May 30, 2023 | By Niki Lewis Shepherd
The dove blinks at me from her nest outside my kitchen window. She is all but invisible. I know she is there only because I have learned to look for her in mid-March. In the tangle of wild honeysuckle and purple leaf winter creeper that covers the fence, she and her mate have hollowed out a […]
| By The Active Age
Donate at least $50 to The Active Age, and you could win a family membership to Botanica. The Active Age will hold a drawing for a family membership each month for the next six months from among people on our “Honor Roll” list of donors. Last month’s winner was Dale Maltbie and this month’s winner […]
May 1, 2023 | By The Active Age
ARKANSAS CITY — An early Great Plains civilization centered around the Arkansas River was much bigger and more influential than previously thought, says a Wichita State professor of anthropology. Don Blakeslee, who’s been conducting archaeological research here for a decade, said recent discoveries challenge the view of the Plains as being sparsley populated and less […]
| By The Active Age
By accident and design, Kansans have found many proofs of the early Native American people who inhabited this area in centuries past. According to a 2012 publication by the Kansas Historical Society, one of the first to find signs of ancient peoples in this area was J.R. Mead, who opened a trading post between the […]
| By The Active Age
The Active Age and Wichita Wind Surge are giving away 25 pairs of tickets to Wind Surge games at Riverfront Stadium. They can be used for any home game during the regular season, which ends Sept. 17. To enter our drawing for the tickets, tell us who your favorite professional baseball player of all time […]
| By Joe Stumpe
As a young mother, Mary Aikins led family getaways that looked a little different than most. “I’d put the kids in a plane and take off for California,” Aikins remembers. In a plane she piloted, that is. Allowing for fuel stops in Albuquerque and Needles, Calif., the trip to her mother’s home in Palm Springs […]
| By The Active Age
Come Wednesday, Mim Hiesterman is ready to roll. As a member of WOW — Women of Wednesdays — she joins a group of female bicyclists for a midweek excursion that offers much more than just exercise. “Every Wednesday, I know that I am going to enjoy myself because it is biking, friendships, healthy and outdoors,” […]
| By Cindy M. Amos
When the Wichita Wind Surge announced a hiring fair in the spring of 2021, I interviewed and landed a job as a fan host at Riverfront Stadium. In the blink of an eye, I became a part of the city’s sports community. It was something new and at the same time familiar. Having played three […]
| By Joe Stumpe
TOPEKA — Kansans are being forced into nursing homes prematurely because of a flaw in KanCare, the decade-old program that administers Medicaid, an advocacy group says. Kansas Advocates for Better Care is calling for the state to return to an independent case management system to serve seniors who qualify for KanCare. Under that system, employees […]
| By David Kamerer
There are many paths to the Old Fashioned, one of the oldest cocktails. Traditionalists use rye, which makes a slightly spicier drink. Bourbon makes a more buttery drink. Both are excellent. For sweetening, you can use sugar, which is traditional, or warm up the drink with maple syrup. An Old Fashioned likes some orange, which […]
| By Monica Cissell
Older Americans Month — originally called Senior Citizens Month — was started in 1963 to honor senior citizens and raise awareness of the problems facing them. Since then, the number of Americans 65 years and older has tripled to some 50 million. This year’s theme, Aging Unbound, reminds us that life offers a wide range […]
| By Ted Blankenship
By now you have no doubt sent your tax returns to the federal and state governments and are anxiously awaiting your check for paying the IRS more than you actually owe. And, you’re not worried about going to jail for tax evasion because you’ve been honest about how much money you made during the year […]
| By Nancy Wheeler
Every answer in this quiz features the letters “o-v-e-r” in the solution. The answers appear below. 1. Medicines that can be purchased without a prescription are known by this three-word phrase. 2. New Year’s Eve celebrations may leave partiers with this achy result. 3. This vehicle carried Prince Phillip’s coffin in his funeral procession. 4. […]
| By Teresa Schmied
I’ve heard the phrase “trip of a life” many times. I even consider myself to have taken a few trips that were especially memorable. However, nothing compares to the one I took last fall see my grandson, Dexter, in Germany. I’m blessed to be the grandmother of 10 grandchildren, or “my littles,” as I call […]
| By Ted Blankenship
Fun part-time job idea for retirees Dear Savvy Senior, As a 68-year-old retiree, I’m interested in finding a fun part-time job that can occupy some of my time and generate a little extra income. Can you write a column on low-stress part-time jobs that are popular among retirees? Part-Time Retiree Dear Retiree, Working part-time […]
March 31, 2023 | By Joe Stumpe
After 32 years of providing child day care, Ava Cunningham has seen and heard just about everything from her pre-school charges. Still, she smiles when asked why she does it. “I just love kids,” she said. “They’re so innocent. They’re like sponges.” As Cunningham talks, three 3-year-olds — Valentine and twin sisters Zarayah and Zariah […]
| By Bonnie Bing
Editor’s note: Bonnie Bing found some interesting correlations between Spring’s fashion trends and artwork at Mark Arts, the community art center at 13th and Rock Road. When it comes to the new season, let freedom spring. Spring fashion is full of every favorite look from the past you can think of. Florals, stripes, brights, neutrals? […]
| By The Active Age
Senior Services of Wichita is currently experiencing extremely low volunteer numbers. The program delivers between 750 to 850 lunch time meals each weekday to homebound, isolated seniors. “We are considering placing a temporary hold on adding new clients until we can catch up” said Laurel Alkire, executive director. Delivery routes typically take 90 minutes […]
| By The Active Age
New exhibit has museum hopping How does the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum build its collection? You can find out in a new exhibit at the museum called “Why We Collect, What We Collect.” The museum, located in the former City Hall at 204 S. Main, began its collection with a donation from the Pioneer Society […]
| By Nancy Wheeler
Use these clues to identify a dozen famous ships. The answers appear on below. 1. Built to showcase mankind’s technological brilliance, what British luxury liner struck an iceberg In the North Atlantic and sank on her maiden voyage in 1912, killing over 1,500 people? 2. What was the name of the English two-masted sloop that […]
| By The Active Age
PARK CITY — You wouldn’t think a siren would have fans, but sirens like the Thunderbolt have likely saved many lives. That’s why the oldest one operating in Sedgwick County drew a crowd to its rededication ceremony here last month. The siren blares from Fire Station 32, 7750 N. Wyandotte Way. The Thunderbolt sirens originally […]
| By The League of Women Voters Wichita-Metro
This year, elections at the local level include those for Wichita mayor, three City Council seats and three seats on the Wichita Public Schools’ Board of Education, with the primary election on Aug. 1 and the general election on Nov. 7. These are important positions whose decisions impact our daily lives in Wichita. Don’t […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Some cooks feel meatballs must be homemade. But the tasty little spheres actually are pretty time-consuming to form and brown or bake, not to mention they require a mixing bowl and pan. Here’s a shortcut using frozen meatballs that will save you work and produce a hearty plate of spaghetti and meatballs that would do […]
| By Ted Blankenship
When folks say you can still do something you haven’t done in a long time, they often add: “It’s like riding a bicycle.” Who thinks these things up? I rode a bicycle when I was younger, and I tried it again later and remembered everything except how to keep it upright. I learned early that […]
| By Diana Breit Wolfe
I have a story from my early childhood that keeps creeping back to me, and I re-live it in my mind from time to time. It’s about my grandma dying while she was babysitting me. But more about that later. Out of curiosity, I started asking others about their earliest childhood memories. Most of what […]