The Beacon heard from community leaders who gathered at Union Station on April 9 to explore pressing issues facing Kansas City. The 2025 C3 Conference, hosted by the Junior League of Kansas City focused on five key themes — equity and access, community empowerment, education and workforce development, and urban development — unified by a […]
community engagement
Posted inLocal Government
As Kansas City Life Insurance flattens houses in the Valentine neighborhood, residents anxiously await what’s next
Dozens of homes and businesses on four blocks of the Valentine neighborhood have been razed over the past 120 years, demolished one by one from 80 at its peak in 1909 to 30 at the beginning of this year.
As 2024 comes to a close, only eight still stand in the area bordered by 33rd and 35th streets, Southwest Trafficway and Pennsylvania Avenue.
“It’s like a wasteland,” said Catherine Hayes, a Valentine resident for the past 40 years.
Posted inBehind the Beacon
The Beacon’s community engagement recap for 2024
The Beacon started a new strategy in 2024 with the Community Journalism Lab, CJL. We learned what worked, what didn’t and where we plan to go in 2025. That included the possibility of building partnerships with local journalism schools. We focused more on hearing more from organizations and community members through various forms of listening […]
Posted inBehind the Beacon
Your Bet, Your Voice! A nonpartisan community discussion
The Beacon’s Community Lab held a listening session about Missouri’s Amendment 2 that would legalize sports betting. There’s been a lot of chatter within our community wondering what the pros and cons are and whether funding would actually go toward gambling addiction and education. With Election Day around the corner, I thought it was valuable […]
Posted inWichita
Some say Wichita’s new city website still poses problems for people with disabilities
Staff at Wichitia’s City Hall weren’t happy with their virtual footprint. In 2022, they described the city’s website, www.Wichita.gov, as “suboptimal,” “outdated” and “confusing.” So the city spent $312,000 on a website refresh intended to flip that description and create a welcoming and easy-to-use virtual gateway to local government. The city’s communications staff say the […]
Posted inWichita
As Wichita pushes for more EV charging stations, some worry about fire risks
Driving around Wichita, you’ll see the occasional Tesla, electric Ford F-150 Lightning pickup or even one of the city’s battery-powered buses quietly cruising around town. With more electric vehicles have come more worries about what happens if they catch fire. They burn much hotter, emit noxious gases and pose an electrocution risk. But the idea […]
Posted inEducation, Local Government
Young people are some of the least likely to vote. These young Wichitans are working to change that.
Dione Ramos didn’t think her first time voting would be special. She certainly didn’t expect a live band, a DJ blaring Ariana Grande and Camila Cabello, free tacos and recognition of first-time voters. But that’s what Vote Mob provided on Oct. 26. The annual celebration of voting is organized by local youth-led civic engagement group […]
Posted inEducation
Wichita Board of Education candidates weigh in on COVID, engagement and diversity
How should Wichita schools keep students safe during the pandemic? How can parents be more engaged? How can the school system find post-pandemic success? With nine people running for four seats on the Wichita Board of Education, The Wichita Beacon surveyed the candidates on several issues ahead of the Nov. 2 election. In the race […]