Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter has strong opinions about how the county should spend the windfall it expects from legal settlements with opioid makers, distributors and retailers. “It has to be spent,” he said, “for recovery, rehab, that type of stuff.” Law enforcement, Easter said, should not be getting any of it. As local governments […]
Wichita-area politicians pick between war on drugs or treatment when spending opioid settlement cash
Posted inHealth
Wichita nurses win contract after threatening third strike in a year
Union nurses ratified contracts with two Wichita hospitals this week, averting a third strike in less than a year and beating the odds against new unions getting first-time contracts at all. Nearly 1,000 registered nurses at Ascension Via Christi’s St. Francis and St. Joseph hospitals voted to ratify two-year contracts. The union said the deals […]
Posted inState Government
Transgender care, abortion, plastic bags and more: Your guide to Kansas Gov. Kelly’s 2024 vetoes
Takeaways: Update: The 2024 veto session has ended. Read this story to see what passed and what didn’t. Gov. Laura Kelly’s vetoes of bills that would restrict gender-affirming care for children and abortion rights are setting up override votes that will test the unity of conservatives in the Legislature. One part of the Kansas legislative […]
Posted inHealth, Kansas State Government, Local Government
Transgender care, abortion, plastic bags and more: Your guide to Kansas Gov. Kelly’s 2024 vetoes
Takeaways: Update: The 2024 veto session has ended. Read this story to see what passed and what didn’t. Gov. Laura Kelly’s vetoes of bills that would restrict gender-affirming care for children and abortion rights are setting up override votes that will test the unity of conservatives in the Legislature. One part of the Kansas legislative […]
Posted inHealth
Kansas City-area politicians pick between war on drugs or treatment when spending opioid settlement cash
Editor’s note (April 18, 2024): This story has been updated to correct the amount of money Jackson County allocated to University Health’s Center for Recovery and Wellness. A state report listed a different amount than the the county legislature appropriated. Johnson County spent the biggest piece of its opioid settlement windfall so far cracking down […]
Posted inCivic Engagement, Elections, State Government
Lawmakers want your permission to weaken voters’ ability to change laws, the Missouri Constitution
Takeaways: Missouri voters will likely soon be asked by the lawmakers they elected to strip themselves of some power to put initiative petitions on the ballot — to take action when politicians won’t. Voters could be asked to place further restrictions on the already difficult, and costly, job of passing an initiative petition. One proposal […]
Posted inBehind the Beacon
The Beacon wins 6 Kansas Press Association awards
The Beacon won six Kansas Press Association awards for its work in 2023 covering Wichita and the state, including first place for feature story and for a story originating from a public notice. Polly Basore Wenzl’s First place feature story profiling Desmond Bryant-White, Defying a “gang list” label to find his voice and lend it […]
Posted inEducation
Raytown High students wanted a crackdown on violence, guns in school. Making the right changes is tricky
Since that public pressure, students say Raytown High School has made effective changes, such as hall sweeps targeting students who aren’t in class. They’ve also seen signs that the district is seriously considering other measures such as installing weapons detectors.
Posted inHousing
Kansas City homeowners don’t want to sell their homes. Here’s why
Takeaways: If you’re looking to buy a home in Kansas City in today’s market, brace for scarcity and tough competition. Real estate experts say that people who already own their homes, locked in with historically low mortgage rates, appear reluctant to sell and take on higher interest rates that would come with the purchase of […]
Posted inKansas State Government
A Kansas grandmother couldn’t adopt her grandchild. The case points to larger issues in foster care
Takeaways: Mindy Mathes was thrilled when a foster agency picked her and her husband to adopt their granddaughter. The girl had been weathering the chaos of the Kansas foster care system, living in multiple homes before finding people to call family. At the Mathes home, she’d have stuffed animals — unicorns and a beloved Grinch […]