USD 309 hires Stroh as interim leader

Nickerson-South Hutchinson USD 309′s school board hired a former Hutchinson USD 308 administrator to serve as interim superintendent for 11 months.

Jeanne Stroh was the director of elementary education and an assistant superintendent for the Hutchinson school district when she worked for the district from 2009 to 2013. In 2013, she left to become superintendent of Ottawa USD 290. She retired from that post at the end of June 2018.

The Kansas Association of School Boards assists school districts seeking superintendents, and Stroh put her name in with the association for possible interim assignments.

(Read more: News – The Hutchinson News)

Ranson Financial2019-07-23T17:38:38-05:00July 23, 2019|News|

Labette County approves property tax rebate plan

Property outside of the cities in Labette County soon will be eligible for a tax rebate program after action taken on Monday.

The Labette County Commission voted 2-1 to approve a neighborhood revitalization plan for all areas in the county except those within the corporate limits of any city, the footprint of the Great Plains Industrial Park and the federal zone surrounding Big Hill Lake. The plan as drafted by Brian Johnson, county counselor, also would exclude the 3-mile zone around Parsons, but that area likely be included in the final version. As of late Monday afternoon, Johnson hadn’t spoken to Ross Albertini, city of Parsons attorney, about the plan.

Albertini said the county likely didn’t want to duplicate coverage of the city’s neighborhood revitalization plans, but none of the city’s plans cover the 3-mile zone. The city only enforces its zoning ordinance in the extraterritorial area.

The commissioners voted to adopt the plan with a few changes, which may include addition of the 3-mile zone.

(Read more: Parsons Sun)

Ranson Financial2019-07-23T17:36:01-05:00July 23, 2019|News|

County inadvertently lists $4.8 million in capital assets twice

About $4.8 million worth of Shawnee County’s capital assets were inadvertently recorded twice in a listing created last year, an auditor told county commissioners Monday.

The error was corrected after it was identified, and procedures were put in place to keep it from happening again, said Kristen Hughes, audit senior manager for Kansas City, Mo.-based RSM.

The county’s public works department, clerk’s office and audit-finance department were all involved with the mistake, which commission chairman Bob Archer said didn’t affect Shawnee County financially.

Ranson Financial2019-07-23T17:34:20-05:00July 23, 2019|News|

AG Derek Schmidt: States reach $600 million settlement with Equifax for data breach affecting more than 1.1 million Kansans

Kansas and 49 other states and jurisdictions have reached a settlement with Equifax as the result of an investigation into a massive 2017 data breach that exposed the personal information of more than 1.1 million Kansans, Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced today.

The investigation found that Equifax’s failure to maintain a reasonable security system enabled hackers to penetrate its systems, exposing the data of 56 percent of American adults—the largest-ever breach of consumer data. The state attorneys general secured a settlement with Equifax that includes a Consumer Restitution Fund of up to $425 million, a $175 million payment to the states, and injunctive relief, which also includes a significant financial commitment.

Ranson Financial2019-07-23T17:32:47-05:00July 23, 2019|News|

Cities to receive $18 million for road improvement projects

More than 20 projects aimed at improving intersections and roads in Kansas cities have been selected for funding through the Kansas Department of Transportation’s City Connecting Link Improvement Program (CCLIP), which funds improvements to state highways that extend through cities.

The cities will receive a combined total of approximately $18 million in funding under the CCLIP for these 23 projects. This total includes $7 million in state fiscal year 2021 and $11 million in state fiscal year 2022.

“KDOT was able to add $5 million into the CCLIP because of the additional $50 million that the Governor provided as a one-time transfer from the State General Fund,” said Deputy Secretary Lindsey Douglas. “Communities then provided an additional $6.5 million in matching funds to create a total of $11.5 million beyond the initial plan to expand the amount invested in various projects.”

(Read more: Kansas Transportation)

Ranson Financial2019-07-23T17:31:12-05:00July 23, 2019|News|

Lawrence denies that it acted unlawfully when rejecting Hub apartment project

The City of Lawrence is denying claims that it acted unlawfully when it rejected a proposal to build a five-story apartment and retail building in downtown Lawrence.

In May, the Lawrence City Commission unanimously denied a certificate of appropriateness to Chicago-based developer Core Spaces to build the Hub on Campus at the northeast corner of 11th and Massachusetts streets in downtown Lawrence and determined the project did not meet downtown design guidelines. Following the denial, the developer and property owners sued the city.

