Hamilton: Dems will see 'one-and-done' blue wave if they focus on investigating Trump
Democratic Senator-elect Adam Hamilton told a national news program Sunday that he is ready to get to work in Washington.
The newly elected Kansas senator answered questions on NBC's "Meet the Press" about his historic victory and his priorities when he takes office in January.
Hamilton told NBC's Kristen Welker that the midterm election reflected voters' frustration with current leadership.
"I think it was also a sense of common decency. This is part of our campaign was, you know, 'We've got to do better. This is not decent,'" Hamilton said. "There was cruelty, there was corruption, there were things happening in D.C. that people were saying, 'That's just not American, it's not who we are as Kansans, and we have to do better.'"
Hamilton said he hopes Democrats in Congress focus on lowering the cost of living and ending the war in Iran rather than impeaching President Trump or investigating his administration.
"Let's focus on helping the American people," he said. "And I'll tell you, the Democrats, if they don't .. if we don't figure that out and get to work on helping people, this is going to be a one-and-done kind of blue wave."
Hamilton repeated previous statements that he will not back Chuck Schumer for Senate majority leader.
Justice Together to hold Community Problems Assembly on Monday
Local faith leaders will come together Monday to announce the results of their fall listening sessions and set out plans for the coming year.
Justice Together will hold its annual Community Problems Assembly at 6 p.m. Monday at First United Methodist Church in downtown Wichita.
The grassroots organization includes representatives from about 40 religious communities. Leaders say the goal is to mobilize for social justice.
Justice Together wants Wichita city leaders to put a stand-alone quarter-cent sales tax on the ballot next year that would go toward housing and homelessness.
Zoo and Botanica open seasonal retail pop-up stores
The Sedgwick County Zoo is opening a limited-time retail store at New Market Square in west Wichita.
The shop, called Zoo Market Square, will open Wednesday and run through December 23. It will offer zoo memberships and zoo-themed gifts and other items, including clothing, jewelry and toys.
It's not the only local attraction delving into the retail market.
Botanica recently opened a pop-up shop in the former Eddie Bauer space at Bradley Fair.
Botanica's "Glow & Grow" shop will run through the holidays and offer merchandise, workshops and family activities.
Wichita district will redraw some attendance boundaries
The Wichita school district plans to redraw some attendance boundaries as part of its plans to close two elementary schools.
L’Ouverture and Pleasant Valley elementary schools will close at the end of this school year.
The district will redraw boundaries to decide which schools those students will attend starting next school year.
Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld said the district ultimately hopes to minimize disruptions to families.
“You can imagine how, if you change your boundary to change a boundary to change a boundary, you could have this big ripple effect. And now all of a sudden, there's 1,000 kids going to different schools," he said.
District staff will propose new boundaries at the Wichita Board of Education meeting Monday evening.
Next month, the district will host informational meetings with families at the two schools before the board votes on the proposed boundaries.
Wichita City Council to hold evening meeting Tuesday
Tuesday's Wichita City Council meeting will be held at 6 p.m., a change from the council's usual morning schedule.
The council occasionally meets in the evening to give working citizens a chance to attend and engage with city leaders.
Council members are expected to discuss a possible property exchange with the school district for a new Adams Elementary School.
There will not be a council meeting the following week, since several members will be attending a National League of Cities summit in Nashville.
Southwest Kansas county elects first Latina to local office
Seward County in southwest Kansas elected its first Latina to the county commission as part of the wave sweeping Democrats into office.
Lizette Avalos-Morales won the seat last week. Two months ago, she was on the ground warning meatpacking plant workers when Immigration and Customs Enforcement started detaining people in her county.
Avalos-Morales said that event helped her solidify her leadership in the community and eventually win her local election.
"I went to the protest and I had QR codes and I said, 'Get registered,' right? And I registered probably like 40 people during those events," she said.
The southwestern Kansas county shifted nearly 50 points to Democrats this midterm, with a large number of voters registered after ICE activity in the area.
New United Way tool helps families find public assistance
United Way of the Plains has launched a new tool to help families find public assistance programs they might not know they qualify for.
The My Friend Ben site helps people find food, housing and healthcare assistance through a short list of questions.
The tool is free to use, anonymous and available in 18 languages. Questions regarding social security numbers or immigration status will not be asked.
Officials say the tool will be a part of their 211 resource and referral program.
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