General News in the 316

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Wichita by EB - The Drone Light Festival returns to Wichita's Exploration Place

One of the coolest light shows will be returning to Exploration Place when the Drone Light Festival takes place on September 20-22.

This will be the festival’s third year as they look for a third consecutive sell-out success. Hundreds and hundreds of people made their way to Exploration Place in 2022 and 2023 to watch the synchronized drones.

The year’s festival will be bigger and better than last year. As a special bonus for 2024, this event marks the grand opening of the new Wichita Foundation Amphitheater and an all-new event plaza at Exploration Place.

Exploration Place is really a true gem for this community and it's only going to get better.

We need to keep Adam Smith here as long as possible.

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Reminder that the Frontiers in Flight at McConnell AFB is around the corner.

Pensacola News Journal - The Blue Angels headline Frontiers in Flight air show at McConnel Air Force Base

The Blue Angels will head from the Pikes Peak Regional Air Show in Colorado Springs to the Frontiers in Flight air show held at McConnell Air Force Base.

The free, two-day Wichita air show will take place on Aug. 24-25. The base will open its gates at 9 a.m. for both days and thousands of guests will get a chance to witness the Blue Angels perform alongside several other professional performers.

Here’s what you need to know to watch the Blue Angels perform at the Frontiers in Flight air show.

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MSN - Logan Mize to perform at Wichita Riverfront Stadium

The Wichita Wind Surge announced the first headliner concert at Riverfront Stadium.

The concert will be Friday Oct. 4. and feature country singer and songwriter Logan Mize, with Dylan Bloom as the opening act. Tickets will go on sale Thursday, Aug. 8, at 9 a.m.

“The gates will open tentatively right now at 6 o’clock. We may move it up slightly but showtime is set to begin at 7,” said Matt Hamilton, Wichita Wind Surge general manager.

Hamilton said the stage will be on the field at second base, and those interested in attending will be able to buy tickets for the field. There will also be seating in the stadium’s bowl.

This is a good use for Riverfront when there are no games. It provides a large, open air venue for acts with a decent name in the business. I know people that love the outdoor experience of The Wave, but this is a little larger setting than that.

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My former employer has changed hands once again. I was in my first week there when they announced that QSI was going to be acquired by Cushman & Wakefield. It wasn't a bad job. I really enjoyed my QSI team and the atmosphere that they created there in Colwich. The Cushman experience wasn't all bad, but they tried pretty hard early on to make a square peg fit into a round hole and never seemed to fully understand why we were successful and why they couldn't do some of the things that they thought they could. I departed there a couple of years ago. My boss had left (best boss ever) and I was getting a little fed up with some of the people in STL who were over us at that point. My former boss actually gave me a heads up on my current job, not with her or the company she works for, but she had been talking to one of the owners about a new position they were thinking of creating and thought I'd be perfect. Better pay and an even better work environment and I don't regret it.

With that said, I still have a number of friends at QSI and I hope that this new leadership for them gets them back to doing the things that they do best and helps keep those jobs in Colwich.

WBJ - Wichita facilities maintenance company with 280 employees acquired

A Wichita facilities maintenance company and its staff of 280 employees have been acquired by the Arizona-based Vixxo.

Formerly known as QSI Inc., Cushman & Wakefield Facilities Solutions, headquartered in Wichita, is a third-party, multi-state facilities management company serving retail, convenience, health care and several other industries for more than 200,000 buildings throughout North America.

QSI rebranded to CWFS after it was acquired in 2019 by global commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, based in Chicago.

Always worry about jobs when acquisitions are made, but I choose to be optimistic today.

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This seems like a big deal for the entrepreneurial future of Kansas.

WBJ - Entrepreneurship organizations team up to strengthen Wichita Startup Week

Local entrepreneurship organizations have announced a partnership for the city's flagship Wichita Startup Week slated to run from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4 this fall.

NXTUS, FlagshipKansas.tech, Wichita Independent Business Association and Create Campaign will incorporate their respective entrepreneurship events along with Wichita Startup Week, according to a news release.

The release added that events from the organizations were previously conducted separately from Wichita Startup Week as local entrepreneurs, founders and organization members volunteered to spearhead the event.

"This unified effort is all about benefiting our entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem," Mary Beth Jarvis, president and CEO of NXTUS, said in the release. "By joining forces, we can offer a lineup of events that elevates Kansas as a prominent hub for innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship and draws participants in, knowing their week will be jammed with valuable programs."

