Riley County talks with residents about city levee project

19 Wednesday, April 19

Riley County talks with residents about city levee project

info2023-04-19T10:00:15-05:00April 19th, 2023|

Riley County officials on Monday attempted to address two residents’ concerns about the Manhattan city government’s levee project. Amanda Webb, planning director, and Darrin Hobbs, planning compliance specialist, provided information and answered questions about the project during the county commission meeting. During the March 20 commission meeting, residents Richard and Angela Britt raised concerns about the project to the commission. Richard specifically pointed out what he said was the city’s lack of a “no-rise” certificate for the entire project, which is needed for floodway projects. To receive a certificate, a state-license engineer needs to determine the project won’t increase flooding risks. [...]

19 Wednesday, April 19

One year after tornado, Andover YMCA preps for May waterpark opening

info2023-04-19T09:56:15-05:00April 19th, 2023|

Closed since it was struck by a destructive EF-3 tornado nearly a year ago, the Andover YMCA branch is targeting a May 27 reopening of its outdoor waterpark. "We're cautiously optimistic about that, a few things have to fall into place but we're working toward that," said Ron McMahon, CEO of the Greater Wichita YMCA. "The waterpark will have all new features." Source: Wichita Business Journal

19 Wednesday, April 19

Clay Center takes next step toward child care center

info2023-04-19T12:32:09-05:00April 19th, 2023|

In response to what officials say is a child care crisis in Clay County, the Clay Center City Council approved moving forward with a grant proposal seeking up to $2.8 million to design, build and begin operating a child care facility in Clay Center on the Lincoln school grounds. The action does not obligate the city to any expenditures but is required for the proposal to be considered by the funding agency. Source: www.ccenterdispatch.com

19 Wednesday, April 19

Municipal Bond Trends for April 18, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-04-19T05:07:55-05:00April 19th, 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.

18 Tuesday, April 18

Fed’s Bullard says recession fears off-base and urges more hikes

info2023-04-18T11:01:26-05:00April 18th, 2023|

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard said he favored continued interest-rate hikes to counter persistent inflation, while recession fears are overblown. "Wall Street's very engaged in the idea there's going to be a recession in six months or something, but that isn't really the way you would read an expansion like this," Bullard told Reuters in an interview published Tuesday. Fed policymakers have penciled in one additional quarter-point hike this year, lifting their benchmark rate to 5.1% according to their median forecast in March. Investors see that move happening at their May 2-3 meeting. Bullard, who doesn't vote [...]

18 Tuesday, April 18

Charlie Hunt will head Johnson County’s Department of Health and Environment

info2023-04-18T09:37:55-05:00April 18th, 2023|

Charlie Hunt, MPH has started as the new director of Johnson County Department of Health and Environment on April 17. Hunt joined JCDHE as deputy director in 2021 and has served as interim director since November 4, 2022. If you go back to nearly the beginning of his career, Hunt worked at JCDHE as a communicable disease investigator and then became a health educator. His career includes 18 years in various positions with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, culminating with serving as the state epidemiologist and director of the Bureau of Epidemiology and Public Health Informatics for seven years. [...]

18 Tuesday, April 18

Community raises concerns after City of Wichita proposes ordinance for Airbnb, short-term rentals

info2023-04-18T10:47:07-05:00April 18th, 2023|

The City of Wichita has been looking at big changes for local Airbnb and other short-term rental owners since a deadly shooting that took place in April of 2021 in east Wichita. Thomas Carter and his wife have owned and operated an Airbnb for six months, a house that used to be Carter's childhood home. The couple put at least $45,000 into it. Now, they say a proposed ordinance could put their dreams of expanding their business on hold.... Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (MAPC) planning director Scott Wadle says the majority of Wichita short-term rentals are in violation of the current [...]

18 Tuesday, April 18

License plate readers coming to smaller towns in Wichita area

info2023-04-18T09:33:46-05:00April 18th, 2023|

FLOCK cameras have been used in Wichita and parts of Sedgwick County for some time now to read license plates to locate suspects. Now the system is expanding to smaller towns like Rose Hill. "There are some valid privacy concerns, and I understand that," said Rose Hill Police Chief Taylor Parlier. "These cameras are placed in very specific locations so as to only get the vehicle leaving. So it doesn't see who is driving the vehicle. We can't target individuals. We don't have a live-stream access, so we can't just sit there and watch the individuals that are driving or watch [...]

18 Tuesday, April 18

Study: Kansas’ 2 biggest counties have a major difference in traffic deaths

info2023-04-18T09:32:14-05:00April 18th, 2023|

Although Johnson County has roughly 80,000 more people, Sedgwick County currently has between two to three times the number of deadly car crashes. It's what prompted the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WAMPO) to commission an analysis last fall in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Transportation to compare crashes between the two counties. Now that the analysis has been released, several Sedgwick County Commissioners are calling for change. "There's about eight or nine different measurements, and again, we were worse, drastically worse, on every one of those," Sedgwick County Commissioner Jim Howell. Source: KSNT 27 News

18 Tuesday, April 18

Visioning process continues for city of Emporia

info2023-04-18T09:26:52-05:00April 18th, 2023|

Research continues into Emporia’s future direction. Last fall, the city and Tunica County, Mississippi, were approved to split $250,000 in funding through the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge. The early public work has already seen a round of input meetings and is into a short 10-minute survey available at rpa2023.com/emporia. City leaders and the city’s partner, Atlas Community Studios, say the survey — along with last month’s public input sessions — will develop a snapshot now to help the city later. Source: KVOE Emporia Radio