Chelsea Lee’s home had never received a nuisance citation from the city of Wichita before last year. But 2021 was rough for her. First, she spent a week in the hospital in critical condition with a liver infection — and, without health insurance, a pile of bills. Later that year, her back started acting up. Lee, 44, […]
Wichita
Posted inWichitans You Should Know
Photography with style: Why Hannah Thompson built her business in Wichita
Hannah Thompson has the special skill of transporting people from Wichita to wherever they want to go — but not by plane, train or automobile. She does it with photography. Thompson’s photography business — Reel Photography, LLC, which opened in November 2020 — is unique in that she edits many of her portraits to transform her subjects. […]
Posted inLocal Government
Wichita rolls out a new ‘Forum’ for feedback to more easily engage with residents
Many Wichita golfers are not pleased with the city of Wichita’s proposal to hire a private management firm to oversee city golf courses. As happened in the debate over privatizing management for Century II, a multitude of citizens spoke out in protest. But this time, Wichitans had a new tool to express their concerns. Starting […]
Posted inHealth, Local Government
Who do you call in a mental health crisis? Hotlines and hospitals to know in Sedgwick County.
Editor’s note: We updated this story on Feb. 23 to include the Mental Health Association of South Central Kansas. Sedgwick County is in the midst of a communitywide conversation around mental health, law enforcement and juvenile justice in the wake of Cedric Lofton’s death. One question has been recurring: whom to call in a mental […]
Posted inWichitans You Should Know
How Wichita homeless advocate April Holt builds trust
As Wichita nears the end of winter, many people are past thinking about cold air and bitter wind. For April Holt, it’s all she thinks about — stressing about those without homes to take cover in. Holt has amassed an online following in Wichita with her social media posts about the people she meets on […]
Posted inWatchdog
Wichita police, Sedgwick sheriff’s office closed nearly 500 misconduct complaints in 2021
A clogged toilet. Gossip. A race-based traffic stop. Excessive force. These are some of the nearly 500 complaints the internal affairs bureaus at the Wichita Police Department and Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office closed in 2021. In about a third of the cases, the agencies sustained the complaints, according to an analysis by The Wichita Beacon. Wichita […]
Posted inLocal Government
‘It’s an equity issue’: Wichita has no plan for its 84 miles of unpaved roads
The streets of the Orchard Breeze neighborhood are where Dan Warren grew up. They’re where he rode his bike growing up. Where he tossed the morning news into driveways on his paper route. Warren, 67, still lives on the streets of the west Wichita neighborhood. But instead of loving those streets, he fears them — and […]
Posted inLea en Español, Local Government
‘Es un problema de equidad’: Wichita no tiene un plan para sus 84 millas de caminos sin pavimentar
Las calles del vecindario de Orchard Breeze son donde creció Dan Warren. En esas calles montaba su bicicleta mientras crecía. Donde tiraba el periodico con las noticias de la mañana. Warren, de 67 años, todavía vive en las calles del vecindario oeste de Wichita. Pero en lugar de amar esas calles, las teme y teme […]
Posted inCivic Engagement
The Beacon is hiring: Paid positions involve working with community
How well does local news serve you and your community? What information sources do you trust, and why? What do you wish people understood about your life and your community? We want to know. The Wichita Beacon wants to learn how people in Wichita get the news and information they need. We’re hiring Community Representatives […]
Posted inKansas State Government, Watchdog
Child restraints, no-knock warrants, survivor benefits: Kansas justice reform bills to watch
Kansas legislators introduced several bills in the opening weeks of the legislative session that would bring reform to the state’s criminal justice system, such as prohibiting the use of restraints on children in hearings and setting a new standard for search warrants. The 2022 legislative session opened on Jan. 10. The Wichita Beacon is highlighting […]