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 […]
‘Buzzsaw’ McHenry took up Carry Nation’s battle
| By Jim Mason
Carry Nation was temperance’s best-known crusader in these parts, but a follower who was every bit her match in militance actually carried on the battle against demon rum longer. Myra Gaines Warren was born March 18, 1848, in Dover, Mo. She married James A. McHenry of Neodesha, Kan., in 1872. The marriage took place in […]
Books look at U.S. political conflicts of past and present
| By Ted Ayres
“Founding Partisans: Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson, Adams and the Brawling Birth of American Politics” by H.W. Brands (Doubleday, 2023, 451 pages, $32.50) “Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning” by Liz Cheney (Little, Brown and Company, 2023, 372 pages, $32.50) Have you noticed that 2024 is an election year? Even if I wanted to forget, my […]
June quiz: It’s all in the family
| By Nancy Wheeler
The answers to the following clues all mention a family member. The answers appear below. 1. What program debuted on CBS in October 1954 and starred Robert Young as the dad who had all the answers? 2. What 2008 movie starred Meryl Streep and featured songs by ABBA? 3. What anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beecher […]
Strength training can increase healthy years in your future
| By Monica Cissell
Sometimes it’s difficult to find the energy and motivation to exercise, especially when factors like bad weather and lack of access to an exercise facility are added in. But exercise is important at any age, and strength training is an important part. Research into strength training by the National Institute on Aging has found it […]
Innovative outdoor fitness court opens in north Wichita
May 9, 2024 | By The Active Age
An outdoor fitness court will officially open at 1 p.m. Friday in Pat Garcia Veterans Memorial Park in north Wichita. Located at 2640 N. Wellington Place, between Arkansas and Broadway, the court was developed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, Wichita Park and Recreation and the National Fitness Campaign. According to a news […]
Wichita’s top ranking is something to sneeze at
April 1, 2024 | By The Active Age
There’s apparently no place like Wichita to experience that sniffling, sneezing, itchy, runny nose and watery eyes feeling. For the second year in a row, the city has been named the most challenging place in the United States to live with seasonal allergies by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. But there are a […]
Characters make ‘Thursday Murder Club’ series come alive
| By Ted Ayres
I recently became acquainted with some interesting people and have become rather attached to them. These new friends include a former nurse, a former spy, a former union official and an occasionally still-practicing psychiatrist. They are all septuagenarian pensioners living at Coopers Chase, an upscale retirement village near Fairhaven, England. Oh, and they meet once […]
At candlelight vigil, those who died while experiencing homelessness in 2023 are remembered
January 10, 2024 | By Stefania Lugli and Celia Hack
On the longest night of the year, Wichitans huddled into the gym at Guadalupe Clinic to honor the lives of those who died while experiencing homelessness in 2023. Forty-three tea lights burned in a corner of the room — a quiet tribute to the 42 identified people who died while homeless this year. One more […]
U-Haul: Maize and Andover among fastest-growing Kansas cities
January 6, 2024 | By The Active Age
Maize and Andover were among Kansas cities that appeared to grow in population the fastest last year, according to U-Haul. The company tracks one-way rentals of trucks, trailers and U-box moving containers across the United State each year to come up with its “growth index.” Overall, Kansas saw more slightly more departures (50.1 percent) than […]
Tickets go on sale for synchronized skating championship
January 5, 2024 | By The Active Age
Tickets are now on sale for the 2024 U.S. Figure Skating Midwestern Synchronized Sectional Championship, which will be held in Wichita Jan. 24-27. Championship performances will be conducted at Intrust Bank Arena while practices will take place at the Wichita Ice Center. This is Visit Wichita’s fourth time to host a U.S. Figure Skating event. […]
Win tickets to Johnny Cash Concert Experience
December 29, 2023 | By The Active Age
The Active Age is holding a drawing to give away three pairs of tickets to “Johnny Cash: The Official Concert Experience” at the Orpheum Theatre on Friday, Feb. 9. The show features video from the Johnny Cash TV show projected above the stage, accompanied by a live band. The band’s singers also perform versions of […]
Historic Old Mill bustling again
| By Joe Stumpe
NEWTON — Harvey County residents were buzzing about the opening of a steakhouse in the Old Mill last month, and not just because they were hankering for a hunk of red meat. The Old Mill itself plays a key role in this area’s history. Local businessman D. Hamill built the stone and brick structure as […]
Things to do in January
| By The Active Age
Volunteers to count homeless United Way of the Plains is looking for 100 volunteers to help conduct the Wichita-Sedgwick County point-in-time homeless count on Jan. 25. It’s part of a national effort to estimate the number of Americans who don’t have safe and stable housing, data that is used in a variety of ways. Those […]
Public town hall Tuesday to gather input on regional psychiatric hospital location
December 11, 2023 | By The Active Age
The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services and Sedgwick County will host a public town hall meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, to answer questions regarding the South Central Regional Psychiatric Hospital project and gather input on potential sites from the community. Sedgwick County issued a request for proposals for properties or existing buildings […]
City Hall moves to automated parking
December 10, 2023 | By The Active Age
The Wichita City Hall public parking lot was changed this month to unmanned, automated ticket booths. According to a news release, under the new system, when visitors approach the automated entry gate, they will push a button and receive a ticket with a barcode on it. When they are ready to leave, visitors will scan the […]