Retail muni bond ownership trends hold in second quarter

27 Wednesday, September 27

Retail muni bond ownership trends hold in second quarter

info2023-09-27T09:37:35-05:00September 27th, 2023|

The municipal bond market grew in the second quarter as household and exchange-traded fund ownership of municipal securities rose, while ownership by mutual funds, U.S. banks and life insurers fell, the latest Federal Reserve data shows. ... Household ownership of individual bonds — which includes direct ownership of individual bonds in brokerage accounts, fee-based advisory accounts or separately managed accounts — remained the largest category of muni ownership at 43%. Household ownership of munis rose $11.9 billion, or 0.7% quarter-over-quarter, to $1.695 trillion. Mutual funds owned 19.4% of the market at $762.9 billion, 0.3%, ... Exchange-traded funds ... account for 2.7% [...]

27 Wednesday, September 27

Nick Gregory resigns as McPherson’s City Administrator to serve as Maize’s new City Manager

info2023-09-27T09:41:04-05:00September 27th, 2023|

After 14 years of commitment and service to the City of McPherson, Nick Gregory today (Sept. 26, 2023) announced his resignation as City Administrator. After the announcement during the McPherson City Commission’s regularly-scheduled meeting, the commission voted to accept Gregory’s resignation. Gregory, who moved from Great Bend to McPherson in 2009, will remain until Nov. 10, 2023, before embarking on his new opportunity as City Manager in Maize. Upon his departure, the McPherson Commission also approved appointing Assistant City Administrator/Finance Director Daniela Rivas as Interim City Administrator. Source: McPherson, KS - News Flash

27 Wednesday, September 27

“Celebrating Our Heritage” at Greater Andover Days

info2023-09-27T07:42:49-05:00September 27th, 2023|

The 56th Greater Andover Days festival is set for Thursday, September 28 – Sunday, October 1, 2023. Festivities will kick off at The Heritage, located at the corner of Yorktown and US-54 in Andover with a BBQ dinner, music, dancing and more. Join the community in Central Park starting Friday, September 29, 5 p.m. for food trucks, carnival, and more activities. Greater Andover Days (GAD) is a four-day festival that occurs the 4th weekend after Labor Day. The event offers handfuls of fun, food, and entertainment for the entire family. Over 5,000 people attend GAD annually. Source: Andover American

27 Wednesday, September 27

A Kansas gardener sued to sell fruit and honey. Now her town will allow urban farming

info2023-09-27T07:41:38-05:00September 27th, 2023|

Ottawa will now allow small-scale urban agriculture — a move designed to accommodate residents who want to raise chickens and to resolve a homeowner’s lawsuit over the right to sell fruit and honey. City lawyer Blaine Finch said the goal is to let residents produce food in their yards without impinging on the welfare of their neighbors. “Frankly, agriculture is one of the original activities in this area,” Finch told city commissioners at a recent meeting. “The city hall is built on the site of Tauy Jones’ wild berry patch … It’s as old as the community, if not older.” Source: [...]

27 Wednesday, September 27

Fire Rescue issues child life saving devices for local schools

info2023-09-27T09:44:00-05:00September 27th, 2023|

The Columbus Fire Rescue has announced a program using lifesaving Life Vac devices in the local schools and childcare facilities. Life Vac devices are designed to aide in the removal of foreign substances causing choking to happen in school aged children. The Fire Rescue state this device while effective, should be a last choice option, not replacing the Heimlich or the normal back elbow instructions. Source: KOAM News

27 Wednesday, September 27

Labette Community College celebrates 100 years with Birthday Bash

info2023-09-27T07:39:09-05:00September 27th, 2023|

Labette Community College is celebrating 100 years with their 100th Birthday Bash celebration. Alums and the community of Parsons were welcome to enjoy free food and fun. Kenneth Ervin, an LCC graduate from 1947, spoke at the college's 100th-anniversary celebration. He shared a story about playing on a team under then-coach Carnie Smith. LCC's President, Mark Watkins, also spoke, emphasizing the significance of the centenary. LCC officially turned 100 on September 12th but has ongoing celebrations planned throughout the school year, including a Kids Fall Fest on October 23rd and an LCC 100-Year history exhibit from March 18th to April 24th. [...]

27 Wednesday, September 27

Chanute landmark takes center stage as sales tax vote nears

info2023-09-27T07:36:54-05:00September 27th, 2023|

Funding for upgrades to Chanute’s historic train depot will hinge on an upcoming sales tax referendum. Local voters will decide in the November general election whether to extend a quarter-cent sales tax to fund upgrades for a number of city facilities, including the old Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Train Depot, which houses the Chanute Public Library and the Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum. The building, which was last remodeled in the early 1990s, faces a laundry list of needs, most prominently a new HVAC system priced at $1 million or more. Source: The Iola Register

27 Wednesday, September 27

Fairgrounds questions prompts local officials to formalize decision-making process

info2023-09-27T07:35:48-05:00September 27th, 2023|

Various local officials said Monday they need a formal process for making decisions together for things like CiCo Park. During Monday’s intergovernmental luncheon, Manhattan, Riley County, K-State and USD 383 officials discussed potential changes and updates to the fairgrounds and CiCo park, which is owned jointly by USD 383, Riley County and Manhattan. As previously reported, a task force looking at possible relocation or additions for the Riley County Fairgrounds and said it would like to see a venue that could host all kinds of live events. Former county commissioner and fairgrounds task force member Dave Lewis said it is important [...]

27 Wednesday, September 27

Wichita developing tree-planting progam

info2023-09-27T07:27:50-05:00September 27th, 2023|

The City of Wichita is moving ahead with plans for a program to protect and expand the tree canopy in the community, and a study has identified 17 areas where trees are most needed. An update to a proposed tree policy was presented to City Council members in a workshop meeting Tuesday, and it identifies 17 “heat islands” that have been created by a lack of trees or the loss of trees in neighborhoods. A study was conducted by the NASA Langley Research Team that looked at the relationship between heat, trees and the environment. The city’s arborist, Gary Farris, said [...]

27 Wednesday, September 27

Dimon warns that the Fed could still raise interest rates sharply from here

info2023-09-27T09:45:51-05:00September 27th, 2023|

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon is warning that interest rates could go up quite a bit further as policymakers face the prospects of elevated inflation and slow growth. Though Federal Reserve officials have indicated that they are near the end of their rate-hiking cycle, the head of the largest U.S. bank by assets said that may not necessarily be the case. In fact, Dimon said in an interview with The Times of India that the Fed's key borrowing rate could rise significantly from its current targeted range of 5.25%-5.5%. He said that when the Fed raised the rate from near-zero to [...]