Wichita school district, teachers union reach tentative contract agreement
Wichita teachers would get a pay raise under a tentative contract agreement announced Tuesday.
A deal reached with United Teachers of Wichita would raise teachers' base salaries by 1.5%.
Some teachers would get bonuses linked to additional experience and education, or for serving in hard-to-fill positions.
The contract would also increase what the district pays for teachers' healthcare premiums. Teachers would keep their current plans and premiums.
The agreement calls for a work group to study planning time and make recommendations to the school board.
Teachers will vote on the contract over the next week.
Wichita leaders vote to delay Crown Uptown demolition
Michael Brown, the owner of the Crown Uptown Theatre, will not be allowed to demolish the nearly century-old building this year.
The Wichita City Council unanimously voted to withhold demolition permits for the Crown Uptown for 180 days, following a community uproar.
Brown attempted to expand the capacity of the venue at Hillside and Douglas in recent years. After those attempts failed, he applied for demolition.
Brock Booker urged leaders to reject the permit, calling the demolition threat a tactic.
"If filing a wrecking permit after every unfavorable vote proves effective, you will see it again ... in every historic corridor we have left," Booker said. "Property rights end where coercion of public process begins."
Council member Joseph Shepard said pushing the demolition deadline out to January will give the council time to have "meaningful" conversations with Brown and his neighbors.
"We can respect the property owner's rights while still asking whether there is a way to preserve something that belongs to the story of Wichita," Shepard said.
Council members said they plan to encourage Brown to sell the venue to one of several interested parties during the demolition delay.
Rejected ballot measure doesn't mean Kansas is no longer red
In this month’s primary, nearly two-thirds of Kansas voters rejected a measure that would have made state Supreme Court justices an elected — rather than appointed — position.
Republicans promoted the change heavily, because the Kansas Supreme Court has repeatedly protected abortion rights in recent years.
And Missouri voters rejected two Republican-backed constitutional amendments by even bigger margins — more than 80%.
David Kimball, a political science professor at the University of Missouri – Saint Louis, said the outcome of these measures doesn’t necessarily mean the two states are no longer red.
"If anything, I take away in both states that the voters don't appreciate politicians trying to seriously upend the rules of democracy that we currently have and that we've had in place for many years," he said.
In November, Missourians will face another vote on abortion rights. And Kansans will decide whether to amend the state constitution to ban noncitizens from voting.
Signs go up at Wichita Biomedical Campus
The new biomedical campus in downtown Wichita is now easier to recognize.
Construction crews have attached signs and university logos to the top of the building, which is at the corner of Broadway and William.
It now displays logos for both Wichita State and the University of Kansas.
The eight-story Wichita Biomedical Campus is a $300 million partnership between WSU, WSU Tech and the University of Kansas.
It's intended to combat the shortage of healthcare workers by combining medical training under one roof.
It's slated to open in the spring of 2027.
Punk rocker Billy Idol to perform at Wichita Orpheum
Rocker Billy Idol will perform at Wichita's historic Orpheum Theatre next month as part of the theater's grand re-opening.
The Orpheum announced that Idol will perform September 21. Tickets go on sale Friday.
The Orpheum Theatre is preparing to reopen after a $10.5 million renovation that has taken more than a year.
Idol is known for '80s hits like "White Wedding," "Rebel Yell," and "Eyes Without a Face." He was inducted this year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Wild horse, burro adoption event coming to southeast Kansas
A wild horse adoption and sale will happen Friday and Saturday in Girard.
The Bureau of Land Management will feature 120 wild horses and burros available with a minimum fee of $25.
The animals that were once roaming free on public land are removed periodically to help manage and maintain healthy herds.
People can view the horses starting at 8 a.m. Friday. Bidding begins at 10 a.m. and runs until Saturday at noon.
Land management staff will be on site to help people with the application process.
More information is at blm.gov.
Wichita police urge safe gun storage
Wichita Police say unsafe storage and handling of firearms have led to three recent shootings in the city.
In one incident, a 50-year-old man accidentally shot himself while handling a gun. In another, a 17-year-old boy fired a loaded gun inside a vehicle, striking another teenager.
In a third incident, a man stole a rifle from an unlocked vehicle in a grocery store parking lot and accidentally shot himself.
Wichita Police and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office offer free gun locks. You can get one by contacting your local police station.
Jalapeno pepper recall expanding
A recall of jalapeno peppers is being expanded.
A Texas company is voluntarily recalling products containing jalapenos because the peppers may be contaminated with salmonella.
Affected products were produced by NatureBest Precut & Produce and distributed to retail stores in Texas and Louisiana between July 3 and August 5.
A previous recall affected restaurants, including Chipotle and QDOBA. Taylor Farms also recalled products containing jalapenos sold at several stores, including Kroger and Trader Joe’s.
Health officials say a common grower in Mexico is the likely source of the outbreak.
