July 29, 2020 | By Amee Bohrer
Denise Ziegler is an optimist by nature, a trait that illuminates her conversation and artwork. “During this, the Covid, the gift of art is that I’ve had plenty to do,” Ziegler said in her studio in Artists at Old Town. She is one of 10 artists who are part of the collective, which leases space […]
| By The Active Age
Charles McAfee knew something was up when family members started showing up from out of town last month. A few days later, the Wichita City Council renamed the pool at McAdams Park for the award-winning architect, who designed it in 1969. McAfee said the park and Dunbar School were the only places where black children […]
| By Mary Clarkin & The Active Age
Sedgwick County has spent a small percentage of nearly $109 million it’s receiving from the federal government for COVID-19-related expenses while officials make broad plans for using the rest. County officials say they’re trying to move quickly due to the Dec. 30 spending deadline for CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) Act money set […]
| By The Active Age
COVID-19 cases, clusters and deaths rose throughout the Wichita area last month as public officials in some cases adjusted their response to the pandemic. As of July 29, Sedgwick County reported 3,790 cases – of which 2,442 remained active – 24 clusters and 38 deaths. Clusters are non-household locations with two or more confirmed or […]
July 1, 2020 | By Amy Geiszler-Jones & The Active Age
When Junetta Everett became chair of the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors this year, it was heralded as a historic appointment. An executive with Delta Dental of Kansas, Everett is just the sixth female and the first person of color to hold that position in the chamber’s 102 years of existence. In […]
| By Mary Clarkin & The Active Age
Some residents of a Clearwater nursing home where 11 deaths from COVID-19 were reported were not given baths for more than five weeks, its former director of nursing says. Christine Zeller, a registered nurse with a master’s degree in nursing, described the lack of bathing as part of a pattern of substandard care caused by […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Charles McAfee understands the anger that’s driving young Wichita protesters to rally against racial disparity and police misconduct. He felt it 70 years ago as a talented young athlete denied the opportunity to compete in certain sports because he was black. He felt it as a Korean War veteran demanding to be treated like other […]
| By Amee Bohrer
Emmie Barron, 12, crawls into the loft of her grandparents’ camper to admire glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. Cousin Jett Haberly, 11, sits next to her and they dangle their feet over the ledge, laughing. “They spoil us,” Emmie said of her grandparents, Jan and Ken Haberly. “They did this for us.” The Haberlys bought […]
| By The Active Age
We’ve heard stories of how much people have appreciated their pets during the coronavirus pandemic. Now’s your chance to make your pet a star. Send us his or her photo with a short story about what your pet means to you. We’ll publish as many as we can and draw a prize for one pet […]
| By Nancy Carver Singleton
Warm and whimsical rural scenes. Vibrant skies with distinctive clouds overlooking barns, fences, houses, pastures, roads and windmills. And the occasional tornado. That’s the world Virgil Penner dreams —and paints. “My art is constructed art,” Penner, 82, of North Newton, said. “I create the colors, the balance and the movement so your eye moves around.” […]
| By Joe Stumpe
You think you know a vegetable, eating it in all the familiar ways, and then all of a sudden you realize you’ve never enjoyed a tenth of its potential. That’s how I feel about radishes, having now been turned on to the idea of roasting them. Sure, I’ve always liked their peppery freshness when sliced […]
| By Nancy Wheeler
Many of you probably remember the 1970s as a time of growth and change in Wichita. Take this quiz to see how much you recall about some local characters and places of that era. Answers appear at the bottom of the page. 1. What Wichita television personality was well known for saying, “Romper, Stomper, Bomper, […]
| By Julie Doll
By this time each spring, many Kansans have planned or made summer vacations, figuring out where they want to go, how to get there and what they want to do. It’s another part of life that COVID-19 has turned into a maybe-possibly-we’ll-have-to-wait-and-see event. Even if big trips to mountains or oceans don’t work out this […]
| By Beccy Tanner
Since Wichita State University began offering free Lifelong Learning courses to Wichita area senior citizens five years ago, the program has grown from one course with 40 students to 10 courses with more than 1,000 students. As one of the teachers, I love these classes. Students bring unique perspectives to the classes through their own […]
| By The Active Age
More senior centers across the area are planning to reopen this month, although plans for exactly what that will look like were still being finalized as The Active Age went to press. In Wichita, four centers – Downtown, Linwood Park, Orchard Park and Northeast – are scheduled to reopen July 13. A news release from […]
| By Ted Ayers
“Dead Land” by Sara Paretsky (William Morrow, 2020, 405 pages, $29.70) Sara Paretsky was 4 years old when her father accepted a faculty position with the University of Kansas in 1951. After graduation from the University of Kansas, Paretsky moved to Chicago in the late 1960s and she has lived there ever since. She earned a PhD […]
June 12, 2020 | By Mary Clarkin & The Active Age
HAYSVILLE – The latest nursing home COVID-19 cluster in Sedgwick County has accounted for the county’s most recent death from the virus. On Wednesday, the Sedgwick County Health Department announced Diversicare of Haysville was a cluster for the virus, with 14 residents and eight staff testing positive, but no deaths. But on Friday, county spokeswoman […]
June 9, 2020 | By Mary Clarkin & The Active Age
Many residents of a Clearwater nursing home where 11 deaths from COVID-19 are now being reported were not given baths for more than five weeks, its former director of nursing says. Christine Zeller, a registered nurse with a master’s degree in nursing, described the lack of bathing as part of a pattern of substandard care […]
May 27, 2020 | By Bob Rives
“Where do you think you got it?” Friends ask me that about the Covid-19 that felled me for much of this spring. The answer, unfortunately, is I have no idea. There are guesses. There were crowds at the gym, in church, stores and restaurants. But I don’t know anyone in those places who has been […]
| By Amy Geiszler-Jones
Click the DVD cover below to watch the documentary on YouTube. Thirty years ago this month, Gregory Boyd filmed history in the making by documenting the genesis of Wichita’s first gay pride parade. He captured both sides of the story — organizers still fearful of anti-gay prejudice and violence and opponents led by the controversial […]
| By Joe Stumpe
If there’s a silver lining to these last few months, it may be this: People are discovering an outdoors they’ve previously experienced mostly through car windows. The greater Wichita area boasts numerous scenic paths for biking and walking, and they’ve been packed as never before. For the most part, the region’s flat topography makes them […]
| By Mary Clarkin
Roz Hutchinson believes her mother receives excellent care at Chisholm Place, a memory care home on Webb Road in Wichita. Seven deaths among residents from COVID-19 haven’t shaken that opinion. “I believe that they have done everything that could or would or should have been done to protect the staff and to protect residents, and […]
| By The Active Age
The Senior Expo is apparently no more. The Central Plains Area Agency on Aging, which hosted the long-running event each fall, notified sponsors last month that it would no longer be involved. No other organizations have stepped forward to assume that role. The Expo annually drew thousands of participants with its health screenings, flu shots, […]
| By Harry Clements
I am part of what’s popularly known as the Greatest Generation, which survived both the Great Depression and World War II, two decidedly challenging eras in American history. We are now experiencing a quite different but equally challenging period, the coronavirus pandemic. Let’s compare these episodes. The Depression was a condition of stagnant economics never […]
| By Joe Stumpe
A Newton woman expanded her culinary horizons during the coronavirus pandemic. Is it any wonder that someone whose last name is Kitchen-McKinney enjoys cooking? Speaking of names, she goes by Kevin, her middle name. “I was supposed to be my big brother’s little brother. I’ve met two other women with the same name.” Regarding her […]