Category: Local Interest

Kansas law prohibits landlords from retaliating against tenants for reporting poor living conditions. But it lacks enforcement and leaves tenants compromising their health and safety to avoid eviction, a new survey shows.

December 24, 2024 | By Dylan Lysen/KMUW

Many low-income renters in Kansas live in decaying homes with health hazards and believe there is little they can do to improve their situation, a new survey shows. Some renters avoid submitting maintenance requests or reporting their poor living conditions to authorities because they fear retaliation — like an eviction — from their landlords. Experts […]

Los precios de la vivienda en Kansas se han disparado. Aquí hay tres ideas para hacer que las casas sean asequibles

December 23, 2024 | By Dylan Lysen/KMUW

KMUW | Por Dylan Lysen Los precios de las viviendas y los alquileres se han disparado en los últimos años debido a la escasez de viviendas. Eso está llevando a un aumento en las personas sin hogar y podría estar perjudicando la economía. La escasez de viviendas en Kansas ha provocado un aumento vertiginoso de […]

Wichita finds about 6,000 water lines that will need to replaced under new federal lead pipe rules

December 14, 2024 | By Celia Hack/KMUW

The city of Wichita has alerted about 6,000 water customers that their pipes could be at higher risk for lead contamination and will need to be replaced under the federal government’s new lead pipe rules. The new rules, laid out by the Biden-Harris administration in October, require drinking water systems to identify and replace lead and some […]

Wind Surge President Jay Miller retires

December 13, 2024 | By The Active Age

Wichita Wind Surge Team President Jay Miller has announced his retirement from professional baseball after a 42-year career. According to a news release from the team, Miller began his second stint as President of the Wind Surge in January of 2023 following the team’s sale to Diamond Baseball Holdings. Under his leadership, the team experienced […]

Homeless advocates urge city not to pass new illegal camping ordinance

December 12, 2024 | By Carina Branson and Aditi Lamba/KSN

The debate over illegal camping in Wichita is set to go to City Councilmembers next week. The council is considering changing rules to remove those camps more quickly, but this has prompted a petition from some who are calling for more compassion for the people in the community experiencing homelessness. The proposed amendments would allow law […]

Wichita car dealer ordered to pay nearly $400,000 for selling cars with blown airbags

December 10, 2024 | By The Active Age

A Wichita car dealership has been closed down and ordered to pay nearly $400,000 after selling more than a dozen cars with blown airbags, District Attorney Marc Bennett’s office said. According to a news release, a $394,197 default judgment was entered against Kayode Ajibolade and his dealership, Carnation LLC, for engaging in deceptive acts and […]

Sedgwick County residents unlikely to see significant property tax relief anytime soon

December 5, 2024 | By Kylie Cameron/Wichita Eagle

Property owners in Sedgwick County are unlikely to see any significant county property tax relief in the next year. A public vote on a new sales tax to support county arts, culture and recreation programming – while lowering the property tax mill levy – now likely won’t happen until 2026. Commissioners had planned to present […]

Letters to the Editor

December 1, 2024 | By The Active Age

Inspiring story Thank you for the front-page article about Neal Baaker. It was so encouraging to learn of his journey to the United States, trials, hard work and ultimate success as a businessman. I decided to visit his nursery which resulted in a phone call. While his Wichita Greenhouse is closed for the season, I […]

Downtown Wichita to become winter window wonderland

November 28, 2024 | By Tammara Fogle

Lovers of holiday window decorations are in for a treat. Twenty businesses are taking part in a window decorating contest sponsored by Downtown Wichita “meant to spread joy and attract shoppers,” according to a news release from the organization. Community members will three winning displays. You can vote once a day by scanning the QR […]

Wichita’s emergency winter shelter to open in less than 2 weeks. Here’s what we know

November 23, 2024 | By Kylie Cameron/Wichita Eagle

The emergency winter shelter in the former Park Elementary School will open on Dec. 2. The low-barrier shelter is part of the planned multi-agency center for homeless services at 1025 N. Main St. “Our immediate goal and objective is an emergency winter shelter, a 24/7, at least 18-week shelter through the winter months, much like […]

Construction begins on new homeless center but affordable housing units stalled

November 11, 2024 | By Zena Taher/KSN

Construction crews are on the ground at the former Park Elementary School in Wichita. This week, some funding was approved to turn it into a homeless shelter and Multi-Agency Center (MAC). However, funding to create affordable housing in the area is still up in the air. Wichita City Council members approved millions for the initial work to turn Park […]

Beware Fraud in Health Insurance Marketplace

November 2, 2024 | By The Active Age

Topeka, Kan. – The Health Insurance Marketplace is experiencing an increase in the number of potential cases of agent and broker misconduct. Consumers should be on alert and verify changes and enrollments in their health insurance. “Be very cautious when giving authorization for changes in your health insurance enrollments,” said Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt. […]

