Page 989 – Ranson Financial Group LLC

2 Tuesday, August 2

It’s proving increasingly hard to hire cops in Kansas — and to avoid losing them to other jobs

info2022-08-02T05:54:55-05:00August 2nd, 2022|

The Dodge City Police Department struggles to keep officers. Stress, in an era where police complain they’ve become pariahs, only makes it harder to hire and keep officers on patrol. All that turnover means more work for the officers that remain, which could bring on more burnout. “We asked these people to do so much more with less staff,” said Deputy Police Chief Jerad Goertzen. “When we're putting so much more on them and asking them to do more, (it) seems like burnout is hitting a little bit earlier.” A week after making that observation, two more people had put in [...]

2 Tuesday, August 2

Municipal Bond Trends for August 1, 2022

info2022-08-02T05:47:16-05:00August 2nd, 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.

2 Tuesday, August 2

Free land? How about a free house? Kansas town tries a little of everything to grow

info2022-08-02T05:42:53-05:00August 2nd, 2022|

If you’re looking for evidence of rural decay and postindustrial decline in this dusty north-central Kansas town, you can find it. The last remaining manufacturing employer, US Tower, closed its facility during the pandemic, putting about 25 local workers out of a job. On the edge of town lies a subdivision without any houses, a barren reminder of a free land program that has failed to attract much interest. In the middle of the day, the shutting of a car door echoes for blocks, bouncing between the aging two-story buildings that bracket Lincoln Avenue downtown. Many are vacant. Source: Wichita [...]

2 Tuesday, August 2

Damaged Andover elementary school ready for new semester

info2022-08-02T00:22:39-05:00August 2nd, 2022|

Students are set to return to Prairie Creek Elementary School on August 11. The Andover school was damaged in the April 29 tornado, and workers have been making repairs since then. The school has been closed since the tornado, and students had to finish the semester elsewhere. Work is not expected to be completely done by the first day of school, but the building will be usable. Source: 101.3 KFDI

2 Tuesday, August 2

New medical school opens in downtown Wichita

info2022-08-02T00:21:09-05:00August 2nd, 2022|

A new medical school is opening in downtown Wichita with its first class of 91 students. The Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine is located in the former State Office Building at Broadway and William. It has 116,000 square feet with classrooms, labs, and workshops as well as examination rooms that will allow students to simulate experiences working with patients. Students went through orientation on Friday and classes will begin Monday. There are 18 students from Wichita and Kansas. The school is planning for 127 students next year, and 170 students each year after that. Source: 101.3 KFDI

2 Tuesday, August 2

Mission city planners approve apartment project at former JCPenney call center site

info2022-08-02T05:43:43-05:00August 2nd, 2022|

The former JCPenney call center in Mission has sat vacant nearly two decades, but city planners and Block Real Estate Services LLC are working to change that. The Mission Planning Commission recently gave unanimous approval for the developer's preliminary plan and final plat to construct a four- to five-story, 307-apartment building on a 5-acre site at 5665 Foxridge Drive. The site includes the former one-story, 39,825-square-foot call center, which was built in 1970. With an average unit size of 974 square feet, the building will include 185 one-bedrooms, 112 two-bedrooms and 10 three-bedroom options. Amenities include an outdoor pool and courtyard, fitness [...]

2 Tuesday, August 2

City to consider supporting new historic district in historically-Black area

info2022-08-02T05:44:14-05:00August 2nd, 2022|

Manhattan city commissioners on Tuesday will consider signing a letter to support creating a historic district in an important area for the Black community. ...The letter would support the nomination of the 900 block of Yuma Street for the state and national Register for Historic Places. The buildings in the proposed district include the Douglass Community Center (former site of United Service Organization built in 1939), Douglass Center Annex (Douglass School in 1939), Pilgrim Baptist Church (Second Baptist Church in 1911) and the Kaw Blue Masonic Lodge (Shepard’s Chapel in 1916). Source: themercury.com

2 Tuesday, August 2

Butler launching new Fire Academy in fall 2022

info2022-08-02T05:45:00-05:00August 2nd, 2022|

Zachary Lindsey knows firsthand what Butler Community College’s Fire Science program teaches. He started his Fire Science education at Butler and spent 17 years in the fire service in North Carolina. Lindsey, originally from Eureka and a Bluestem High School graduate, returned to Kansas in early 2020 and is now head of Butler’s Fire Science program. Since taking over the program, he’s been innovating to give Butler Fire Science students greater leverage in the marketplace. His most recent innovation is the creation of the Butler Fire Academy – designed to train students to be firefighters in 16 weeks. It’s a heavy [...]

2 Tuesday, August 2

Great Bend council drops idea of stipends

info2022-08-02T05:45:53-05:00August 2nd, 2022|

After much discussion Monday night, some heated, it was clear the many on the governing body, including four council members and the mayor, opposed the of offering stipends to entice more people to run for the city offices. Although divisions amongst the council members remained, it was the consensus following a work session that the matter be laid to rest. The idea of the city offering some sort of benefit as an enticement first arose at the June 20 meeting, raised by Ward 1 City Councilwoman Lindsey Krom-Craven. It surfaced again at the next meeting July 5. City Administrator Kendal [...]

2 Tuesday, August 2

JoCo approves $4.6M for retention bonuses for sheriff’s office and corrections workers

info2022-08-02T05:46:30-05:00August 2nd, 2022|

The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners last week unanimously approved the use up to $4.6 million in county reserve funds to pay for retention bonuses for sheriff”s office and corrections department employees. The move aims to address ongoing challenges these departments have faced and attracting and retaining workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding will go toward the sheriff’s office and corrections department — both of which, county staff said, don’t have the means in their existing budgets to pay for retention incentives. Source: Prairie Village Post