News

This Friday is the deadline for people with Medicare to make changes to change their health and drug coverage.

If you have original Medicare, your benefits are administered by the federal government. If you have Medicare Advantage, your plan is run by a private insurance company. Now is the time when you can switch to Medicare Advantage, if you wish.

On the other hand, if you want to drop your Medicare Advantage plan and switch to original Medicare, that opportunity runs from January 1 through February 14.

New state arts agency presents strategic plan; Pompeo to talk to reporters about 'Fiscal Cliff'; Medicare open enrollment ends Friday; Hawker Beechcraft close to exiting bankruptcy.

New State Arts Agency Presents Strategic Plan, Hopes To Restore Federal Funds

Leaders in the Wichita arts community yesterday met with the director of the newly formed Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, to talk about the organization's strategic plan.

The Kansas Association of School Boards says it wants teacher evaluations to be separate from union negotiations.

The association voted at its convention last week to lobby lawmakers to remove evaluations from items that must be negotiated with teachers.

Kansas school districts currently are changing the evaluation process for educators and administrators.

By the 2014-2015 school year, districts must meet several federal requirements, including evaluating teachers based in part on students' progress.

Some people might not think of Wichita State University as a medical research institution, but one assistant chemistry professor is researching how cancer cells spread throughout the body and hopes that one day her work will help slow metastasis.

Dr. Moriah Beck hasn't been on the Wichita State campus for very long, but since her arrival last year from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill she has been growing her student research team and setting up a lab to continue her innovative cancer research.

The Wichita City Council is working through the process to temporarily fill the District 4 council seat soon to be vacated by Michael O'Donnell.

The council declared a notice of vacancy Tuesday due to O'Donnell's resignation, effective December 31. O'Donnell was elected state senator of District 25 in Wichita last month.

The City of Wichita's director of law, Gary Rebenstorf, outlined the procedure for filling the vacancy.

A new report says people who buy individual health insurance are saving money because of new regulations under the Affordable Care Act.

The report comes from the non-profit Commonwealth Fund and says cost savings and rebates to individual plan customers totaled almost $1.5 billion last year.

With O'Donnell leaving for the statehouse, Wichita City Council moves to fill his seat; GOP Senators plan to meet next week to name committee members; A study says new health insurance regulations favor individual plans.

Wichita City Council Moves To Fill O'Donnell's Seat

The Wichita City Council is working through the process to temporarily fill the District 4 council seat soon to be vacated by Michael O'Donnell.

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Each week, Fletcher Powell finds the independent and non-commercial films showing in Wichita and the surrounding areas and brings them to you in this handy guide.

This time: A couple of docs and a great performance from Christopher Walken.











 

Kansas Democrats want to put limits on the Secretary of State.

Democratic leaders say they will introduce two measures in January in an effort to limit Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach's power, and his work outside the office on immigration and other issues.

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley said Tuesday that he would submit a bill to limit the ability of statewide elected officials and their employees to work more than 10 hours a week outside their official duties and still receive compensation.