General News in the 316

[SubGod22]

WBJ - KansasCOM sets up admissions partnership with another private Kansas college

Under a new agreement with Southwestern College, a select number of students at Southwestern will be able to begin their first year of medical school while in their senior year of undergraduate studies, KansasCOM announced this week.

The same program, which allows students to complete both undergraduate work and a medical degree in seven years, has also been established with Friends and Newman universities in Wichita.

“The partnership between Southwestern and KHSC-KansasCOM creates an excellent opportunity for our students and it deepens their connection to south-central Kansas — where many regional communities are in need of service-minded physicians,” said Liz Frombgen, Southwestern president, in a news release.

Southwestern students will be able to pursue their medical degree starting next summer.

Anything that aids the development of medical professionals in the state is a good thing.

I also think they know that competition for those pursuing a career in the medical field will intensify in a few years when the new WSU/KU med school facility is finally operational.

[SubGod22]

Taco Fest is this coming Saturday at the Capitol Federal Amphitheater in Andover.

Yahoo! - What you need to know about Taco Fest, which this year has more food, much more wrestling

Festive ICT’s Taco Fest — an annual all-ages event that has proven popular since its first installment in 2017 — is returning this weekend, and for the first time since it started, organizers will be sticking with the same venue two years in a row.

The taco-eating event, which happens from 3 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, will return to the Capitol Federal Amphitheater in Andover, where it landed in 2022 after a two-year COVID-19 break. (Previous Taco Fests happened at Union Station Plaza, Lawrence-Dumont Stadium and Cowtown.)

But the Andover venue works well for the event, said founder and Festive ICT owner Nnanna Okpara. It has plenty of space for organizers to spread out vendors and activities, and Andover has been especially welcoming, he said.

“The City of Andover has pulled out three red carpets for us,” Okpara said. “They’ve gone above and beyond. It’s mind blowing how far they’ve gone to make sure we’re comfortable and have everything we need.”

Organizers this year have tweaked a few things about the festival, including scheduling more frequent bouts of Lucha Libre wrestling — a big hit last year.

If you’re interested in attending this year’s Taco Fest, here’s everything you need to know:

More than 25 food trucks and restaurants will be there. There will be several bars where you can buy alcohol. Lucha Libre wrestling will be more frequent. If you're not familiar, it's often a very athletic bunch who will often times take some crazy risks to pull off stunts that are quite impressive. Wrestling will be throughout the day so you can catch a match no matter what time you attend.

[SubGod22]

KSN - Kellogg/US 54 project will slow travel just east of Wichita city limits

Starting as soon as Monday, people who drive between Wichita and Augusta may have to deal with single-lane, slower traffic on U.S. Highway 54, also known as Kellogg and U.S. Highway 400.

The Kansas Department of Transportation has hired crews to surface a 9-mile stretch of the highway from 159th Street East to the west side of Augusta.

The nearly $3.4 million project involves ultra-thin bonded asphalt surfacing, except for concrete pavement at Andover Road.

Depending on the weather, the project is expected to begin Monday, June 19, and last through the end of August.

Not sure why it will take over two months to complete. They just completely repaved everything from 159th/County Line Rd to I-135 in about four weeks. I believe that's approximately nine miles. I'm sure the area around Andover Rd. will take a little longer due to traffic flow at a massively busy intersection, but not an extra five or six weeks worth.

[SubGod22]

Speaking of Andover

WBJ - Massive Andover development eyes early 2024 for first business, apartment tenants

New roads, new houses, a name for its luxury apartments — and continued progress on what will be the largest building in Andover's history.

Activity is bustling at The Heritage, a 103-acre, mixed-use development on the west side of Yorktown Road in between U.S. 54 and Douglas Avenue.

The five-story Heritage Square building is the first commercial piece within The Heritage, a transformational nine-figure endeavor — years in the making — for the Wichita suburb, and continues to rise.

Now in year two of construction, Heritage Square will feature 53,000 square feet leasable for commercial use on the ground floor, 186 Class A apartments on floors 3-5, a second floor dedicated to parking (including secured parking for apartment residents) and 493 free public parking spaces.

Jerry Jones, one of the key figures behind the development, said he anticipates the first businesses and apartment tenants to move into the building in early 2024.
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Recently, the development unveiled a name — SkyLofts at The Heritage — for the apartments along with a website.

SkyLofts will feature three-, two- and one-bedroom units, as well as studio apartments, and 19 floor plans. Those looking to potentially live in the complex can reach out to SkyLofts at The Heritage — managed by Perry Reid Properties — to get on the "interest list," according to the website.

Each apartment will either have outward-facing vantage points of the suburb — including Butler Community College's new Redler Institute of Culinary Arts across the street — or The Heritage itself, which will feature six acres of community green space and Heritage Plaza, just west of SkyLofts, that will serve as a central gathering point within the community.

