Jim Howell, a Republican, is the current county commissioner representing District 5. He is being challenged by John McIntosh, a Democrat. Where do they stand on key issues like marijuana, mental health and diversity.
wichita
Posted inCivic Engagement, Elections, Local Government
Sedgwick County commissioner District 4 candidates give stances on fentanyl, mental health and marijuana
Lacey Cruse, a Democrat, is the current county commissioner representing District 4. She is being challenged by Ryan Baty, a Republican.
Posted inCivic Engagement, Elections, Local Government
Marijuana, mental health and diversity: Where do Sedgwick County commissioner District 1 candidates stand?
Pete Meitzner, a Republican, is the current county commissioner representing District 1. He is being challenged by Kelli Grant, a Democrat.
Posted inCivic Engagement, Education
Wichita NAACP, teachers union and other leaders team up to support ballot initiative
A coalition calling itself Vote Local USD259 has organized in support of the school board election reform ballot initiative coming before Wichita voters on Nov. 8. The coalition is urging the public to vote “yes” on the proposed change to how school board members are elected.
Posted inEnvironment, Local Government, Watchdog
Community members want fishing lake near toxic site tested, but state says it’s not necessary
The lake is directly north of a toxic site contaminated by a large chemical spill, which state officials estimate happened in the 1970s or ’80s.
Posted inElections
Kansas general election 2022: A guide for Wichitans
Election Day is Nov. 8. The Wichita Beacon will get answers to your questions. Visit the Kansas Voter Help Desk. The Wichita Beacon has your Kansas General Election Toolkit ready for Nov. 8. Here’s everything you need to know in one place about how to vote, who is running and how to make sense […]
Posted inLocal Government, Watchdog
Cedric Lofton’s brother wants accountability from Wichita police and Sedgwick County
One year ago, 17-year-old Cedric Lofton died after being held down for over 30 minutes by four workers in a juvenile detention intake facility. That wasn’t what was supposed to happen. His foster father had called 911 seeking help for Cedric, who was in a mental health crisis, expecting Cedric would be taken to a […]
Posted inKansas State Government, Local Government
A greyhound track without greyhounds featuring slot machines that aren’t slots
When Sedgwick County voted down a proposal to allow slot machines at billionaire Phil Ruffin’s dog racing track in 2007, the Wichita Greyhound Park shut down. For 15 years, it sat dormant while Ruffin tried to bring it back to life in some shape or form. He repeatedly — and without success — lobbied the […]
Posted inHealth, How To
PrEP is a drug 99% effective at preventing HIV. Here’s how to get it in Wichita
“We can stop the spread of (HIV) if we do two things: get people who are engaging in high-risk behavior on PrEP and, for the people already infected, get them in therapy and keep them on therapy,” Sweet said.
Posted inHealth, How To
CDC recommends new bivalent COVID boosters to prevent common omicron strain
Update Oct. 13, 2022: This story has been updated to add the latest recommendation from the CDC. On Sept. 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended newly formulated bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccines for people ages 12 and up. The new boosters target the omicron BA.4 and BA.5 strains of the COVID-19 virus which […]