County leadership program serves to develop leaders

12 Friday, January 12

County leadership program serves to develop leaders

info2024-01-12T12:56:05-06:00January 12th, 2024|

K-State Research and Extension Agent Tristen Cope has learned to look at leadership differently, especially after taking a class on the topic through Kansas Leadership Center and helping run the Marion County Leadership Program. “I was in a lot of leadership positions in high school and throughout college, but I was never taught or shown leadership as a verb. I was always taught that leadership was a noun,” said Cope. “It’s an act of how you’re a leader as opposed to a noun— acting as a leader— it’s what you do to gain those leadership skills or to help engage and [...]

12 Friday, January 12

Hesston gives OK to expanding police force

info2024-01-12T12:54:52-06:00January 12th, 2024|

The Hesston Police Department will hire an additional police officer. The Hesston City Council approved the action after some discussion of shifting budgets Monday night. Police Chief Chris Eilert made the case to the council for the hiring. An officer informed him that he plans to pursue another job in 18 to 24 months. Eilert said the city, in the past, had trouble finding quality applicants for open positions, and he had a strong applicant, a Hesston resident currently working at another interested department. “He will be getting out if he can’t find something,” he said. “He fits perfectly what I’m looking for in [...]

12 Friday, January 12

‘Nothing in the middle’: Senior housing options limited

info2024-01-12T12:52:02-06:00January 12th, 2024|

After getting divorced in her mid 60s, Darlene Palsmeier was forced to look for a new home. She didn’t like what she found, a least in terms of cost. With an annual income of $38,640, Palsmeier doesn’t consider herself well off. But when she began applying for apartments in government-subsidized senior living communities around the area, she discovered she was above the income limit for residents by almost $3,000. Needing a place “pretty quick,” she rented an apartment on Rock Road in east Wichita for $1,400 a month. That equals 43 percent of her monthly income, well above the 30 percent recommended by [...]

12 Friday, January 12

Pottawatomie County offices briefly evacuated due to mystery odor

info2024-01-12T12:50:30-06:00January 12th, 2024|

An odor issue caused a brief closure Wednesday of the Pottawomie County Office Building in Westmoreland. The facility was evacuated and closed for about an hour and a half as Kansas Gas Service performed a check of lines in the building. They were able to rule out any gas leak. Employees and customers were allowed back into the building at 2 p.m. The office building has been deemed safe for employees and customers. County officials say more work will be done to narrow down the mysterious odor. The building houses offices for the Pottawatomie County Treasurer, Clerk, Appraiser, Register of Deeds, Planning and Zoning, [...]

12 Friday, January 12

State sales tax on food drops to 2 percent

info2024-01-12T12:34:00-06:00January 12th, 2024|

Kansans are now paying less tax at the grocery store as the state tax rate on food dropped from four to two percent on Monday. During the 2022 Legislative session, lawmakers passed the “Axe The Food Tax” bill, which phases out the state tax on food at the grocery store. At the start of 2023, the state tax rate on food decreased from 6.5 to four percent. Now in 2024, the rate is dropped to two percent. The tax will be eliminated on Jan. 1, 2025. “Axing the food tax down to two percent keeps more money in Kansans’ pockets. High prices shouldn’t force [...]

12 Friday, January 12

Cherokee County Sheriff Reports Significant Decrease in Crimes for 2023

info2024-01-12T12:31:27-06:00January 12th, 2024|

The Cherokee County Sheriff is reflecting on the last year and what he calls some "good news." Last year's numbers show a 61-percent decrease in aggravated assaults and batteries from 2022 in Cherokee County, as well as a decrease in thefts when compared to the five-year average. "The trend has been over the last ten years for violent crimes to be going up. And so for us to see that significant of a decrease with regards to aggravated assault matters was certainly something we welcome," said David Groves, Cherokee County Sheriff. Sheriff's deputies were also able to log a 5-percent "solvability rate" higher [...]

12 Friday, January 12

USD 250 continues search for new super

info2024-01-12T12:17:04-06:00January 12th, 2024|

Since USD 250 Superintendent Rich Proffitt announced his retirement, effective at the end of the school year, the Board of Education has begun the process of hiring his successor. To that end, the board has hired Omaha-based McPherson-Johnson Consultants’ Randy Gilson and his colleagues to meet with USD 250 staff, students, and parents to get a feel for the right person to take over the school district. Gilson met with certified staff at Pittsburg High School on Wednesday night to discuss what they are looking for in a new superintendent. About a dozen 250 teachers gathered Wednesday evening to share what qualities [...]

12 Friday, January 12

Osawatomie launches Comprehensive Plan 2040

info2024-01-12T12:15:50-06:00January 12th, 2024|

The city of Osawatomie has kicked off its Comprehensive Plan 2040 initiative, and residents are encouraged to share their insights and get involved in the process of planning for the community’s future. Comprehensive Plan 2040 will be a visionary road map that will guide the future development and growth of Osawatomie, according to a city news release. The key components of the plan will be community engagement, manageable development and preserving heritage, according to the release. The city is inviting all residents, businesses and stakeholders to actively participate in the planning process. The first phase of engagement is a public survey [...]

12 Friday, January 12

Municipal Bond Trends for January 11, 2024

Henry Schmidt2024-01-12T11:11:06-06:00January 12th, 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.

12 Friday, January 12

Lawrence has nearly $2B in retail sales in 2023, but city’s growth since pandemic has been slower than average

info2024-01-12T10:01:32-06:00January 12th, 2024|

Even if we are browsing through the clearance items at the Goodwill store, all of us Lawrence shoppers can feel like we are almost part of an exclusive club — the $2 billion club. Lawrence fell just short of posting $2 billion in total retail sales in 2023, which would have made it just one of six communities in the state to do so. Now that the Kansas Department of Revenue has released its final sales tax figures for the year, we can look at what cities in the state are the biggest when it comes to serving and attracting shoppers. [...]