If they're facing the interior, residents will be able to see the interior courtyard or the third-floor pool.

The housing additions are nearing 50% filled.

They also mention having received a lot of interest from a wide array of businesses about filling the commercial spaces, but have nothing to announce yet. It does sound like they're getting close though. This appears to be a heck of a development and it will be interesting to see what it looks like when completed.

They have planned for 340,000 square feet of commercial space and a hotel in this development. This could be one heck of an addition to Andover if everything goes as planned.

There's also a slideshow of progress in the link.

[SubGod22]

If anyone is tracking the Wichita Open at all, a Wichita native is off to a hot start.

Yahoo! - From Monday qualifier to Wichita Open contention, Wichita golfer off to strong start

Dodge Kemmer is making the most of his return home to Wichita this week.

Since graduating from Stanford in 2009, the Wichita Independent product has been grinding on professional golf tours, most recently on the Asian Tour. He now lives in the Bay Area, which rarely affords him trips back to his hometown — let alone the chance to play in a golf tournament at Crestview Country Club, where his parents are still members.

After earning a spot in the Korn Ferry Tour tournament through a Monday qualifier, Kemmer continued his superb play with a 6-under round of 64 in Thursday’s opening round of the Wichita Open. In a field of 156, Kemmer is tied with 13 other golfers for second place, while 29-year-old Baylor grad Kyle Jones owned the Day 1 lead with an 8-under score of 62.

“I don’t think I put any more or less pressure on myself because it was in my hometown,” Kemmer said. “I prepared and played like I would any event on any tour. But it is nice to stay at home and see my parents. It’s definitely a little bit different vibe in that regard this week.”

It must have felt like 20 years ago for Kemmer, who considered Crestview’s North course his home course growing up, when he opened with birdies on three of the first four holes on Thursday.

He was also playing in the same group as another Wichita native, Cooper Schultz, an Andover Central graduate and current golfer at K-State who attracted a large following. It made for quite the different round than Kemmer was used to playing when he was a kid.

“It was kind of cool to see all of the pomp and circumstance of hosting a proper event like this,” Kemmer said. “I’m used to being the only guy on the putting green or seeing a guy putting in sandals, you know, the typical country-club atmosphere. It’s fun to see all of the tents and the people here today.”

Kemmer, who has only played in one Wichita Open before (in 2010), was treated to the full experience on Thursday, as he provided arguably the highlight of the day in front of the party crowd at the par-3 No. 17.

His iron shot missed the hole placement considerably, leaving Kemmer with approximately a 60-foot putt with a slope to navigate. Kemmer made the right read and had the perfect pace on his putt, as the ball dropped in to set off a celebration in the grandstands.

Schultz is not off to a hot start and is tied for last at +5.

[SubGod22]

I love Envision.

WBJ - Envision's Level Up program welcomes high school students to Wichita

High school students from around the U.S. who are blind or visually impaired will be in Wichita next week as part of Envision Inc.'s annual Level Up program.

The program addresses the learning gap between sighted students and those attending with virtual impairments. The program, with an emphasis in technology, helps those students gain academic, professional and interpersonal skills needed for post-secondary education and other careers.

Level Up runs Sunday through June 24.

"Level Up continues to evolve," said Hannah Christenson, director of community programs at Envision. "We research programs throughout the country that are preparing typically sighted teens and young adults for college and career. We always consider what kids are currently interested in and how we can make that accessible for our students."

Some of the training sessions include assistive technology, money management, cybersecurity, STEAM, and career planning.
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This year, Level Up has been named an authorized service provider by the state of Kansas' Education Enrichment Program (KEEP), which offers $1,000 awards per student to pay for goods and services that enhance academic enrichment.

A middle school version of the program will be held July 10-14 at Butler Community College in El Dorado. High Touch Technologies is a presenting sponsor for Level Up.

[SubGod22]

Towne West drama. Is the final death blow near?

KAKE - With just one day left to pay before losing power, some Towne West businesses say they're out regardless

Kohan Retail Investment Group, the owner of Towne West Square, has a history of delinquent utility and tax payments at its properties across the country, and now, those problems have made it to Wichita.

After not paying its electric bill since last November, Evergy says it only has one more day to pay, and even if it does, some businesses are already packing up.

"It's a sad day. We didn't want to leave. But it just doesn't seem like we have much of an option," said Sabrina Fisher.

Fisher owns Sunshine Designs just inside the mall's north entrance. She was excited to move her growing business to Towne West a year and a half ago, but Tuesday turned into a day she never expected.

"Without power, we can't work and unfortunately, we are in demand. We can't stop business just because we don't have power," said Fisher.

With just a few days' notice, Fisher and other businesses in the mall found out that because of nearly eight months of unpaid electric bills, Evergy is cutting power.

Last week, Evergy provided yet another extension saying the only way to avoid the power getting shut off was to make a payment due by the end of business Tuesday, which never happened.

