General News in the 316

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FYI

Major ramp on I-135 in north Wichita closed indefinitely

The Interstate 135 exit ramp to eastbound Kansas Highway 96 has been closed until further notice.

The Kansas Department of Transportation said recent weather has caused washouts under the structure of the ramp.

As a precaution, the ramp is closed until further notice.

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FYI

Major ramp on I-135 in north Wichita closed indefinitely

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WBJ - Up in the air: Amid bankruptcy, Pioneer Balloon will sell longtime Wichita HQ

Pioneer Balloon Co. — the more than century-old manufacturing business that they've owned and led since 1979 — continues to navigate the bankruptcy process after September's Chapter 11 filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Now, they're selling their cherished world headquarters at 5000 E. 29th Street North, nestled in the woods near Chisholm Creek Park across the street from Wichita State University's Hughes Metropolitan Complex.

But as they sat in their office earlier this week for an interview, smiles, laughter and love jumped out — for their company, employees and each other — in spite of the challenges for the husband and wife married 66 years.

"If you don't have that foundation, then it becomes very difficult," said Betty Vlamis, 86, Pioneer's executive vice president, of her marriage to Ted, 88, company president. "If you have a foundation, then it's just another chapter."

While the couple declined to get into further specifics regarding Pioneer's bankruptcy, they discussed why they're putting the more than 27-acre property and 48,200 square-foot office building on the market and their hope for the future of the headquarters and the Wichita-based global balloon manufacturer.

The pandemic and hybrid office work has led to this decision. Pioneer employs about 200 people between Wichita and El Dorado. They have no plans on leaving Wichita, just looking to downsize and cut some costs.

Expected sell price is in the $10-$12M range.

They make is sound as though the balloon business is picking up and they're in good shape there in regards to demand of their product. No doubt Covid had a major impact on them.

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For those interested. Not a lot of surprises here.

WBJ - WHERE WICHITA'S WEALTH LIVES: A look at the factors that create the most affluent areas in and around Wichita

A quick look at the accompanying heat map might indicate what you'd naturally think: The Wichita area's most affluent spots are on the eastern and western edges of Wichita, concentrated almost exclusively north of Kellogg.

But get past the obvious spots and nearly all sections of the Wichita metropolitan area have pockets of affluence. Some large, some small.

The WBJ presents a new List in this week's paper — wealthiest ZIP codes. It offers a look at ZIP codes in Sedgwick, Butler, Harvey and Sumner counties ranked by median household income.

The darker the red the higher the affluence score.

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WBJ - When will Phil Ruffin's Park City casino open? One of his execs shares an updated target date and more

A clearer picture is coming into view of when the first bets will be placed at Phil Ruffin's Golden Circle Casino in Park City — and what parts of the planned development may take longer to come together.

Courtney Barnaby, the Ruffin executive vice president in charge of the project, said September 2025 is the targeted opening.

That's a bit farther back than the initial timeline noted last July, when the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission awarded the billionaire casino mogul's development group a license to operate 1,000 historic horse-racing machines at the site of the former Wichita Greyhound Park.

Construction work has been progressing at the over 70-acre property.

"We're still in the architectural drafting phase," Barnaby said Friday. "We're going to be completing that probably in the next two to three weeks. Demo has already started on the project, and some of the expansion to the bottom floors already started with excavation and things of that nature."

As part of the casino and Phase 1, in addition to the historic horse-racing machines, there will be a Gilley's Saloon, Dance Hall & Bar-B-Que, inspired by the one inside Ruffin’s Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The Gilley's will be a new structural addition on the facility's west side, Barnaby added, and the expansion will be around 18,000 square feet.

"If people knew the Greyhound Park before and what the size was, it's going to look drastically different in size," he said.

Golden Circle Sports Bar will be on the third floor.

Barnaby said two 60-foot video walls will be going up on that floor, with the potential for two more. Other Golden Circle Casino amenities include a back patio with "beautiful" views for event space, he said.

"It's just going to be a full, fun entertainment complex," Barnaby said. "That is really the goal that we're trying to drive with this."

An estimated 300 to 350 jobs are projected to be created by Golden Circle.

Asked about the latest total cost projections, Barnaby said Ruffin declined to share specifics.

