Sapphire Garcia-Lies wants new and expecting mothers in Wichita — especially in Black, Latinx and Indigenous communities — to feel nurtured. That’s what she had in mind when crafting a new facility for the Wichita Birth Justice Society, a nonprofit led by Garcia-Lies that’s dedicated to reducing racial disparities in maternal and infant mortality. In […]
Celia Hack
Hack covers local government for The Wichita Beacon. She is a Report for America corps member. Follow her on Twitter @CeliaHack.
Posted inLocal Government
Sedgwick County election workers get mixed messages in wake of data breach
Update: EasyVote Solutions, LLC, the company at the center of a data breach that impacted Sedgwick County election workers, has wrapped up its investigation of the incident and is notifying people who were impacted, Election Commissioner Angela Caudillo said. The company will provide credit monitoring and identity theft protection for one year to those who […]
Posted inLocal Government
What is the future of Airbnb rentals in Wichita? It’s starting to come into focus.
Denny Marlin was out of town when the shooting happened at an Airbnb rental near his home in Crown Heights last April. When he returned home after a weekend away, a pall hung in the air. One person — 20 year-old Elijah Davis — died as a result of the shooting. Three others were injured. […]
Posted inLocal Government
Sedgwick County says over 800 election workers impacted by data breach
Update: EasyVote Solutions, LLC, the company at the center of a data breach that impacted Sedgwick County election workers, has wrapped up its investigation of the incident and is notifying people who were impacted, Election Commissioner Angela Caudillo said. The company will provide credit monitoring and identity theft protection for one year to those who […]
Posted inLocal Government
Social Security numbers of nearly 180 Sedgwick County election workers exposed following data breach
Editor’s note: We updated this story on March 23 to clarify that information reviewed by The Wichita Beacon showed that the Social Security numbers of 176 election workers for Sedgwick County were exposed. The personal information of at least 150 more Sedgwick County election workers has been exposed following a data breach, according to information […]
Posted inLocal Government
The secret sauce behind Wichita’s success in distributing emergency housing vouchers
At the grocery store, pick up barbecue sauce, a jar of spaghetti sauce, elbow noodles and a chicken breast — without the bone. When you get home, boil water for noodles and add some barbecue sauce to the pot, for flavor. Fry your chicken. Pour the noodles into a bowl. Add chicken. Add spaghetti sauce. […]
Posted inLea en Español, Local Government
¿Son las carreteras sin pavimentar de Wichita un problema de equidad? The Wichita Beacon analiza las carreteras sin pavimentar por código postal
Durante años, los residentes de Wichita han luchado contra el polvo y los baches que vienen con las 84 millas de calles sin pavimentar de la ciudad en vecindarios establecidos. Eso se debe en gran parte a que Wichita históricamente utilizó una política de páguelo usted mismo: para pavimentar una calle en un vecindario ya […]
Posted inLocal Government
Are Wichita’s unpaved roads an equity issue? The Wichita Beacon analyzes unpaved roads by ZIP code
For years, Wichita residents have battled the dust and bumpiness that come with the city’s 84 miles of unpaved roads in established neighborhoods. That’s largely because Wichita historically used a pay-it-yourself policy — to pave a road in an already-built neighborhood, at least 51% of property owners on a street have to petition the city and […]
Posted inLocal Government
Sedgwick County election workers’ personal data exposed following data breach
The personal information of at least 30 Sedgwick County election workers has been exposed following a data breach, according to information reviewed by The Wichita Beacon. EasyVote Solutions, LLC, a company that Sedgwick County contracts with to manage election workers, recently became aware that some of its data may have been available online, according to […]
Posted inDIY Democracy, Local Government
Nearly 90% of Sedgwick County homes rose in value this year. Here’s how to appeal your property valuation.
Note: This story has been updated to reflect the fact that sales prices of nearby homes are available on the county appraiser’s website. An overheated housing market across the nation is reflected in Sedgwick County’s housing valuations this year. In 2022, 88% of residential homes in Sedgwick County increased in value — about 158,467 of […]