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 […]
Posted inLocal Government
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 initiative started by previous Mayor Brandon Whipple […]
Posted inState Government
Mobile mental health squads in high demand in Wichita
Takeaways: For generations, the job of talking somebody down from a psychotic episode in Wichita usually fell to whatever police officers fielded the call for help. That meant somebody with a gun and handcuffs was sent to deal with everything from a depressive episode to erratic behavior to paranoid delusions. Last year, city and county […]
Posted inEnvironment
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 College Hill posted a sign […]
Posted inLocal Government
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 […]
Posted inWichita Journalism Collaborative
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 — […]
Posted inState Government
Calls for state aid grow as homelessness worsens across Kansas
Takeaways: Homelessness is rising across Kansas. It’s booming in Lawrence, where it increased 51% from 2020 to 2023. Misty Bosch-Hastings, director of the Homeless Solutions Division for Lawrence, said that rise comes partly from people dropping off homeless people at camps in the city. Nearby hospitals, correctional facilities or mental health centers will pull up […]
Posted inUncategorized
Kansas lawmakers and Kelly couldn’t agree on tax cuts — so governor calls for another try
Takeaways: Kansas lawmakers failed to pass tax cuts that the governor would sign before adjourning for the year, setting up a heated tax fight during an election year. The Legislature adjourned early Wednesday morning, but Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has the power to bring lawmakers back for a special session. She promised to do it, […]
Posted inHealth
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, toward the Intrust Bank Arena, […]
Posted inHealth
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, […]