Communities Across Kansas Receive Nearly $3.2M CDBG Grant Funding

24 Wednesday, May 24

Communities Across Kansas Receive Nearly $3.2M CDBG Grant Funding

info2023-05-25T10:38:06-05:00May 24th, 2023|

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland announced 10 communities received almost $3.2 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. Grant awards were made in three categories: Water and Sewer, Commercial Rehabilitation, and Housing. The three programs, which provide crucial funding for community development projects in Kansas, received a total of $3,193,740. “CDBG grants are tailored to assist in funding broader needs of communities across our great state,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “These programs play a vital role in the health and well-being of cities and counties throughout Kansas.” The Water and Sewer Program [...]

24 Wednesday, May 24

Kansas farmers brace for worst wheat crop production in 60 years as drought cuts yield

info2023-05-25T11:25:42-05:00May 24th, 2023|

With wheat fields about a month from harvest, Kansas farmers are bracing for what is projected to be the worst wheat crop in 60 years or more. "Wheat farmers have been living this every day," said Marsha Boswell, a spokesperson for the Kansas Wheat Commission and the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers. "They've seen the effects of the drought since the crop was planted last fall. They've seen fields that didn't emerge until the last couple weeks. "What's even more heartbreaking than that is the few fields that looked good a couple weeks ago are going downhill in areas that have [...]

24 Wednesday, May 24

Kansas rethinks workforce needs: Efforts emphasize good-paying jobs without degree requirements

info2023-05-25T11:23:08-05:00May 24th, 2023|

As Kansas businesses struggle to find workers to fill open positions and a series of megaprojects promise to create thousands of more jobs, state and local officials are promoting non-university options to students. 'A lot of work is going on around the cosmosphere of not only recruiting businesses, but also ensuring that those businesses have talent and then twice-fold keeping our our talent here in Kansas and recruiting talent to and back to Kansas,' said assistant secretary of commerce Mike Beene. Beene, who oversees the state's workforce services and is a former teacher, praised the state's education system — from K-12 [...]

24 Wednesday, May 24

Haysville declared Purple Heart City

info2023-05-24T10:39:23-05:00May 24th, 2023|

Earlier this month, Haysville joined Derby as the second city in Sedgwick County to earn the Purple Heart City designation. During the May 8 Haysville City Council meeting, Mayor Russ Kessler signed a proclamation making the distinction official, while a ceremony was held May 15 unveiling the signage and banners that will be displayed throughout Haysville announcing its Purple Heart City status. Source: Derby Informer | Area

24 Wednesday, May 24

Flame of Hope to pass through Emporia, Lyon County

info2023-05-24T10:36:57-05:00May 24th, 2023|

Emporia Police Department officers and Lyon County Sheriff’s Office deputies will carry the Special Olympics Kansas Flame of Hope through Emporia and Lyon County next week. Officers will collect the torch on May 31 at the intersection of U.S. Highway 75 and Old U.S. Hwy. 50, and bring it into Emporia. Runners will set off at 9:00 a.m. June 1 after a brief ceremony in front of Emporia State University, 1 Kellogg Cir. In total, this leg of the torch run will travel 105 miles as part of an overall 1,600-mile journey for the Flame of Hope across Kansas as part [...]

24 Wednesday, May 24

City of Larned receives $1.1 million for new fire engines

info2023-05-24T10:34:22-05:00May 24th, 2023|

The City of Larned on Monday received over $1 million for upgrades to the Larned Fire Department. The City of Larned says the funds will go towards replacing two outdated fire engines, as well as a mobile emergency communications center. The mobile emergency communications center is a dedicated vehicle that can be driven to a location to serve as a command post, which the city says will "allow the city to continue to serve its citizens during times of crisis." Source: KSN-TV

24 Wednesday, May 24

Osawatomie seeks national park designation

info2023-05-24T10:27:17-05:00May 24th, 2023|

The city of Osawatomie now has the official support of the Miami County Commission on its quest to gain a national park designation. Miami County commissioners, during their May 10 meeting, approved a resolution supporting the city’s request to establish the John Brown National Historic Park Site. The commissioners also agreed to give $22,000 to the city to assist in purchasing property for parking surrounding the John Brown Ghost Cabin at the Adair Homestead about two miles west of John Brown Memorial Park. The Ghost Cabin commemorates the exact location where John Brown called home during his Kansas abolitionist activities in [...]

24 Wednesday, May 24

After lean pandemic years, Overland Park is drawing visitors again

info2023-05-24T10:07:32-05:00May 24th, 2023|

Businesses connected to Overland Park tourism have begun to bounce back from some tough pandemic years, thanks in part to money from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, said Warren Wilkinson, president and CEO of Visit Overland Park. Wilkinson presented an improving picture of the city’s hospitality industry to the city council’s Finance, Administration and Economic Development Committee last week. In particular, he pointed out that federal pandemic relief funds through the American Rescue Plan that the city spent on advertising in 2021 and 2022 resulted in hotel performance that approaches or in some cases exceeds 2019. Source: Prairie Village Post

24 Wednesday, May 24

Municipal Bond Trends for May 23, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-05-24T09:02:39-05:00May 24th, 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.

24 Wednesday, May 24

MSRB Report Analyzes Buying Behavior in Muni Bond Primary and Secondary Markets

info2023-05-24T11:03:27-05:00May 24th, 2023|

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board has just published a new report on trading patterns in the primary and secondary markets for municipal bonds, which reveals notable differences in the buying behavior of individual and institutional investors in each of these markets. The authors found that individual investors generally buy bonds in the secondary market and have limited participation in the primary market, whereas institutional investors dominate the primary market. They concluded that while individual investors may have valid reasons not to access the primary market, they would likely benefit from more balanced participation between the primary and secondary markets. Read the [...]