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Kansas regulators give Evergy a smaller electrical rate hike than it asked for
Kansas regulators scaled back Evergy’s proposed electric rate hikes, saving Kansas City area customers $6.07 a month. Evergy’s central Kansas customers, formerly Westar customers, face a monthly increase of $4.64, less than the utility requested. The Kansas Corporation Commission settled on a 3.54% revenue increase, lower than Evergy’s...
Two killings, two very different cash bonds — and a debate about fairness in Wichita
Sedgwick County prosecutors charged 19-year-old Daryon Boone with first-degree murder in the September shooting death of a 69-year-old woman in Wichita. They charged 16-year-old Makyh Townes with second-degree murder in what his family contends was the accidental shooting of a friend several months earlier. Boone, who’s white, was released after posting a $500,000 bond. Townes, […] The post Two killings, two very different cash bonds — and a debate about fairness in Wichita appeared first on The Wichita Beacon.
Wichita’s first school board election under new system draws more voters
In the first election under USD 259’s new district-based school board election system on Tuesday in Wichita, results show voter turnout went up and moderates won over conservatives. Last year, Wichita voters changed the way school board members are elected in the state’s largest school district. Previously, all...
Kansas judge blocks 24-hour waiting period for women seeking abortions
A Kansas judge has temporarily blocked several of the state’s longstanding abortion restrictions, including a 24-hour waiting period that providers say has resulted in hundreds of women being denied abortions. In an order released Monday, Johnson County District Judge K. Christopher Jayaram wrote that the restrictions “(appear) to be...
Red tape and income limits have booted 82,000 Kansans off Medicaid since May. How can they get back on?
Robyn Adams struggled to support her husband and teenage daughter on $16,000 a year during the pandemic. Then the pandemic ended and her family lost its Medicaid coverage. “We went into panic,” she said. The family relied on a temporary expansion of coverage authorized by the federal government during the pandemic to weather the bills […] The post Red tape and income limits have booted 82,000 Kansans off Medicaid since May. How can they get back on? appeared first on The Wichita Beacon.
Kansas uses the power of the pocketbook to prevent divestment in Israel
All but the smallest companies have to agree not to participate in any movement that aims to boycott, divest from or sanction companies in Israel. The post Kansas uses the power of the pocketbook to prevent divestment in Israel appeared first on The Wichita Beacon.
Wichita police group backs Wu over Whipple, blames mayor for officer shortage. What do the numbers say?
Mayor Brandon Whipple touts work that he’s done with the City Council to make those jobs available. Lily Wu, who’s facing off with Whipple in the Nov. 7 election, contends that the incumbent bears responsibility for the police department’s problems in recruiting more officers. The post Wichita police group backs Wu over Whipple, blames mayor for officer shortage. What do the numbers say? appeared first on The Wichita Beacon.
Candidates for Wichita City Council answer your questions ahead of general election
Mail-in and in-person voting begin this month. To help voters make their decisions, The Wichita Beacon asked all Wichita City Council candidates to respond to questions submitted by readers. Questions focused on water, policing and housing. City Council Districts 2, 4 and 5 have elections Nov. 7. Only residents within...
Wichita USD 259 school board candidates talk book bans, LGBTQ safety and teacher shortages
Mail-in and in-person voting begin this month. To help voters make their decisions, The Wichita Beacon asked all USD 259 school board candidates to respond to questions submitted by readers. Questions focused on the teacher shortage, classroom content and student and teacher safety. The three school board seats up for...
Wichita mayor candidates talk property taxes, water and safety ahead of Nov. 7 election
Voters will select Wichita’s next mayor on Nov. 7. Mail-in and in-person voting will begin this month. To help voters make their decision, The Wichita Beacon asked incumbent Brandon Whipple and challenger Lily Wu questions submitted by readers on taxes, housing, water and safety. The candidates’ answers have been...
Union Pacific sued over chemical spill affecting Wichita neighborhoods near 29th and Grove
Wichita residents living above a chemical spill from Union Pacific Railroad face property damages and a loss of property value as a result of the company’s negligence, according to a federal lawsuit filed this week by law firms across the country. The class-action lawsuit addresses a chemical spill at a Union Pacific rail yard near […] The post Union Pacific sued over chemical spill affecting Wichita neighborhoods near 29th and Grove appeared first on The Wichita Beacon.
Schools get first aid kits to treat gunshots, but teachers have a more immediate safety worry
The Wichita Metro Crime Commission in September presented 11 area schools with Stop the Bleed first aid kits — small red bags filled with emergency medical supplies used to treat deep wounds. Although the kits are not new to area schools, their appearance is one sign of escalating concerns about student safety and conduct. With […] The post Schools get first aid kits to treat gunshots, but teachers have a more immediate safety worry appeared first on The Wichita Beacon.
Psychologist works with Wichita Catholic Diocese to fight stigma around suicide
When Jessica Provines left the Catholic Church, she was an idealistic 18-year-old disillusioned with an institution that she saw as rigid, uncompromising and detached from the needs of the suffering. Twenty-six years later, Provines finds the Wichita Catholic Diocese a willing partner, ready to talk candidly about suicide to save...
Sedgwick County prosecutors warn seniors their nest eggs make them targets for elder fraud
It can start with something as small as a gallon of milk. An adult daughter helping her mother shop for groceries mentions that she needs milk and her mother says, “Put it in with mine. I’ll pay for it.”. Then the daughter asks for more and more each...
500 dead and counting from fentanyl as Wichita struggles to curb overdoses
Under Wichita’s towering landmark, the Keeper of the Plains, a group of grieving Wichitans gathered at dusk, lighting candles for loved ones lost to fentanyl. Among the dozens of mourners at the recent memorial were Mark and Val Sandoval, who lost their son just weeks before his high school graduation after he took a single […] The post 500 dead and counting from fentanyl as Wichita struggles to curb overdoses appeared first on The Wichita Beacon.
Kansas Supreme Court to decide if Wichita’s ‘noisy conduct’ ban violates First Amendment
It’s not what Gabrielle Griffie said, but how she said it, the city of Wichita argued before the Kansas Supreme Court on Sept. 12. More specifically, how many people she said it with, and their reasons for saying it. Griffie was convicted of a misdemeanor — unlawful assembly —...
What happens when 911 doesn’t speak your language?
When you dial 911, every second counts. Be prepared to give your address, the nature of your emergency and — your language to the 911 dispatchers. If you don’t speak English, be ready to wait. The Sedgwick County emergency response system relies on third-party translation services to handle foreign language calls. Connecting a call to […] The post What happens when 911 doesn’t speak your language? appeared first on The Wichita Beacon.
Automatic mailing of mail-in ballot applications cut from Sedgwick County’s $3.5 million 2024 election budget
Heading into a presidential election year that includes the first Kansas presidential primaries since 1992, the Sedgwick County Election Office will spend more than it has in at least 10 years. The election office will get $3.5 million in 2024 under a budget recently adopted by the Sedgwick County Commission....
A Black parent’s guide: How to help protect your kids from racism at school
Students have a right to a safe and discrimination-free environment while at school. But when acts of racism or discrimination happen, what can a parent do to protect their child?. Early last year at Stucky Middle School in Wichita, students held a protest after a teacher made comments perceived as...
Data dive: What spending more money on elections means for voter turnout
A county-by-county examination by The Beacon showed counties that spent more per voter got some payoff on turnout — with limits. Counties that spent less than $20 per registered voter tended to see turnout of about 40%. Those that spent more than $30 per voter could generally expect turnout north of 50%. The post Data dive: What spending more money on elections means for voter turnout appeared first on The Wichita Beacon.
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