From Seattle to Baghdad to the Marshall Islands, Jonathan Marr has worked as a firefighter all over the globe. But Marr, deputy director for Sedgwick County Emergency Management, moved to Wichita in 2019. And he’s made his mark since doing so. After becoming deputy director in 2020, Marr conducted in-depth research into the county’s aging […]
Local Government
The latest news about local government in Wichita and Sedgwick County, and how it affects your community, from The Wichita Beacon.
Posted inLocal Government
It’s been a year. What has Wichita’s land bank accomplished so far?
In May 2021, the Wichita City Council created the city’s first-ever land bank — a city-owned and operated entity aimed at reducing blight and vacant properties. The land bank aims to acquire distressed properties or vacant lots and rehabilitate them. Its main priorities? Neighborhood revitalization and affordable housing, which are key as home and rental prices in […]
Posted inLocal Government
Wichita’s budget passes in August. Here’s how you can get involved in shaping it now.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect a change in schedule to the budget process. The proposed budget will now be presented to the City Council on July 12 instead of July 19. Wichita’s annual budget may struggle to grab your attention. But behind jargon that might take your breath away — mill levy, […]
Posted inLocal Government
Does a muggy May mean a hotter summer in Wichita?
Sweltering. Muggy. Burning up. Last week, high temperatures in Wichita blew past 70-degree norms, reaching into the 90s. And the city broke records for how warm it was at night, according to Vanessa Pearce, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wichita. “It’s definitely higher than what the normal would be,” Pearce said. Why […]
Posted inLocal Government
Rising rents, reluctant landlords complicate housing search for people with rental aid in Wichita
This story idea came from The Wichita Beacon’s Community Engagement Bureau. Learn more about it here. Editor’s note: We updated this story on May 16 to include additional information from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Norman Doll started looking for a new apartment last year. Doll has advanced heart disease, agoraphobia and […]
Posted inLocal Government
Most Wichita board and commission members don’t fill out conflict of interest forms. Here’s what other cities do.
Editor’s note: We corrected this story on May 12 to add that the Library Board of Directors also asks its members to fill out conflict of interest disclosure forms. The headline, a photo caption and the story were revised to reflect this update. On May 16, the story was revised to clarify that while the […]
Posted inLea en Español, Local Government
Tornado provoca conversación sobre alertas de emergencia en español
Esta idea de la historia vino de los representantes de Participación Comunitaria de The Wichita Beacon. Obtenga más información al respecto aquí. Esta historia fue traducida por Claudia Yaujar-Amaro, quien administra al equipo de Participación Comunitaria de The Wichita Beacon. Esta historia también está disponible en inglés. Lea aquí. Cuando un tornado EF-3 tocó tierra […]
Posted inLocal Government
Tornado sparks conversation about emergency weather alerts in Spanish
This story idea came from The Wichita Beacon’s Community Engagement Bureau. Learn more about it here. This story is also available in Spanish. Read that version here. When an EF-3 tornado touched down in Sedgwick County on April 29, some residents had little time to react — and some didn’t receive warnings they could understand. One […]
Posted inLocal Government
In their own words: Public housing residents speak out about Wichita’s plan to sell their homes
In January, the city announced plans to sell its 352 single-family public housing units. About half of those homes are vacant — a casualty of a five-year effort to rethink single-family public housing in Wichita and a lack of funding to keep them habitable. But the other half have tenants in them — with families, children, […]
Posted inDIY Democracy, Local Government
How to request public records in Wichita and Sedgwick County
Journalists often request public records as part of their jobs, but anyone can do it. Court records. Government salary databases. Policies. Reports. Budgets. All that information and more can be requested by the public. In Kansas, public records can be requested under the Kansas Open Records Act. All records of public government bodies within the […]