Voters are already trickling into the Sedgwick County Election Office to cast their ballots. Early voting runs through Nov. 1 and Election Day is Nov. 2. Ready to exercise your right to vote? Here’s a nonpartisan guide to make it as easy as possible. I’m an in-person voter in Sedgwick County. What do I need? […]
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
‘I understand your concern’: Sedgwick County COVID Ambassador program beats back vaccine hesitancy
Mark Ayres considers himself a conservative. But that doesn’t mean he’s not vaccinated. It’s something he’s found himself repeating in conversations as a recently-trained Sedgwick County COVID Ambassador — a new county program training people to communicate information about COVID-19 and vaccinations. “The pathogen could care less what my political beliefs are,” Ayres said. “We’re […]
Posted inLocal Government
Your pressing questions for Wichita City Council candidates answered ahead of the Nov. 2 election
This fall, six candidates are vying for three seats on the Wichita City Council. In District 3, incumbent Jared Cerullo faces Mike Hoheisel, while District 6 incumbent Cindy Claycomb is running against Maggie Ballard. The challengers in both races received the most votes in their Aug. 3 primaries. In District 1, incumbent Brandon Johnson contends […]
Posted inLocal Government
What is the impact of corporate money in Wichita City Council races?
Venture Investments Inc. Wichita Crossing LLC. Regency 21 LLC. In Wichita City Council races this year, vaguely named LLCs and corporations pepper the donation sheets of candidates. Since the council changed its campaign finance policies in 2015 to permit corporations and businesses to donate in city elections, these sources now make up a significant portion […]
Posted inLocal Government
How Wichita’s proposed nondiscrimination ordinance would work
UPDATE: On Oct. 12, the Wichita City Council voted 6-1 to pass the nondiscrimination ordinance. The council approved amendments to the measure proposed by Wichita’s Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights Advisory Board and rejected an amendment from City Council member Jared Cerullo to expand religious exemptions in the ordinance. This Twitter thread breaks down the […]
Posted inLocal Government
Why cities across Kansas enacted LGBTQ protections — and what that means for Wichita
UPDATE: On Oct. 12, the Wichita City Council voted 6-1 to pass the nondiscrimination ordinance. The council approved amendments to the measure proposed by Wichita’s Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights Advisory Board and rejected an amendment from City Council member Jared Cerullo to expand religious exemptions in the ordinance. This Twitter thread breaks down the […]
Posted inLocal Government
How a statewide anti-masking group played into Sedgwick County’s mask mandate vote
a Wichita Beacon analysis of over 1,000 emails county commissioners received ahead of the vote on the mask mandate found that anti-mask emails outweighed pro-mask emails by nearly two to one.
Posted inLocal Government
‘Headlights to the future’: Wichita’s youth demand climate action now
Dolly Farha, 19, didn’t plan on returning to Wichita. After a seven-year stint in Massachusetts, she told herself that she wouldn’t ever come back. “To me, one of the biggest issues of Kansas and Wichita is it was created for … generations of the past,” Farha said. “Without that forward-thinking, headlights to the future … […]
Posted inLocal Government
Wichita economic development incentives topped $85 million since last September. Here’s how they work.
This summer, bulldozers, excavators and graders filled the sleepy residential North Riverside neighborhood. A once-vacant field at 11th and Amidon is becoming a new development of 40 single-family homes. Developer Jerry Jones said without the $1.7 million tax incentive Wichita offered him in February, the Riverside Housing Redevelopment District wouldn’t be single-family homes. “It definitely would’ve been a […]
Posted inLocal Government
Sedgwick County jail’s COVID protocols differ from other Kansas counties
In Sedgwick County, COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing — in July, new daily cases averaged about 62 per day. By mid-August, that number more than doubled to nearly 140. That’s beginning to impact the Sedgwick County Detention Facility. After months of nearly no cases, the number of positive cases shot up after just two weeks in […]