General News in the 316

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KSN - Electric scooter ordinance could be changed in Wichita

The Wichita City Council on Tuesday will consider changing the electric scooter ordinance.

The ordinance would be amended to remove the current prohibition of scooter operation “between the hours of dusk or 9:00 p.m., whichever is earlier, and sunrise.”

Penny Feist, interim director of Wichita Transit, said instead, the ordinance would be replaced with a provision that all scooters must have a headlamp.

“We see a lot of demand increase around 6 or 7 p.m., and so when we disable them shortly thereafter, we think that we could really increase ridership by allowing them to be available a little bit longer,” Feist said.

Around 60K rides and only two safety issues is pretty good. How many scooters were pulled from the Arkansas though I do not know.

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Wichita by EB - Sedgwick County Zoo announces the return of "Flocktail", an adults only social event

Get ready to “fla-mingle” at the Zoo! This morning the Sedgwick County Zoo announced the return of its popular Flocktail event series, beginning Friday, April 26.

Flocktail is an exciting adults-only social event where guests will enjoy live music, yard games, a special food and drink menu, and so much more.

Tickets for Flocktail, which are $65 for non-members and $60 for Zoo members, allow guests after-hours access to featured areas of the Zoo. Flocktail will take place from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Besides April 26, additional dates for Flocktail are June 21 and Oct. 18.

Seems like a pretty cool fundraising opportunity for our lovely zoo.

Also never thought about it, but our zoo is the number 1 outdoor family tourist attraction in Kansas. That may change once Mattel has their park built near Bonner Springs in a few years.

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KAKE - Improvements coming to K-96 in three years, KDOT says

Every single day around 50,000 people use K-96 to get around Wichita and right now traffic can get really backed up as people get on and off of the highway.

Wednesday afternoon a long line of cars formed at K-96 and Woodlawn at the traffic stop as people waited to turn onto the highway. KDOT says as one of the city's most used highways it can get pretty congested and by 2050 it estimates 100,000 people will use K-96 every day. That's why it's coming up with plans to make traffic on K-96 more efficient.

"We want to make these interchanges safer. We want to improve the road and make sure it can accommodate an increasing capacity of drivers," said a spokesperson for KDOT, J.B. Wilson when explaining why KDOT is planning this.

He says one improvement the department is looking at doing is building five diverging diamond intersections as entrance ramps onto the highway. He says places like Kansas City already have these and it's been proven to make traffic move more effectively. This will be the first one in Wichita.

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Meeting on K96 tonight.

KSN - Meeting to be held on K-96 expansion in Wichita

The public is invited to attend a meeting for the K-96 Improvement Project in Wichita on Thursday, April 11, 2024, from 5-7 p.m. at the WSU Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex, 5015 E. 29th Street N.



The Kansas Department of Transportation is hosting the event.

Work is being planned to improve the K-96 freeway between Interstate I-135 and 21st Street on the east side of Wichita. The road would be expanded from four to six lanes. Interchanges would be improved at Hillside, Oliver, Woodlawn, Rock, Webb, Greenwich, and 21st Street. Some of the intersections may get a diverging diamond format.

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Towne West saga continues with another unpaid bill. This time the water has been shut off.

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WBJ - Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers' growth leads to top-10 placement on Yelp list

Last year, Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers opened a company-record 62 new restaurants across the country and crossed the 500-location mark.

That growth has earned national recognition.

In a list released Wednesday, Yelp (NYSE: YELP) ranked Wichita-based Freddy's as the seventh-fastest-growing brand in the U.S.

"Brands that are owning their Midwestern roots are catching fire among consumers, like Culver’s (No. 14 on the list), which emphasizes community ties and family values, and Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, which sells comfort food that reflects the warmth and familiarity of the region’s cuisine," Yelp's analysis said.

Culver's, based in Wisconsin, is set to open its first Wichita location later this year.

The online review and reservation company highlighted "major headway" Freddy's has made in the northeastern part of the country and New Jersey, in particular.

Nice recognition.

