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The Wichita Beacon
More Kansas City schoolkids are asking for help with their mental health. A few are finding it
Melvin White sits with his generation at a demographic Ground Zero for mental stress. The Schlagle High School junior survived COVID isolation during middle school. He’s never known a world without smartphones. And he’s finishing high school amid the FOMO energy of a social media world in its own adolescence. All of those factors, experts […] The post More Kansas City schoolkids are asking for help with their mental health. A few are finding it appeared first on The Beacon.
Why diverse and community voices matter
Why would anyone want to take on an additional role of being a community journalism lab representative outside their day job? I spoke with one of our newer reps on why he decided to join and why the work our journalism lab does is important to our reporting efforts. “As a visionary creative I aim […] The post Why diverse and community voices matter appeared first on The Beacon.
The Community Journalism Lab is coming to a coffee shop near you
I get it…talking to the news can be a scary experience, especially when you don’t know what they will ask, how they will use your words, or if they even have your best interest. If you’ve been a supporter of us you know that’s not how we operate. If you aren’t and you’re new here, […] The post The Community Journalism Lab is coming to a coffee shop near you appeared first on The Beacon.
Community engagement hits home
You are a single mother working double shifts, leaving your child at daycare from 5AM-6PM wondering how to get food on the table and pay your mortgage all while making sure your child is remaining bliss to it all. You have questions about your child’s education, their health, and government assistance. You wonder if there’s […] The post Community engagement hits home appeared first on The Beacon.
Kansas budget approves millions for mental health workforce development
There are mental health workforce shortages across the country. Kansas is no exception. Universities and service providers are teaming up to help get more staff in the field. Kansas lawmakers approved almost $6 million for workforce development programs. Finding mental health professionals in Kansas is hard. Crisis teams that talk...
Wichita families struggle to survive as the economy thrives
One set of numbers suggests a booming Wichita economy. Wichita’s unemployment rate stood at about 3.3% in March, slightly lower than the national rate of 3.8%, both at near historic lows. National inflation has fallen from post-pandemic highs topping 8% to more manageable levels below 4% for nearly a year. Yet 40% of Sedgwick County […] The post Wichita families struggle to survive as the economy thrives appeared first on The Wichita Beacon.
Wichita’s mayor backs municipal IDs, but city council objects they weren’t consulted
Some Wichita City Council members were surprised Thursday night when Mayor Lily Wu and City Manager Robert Layton announced to a large crowd the city’s commitment to municipal IDs and other initiatives that haven’t been voted on. One such commitment was to implement a municipal ID program, an...
Mobile mental health squads in high demand in Wichita
Mobile crisis teams strain to keep up with the demand in Wichita. A shortage of mental health professionals able to work later shifts makes it hard to keep mental health teams on duty. COMCARE staff are optimistic and excited about the future of mobile crisis response services. For generations, the...
Hearing more about tornado dangers in Wichita? Here’s why
Violent tornadoes touching down chewing up ground for dozens of miles. Baseball-sized hail. Wind gusts of up to 80 mph. The weather forecast for Monday night in Wichita looked dire. People braced for the worst. Wichita Public Schools canceled after-school activities. Other districts let out early. Dillons grocery store in...
Wichita’s bus riders want better service, but money is short
Samantha Richardson just started her new job at Pratt Industries in Park City. The only problem? Her 12-mile commute without a car. So she takes the bus. It gets close and it’s cheaper than Uber or Lyft. But Wichita’s bus network can feel anemic. Its flaws sometimes force Richardson to choose between putting in some […] The post Wichita’s bus riders want better service, but money is short appeared first on The Wichita Beacon.
Building a local news ecosystem that works for Wichita
Wichita’s local news ecosystem welcomed national attention last week, when Press Forward joined The Wichita Foundation to showcase newsrooms that are on the front lines of building a more robust information ecosystem for the future of our communities. We’re thrilled to be a part of one of the very first chapters of Press Forward — […] The post Building a local news ecosystem that works for Wichita appeared first on The Wichita Beacon.
