El Dorado school district gets logo refresh, and the community is not thrilled

11 Wednesday, October 11

El Dorado school district gets logo refresh, and the community is not thrilled

info2023-10-11T09:31:12-05:00October 11th, 2023|

Wilbur, the famous wildcat mascot for El Dorado High School has had many faces throughout his time. “There are 25 different faces for Wilbur the wildcat [throughout history],” said Kimberly Koop, the USD 490 director of community engagement and recruitment. But the inconsistencies with his figure will discontinue after this week, because last week District 490 announced a logo refresh. Many from the community are unhappy with the recent change. “It’s cold, stale, not something you want to fight for,” said Linette Liby, an El Dorado HS alumni. “I don’t understand why we have to change it for one thing. I’m [...]

11 Wednesday, October 11

Rural Kansas hospitals use strategies to stay open

info2023-10-11T09:29:29-05:00October 11th, 2023|

On the heels of Herington Hospital announcing its closure, other rural hospitals are speaking out about the challenges they face to remain open. This summer, Kiowa County Memorial Hospital was listed in a study that suggests it is at risk of closure. The CEO of the hospital, Morgan Allison, said she was shocked to learn the hospital is at risk because the staff had been working to avoid the same problems that have closed other rural hospitals. Rural hospitals are challenged by a lack of patients. "In the past, we had a lot of issues with patient volumes, but we have seen quite a [...]

11 Wednesday, October 11

City of Wichita votes to amend residency requirement, allowing remote and hybrid workers to live across the state

info2023-10-11T09:27:42-05:00October 11th, 2023|

The Residency Requirement for the City of Wichita has been the same since 1994. On Tuesday, the City of Wichita City Council voted to amend it. The old residency requirement states the following: "The Wichita City Council passed a resolution that requires all City employees hired on and after April 12, 1994, shall either live within the corporate limits of Wichita, or within 30 minutes lawful driving time of the corporate limits of the City, by the most direct route. Such employees are to maintain their residence according to the requirements of the ordinance as long as the City of Wichita [...]

11 Wednesday, October 11

Gardens across Lawrence school district allow students to learn by growing

info2023-10-11T09:25:29-05:00October 11th, 2023|

There’s now a blooming garden at every school site in the Lawrence school district. One school garden, cared for by the Billy Mills Middle School Garden Club, grows tomatoes, purple peppers, radishes, garlic and an abundance of other vegetables. Club members plant flowers and tend to natural species of plants while engaging with the insects fluttering, crawling or wriggling within the ecosystem. Billy Mills sixth grader Delyla Kring-Hicknan said she feels fully connected to nature when gardening, especially since club members don’t spray herbicides or pesticides on the garden. And they get to enjoy the food they grow. “I just love [...]

9 Monday, October 9

Audit questions spending by school districts

info2023-10-10T20:29:12-05:00October 9th, 2023|

Republican lawmakers are eying punitive measures for Kansas school districts, including potentially having them repay state aid meant to target students who are the highest risk of not graduating, after a state audit found that administrators haven’t followed strict guidelines for those funds. Among several other education issues, the Kansas Legislature’s Special Committee on Education honed in on the results of a report this summer from the Kansas Legislative Post Audit that examined how schools used more than $400 million in at-risk funding during the 2021-22 school year. ... The audit, released over the summer as a follow-up to a 2019 [...]

9 Monday, October 9

Municipal Bond Trends for October 6, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-10-09T09:57:27-05:00October 9th, 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, or Henry Schmidt.

9 Monday, October 9

City of Salina cuts special event permit fees in half amid concerns

info2023-10-09T08:33:40-05:00October 9th, 2023|

Putting on special events will now cost less in Salina after the city commission approved a reduction in permit fees for such events at its meeting Monday. The move, which sees the city's Special Event Permit fee cut in half, comes after many people in the community were concerned that events, like the annual Salina Toy Run, would not continue because of the increase of fees. City Manager Mike Schrage said the fee process for getting a special event permit is two-fold, with an initial application fee and then a fee for the permit itself. "The permit fee is after the [...]

9 Monday, October 9

Hutch Fest will bring classic cars, 5K run, craft brews and live music to Hutchinson

info2023-10-09T08:32:00-05:00October 9th, 2023|

It's fall festival season and one of Hutchinson's newest favorites is Hutch Fest, which will take place Friday and Saturday downtown. In its third year, organizers say the two-day festival is even more jam-packed with activities than ever before, with a hot rod and classic car show, a 5K and fun run, a craft brew festival, live music, food, movies and other fun activities for all ages. "We brought back Hutch Fest after years of not having this annual event," said Amy Conkling, assistant executive director of Hutch Rec. "Hutch Fest was a huge hit in the 80s and 90s, and [...]

9 Monday, October 9

Celebrate Lindsborg’s Swedish heritage at Svensk Hyllningsfest

info2023-10-09T08:31:07-05:00October 9th, 2023|

With visitors coming from around the world in numbers that more than triple the town's population, the biennial Svensk Hyllningsfest is back this month in Lindsborg, Kansas' own "Little Sweden." Meaning "Swedish Honoring Festival," Hyllningsfest, founded in 1941, takes place every odd-numbered year and celebrates the Swedish immigrants and pioneers who settled in the Smoky Valley during the late 1860s. Festivalgoers will join with the community to "become Swedish" with art, crafts, music, food and entertainment happening throughout the day on Oct. 13 and 14. Source: Hutch News

9 Monday, October 9

Students building bridges across the American divide (Dodge City featured on CBS Sunday Morning)

info2023-10-09T08:29:26-05:00October 9th, 2023|

High school grads participating in the American Exchange Project are sent on a free, week-long trip to a hometown very different from their own – crossing boundaries of blue and red states to find grey areas of common ground.... Under a nearly full moon in the unpolluted darkness of the night sky over Kansas, a group of student stargazers sat in a circle taking turns on the telescope. "It's weird. Like, some craters are super-tiny," said one. It was a bonding experience that was out of this world, especially given that only a day before they were as foreign to each [...]