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. […]
Local Government
The latest news about local government in Wichita and Sedgwick County, and how it affects your community, from The Wichita Beacon.
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 […]
Posted inLocal Government, Watchdog
Proposed changes would expand role of Wichita’s police review board
The Wichita Citizen’s Review Board could issue independent reports on allegations of police misconduct for the first time under changes proposed by the city last week. How board members are appointed and the length of their terms would also change under a proposal offered Feb. 24 by Wichita City Manager Robert Layton. The 13-member board, […]
Posted inLocal Government
Wichita joins other Midwestern cities in moving away from public housing
Public housing in Wichita is coming to an end. In late January, the Wichita Housing Authority announced plans to sell its 352 single-family public homes. And last September, the authority closed on a deal to convert its 226 other public housing units, which are apartments for seniors, into Section 8 housing. Section 8 units receive […]
Posted inLocal Government
A neighborly solution to Wichita’s problems with bulky waste, inoperable cars and too-tall grass
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, […]
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 […]