Category: Latest News

Man turns loss into gain for housing relief effort

March 1, 2025 | By Sherry Graham Howerton

When tragedy strikes, the people affected are often consumed with the question of “why?” Retired Newton Pastor Cleo Koop found himself in such a place in 2019 as he and his family faced the decision to move his wife, Faye, then 64, into a dementia care facility. Faye had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease two […]

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Aviation helped Berry Cos. soar

| By Joe Stumpe

The Air Capital turned out to be a perfect fit for Fred Berry, his family and business. Berry already had a pilot’s license and love of flying when he arrived in Wichita in 1957. He jumped into the city’s bustling aviation scene while building his construction and material handling dealerships into a national enterprise. “We […]

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Thrifted treasures stitch together a history of Wichita

| By Margaret Britton-Mehisch

Jami Frazier Tracy says it was a love of thrifting that steered her into a career in museums. The teenage years she spent combing the racks at the Goodwill at 37th and Oliver nurtured a love for items of yesteryear. “In thrift stores, you never know what you’re going to find,” Frazier Tracy said. “It’s […]

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Diamond necklace winner drawn

| By The Active Age

Gale Engels of Wichita was the winner of our Feb. 10 drawing for a diamond necklace donated by Mike Seltzer of Mike Seltzer Jewelers. Engels and his wife, Laura, went to pick up the 14-carat diamond and aquamarine necklace after returning from a trip to Colorado.  “It’s my birthstone,” Laura said of the aquamarine gemstone.  […]

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Performers come together for tributes, young musicians

| By Joe Stumpe

Some veteran Wichita performers are trying to make sure the music plays on for a younger generation. And they’re having a blast doing it. Since February 2024, they’ve come together for three sold-out shows — two tributes to The Beatles and one to the Rolling Stones.  The first one was just for fun.  Joe Sauer, […]

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Upcoming Events

| By The Active Age

Big Read kicks off Wichita’s 2025 Big Read gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 14 at the Advanced Learning Library, 711 W. Second. Attendees will receive a free copy of this year’s book, “Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary Resilient, Disabled Body,” by Kansas City writer Rebelah Taussig, who lost the use of […]

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Kansas PBS doc ‘Great Women of Kansas’ tells great stories

| By The Active Age

Don’t know about Kansas’ Army of Amazons? You can soon. They’re part of a new two-part documentary on Kansas PBS called “Great Women of Kansas.” Part 1, which originally aired in September, will be broadcast again at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 19. Part 2 premieres at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 20. Part 1 focused on […]

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What’s in a name? Check your family tree

| By Ted Blankenship

Now and then I watch reruns of “Everybody Loves Raymond.” A recent show was mostly about whether a mother-in-law should be called “mom.” The show’s two mothers-in-law got into a big battle over it.  That reminded me of some of the interesting things families do with names. Take my mother-in-law, who was born in 1898 […]

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| By Diana Morton

Forum Theatre, at the Wilke Center, 1st United Methodist Church, 330 N. Broadway. Bridges of Madison County. Musical based on the best-selling novel. Now – Mar 2. 8pm; Tickets $34 – $44 each; 10% military discount and 1/2 price student tickets with a valid student ID. 316-618-0444 Mosley Street Melodrama, 234 N. Mosley. Desperate Housewives […]

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Savvy Senior: Home blood pressure monitors, 2025 taxes and more

| By Jim Miller

Savvy Senior – February Columns Driving with Dementia and Knowing When to Stop How to Choose and Use a Home Blood Pressure Monitor How Much Do You Have to Make to File Taxes in 2025? Service Dogs Can Help Seniors with Disabilities Driving with Dementia and Knowing When to Stop Dear Savvy Senior, When should […]

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Don’t get hooked by scammers ‘phishing’ for your information

| By Cecilia Green 

“Phishing” is the practice of scammers trying to obtain victims’ personal information in order to rip them off. Despite efforts of the Federal Trade Commission and local authorities to warn consumers, it and other fraud threats are on the rise.  Chief Attorney Avery Elofsson, from the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Economic Crimes Unit, said that […]

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Kansas baseball book hits a home run

| By Ted Ayres

“Kansas Baseball,” by Michael J. Travis (The History Press, 2025, 158 pages, $24.99) Wichita leads off “Kansas Baseball,” Michael J. Travis’  look at how American’s favorite pastime has been played in the Sunflower State. The book begins with a discussion of League 42, the youth baseball program named for Jackie Robinson (No. 42 for the […]