Savvy Senior: November Columns

October 30, 2024 | By Jim Miller

Savvy Senior – November Columns How to Arrange Your Own Cremation Service If You’re 65 or Older, It’s Time to Get Your Pneumonia Shot How SSI Benefits Can Help Struggling Seniors and the Disabled How to Find a Cheaper Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Best CPAP Alternatives for Sleep Apnea How to Arrange Your Own Cremation […]

Growing up on Wichita’s ‘Tractor Row’ was rarely boring

| By Diana Breit Wolfe

After relocating to Chicago for work during the Great Depression, my parents eventually returned to Kansas to start a venture they had absolutely no experience in. This was running the Avery Cafe on Wichita’s “Tractor Row,” a stretch of South Wichita Street that was home to dozens of businesses catering to the region’s farmers. The […]

Lifestyles in so-called ‘blue zones’ encourage longevity

| By Joe Stumpe

Dr. Archelle Georgiou wants to turn Kansas into a blue state, and it’s got nothing to do with politics. Georgiou, who spoke in Wichita recently, is a Minneapolis physician and advocate of “blue zones,” as places in the world where people live exceptionally long and healthy lives have been dubbed. The phrase was popularized by […]

2024 Election Guide

October 28, 2024 | By The Active Age

The Active Age welcomes new board members

September 26, 2024 | By The Active Age

Three new members have joined the board of directors of The Active Age newspaper. Steve Criser is one of the founders and owners of CGP Group, LLC, a tax and accounting firm. A Wichita native, he graduated from East High and Wichita State University. Criser jokes that a job he held during college — drawing […]

Wichita’s first shopping center turns 75

| By The Active Age

Here are some facts you might not know about Lincoln Heights Village, which became Wichita’s first shopping center when it opened in 1949. It was named for Abraham Lincoln, whom realtor and developer Walter Morris greatly admired. Morris bought the property at Douglas and Oliver in 1926 from a wealthy St. Louis financier, Harry F. […]

Could a sales tax in Sedgwick County reduce property taxes? Here’s what’s being discussed

August 4, 2024 | By Matthew Kelly/The Wichita Eagle

Voters in Sedgwick County could be asked next year to support a new sales tax that would fund arts, culture and recreation programming. The Sedgwick County Zoo, Exploration Place science museum, the Kansas African American Museum and the county parks department are all set to take cuts in next year’s proposed county budget. Funding those […]

Riverfront pathway temporarily closing for construction

August 2, 2024 | By The Active Age

Construction of major improvements to Exploration Place will temporarily close the riverfront pathway for two periods starting Monday, Aug. 5. EP is currently building the 1,500-seat Wichita Foundation Amphitheater and six-acre Destination Playscape as part of a $22 million project to transform is footprint on the Arkansas River. The closures will occur in two phases: […]

Linwood Senior Center looking good after renovations

July 1, 2024 | By The Active Age

Talk about getting the most bang for your buck. Linwood Senior Center, run by Senior Services, Inc., leveraged a $6,762 grant from Central Plains Area Agency on Aging with its own fundraising and plenty of volunteer labor to give the center a major facelift. “Our volunteers at Senior Services and Linwood are amazing,” said Cherise […]

Summer baseball leagues entertaining lead-up to NBC tournament

| By Bob Rives

They called it “the million-dollar outfield” at a time when a million dollars went much farther than it does today. In 1983, the Hutchinson Broncos, a summer collegiate team, had Barry Bonds, Rafael Paliermo and Pete Incaviglia in the outfield and Rick Wrong catching. That quartet would go on to the Majors starting in 1986 […]

Savvy Senior: Long-Term Care Benefits for Veterans and Surviving Spouses

| By Jim Miller

Long-Term Care Benefits for Veterans and Surviving Spouses Dreading a Colonoscopy? There Are Alternatives Can You Stop and Restart Social Security Benefits? How to Find Reliable Health Information Online Long-Term Care Benefits for Veterans and Surviving Spouses Dear Savvy Senior, I understand that the Veterans Administration has a benefit that can help veterans and spouses […]

Sharing life stories with Shockers a rewarding experience

May 31, 2024 | By Al Higdon

Many senior residents of south-central Kansas have the opportunity to be in the lives of their grandchildren, but many others do not. And this is also true of many 20-somethings, some of whom don’t have a chance to interact much with older adults. Three years ago, Jacie Green sought a way to change that. Green […]

Best cell phone choice not the same for everyone

| By Tammara Fogle

Dear Savvy Senior, Can you recommend some good cell phones for seniors? My 79-year-old mother needs to get a new mobile phone and has asked me to help her find one that she would like. Searching Daughter Dear Searching, For older adults, choosing a cell phone is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Some seniors love the […]