General News in the 316

[SubGod22]

I do think that Wichita as a whole needs to do a better job promoting what's here. I'm sure Visit Wichita does to some degree, but I believe the article mentioned dozens of museums and local attractions. I don't think we hear enough about what Wichita has there. It's a broad statement, but we need to promote those things.

We have one of the top zoos in the country and I'm not sure how much it gets promoted outside of Wichita. Maybe it does, but that should be something the entire region is aware of. And anything new or exciting that happens there needs to be known.

What are the museums we have? I know of Cowtown, Wichita Art Museum, Mark Arts, and Museum of World Treasures. Despite what some in Wichita believe, culture matters to many and people will travel to experience some of that. If it weren't for my anxiety, which I'm working on, I know I'd check out more museums when I travel. I always look them up, but have a hard time getting myself to go. But what other museums and such do we have? I live here, am interested, and I'm sure don't have a clue about what's all available.

I missed mentioning Exploration Place which also has a lot to offer and is actively working on having more to offer. More river development would help if you can get some sort of connected activity along there. But I'm trying to focus more on what we already have but don't brag about. I've always heard that Wichita has a pretty damn good theater scene and that a number of performers here find their way to Broadway. I know Covid took a giant turd on the arts, but they're bouncing back and I believe have a pretty active summer, which is when people travel.

Maybe these things are promoted outside of the immediate area and I don't know about it because I'm in the metro. But even within the metro, you almost have to go out of your way to find out much about any of these things. Heck, I'm searching for news in and around Wichita almost daily and I miss things as they somehow don't end up in my feed.

I believe Visit Wichita, which recently hired a former news reporter, and Lily Wu see the same problem. Wichita needs to do a better job of not only promoting itself locally, regionally, and nationally. It needs to work on changing that inner dialogue that Wichita is lesser than and start building up Wichita and taking steps to improve in the process. Wichita is often times its own worst enemy. There is a lot of opportunity here in pretty much every aspect of life to sell and improve upon. We need leaders with vision and passion to make it happen. But in the mean time, we also have to realize that we have a lot going for us around here as well.

[Ta Town Shocker]

Funny

Wichita definitely has a few things going for it. The metrics it ranked highest in were related to costs which makes total sense. The metric I absolutely disagree with is weather. Wichita ranking higher than many of the coastal cities just defies reality.

I have a hard time feeling a strong sense of pride in regards to Wichita as I feel there's a ton of room for improvement and it's difficult to focus on the good. That said, I do enjoy the Riverwalk, Keeper of the Plains, and the Zoo. I took my aunt from out of town to the zoo yesterday and she had only good things to say as there's nothing comparable in her neck of the woods.

The Riverwalk area could benefit from a little TLC. I saw there's a group of volunteers who clean regularly which is fantastic but I'd also like to see the city have a couple of people on the payroll to keep the area clean and safe. Perhaps they could redirect the funds from the millions spent on faulty electric buses to something more useful like beautification of the city. Don't even get me started on the C2 situation. They don't even have the fountains running outside. I was on the fence about saving it, but it's degraded past the point of trying to save now.

I was actually reading a Wichita history book on a coffee table near the admin offices at C2 over the weekend and it all made sense after reading the sentence attached. Wichita is simply still sticking to it's founding principles from 1871.

I can also get behind Lily Wu if it's for no other reason than I think she and I were incoming freshman into WSU about the same time.

[SubGod22]

MSN - The Kansas African American Museum awarded $1 million grant

The Kansas African American Museum announced on Wednesday that it had been awarded a received $1 million SPRINT grant from the State of Kansas bringing The Kansas African American Museum & Cultural Center Campaign has reached $4.6 million.

“TKAAM is very grateful for the grant and the endorsement it provides,” said Ebony Clemons-Ajibolade, TKAAM President. “Our plans to open the new museum and cultural center in 2025 is advanced with this gift.”

The grant was awarded by the Governor’s Office and the State’s SPARKS Executive Committee through the Kansas Department of Commerce and Lt. Gov. David Toland as part of its SPRINT Program. Eighteen entities across Kansas received grants to advance cultural, historic, heritage and visitor attractions across the state which drive travel and destination tourism.

[SubGod22]

SCZ is getting a new elephant.

KMTV - Father of baby elephants leaving Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium for Kansas

Callee, a 22-year-old adult male African elephant, will soon join eight African elephants at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas. His move was recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ African Elephant Species Survival Plan.

