Reno County Commissioners look into changing fireworks regulations

15 Thursday, June 15

Reno County Commissioners look into changing fireworks regulations

info2023-06-15T16:31:51-05:00June 15th, 2023|

All five commissioners asked the county administrator, Randy Partington, to draft a new plan for fireworks rules. The county already has rules for fireworks only going off from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. from June 30 to July 4. The commissioners want to keep those regulations but strike some of the other restrictions and go to "lawful state fireworks" rules. Reno County Counselor Patrick Hoffman said that fireworks emitting a shower of sparks more than sixfeet are prohibited under the current county resolution. Commissioners directed Hoffman to draft anupdated resolution allowing such fireworks. Source: Hutch News

15 Thursday, June 15

Nitrates found in Yoder water again

info2023-06-15T16:30:14-05:00June 15th, 2023|

Nitrate levels have once again risen above allowable limits in the Yoder area. Residents are asked again to limit water usage, especially for infants under 6 months old and those who are pregnant. Reno County Public Works is currently in discussions with the City of Hutchinson regarding the purchasing of water for Yoder. The last nitrate level test, in Rural Water District 101, was collected on June 6, 2023. The level tested at 11.2 mg/L, which exceeds the Kansas and Federal (EPA) maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 mg/L for public water supply systems. Source: Hutch News

15 Thursday, June 15

Municipal Bond Trends for June 14, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-06-15T09:51:26-05:00June 15th, 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.

15 Thursday, June 15

Walmart to Build $257M Case-Ready Beef Facility Create 667 New Jobs in Olathe

info2023-06-15T09:22:35-05:00June 15th, 2023|

Governor Laura Kelly today announced Walmart will build its first-ever fully owned and operated case-ready beef facility in Olathe. The retailer will invest $257 million in the plant and create 667 new permanent jobs. Construction of the facility will also create 1,000 design, fabrication, and construction jobs. “Thanks to our work to make Kansas a top food and agriculture state, companies continue to invest in our communities and create high-paying jobs for Kansans,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Walmart’s innovative new facility will support a more prosperous future for Olathe, for the Kansas City metro, and for our state as a whole.” [...]

15 Thursday, June 15

Harvey County pledges $250000 for grant application with IdeaTek

info2023-06-15T09:20:13-05:00June 15th, 2023|

After much discussion, the Harvey County Commissioners approved a motion to commit $250,000 in matching grant money to partner with IdeaTek in applying for the Lasting Infrastructure and Network Connection (LINC) grant through the Kansas Department of Commerce. The motion also included providing a letter of support. It was approved by a 2-1 vote, with Commissioner Becky Reimer voting against. During the weekly commissioners meeting, Ethan Kaplan, a representative from IdeaTek, requested that the county partner with them in the application in order to enhance their chances of being successful. Kaplan told the commissioners that the total project, which includes three [...]

15 Thursday, June 15

Wichita temporarily drops aptitude test for police officers amid recruiting slump

info2023-06-15T09:18:24-05:00June 15th, 2023|

The Wichita Police Department has temporarily lowered its standards at a time when it is struggling to recruit officers, a move that appears to conflict with a report that found a lack of minimum standards was sowing discontent within the ranks. The Wichita City Council has approved funding for more officers than the department has been able to recruit and hire. But the police union says lowering entry standards isn’t the answer. At issue is an aptitude test given to police recruits as an entry exam that was recently — and quietly — eliminated by the department after consultation with new [...]

15 Thursday, June 15

Newton could soon smoke tobacco out of city parks

info2023-06-15T09:16:41-05:00June 15th, 2023|

The practice of using tobacco products in city parks might soon go up in smoke. The Newton City Commission got the chance to review and discuss language that would forbid tobacco products in all city parks, excluding the Sand Creek Station golf course. The discussion follows work by the health department and others picking up large amounts of cigarette butts in parks to show the commission the litter smoking caused in order to advocate for the change. The policy isn’t criminally enforceable. Offenders can be told they must leave the park for smoking and can be made subject to trespassing violations. [...]

15 Thursday, June 15

Editorial: Cemeteries the history book of every town

info2023-06-15T09:15:19-05:00June 15th, 2023|

Cemeteries are on my mind a lot lately, due to the time of the year I suppose, although I tend to think about them often. I sometimes watch videos on how to clean headstones and about people who repair headstones that have fallen over, I research people and photograph headstones for others. You can go out to most cemeteries on any given day and see someone walking the paths and of course, people placing flowers on graves and spending time in reflection. When people think about visitors coming to our towns, they don’t often think about the number of out-of-town visitors [...]

15 Thursday, June 15

Governor Kelly Announces WaKeeney Selected as Newest Kansas Main Street Community

info2023-06-15T09:09:11-05:00June 15th, 2023|

Governor Laura Kelly visited WaKeeney today to announce its selection as the latest community added to the Kansas Main Street program, a Kansas Department of Commerce initiative to preserve and revitalize downtown districts across the state. This brings the total number of Designated Main Street communities in Kansas to 36. The Kansas Main Street program was originally launched in 1985. The Kelly Administration revived the program in 2019 after it was shut down in 2012 and has since welcomed 11 additional communities to the program. “I congratulate all who worked to ensure WaKeeney was added to the list of cities in [...]

15 Thursday, June 15

Fed Holds Rates Steady but Expects More Increases

info2023-06-15T09:07:39-05:00June 15th, 2023|

Federal Reserve officials agreed to hold interest rates steady after 10 consecutive increases but signaled they were prepared to raise rates next month if the economy and inflation don’t cool more. New economic projections, released Wednesday after their two-day policy meeting, strongly suggested officials were leaning toward slowing down their increases rather than stopping them altogether. Most of them penciled in two more rate increases this year, which would lift them to a 22-year high, and boosted their expectations for growth and inflation. The Fed fights inflation by slowing the economy through raising rates, which causes tighter financial conditions such as [...]