However, late Tuesday, Evergy announced yet another extension saying the company promises to pay by Wednesday.

Apparently security has been instructed to keep any and all news people off of the property as KAKE was stopped from entering to talk to businesses who'd invited them in and removed from the property.

We've known for a long time that Towne West was in a difficult place and they were trying to find ways to make it beneficial, and at one point there was some hope. But with this drama that's been ongoing and the apparent history of non-payment from Kohan, it doesn't look good at all.

[Kung Wu]

I wonder what the monthly utility bill at Towne West is?

[SubGod22]

I wonder what the monthly utility bill at Towne West is?

Can't be cheap. And it sounds like they owe about 8 months worth at this point. Considering I read about paychecks bouncing a month or so ago, I'm not real optimistic about this working out in the end. Evergy has apparently tried to work with them, and I'm kind of surprised they've had as much leash as they have to this point. I guess we find out today if payment is made, and goes through, or if Towne West goes dark.

[WuDrWu]

Machinists vote to strike at Spirit.

What am I missing here?

[SubGod22]

You can get a chance to see to Lombardi in person on July 1.

KAKE - Chiefs coming to Wichita to show off Lombardi Trophy

The Kansas City Chiefs have announced the Chiefs Champions Tour, a mobile brand experience to provide fans throughout the Midwest an opportunity to celebrate their Super Bowl win. The tour will make a stop in Wichita on July 1 at the Scheels Grand Opening Celebration.

The tour will commute around the team's six-state "home" region, according to a press release. This will be the first time in franchise history that the Chiefs have hosted a tour to celebrate a Super Bowl victory.

"We are thrilled to announce our Chiefs Champions Tour this summer," Chiefs President Mark Donovan said. "With a global pandemic in 2020, we were not able to celebrate properly with Chiefs Kingdom after our Super Bowl LIV victory, so this tour has been something we have been looking forward to for the past couple of years. We are proud of the team here that helped put together this summer-long trip that invites the Kingdom to celebrate with us."
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Cities already confirmed for the tour are listed below:

• Saturday, June 24 – Omaha Baseball Village at The Old Mattress Factory, Omaha, Neb.
• Tuesday-Wednesday, June 27-28 – Missouri State House, Jefferson City, Mo.
• Saturday, July 1 – Scheels Grand Opening Celebration, Wichita, Kan.
• Sunday, July 16 – Helzberg Diamonds, Leawood, Kan.
• Monday, July 17 – Kansas State House, Topeka, Kan.
• Sunday, July 23 – Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa
• Saturday, July 29 – Back Together Weekend at Chiefs Training Camp, St. Joseph, Mo.
• Saturday, August 12 – Lenexa Farmers Market, Lenexa, Kan.
• Saturday, August 19 – Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market, Des Moines, Iowa
• Friday, September 1 – First Fridays with the Chiefs, Kansas City, Mo.

Additional stops will be added as they are confirmed at www.chiefs.com/championstour.

[SubGod22]

Also appears that Towne West has paid Evergy and the lights will stay on. I do wonder how many businesses will leave though because of this? I hope the businesses that do pull out can find somewhere that works for them to continue operation. The threat of essentially being shut down because your landlord won't pay their bills has got to be stressful, especially when you're paying rent and such to cover such things.

[WstateU]

Also appears that Towne West has paid Evergy and the lights will stay on. I do wonder how many businesses will leave though because of this? I hope the businesses that do pull out can find somewhere that works for them to continue operation. The threat of essentially being shut down because your landlord won't pay their bills has got to be stressful, especially when you're paying rent and such to cover such things.

Some tenants have already packed up and moved… they’re done. What a shame.

[SubGod22]

KSN - ICT SOS working towards an end to human trafficking

ICT SOS serves survivors of human trafficking.

“The average age of entering human trafficking here in Wichita, Kansas is 14 to 17,” said Ashley Burdick, Education Facilitator with ICT SOS.

The nonprofit brings the message of prevention to young people through its “Not Alone: Awareness Education.”

“It’s not the creepy guy on the street following you, going to snatch you up,” said Burdick.

The team is debunking myths and focusing on facts.

“Someone is always going to be exploited, and then there’s always an exchange of value,” said Burdick.

Sharing where predators lurk, “some of those online gaming spaces and social media [spaces] because kids are just on there and have so much access to that,” said Burdick. “They are definitely at a higher risk for being trafficked.”

The program is brought into classrooms, “we know that if kids have knowledge about what human trafficking is that they’re more able to identify it, they’re able to see those red flags,” said Burdick.

I'm a big fan, and supporter, of this organization. What they're doing is a great thing, and the support and help they give those who have escaped that life is to be commended. I'm glad to see them getting some more recognition for what they're doing and trying to accomplish.

[SubGod22]

Reminder of the NHL in Wichita and a way to pass along a few bucks from your ticket purchases to WSU.