"I do know it's going to be in excess of $80 million," Barnaby said.

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WBJ - Wichita startup KaaS helps students navigate being employment-ready with new game

A Wichita startup has launched nationwide distribution for a game that helps students understand what employers want.

Knowledge as a Service Inc., inventors of the Ringorang habit formation software, have launched the app game across the U.S., which can be played on mobile devices or desktop computers.

“We launched a nationwide digital game tournament that targets the talent crisis,” Robert Feeney, chief vision officer of KaaS, said in a news release. “We started it here in Kansas as a way to make it fun and easy for students to adopt life skills, and now it’s helping launch students’ careers wherever they live.”

The game helps with foundational skills, including communication, time management, conflict resolution, dependability, mental health and innovation. Ringorang takes skills that are valued by employers and makes them into a teachable game.

The app helps students prepare for interviews and employment-related skills.

High school students can participate in the national tournament, which is called Future Ready. It’s played 1 minute at a time, between 1 to 3 minutes a day. The Ringorang app notifies students when an employability skills question is ready to be answered. Students work on adaptability, communication and cooperation.

There are different levels of competition, including most improved and highest performer. In addition, students can earn prizes like gift cards or merchandise.

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KAKE - Kansas named one of the best states for drivers: Study

Personal finance website WalletHub has released its report on the Best & Worst State to Drive in for 2024, and Kansas is among the best.

To determine the ranking, WalletHub compared all 50 states across 31 metrics, including gas prices, congestion and road quality. Kansas is the third-best state for drivers, the study says.

"Kansas had one of the biggest year-over-year decreases in the traffic fatality rate, at over 12%, according to the most recent data," WalletHub said. "This may be partially due to the fact that Kansas drivers speed less frequently than people in most states."

Kansas also has some of the most roadway miles per capita in the country, but keeps those roads well-maintained, with the 10th best road quality.

"Since Kansas has a low population and lots of farmland, it makes sense that it has a low traffic congestion rate, too. Clear roadways definitely contribute to the state’s third-place ranking."

The good news here is the significant reduction in traffic fatalities.

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KWCH - Ribbon cutting for Wesley Medical Center new cancer center

The Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute at Wesley Health Care cut the ribbon for there brand new, state-of-the-art oncology unit at Wesley Medical Center.

Construction began back in the summer of 2022. The hospital decided to move cancer patients to the trauma floor while renovations were being made and to further assist patients.

In addition to the 33-room unit, this floor also will have a family room, equipped with a television. This family room is an area designed for families so that loved ones can come and decompress.

“Many of our cancer patients are here for weeks or even months at a time,” said Jessica Turner, Nursing Director of Acute Care at Wesley Medical Center. “And so there are times when the family just needs a moment to get away and relax.”

Big step for Wesley and those dealing with cancer in the area.

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KWCH - Bird exhibits reopen at Sedgwick County Zoo

For the first time since mid-November, guests at the Sedgwick County Zoo can visit the bird exhibits.

“We’re so happy to welcome you all back and we thank you for your patience,” the zoo said in a Facebook post announcing the reopening of its bird exhibits.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) activity has decreased in our immediate area which means that our Australia/South America and Tropics exhibits will re-open to guests and sales of Penguin Encounters will resume!

On Nov. 13, the zoo confirmed a viral infection in a dead duck found on its grounds prompted the decision to keep several of its animals out of the public eye. The duck tested positive for HPAI commonly known as “bird flu” a viral infection that occurs naturally in birds.

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Wichita by EB - Wichita Foundation Commits $1 Million to Activate New Riverfront Amphitheater

The Wichita Foundation has committed $1 million for Exploration Place’s new riverfront amphitheater, scheduled to open in fall 2024.

The Wichita Foundation Amphitheater will showcase the nightly Ring of Fire show at Wichita’s iconic Keeper of the Plains sculpture. It will also provide a stunning venue for live performances, free family movie nights and other community events.

“This will truly be a space to be enjoyed by all, so the Wichita Foundation is the perfect partner for us on this project,” said Adam Smith, Exploration Place’s president and CEO.