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March quiz: Attack of the snacks

| By Nancy Wheeler

Use these clues to name popular snack foods. The answers appear below. 1. What company laid out one of the greatest dares in advertising when they said, “Betcha can’t eat just one”? 2. In hot competition with Peter Pan and Skippy, Grey Advertising remembered that mothers know best, coming up with the slogan, “Choosy moms […]

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Get to know your Kansas Silver Haired Legislature

| By Jennifer Lasley CPAAA

The Kansas Silver Haired Legislature is a dedicated group of advocates who represent the interests of Kansans aged 60 and older. KSHL delegates develop bills and resolutions that are presented to the Kansas Legislature and governor. The 2025-26 delegates for Butler, Harvey and Sedgwick Counties are: Dennis Bender, Sedgwick County, District 1. Bender, a new […]

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Donate for chance to win Botanica 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 holds a drawing for a family membership each month from among people on our Honor Roll list of donors. This month’s winner is Virginia Dean. Donations may be made by calling 316-942-5385; through our website, […]

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Therapy dog Jax makes friends young and old

January 31, 2025 | By Amy Geiszler-Jones

DERBY — On a cold January morning, it didn’t take long for Cleda Justice to make a heartwarming connection with the young male visitor seated next to her in the lounge of Brookdale Derby senior living community. “He’s marvelous,” Justice said as she ran her hands along the soft, fluffy fur of Jax, a 2 […]

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No joke: Local comedian relives rock and roll roots

| By Carl Williams 

Bucky Walters has been making people laugh since his days as a wise-cracking student at Wichita’s East High School in the mid 1950s. The recently retired hairdresser went on to tickle funny bones in comedy clubs, theater productions and the annual Gridiron show staged by local journalists. But his first foray into show business was […]

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Late artist’s work is fashionable again

| By Tammara Fogle

If you remember shopping at Henry’s department store, you’ll probably enjoy an exhibit and sale running through Feb. 7 at The Workroom. The show features drawings by Della Riley, who was a fashion illustrator for Henry’s, Shepler’s and other Wichita clothing stores during the 1960s and 70s. In December, Autumn Fortune, who has a booth […]

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Wichita connection looms large in noir novelist’s books

| By The Active Age

Scott Phillips is one of the most acclaimed writers to emerge from Wichita — a place featured prominently in some of his fiction. The author of eight novels and a short story collection in the noir literary genre, Phillips is probably best known for “The Ice Harvest,” which won several awards and was turned into […]

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Honor guard pays tribute to nurses

| By The Active Age

Kathy Campbell says a group that honors deceased nurses is not unlike some American Legion groups that pay tribute to fallen veterans. “We just don’t have motorcycles,” she said. What the Nurses Honor Guard of  Wichita does have are outfits that recall Florence Nightingale and a belief in the importance of nursing. “I think it’s […]

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A couple of super bowls for the season

| By Joe Stumpe

As I write this, Wichita is flirting with its record for most consecutive days with snow on the ground. At least one local family has erected a working igloo. Soup weather, in other words. The accompanying soup recipe is hearty enough to serve as a meal and guaranteed to warm your insides. It’s similar to […]

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Savvy Senior: Tax records, hoarding help, therapy services and more

| By Jim Miller

Savvy Senior – February Columns How Long to Keep Tax Records and Other Documents How to Help a Hoarding Parent Does Medicare Cover Talk Therapy Services? The Surprising Dangers of Earwax How Seniors Can Get Help Lowering Their Grocery Bills How Long to Keep Tax Records and Other Financial Documents   Dear Savvy Senior, Is […]

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February quiz: Female stars of the big screen

| By Nancy Wheeler

See if you can name these actresses who lit up the big screen in Hollywood hit movies. 1. What strong-willed, sophisticated actress won four Academy Awards for Best Actress, a record for any performer? 2. What trained ballet dancer rose to stardom in the romantic comedy “Roman Holiday” and then dazzled audiences in “Breakfast at […]

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February theatre

| By Diana Morton

 Forum Theatre, at the Wilke Center, 1st United Methodist Church, 330 N. Broadway. Bridges of Madison County. In this musical based on the best-selling novel, Francesca builds herself a home in Iowa, raising two children and settling into a steady but unremarkable routine. Then, one day, she meets a charismatic photographer who awakens her passion […]

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African Americana: Collector’s focus ranges from family to the famous

January 29, 2025 | By Joe Stumpe

The first history Gerald Norwood got interested in was his own family’s, and who could blame him? Norwood’s grandfather, Henry, spent his childhood enslaved on plantations in North Carolina and southwest Arkansas. Following the Civil War, Henry and his older brother made their way on foot about 130 miles north in Arkansas, settling near Fort […]

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