The Beacon | Wichita welcomed Maria Carter as its new editor and lead reporter this spring. Before joining The Beacon, Maria acted as managing editor at 90.5 WESA and editor of Harvest Public Media at KCUR, where she researched and shaped important daily stories for regional audiences. She’s received regional and national recognition for her […]
Maria Carter joins The Beacon as editor and lead reporter in Wichita
Posted inEducation
More Kansas City schoolkids are asking for help with their mental health. A few are finding it
Melvin White sits with his generation at a demographic Ground Zero for mental stress. The Schlagle High School junior survived COVID isolation during middle school. He’s never known a world without smartphones. And he’s finishing high school amid the FOMO energy of a social media world in its own adolescence. All of those factors, experts […]
Posted inBehind the Beacon
Why diverse and community voices matter
Why would anyone want to take on an additional role of being a community journalism lab representative outside their day job? I spoke with one of our newer reps on why he decided to join and why the work our journalism lab does is important to our reporting efforts. “As a visionary creative I aim […]
Posted inBehind the Beacon
The Community Journalism Lab is coming to a coffee shop near you
I get it…talking to the news can be a scary experience, especially when you don’t know what they will ask, how they will use your words, or if they even have your best interest. If you’ve been a supporter of us you know that’s not how we operate. If you aren’t and you’re new here, […]
Posted inBehind the Beacon
Community engagement hits home
You are a single mother working double shifts, leaving your child at daycare from 5AM-6PM wondering how to get food on the table and pay your mortgage all while making sure your child is remaining bliss to it all. You have questions about your child’s education, their health, and government assistance. You wonder if there’s […]
Posted inKansas State Government
Kansas budget approves millions for mental health workforce development
Finding mental health professionals in Kansas is hard. Crisis teams that talk down suicidal Wichitans struggle to fill evening shifts and mental health hospitals that can rescue someone from a crisis have open beds they can’t use because they don’t have enough staff. States across the country can’t hire enough workers for critical mental health […]
Posted inLocal Government
FAQ: How Berkley Riverfront is going from a dumping ground to an entertainment district
A sparkly new development coming to Kansas City’s riverfront?
Like we haven’t heard that line before.
Seemingly every decade like clockwork, somebody pushes an idea that would finally put Kansas City’s 55-acre blemish along the Missouri River to good use. And, inevitably, the proposal ends up elsewhere — and the riverfront remains empty.
But this time, it looks to be finally happening. Like, really, truly happening.
Posted inState Government
Republican infighting kills effort to make it harder for voters to change Missouri law
After years of effort, Missouri Republicans were poised to take a step toward making it harder for initiative petitions to pass. For the majority of the spring, Republicans seemed on the same page about a plan they would send to voters on the August ballot. Then the little, fragile unity that remained among Republicans crumbled […]
Posted inEducation
KCPS talked about shutting these schools down. Now, they’re growing
Adding about 970 K-12 students — a 7% increase — between September and mid-April has upended the conversation in the district from talk of school closures to discussions of class sizes.
Posted inEconomics
Wichita families struggle to survive as the economy thrives
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 […]