Kansas collects $7M in first year of sports betting

4 Wednesday, October 4

Kansas collects $7M in first year of sports betting

info2023-10-04T07:32:36-05:00October 4th, 2023|

The state’s first year of sports betting brought in $7 million in state revenue from $1.85 billion in wagers. In a Sept. 28 update to committee lawmakers, Kansas Lottery finance director Matt Schwartz said revenue projections were basically on track with expectations. “Sports wagering revenues, we’re now a little more than 12 months in,” Schwartz said. “The state’s share of revenues for the first fiscal year, which was 10 months of operation, was a little more than $5.8 million.” The fiscal year ended June 30. From the September 2022 introduction of sports betting through the end of August this year, the state [...]

4 Wednesday, October 4

Schools update cybersecurity training

info2023-10-04T07:29:59-05:00October 4th, 2023|

Dennis Elledge, Director of Technology for Derby schools reported that cyberattacks are on the rise at the Sept. 25 Derby Board of Education meeting. Eldridge said major organizations like MGM Grand and Paramount Studio are falling victim. He says many breaches begin with deceptive emails that trick recipients into clicking on a link leading to a compromise .October is cybersecurity month and the technology department is providing information, training and procedural changes to increase awareness for district staff. Source: Derby Informer | News

3 Tuesday, October 3

Workers uncover Topeka’s historic streetcar rail system

info2023-10-03T10:50:45-05:00October 3rd, 2023|

A downtown Topeka street construction project has uncovered a piece of Kansas history. In September, crews working along Jackson Street came across buried railing from the Capital City's long-retired streetcar system. Schuetz Construction foreman Scott Schuetz said workers found the rails as they replaced the existing street. "There's a set of trolley tracks we were told down Jackson Street that we dug across several times connecting the services to the buildings, and then there's a set of tracks that we dug across in 10th Street as well as in Eighth Street." Katie Keckeisen is a local history librarian at the Topeka [...]

3 Tuesday, October 3

Want to open a restaurant? Haysville willing to pay $15,000 if you’ll do it there

info2023-10-03T10:48:52-05:00October 3rd, 2023|

Sometimes, when a city wants something badly enough, it has to go after it. In the case of Haysville — the city of about 11,200 just south of Wichita — residents want more restaurants, says economic development director Danielle Gabor. So the city has come up with three incentive packages that it hopes will help draw the specific kinds of restaurants the growing city most needs. Entrepreneurs who want to open one of three types of restaurants in Haysville — a sit-down coffee shop with a drive-through, a full service steakhouse, brewery or family dining restaurant, or a fast food/quick service [...]

3 Tuesday, October 3

Governor Kelly Announces $47M in Federal Funds for Two Kansas Rail Projects

info2023-10-04T13:32:35-05:00October 3rd, 2023|

Governor Laura Kelly announced two short-line railroad companies in Kansas are being awarded a combined $47 million in federal funding for rail improvement projects as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Watco, based in Pittsburg and with rail operations across the western and southeast portions of Kansas, is being granted up to $15.7 million to convert eight locomotives into fully battery-powered units. In southeast Kansas, the Neodesha Subdivision of the South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad (SKOL), a subsidiary of Watco, will receive up to $31.2 million for track-related improvements. Source: Governor of the State of Kansas

3 Tuesday, October 3

Governor Kelly Releases Kansas Broadband Digital Equity Plan for Public Comment

info2023-10-04T13:33:01-05:00October 3rd, 2023|

Governor Laura Kelly announced the Kansas Digital Equity (DE) Plan for high-speed internet connectivity is available for public review and comment. While the recently announced Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Five-Year Action Plan outlines the state’s plan to provide access to high-speed internet, the Digital Equity Plan focuses on specifically connecting users. The DE Plan outlines digital skills training, affordable service plans, and the availability of broadband-ready devices as top priorities. Additionally, the plan emphasizes technology’s positive effect on various areas of everyday life, such as health care, education, and civic engagement. “Digital equity empowers Kansans with the tools they [...]

3 Tuesday, October 3

Sedgwick voters to mull sales tax extension

info2023-10-04T13:33:32-05:00October 3rd, 2023|

City of Sedgwick voters will soon be asked whether to indefinitely extend a half-cent sales tax. The question will play a role in if a sizable amount of the city is paved. In 2019, 64 percent of voters in the City of Sedgwick approved the addition of a half a percent of sales tax on purchases within the city to help pay for road and infrastructure maintenance. In the same election, the city voted down adding on additional sales tax to pay for park improvements. Source: Harvey County Now

3 Tuesday, October 3

New art coming to Newton

info2023-10-03T10:21:15-05:00October 3rd, 2023|

The Newton Murals Project recently added two new murals as part of its mission to add color to Newton. The Newton Murals and Arts project has completed 12 murals in Newton so far, and the latest includes an addition to the back of the Meadowlark Mural in the Old Mill Plaza parking lot at 301 N Main Street. The other is a mural at the R. Michael Rhoades wetlands park next to the Newton Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Meadowlark mural is an ongoing project. Most recently, it added a three-dimensional element using “junk art” to display a “space bug.” In November, [...]

3 Tuesday, October 3

Municipal Bond Trends for October 2, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-10-03T08:38:39-05:00October 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.

2 Monday, October 2

Attorney for Kansas Press Association has similar view to recent AG opinion, but association is concerned about lost revenues and transparency

info2023-10-02T16:38:49-05:00October 2nd, 2023|

Attorney General Kris Kobach issued a legal opinion declaring cities in Kansas had the right to exempt themselves from state law requiring official city business notices to be printed by a designated newspaper. Kobach’s nonbinding analysis said cities could adopt ordinances that allowed them to inform the public by posting information on budget hearings, zoning proposals and other issues to a city-owned website rather than buy newspaper advertisements. ... Emily Bradbury, executive director of the Kansas Press Association, said the attorney general’s interpretation of nonuniformity in state law mirrored the perspective of a lawyer representing KPA. On Friday, Bradbury said elected [...]