Last month, The Wichita Beacon surveyed our readers to find out what they most want to know about candidates running for local office. Questions for City Council candidates centered on four themes: homelessness; the city’s worker shortage in areas of policing, health care and education; fentanyl deaths; and diversity and inclusion. Only one district, District […]
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Posted inDIY Democracy, Elections, Local Government
Diversity, transparency and leadership: Where do the Wichita’s mayoral candidates stand?
Update: Brandon Whipple and Lily Wu will appear on the Nov. 7 general election ballot. They have answered a second questionnaire with different questions submitted by our readers. Last month, The Wichita Beacon surveyed our readers to find out what they most want to know about candidates running for local office. Questions for the 2023 […]
Posted inDIY Democracy, Elections, Local Government
You have until July 11 to register to vote in the August primary election
The primary election in Wichita is on Aug. 1, giving voters the opportunity to narrow the fields in races for mayor, City Council and school board. Here’s who is running. Because local elections are nonpartisan, any registered voter regardless of party affiliation may vote in the primary. If you want to vote in this year’s […]
Posted inCivic Engagement, DIY Democracy
Not old enough to vote? Here are seven civic engagement opportunities for teens
Teenagers cannot vote until they are 18, but that doesn’t mean they need to wait until adulthood to shape the world around them. Many ways exist to get involved in teen civic engagement, whether in politics or other aspects of community leadership. “I used to think stuff like civic engagement … was for old people […]
Posted inDIY Democracy, Elections, Local Government
What should voters know about the Wichita 2023 primaries?
The Sedgwick County Election Office — responsible for all voter registration and elections within the county — is heading into Wichita 2023 primary elections with a new commissioner, following a fair amount of controversy and turnover in recent years. In 2020, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, whose responsibilities overseeing elections include appointing county election commissioners, […]
Posted inEducation, Local Government
Here are Wichita’s USD 259 school board, mayor and City Council candidates for the 2023 election
June 1 was the deadline for local candidates to file with the Sedgwick County Election Office. Eight candidates filed to challenge the incumbent Wichita mayor, Brandon Whipple, who is seeking reelection. Another 10 candidates filed to run for the three of six City Council seats up for election this year. Three seats on the USD […]
Posted inEducation
Can new teachers sustain enthusiasm amid Wichita teacher shortage? One educator’s story
Wichita Public Schools started the 2022-23 school year 100 teachers short — a trend that matched many school districts across the country. Many teachers reported burnout and dissatisfaction with their jobs. Older teachers retired early while stressed, early-career teachers sought new professions, leading to the Wichita teacher shortage. The state of Kansas started to pass […]
Posted inLocal Government, Watchdog
Highlights, progress, stagnation: A one year check-in on the CJ Lofton task force
After 17-year-old Cedric “CJ” Lofton died in law enforcement custody in September 2021, the community wanted answers. How did this happen? What went wrong? What could be changed to prevent such a thing from happening again? A community task force of 23 members was convened to find those answers and make recommendations for systemic change. […]
Posted inHousing
Half of retirees downsize their homes. What should they consider?
What are we going to do with all this stuff?! It’s a question more people confront every day as they or their parents reach retirement age. Approximately 58,000 people aged 65 and older live in Wichita, according to latest census figures. Slightly more than half of these retirees will downsize from their longtime residence, moving […]
Posted inLocal Government
‘It’s a terror to the community’: How Wichita police training in public housing affects the neighborhood
The city’s predominantly Black neighborhoods — which already see a disproportionate police presence — are now seeing police show up in tactical gear to raid vacant buildings even when nothing is wrong. Officers dressed in military-style fatigues, carrying riot shields and displaying weapons began using the vacant housing for training exercises a year ago, part […]