Gretchen Lenth, The Wichita Beacon’s Dow Jones News Fund data intern, contributed data analysis and graphics to this story. On the morning of June 28, Jeff Erker stood outside Wichita City Hall with his daughter and a sign that read “Support Wichita Firefighters.” Trucks and cars sped past, honking their support for the higher wages […]
City of Wichita
Posted inLocal Government
Here’s what the community-led search committee is looking for in a new Wichita police chief
Editor’s note: Faith Martin and Harvey Sorensen are donors to The Wichita Beacon. Michael Birzer is a member of The Wichita Beacon’s Community Advisory Board. View a list of our financial supporters here. As the Wichita Police Department reels from a scandal regarding racist text messages sent by Wichita police officers and faces a lawsuit […]
Posted inEducation, How To
Universal free school lunch is gone in USD 259, but here’s how to find out if you still qualify
Before the pandemic, Wichita schools operated under a system that allowed parents to apply for free or reduced-cost meals. USD 259 will be using this same system once again, but this time it’s only for lunches.
Posted inHousing, Local Government
Wichita allocates additional $100K to fund demolition of dangerous and dilapidated properties
To pay for more demolitions of blighted houses in the next year, the Wichita City Council added $100,000 to the 2022 building and construction department budget on June 14. The city condemns and demolishes vacant residential properties that it considers unsafe — for example, fire-damaged homes, residences with falling-in porches and unsecured houses. To reduce a […]
Posted inHousing, Local Government
Animal control, paved streets, water fountains: What City Council members want in the 2023 budget
As budget season approaches for the city of Wichita, the mayor and City Council members must decide: How should they spend taxpayer money? The Wichita Beacon asked each council member and the mayor to list their top three budget priorities for this year. Investment in neighborhoods and their infrastructure, especially in the center of the […]
Posted inLocal Government, Wichitans You Should Know
Why Reggie Davidson is the city of Wichita’s 2022 Public Service Award winner
For Reggie Davidson, working as recreation superintendent for the city’s Park and Recreation Department looks different every day. Some days, he may be at city hall, working in the office. Others, he’s at a golf course or a city pool. But his favorite days are when he gets to fill in as a camp counselor […]
Posted inLocal Government, Wichitans You Should Know
‘Don’t treat them different’: One formerly homeless Wichitan on what the city needs
It started with a recipe he concocted on his own — Southern-style barbecue chicken spaghetti. But pretty soon, Joseph “J.W.” Harris was spreading the cooking gospel to his neighbors and friends at The Studios, a permanent-housing apartment complex for people experiencing homelessness. In April, he led his first cooking class at the complex on North Topeka […]
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 inWichitans You Should Know
Janice Burdine Thacker wants to turn shipping containers into a campus for Black culture in Wichita
Since she retired in 2005, Janice Burdine Thacker has continuously reinvented herself. The septuagenarian spent seven years as a touring road artist, showing and selling her work all over the country, including at the massive international art fair Art Basel Miami. After leaving the road, she launched an annual art show during Black History Month, […]