Category: Featured

New booklet a toolbox for mental health

May 30, 2023 | By The Active Age

The Active Age has a limited number of free copies of “How to Talk About Feeling Bad: Mental Health, Suicide Prevention & Community Care” available at our office at 125 S. West St., Suite 105. To reserve a copy, please call (316) 942-5384 or email joe@theactiveage.com. The booklet is in the form of a ‘zine […]

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‘Half American’ portrays black experience in World War II

| By Ted Ayers

“Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad,” by Matthew F. Delmont (Viking, 2022, 374 pages, $30.00) In January 1942, Wichitan James Gratz Thompson wrote to the Pittsburgh Courier, then the country’s biggest African American newspaper, asking, “Should I sacrifice my life to live half American?” He […]

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Older adults may be eligible for coupons good at farmers markets

| By Monica Cissell 

Low-income Kansas adults over 60 may be eligible for a program that provides coupons to purchase fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables and honey at farmers markets in selected counties throughout the state. The Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program is providing adults 60+ who meet age and income requirements with $50 in coupons to purchase […]

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Spreading the credit for North High and Minisa Bridge

| By Lynn Stephan

Since the day Wichita’s North High School opened in 1929, accolades for its distinctive design, particularly the Indian and pioneer sculptures, have gone to architect Glen Thomas and internationally-recognized fine artist Bruce Moore. A third name, that of Lawrence Byers, if mentioned, is typically incidental. Yet, as the draftsman and iconographer in Thomas’ office, Byers […]

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ComfortCare, KU Wichita collaborate on Alzheimer’s battle

| By Joe Stumpe

A partnership between KU School of Medicine-Wichita and one of the city’s largest memory care providers is helping the school expand its research and community outreach surrounding Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. The provider, ComfortCare Homes Wichita, recently made a donation to the school’s endowment fund that will be used for those purposes. “We’re […]

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Perfect poached eggs possible with two key steps

| By Joe Stumpe

I poached a near-foolproof recipe for poached eggs. After several less-than-stellar attempts at poaching eggs in the past, I found a technique online that worked on the first try and every time since. A perfectly poached egg is like a super tender, supersized dumpling that oozes warm golden goodness when pierced. There are two keys […]

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Briefs

| By Tammara Fogle

AARP safe driving classes restarted Brenda and Tom Gibson have resumed giving AARP Drive Safety classes in person. The dates and locations of upcoming classes are: May 31, Derby Senior Center; June 7, Dedicated Senior Medical Center; June 29, Haysville Senior Center; July 19, Mulvane Senior Center; July 21, Clearwater Senior Center.  Participants must pre-register […]

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Savvy Senior

| By Jim Miller

How to Prepare a Will Best Dating Apps for Retirees Toenail Trimming Tips for Seniors How Medicare Covers Physical Therapy Services How to Prepare a Will  Dear Savvy Senior, I would like to make my last will and testament and would like to know if I can do it myself, or do I need to […]

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Training giraffes and goldfish about as easy as it sounds

| By Ted Blankenship

e written effusively about how to train cats and dogs. Now, I’m going to tell you how to train pets that aren’t a cat or dog. That could include giraffes, anteaters and big cats such as lions and tigers.  I admit that some of these animals have drawbacks. Giraffes, for example, are the tallest of […]

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June quiz: Sound-alike phrases

| By Tammara Fogle

To complete these word puzzles, fill in the blanks with two words or phrases that sound the same but have different meanings. The answers appear  on page 26. 1. An avian mascot of a cereal was bullied. He decided to take revenge. “_______” play at this game?” said the ______. 2. A woman was doing […]

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June Theatre

| By Diana Morton

Forum Theatre, at the Wilke Center, 1st United Methodist Church, 330 N. Broadway. Beehive, the 60s Musical, a celebration of that era’s powerful female voices that follows the coming-of-age journeys of six women. 8 pm Thu-Sat, 2 pm Sun, May 25-June 11. Tickets $23-$25. Opening night ticket $18. 316-618-0444 Kechi Playhouse, 100 E. Kechi Road, Pantie?Monium. […]

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Dove love: A Mother’s Day tribute

| 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 […]

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Donate for chance to win Botanica family membership

| 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 […]

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WSU prof: Quivira civilization underestimated

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 […]

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Long search yields plenty of clues into area’s early inhabitants

| 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 […]

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Enter contest to win Wind Surge tickets

| 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 […]

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Aviation pioneer honored by city

| 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 […]

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Bicycling group riding off into the Sunset (Trail, that is)

| 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,” […]

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Fan host finds fun, fodder for romance series at ballpark

| 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 […]

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Advocates want KanCare tweaked to better serve seniors

| 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 […]

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Old Fashioned never goes out of style

| 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 […]

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‘Aging Unbound’ is theme of Older Americans Month

| 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 […]

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Paying for crime a taxing proposition

| 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 […]

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May quiz: It’s game over!

| 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. […]

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‘Walk with me, Grandma’

| 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 […]

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