Pittsburg Downtown Advisory Board offers graffiti vandalism reward

Several sightings of graffiti or tagging have been popping up in the Pittsburg area, the Pittsburg Downtown Advisory Board is offering a reward to combat graffiti vandalism. According to a release from the Pittsburg Police Department, the vandalism occurring is in and around the downtown business district. The Downtown Advisory Board is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons […]

(Read more: Pittsburg Morning Sun)

Ranson Financial2019-07-22T22:10:10-05:00July 22, 2019|News|

Cities to receive $18 million for road improvement projects

More than 20 projects aimed at improving intersections and roads in Kansas cities have been selected for funding through the Kansas Department of Transportation’s City Connecting Link Improvement Program (CCLIP), which funds improvements to state highways that extend through cities.

The cities will receive a combined total of approximately $18 million in funding under the CCLIP for these 23 projects. This total includes $7 million in state fiscal year 2021 and
$11 million in state fiscal year 2022.

“KDOT was able to add $5 million into the CCLIP because of the additional $50 million that the Governor provided as a one-time transfer from the State General Fund,” said Deputy Secretary Lindsey Douglas. “Communities then provided an additional $6.5 million in matching funds to create a total of $11.5 million beyond the initial plan to expand the amount invested in various projects.”

“This is a popular program with communities and allows them an opportunity to receive funding that improves safety, capacity and operational needs as well as increase economic development in their region,” said Julie Lorenz, Kansas Secretary of Transportation.

Under the CCLIP, a city is required to contribute up to 25 percent of the project cost based on its population, though some cities contribute significantly more. Cities under 2,500 in population aren’t required to provide a match. Projects in this program may fall into one of three different categories including Surface Preservation (SP), Pavement Restoration (PR) or Geometric Improvement (GI).

SP projects involve maintenance work such as resurfacing and are funded up to
$300,000 per project. PR projects typically involve full-depth pavement replacement without changes to the overall geometric characteristics and may also address drainage issues. GI projects address geometric issues such as adding turn lanes, improving intersections or modifying the lane configuration to address capacity. The PR and GI categories are funded up to $1 million per project.

For the state fiscal year 2021, the city, category and amount awarded include:

Concordia	Pavement Restoration	$1,000,000
Gardner	Pavement Restoration	$1,000,000
Hays	Pavement Restoration	$1,000,000
Independence	Pavement Restoration	$1,000,000
Norton	Geometric Improvement	$1,000,000
Pratt	Pavement Restoration	$1,000,000
Winfield	Pavement Restoration	$1,000,000

For the state fiscal year 2022, the city, category and amount awarded include:

Cimarron	Pavement Restoration	$800,000
Colby	Surface Preservation	$300,000
Dodge City	Geometric Improvement	$1,000,000
Ellsworth	Geometric Improvement	$600,000
Emporia	Geometric Improvement	$600,000
Garden City	Pavement Restoration	$1,000,000
Gardner	Pavement Restoration	$1,000,000
Garnett	Pavement Restoration	$1,000,000
Herington	Surface Preservation	$300,000
Lyons	Surface Preservation	$300,000
McLouth	Pavement Restoration	$500,000
McPherson	Geometric Improvement	$1,000,000
Minneola	Geometric Improvement	$1,000,000
Newton	Surface Preservation	$300,000
Phillipsburg	Pavement Restoration	$1,000,000
Yates Center	Pavement Restoration	$300,000

Ranson Financial2019-07-22T18:36:09-05:00July 22, 2019|News|

County commissioners seek SWKAA representatives

The Ford County Commissioners are soliciting volunteers to represent the county’s older population on the South West Kansas Area Agency On Aging’s Sub-Region Council.

The purpose of the council is to assist SWKAAA in determining the needs of senior citizens in Ford County and southwest Kansas, and to help them develop a coordinated and comprehensive plan to address those needs with the funding that has been provided.

The type of individual we are looking for can be a businessperson in the community, someone in the health profession, a home health care provider, caregiver, or a retired individual, who would have some knowledge of the needs of older people in the county.

Ranson Financial2019-07-22T17:04:10-05:00July 22, 2019|News|

CEO of Wichita-based restaurant management company will join Kansas Board of Regents

The Senate has confirmed Gov. Laura Kelly’s three appointments to the Kansas Board of Regents, including the CEO of a Wichita restaurant business.

Jon Rolph, president and CEO of Thrive Restaurant Group, formerly known as Sasnak Management, will be joined by Shellaine “Shelly” Kiblinger of Cherryvale, and Cheryl Harrison-Lee of Gardner.

Kiblinger is superintendent of Cherryvale Public Schools and holds degrees from Kansas State University and Pittsburg State University, the Board of Regents said in a news release. Harrison-Lee most recently served as Gardner city administrator and holds degrees from the University of Florida and the University of South Carolina. Rolph earned his degree at Baylor University.

(Read more: Local News |)

Ranson Financial2019-07-22T17:03:30-05:00July 22, 2019|News|