A lot of avenues to learn, make connections, and move forward.

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I've been a bit busy the past few days so there may end up being more posts than usual today.

WBJ - Everhome Suites, an emerging extended-stay hotel brand, plans to open first Wichita location next year

A new extended-stay hotel brand is coming to northeast Wichita.

Everhome Suites, which is a part of international hospitality giant Choice Hotels International (NYSE: CHH), is advancing plans to build a four-story hotel near 37th and Rock Road, according to city-county records.

The company confirmed to the WBJ that it expects the 123-room hotel to open in November 2025.

Looks like this will be a little north of the QT on Thorn Dr. I believe this is west of the building that used to be home to Via Christi.

Choice Hotels bills Everhome as a "midscale" extended-stay brand with a focus on newly constructed buildings.

Rooms have fully-equipped kitchens, spa-style bathrooms and what the company calls "me" spaces — with movable workstations, additional storage and full-size closets.

On-site amenities include a 24/7 fitness center, self-service marketplace and guest laundry facilities.

The Wichita Everhome Suites will be the company's first in Kansas.

I know a year or two ago there was talk of trying to develop that stretch of land between QT, Central Plains Steel, and the Thorn Building (Via Christi). To the best of my knowledge, this will be the first new construction in that particular area and I'm not sure if they've filled any of the space that Via Christi departed in the Thorn Building. Hopefully more construction will come in the near future in that area.

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And on water...

City of Wichita - Wichita Escalating to Stage 2 Drought Response

City Manager Robert Layton declared that Wichita is moving to Stage 2 of the City’s drought response plan. In July, levels at Cheney Reservoir dropped below the original Stage 2 trigger of a 12-month average of Cheney conservation pool water levels below 69% full.

Staff determined that the most prudent action at this time is to enact Stage 2 restrictions for two months to get the City past prime irrigation season with a goal to reduce community-wide usage by 10%. The City will monitor levels and will extend Stage 2 into the fall months if necessary.

Beginning August 5, all City of Wichita water customers, including residential users, businesses, wholesale and commercial customers, will be limited to watering their lawns to once a week, based on their location.

Outdoor water usage is limited to one day per week, determined by location:

1. Monday - Northwest of Central and Broadway intersection
2. Tuesday - Northeast of Central and Broadway intersection
3. Wednesday - Southwest of Central and Broadway intersection
4. Thursday - Southeast of Central and Broadway intersection
5. Friday, Saturday, Sunday - no outdoor water usage allowed

Some exemptions for businesses dependent on water use for their operations such as nurseries, hospitals, car washes and more are applicable. Wichita Public Works staff will monitor accounts of excessive water users and send a warning letter should water use continue to be high throughout Stage 2 restrictions. If high water use continues after they receive a letter, water users will be levied a $50 penalty the next time they exceed their average winter consumption, and a $100 penalty for each subsequent violation. Consumers with water usage or drought concerns may report them on the Wichita Report app or by contacting the call center at (316) 942-4482.

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More Eisenhower news

KSN - Eisenhower National sets June passenger record

Wichita’s Eisenhower National Airport has set a new record for travel.

The airport says 175,880 passengers flew in and out of Wichita in June. That number beats the previous record of 169,541 set in June 2019, before the pandemic.

According to airport figures, total passengers are up 8.04% for the year. The airport says the increase can be attributed to American Airlines’ new service to Washington, DC and Phoenix.

Additionally, the airline has increased seating for flights to Dallas-Fort Worth Airport by 8.6% and to Chicago by 87.4%. United has also increased flights to Houston by 35%.

One would think if these numbers continue to look positive it will only help ICT land more direct flights in the future. I know they're looking at getting another in the northeast and I believe another out west as well.

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For those keeping track, Towne West made it 17 days with power before being disconnected again. This is the 7th time this year Evergy has had to disconnect them.

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A nice improvement on the way for Ike

MSN - Changes coming to concessions at Eisenhower National Airport

Wichita’s Eisenhower National Airport says you will soon see changes to the pre-security Aviator’s Café concession stand.

The stand, which is in the center of the airport vestibule between ticketing and baggage claim, offers baked goods, grab-and-go items, fresh, made-to-order sandwiches, wraps and salads, and a full-service bar for travelers before they head through the security checkpoints towards their gates. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A portion of the space is now undergoing renovation to be converted into a mini-convenience market called Grab & Go. Grab and Go will allow travelers, guests, and airport staff to purchase food, drinks, and other items 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Nothing major, but something that should improve the overall quality of experience for those coming and going from ICT.

