News

Mark McCormick returns to KAAM; Reno County Residents Consider Jail Renovation Tax; Wichita City Council approves bike plan; Kansas Senate Committee has to delay work on tax plan because of a printing problem; Sen. Michael O'Donnell introduces legislation to have Kansas college basketball teams play.

Updated 2/6/13 9:27 am

Mark McCormick Returns To Direct Kansas African American Museum

The former director of the Kansas African American Museum in Wichita has returned to the job.

The Wichita Art Museum opened a new show this past weekend. The exhibition is Under Pressure: Prints from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and his Family Foundation. This exhibition features 40 artists from this private collection of postwar American artists.

Nearly $100 million was invested in downtown projects last year including the Ambassador Hotel, St. Mary's Cathedral and the YMCA.

This figure comes from the 2012 Project Downtown annual report that was presented to the Wichita City Council Tuesday by Jeff Fluhr, president of the Wichita Downtown Development Corp., and Scott Knebel from the city.

David Dixon, principle for planning and urban design at Goody Clancy out of Boston, was also part of the presentation because he helped craft the master plan.

A Kansas Senate committee has delayed debate on Governor Sam Brownback's tax proposal. A mistake at the Statehouse printing office meant the scheduled debate was left off the official Senate calendar for Tuesday.

Senator Les Donovan, a Republican from Wichita, said he didn't want to work on the tax plan without letting the public know about it. Donovan added, though, that senators could use some more time to prepare for the debate.

Now that CDs aren’t making money, more of a musician's income is from selling "merch" - merchandise: T-shirts, stickers, guitar picks, etc.

Merch might not be the main part of a band’s revenue stream, but I think it has become a bigger part of the musical experience since the beginning of the digital age.

Merch is essential for the true fan. An MP3 is a transitory and abstract thing; a concert T-shirt on the other hand is tangible and enduring.

The Wichita City Council will hear recommendations Tuesday on a 10-year, $12.5 million plan to improve and connect city bike paths.

Bike shop owner Lee Engler says new riders like safe paths and seasoned riders prefer street improvements, and the steering committee is proposing both.

Lawmakers are considering a change to the Kansas Constitution in response to lawsuits over school funding.

About eight years ago, a lawsuit ended with an agreement to increase spending on students. But lawmakers cut back when the economy slowed, which rekindled the legal battle. 

Now, some Legislators are proposing a constitutional amendment that would give them the power to determine what is a suitable level of funding.

Wichita City Council to hear about the Bicycle Master Plan; Rezoning petition for former Tiller clinic expected at council meeting; Senate panel preparing debate over tax proposals.

Wichita City Council To Hear Presentation On Bicycle Master Plan

The Wichita City Council will hear recommendations Tuesday on a 10 year, $12.5 million plan to improve the city's bike paths.

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Winds across southern Kansas are coming from the south and bringing continued warm temperatures through the middle of the week. However, a weak cold front arrives Wednesday night with isolated showers and a slight chance of a few thunderstorms.

As the front passes to the east, it will pull slightly cooler weather down from the north. Daytime highs on Thursday and Friday will be about 7-10 degrees cooler from earlier in the week.

An early look at the weekend shows a second cold front arriving on Saturday, so a few showers are likely both days.

A program to persuade college graduates to move to Kansas is succeeding.

The Rural Opportunity Zones program entices college graduates to move to Kansas counties with declining populations. The program gives these new residents income tax waivers for up to five years. It also pays of their student loan debt--up to $15,000.