Speeding ticket fines may increase in Kansas

2 Thursday, February 2

Speeding ticket fines may increase in Kansas

info2023-02-02T00:05:33-06:00February 2nd, 2023|

Lawmakers met today in Topeka to discuss a potential increase in penalties for speeding cars going 30 miles per hour or higher over the speed limit. The proposed changes would make going 30 MPH or more over the speed limit a $500 fine instead of the current $195. There will be an additional $20 for every mile per hour over. Trooper Chad Crittenden said warnings and citations have been effective for some people but for many others, it does not change their spending habits. Source: KAKE - News

2 Thursday, February 2

Lenexa’s longest-serving mayor will retire after 2 decades and a city transformation

info2023-02-02T07:26:30-06:00February 2nd, 2023|

Michael Boehm, Lenexa's longest-serving mayor, will retire after 20 years leading the city. Boehm is a lifelong resident of the city, and has seen the city's population grow by nearly 20,000 residents since taking office in 2003. Under Boehm, the city took on a massive development project, relocating city hall and creating a new downtown district near I-435 and 87th street. "I think it's turned out better than anyone could have imagined," says Boehm of the Lenexa City Center. Source: KCUR

2 Thursday, February 2

City of Derby computer network fixed

info2023-02-02T00:00:34-06:00February 2nd, 2023|

The City of Derby says its computer network is back to being fully operational as of Tuesday. The network started having problems two and a half weeks ago. It began as a computer network disruption on Jan. 14. The City started working with third-party computer specialists to investigate and notified law enforcement agencies. The City of Derby says the investigation continues and includes trying to determine what impact, if any, the incident may have had on information stored on City network systems. Source: KSN-TV

1 Wednesday, February 1

Douglas County rent assistance program switching to lottery system sooner than planned; applications open

info2023-02-01T23:57:24-06:00February 1st, 2023|

The Douglas County Housing Stabilization Collaborative is moving away from a first-come, first-served model to distribute funding for residents in need of rent and utility assistance. That change is happening now — sooner than planned, according to an update from the HSC. The HSC’s website was having server troubles because of the large number of people applying for rent and utility assistance on Wednesday, according to the update. Now, people will be able to complete the application at this link anytime before 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6. Qualified applicants will be randomly selected on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Source: The Lawrence Times

1 Wednesday, February 1

Fed raises rates a quarter point, expects ‘ongoing’ increases

info2023-02-01T13:10:46-06:00February 1st, 2023|

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point and gave little indication that it is nearing the end of this hiking cycle. Aligning with market expectations, the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee boosted the federal funds rate by 0.25 percentage point. That takes it to a target range of 4.5%-4.75%, the highest since October 2007. The move marked the eighth increase in a process that began in March 2022. ... The post-meeting statement noted that inflation “has eased somewhat but remains elevated,” a tweak on previous language. Markets, however, were looking to this week’s [...]

1 Wednesday, February 1

Parsons’ focus in 2023 is housing

info2023-02-01T13:07:04-06:00February 1st, 2023|

Housing is Parsons’ economic development priority in 2023. Jeremy Hill, director of the Center for Economic Development and Business Research (CEDBR) at Wichita State University, Jonathan Norris, a research economist at CEDBR, and Jim Zaleski, economic development director for Parsons, presented information during Tuesday morning’s community outlook event at the Wall Family Center, 2605 Main St. Hill reviewed the state forecast, Norris discussed the regional outlook while Zaleski presented Labette County information. Over a dozen people attended. Housing was the focal point of the event’s discussions. “Where we really feel we can make a difference is in housing,” Zaleski said. He [...]

1 Wednesday, February 1

Heartland Flyer extension on track for federal funding

info2023-02-01T13:06:09-06:00February 1st, 2023|

The project to extend Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer train route from Oklahoma City to Newton is ahead of its competitors in the process to apply for existing federal funding and is firmly on the radar of the Federal Rail Administration, which will administer the funding. That’s the takeaway following an annual Train caucus forum chaired by State Senator Carolyn McGinn on Monday. The meeting included executives from both Amtrak and the Federal Rail Administration, state legislators, local elected officials and proponents for the expansion project. “We have a chance to link a huge swath of the country through passenger rail,” Federal Rail [...]

1 Wednesday, February 1

Newton breaks ground on New Library

info2023-02-01T13:05:11-06:00February 1st, 2023|

Newton Mayor Leroy Koehn addressed the crowd of 150 that braved a brisk afternoon on Jan. 31 to attend the groundbreaking for Newton’s new public library. “Did you ever imagine today was going to come?” he asked the crowd. Koehn said many doubted the community would be able to accomplish the goal. “Thanks to the hard work of the community, here we are, a prime example of a public-private partnership,” he said. The groundbreaking ceremony marks the beginning of construction on a $7.8 million, 30,000-square-foot library building funded by the city of Newton, the Newton Public Library board and millions of [...]

1 Wednesday, February 1

Municipal Bond Trends for January 31, 2023

Henry Schmidt2023-02-01T07:53:15-06:00February 1st, 2023|

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS "investment grade" yields. Every issuer's credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman, Beth Warren and Henry Schmidt.

1 Wednesday, February 1

Fed expected to slow rate hiking to a quarter point but will stay unrelenting in inflation battle

info2023-02-01T00:32:31-06:00February 1st, 2023|

The Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates by just a quarter point, but the central bank will also likely signal it will stay vigilant in its fight against inflation even as it reduces the size of its hikes. The Fed releases its latest rate decision Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET, and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell briefs the media at 2:30 p.m. The expected quarter point hike follows a half percentage point increase in December and would be the smallest increase in the federal funds target rate range since the Fed's first hike of the cycle in March 2022. Source: CNBC [...]