6 votes separate these 2 Wyandotte County candidates

As outstanding ballots are counted, the race for a seat to represent south-central Kansas City, Kansas, on Wyandotte County’s governing body has narrowed to six votes. Philip Lopez, who owns a tree trimming business, on Thursday remained ahead of Steve Neal, pastor of First Baptist Church of Turner, in the race for District 6 on the Board of Commissioners for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. The seat is currently held by Angela Markley, who did not seek reelection, and covers the Turner, Morris and Muncie neighborhoods. After an update of unofficial results Thursday, Lopez totaled 827 votes while Neal had 821. Fourteen voters wrote in other candidates. The update came as more mail-in ballots were counted. The race could swing as the Wyandotte County Election Office goes through 1,200 outstanding mail-in ballots that were postmarked before or on Election Day but not received until later. They will be accepted through Friday.
Source: KC Star Local News

Ranson Financial2023-11-10T12:15:57-06:00November 10, 2023|News|

Overland Park is planning for the future of its parks system

Overland Park is paving the way for the future of its parks and recreation system. Called Playbook OP, the updated long-range plan currently under review will eventually identify future goals for the city’s pools, parks, green spaces and other recreational facilities. The plan will also address recreation programming, system development and other recommendations for expanding the city’s vast parks network. Enacted by city leaders in 2013, Overland Park’s existing long-term parks plan is called the Comprehensive Park System Master Plan. Under the current plan, Overland Park refreshed playgrounds at several parks, including Bluejacket Park, Brown Park and South Lake Park, said Meg Ralph, communications manager
Source: Prairie Village Post

Ranson Financial2023-11-10T12:16:32-06:00November 10, 2023|News|

Downtown KCK is ready for a rebirth, starting with a $70M ‘game-changer’

Kansas City, Kansas, has had its share of ups and downs over the years, from the closing of the Indian Springs Shopping Center, to the development of the Kansas Speedway and Legends area. But the city’s downtown has remained a challenge. It has seen spurts of activity through the years, including the opening of the Children’s Campus of Kansas City in 2010, the University of Kansas Health System opening its Strawberry Hill Campus in 2019 in a building that sat empty after the departure of the Environmental Protection Agency’s regional office and the opening of a new grocery store in 2020. A pair of new projects promises to inject new life into the city’s downtown and could tip the scales toward a long-awaited renaissance. Kansas City Kansas Community College recently began work on a $70 million project at the corner of Seventh Street Trafficway and State Avenue. KCKCC is partnering with Swope Health and Community America Credit Union to create an all-encompassing education and wellness center.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal

Ranson Financial2023-11-10T10:54:44-06:00November 10, 2023|News|

Kansas lawmakers talk about the homeless impact on cities

Homelessness is an issue Kansas lawmakers are addressing. A special committee met at the statehouse on Thursday to talk about the impact on cities across the state and possible solutions. The issue has gotten so bad that the homeless are being sent to Lawrence, where it is becoming a growing problem. “People are being transported,” Rep. Susan Humphries, R-Wichita. Law enforcement officers say that some are being sent across county lines to areas that may have more resources. Even in those bigger cities, resources are running low. … Lawmakers are getting feedback from stakeholders across the state. It includes business owners who say they’re struggling to deal with the rising homeless population.
Source: KSN-TV

Ranson Financial2023-11-10T12:17:47-06:00November 10, 2023|News|

Affordable senior housing coming to former Kansas Masonic Home facility

With its Spanish architecture and tile roof, the Kansas Masonic Home is a staple of Wichita just west of downtown, and it’s served the community for over 125 years. Most recently, the KMH was a senior care facility drowning in lawsuits for deaths due to alleged neglect, hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, and reports from the health department saying that inspectors found horrible living conditions like nurses failing to change a resident’s bandage for eighteen days. At the end of last year, the KMH abruptly announced it was closing because of overwhelming debt, giving its residents just weeks to get out. “They had to scramble to find a place to live,” said Chris Dennis. That’s where Dennis and his team at Wichita-based Oxford Senior Living came in.
Source: KAKE News

