Grace Bowser retiring as Mayetta’s city clerk

24 Monday, April 24

Grace Bowser retiring as Mayetta’s city clerk

info2023-04-24T10:16:58-05:00April 24th, 2023|

Longtime Mayetta City Clerk Grace Bowser is retiring this month after 28 years of service to the city. A retirement celebration was held for Bowser last Wednesday prior to the start of the city council’s regular monthly meeting. After seeing an ad in The Holton Recorder, Bowser applied for the clerk’s position and was appointed May 1, 1995. “I was running a daycare at that time,” Bowser said. “I had a sister who was a city clerk and a brother who worked for a couple of cities as a maintenance man. I thought I might as well join the ranks.” Bowser said [...]

24 Monday, April 24

Friday marks 22 years since devastating Hoisington tornado

info2023-04-24T11:13:47-05:00April 24th, 2023|

Twenty-two years ago, the town of Hoisington was ravaged by an EF-4 tornado that destroyed nearly 200 homes and a dozen businesses. One man was killed. Right away, the community pulled together. Volunteers from across the state stepped in to help. Within weeks, the debris was cleared away, and residents started their plans to do what many thought was impossible: move forward and rebuild. Source: KAKE - News

24 Monday, April 24

Local museum hosts special presentation on southeast Kansas railroads

info2023-04-24T10:12:24-05:00April 24th, 2023|

The Miners Hall Museum in Franklin, Kansas is today hosting a free presentation that delves into how the railroad shaped southeast Kansas throughout the years. 'The Emergence of the Railroad in Rural Kansas - 1870 to present day', will be presented by Richard (Dick) Rauniker, and the presentation begins at 2:00 P.M. This special program is being presented in conjunction with the quarterly exhibit "Little Balkans Coal Camp - McCune " which is hosted by Morgan Blanchard-Zimmer and Dick Rauniker. Source: KOAM News

24 Monday, April 24

‘I’ll never give this up’: Anthropology professor discovers forgotten city, retires after 46 years

info2023-04-24T10:08:45-05:00April 24th, 2023|

Donald Blakeslee didn’t go to college with any intention of being an anthropologist – he hadn’t even heard of the field. Blakeslee, now a professor in the anthropology department, was studying astronomy in the 60s and picked up a book about anthropology one summer. “The reason I picked it up was because I read the back cover and went ‘I don’t know what any of these words mean,’” Blakeslee said. After reading the book, he took an anthropology course. When he needed to earn money for the second course, he asked his professor about summer jobs in the field. Source: The [...]

24 Monday, April 24

City offers $5k signup bonus for police

info2023-04-24T14:41:50-05:00April 24th, 2023|

A statewide shortage of applicants for law enforcement positions has made recruiting for many, mostly smaller communities like Clay Center, difficult and expensive. Bill Robinson, Clay Center police chief, told the Council he has had one position unfilled since last summer. A second vacancy in December was filled by a former CCPD officer. Source: www.ccenterdispatch.com

24 Monday, April 24

Municipal Bond Trends for April 21, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-04-24T07:55:44-05:00April 24th, 2023|

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, Beth Warren or Henry Schmidt.

22 Saturday, April 22

These small Kansas towns have zero dollars for books. A statewide book festival is helping

info2023-04-24T07:18:45-05:00April 22nd, 2023|

Small as it is, the Madison Public Library is nominally a quiet place, but for a moment, Christine Inman made an exception. Inman, the library director and sole full-time employee, had just learned the library had been the recipient of a $1,000 grant from the Kansas Book Festival. At any other library, this would have been good news — $1,000 can and would buy countless books to refresh the library. But at Madison Public Library, about 30 minutes south of Emporia, the grant represented double the $500 budget the community resource usually receives for books each year. Source: CJonline

22 Saturday, April 22

‘The airport is an economic generator’ consultant tells Hutchinson City Council

info2023-04-24T07:16:48-05:00April 22nd, 2023|

Why is a business that can bring in millions not living up to its expectations? One thought is, it's the name. Outside of Kansas, people don't know where Hutchinson is, let alone Hutchinson Regional Airport. Hutchinson, Minnesota, with a population of right around 15,000 might just have a larger name recognition. But even if it doesn't, a consultant said, people need to know Hutchinson, Kansas is near Wichita − and where the airport is located makes a difference. ... In addition to changing the name of the airport, making it more a regional name − like Central Kansas Regional Airport − [...]

22 Saturday, April 22

Salina designated POW-MIA City

info2023-04-24T07:14:05-05:00April 22nd, 2023|

While the process has been years in the making, the final steps to have Salina designated as a POW-MIA City only took a few short weeks. On March 14, Salina officially became the second city in Kansas and 50th in the nation to be designated as a Prisoner of War (POW)-Missing in Action (MIA) City by the Jefferson Barracks POW-MIA Museum, Inc. Salina’s designation comes after the City Commission adopted a resolution to become a POW-MIA City on March 13 with the assistance and at the encouragement of Steve Murrison, commander of local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1432. Source: Salina [...]

22 Saturday, April 22

Millions flock to Kansas state parks

info2023-04-24T07:10:54-05:00April 22nd, 2023|

More people than ever have visited Kansas state parks in recent years. Those parks saw more than 8 million visitors for the first time in 2020, the COVID year. That total fell in 2021 to 7.6 million, then rose last year to 7,892,316, said Linda Lanterman, parks director for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. That department maintains 28 state parks. It will soon add one more, as Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill Wednesday establishing Lehigh Portland State Park near Iola. Source: Salina Journal