Chamber of Commerce endorses Wichita bond issue
The Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce today announced its endorsement of a proposed bond issue for Wichita public schools.
The Chamber board voted in favor of a resolution saying the two-part bond is in the best interest of the regional economy.
The proposed $615 million bond would fund facility improvements across the district, including replacing aging schools and expanding career and technical education programs.
The Chamber did not officially endorse a $450 million bond issue in February of 2025. That plan narrowly failed by around 300 votes.
Wichita schools to allow probation in some cases
The Wichita school district is changing the way it conducts student disciplinary hearings in an effort to cut down on suspensions.
A student faces a hearing when their misconduct rises to the level of potential suspension, expulsion or reassignment to a different school.
Starting this year, the district will allow probation in some cases. That would let a student return to the classroom as long as they can keep out of trouble.
The district will also create standards for reintegrating students who return from an extended suspension or reassignment.
Last school year, 24 hearings resulted in expulsion, while more than 200 resulted in an extended suspension.
Kechi leaders looking into rising water bills
City leaders in Kechi plan to request an independent investigation after residents raised concerns about sudden increases in their water bills.
At a meeting Thursday, some residents said their water bills have more than doubled despite no major changes in their water use.
City officials say 28 customers raised concerns about their bills. They say two of the increases were the result of clerical errors, but the rest were related to higher-than-normal water consumption.
City administrator Matt Jensby said the city has checked its system and meters and everything is working properly.
Former KU golfer suspended from PGA tour
Former University of Kansas golfer Matt Gogel has been suspended six months from the PGA Champions Tour for placing “golf-related” bets.
Gogel, 55, of Mission Hills, was in the midst of his best season on the Champions Tour — the professional golf tour for those 50 and older.
Gogel has earned $776,000 this season with two top-10 finishes, including runner-up at the British Senior Open last month.
He released a statement through the PGA Tour saying that he unknowingly violated the tour policy by placing recreational golf bets in 2024 and 2025, but not on any PGA Tour events, including those he was participating in.
The tour suspension lasts through late February next year.
Orpheum is back
A private tour to showcase the newly restored Orpheum Theatre building revealed countless improvements for aesthetics and for safety.
The media preview highlighted the theater's original paint color, star lights in the ceiling and a hand-painted fire curtain.
Stacee Olden, executive director of the Orpheum, said the community has waited over 40 years for the theatre to be restored.
“Absolutely monumental for the city to have a theater with this national recognition, as well as local recognition, come back to life, and welcoming the community in has been what this is all about.”
The theater opened in 1922 and was the first atmospheric theater in the United States, which means it's designed to make audiences feel like they're outdoors under the stars.
A piano-solo concert by Grammy-award-winning artist John Legend will mark the theater's re-opening to the public on Sunday.
Record air traffic at ICT
Wichita's Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport is on track to have its busiest year since its opening.
Data from the airport shows that July was the busiest month in the airport's history.
The airport was 400 passengers shy of the 100,000 mark for passengers taking off from ICT.
The increase in passengers comes as traffic at the airport shifts away from military and general aviation flights. Airport officials say that commercial flights, full of business and leisure travelers, have been key to the increase in activity at the airport.
Mayor defends her budget position
Mayor Lily Wu is defending her vote against the 2027 Wichita budget.
The new budget comes in at $800 million and increases funding for the city's fire department.
That includes $1.5 million for a new fire station in west Wichita and 14 additional firefighters to staff it.
The city's firefighters union celebrated the passing of the budget on social media and noted that the mayor voted against it.
Wu clarified her reasoning at a Habitat for Humanity event Thursday.
"My vote (was) against the overall budget, not public safety, which remains my top priority," Wu said. "I support additional funding for the Wichita Police Department and Wichita Fire Department."
Mayor Wu has voted against every budget proposed during her term and says budget increases should be restricted to inflation.
Beef ranchers’ discontent
Some ranchers are anxious about the U.S. reopening the southern border to livestock from Mexico.
Mexican cattle imports had been shut down since late 2024 to help keep out the New World Screwworm, a parasitic pest that can be a huge problem for ranchers.
A port of entry opened for livestock in Arizona on Monday. American feedlots and meatpackers have struggled without the cattle from Mexico.
But Bill Bullard, CEO of the cattle and sheep producer group R-CALF, says the imports risk spreading screwworm.
“The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing to prematurely relax our important mitigation measures against the pest by phasing in border openings," he said. "We believe this is a mistake. We believe this is dangerous."
Cases of screwworm have declined each month in the U.S. since the pest first appeared in June. The Kansas Farm Bureau has criticized President Trump's plans to increase beef imports.
Trans employee at KU preps for legal fight
A transgender University of Kansas custodian is preparing for a potential legal fight after she was warned for using a women’s restroom at work.
Siobhan Kirchstein was reported to KU for using a restroom that does not match the sex assigned at birth. The law allows people to report violations at publicly owned facilities.
“It just takes one person, just one person, to be freaked out enough to report someone,” she said.
Kirchstein received a warning for a first offense. Future violations could bring a $1,000 fine and misdemeanor charges. A person violating the law can also be sued for $1,000.
Supporters have formed Trans Solidarity KU and are raising money for potential legal costs. The law says facilities violating the law are liable for a $25,000 fine for a first offense. A KU spokesperson says the university has not been fined.
Little Jerusalem Badlands state park gets improvements
Construction starts this week on a new visitor center at the Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park.
Now through the end of the year, crews will build a welcome center for one of the state's newest parks. Trailheads will remain open during the project.
Little Jerusalem spans 332 acres between Oakley and Scott City. It hosts the state's largest deposit of Niobrara Chalk, a white stone made from prehistoric marine fossils that twists into dramatic towers.
Since its opening in 2019, the park has grown in popularity. Last year, more than 21,000 people visited the park.
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