General News in the 316

[SubGod22]

KAKE - Botanica's Illuminations in Wichita up for best holiday lights display

WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) - A Wichita holiday lights display is in the running to be voted the best in the country.

Illuminations at Botanica is in the top 20 running for USA Today's 10Best favorite botanical garden holiday lights.

"Illuminations at Botanica in Wichita features nights illuminated with some two million twinkling bulbs, paired with thousands of luminaries to light the way," USA Today said. "Carolers and live music set the scene each night, and Santa is on-site for visits with young visitors."

You can follow the link of 10 Best up above to view those in contention and vote if you wish. I'm enjoying looking at them all, but I've always been a sucker for Christmas lights in general.

Botanica currently sits in 9th place. Voting continues for I believe another 24 days.

[Veritas]

Which is what I thought the original intention of building the HS in Bel Aire was about. Maybe it was just an assumption that the district would add a Northeast HS to the mix. It's still a school and all, but I think it has some other specified focus or something. I've never looked much into it. Though I also believe they started to build, or at least plan, that school when they were also trying to take some of the Circle district and add it to Wichita. That fight forced Circle to delay the building of Greenwich Elementary until an official decision was made on boundaries and if Circle was going to lose land.

Regardless, it definitely appears that another HS on the east side somewhere might help alleviate some things. I also don't know how Wichita splits up their maps so I'm not sure where else a school might make sense. Wichita is also running low on directional names so they may have to get creative if they do build.

Looks like Wichita Northeast High is a magnet school and the first in Kansas with an enrollment of under 700

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_Magnet_High_School

[SubGod22]

700? Isn't that a pretty good sized school? I may have to look at it next time I drive by that area. Maybe it always just seemed bigger than it really is from a distance.

[SubGod22]

I can't help but wonder if this school, and the new one downtown, will have a major impact on what we might see in and around Wichita in the years to come. A number of young people with some proper food education and learning techniques and being allowed to experiment could create some top level chefs that can benefit new or existing restaurants down the road.

WBJ - Butler's Redler Institute of Culinary Arts off to a fast start

"It’s not only a great teaching facility with an incredible pastry kitchen and culinary arts kitchen," he said. "It also turns into an event space where people enjoying the event can see the culinary arts in action."

Hutton designed and built the facility.

Chef Luis Peña, Butler Community College's director of culinary arts, said the upgrade from the program's previous home at the Boston Recreation Center in Wichita has been big for instructors and students alike.

Because "it's our own home," it "gives us the liberty to be here when we need to be here," said Peña, whose wife, Alicia, is a pastry arts instructor in the program.

Peña, who has experience in multiple New York City Michelin-starred restaurants, said the program gives students the opportunity to learn the basics and gradually work their way up to more advanced concepts at a price that is a "huge discount" to culinary programs in other parts of the country.

[SubGod22]

An event with at least some economic benefit to Wichita as hundreds spend time in town for a few days.

WBJ - Bombardier draws hundreds to Wichita for Safety Standdown

The company said prior to the event that it expected 400 in-person attendees and more than 1,000 virtually for the 2022 iteration, entitled “Moving Safety Forward.”

“Bombardier’s Safety Standdown is known for bringing industry experts and thought leaders together for three days to tackle the latest topics and challenges in aviation safety. These leaders not only provide practical skills training but also inspire participants to create a climate where safety is the overriding driver behind every decision,” Chris Milligan, the company’s vice president of pre-owned aircraft services and flight operations, said in a press release. “We expect that the knowledge and relationships participants develop at this year’s seminar will help disseminate higher standards of safety and professionalism throughout the industry and around the world.”

Bombardier brought Safety Standdown back to Wichita last year after a virtual event in 2020 amid the pandemic.

[Shockm]

700? Isn't that a pretty good sized school? I may have to look at it next time I drive by that area. Maybe it always just seemed bigger than it really is from a distance.

From what I recall reading, 700-800 is similar to most 5A schools (there are 32 of them) in the state (maybe a few of the bigger 4A schools might have 700 students in them, so 700 isn't a small school. 6A schools (there is only 16 of them) are at least 2-3x that much, and some 6A schools (Derby) might be 4x or approximately 3000. This is of course for 4 grades.

It's interesting that 40-45 years ago in Wichita, High Schools had 3 grades and were in the 2000 (maybe a little larger) student category.

[SubGod22]

I know it's not small in the grand scheme, it just always seemed larger than that. And compared to the other city schools, it is small.

700 would be just behind McPherson at the top of 4A. 800 would have it only ahead of Bonner Springs and KC-Piper in 5A. The smallest city school involved in athletics is Heights at 1463 with West at 1469. They're near the smaller 6A schools.

So, relatively speaking, it is a small enrollment for Wichita Public Schools.

[NCAABound]

From what I recall reading, 700-800 is similar to most 5A schools (there are 32 of them) in the state (maybe a few of the bigger 4A schools might have 700 students in them, so 700 isn't a small school. 6A schools (there is only 16 of them) are at least 2-3x that much, and some 6A schools (Derby) might be 4x or approximately 3000. This is of course for 4 grades.