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If anyone is interested, there's a new podcast in town that could be interesting to follow as they find their groove. It was around 25 minutes.

Wichita by EB - 07/31/24 - The Wichita Dinner Table

On the inaugural episode of the Wichita Dinner Table, we launch the newest online talk show.

Joined by Emmy award-winning Annette Lawless, Troy Trussell with Trussell Media Studios and Live Local, and the Kansas Gastronomist. We discuss upcoming events, what’s going on in the city and just general chatter about what’s good in Wichita.

On the July 31st episode, we discuss new openings in town, school around the corner, and positive things we are seeing in town.

This is a potential feel good podcast with some respected members of the community that will showcase some of the great things in the area. I think we're all familiar with Eddy (EB) and if you follow him on socials you're probably familiar with TKG as well.

They dealt with some audio issues but I like where this could be headed and it's hosted by people who truly do love the 316.

Video to the podcast is in the link.

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It’d be kinda cool to see a trolley or cable car go between the new biomed building and Ascension via Christi (why’d they change the name from St Francis anyway) on a regular basis throughout the day.
Not sure if traffic between the 2 facilities will financially justify the need but I assume we’ll see quite a few students and others going back and forth.

I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see something along those lines down there eventually. There will be a benefit to make the connections in that corridor easier and more efficient.

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I’m sure short sighted on my behalf, but this is an example of the competition between NE Ks and SC Ks.
With the potential stadiums moving to WYCO, we’ll be on the continued short end.
We need some strong leadership in the statehouse that walk softly and carry a loud voice!

I hadn't even thought about that. I'd hoped, I guess, with 254 being one of the worst stretches of road for traffic accidents/fatalities in the state that it would get a bit more priority.

I know there are a set amount of funds and such, but with the future addition of the Integra site and the growth that will help bring, along with continued development in NE Wichita, Andover, and hopefully Benton, there's going to end up being even more traffic along there.

Benton has already secured a planned development of around 100 houses (maybe more) to begin in the next year or so, which we hope will help spur some other development in the area. The city is currently struggling to get out of this tweener stage where we need more rooftops to bring in business but need more business to secure more rooftops. There's a lot of land in and around town just waiting for activity and some land owners who I believe are very open to selling for such developments. And Stearman seems as popular as ever and brings in a lot of people and money from outside the immediate area.

Word is Andover may be getting yet another small grocery store on the north side of town where the old Butler Andover facility was recently torn down and put up for sale. They're also building more houses on the north side.

There's a Grass Creek development a few miles north of Andover that has started to see more action this past year. Land isn't cheap (I looked) but it's a nice area a couple miles southwest of Benton.

I'm not sure what, if anything, Towanda has planned. I think I've heard that they've grown to their south a bit, but I generally only hit up the high school or Gambino's so don't see much.

El Dorado continues to try and grow their industrial presence and has a lot of land to offer those who are willing to set up shop there. They can probably do more to bring someone in as they have a pretty good location with access to K254, K196, K177, I35, US54, and US77. I'm not sure if they're lacking leadership over there or if there are other things that are holding them back in that area.

As per usual when talking about my hometown and county I get a little carried away.

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More news in the future Bio-Med District

WBJ - Ascension Via Christi sells properties near St. Francis within biomed corridor



The land purchased is nearly the entire block between St. Francis and Santa Fe. It appears to be a parking lot for now.

Ascension Kansas exec Kevin Strecker seemed to indicate that construction should begin in the next three months.

It will be interesting to see what it ends up being.

It’d be kinda cool to see a trolley or cable car go between the new biomed building and Ascension via Christi (why’d they change the name from St Francis anyway) on a regular basis throughout the day.
Not sure if traffic between the 2 facilities will financially justify the need but I assume we’ll see quite a few students and others going back and forth.

[Veritas]

I knew it wouldn't be quick, but for as dangerous as K254 is, the State is in no hurry to actually do anything about it. As Wichita and surrounding areas continue to grow, it's only going to get worse. Just read where they project completion around 25 years from now. That's a little discouraging.

I’m sure short sighted on my behalf, but this is an example of the competition between NE Ks and SC Ks.
With the potential stadiums moving to WYCO, we’ll be on the continued short end.
We need some strong leadership in the statehouse that walk softly and carry a loud voice!