Calls for state aid grow as homelessness worsens across Kansas
Kansas lawmakers tried to address homelessness, but their bills haven’t passed. Homelessness is rising across the state, putting cities in a bind as the state fails to find solutions. Cities need more funding, but also other types of support to address the issue. Homelessness is rising across Kansas. It’s...
Kansas lawmakers and Kelly couldn’t agree on tax cuts — so governor calls for another try
Kansas lawmakers didn’t pass a tax bill and will return for a special session. Republicans broke with party leadership to kill controversial bills. A majority of the governor’s vetoes were sustained this year. Kansas lawmakers failed to pass tax cuts that the governor would sign before adjourning for...
Kansas is injecting $205 million into a biomedical campus. How it changes downtown Wichita
It is closing in on a weekday lunch hour with few signs of life on an April morning at the southeast corner of Broadway Avenue and East William Street. On the corner, a parking lot. To the west, the distinctive Depression-era Petroleum Building sits empty. To the south and east,...
Wichita’s biomedical campus aims to build tech and variety into health care training
A $300 million project about to be built downtown will give Wichita State University a unique opportunity to give students the most modern training possible in a health care world that is undergoing “tectonic” changes, says Gregory Hand, WSU dean of the College of Health Professions. As health care becomes more about teamwork among doctors, […] The post Wichita’s biomedical campus aims to build tech and variety into health care training appeared first on The Wichita Beacon.
‘It’s a community problem’: How harm reduction cushions Wichita’s fentanyl crisis
With armfuls of pamphlets, fentanyl test strips and naloxone, Morgan Jennings shows up around Wichita on a mission: trying to stop opioid overdoses. For Jennings, every opportunity to distribute naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses, is a chance to honor the people in her life affected by substance use disorder. She lost her father […] The post ‘It’s a community problem’: How harm reduction cushions Wichita’s fentanyl crisis appeared first on The Wichita Beacon.
Kansas colleges aren’t sweating new law threatening $10,000 fines for certain DEI policies
Kansas public universities can face fines for requiring DEI statements during hiring processes. Despite a political divide, the law passed without gubernatorial opposition. Universities in Kansas largely feel unaffected by the law and continue to prioritize diversity and inclusion efforts. Requiring job candidates to talk about diversity, equity and inclusion...
Medicaid expansion won’t be getting its day in the Kansas Legislature. Senators fail to put it to a vote
Doctors diagnosed Kelsey Vetter with a mild form of cerebral palsy before she turned 3 years old. She hasn’t seen a doctor about it in more than a decade. “That weighs on me every day,” she said. “I know I need to get myself checked out. … But I’m afraid of those medical bills piling […] The post Medicaid expansion won’t be getting its day in the Kansas Legislature. Senators fail to put it to a vote appeared first on The Wichita Beacon.
The Wichita police citizens board checked more complaints this year than the last five years
The Wichita Police Department closed nearly twice as many complaints about officer conduct in 2023 as it did five years ago, but the department says that shouldn’t set off alarms. Instead, it’s a sign of progress. The department resolved 359 complaints in 2019 compared to 646 last year. The increase stems from gradual changes with […] The post The Wichita police citizens board checked more complaints this year than the last five years appeared first on The Wichita Beacon.
Two homes, one lot and a possible way to make homeownership more in reach in Wichita
As Julie Moore and her elderly parents prepared to move from Oklahoma City to Wichita, they had some very specific needs. They wanted to be close to family and friends north of the city. And with Moore working from home, they needed enough space for her to do her medical coding and for her parents […] The post Two homes, one lot and a possible way to make homeownership more in reach in Wichita appeared first on The Wichita Beacon.
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The Wichita Beacon is the city’s first nonprofit, community-supported digital news organization. We’re changing the face of journalism with an innovative model for reliable, truthful news here in the Midwest. And we’re partnering with you – our neighbors – to make it happen. The Wichita Beacon started publishing in July 2021 and is part of The Beacon, a regional nonprofit news network. Beacon stories are revelatory, contextual, data-driven and solutions-driven. The Beacon is a member of Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers and the Institute for Nonprofit News.
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