Sedgwick County prosecutors charged 19-year-old Daryon Boone with first-degree murder in the September shooting death of a 69-year-old woman in Wichita. They charged 16-year-old Makyh Townes with second-degree murder in what his family contends was the accidental shooting of a friend several months earlier. Boone, who’s white, was released after posting a $500,000 bond. Townes, […]
Local Government
The latest news about local government in Wichita and Sedgwick County, and how it affects your community, from The Wichita Beacon.
Posted inDIY Democracy, Elections, Local Government
Wichita police group backs Wu over Whipple, blames mayor for officer shortage. What do the numbers say?
Mayor Brandon Whipple touts work that he’s done with the City Council to make those jobs available. Lily Wu, who’s facing off with Whipple in the Nov. 7 election, contends that the incumbent bears responsibility for the police department’s problems in recruiting more officers.
Posted inDIY Democracy, Elections, Local Government
Candidates for Wichita City Council answer your questions ahead of general election
Mail-in and in-person voting begin this month. To help voters make their decisions, The Wichita Beacon asked all Wichita City Council candidates to respond to questions submitted by readers. Questions focused on water, policing and housing. City Council Districts 2, 4 and 5 have elections Nov. 7. Only residents within those districts can vote on […]
Posted inLocal Government, Wichita Journalism Collaborative
Union Pacific sued over chemical spill affecting Wichita neighborhoods near 29th and Grove
Wichita residents living above a chemical spill from Union Pacific Railroad face property damages and a loss of property value as a result of the company’s negligence, according to a federal lawsuit filed this week by law firms across the country. The class-action lawsuit addresses a chemical spill at a Union Pacific rail yard near […]
Posted inLea en Español, Local Government
¿Qué sucede cuando el 911 no habla su idioma?
Traducido por Rommy Vargas-Bezzubikoff – Spanish Ad Hoc Translations LLC Cuando usted marca el 911, cada segundo cuenta. Esté preparado para dar su dirección, la naturaleza de su emergencia y su idioma. Si no habla inglés, prepárese para esperar. El sistema de respuesta de emergencia del Condado de Sedgwick depende de servicios de interpretación de […]
Posted inLocal Government
What happens when 911 doesn’t speak your language?
When you dial 911, every second counts. Be prepared to give your address, the nature of your emergency and — your language to the 911 dispatchers. If you don’t speak English, be ready to wait. The Sedgwick County emergency response system relies on third-party translation services to handle foreign language calls. Connecting a call to […]
Posted inLocal Government
Language barriers shut some Wichitans from local government services
Roughly one in 14 people in Wichita say they speak English — the primary language used to access taxpayer funded services — less than “very well.” Ask Ana Lopez. She is the Spanish-speaking community services representative for City Council District 6 that covers the heavily Hispanic North End neighborhood in North Wichita along Arkansas Avenue. […]
Posted inLocal Government, Wichita Journalism Collaborative
Is Oaklawn Wichita’s forgotten neighborhood?
Para leer este artículo en español, haga clic aquí. Andree Sisco’s entry into public service came about when she couldn’t find anyone willing to mow the grass. Sisco moved to Oaklawn, an unincorporated community sandwiched between Wichita and Derby, in 1981. Nestled between the Arkansas River and Kansas 15, Oaklawn sits on 260 acres, a […]
Posted inDIY Democracy, Elections, Local Government
Wichita general election ballot takes shape for Nov. 7
With the primary election results in, the candidate lineup for the 2023 general election in Wichita has taken shape. There will be 16 candidates total spread across seven races: Wichita mayor, City Council Districts 2, 4 and 5; and USD 259 school board Districts 3 and 4 as well as the at-large seat. To help […]
Posted inData, DIY Democracy, Elections, Local Government
Lily Wu outraises all others in Wichita’s mayoral primary. Who is behind the money?
In the Wichita mayor’s race, there is one major takeaway from the filings submitted this week to the Sedgwick County Election Commission Office: Lily Wu, a first-time political candidate who calls herself “the outsider” in the race, is anything but. Wu is just one of eight candidates challenging incumbent Mayor Brandon Whipple in the Aug. […]