Leawood takes title of best small city in America for second year in a row; Shawnee and Lenexa fare well in rankings

For the second year in a row, the website Wallethub had named Leawood the best small city in America.

The website, which focuses on personal finance issues, released its annual rankings of cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 this week, and a variety of factors again put Leawood at the top of the mix.

Among the considerations that gave Leawood an edge among the 1,200 cities compared for the rankings were its exceptionally low levels of poverty, highly educated population and relatively affordable housing.

(Read more: Prairie Village Post)

Ranson Financial2019-10-30T22:25:33-05:00October 30, 2019|News|

Humboldt council member honored for community and League support

Annually, the League of Kansas Municipalities seeks to honor a special individual who has demonstrated outstanding service to their community and the League. This year, the League honored Aikins Aikins, city councilmember for the city of Humboldt.
“She has committed a lifetime of service to the Humboldt community,” said City Administrator Cole Herder, who nominated Aikins for the award. “She has been active in Dream Humboldt, a group working to revitalize Humboldt. She has been a dedicated member of the Chamber of Commerce, her church, and Humboldt Healthy Ecosystems. She was a driving force in the renovation of the Neosho River Park, starting with a safe fishing dock and stairs to the dam. She still continues to spend countless hours maintaining flower beds in the park.”

(Read more: www.chanute.com)

Ranson Financial2019-10-30T22:17:36-05:00October 30, 2019|News|

Preparing for Drones to Fly in Cities

Drones, or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), are regulated for aircraft safety and flight operations under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Many cities, municipalities, and states add their own regulations related to their areas of traditional authority. Traditional city and state authorities include:

planning and zoning for land-use,

determining take-off and landing locations for drones,

law enforcement operations and community safety, and

privacy policies and considerations.

Cities will not be on the sidelines as drones take flight. Updates to current regulations and safety decisions at FAA are in progress, but to get ahead of the next transportation technology shift, cities should prepare and consider their role to make the most of this new technology.

(Read more: CitiesSpeak)

Ranson Financial2019-10-29T21:40:15-05:00October 29, 2019|News|

Resident suggests roundabout be installed to slow Yoder Road traffic

A Reno County man whose granddaughter’s car was rear-ended while waiting to turn left off of Yoder Road earlier this month asked the Reno County Commission to consider installing a roundabout at Yoder and Trailwest roads.“People drive like idiots,” said Leonard Yoder in making the request at the start of Tuesday’s County Commission meeting. “There’s got to be a way to slow down the traffic. …

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Ranson Financial2019-10-29T21:39:04-05:00October 29, 2019|News|

Substantial local, state incentives in play for the new USDA jobs in Kansas City

A combination of public subsidy from Kansas City and its port authority to assist in the relocation of two federal agencies to downtown could reach up to $26 million.

The USDA announced earlier this year that the Kansas City region beat out 135 other cities to host the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Research, which combined account for about 500 jobs.

The USDA, through federal the landlord, the General Services Administration, started scouting locations in both Kansas and Missouri. On Friday, The Star reported that an office building at 805 Pennsylvania Avenue in downtown Kansas City was the likely destination for the USDA jobs.

(Read more: KC Star Local News)

Ranson Financial2019-10-29T18:33:54-05:00October 29, 2019|News|

Event center proposed to go up in residential area, homeowners not happy

The possibility of a new commercial development has some homeowners up in arms.

An entertainment district is being proposed near 37th and Woodlawn. It would go up right in the middle of a residential area.

That area is Janet Johnson’s sanctuary.

She’s surrounded by sounds of nature and wildlife…but that could be changing.

(Read more: KAKE – News)

Ranson Financial2019-10-29T18:32:16-05:00October 29, 2019|News|

KDOT announces projects selected under Local Bridge Improvement Program

Twenty-seven counties will receive a combined total of $5 million under the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Local Bridge Improvement Program. Requests for transportation funding outpaced available funds by nearly three times. The selection of the local bridge projects was announced today by KDOT Secretary Julie Lorenz.

“Improving the overall transportation system in our state is important and that includes those structures under local authority,” said Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz. “It takes partnerships between the state, cities and counties to move people and goods as efficiently as possible across Kansas.”

The bridge program was reinstated by the agency this summer to assist cities and counties by providing up to $150,000 toward the replacement or rehabilitation of a bridge on the local roadway system. In the FY 2020 budget, $166 million less will be transferred out of the State Highway Fund. This funding will allow KDOT to perform about $400 million in preservation projects, deliver five more delayed T-WORKS projects and enabled KDOT to reactivate the Local Bridge Improvement Program.

(Read more: Great Bend Post)

Ranson Financial2019-10-29T18:29:14-05:00October 29, 2019|News|

Good things are going on at Hillsboro USD 410

If you want to see excitement, ask Max Heinrichs what is going on in USD 410. His face will light up and he will talk for awhile about the “exciting things” going on.

“We have some good stuff going on,” said Heinrichs, as he shared on Thursday regarding the Gemini redesign that the district has been working on for a few semesters now.

The district has offered a wide variety of student activities that are presently meeting the needs of students and the community. Participation rates in middle school and high school activities continue to be high.

A “People First” mentality continues to be one of the major strengths of the district.

(Read more: Hillsboro Free Press)

Ranson Financial2019-10-29T18:26:45-05:00October 29, 2019|News|

Commission OK’s fire district purchase, interpreter policy

The Reno County Commission on Tuesday OK’d a request from Reno Fire District 3 to purchase a half-dozen replacement air packs, facemasks and air cylinders for its firefighters.

The board also approved minor updated the county’s Title VI Policy, which outlines language interpretation services the county offers, based on the latest federal Census data.

The fire department, based in Nickerson, will make the $30,150 purchase using money from its equipment fund, which has about $630,000 in it, said Fire Chief Bob White. Most of the money is reserved for future fire vehicle replacements.

(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)

Ranson Financial2019-10-29T18:21:37-05:00October 29, 2019|News|

KDA offers reimbersement to specialty crop growers

The Kansas Department of Agriculture has funds available for reimbursement to Kansas specialty crop growers who attend an educational conference with a primary focus on specialty crops. Qualifying conferences may include sessions about production practices, specialized equipment and technology, pest and disease management, specialty crop marketing practices, or business principles for specialty crop producers.

Applicants who apply for the reimbursement will be required to attend the conference and to complete surveys before, immediately after, and six months post-conference prior to payment being issued. Conferences not eligible will include those within the state of Kansas and the Great Plains Growers Conference. KDA will reimburse Kansas specialty crop growers up to $850 each in order to offset the cost of their conference registration, mileage/flights, hotel, meals, etc. The award is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The deadline for application is December 15, 2019.

Ranson Financial2019-10-29T18:16:41-05:00October 29, 2019|News|

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