The Wichita Police Department closed nearly twice as many complaints about officer conduct in 2023 as it did five years ago, but the department says that shouldn’t set off alarms. Instead, it’s a sign of progress. The department resolved 359 complaints in 2019 compared to 646 last year. The increase stems from gradual changes with […]
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Posted inLocal Government
What’s at stake for Wichita if Boeing buys Spirit AeroSystems
Boeing wants a reunion with a corporate relative that’s drifted away. Spirit AeroSystems, once a Boeing subsidiary, split off from the aircraft manufacturing behemoth nearly 20 years ago. But they’ve continued to partner and now find their fates and reputations intertwined over the safety of a flagship jetliner they built together. Pressure to reexamine their […]
Posted inHousing, How To, Wichita Journalism Collaborative
What to know if you’re thinking about buying a house in Wichita
Buying a house can be a daunting process at any time, with it being the largest purchase most people make. It may be especially so right now because of rising housing costs and interest rates, plus the limited market of houses available. This story was developed for an email course, part of the Wichita Journalism Collaborative’s […]
Posted inData, Local Government
A post-pandemic oddity: Wichita has fewer car crashes, but more traffic deaths
The COVID-19 pandemic has many ongoing side effects — increased drinking, worse mental health and increased risk of diabetes, cancer and other diseases. And, in Wichita and other places, more traffic deaths. The increase in deaths comes despite a drop in auto accidents. Exactly why isn’t clear. “We just do not know why,” said Chad […]
Posted inHousing
A new email course helps first-time homebuyers thrive in Wichita’s tight housing market
March tends to mark an uptick in homebuying activity in the Wichita area, with sales typically peaking in May, June, July and August. With housing in shorter supply, buying a home in the Wichita area looks different these days than it did even just five years ago. Listings are down, and there are fewer sales. […]
Posted inData, Local Government
Wichita’s roads are more dangerous than Johnson County’s. Here are the five worst spots
Nearly every day, vehicles collide at one of five Wichita intersections. Three of those locations fall along Kellogg Drive. In all, the city saw more than 10,000 crashes last year. And although Johnson County, Kansas, is home to about 80,000 more people, Sedgwick County traffic accidents killed and injured more people and caused more costly […]
Posted inEnvironment, Health
Wichita’s not just an allergy capital — it’s a triple crown of pollen
Allergies in Wichita are no joke. Just ask comedian Nate Bargatze. A TikTok video shot in October shows him returning from a jog with itchy hands and feet. He said he could feel his lips swelling. The comedian was experiencing a severe and sudden case of what many Wichitans live with for months every year […]
Posted inHealth
‘We’re unionized. You can’t ignore it.’ Wichita nurses vow another strike again if they don’t get a contract
Takeaways: It’s been a year since the nurses at Ascension via Christi St. Joseph Hospital in Wichita voted to unionize. Even longer since St. Francis nurses made the same play. About nine months have passed since they walked off the job the first time to protest what they contend are the hospitals’ spare staffing levels […]
Posted inEducation
Despite some parents’ pleas, Wichita USD 259 board votes for closing 6 schools
Wichita school board members voted 5-2 Monday to close six schools at the end of the academic year. USD 259 faces a $42 million budget deficit due to falling enrollment, the end of federal pandemic relief funds and a $1.2 billion maintenance backlog. Administrators estimate the district will save $16 million next year from shutting […]
Posted inHousing, Wichita Journalism Collaborative
Meet the group offering dinner with a side of community in a downtown parking lot
As the sun set on the parking lot of St. John’s Episcopal Church on North Topeka Street, volunteers began arriving, setting up tables, playing music and rolling out coolers. Every Thursday night, people from different walks of life congregate with a shared purpose: to meet the needs of downtown Wichita’s homeless population and anyone else […]