Voters will decide Nov. 8 whether to change how Wichita school board members are elected

23 Tuesday, August 23

Voters will decide Nov. 8 whether to change how Wichita school board members are elected

info2022-08-23T07:15:35-05:00August 23rd, 2022|

Wichita school district voters will decide in November how they want their school board representatives to be elected moving forward. The Wichita Board of Education voted 4-3 Monday to place on the Nov. 8 general election ballot a question asking USD 259 voters if they want to switch to a district-specific voting model or stick with the current system, which allows district voters to weigh in on all school board races across the city. “I think it is time to give our community a choice. Let them make the decision,” board member Sheril Logan said. Source: Wichita Eagle

23 Tuesday, August 23

Municipal Bond Trends for August 22, 2022

info2022-08-23T07:07:08-05:00August 23rd, 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.

23 Tuesday, August 23

How Salina schools are coping with the teacher shortage and what’s happening across Kansas

info2022-08-23T07:06:14-05:00August 23rd, 2022|

Salina area schools started their first week of classes, and while all districts say they are confident about the year ahead, some are still in the process of hiring faculty and staff. As reported across the state, and in pockets nationwide, there have been fewer applicants to schools for teaching positions. It’s an issue that reflects a greater gap in the overall labor market, which was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Salina, though, is in a unique position where its schools are not in dire need of staff, like other parts of the state. But their comfortability now comes from quick [...]

23 Tuesday, August 23

Downtown lofts in Salina have become a popular place to live

info2022-08-23T07:05:35-05:00August 23rd, 2022|

Housing in Salina is a difficult thing to find. Although there's a unique option in downtown, it's just about as scarce. More than 50 lofts can be found above the various businesses and restaurants along Santa Fe Avenue and surrounding streets, and the owner of more than half of those said every unit he has is currently filled. Brian Richardson got involved in renovating upstairs units along Santa Fe 15 years ago. ... He said it started with some of the old Brown Mackie College buildings that were downtown, which sat vacant for nearly 10 years by the time he began [...]

23 Tuesday, August 23

Overland Park firefighters go to extreme heights training for emergencies

info2022-08-23T07:03:53-05:00August 23rd, 2022|

A high-angle rescue is something fans would expect to see while watching the hit show "9-1-1" on FOX. Instead of a made-for-television emergency, what happened Monday turned out to be a training exercise in Overland Park. Video provided by the Overland Park Fire Department shows the newest members of its Technical Rescue Team near the top of a water tower. The 12 new members received 90 hours of high-angle training to get to this point, according to the department. Source: KSN-TV

23 Tuesday, August 23

Construction prices likely to remain high, posing risks for cities, states

info2022-08-23T07:03:09-05:00August 23rd, 2022|

Cities and states facing elevated construction costs face an unappetizing menu of choices ranging from more borrowing to delaying projects, each of which carry their own set of credit risks. Elevated construction costs also mean fewer bids for public projects, as contractors are likely to opt first for the private sector, particularly when the market is strong, as it has been for the last two years. High material prices, a tight labor market, fewer bids: it all threatens to eat into the purchasing power of $100 billion of new annual federal infrastructure funding that will roll out over the next five [...]

23 Tuesday, August 23

10-year Treasury yield holds above 3% as investors await economic data

info2022-08-23T07:02:02-05:00August 23rd, 2022|

U.S. Treasury yields moved slightly lower on Tuesday as investors monitored a fresh batch of economic data and looked ahead to the Jackson Hole economic symposium later in the week. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell about 2 basis points to 3.01% at about 4:35 a.m. ET, holding above the 3% level after surpassing it for the first time in a month in the previous session. ... The market moves come ahead of U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's comments on Friday at the central bank's annual Jackson Hole economic symposium. Powell is expected to deliver a speech [...]

23 Tuesday, August 23

Wichita to begin program to encourage more home building in the core area

info2022-08-23T07:01:23-05:00August 23rd, 2022|

The City of Wichita is starting a program this fall to encourage more home construction in the city’s core area. The program follows a strategy for infill housing an area that has aging homes, vacant lots and homes that need to be demolished. Interim assistant city manager Kathy Sexton recently told the City Council that the area has had only 91 permits for new construction over a three year period. She said some neighborhoods are in decline and there are opportunities to invest. The two-year-program begins October 3rd and it will waive building permit fees for all residential projects. Source: 101.3 [...]

23 Tuesday, August 23

Once a Kansas petroleum powerhouse, Neodesha now drills down on education and investments

info2022-08-23T07:00:46-05:00August 23rd, 2022|

Driving into Neodesha that Friday afternoon, we found a neat and tidy downtown. A handful of cars passed as we visited a flea market and drugstore and looked for lunch. The sky stretched endlessly blue overhead, while muggy summer heat pressed down as we strolled to and fro on Main Street. This was the big city I knew as a kid, and the small town I recognized as an adult. My son ran ahead, peering through windows. One storefront proclaimed it would soon become the Main Street Diner. Another, freshly clad in black with boarded-up windows, kept its secrets. This quiet [...]

22 Monday, August 22

‘Substantial, but not an exodus’ — Kansas teacher shortage isn’t what you think it is

info2022-08-22T08:39:42-05:00August 22nd, 2022|

A predicted crisis in Kansas schools' ability to staff classrooms with teachers may not be quite at emergency levels. But high levels of burnout and stress are leading to a dwindling pool of candidates to fill positions that do open up, and researchers worry the effects of continued attacks on the profession could snowball into few people becoming teachers in the first place. A Kansas Department of Education Teacher Vacancy and Supply Committee report from the spring showed that across the state, there were a little under 1,400 teacher vacancies in March 2022. A few months after the report, state education [...]