No. 1 CAVA
No. 2 Scooter's Coffee
No. 3 LongHorn Steakhouse
No. 4 The Habit Burger Grill
No. 5 Wawa
No. 6 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
No. 7 Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers
No. 8 Rally House
No. 9 Olive Garden (This one surprised me)
No. 10 Jersey Mike's Subs

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KWCH - Andover YMCA announces reopening date

The Andover YMCA will reopen May 20, more than two years after an EF-3 tornado tore through the facility, causing massive damage and setting off a lengthy recovery process.

In February, it was announced that the YMCA would reopen in May; Tuesday’s news established the exact date. The tornado happened on April 29, 2022.

In May 2023, the water park at the Andover YMCA reopened, and in April of that year, the YMCA released renderings of the planned renovation process, which included a reimagined rock wall called the “Lucky Climber” among other amenities.

In addition to upgrades, the Andover Y will have more than 160 staff openings. You can find information on those openings and how to apply here: Andover YMCA job opportunities.

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I didn't know about this. Pretty cool if you ask me, which nobody did.

DVIDS - McConnell Airmen Volunteer to Fix Historic 'Doc' B-29

Master Sgt. Kenneth Jenkins, 22nd Maintenance Squadron flight chief, led a team of five volunteer Airmen to repair and manufacture cables for “Doc,” a B-29 Superfortress, Feb. 8, at the Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita, Kansas.

The team spent hours successfully replacing damaged elevator control cables that previously deemed this rare World War II bomber unflyable.

“There’s people who are still alive that flew this aircraft during World War II,” Jenkins said. “There’s a lady who just turned 99 that put the rivets into that aircraft back in the 1940s.”

Jenkins’ team used their mechanical knowledge to honor those men and women who sacrificed their lives to build, fly, maintain and design the wartime aircraft.

“When younger people get involved, it’s really neat,” said Jenkins. “Being an older guy, we get sentimental about old equipment. The fact that we had so many younger people step up and volunteer to do this on their own time - it’s awesome.”

I didn't know that Doc had been effectively grounded at some point over the winter until certain repairs could be made. It's pretty cool to have some people from McConnell step up and volunteer to help make that happen. I can only imagine their mechanical knowledge and experience on more modern aircraft was still invaluable when it comes to getting things done for Doc.

I hope we can keep Doc flying for a long time.

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Also just read that Genesis Health Clubs has acquired The Sandbox in Derby.

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New, fun game being created by a couple of guys from Wichita? I'm intrigued.

Eagle - Like movie trivia? This new game a couple of Wichitans created may be for you

Some people used the pandemic to clean their closets, start a craft or learn to bake bread, but you might call Jace Bothner and Jake Treat toppers thanks to what they did.

The two used that time — the last four years, actually — to invent a game they’re now trying to take to market through Kickstarter.

Martini Shot is a movie trivia game that can be played online or as a “quasi virtual game,” as Bothner put it, both online and on a traditional game board.

I love movie trivia and have a number of friends who are too. This could actually be a fun way to get together and play over a few drinks and just shoot the ****.

There were a number of hurdles Bothner had to overcome, such as grouping movies into easy, medium and hard categories.

He said he didn’t exactly create an algorithm, “but it’s definitely a formula we’re using.”

The categories are based on how popular movies are.

With each question a team gets right, players can advance a token in the shape of a martini glass on the playing board.

Bothner said he’s not a particularly competitive person, but he wanted to ensure the game is fair with its questions.

“It’s pretty annoying when your team gets a really hard one, and the next team gets a really easy one.”

He also wanted questions to get progressively more difficult the more players answered correctly.

“That was kind of one of the other things I wanted to solve with my programming skills.”

I like that it can be continually updated. Most games that add cards/questions/whatever get issued in another box set that costs $20 or some such, so to keep updating a fun game can end up costing you over $100. I'm thinking something like Cards Against Humanity and the plethora of games that are similarly done with different avenues for entertainment.

I'm going to look into this one.

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KWCH - Forbes says Wichita is 5th best city for pet owners

A recent study Forbes Advisor found that Wichita is the fifth best city for pet owners.

The study said dog owners in Wichita pay the lowest prices for vet visits ($57.95 average cost), vaccinations ($196.82) and dental cleanings ($346.95 average cost), and the second lowest average amount for spay and neuter surgeries, at $462.20. Wichita cat owners also pay the lowest prices for vet visits ($57.95 average cost), vaccinations ($85.82), spay and neuter surgeries ($267.20 average cost) and dental cleanings ($346.95 average cost).

