News|

USD 506 touts low high school dropout rate

At November’s regular meeting of the Labette County USD 506 Board of Education, Superintendent John Wyrick presented an overview of the area high school graduation rates.

Wyrick stated Labette County High School is at the top of this list, as well as having the best college and career readiness programs for graduates.

Kansas Report Card 2018-2019 reported the district’s graduation rate, based on an adjusted four-year cohort rate, rose from 95% in 2017 to 97.3% for 2018, far exceeding the overall statewide percentage, though it also showed a trend for improvement.

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

Ranson Financial2019-11-21T18:17:17-06:00November 21, 2019|News|

Parsons delays decision on common consumption

City leaders want to give the public a chance to comment on an ordinance that would allow people to carry alcoholic beverages from business to business during special events downtown.

The common consumption ordinance was a late addition to the Parsons City Commission’s regular Monday meeting. The ordinance wasn’t on the agenda issued late Friday afternoon but was approved as an addendum at the meeting at the request of city staff.

The ordinance would designate the common consumption area with boundaries of Central Avenue, 17th Street, Washington Avenue and Broadway Avenue. Main Street is included in the area.

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

Ranson Financial2019-11-21T21:15:31-06:00November 21, 2019|News|

USD 232 planning centralized career and technical center, early childhood facility on one site

After years of conversations about finding new ways to get students career ready after graduation, Unified School District 232 is advancing plans to build a dedicated Career & Technical Education Center to better serve the needs of students.

Once complete, the new center will be connected to a new Early Childhood Center as one facility located on district-owned property on the northeast corner of 83rd Street and Mize Boulevard next to Mill Creek Middle.

“We want every student in our school district, when they graduate, to be prepared to go to college, but we also recognize that not every student needs or wants to go to college,” said Alvie Cater, district spokesperson. “What we have to do is a better job of exposing students to a variety of career and job opportunities that are out there where you can make a really good living doing something that interests you and doing something for which you have skills, an aptitude for, an enjoyment for.”

Ranson Financial2019-11-21T18:14:58-06:00November 21, 2019|News|

Overland Park councilmembers talk details of possible open mic time at city meetings

Open mic time at Overland Park City Council meetings could end up being limited to 30 minutes at the end of the meeting with participants signing in for a maximum of three minutes apiece, under rules being discussed by a council committee.

The Finance, Administration and Economic Development committee took up the issue Wednesday after hearing a report on how other city and county governing bodies handle open comments.

Overland Park is a rarity among local governments in that it does not have a designated time during council meetings for people to express themselves on any issue. They can talk during designated public hearings, but those comments must be about the agenda item the hearing is for.

Ranson Financial2019-11-21T18:12:00-06:00November 21, 2019|News|

Parsons focuses on downtown

Parsons City leaders are working to improve commuter safety in the downtown area.

The city approved an ordinance making it illegal for extra long vehicles to park on main street between 16th St. and Central Ave.

It’s now illegal for any part of the vehicle, it’s load, or equipment to leave less than 20 feet of open space in the main road.

The ordinance does make an exception for loading or unloading less than 5 minutes.

Ranson Financial2019-11-21T21:11:33-06:00November 21, 2019|News|