The Blind Boys of Alabama will grace the gospel stage in Wichita tonight at Riverfest. The legendary group originally started in 1939. They’ve performed for U-S presidents, won several Grammys and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award. KMUW’s Carla Eckels spoke with Ricky McKinnie, one of the lead singers of the Blind Boys, about their music and impact.
Plus more on these stories:
- Senator Jerry Moran is co-sponsoring legislation to invest new federal resources into the Federal Aviation Administration's Center of Excellence that was formed by Wichita State University and the University of Washington.
- Wichita's Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport will see some air service changes soon.
- A national shortage of cancer drugs is forcing some Kansas doctors to ration medication. Supply chain issues have squeezed supplies of more than a dozen chemotherapy drugs.
- Punishing drought on the high plains has farmers in Oklahoma and Kansas expecting the smallest wheat harvest in decades.
- A U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last week means the Clean Water Act does not reach as many streams and wetlands as has legally been the case for the past 50 years. That sharply limits the jurisdiction of federal agencies to regulate water quality and pollution.
- The State's "Rural Murals" program is funding public art projects in 14 communities this year.
- The City of Wichita is expected to make changes to Douglas Street between Seneca and Meridian soon.
Wichita's Early Edition is produced by KMUW News and is part of the NPR Podcast Network.
Producer: Debra Fraser and Beth Golay
Editors: Debra Fraser and Beth Golay
Contributors: Kylie Cameron, Rose Conlon, Carla Eckels, Debra Fraser, Frank Morris, and Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco
Theme Music: Torin Andersen
Digital Editors: Hugo Phan and Karlee Cooper
