Esta historia fue traducida por Claudia Yaujar-Amaro. Esta historia también está disponible en ingles. Lea aquí En los últimos cuatro años, el número de personas que murieron por sobredosis de drogas anualmente en el condado de Sedgwick se duplicó, un aumento dramático atribuido casi en su totalidad a las muertes por fentanilo. Es un problema reciente […]
Gretchen Lenth
Posted inAccountability, Local Government
Suicide is the leading cause of death in Kansas jails. The Sedgwick County Jail is struggling to combat this trend.
Update: On Aug. 24, Sedgwick County Jail saw its fourth person this year die while in custody. A 38-year-old male was found unresponsive and EMS pronounced him dead at the scene. A preliminary investigation determined the death a result of natural causes; an autopsy is pending. Content warning: This story contains references to and descriptions of […]
Posted inHealth, Local Government
‘Much more death now than there was’: How fentanyl changed opioid addiction treatment in Wichita
The risk of an overdose is high while patients wait for addiction treatment. Specialists want more resources and fewer obstacles to harm-reduction measures.
Posted inHealth, Local Government
Drug overdose deaths caused by fentanyl are skyrocketing in Wichita. Here’s what you need to know.
In the past four years, the number of people who died from drug overdoses annually in Sedgwick County more than doubled, a dramatic increase attributed almost entirely to fentanyl. The rise in fentanyl overdoses is a recent, growing problem that’s required an urgent response from the city, according to law enforcement and forensic scientists. Fentanyl […]
Posted inCivic Engagement, Elections, Kansas State Government
Live coverage: Wichita’s 2022 primary election
The 2022 primary is no ordinary election day in Kansas. This year, every voter can vote — even unaffiliated voters who may be unaccustomed to voting in primaries. On all ballots: a proposed constitutional amendment that would remove the right to an abortion from the Kansas Constitution. On party-affiliated ballots: primary elections for U.S. Senate […]
Posted inLocal Government
Wichita spent nearly $8 million on overtime compensation in 2021. Here’s where the money went.
Fernando Rodriguez feels drained after returning home from a 14-hour shift driving a bus for Wichita Transit. It’s late in the evening and he doesn’t have the energy to do anything, but he still has a family to take care of — a wife and two children ages 6 and 16. Rodriguez is one of […]
Posted inKansas State Government
Nearly a million Kansans lack quality internet. This grant might fix that.
Once considered a luxury, high-speed internet is now considered a necessity by many policymakers, said Jade Piros de Carvalho, director of the Kansas Office of Broadband Development. Quality internet is especially valuable in rural communities where it may be required for access to health care and other services.
“I think what the pandemic did is it really highlighted that communities that don’t have broadband aren’t going to be able to innovate in the same way,” Piros de Carvalho said. “They’re not going to be able to grow and thrive.”
Posted inEducation
Local students receive community college scholarships through Kansas Promise
When Melissa Farrar enrolled in WSU Tech’s nursing program, she paid for her first semester out of pocket. Then she heard other students talk about the Kansas Promise Scholarship, which offers free community or technical college to students pursuing degrees in high-demand fields. Through this scholarship, Farrar’s past two semesters have been paid in full. […]