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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