June 27, 2023 | By The Active Age
Four Wichitans have emerged as leading candidates to become the city’s next mayor. In the Aug. 1 primary, incumbent Mayor Brandon Whipple will be challenged by Bryan Frye, Celeste Racette and Lily Wu. Unless one receives a majority, the top two vote-getters will face off in the November general election. Whipple is a former state […]
| By Amy Geiszler-Jones
When it comes to dealing with droughts in garden beds, Connie Fletcher echoes the advice of Kansas planting experts and other gardeners. “You want to go more for your native plants because they’re used to the weather here,” said Fletcher, whose home in Valley Center was part of the June garden tour organized annually by […]
| By The Active Age
AARP safe driving classes Several AARP Drive Safety classes have been added to the upcoming schedule. Participants must pre-register with the locations. The dates and locations are: July 19, Mulvane Senior Center, (316) 777-4813; July 21, Clearwater Senior Center, 316) 584-2332; Aug. 10, Downtown Senior Center, (316) 267-0197; Sept. 7, Park City Senior Center, (316) […]
| By Paul Inman
Many major companies match donations their employees and retirees make to approved organizations. As a Boeing retiree, I take advantage of that company’s gift-matching program to help The Active Age and other nonprofits that I want to support. For Boeing retirees, the company matches 50 cents on the dollar donations made to approved organizations, up […]
| By Ted Blankenship
I began my four years in the U.S. Air Force on Sept. 1, 1950. I was assigned to a supply room at San Antonio’s Lackland Air Force Base. Lackland was the largest air force base in the world at the time. It trained all of the airmen who joined. Additional bases were opened later when […]
| By Nancy Wheeler
Match the fictional place with the work which made it famous. The answers appear below. 1. Tara 2. Lilliput 3. Neverland 4. Hogwarts 5. Avonlea 6. The Shire 7. Pemberley 8. The Emerald City 9. Darrowby 10. King’s Landing 11. Gotham City 12. Lake Wobegon 13. Shangri-La 14. The 100 Acre Wood 15. McDougal’s Cave […]
| By Diana Morton
By Diana Morton Crown Uptown Theatre, 3207 E. Douglas. Hansel & Gretel, presented by the Once Upon a Time Summer Series, July 13-15, 10 am and 12 pm daily. Tickets can be purchased through the Wichita Children’s Theatre & Dance Center, starting at $9, 316-262-2282 Kechi Playhouse, 100 E. Kechi Road, Flaming Idiots. A comedy […]
| By Monica Cissell
There is some good news that may help you cut prescription drug costs. Thanks to a new prescription drug program that’s part of the Inflation Reduction Act, next year people with Medicare may qualify for additional savings through Medicare’s Extra Help program. This program helps people who are eligible pay their Medicare drug coverage (Part […]
| 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. This month’s winner is Dennis Degenhardt. Donations may be made […]
| By The Active Age
Robert Miller has received the 2023 Irene Hart Award from the Central Plains Area Agency on Aging. The award, named for a former longtime executive director of CPAAA, recognizes contributions to the field of aging and older adults in the community. Miller, a Wichita native, was part of the first graduating class of Wichita State […]
| By The Active Age
Larksfield Place and Wichita State University recently collaborated on an Intergenerational program called “I Witness to History.” WSU freshmen in a class called Connecting Generations spent the second part of their spring semester collecting life stories from independent living residents at Larksfield Place. The time together also broke stereotypes that crop up between generations. “This […]
| By Jim Miller
Best meal delivery services for seniors who don’t cook How to handle Social Security benefits when a loved one dies Tips and tools for coping with vision loss Elder mediation can help families navigate thorny caregiving issues The hidden danger of untreated heartburn Best meal delivery services for seniors who don’t cook Dear Savvy Senior, […]
June 23, 2023 | By Shaylee Gibbs
A book published a few years back described public libraries as “palaces for the people. It might not feel like a palace exactly when you visit one of the Wichita Public Library’s seven locations, but it is true that libraries are one of the few places in the modern world where people aren’t expected to pay […]
June 12, 2023 | By The Active Age
Renovations designed to streamline services for residents doing business at Wichita’s City Hall are complete, according to a news release from the city. Changes include: A new information desk to greet visitors right after they pass though security as well as a meeting space on the first floor. This private meeting room allows staff to […]
June 5, 2023 | By Kim Baldwin
Round tables and common ground By Kim Baldwin I recently returned home to Kansas after traveling to China to participate in a U.S. Sorghum trade mission. The trip was organized by the U.S. Grains Council, and we were the first U.S. trade mission team into China since the pandemic. It was a whirlwind – […]
May 30, 2023 | By The Active Age
Bob Rives, a longtime writer for The Active Age, won first place in the 2023 Kansas Press Association’s Sports Feature Story category for his article about the Wichita Monrovians (May 2022), an all-black minor league baseball team active in the 1920s. Amy Geiszler-Jones won second place in the Seniors Story category for her article about […]
| By Annie Calovich
As the first flush of flower and leaf faded from the landscape this spring, an ugly reality emerged. Many of the trees were still brown. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many dead trees in Wichita,” said Brian Ernstmann, owner of Ernstmann Tree Care. Drought is the main culprit. While trees in home lawns […]
| By Elizabeth Bishop
A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” This ancient Greek proverb is often used to point to selfless contributions made by the older generation. But it is also true in a literal sense. Our community benefits from the trees planted by previous generations and […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Dr. Adel Korkor remembers the general reaction to his idea of running 5ks in 50 states within the span of 50 days. “I was told I should probably see a psychiatrist because this is something that’s going to be hard to accomplish,” he said. Actually, mental health was the reason Korkor came up with the […]
| By Sharon Van Horn
One pill can kill. It’s a slogan you may have seen on Wichita area billboards, on a banner in your grandchild’s school or in a TV spot featuring Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter and Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan. Unfortunately, it’s not just a slogan — it’s a fact. Mexican drug cartels are flooding our […]
| By Bob Rives
Editor’s note: This article originally misidentified a photograph of Boeing Bomber player Daryl Spencer as Ernie Logan. It has now been corrected. They called him “Moose.” And there was good reason. Ernie Logan stood two inches above six feet. His 200-plus pounds were wound tightly on that tall body. His hands? Quick and strong. In […]
| By The Active Age
Two sisters looking for something to do in retirement found it in the form of 20 middle schoolers. Nan Putnam, a former social worker, and her big sister, Dianne McCarthy, a former florist, worked as group leaders for pupils chosen to be student Ambassadors at St. Patrick and All Saints Catholic schools. The Ambassadors are […]
| 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 […]
| 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 […]
| 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 […]