Wichita boasts the highest concentration of pet stores with 25.07 per 10,000 businesses, and it has the third highest concentration of veterinary offices, with 81.98 per 10,000 businesses.

The top four were Kansas City, Mo.; Nashville; Albuquerque, N.M.; and Raleigh, N.C.

Some of those prices seem a little high. Granted, my vet is outside of Wichita so maybe that plays a part. I'm sure size of pet sometimes plays a role in pricing and I have medium sized dogs which may help a little bit as well.

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WBJ - What the launch timeline now looks like for a big northeast Wichita pickleball project

Construction is about to ramp up at the site of a 35,000 square-foot pickleball venue in northeast Wichita.

The pre-engineered metal building components for TapNPaddles, a new concept from owners Mike and Kelli Ventling, are set to arrive later this week at the District 96 development just north of K-96 at Oliver and 35th Street.

From there, Mike Ventling said the structure can start going up.

Ventling said the team should know more by the end of May, but he's targeting a September or October soft opening for the facility, which will feature 12 indoor pickleball courts, an event space and a full-service bar and restaurant.

The courts will be built to USA Pickleball standards, with Ventling highlighting that he's paying a premium for details such as lighting that provides nearly zero glare.

"That's kind of our philosophy — to create it, make it pro level, and everybody from beginner on up is going to enjoy playing there," said Ventling, a pickleball player himself.

Greening Construction Inc., based in the Wichita area, is the general contractor.

Tomas Hoyos, a research scholar at Texas A&M University, is helping with the design, recently completing exterior renderings. Ventling said Hoyos has worked with other pickleball clubs, which is how he got connected with him.

This is not an area of town I've spent much time around, outside of driving by on K96. But it sounds like this could potentially end up being an area that once fully developed could be another potential destination type of area. A lot will depend on how they fill out the rest of the area, but there's some potential to make it a nice area that can build upon and support itself.

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KSN - SNL star Pete Davidson bringing tour to Wichita

Comedian Pete Davidson will bring his “Prehab Tour” to the Wichita Orpheum Theatre on May 22.

Be one of the first to get tickets starting Wednesday at 10 a.m. (code: TURBO). Tickets go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 12.

Davidson spent time as a cast member on NBC’s Saturday Night Live for nine years. He was listed as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2022.

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WBJ - Overland Park firm already engaged in Wichita market plans $105M Bel Aire project

Aspen Funds, an Overland Park-based real estate investment firm with ties to Wichita, has secured funding for a new speculative buildings project in Bel Aire's Sunflower Commerce Park.

The firm, which is also responsible for the build-out of south Wichita's Ironhorse Manufacturing Park, will build five spec buildings that will cover just over 20 acres of the almost 80 acres of land contracted to the firm on the northeast corner of 53rd Street North and Webb Road. The buildings will be used for industrial, manufacturing, warehouse, distribution and office purposes.

The development is projected to create 609 jobs with an average salary of $44,000.

They've had some success at Ironhorse and if they can have it here, it will be a nice little boost to NE Wichita/Bel Aire.

There's a lot more potential for it should Integra eventually get their CHIPS funding.

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KSN - Wichita native Scott Engler suiting up for Wind Surge on Opening Day

Engler’s agent gave him the call and told him to gather his things and immediately join the Minnesota Twins organization, which meant a stop in his hometown.

“When it really started to hit me was about 10 o’clock at night,” Engler said. “I was just lying in bed, and I was like, I mean, I couldn’t sleep. I was so excited. I slept from maybe 10 to midnight, and that was the rest. I woke up, and I was just thinking about my next day and how exciting it was going to be because I had a pretty good feeling that I would be coming back to Wichita to play. And I was just filled with like such joy.”

A graduate of Bishop Carroll High School in 2015, Engler has worked with many Golden Eagle athletes. The team is happy to have him home.

“I was in on a couple of their practices, you know, playing catch with a couple of them and just hung around them. And then there’s guys that I gave lessons to,” Engler said.