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¿Qué sucede cuando el 911 no habla su idioma?
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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…
Language barriers shut some Wichitans from local government services
Roughly one in 14 people in Wichita say they speak English — the primary language used to access taxpayer funded services — less than “very well.” Ask Ana Lopez. She is the Spanish-speaking community services representative for City Council District 6 that covers the heavily Hispanic North End neighborhood in North Wichita along Arkansas Avenue. …
Is Oaklawn Wichita’s forgotten neighborhood?
Para leer este artículo en español, haga clic aquí. Andree Sisco’s entry into public service came about when she couldn’t find anyone willing to mow the grass. Sisco moved to Oaklawn, an unincorporated community sandwiched between Wichita and Derby, in 1981. Nestled between the Arkansas River and Kansas 15, Oaklawn sits on 260 acres, a…
Wichita general election ballot takes shape for Nov. 7
With the primary election results in, the candidate lineup for the 2023 general election in Wichita has taken shape. There will be 16 candidates total spread across seven races: Wichita mayor, City Council Districts 2, 4 and 5; and USD 259 school board Districts 3 and 4 as well as the at-large seat. To help…
Lily Wu outraises all others in Wichita’s mayoral primary. Who is behind the money?
In the Wichita mayor’s race, there is one major takeaway from the filings submitted this week to the Sedgwick County Election Commission Office: Lily Wu, a first-time political candidate who calls herself “the outsider” in the race, is anything but. Wu is just one of eight candidates challenging incumbent Mayor Brandon Whipple in the Aug.…
Wichita mayoral forum: Candidates talk policing, homelessness and neighborhoods
Wichita will choose its next mayor on Nov. 7, but first voters must narrow the field of candidates from nine to two in the primary on Aug. 1. Seven of those nine mayoral candidates shared their views on how to strengthen neighborhoods, engage citizens in advisory boards and tackle such problems as homelessness and police…
Housing, fentanyl and worker shortages: Where do Wichita’s City Council candidates stand?
Last month, The Wichita Beacon surveyed our readers to find out what they most want to know about candidates running for local office. Questions for City Council candidates centered on four themes: homelessness; the city’s worker shortage in areas of policing, health care and education; fentanyl deaths; and diversity and inclusion. Only one district, District…
Diversity, transparency and leadership: Where do the Wichita’s mayoral candidates stand?
Last month, The Wichita Beacon surveyed our readers to find out what they most want to know about candidates running for local office. Questions for the 2023 mayoral candidates centered on four themes: leadership style, commitment to transparency in government, relationships with developers, and commitment to diversity and inclusion. We asked the nine mayoral candidates…
You have until July 11 to register to vote in the August primary election
The primary election in Wichita is on Aug. 1, giving voters the opportunity to narrow the fields in races for mayor, City Council and school board. Here’s who is running. Because local elections are nonpartisan, any registered voter regardless of party affiliation may vote in the primary. If you want to vote in this year’s…
What should voters know about the Wichita 2023 primaries?
The Sedgwick County Election Office — responsible for all voter registration and elections within the county — is heading into Wichita 2023 primary elections with a new commissioner, following a fair amount of controversy and turnover in recent years. In 2020, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, whose responsibilities overseeing elections include appointing county election commissioners,…
‘Nothing to fear’: Wichita police chief, county sheriff on HB 2350’s impact on undocumented people
Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan and Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter say Wichita’s immigrant community should not fear HB 2350, an anti-smuggling bill that takes effect July 1. Since its passage, the bill has come under fire from state politicians and immigration advocates for its vague language. Many people were concerned the law could be…
Here are Wichita’s USD 259 school board, mayor and City Council candidates for the 2023 election
June 1 was the deadline for local candidates to file with the Sedgwick County Election Office. Eight candidates filed to challenge the incumbent Wichita mayor, Brandon Whipple, who is seeking reelection. Another 10 candidates filed to run for the three of six City Council seats up for election this year. Three seats on the USD…
Highlights, progress, stagnation: A one year check-in on the CJ Lofton task force
After 17-year-old Cedric “CJ” Lofton died in law enforcement custody in September 2021, the community wanted answers. How did this happen? What went wrong? What could be changed to prevent such a thing from happening again? A community task force of 23 members was convened to find those answers and make recommendations for systemic change.…
‘It’s a terror to the community’: How Wichita police training in public housing affects the neighborhood
The city’s predominantly Black neighborhoods — which already see a disproportionate police presence — are now seeing police show up in tactical gear to raid vacant buildings even when nothing is wrong. Officers dressed in military-style fatigues, carrying riot shields and displaying weapons began using the vacant housing for training exercises a year ago, part…
Surprised? Wichita Animal Shelter now meets ‘no kill’ rates for euthanasia
In 2012, nearly half the stray cats and dogs picked up by Wichita’s animal control were staring down a death sentence. The Wichita Animal Shelter euthanized 4,476 dogs and cats that year, with a majority of those being cats. That represented 45 percent of animals that came to the facility that year, according to its…
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