Sedgwick County Files Disaster Declaration for Park City Fire

26 Wednesday, June 26

Sedgwick County Files Disaster Declaration for Park City Fire

info2024-06-26T08:52:11-05:00June 26th, 2024|

The fire at the Evergreen Recycling Plant continues to burn and Sedgwick County has signed a disaster declaration regarding the fire for at least the next seven days. The disaster proclamation will allow the county to seek additional state resources to fight the fire, which is contained but could continue to burn for several days. Sedgwick County Emergency Management has said air support from the state should be flying in from Salina to help fight the blaze. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Source: 101.3 KFDI

25 Tuesday, June 25

Saline County looking for input on broadband access in the community

info2024-06-25T09:43:28-05:00June 25th, 2024|

With surveys of the community about broadband access still out and available for people to respond to, Saline County is hosting several community forums on the topic this week. ... "The analysis will cover the types of broadband services available, usage patterns, and, most importantly, gaps in coverage," the county said. Source: Salina Journal

25 Tuesday, June 25

Petition filed seeking to keep city of Topeka from raising taxes without public vote

info2024-06-25T09:42:26-05:00June 25th, 2024|

Petition drive organizer Earl McIntosh said he submitted 2,445 more signatures than required Monday on a petition seeking to ban Topeka's city government from raising property taxes without a public vote. McIntosh said 5,386 people signed the petition he turned in to county election commissioner Andrew Howell. ... The petition seeks to ban Topeka's city government, without a public vote, from assessing more property taxes in any given year than it collected the previous year. Source: CJonline

25 Tuesday, June 25

Municipal Bond Trends for June 24, 2024

Henry Schmidt2024-06-25T00:19:03-05:00June 25th, 2024|

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS "investment grade" yields. Every issuer's credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

24 Monday, June 24

Municipal Bond Trends for June 21, 2024

Henry Schmidt2024-06-24T12:48:01-05:00June 24th, 2024|

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS "investment grade" yields. Every issuer's credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

24 Monday, June 24

100 years on, the Shawnee Fire Department continues to evolve

info2024-06-24T08:14:00-05:00June 24th, 2024|

Since beginning as a one-truck, volunteer-run department in 1924, the Shawnee Fire Department has lived by the philosophy of always evolving and adapting — whether it’s during an escalating emergency or expanding to meet the needs of a growing city. “To look at where we came, from an all-volunteer (group) to a combination department…I mean, (it’s) leaps and bounds,” said Deputy Chief Corey Sands, a 27-year veteran of the department. “I can’t imagine where we’re going to go in that much time moving forward.” Source: Johnson County Post

24 Monday, June 24

Prairie Village to increase police pay to keep up with other JoCo departments

info2024-06-24T08:12:04-05:00June 24th, 2024|

The city of Prairie Village is poised to increase police officer salaries in two phases over the next 18 months in an effort aimed at retaining, recruiting and competing more with other Johnson County police departments. At Monday’s city council meeting, City Administrator Wes Jordan said the Prairie Village Police Department is at “a critical crossroads,” with 12 vacant positions, including three traffic and three patrol officers. Source: Johnson County Post

24 Monday, June 24

Panasonic’s battery plant is already transforming De Soto, Kansas. It’s only halfway built

info2024-06-24T08:11:33-05:00June 24th, 2024|

Once completed, the $4 billion, 4.7-million-square-foot facility will be the largest battery manufacturing plant in the world, said Jeff van Heel, who runs construction on the site. Van Heel, Panasonic Energy of North America president Allan Swan and other executives hosted a media tour Thursday of the construction site. When production equipment installation is included, the facility is a little less than 50% built out, van Heel said. But officials plan to start production gradually in the parts that are fully ready, so that the company can start making the batteries in the first quarter of 2025. Source: KCUR News

23 Sunday, June 23

Governor Kelly Announces $57M to Secure Water Supply for Dodge City, Support the Ogallala Aquifer

info2024-06-23T15:49:11-05:00June 23rd, 2024|

Governor Laura Kelly today announced that $57 million is being invested in Dodge City to upgrade its existing water treatment process and infrastructure. The project advances the Kelly administration’s work to address the state’s water quality and quantity needs. “By exploring every avenue for investment into our water infrastructure, we are making progress to address Kansas’ water crisis,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “When we work together – pooling resources across federal, state, and local government – we can significantly impact the future of water for the region.” The project will strengthen the city’s process of discharging treated wastewater into the Arkansas River streambed. [...]

23 Sunday, June 23

Saucers and aliens revive Geneseo

info2024-06-23T15:48:03-05:00June 23rd, 2024|

There is something strange going on in a small town smack dab in the middle of Kansas. The unusual activity hinges on a little-known collection that the town had kept secret for over forty years. On July 6, the third annual Kansas UFO Day celebrates flying saucers, aliens, and all things outer space at the Geneseo City Museum in Rice County. The legendary images of Gort and Klaatu from the 1951 movie “The Day the Earth Stood Still” are coming to the museum. Gort will be installed on the grounds at a full height of 8 feet, accompanied by “photo op” statue [...]