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LATEST NEWS
‘Knocked down over and over again’: How a Kansas bill loosening SNAP restrictions failed
Andrew Hubbard, faced with barrier after barrier when trying to restart his life, said he started to question why he even bothered. A three-time felon, Hubbard struggled to climb his way to sobriety with so many obstacles — lacking a valid driver’s license, finding housing with 11 evictions on his record and struggling to pay…
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In his nine-year tenure, Sedgwick County District Attorney has yet to prosecute a police killing
Fifteen men. One woman. No prosecutions. Law enforcement personnel from the Wichita Police Department and Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office have shot and killed 19 people since District Attorney Marc Bennett took office in 2013. Bennett, citing Kansas law, has declined to file charges against officers in 16 of those fatalities. In 15 cases, the officers…
Proposed changes would expand role of Wichita’s police review board
The Wichita Citizen’s Review Board could issue independent reports on allegations of police misconduct for the first time under changes proposed by the city last week. How board members are appointed and the length of their terms would also change under a proposal offered Feb. 24 by Wichita City Manager Robert Layton. The 13-member board,…
Wichita nonprofit strives to vaccinate at least 400 unsheltered people by June
Social distancing is not a homeless shelter’s strong suit. But several mobile clinics are popping up in shelters in Wichita to vaccinate as many unsheltered people as possible against COVID — especially as winter temperatures force scores of people inside. The city of Wichita approved a $50,000 grant for United Way of the Plains to…
Wichita police, Sedgwick sheriff’s office closed nearly 500 misconduct complaints in 2021
A clogged toilet. Gossip. A race-based traffic stop. Excessive force. These are some of the nearly 500 complaints the internal affairs bureaus at the Wichita Police Department and Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office closed in 2021. In about a third of the cases, the agencies sustained the complaints, according to an analysis by The Wichita Beacon. Wichita…
Child restraints, no-knock warrants, survivor benefits: Kansas justice reform bills to watch
Kansas legislators introduced several bills in the opening weeks of the legislative session that would bring reform to the state’s criminal justice system, such as prohibiting the use of restraints on children in hearings and setting a new standard for search warrants. The 2022 legislative session opened on Jan. 10. The Wichita Beacon is highlighting…
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