July 28, 2026 | By Sherry Graham Howerton
Nothing says “I love my town” like joining a service organization. Service clubs such as Optimists Clubs, Kiwanis, Rotary, Lions Clubs and the Shriners make our communities stronger, more interesting and more engaging. But are they dying out? Decades ago, membership in such clubs was thriving, serving as the backbone of community life in America. […]
June 30, 2026 | By Sherry Graham Howerton
Midge Dempsey grew up in Wichita’s 67214 area code, in the north-central part of the city. She has fond memories of playing outdoors with her six siblings on warm summer days, visiting family and enjoying the camaraderie of many friends. Now, more than six decades later, she’s giving back to those same neighbors through her […]
May 27, 2026 | By Amy Geiszler-Jones
When Bob Nelson heard his pastor talk about a new faith-based social justice coalition in Wichita, he was wary. “I told her this could be dangerous and divisive,” said Nelson, who initially associated justice with revenge or polarized politics. After attending the initial meetings when Justice Together was forming in late 2022, he came to […]
April 29, 2026 | By Amy Geiszler-Jones
DERBY — One of the area’s most active senior centers is likely to become even more so now that it’s moved into a new $7.3 million, 13,750-square-foot home. That’s the consensus of those who’ve checked out the Derby Senior Center, which opened April 20 at 1315 S. Rock Road. “This is a premier senior center […]
December 30, 2025 | By Joe Stumpe
ANDOVER — Neighbors were skeptical when Tom Hanson said he’d like to join their bridge group. “In the beginning, they thought it would be too difficult, too much to remember, and they just didn’t see how somebody without sight could do that,” said Hanson, who’s been blind since he was 6. That was all the […]
August 29, 2025 | By Joe Stumpe
It took Carol Cole a while to appreciate all that makes St. Paul A.M.E. Church special. Sure, the church seemed grand and even a little intimidating to her as a child, its sanctuary filled with beautiful music and stirring sermons. But maybe she didn’t pay enough attention to who was filling the pews. “As I […]
August 1, 2025 | By Joe Stumpe
As a medical student in the late 1960s, Anne Walling was required to read a book called “Boys in White.” It was the standard sociology textbok about medical students, and it completely ignored women. Walling didn’t forget. When it came time to name her own book about the challenges facing women doctors of that era, […]
July 1, 2025 | By Joe Stumpe
It’s not true that every time someone cracks open a can of beer, a veteran gets his wings. But it is true that collecting and turning those aluminum cans in for recycling is helping send veterans to Washington, D.C., on Kansas Honor Flights. Last month, the Sedgwick County Commission honored two of the most dedicated […]
May 30, 2025 | By Sherry Graham Howerton
For more than half a century, Music Theatre of Wichita has delighted audiences with world-class performers, its renowned orchestra and sets that rival most anything seen on Broadway. And then there are the costumes — layers of colors that have brought to life characters in such shows as “Fiddler on the Roof,” “The Lion King” […]
May 1, 2025 | By Joe Stumpe
Arland Wallace’s first stint at Wichita State didn’t go well. He enrolled in 1970 and bailed after one semester. “I quickly realized I was in over my head,” he said. Fifty-five years later, he’s about to graduate. Wallace is finishing his degree despite undergoing surgery for a cancerous brain tumor last fall, and he plans […]
March 31, 2025 | By Margaret Britton-Mehlisch
Appeals of Sedgwick County’s new property appraisals were running almost double the volume of previous years through mid-March. County Appraiser Mark Clark isn’t surprised. About 87% of residential property owners and 73% of commercial property owners saw an increase in their property valuations for 2025. Homes experienced an average increase of 9%, and commercial property […]
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 […]
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 […]
January 1, 2025 | By Joe Stumpe
Turns out Bob Bayer isn’t the only person interested in jailhouse artist Ernest Aspinwall. Since an article about Bayer and the creative criminal appeared in The Active Age in August 2022, he’s been contacted by several people who either knew Aspinwall, knew somebody who did or possessed one of his paintings. Aspinwall made front-page news […]
December 9, 2024 | By The Active Age
If you call your place Cowtown, you’ve got to have a cow. That was the role Rosie the Cow played at Old Cowtown Museum for all 20 years of her life. On Monday, the city and museum said they were saddened to announce that the shorthorn cow — “a beloved fixture of Old Cowtown Museum” […]
December 1, 2024 | By The Active Age
The Active Age is giving away three pairs of tickets to The Carpenters tribute show at The Orpheum on Saturday, Dec. 14. “Close to You: A Carpenters Christmas” is based on the music of The Carpenters’ holiday albums and Christmas variety show. To enter our drawing for tickets, fill out the entry form below. Or […]
November 8, 2024 | By Trace Salzbrenner The Journal
Wichita is cutting back to ready for a budget shortfall in the coming years. To prepare, the City Council is sorting through spending items to determine what’s most essential. That will mean decreased funding for such things as Century II and the Wichita Ice Center, and moving money away from the program to pave dirt […]
October 28, 2024 | By The Active Age
Kansans have a more positive view of the state’s overall quality of life than they did a year ago, according to a new survey. Their view of the economy was also brighter although a majority felt they’d been significantly affected by inflation. Former President and current Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump and Gov. Laura Kelly, […]
October 25, 2024 | By The Active Age
Sedgwick County will operate a total of 20 early voting centers from Tuesday, Oct. 29 through Saturday, Nov. 2. These will operate daily from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. through Friday, Nov. 1 and from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2. Click here for a complete list. “We are thrilled by the record turnout we’ve seen at the […]
October 24, 2024 | By The Active Age
Wichita Transit is again providing free rides on Election Day — Tuesday, Nov. 5 — no matter where you’re going. The offer proved popular last year, as ridership jumped over 10 percent. Wichita Transit will offer free bus rides on all traditional bus routes and paratransit service. Free rides are valid for everyone riding to or from polling locations as well as any other trip during the day. Riders do not […]
October 16, 2024 | By The Active Age
United Way of the Plains is recruiting 160 volunteers for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program that will operate Feb. 1 through April 15 in 2025. According to a news release, the service is offered at no charge to households making $64,000 or less annually. Funded through an annual grant secured from the Internal […]
October 14, 2024 | By Stefania Lugli/The Journal
The deaths of more homeless residents are being counted this year after local officials implemented a formal process to identify them – the latest symptom of the intensifying conversation around homelessness in Wichita. As of September, 46 homeless people had been confirmed dead by Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center investigators. That’s more than the 42 that […]
October 11, 2024 | By The Active Age
Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Laura Rainwater is reminding voters of several important dates this month, including next week’s voter registration deadline, in preparation for the 2024 General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Tuesday, Oct. 15 – Last day that Sedgwick County residents can register to vote and be able to cast a ballot in the […]
October 10, 2024 | By The Active Age
Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments for more than 72.5 million Americans will increase 2.5% in 2025, the Social Security Administration announced today (Oct. 10). On average, Social Security retirement benefits will increase by about $50 per month starting in January. Over the last decade the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase has averaged […]
October 9, 2024 | By The Active Age
A woman who stole thousands of dollars from her great uncle has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison, according to a news release from the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s office. Sedgwick County District Judge David Kaufman sentenced Stephanie Bracks, 43, of Dallas, Texas to 47 months in prison and ordered her to pay […]