Parsons Police to participate in No Shave November, preparing for Shop with a Cop event

In past years, No Shave November was observed by members of the Parsons Police Department. With the COVID-19 pandemic and mask mandates for officers, that tradition was halted. This year, officers can choose to participate in this tradition. Officers and staff members allowed to participate in this year’s No Shave November event will contribute to the department’s Shop with a Cop program, which helps support underprivileged children in the community. Working in conjunction with the Duke Mason Band and other community members and organizations, the department, with the help of Labette County Sheriff’s Office, Kansas Highway Patrol, Parsons Fire Department and Labette County EMS, 25 children got to shop with first responders last year.
Source: Parsons Sun

Ranson Financial2022-11-04T06:59:04-05:00November 4, 2022|News|

John Brown’s Underground is proposing a change to Lawrence city codes on downtown liquor sales. The bar’s survival depends on it

John Brown’s Underground, a speakeasy-inspired craft cocktail lounge in downtown Lawrence, has made a creative addition to the local bar scene since it opened in 2014. But a city code that was designed to limit liquor sales downtown is now threatening the business’s future. This rule requires establishments with liquor licenses to derive no more than 45% of their sales from liquor. Passed in 1994, the rule allowed exemptions for 29 existing locations, including Louise’s and Harbour Lights. The code still exempts new bars that open in the same buildings as any of those original 29.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Ranson Financial2022-11-04T01:12:52-05:00November 4, 2022|News|

Kansas might let homes take more toddlers amid child care shortage. Critics worry about safety

Corinne Carr has about a half dozen seven parents the waiting list to enroll their children in her home day care business. Changes pending with state regulators would let her take in more children, but she’s not headed in that direction. “I don’t feel that it’s safe for the children,” she said. Currently, a child care operation with two workers can take in four children younger than 18 months. Now the state is looking at loosening the rules so that family child care providers with just one worker could look after up to four toddlers, or children under 12 months old, at once and still enroll two children between the ages of 1 and 5 years old.
Source: The Lawrence Times

Ranson Financial2022-11-04T01:10:58-05:00November 4, 2022|News|

Planners begin to outline Chanute’s 150th celebration

Planners for Chanute’s 150th anniversary celebration will meet next Thursday to begin their work. Chanute Area Chamber of Commerce & Office of Tourism Director Jane Brophy told members of the Tourism Committee at Wednesday’s meeting that the 150th anniversary committee will meet at 5:15 pm Thursday, Nov. 10, at the office of Main Street Chanute, which is partnering with the Chamber to take the lead on the anniversary celebration. Brophy shared the results of a survey of proposed events, which the committee will review, she said. It will also set a year-long timeline for events, and plans to be on the city commission agenda Nov. 14 to present preliminary ideas.
Source: www.chanute.com

Ranson Financial2022-11-04T07:00:21-05:00November 4, 2022|News|

Municipal Bond Trends for November 2, 2022

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 and Beth Warren.

Henry Schmidt2022-11-03T09:12:56-05:00November 3, 2022|News|

Reno County puts liquor by drink without food sales on 2023 ballot

The next round is on the voters. The Reno County Commission on Tuesday agreed to put a question on the ballot this time next year asking voters whether to allow businesses to serve alcohol by the drink without a minimum food sales requirement. The issue was raised in September when Hutchinson microbrewery owner Pippin Williamson ran into trouble with state regulators who threatened not to renew his license because he’d not met the state requirement that 30% of gross sales come from food. The community rallied around Williamson and Sandhills Brewery during a week of nightly events, and he raised more than $35,000 from food sales to meet the minimum.
Source: Hutch News

Ranson Financial2022-11-03T08:51:20-05:00November 3, 2022|News|

Garden City discusses childcare crisis

The local childcare shortage was discussed at the Garden City Commission’s regular meeting Tuesday. Community member Brock Kendrick voiced his concern on the shortage of daycare within Garden City, especially among the temporary closure of the Community Day Care Center this week. While temporarily closed, Kendrick said the center is battling through “its last title wave before it’s set to sink”. The Community Day Care Centers Board held an emergency meeting on Oct. 28, choosing to close for a week with the possibility of closing within three to five months if no help is given. The day care has been struggling in multiple areas for some time now, Kendrick said. On the financial side, it’s been operating in the red for an extended period of time, on remaining open until recently because they were using the government provided Paycheck Protection Program funds which were originally supposed to be a loan COVID-19 relief but was later chosen to be forgiven.
Source: Garden City Telegram

Ranson Financial2022-11-03T08:44:34-05:00November 3, 2022|News|

Fed rate hikes could go even further than expected as Powell commits to stomp out inflation

Going into this week’s meeting, markets were hoping for a sign that the Fed, after a fourth straight 0.75-percentage-point rate increase, might soon pivot to a slower tightening pace, and perhaps an outright pause. The Fed statement released at 2 p.m. Wednesday suggested it would: “In determining the pace of future increases…the [Fed] will take into account the cumulative tightening of monetary policy [and] the lags with which monetary policy affects economic activity and inflation.” The resulting jump in stock prices and the fall in bond yields was short lived. Soon after Mr. Powell started his press conference at 2:30 p.m., he explained that even if rate increases slow, “we may ultimately move to higher levels than we thought at the September meeting.”
Source: WSJ

Ranson Financial2022-11-03T11:13:32-05:00November 3, 2022|News|

Fed approves 0.75-point hike to take rates to highest since 2008 and hints at change in policy ahead

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday approved a fourth consecutive three-quarter point interest rate increase and signaled a potential change in how it will approach monetary policy to bring down inflation. In a well-telegraphed move that markets had been expecting for weeks, the central bank raised its short-term borrowing rate by 0.75 percentage point to a target range of 3.75%-4%, the highest level since January 2008. The move continued the most aggressive pace of monetary policy tightening since the early 1980s, the last time inflation ran this high.
Source: CNBC – Bonds

Ranson Financial2022-11-03T01:54:46-05:00November 3, 2022|News|

Washington County to receive almost $1.6 million from wind farm over next decade

Towers will be at least 1,500 feet from non-participating occupied primary residential dwellings and 1.2 times the tower height away from non-participating property lines from the center of the base of the tower. Towers will be setback at least 1.1 times the tower height plus 30 feet from any county, township, state or federal right-of way currently in existence, excluding private roads. No turbines will be installed within a mile of a town. Four agreements with High Banks Wind, LLC, were unanimously signed by the Washington County Commission on Monday for the High Banks Wind Project, including a development agreement, road use agreement, contribution agreement and decommissioning agreement.
Source: Backroads News

Ranson Financial2022-11-03T11:14:33-05:00November 3, 2022|News|