July 30, 2021 | By Mary Clarkin
By Mary Clarkin Micky Maddux encounters the homeless three to 10 times a day. She does not live or work in a shelter or sleep on a sidewalk. She’s the owner of an art gallery in Wichita’s Old Town Square. She’s cleaned their urine and feces off her gallery front in the morning, been accosted and […]
July 14, 2021 | By The Active Age
Kansans can take their grandchildren to many attractions for free this summer thanks to a program called Sunflower Summer. Participating attractions include the Cosmosphere, Botanica, Exploration Place, Eisenhower Presidential Museum, Boot Hill Museum and dozens of other museums, state parks, historical sites, theaters and more. The program, sponsored by the Kansas Department of Education, provides […]
July 1, 2021 | By Debbi Elmore
As a young man, Swapan Kumar Chaudhuri dreamed of coming to the United States. “I was envious of Americans and all the opportunities here,” he said. Chaudhuri realized his ambition in his late 30s. Since his arrival from Canada in 1996, he has earned a master’s degree from Wichita State University, landed a job in […]
| By Bonnie Bing
Ask someone to name institutions of higher learning in Wichita and they’ll quickly come up with Wichita State University, Friends University and Newman University. There’s another four-year school with a shorter history but no lack of impact on the area and state: KU School of Medicine-Wichita. The medical school is 50 years old this year. […]
| By Joe Stumpe
The number of older residents served by the Kansas Food Bank is on the rise. A few years ago, about 7 percent of the people served by the food bank were seniors. Today, that figure is about twice as large. “We have many seniors who are living on limited incomes that can’t make ends meet,” […]
| By Tammara Fogle
ANDOVER — Some temporary residents of the Andover Court assisted living facility have proven extremely flighty, but other residents like them anyway. For the fourth year in a row this spring, a mallard duck flew into the facility’s inner courtyard, laid her eggs and hatched them. “We think it’s the same one, we don’t […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Here’s a two-pronged headscratcher: Why do Kansans have a hard time spelling “multiplication,” and why are we trying to in the first place? Researchers affiliated with AT&T looked into what words residents across the United States have been asking Google for help spelling. (No, they’re not spying on your laptop or phone. A website called […]
| By Diana Breit Wolfe
Recently I sent a couple of cards to my two great-grand nieces for their 14th birthdays. I kidded them about learning to drive, which made me think about my own experiences when I was 14 and so anxious to get a “learner’s permit.” It was 1957 and the family car was a pink ’57 Chevy […]
| By Jay Price
Early Wichita was full of colorful characters, few more so than Malachai R. “Charley” Cordeiro. A scout for the U.S. Army who opened a saloon in Wichita in 1869, Cordeiro became the defendant in one of the town’s first murder trials. When an intoxicated customer named O. H. Whitman demanded that Cordeiro open up his […]
| By Ted Blankenship
In more than 60 years of writing for newspapers and magazines, I have never been a sports writer. One reason is that I never participated in sports. I ran really hard but never got far. That’s because I was kind of fat. In the interest of truthfulness, I was really fat. Worse, I was short, […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Passageways, Inc. has announced plans to open a group home for homeless female veterans on Wichita’s west side, where it already operates a home for male veterans. The nonprofit recently received donations of $50,000 from Cargill and $20,000 from the Goebel Family Star Lumber Charitable Foundation for that purpose. “We’re looking for individuals that might […]
| By The Active Age
NEWTON — When temperatures creep up this summer, visitors to Grand Central senior center won’t sweat it. The center recently finished a $60,000 overhaul of its air conditioning system. “It’s definitely a great addition,” Grand Central board president Bob Driskill said. “We couldn’t use this facility if we didn’t have that air conditioning.” Driskill said […]
| By Tammara Fogle
70th wedding anniversary Harold and Nancy Brandenburg (above) will be married 70 years on July 9. Harold taught and coached at Mulvane, Wichita West, Wichita Southeast and Wichita Northwest. Nancy taught at Westwood Preschool. After retirement they enjoyed travel in the United States and overseas. They have four children — Janie Jacobs, Hal Brandenburg, Beth […]
| By Pat O’Connor
Article and photos by Pat O’Connor The East Mt. Vernon neighborhood runs from Harry to Pawnee and Oliver to Woodlawn. Many of its homes were built for working and middle-class families in the post-World War II housing boom. The natural setting at the edge of these neighborhoods colored the adventures. Karen Dobbin “I lived on […]
| By The Active Age
Derby library book sale The Friends of the Derby Public Library will host their annual book sale from 9 am – 4 pm on Saturday, July 24 and Sunday, July 25 from 1-4 pm in the Community Room at the Derby Public Library located at 1600 E. Walnut, Derby, KS. Kansas oil painters exhibit opens […]
| By The Active Age
After a year off, the Heartland Games track and field meet returned to Friends University on June 5. More than 50 athletes competed in events, including the shot put, discus throw, javelin and several foot races. The Heartland Games originated as a series of fundraising competitions to help support operations at all four senior centers […]
June 1, 2021 | By Beth Bower
For Scott Redler, it all started in his hometown of St. Louis. The co-founder of Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers made breakfast for his family as a kid and helped his mother and grandmother in the kitchen on a regular basis. “I always had a passion for food,” he said. Redler used that passion to […]
| By Joe Stumpe
NORTH NEWTON — It’s not every day someone comes up with a new genre of art, but then Glen Ediger is an inventor. Among other things. Ediger thought up the genre — which he calls environmental exposure — a few years before retiring as director of design for Vornado Air. He noticed that a piece […]
| By Joe Stumpe
First off, thanks to everyone who filled out and returned the community survey that was in last month’s issue. The survey was designed to give people a lot of latitude in what they chose to focus on. In fact, that was the point. For the most part, people who responded seem to like their communities, […]
May 20, 2021 | By Joe Stumpe
Correction: A headline on an earlier version of this article said the McCormick School Museum is closed. Tours are still available by appointment on Wednesday and Sunday. To schedule one, call (316) 841-6198. The future of Wichita’s oldest school building, which houses McCormick School Museum, appears shaky. According to a memo that museum curator Paul […]
April 29, 2021 | By Joe Stumpe
Marty Miller was walking near Botanica’s gorgeous new Grand Lawn one afternoon last month when three female visitors ambled across his path. “Hey, Marty!” one said. “Man, we had no idea all this was going on.” “We approve!” another added.
| By The Active Age
Over the next few months, the Wichita Journalism Collaborative will explore the social acceptability of mental health care, access to treatment and the challenge of affordability. But to do our work well, we’ll need the help of readers like you. The Wichita Journalism Collaborative is a coalition of local newsrooms and community institutions that launched […]
| By The Active Age
More people than ever are enjoying the hobby of photography thanks to smart phones. The Active Age is holding a photo contest with just one stipulation: the photo must have been taken outdoors using either a smart phone or traditional camera. Winners of the contest will receive gift certificates for $25 (first place), $15 (second) […]
| By Joe Stumpe
The ages of the seven children in the Bennett family are easy to remember: 76, 78, 80, 82, 84, 86 and 88. That kind of familial longevity may not qualify as a record, but as third-oldest daughter Ruby Tobey says: “We think we are little unusual and very blessed to have seven siblings still living.” […]
March 31, 2021 | By Joe Stumpe
Rita Hephner calls March 31 her “day of freedom.” That’s the date she expected to return to a more normal lifestyle, having passed 14 days since the second of her COVID-19 vaccination shots. And Hephner planned to celebrate. “I’m going to make an appointment at Beau Monde and have a massage,” she said. Across Wichita, […]