News

We’ve been inundated for so many months with political exclamation points. How great is it now to be able to relax a bit and let nature remind us that there is more to life than Republican red and Democratic blue.

A major overhaul of the Kansas Medicaid program is scheduled to take place in a little more than seven weeks, but the state's plans still haven't received a green light from the federal government.

Many of the changes that would be enacted require approval from federal officials.

More than four years after the Wichita school district stopped transporting students across town to racially integrate schools, the district has taken another step toward being freed from a voluntary busing agreement.

The Wichita School Board voted this week to approve a new contract with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. The move gives the agency six months to tell the district whether it's released from the busing agreement.

Kansans whose health insurance is provided through the Medicaid and HealthWave programs will begin receiving a very important mailing in the next few days.

Hawker Beechcraft To Close 3 Facilities, Cut Jobs

Wichita-based airplane maker Hawker Beechcraft says it's closing facilities in three states and laying off more workers in Kansas. 

The company said Wednesday that 240 employees will lose their jobs with the closing of Hawker Beechcraft Services facilities in Little Rock, Ark.; Mesa, Ariz.; and San Antonio, Texas. It also plans to cut a total of 170 jobs at its Wichita headquarters and at its completion center in Little Rock.

Jim Erickson reviews a movie that he says is deserving of its Oscar buzz.

Republican Mike Pompeo beat out both Democrat Robert Tillman and Libertarian candidate Thomas Jefferson.  Tillman who served the state for 24 years says he desired to continue serving Kansas as a United States Congressman, but now will look to other things.

"The whole world is open to me," says Tillman. "I still have a chance to decide what I'm going to do. I'm a retired Kansas Supreme Court Services officer, I retired in 2008 so I'll go back right into retirement and then I'll regroup."

It was a long night for Sedgwick County, as candidates and supporters found themselves waiting for election results long after the polls closed. Briana O’Higgins spent the evening downtown at the Sedgwick County Republican Party headquarters.

The County election office experienced software problems and did not start releasing results until after 11 p.m.

With those results came some disappointments for the Wichita GOP.

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 (lost?) 1970s music icon.

Updated at 4:55 am

2012 General Election unofficial results for Sedgwick County, Kan.

With nearly all precincts reporting, Sedgwick County residents cast 179,784 votes, which resulted in a 65 percent turnout.

Wichita Water Fluoridation:

• Yes ...... 50890 / 40%
• No ...... 74788 / 59%

Constitutional Amendment on water craft taxation:

• Yes ...... 92712 / 60%
• No ...... 62646 / 40%

U. S. Representative 4th District: