911 dispatchers: Always on call, handling chaos in crashes

The dispatchers who take 911 calls about crashes on Kansas roadways are the crucial links in emergency responses. Without them, help wouldn’t arrive in time. How do they do it? Three dispatchers with Hutchinson-Reno County Emergency Communications are sharing their stories in the series. This second article focuses on Sabrina Henry, dispatch supervisor: Henry remembers getting a series of calls from panicked witnesses who encountered a crash. A vehicle had gone off the road, leaving multiple victims. She managed to calm the witnesses enough to find out where they were and how many victims. It took a few moments “to get everybody to settle down,” Henry said.
Source: Kansas Transportation

Ranson Financial2022-09-29T07:52:29-05:00September 28, 2022|News|

New incentive criteria opens up housing development options in Derby

Part of the push behind Derby’s recent housing study and its adoption was to make additional incentives available to the city – incentives that are seen as a means to further housing development. In particular, the Kansas Legislature made the benefits of the Rural Housing Incentive District program (RHID) more accessible in 2021, opening up the program to cities and counties with a population of less than 60,000. With the filing of the housing study, Derby can now utilize RHIDs as a development tool. The community development advisory board officially approved their addition to the city’s economic development policy back in August.
Source: Derby Informer

Ranson Financial2022-09-28T07:49:48-05:00September 28, 2022|News|

Merriam leaders consider hotel grant to bolster tax revenue

City leaders in Merriam will soon consider a new plan to reinvest in the city’s aging hotel stock. On Monday, the Merriam City Council reviewed a proposed grant that could help revamp local hotels to bring in more tax revenue for the city. Currently there are four hotels in Merriam, all built between 1982 and 1998. A 7% transient guest tax (TGT) applies to all hotels and Airbnbs within the city. Revenue from the TGT supports the Visitor’s Bureau, the farmers market and special community events like the Turkey Creek Festival.
Source: fox4kc.com | FOX 4 – WDAF

Ranson Financial2022-09-28T07:50:12-05:00September 28, 2022|News|

FOLRZ’s ‘A Wild Affair’ fundraiser returns to Garden City zoo

Saturday was a wild time at the Lee Richardson Zoo. The 2022 “A Wild Affair” fundraiser held by the Friends of Lee Richardson Zoo was held for the first time in two years, since the 2019 event, on Saturday. This was the event’s 15th year. Kristi Newland, zoo director, said it’s a “wonderful event where community support shines” and they get to welcome people to the zoo on a different basis to have a good time. Jessica Norton, executive director of the Friends of Lee Richardson Zoo, said a lot of people attend the event when it’s held, a lot of returning faces, but also plenty of new ones, who this might be their first exposure to the zoo.
Source: Garden City Telegram

Ranson Financial2022-09-29T07:54:55-05:00September 28, 2022|News|

HFED announcing new grant opportunities for downtown Hiawatha

The Hiawatha Foundation for Economic Development has announced new grant opportunities for downtown. HFED Director Mikaela Moore said the organization is facilitating the second round of Historic Economic Asset Lifeline (HEAL) grants, intended for revitalizing downtown buildings in small communities across the state. These grants were recently announced by Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland and the HEAL program is designed to bring downtown buildings back into productive use as spaces for new or expanding businesses, housing, arts and culture, civic engagement, childcare or entrepreneurship.
Source: hiawathaworldonline.com

Ranson Financial2022-09-28T07:50:36-05:00September 28, 2022|News|

McPherson County Sheriff’s Office selling breast cancer awareness patches to help local nonprofit

“All the money that… they receive stays to help benefit McPherson county residents, so every dollar that we donate to them stays in McPherson County and I couldn’t think of any better way to help support your local community than with a local charity that does something like that,” said Sgt. AJ Elmer with the McPherson County Sheriff’s Office.
Source: KAKE – News

Ranson Financial2022-09-28T01:57:32-05:00September 28, 2022|News|

‘I don’t think we understood the magnitude of it’: City of Wichita addresses evidence problems

On Monday, City Manager Robert Layton announced major problems found at the Wichita Police Department’s evidence building. “My office learned about potential problems with the police department’s property and evidence operation,” Layton said. He also talked about five phase plans to fix it. One of the problems found in the more than 400-page audit is a huge evidence backlog. It says the building has around 550,000 items, and that it’s “increasing at an alarming rate.” So why is the city just now making a plan? “I don’t think we understood the magnitude of it and I didn’t until I read the audit report,” Layton said.
Source: KAKE – News

Ranson Financial2022-09-28T07:51:19-05:00September 28, 2022|News|

Google Fiber’s impact on Kansas City 10 years later

KC Digital Drive was founded in 2012 by the City of Kansas City, Missouri, and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, to address the digital equity issues revealed when Google Fiber launched in Kansas City and to mitigate the gaps in adapting to emerging technologies in the bi-state region. Now, it’s been 10 years since those efforts began and Aaron Deacon, managing director of KC Digital Drive, says Kansas City is ahead of other big cities when it comes to access to fiber. “We have more fiber here than almost any big city in the U.S. We have a competitive fiber market,” Deacon says. “We have fiber that serves some of our poorest neighborhoods that the rest of the country kind of salivates over.”
Source: KCUR

Ranson Financial2022-09-28T01:52:59-05:00September 28, 2022|News|

Drought leads to fish salvage in Ellis, other towns

The drought that has been affecting communities across Kansas is causing problems for the fish at several Kansas lakes. As the water recedes, fish could die. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism has issued public fish salvage orders for these four lakes: Ellis City Lake (order issued on Monday). Warren Stone Lake, east of La Crosse (order issued recently). Hodgeman State Fishing Lake, southeast of Jetmore. Goodman State Fishing Lake, east of Ness City
Source: KSNT 27 News

Ranson Financial2022-09-28T01:51:13-05:00September 28, 2022|News|

Bees swarm downtown Emporia after honey spill

A warning from local Emporia officials is urging people to “bee safe” following the arrival of a swarm of bees. According to the Lyon County Emergency Communications Center, the spilling of a five-gallon bucket of honey has created a “golden buffet” for the local bee population. This has resulted in a massive amount of bees in downtown Emporia. The site of the spill is an alley stretching from 600 Commercial Street to Merchant Street. Officials indicate that this could be ongoing for the next few days as the bees gobble up all of the honey. Any efforts to clean up the spilled honey have been regarded as unsafe due to the high concentration of insects.
Source: KSNT 27 News

Ranson Financial2022-09-28T01:47:46-05:00September 28, 2022|News|