Editor’s note: We corrected this story on May 12 to add that the Library Board of Directors also asks its members to fill out conflict of interest disclosure forms. The headline, a photo caption and the story were revised to reflect this update. On May 16, the story was revised to clarify that while the […]
Most Wichita board and commission members don’t fill out conflict of interest forms. Here’s what other cities do.
Posted inLea en Español, Local Government
Tornado provoca conversación sobre alertas de emergencia en español
Esta idea de la historia vino de los representantes de Participación Comunitaria de The Wichita Beacon. Obtenga más información al respecto aquí. Esta historia fue traducida por Claudia Yaujar-Amaro, quien administra al equipo de Participación Comunitaria de The Wichita Beacon. Esta historia también está disponible en inglés. Lea aquí. Cuando un tornado EF-3 tocó tierra […]
Posted inEducation
Lawmakers want to expand eligibility for free community college in Kansas
While 663 students received the Kansas Promise Scholarship during the first semester of the new program, according to an early 2022 report to the Kansas Legislature, nearly 75% of those who applied didn’t receive an award.
Posted inKansas State Government
Follow the money: How Kansas lawmakers are spending $3.1 billion in budget surplus
Editor’s note: The story was revised to clarify that the state’s 2022 budget has a $2.7 billion surplus and a projected $3.1 billion surplus for the 2023 budget. In a stark turn from its more austere budgetary past, the state of Kansas will likely close out the fiscal year in June with a larger-than-expected $2.7 […]
Posted inState Government
Recreational cannabis in Missouri via legislature seems unlikely
Update (Nov. 18, 2022): Missouri became the 21st state to legalize recreational marijuana on Nov. 8, 2022. The Beacon broke down Missouri’s next steps as the state begins the process of transitioning medical marijuana licenses to recreational licenses. Those hoping to see adult-use cannabis legalized in Missouri through legislative action may be out of luck this year, […]
Posted inLocal Government
Tornado sparks conversation about emergency weather alerts in Spanish
This story idea came from The Wichita Beacon’s Community Engagement Bureau. Learn more about it here. This story is also available in Spanish. Read that version here. When an EF-3 tornado touched down in Sedgwick County on April 29, some residents had little time to react — and some didn’t receive warnings they could understand. One […]
Posted inState Government
With Missouri overdose rates on the rise, federal funds for Narcan dry up
Since 2016, the state of Missouri has relied on a federal grant to help purchase and distribute naloxone, often known as Narcan, a life-saving treatment that can reverse potentially fatal overdoses. That grant has expired, leaving treatment providers without a centralized resource to turn to for the medicine. With no long-term replacement for the same […]
Posted inEducation
William Jewell has two groups doing slavery research. Some say that’s a problem
In front of a large audience at the college’s April 22 Duke Colloquium, history professor Christopher Wilkins said members of the Slavery, Memory and Justice project — which also includes alumni — had hoped the college would endorse their work, amplify it and follow their suggestions on “best practices.”
Posted inLocal Government
In their own words: Public housing residents speak out about Wichita’s plan to sell their homes
In January, the city announced plans to sell its 352 single-family public housing units. About half of those homes are vacant — a casualty of a five-year effort to rethink single-family public housing in Wichita and a lack of funding to keep them habitable. But the other half have tenants in them — with families, children, […]
Posted inHealth
Residents explore KC air sensor program at community forum
On a recent Saturday morning, Kansas City residents gathered with local organizations to learn how to monitor air quality in the city’s Troost Avenue corridor. Hosted by KC Digital Drive at the Lucile H. Bluford Branch of the Kansas City Public Library, the event aimed to inform community members about how they can participate in […]