Hannah Thompson has the special skill of transporting people from Wichita to wherever they want to go — but not by plane, train or automobile. She does it with photography. Thompson’s photography business — Reel Photography, LLC, which opened in November 2020 — is unique in that she edits many of her portraits to transform her subjects. […]
Photography with style: Why Hannah Thompson built her business in Wichita
Posted inLocal Government
Wichita rolls out a new ‘Forum’ for feedback to more easily engage with residents
Many Wichita golfers are not pleased with the city of Wichita’s proposal to hire a private management firm to oversee city golf courses. As happened in the debate over privatizing management for Century II, a multitude of citizens spoke out in protest. But this time, Wichitans had a new tool to express their concerns. Starting […]
Posted inEducation
2022 Kansas education bills cover remote learning, vaccines, parents’ rights
Both chambers in the Kansas legislature are proposing “parents’ bills of rights” and other bills that would add scrutiny to curriculum.
Posted inHealth, Local Government
Who do you call in a mental health crisis? Hotlines and hospitals to know in Sedgwick County.
Editor’s note: We updated this story on Feb. 23 to include the Mental Health Association of South Central Kansas. Sedgwick County is in the midst of a communitywide conversation around mental health, law enforcement and juvenile justice in the wake of Cedric Lofton’s death. One question has been recurring: whom to call in a mental […]
Posted inEducation
Student growth scores highlight progress, not privilege, in Missouri schools
Some researchers think growth should be even more heavily weighted when it comes to determining which schools are best at serving their students, and DESE’s next evaluation framework will place an even stronger emphasis on growth.
Posted inWichitans You Should Know
How Wichita homeless advocate April Holt builds trust
As Wichita nears the end of winter, many people are past thinking about cold air and bitter wind. For April Holt, it’s all she thinks about — stressing about those without homes to take cover in. Holt has amassed an online following in Wichita with her social media posts about the people she meets on […]
Posted inState Government
Child restraints, no-knock warrants, survivor benefits: Kansas criminal justice reform bills to watch
Legislators introduced several bills in the opening weeks of the legislative session that would bring reform to the Kansas 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 several […]
Posted inWatchdog
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 […]
Posted inEducation
What’s next after MO House approves millions in COVID funds for KC-area schools
School districts are eager to receive federal funding because it affects their planning, such as for summer programming, and is directed toward COVID-19-related needs such as making up for pandemic learning loss and improving air quality.
Posted inHealth
Tracking COVID relief spending in Wyandotte County: How $37.3 million was spent
Audio-Reader · TheBeacon 2-15-22: Tracking COVID Relief Spending In Wyandotte As part of a new series, The Kansas City Beacon is following how millions of dollars of coronavirus relief funding was spent in the area. Last month, we explored how Kansas City, Missouri, spent $31 million in government aid through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and […]