This poisonous weed is growing in Wichita yards this summer. How you can identify it

14 Friday, July 14

This poisonous weed is growing in Wichita yards this summer. How you can identify it

info2023-07-14T11:39:17-05:00July 14th, 2023|

A poisonous plant that bloomed in great numbers in the Wichita area last year has recently caught the attention of the public on online forums like Nextdoor. Poison hemlock is an invasive plant found throughout North America since its introduction in the 1800s. With a two-year life cycle, the noxious weed is usually not noticed until the second year, when they can reach 4 to 10 feet tall. Because of the number of poison hemlock plants in bloom last year, Matthew McKernan, horticulture agent with the Sedgwick County Extension Office, expects most in the area this year to be in their [...]

14 Friday, July 14

From HEAL Award to Rural Champion Playbook: Lincoln County is one to Follow!

info2023-07-14T11:38:34-05:00July 14th, 2023|

With the recent announcement of the Spring 2023 HEAL awardees, we thought we would first highlight Post Rock Fitness LLC. This project was part of our first round of HEAL grants in February 2022 and finished in December 2022. This is an amazing example of what the HEAL grant can help with when rehabbing a downtown building. When the property owner purchased the building in 2019, the building had no functional bathroom or plumbing, a nearly 40-year-old marginally operational heating and air conditioning system, and a leaking roof on the back addition. At the time they applied for the HEAL grant, [...]

14 Friday, July 14

‘We got it done’: Kansas OKs gaming license for Golden Circle casino outside Wichita

info2023-07-14T11:36:26-05:00July 14th, 2023|

The Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission cleared the way Thursday for Phil Ruffin to open a casino in the Wichita area, granting the billionaire casino mogul and Wichita native a major victory in a nearly two decade battle to put gambling machines inside the Wichita Greyhound Park. The gaming commission on Thursday granted Ruffin’s Golden Circle casino the state’s only license to operate 1,000 historical horse racing machines. The HHR machines look and play like slot machines — which voters rejected in Sedgwick County by a narrow margin a few months before Ruffin decided to close the greyhound park — but [...]

14 Friday, July 14

Allen County: Finding workers comes with a cost

info2023-07-14T11:35:37-05:00July 14th, 2023|

Most county departments are facing increased costs, primarily due to more pay to attract and retain personnel. ... Chairman David Lee said most of the requests were due to wages and benefits. Department heads requested 5% wage increases. Commissioners may ask them to reduce that number to 3% or 4%. “We’re going to have to see how finances are looking and if we can support those requests,” Lee said. “The resounding theme from department heads is that the cost of doing business has gone up over the past two or three years.” Lee said his priority is to attract and retain [...]

14 Friday, July 14

Economist says there’s no need for the Fed to keep hiking interest rates

info2023-07-14T11:34:03-05:00July 14th, 2023|

Nobel Prize-winning economist Christopher Pissarides believes there's no need for the Federal Reserve to keep raising interest rates in the coming months, saying policymakers at the U.S. central bank should instead look to take a breather in the battle against inflation. His comments come shortly after data on Wednesday showed U.S. inflation fell sharply to a two-year low of 3% in June. The reading appeared to underscore the Fed's relative success in containing price rises following a rapid increase in interest rates. The Fed has previously signaled its intent on pushing ahead with additional monetary policy tightening. ... The U.S. central [...]

14 Friday, July 14

Municipal Bond Trends for July 13, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-07-14T08:15:00-05:00July 14th, 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.

13 Thursday, July 13

Municipal Bond Trends for July 12, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-07-13T07:32:38-05:00July 13th, 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.

12 Wednesday, July 12

Ellinwood increases recycling commitment

info2023-07-12T23:29:34-05:00July 12th, 2023|

As a show of support to local participating businesses, the City of Ellinwood agreed on Tuesday to pick up half the tab for future recycling services to the community. At Tuesday’s meeting of the Ellinwood City Council, Shelby Zuniga, executive director of Sunflower Diversified Services in Great Bend, told council members present that their organization had experienced increased costs over the past few years, resulting in the development of a direct-pay rate structure for participating businesses in the area. “We started to charge a fee in Great Bend in the middle of 2021,” Zuniga said. “We’ve had to increase the rates.” [...]

12 Wednesday, July 12

Planners to consider container homes

info2023-07-14T12:00:09-05:00July 12th, 2023|

More than a year after Hillsboro developed a district north of 3rd St. for potential placement of container homes, city planners will have a July 27 hearing on an application to place the first container home in the district. Developer Felix Ramirez and then-partner Crystal Leatherman initially planned to install container homes on land purchased from developer Russell Groves. Reluctant to allow container homes to be installed without meeting city requirements, city planners and council members drew up an overlay for the proposed area. The overlay set standards not just for homes made from shipping containers, but for other alternative housing [...]

12 Wednesday, July 12

Hugoton’s Park Day big success, winners announced

info2023-07-12T23:21:59-05:00July 12th, 2023|

Hugoton celebrated Independence Day with Park Day Tuesday, July 4. Boy Scout Troop 189 presented the Colors and the Hugoton High School Show Choir sang the National Anthem. Winners with vouchers need to go to the Hugoton Area Chamber of Commerce to pick up your winnings. The winners in the Little Miss / Mr. Hugoton contest sponsored by Flatlanders Farm and Home were: birth to six months Little Miss first place Juliette Turner, second Thalia Ordonez and third Wrenley Maravilla; Little Mr. winner was Kord Luke Kallenbach. Source: Hugoton Hermes News