The COVID-19 pandemic has many ongoing side effects — increased drinking, worse mental health and increased risk of diabetes, cancer and other diseases. And, in Wichita and other places, more traffic deaths. The increase in deaths comes despite a drop in auto accidents. Exactly why isn’t clear. “We just do not know why,” said Chad […]
Trace Salzbrenner
Trace Salzbrenner is the former community journalist for The Wichita Beacon. Follow him on Twitter @RealTraceAlan.
Posted inData, Local Government
Wichita’s roads are more dangerous than Johnson County’s. Here are the five worst spots
Nearly every day, vehicles collide at one of five Wichita intersections. Three of those locations fall along Kellogg Drive. In all, the city saw more than 10,000 crashes last year. And although Johnson County, Kansas, is home to about 80,000 more people, Sedgwick County traffic accidents killed and injured more people and caused more costly […]
Posted inKansas State Government, Local Government
Trains can block intersections for hours. Neither Kansas nor Wichita can do much about it
While many people headed out for a date on Valentine’s Day, others were stuck behind the wheels of their cars — waiting and then waiting longer. Along Broadway Street from 21st to 37th streets, a train sat on the tracks unmoving. The railroad crossing signals rang for hours. Drivers had to choose between making a […]
Posted inEducation
One of the best things for a child traumatized by Kansas City’s mass shooting? Experts stress routine
Some children, the experts say, need to talk about their concerns. That, they say, needs to be balanced against dwelling too much on what happened or trying to force conversations that could backfire.
Posted inEducation
One of the best things for a child traumatized by Kansas City’s mass shooting? Experts stress routine
Some children, the experts say, need to talk about their concerns. That, they say, needs to be balanced against dwelling too much on what happened or trying to force conversations that could backfire.
Posted inHealth, Local Government
Wichita is getting a new psychiatric hospital amid fears it’ll be too small
Kansas sits on the verge of building its first new state mental hospital in more than a century, even as officials acknowledge the original plans may not meet the region’s needs. The $40 million 50-bed facility planned for a spot at Meridian Avenue and MacArthur Road in southwest Wichita is planned for completion in 2026 […]
Posted inHousing, Wichita Journalism Collaborative
A young Wichita couple become first-time homebuyers — by acting fast
Carla Mendez and Jacob Salas spent just three days shopping for their first home. It was either that, or miss out on the place the young couple fell in love with. The open dining room and living room connect to the kitchen that comes with new appliances. And it sports a patio off the living […]
Posted inHousing, Local Government
Wichita counted 42 homeless deaths last year, but the count is suspect
At least 42 homeless people died in Wichita in 2023. But the actual number could be bigger. Neither Sedgwick County nor Wichita keeps records of people who die without stable housing. “We simply don’t have metrics,” said Shelly Steadman, the director of the regional forensic center in Sedgwick County. Without reliable data, it is harder […]
Posted inEducation
Attending a school outside your district is getting easier in Kansas. Not everyone’s happy
Imagine you’re a parent and your child goes to Northwest High School in Wichita. The Maize public school district sits nearby, a wealthier community where graduation rates and ACT scores run higher. If you’d wanted to enroll your children in Maize in fall 2023, the school district would have said no. Starting next fall, Maize’s […]
Posted inAccountability, Local Government
Two killings, two very different cash bonds — and a debate about fairness in Wichita
Sedgwick County prosecutors charged 19-year-old Daryon Boone with first-degree murder in the September shooting death of a 69-year-old woman in Wichita. They charged 16-year-old Makyh Townes with second-degree murder in what his family contends was the accidental shooting of a friend several months earlier. Boone, who’s white, was released after posting a $500,000 bond. Townes, […]