Mercy looks to complete acquisition of Pittsburg hospital by Sept. 1

Mercy Hospital Joplin’s top official said Thursday progress continues toward the acquisition of the existing hospital in Pittsburg. Mercy announced in February that it planned to acquire the 50-bed hospital in Pittsburg from Wichita-based Ascension Via Christi ministry. Mercy’s presence in Southeast Kansas already includes the 26-bed Mercy Specialty Hospital Southeast Kansas in Galena and the 25-bed Mercy Hospital Columbus, as well as a number of clinics and medical offices. Mercy officials said the transition of the Pittsburg hospital was delayed for about a month by an apparent cybersecurity problem in the Ascension Via Christi computer system that forced the two groups to hold off on computer communications. Mercy Joplin President Jeremy Drinkwitz said the delay is not a major issue. “Our intention was to get it done by Aug. 1 but now we’ve pushed it back to Sept. 1,” Drinkwitz said in a telephone interview Thursday with the Joplin Globe. “In transactions, sometimes delays happen so we’re in really good shape to close on Sept. 1 and take over the hospital from Via Christi. We’re actually acquiring the hospital and its assets so we’ll take over management and ownership of the facility.”
Source: www.joplinglobe.com

info2024-06-17T13:03:19-05:00June 17, 2024|News|

Portrait of a Kansas town that went all-in on clean energy after a devastating tornado

Greensburg was mostly destroyed by the tornado of May 4, 2007. Some homes on the outskirts were repairable. But most of the core of the town was completely wiped out. Debris was everywhere. Hohl’s son’s bedsheet was lodged in a tree, where it would stay for 10 years. And the town’s roughly 1,400 residents had to not only figure out how to put their own lives back together but how to rebuild the town and the community that many had been part of for generations. The decision they made, not to rebuild the town as it was, but to use the tragedy as an opportunity for reinvention, made Greensburg a pioneer in the clean energy revolution. Today, many cities and towns around the world are racing to stave off the climate crisis by constructing environmentally friendly buildings and switching to renewable energy — steps that Greensburg began taking almost two decades ago. (…) After the tornado, multiple businesses committed to returning and some established families did, too, though many older residents chose not to rebuild. At town meetings, an idea emerged that Greensburg should build back green. The town brought in outside sustainability consultants, who helped residents draw up plans to rebuild Greensburg at the highest level of sustainable architecture and energy consumption.
Source: Yale Climate Connections

info2024-06-17T12:59:39-05:00June 17, 2024|News|

Freeman plans to open emergency room, 10 inpatient beds in Fort Scott, Kansas

Freeman Health System announced a further expansion into Southeast Kansas on Thursday. Freeman CEO Paula Baker told a crowd gathered around the emergency entrance to the former hospital in Fort Scott — now known as the Bourbon County Medical Facility — that Freeman would reopen the emergency department at the former hospital. Freeman would also have 10 inpatient beds in the building. Baker said: “We’re going to have six separate bays, and we will have 365-day coverage, 24/7, by licensed physicians and nurses that are specifically trained in emergency medicine. We’re also going to have some support for that emergency department, such as laboratory, radiology, computerized tomography and an inpatient pharmacy. All of those services play such an important role in the treatment of emergency patients. We’ll also have opportunities to have outpatient lab, radiology and CT services, which will be available to this community and surrounding communities.” It is Freeman’s second announcement of an expansion into Southeast Kansas in less than a year.
Source: www.joplinglobe.com

info2024-06-17T12:56:54-05:00June 17, 2024|News|

Municipal Bond Trends for June 14, 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.

Henry Schmidt2024-06-17T00:07:02-05:00June 17, 2024|News|

Municipal Bond Trends for June 13, 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.

Henry Schmidt2024-06-14T10:02:33-05:00June 14, 2024|News|

Wind energy banned in Shawnee County, solar on one year moratorium

Shawnee County Commissioners are moving one step closer to shaping the future of wind and solar energy within the county. … Commissioners voted unanimously in favor of the solar moratorium. That gives the planning department one year for extensive research into regulations, looking into the viability for solar farms in Shawnee County.
Source: KSNT 27 News

info2024-06-14T09:39:01-05:00June 14, 2024|News|

Newton police getting new training facility

The Newton City Commission approved the plans for a police training facility Tuesday night. The city bought a building near City Hall in August and is now asking contractors to put in bids to update it. Newton Police Chief Craig Dunlavy says headquarters will remain at the courthouse, but the department will use the new facility for monthly training and staff meetings as they need more space. Right now, they are asking community partners to borrow their space. The facility is not replacing the state law enforcement training center. It’s going to be used for auxiliary training purposes. Chief Dunlavy says it will also be shared with the sheriff’s department.
Source: KSN-TV

info2024-06-14T09:04:22-05:00June 14, 2024|News|

Pittsburg city leaders support $50 million “Gorilla Rising” project for downtown with $10 million investment

City leaders throw their support behind a project to bring a new college of business to downtown Pittsburg. Building on the success of Block 22, project Gorilla Rising is an initiative to build a new college of business at 3rd St. and Broadway. It`s expected the new college of business would be approximately 54,000 square feet and provide space for administrative and faculty offices, educational centers, and additional downtown parking space. Along with that, the historic Besse Hotel on 4th St. will be redeveloped, to create more than 60 new students housing beds and space for the PSU reading and testing centers. The city will invest $10 million to help cover part of the estimated $50 million plus price tag for the project.
Source: KSNF/KODE

info2024-06-14T09:02:47-05:00June 14, 2024|News|

In Newton, Professionals organize to serve, unite Latino and Spanish-speaking community

Navigating a new country, culture, bureaucratic system and language is no easy task. Sal Lujano Jr. said he watched his family do it firsthand when they came to Newton from Mexico. “When we first came here, we didn’t have a bilingual person to go to with many things,” he said. “My dad had to figure it out all on his own.” He said it doesn’t have to be that way anymore. He, along with seven other professionals in the community, have been working to create a group named “Latinos Unidos.” The group, with members fluent in Spanish and English, aims to help Spanish speakers in the city navigate a world that’s primarily in English. That might mean putting them in touch with services or providing help setting up a bank account or getting a loan. Lujano, a loan officer at People’s Bank and Trust said his experience growing up and, in his job, drove home the need for such an organization. “Speaking to other people it wasn’t just financing,” he said. “I got tired of seeing Google Translate documents floating around.” Daniela Rivas, who is the City Manager, is also part of the group. One of the goals she stated when coming to the city was to find ways of bringing more people and community members to the table and have them represented and participate in the process. “Our vision is empowering, advocating and celebrating Latinos to achieve their full potential,” she said of Latinos Unidos.
Source: Harvey County Now

info2024-06-14T08:57:47-05:00June 14, 2024|News|

Roeland Park now offering residents composting service. What are other JoCo cities doing?

There’s a new way for some Johnson Countians to start composting food waste. The city of Roeland Park is partnering with Price Chopper and Kansas City, Missouri-based nonprofit KC Can Compost to offer residents the chance to sign up for a monthly composting subscription.
This partnership follows similar efforts to divert food waste from the landfill by Overland Park and KC Can Compost to offer services to some apartment complexes in that city.
Here’s how Roeland Park’s pilot program works, and what composting looks like in other Johnson County cities.
Source: Johnson County Post

info2024-06-14T08:54:17-05:00June 14, 2024|News|