How local educators are tackling the fentanyl crisis

3 Thursday, August 3

How local educators are tackling the fentanyl crisis

info2023-08-03T10:04:24-05:00August 3rd, 2023|

Local educators and organizations are focusing on prevention and awareness when it comes to the fentanyl crisis in Johnson County. Educators and organization leaders convened for a roundtable on Tuesday morning at Shawnee Mission West hosted by U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas’ Third District. Like previous fentanyl roundtable discussions, Tuesday’s summit was closed to the public. In a press conference that immediately followed, Davids said the discussion focused largely on fentanyl education and awareness. Superintendents from USD 232 in De Soto and Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools were present, as well as administrators from Shawnee Mission and Olathe school districts. [...]

3 Thursday, August 3

New book documents Leawood’s 75-year history

info2023-08-03T11:52:39-05:00August 3rd, 2023|

A book detailing a quarter-century of Leawood’s history is turning a final page. City officials say “Leawood; The Journey Continues,” will hit the presses this month — coming out in time for the city’s 75th anniversary celebration. The book serves as a second edition of the city’s first history book, “Leawood; A Portrait in Time” — which was penned by local author Ann Morris. Residents can buy the second edition either with a copy of the first history book or by itself. Source: Prairie Village Post

3 Thursday, August 3

Public can no longer pull most items from Lawrence City Commission consent agenda

info2023-08-03T10:01:34-05:00August 3rd, 2023|

Members of the public can no longer request to pull most items from the Lawrence City Commission’s consent agenda during meetings, commissioners voted Tuesday. A governing body’s consent agenda generally includes a list of items that are considered routine and are approved in one vote. Some bodies, such as the Lawrence City Commission and Douglas County Commission, allow commissioners themselves as well as members of the public to ask that an item be removed from the consent agenda for discussion; the Lawrence school board allows board members and the superintendent to remove items from the consent agenda. The change approved Tuesday [...]

3 Thursday, August 3

County: New ambulance will be hard to get

info2023-08-03T09:58:45-05:00August 3rd, 2023|

Buying a new ambulance isn’t going to be a simple process, Allen County commissioners learned this week. That’s because supply chain issues have made for a lengthy wait to receive the units, Terry Call told them. He retired as the county’s EMS and zoning director, but returned part-time to handle zoning issues. Call researched ambulance options after Michael Burnett, Iola’s EMS director, gave a report about equipment needs a couple of weeks ago. Under the terms of a new contract between the city and county, commissioners agreed to provide ambulances and associated equipment. It likely will be more than a year — maybe even [...]

3 Thursday, August 3

WaterOne has a new general manager

info2023-08-03T11:53:10-05:00August 3rd, 2023|

WaterOne has a new permanent leader. The nonprofit water utility’s board last month voted to confirm Shaun Pietig as WaterOne’s new general manager, overseeing all the operations of its 272-square-mile service territory in Johnson County. Pietig first came to WaterOne in 2007 as a project engineer and has done a number of jobs within the organization, most recently serving as Director of Distribution. Pietig will be the fifth general manager in WaterOne’s history and the first woman ever in that position. She will formally take over her new role on Tuesday, Aug. 8. Previous General Manager Mike Armstrong retired in December [...]

3 Thursday, August 3

County seeks solution for excess tires

info2023-08-03T09:56:17-05:00August 3rd, 2023|

A company that recycles used tires has been dumping more than 200,000 tires at the Allen County Landfill over the past six months, prompting county leaders to consider changes to the way it handles or charges for tire collection. Shane Lamb with FMS/United Tire told commissioners he needs to dump shredded tires at the landfill until he’s able to build a facility that can convert the material into fine, crumb rubber that is a highly desirable recycled product used by many industries. Lamb operates out of a facility at the former Lehigh Portland Cement plant. Since February, Lamb’s company has dumped 1,980.57 tons of [...]

3 Thursday, August 3

The Fitch analyst behind the U.S. downgrade breaks down the decision—and how the country can regain the top rating

info2023-08-03T11:55:05-05:00August 3rd, 2023|

It's not a growing jobs market, strong U.S. dollar or a resilient economy that will help the U.S. regain the top rating from Fitch. According to the firm, it's going to take a major step up in governance. Fitch Ratings cut the United States' long-term foreign currency issuer default rating to AA+ from AAA on Tuesday, sending global stock markets down on Wednesday. The agency had placed the country's rating on negative watch in May, citing the debt ceiling issue. "This is a steady deterioration we've seen in the key metrics for the United States for a number of years. In [...]

3 Thursday, August 3

Governor Kelly Invites Public Input on Broadband Infrastructure Plan

info2023-08-03T09:46:19-05:00August 3rd, 2023|

Governor Laura Kelly announced today that the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Initial Proposal Volume 1 is available for public viewing and comment. The BEAD 5-Year Action Plan, along with Volume 1 and Volume 2, will identify served, unserved, and underserved locations across the state and map out a plan to expand access to high-speed internet. The BEAD program, established by the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, has allocated more than $451 million to Kansas for the development of broadband networks. “Universal internet access is essential, and BEAD is a catalyst to a more connected and prosperous [...]

3 Thursday, August 3

SpaceX shipment passes through Pratt

info2023-08-03T09:44:21-05:00August 3rd, 2023|

Most area residents are used to the sights and sounds of big trucks and bumper-to-bumper traffic in Pratt as two major state highways cross right in the middle of town at First and Main Streets. Early Monday morning, however, a few more eyes than usual kept a close check on U.S. Highway 281, also known as Main Street, as a large SpaceX load was scheduled to travel through. “Everyone was all aflutter already on Sunday evening as there were reports of the SpaceX load coming through Great Bend and then St. John,” said Patrice Egging. “We heard it got stuck on the [...]

3 Thursday, August 3

Municipal Bond Trends for August 2, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-08-03T08:31:29-05:00August 3rd, 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.