Ranson Financial2023-11-10T12:18:16-06:00November 10, 2023|News|

Powell says Fed is ‘not confident’ it has done enough to bring inflation down

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Thursday that he and his fellow policymakers are encouraged by the slowing pace of inflation but are unsure whether they’ve done enough to keep the momentum going. Speaking a little more than a week after the central bank voted to hold benchmark policy rates steady, Powell said in remarks for an International Monetary Fund audience that more work could be ahead in the battle against high prices. “The Federal Open Market Committee is committed to achieving a stance of monetary policy that is sufficiently restrictive to bring inflation down to 2 percent over time; we are not confident that we have achieved such a stance,” he said in his prepared speech. The speech comes with inflation still well above the Fed’s long-standing goal but also considerably below its peak levels in the first half of 2022.
Source: CNBC – Bonds

Ranson Financial2023-11-10T12:18:44-06:00November 10, 2023|News|

KDOT gives update on potential Amtrak expansion into Wichita

An Amtrak passenger train rolled into Wichita’s Union Station back in 2017 as part of an inspection ride to see the viability of service. It was only a test at the time but soon, the real thing could return to the air capital. Wednesday the Kansas Department of Transportation held a virtual update on the proposed expansion of the Heartland Flyer line that would connect Oklahoma City to Newton. Sedgwick County Commissioner Pete Meitzner was listening to the update and said it seems like there is a lot of momentum behind the project. “You hate to over promise but you can kind of feel the enthusiasm and the confidence on that call.” It would be a major connection for the region.
Source: KAKE – News

Ranson Financial2023-11-10T12:19:18-06:00November 10, 2023|News|

Miami County voters shoot down $40 million school bond proposal and new sales tax for courthouse

Voters took a stance against taxes and unseated school board incumbents in Paola and Osawatomie during the Nov. 7 general election. Two of the biggest questions on the ballot were Paola USD 368’s $40 million school bond proposal and Miami County’s proposed quarter-cent sales tax for the renovation and expansion of the historic Miami County Courthouse. Both proposals failed by similar margins, with 60 percent of voters saying “no” and 40 percent saying “yes.” … One tax-related question was successful on election night. Osawatomie voters renewed the city’s quarter-cent sales tax for public safety equipment with 233 “yes” votes to 180 “no” votes, according to the unofficial results.
Source: Local News | republic-online.com

Ranson Financial2023-11-10T12:22:13-06:00November 10, 2023|News|

Allen County residents seek answers on new floodplain maps

An open house on Tuesday was designed to answer questions about a new floodplain maps. Most Allen County residents got good news, as 85 properties no longer are listed in the floodplain. Eight were added. Debbie Menzie was surprised to receive a notice that her home is now in a floodplain. It’s never flooded at her home in the north part of Iola, just off Washington Street. Not even close. She attended an open house on Tuesday at the Community Building in Riverside Park, hosted by the Kansas Department of Agriculture to review new floodplain maps. The new maps show 85 properties are no longer in the floodplain. Eight, including Menzie’s home, have been added. Property owners who have a federally-backed mortgage must have flood insurance if their home is in the floodplain. Menzie said she has never needed flood insurance. She doesn’t have a mortgage so she isn’t required to carry it. She attended Tuesday’s event to discuss her options. She’s not sure if she wants to purchase flood insurance, just in case. “It’s a risk,” Menzie said. “I’m still not sure what I’m going to do but I’ll look into it.”
Source: The Iola Register

Ranson Financial2023-11-10T12:21:03-06:00November 10, 2023|News|

Allen County voters reject courthouse remodel

A proposal to renovate the Allen County Courthouse because of security issues failed with 76% of voters opposed. The other bond issue on the ballot, for renovations at the Crest school district, passed comfortably. City council and school board races also were decided. Allen County voters overwhelmingly rejected Tuesday a proposed $9.95 million bond issue to renovate the Allen County Courthouse. … Such huge margins represent a stinging defeat for the plan’s proponents, which included District Judge Dan Creitz and Allen County Sheriff Bryan Murphy, who attempted to convince voters the renovations were needed to improve security at the courthouse.
Source: The Iola Register

Ranson Financial2023-11-10T12:22:36-06:00November 10, 2023|News|