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 […]
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
‘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 inLocal Government
‘Supposed to rehabilitate’: What to know about the Sedgwick County facility where Cedric Lofton was restrained
On Sept. 24, the Wichita Police Department brought 17-year-old Cedric Lofton to Sedgwick County’s Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center, later describing him as “paranoid” and “behaving erratically.” Hours after his arrival, county corrections employees restrained Lofton face-down until he became unresponsive. Two days later, he died in the hospital. His death — which the district attorney […]
Posted inLocal Government, Watchdog
As vacancies grow, Wichita’s police review board cancels meeting
The Wichita Citizen’s Review Board canceled its meeting last week over growing vacancies on the panel and to allow more time to propose changes to its structure. The police review board was set to review two cases of alleged misconduct against Wichita Police Department officers as well as possible changes to how the board operates, […]
Posted inLocal Government
Wichita’s latest plan for its single-family public housing units: Sell them all
The city of Wichita outlined a plan to rehabilitate most and sell all of its 352 single-family housing units on Tuesday. The plan would end the city’s public housing program. Most of the proceeds from the sales would go to the city’s new affordable housing fund, which aims to boost affordable housing development. The proceeds […]
Posted inDIY Democracy, Local Government
Want your street paved or a sewer line in Wichita? Here’s how to make that happen.
In 2015, residents along North Meridian Avenue and 29th Street called for the city to pave their street. The dirt road was hard on their cars and caused drainage issues, neighbors wrote in a City Council document. “As people who use it often, we feel our cars get banged up every time we drive on […]
Posted inLea en Español, Local Government
¿Le gustaría que pavimentaran su calle? A continuación, le indicamos cómo hacer que eso suceda.
En 2015, los residentes a lo largo de North Meridian Avenue y 29th Street pidieron a la ciudad que pavimentara su calle. El camino de tierra no era bueno para sus autos y causaba problemas de drenaje, escribieron los vecinos en un documento del Concejo Municipal. “Como personas que usamos la calle a menudo, sentimos […]
Posted inLocal Government
Chief Ramsay is out. How Wichita will hire its next police chief.
Update: On March 8, the Wichita City Council approved a contract with Public Sector Search & Consulting, a California-based search firm that focuses on police executives, to lead the city’s effort to find a new police chief. The company said its search process will include community engagement, public forums, focus groups and online surveys. The contract is […]
Posted inLocal Government
Why dozens of Wichita public housing units are sitting vacant
Aujanae Bennett wants to see her Northeast Millair neighborhood flourish — children playing in the streets, clean lawns and driveways, pride in the community. But the 41 city-owned homes dominating the northwest corner of her neighborhood are an obstacle to that, Bennett said. Over the past four years, she’s noticed the homes have been vacated […]
Posted inLocal Government, Watchdog
Wichita police’s new contract ignores appeals for more transparency in misconduct cases
A new three-year union contract for the Wichita Police Department includes pay raises and retention bonuses, but critics say it fails to address demands for improving transparency around police misconduct. The contract with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) will cost the city at least $9 million more than budgeted, in part to fund salary […]