It's interesting that 40-45 years ago in Wichita, High Schools had 3 grades and were in the 2000 (maybe a little larger) student category.

There are 36 schools in each 5A & 6A. Nobody is close to 3,000 students.

https://kshsaa.org/Public/General/Classifications.cfm

[SubGod22]

Yeah, I missed that part. East and Southeast are both right around 2400. North and Derby are a little under 2200. Those are the four largest schools in the state.

[Shockm]

There are 36 schools in each 5A & 6A. Nobody is close to 3,000 students.

https://kshsaa.org/Public/General/Classifications.cfm

Thanks for the update. That's been a fairly recent change. Not too long ago, it went 6A 16, 5A 32, 4A 64, etc. Now they changed it to 6A 36, 5A 36, and 4A 36 (close to the same total numbers. I would imagine that the rural area school enrollments are getting smaller, and necessitated changes. There are a lot more 8 man football, and 6 man football schools where there were hardly any 6 man football schools not long ago. Some 2A schools are now 8 man football schools.

[SubGod22]

King of Freight is planning quite the growth spurt

AOL - Downtown Wichita firm to hire 200 to 300 more workers in the next six months

A number of things have been prompting King of Freight partners Mike Ricklefs and Greg Bolain to want to expand their downtown Wichita freight brokerage, then news broke last week that Minnesota-based C.H. Robinson Worldwide had substantial layoffs.

“Our biggest competition is laying off (650 workers), so we feel like now is the right time to strike,” Ricklefs said. “That’s just more motivation.”

King of Freight has 560 employees, 274 of whom are brokers, and Ricklefs said he and Bolain are going to hire another 200 to 300 people “probably within the next six months.”

Another part of the expansion is how much sales have grown following the first year of the pandemic.

In 2020, the company had 3% growth. Last year, that number jumped to 62%.

“We had a surge when supply and demand just went crazy,” said CFO Whitney McFall.

So far this year, she said the company has experienced a 36% growth in sales.

Ricklefs said brokers are making an average of $260,000 a year, “which is incredible.”

“Our brokers are just making a killing right now.”

Of those who are also managers, he said several are making more than $1 million annually.

As sales have increased, McFall said support staff have gotten raises, too.

Sounds like there are some potentially good opportunities for the right people. He also mentioned that they may have to eventually move out of the Gander Mountain building for need of more space.

[SubGod22]

I haven't listened, but based on the little bit written here about the latest BizTalk Podcast from the WBJ, I'm going to have to when I get the chance. Episode 284 is with Jason Gregory of Downtown Wichita and it sounds like the focus was on current projects and some projection.

A couple of points mentioned in the written part for those that can't access it.

Multifamily housing in downtown is nearly 100% occupied. They've projected that within the next 7-10 years that they can about double the population downtown.

Also guessing he's pretty excited about the new medical school and the future medical school and what that's going to do for downtown.

Things are promising and I'm curious as to how much speculation he gives us about what may be to come.

If anyone gets a chance to listen before I do, please leave us some notes about anything interesting that was said.

[SubGod22]

KSN - Northbound I-135 will be closed on Saturday in north Wichita

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — If you plan to travel north on Interstate 135 in Wichita on Saturday, you may have to take a detour.

The Kansas Department of Transportation is closing the northbound lanes of I-135 at the North Junction construction site from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Nov. 19.

Drivers on I-135 will have to detour onto eastbound Kansas Highway 254.

Progress continues. Still waiting for that ramp to open up so I can stop slamming on my breaks when some yahoo going 10mph up that ramp wants to jump in front of me.

[SubGod22]

Here's an opportunity for those of us that are maybe a bit better off financially and want to have a nice new addition to our backyard and help out a local organization in the process.

WBJ - A dream backyard is up for bids at Rainbows United auction

The package is listed as a $320,000 value.

According to Rainbows United, the package includes a gunite pool, cabana with granite countertops, lighting, fire pit, custom landscaping, drainage, irrigation, site plan and design services.

The bidding will be held live Friday. The event is sold out, but proxy bids can be made by contacting Kelsi Hinshaw at 620-440-1412 or khinshaw@rui.org.

Almost 30 companies are listed as contributors to the project.

The rendering looks pretty nice.

[SubGod22]

I missed this little fundraiser as well.

WBJ - NXTUS bourbon raffle to support local entrepreneurship

If you like bourbon and startups, NXTUS Inc. has the contest for you.

The local entrepreneurial organization has launched a nationwide raffle for a winner-take-all prize of 19 bottles of rare and collectable bourbons, with the funds going to support startup activity in Wichita.

Tickets for the contest cost $100 and are now available online.

The winner will be drawn Nov. 30. Participants must be at least 21 years old to enter the contest.

NXTUS is selling a total of 2,014 tickets for the raffle — an homage to its founding as e2e in 2014.

The bourbons include select bottles of Pappy Van Winkle, Weller and other products from the Buffalo Trace distillery.

The prize has an estimated retail value of $15,000.

I'm a big fan of NXTUS and what they do. I remember talking a lot about them when they were e2e while I was on the now defunct alternate Shocker board.