“Callee has made a lasting impression on both the elephant care staff and every elephant in our herd, including his calves,” said Sarah Armstrong, elephant manager at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. “While he will be greatly missed in Omaha, we are happy he will be moving to Wichita, where he will not only have the opportunity to breed but also socialize and mentor other male elephants.”

His move very closely mirrors the natural behaviors of elephants in the wild. Adult males live together in small bachelor herds, while females raise their calves and live in multi-generational family groups. Males find females to breed and then move on.

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

I’d get behind Lily Wu.

ahem…

[SubGod22]

WBJ - Incentives, infrastructure: Here's what drew an $80M plastics plant to Maize

Muller said Maize had a number of draws for the manufacturer, which produces cast iron and plastic pipe and fittings, predominately for wholesale plumbing distributors.

"Maize is fast growing, it's pro-business, a well-educated workforce," he said. "We're conservative financially, culturally, politically conservative, and so we wanted someplace that kind of reflected our values and someplace where we can draw a workforce that's going to appreciate those family values."
.....
"We needed another plant to serve the Midwest and the upper Midwest," he said. "... We need these plants to be closer to our customers."

Muller said Charlotte Pipe had looked at three or four sites in the region and "pretty quickly" landed on Maize.

The site is shovel-ready and surrounded by industrial activity, with access to railroad and highway, reliable electricity and a local workforce.
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WATCO, which operates the Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad that runs along the north side of the Maize site, was also a partner.

"We'll bring in raw material via rail, and then we ship finished goods on flatbed trucks, so we need both," Muller said. "... So it kind of was a perfect site."

On Wednesday, the Sedgwick County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to receive a $1.5 million matching grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation to fund the construction of a new rail spur, as well as a new turn lane on 119th Street, to support the Charlotte Pipe project.

To match the grant, Sedgwick County will provide $233,242 and Maize will provide $21,250, with WATCO also pitching in funds, according to the agreement approved Wednesday.
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"We're growing and expanding," Muller said in an interview. "We also got into the irrigation business... We wanted to be able to expand that irrigation business so this plant will probably serve both — we'll make plumbing pipe and irrigation pipe."

Employment at the Maize plant will not require a college degree or advanced training, Muller said, adding that Charlotte Pipe plans to offer on-the-job training,

Sounds like there will be plenty of opportunity for growth beyond those 50 jobs early on if their business continues to grown and expand.

[SubGod22]

KSN - New exhibit honors Rip Gooch and other Black aviators

There is a new reason to visit the Kansas Aviation Museum in Wichita. The Rip Gooch Black Aviators exhibit opened Friday morning.

The exhibit honors Gooch and other Black aviators who called Kansas home. Visitors will see photos, military uniforms, and stories of bravery along the exhibit walls.

Ulysses Lee Gooch, better known as Rip, is often remembered as a politician for his time on the Wichita City Council and as a senator in the Kansas Legislature. His daughter Bonita Gooch joined local dignitaries for Friday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“From the time he was a little boy out in the cotton fields of Tennessee watching planes fly overhead, he knew he wanted to fly,” she said.

[SubGod22]

WBJ - New center will help Wichita high schoolers pursue advanced manufacturing

The center — a converted Dillons grocery store near North High at 13th and Waco — allows high school students from across the school district to receive training on the equipment and technology that are used in the manufacturing industry throughout Wichita.

"The technology that you see in the building helps our students develop skills and explore careers in aviation production, manufacturing, maintenance and automation," said outgoing school superintendent Alicia Thompson; she will retire at the end of the school year, with the district's executive director of college and career readiness, Kelly Bielefeld, stepping in July 1.

Last year, the city of Wichita awarded WSU Tech approximately $1.7 million in federal Covid relief funds to support the renovation and purchase new equipment and supplies for the FutureReady Manufacturing Center.

The city also gave $2 million to WSU Tech to support a similar FutureReady Center geared toward health-care careers. One is opening at Wesley Medical Center, another at WSU Tech's south campus.

[SubGod22]

KSN article on the above center

[SubGod22]

May not be of great interest to most of us here, but there may be some members of your family that will like it. Von Maur is expanding their operations in Kansas and starting with Wichita.

WBJ - Von Maur to expand its Dry Goods contemporary fashion concept in Wichita

oung women’s contemporary fashion store Dry Goods plans to open 11 additional locations in 2023, including the retailer’s first store in Kansas.

The new locations are part of nationwide growth plans by the subsidiary of Von Maur Department Store.

