Lack of officers hampering Wichita police department’s efforts

30 Tuesday, May 30

Lack of officers hampering Wichita police department’s efforts

info2023-05-30T12:18:45-05:00May 30th, 2023|

Wichita’s police force is about 66 officers short of its authorized strength of 468 officers, according to Police Chief Joe Sullivan. The police department faces a “retention crisis,” some analysts have said, which has complicated the department’s relationship with the community and ability to mend an internal culture criticized in a consultant’s report earlier this year. Workforce shortages put officers in the position, Sullivan said, of constantly answering emergency calls, which limits more positive interactions with the public and adversely affects the officers’ own mental health. “When you’re in a department that’s not fully staffed, and you’re responding to more emergencies [...]

30 Tuesday, May 30

Overland Park ‘build-to-rent’ subdivision offers alternative to buying a home

info2023-05-31T12:59:00-05:00May 30th, 2023|

A subsidiary of Mission Peak Capital is finishing the initial homes of the first subdivision in the metro area consisting of all-new single-family rental homes. Renting a home in the Overland Park subdivision offers a more affordable alternative amid a still tight housing market and higher interest rates, the developer says. ... The houses will have a mix of three and four bedrooms. Rent averages about $2,400 a month. The development offers an affordable alternative to buying a similar-sized home in today's market, said P.J. Ventola, managing director of development at Mission Peak, whose subsidiary, Peak Homes, is working on The [...]

30 Tuesday, May 30

Andover YMCA reopens water park

info2023-05-30T12:16:00-05:00May 30th, 2023|

People got to slide down the slide, hang out in a pool and float along the lazy river today in Andover, because the YMCA water park is back open, just a year after a tornado ripped through the city. "I'm happy about it because we used to have to drive far to go to other parks. Now we can drive closer," exclaimed 10-year-old Elijah Jamerson. The water park has some new features, such as a splash pad and climbing areas. "I'm glad it's open," said Amber Lowen of Rose Hill. "We love the Andover Y. We come here every summer." The [...]

30 Tuesday, May 30

Halstead considers updating their code enforcement process

info2023-05-31T13:12:18-05:00May 30th, 2023|

The Halstead City Council considered a proposal by City Manager Ethan Reimer at their latest meeting to change the way the city addresses code enforcement issues. The city does not have a code enforcement personnel, so for an issue to be addressed, a citizen must submit a complaint, which administrative staff or the city manager will investigate. ... Reimer said that since the police department already proactively patrols the city, has summons power to municipal court, and enforces other codes such as animal control regulations, the city staff would like to see the police department handle other code violation issues, such [...]

30 Tuesday, May 30

New additions brighten downtown Sedgwick

info2023-05-31T13:13:05-05:00May 30th, 2023|

Downtown Sedgwick recently got a little color and class with the addition of flowers and flower buckets and the Hometown Hero banners now displayed along Commercial Street. Sedgwick City Administrator Kyle Nordick said the banners will be displayed until Veterans Day, which is in November. “I want to again publicly thank the American Legion here in town for splitting the cost of our Hometown Hero banners,” Nordick said. Source: Harvey County Now

30 Tuesday, May 30

Rural Kansans wait to see how long prescriptions by telehealth last after the pandemic

info2023-05-31T13:13:47-05:00May 30th, 2023|

The pandemic allowed people to receive prescriptions for mental health and opioid addiction through telemedicine. Now Kansas clinicians want those flexibilities to be permanent. At the Citizens Health hospital in Colby, pandemic-driven rule changes let doctors prescribe chronic pain and mental health medications over virtual appointments. That gave hundreds of patients in northwest Kansas access to life-changing drugs. “Everybody struggles with access to mental health care,” Jenny Niblock, a nurse practitioner at the medical center, said. “Rural Kansas struggles even worse.” Before the pandemic, the only way to get a prescription for a federally regulated drug was through an in-person doctor’s [...]

30 Tuesday, May 30

Lenexa updates it fence code

info2023-05-31T13:11:26-05:00May 30th, 2023|

Planning to install a new fence, wall or retaining wall at home? The City of Lenexa recently updated its code related to these types of projects. Under the new code, fences along the side street on corner lots may be installed 15 feet from the property line as long as they are 4 feet tall and open-style (50% or less opaque). If a fence is taller than 4 feet or is privacy-style, it cannot be installed in front of the required setback. When a fence is located within 3 feet of or directly on top of a retaining wall, the height [...]

30 Tuesday, May 30

Debt ceiling deal spares state and local pandemic aid

info2023-05-30T12:04:54-05:00May 30th, 2023|

The White House and Republicans reached a deal over the holiday weekend that will avoid the nation's first breach of its debt limit and leave untouched leftover pandemic aid allocated to cities and states. A House vote on the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 is set for Wednesday to move the bill ahead of a U.S. default as soon as June 5. The House Rules Committee is set to take up the legislation Tuesday afternoon. "The agreement prevents the worst possible crisis: a default for the first time in our nation's history," President Joe Biden said Sunday night at a White [...]

29 Monday, May 29

Municipal Bond Trends for May 26, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-05-29T19:59:05-05:00May 29th, 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.

26 Friday, May 26

Panasonic project brings focus to Johnson County’s rural roads

info2023-05-26T12:17:06-05:00May 26th, 2023|

The massive project to build a new Panasonic electric vehicle battery plant at the former Sunflower Army Ammunition plant in De Soto has re-ignited interest in the future of western Johnson County’s rural road system as officials consider a new set of planning guidelines for the area. The county planning commission unanimously recommended changes in its comprehensive rural plan Tuesday that remove land annexed by De Soto from its planning jurisdiction. Now that it is in De Soto, the city will set its own guidelines. The remaining unincorporated land will be in a “rural policy area,” meaning it will be planned [...]