Von Maur opened its first Dry Goods location in 2010 and currently operates 71 stores in 19 states.

“The Dry Goods brand was created to bring our tradition of customer service to a new generation of younger, fashion-forward customers,” said Lindsay Caltagirone, vice president of stores for Dry Goods.

I know nothing of fashion and definitely nothing of women's fashion, but this sounds like a good thing for the community with a brand that seems to be doing well.

[SubGod22]

Textron introduces the next generation of the Citation series. It sounds nice.

WBJ - Textron Aviation unveils new Cessna model ahead of European convention

“With an 560XL aircraft taking off or landing every two minutes somewhere in the world, this aircraft will be part of the most successful business jet family,” Textron Aviation president and CEO Ron Draper said in a statement. "... We asked customers what they wanted in the next evolution of this iconic aircraft, and we believe the Citation Ascend will deliver.”

Textron Aviation said the Ascend would have performance targets of a four-passenger range of 1,900 nautical miles, cruising speed of 441 knots, and the ability to climb direct to 45,000 feet.

The company touted design improvements that enable the Ascend to carry more payload and fuel load while remaining able to use short runways.
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In the cabin, the Ascend will have a customizable interior at 15% larger cabin windows. A flat floor will contribute, the company said, to increased legroom and flexibility for as many as nine passengers.

[SubGod22]

Interesting new business that definitely isn't for me or anyone I know personally, but we'll see if there's a market for such a thing here.

Yahoo! - Wichita building to get new life with a business that a transplant said the city needs

The first signs that something new is coming to the old Firehouse No. 7 in Riverside are starting to appear.

The 1922 property in the middle of a neighborhood at the northwest corner of Franklin and Porter has been home to the Civitan Club of Wichita since 1973.

It went up for auction in March.

Wichita transplant Tom Tarkman purchased the building as a present for his wife, Carey, who has had a dream of opening a tearoom for three decades.

When the longtime Californians moved to Wichita in 2018, Carey Tarkman said her first question was, “Where’s the tearoom in this town?”

Seeing none, she’s now opening the Rose & Peacock Social Club at the former firehouse this fall.

So apparently this will be a members only sort of establishment and only women can be members. They can bring a guests though and that can be men.

This is apparently the place for tea and gossip/socializing and can provide cookies and sandwiches and such.

As I said, I don't fully get it but I hope there's a place for it and they do well. Even if it's not for everyone, having options is a good thing and if this fills a need then great.

[SubGod22]

Yahoo! - Wichita Art Museum create gallery space to feature local artists

A new gallery space dedicated to showcasing the works of local artists has just opened at the Wichita Art Museum.

Now artists like Meghan Miller, who’s been a part of the Wichita art scene for well over a decade, have the chance to display their works in a museum that houses one of the country’s premier collections of works by American artists such as Edward Hopper, Mary Cassatt and Dale Chihuly.

Miller’s “Breathing Fire” installation is the inaugural exhibition in the Cessna Art Investigation Gallery, located in a first-floor thoroughfare area that had previously displayed pre-Columbian art and artifacts from WAM’s permanent collection. It opened Friday, May 19, and will continue through Sunday, Aug. 20.

Opening a gallery dedicated to local artists is part of WAM’s larger goal to engage the community in new ways, according to Molly McFerson, who recently joined the WAM staff as director of learning, engagement and partnerships.

[SHOCKvalue]

Interesting new business that definitely isn't for me or anyone I know personally, but we'll see if there's a market for such a thing here.

Yahoo! - Wichita building to get new life with a business that a transplant said the city needs



So apparently this will be a members only sort of establishment and only women can be members. They can bring a guests though and that can be men.

This is apparently the place for tea and gossip/socializing and can provide cookies and sandwiches and such.

As I said, I don't fully get it but I hope there's a place for it and they do well. Even if it's not for everyone, having options is a good thing and if this fills a need then great.

Seems like a place that might need to hope for a zoning change or variance to make happen.

[Kel Varnsen]

Interesting new business that definitely isn't for me or anyone I know personally, but we'll see if there's a market for such a thing here.

Yahoo! - Wichita building to get new life with a business that a transplant said the city needs



So apparently this will be a members only sort of establishment and only women can be members. They can bring a guests though and that can be men.

This is apparently the place for tea and gossip/socializing and can provide cookies and sandwiches and such.

As I said, I don't fully get it but I hope there's a place for it and they do well. Even if it's not for everyone, having options is a good thing and if this fills a need then great.

Hopefully the programming includes a sandwich-making class.