The amphitheater will be a harmonious blend of art, architecture and nature. One of its defining features will be its unparalleled and uninhibited sightlines across the Arkansas River to the Keeper of the Plains. The 1,500-capacity amphitheater also includes a mixed-use space designed to promote a vibrant, bustling atmosphere along the river, where pedestrians and cyclists can gather safely.

I'm really optimistic about what this can be. It's also nice to see that even after a record year for attendance, Exploration Place continues to look forward to what more it can do and provide to make things even better.

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My favorite local non-profit got a bit of help today.

KWCH - ICT SOS receives $1,200 Helping Hand

A fresh start can really make a difference in someone’s life. And to help victims of human trafficking get back on their feet, 12 News and DeVaughn James Injury Lawyers gave a Helping Hand.

Brenda Landrum and Nancy Hames spend a lot of time packing bags at the anti-human trafficking nonprofit ICT SOS.

“We consider ourselves, you know, they call us the bag ladies,” they said. “We love it.”

As the bag ladies, they pack bags with clothes, blankets, gift cards and more to support at-risk victims of human trafficking.

Jennifer White has done great work with this and I try and give a couple of times a year.

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WBJ - City Council OKs design agreement with local architecture firm for riverfront improvements

The Wichita City Council gave the go-ahead Tuesday to another component of the plans to develop the area around Riverfront Stadium.

During a consent meeting and workshop, the Council approved a $325,000 agreement with LK Architecture for design improvements along the west bank of the Arkansas River, on the east side of the stadium between Douglas and Waterman.

The locally-based firm is tasked with designing pedestrian walkways, landscaping and more in a cohesive fashion with EPC Real Estate Group's vision for its $110-million mixed-use development, which includes a hotel, apartment complex, retail space and parking garage.

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A little more on Exploration Place after reading this article on WBJ.

The amphitheater is expected to be open this fall. It should be a good place to watch the lighting of the Keeper as well as the occasional free movie night and live music. I'd love to see Dustin Arbuckle and company perform down there by the river eventually. I think that would be a great setting for him and his style of music and would be a lot of fun.

Adam Smith said that they are "rounding third base" in regards to the needed fundraising for the entire outdoor portion of upgrades, which includes the Playscape that many are excited about.

Smith is looking at a fall of 2025 opening for the playscape.

Membership at EP is up nearly 50%.

I'm also trying to find anything on the internal renovations that were planned. I remember reading something a while back about updating the electrical and creating more space to that Exploration Place could bring in an exhibit like Beyond Van Gogh, which I haven't been able to see yet in nearish cities but would love for it to come to Wichita one day. I've seen pics and it's beyond impressive. I may be biased as a fan of VVG, but Wichita would be blessed to get that exhibit in town and it would bring in people and money to see it.

Though it looks like that is in phase three and will come after the amphitheater and playscape, but is hoped to be finished in 2025. This makes me a little sad as it's the one I was personally looking most forward to. Guess I need to get back into looking where the Beyond Van Gogh exhibit will be and see if I can find one I can make until Wichita is eventually ready.

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KSN - Hundreds of teams practice for skating competition in Wichita

Wichita is expecting a large economic impact from a big event this week.

The U.S. Figure Skating Midwestern Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships are in town. Intrust Bank Arena is preparing for more than 1,000 skaters, 127 teams and more than 350 coaches for the competition.

The competition starts on Jan. 25, but teams started practicing Tuesday. One skater from Chicago is on Teams Elite, and she says she’s excited but nervous to compete with her team. It’s made up of fourth to eighth-graders.

Economic impact is expected to be around $2.5M.

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KWCH - Sedgwick County Zoo welcomes new member, Tartan, the Clydesdale

The Sedgwick County Zoo welcomed a new member to its family. Tartan, an eight-month-old horse, comes to the zoo from Cowskin Creek Clydesdales in Goddard.

“While he’s a bit of clutz right now, he will grow to be around 18 hands tall and weigh around 2,000 lbs.,” said the zoo.

The Clydesdale is listed as “Threatened” on The Livestock Conservancy Conservation Priority List. The zoo said the Clydesdale global population is estimated at fewer than 5,000 horses, according to The Livestock Conservancy.

If you’re headed to the zoo, you can find Tartan in the Children’s Farm barn.

I had no idea that the Clydesdale was considered a threatened species. They are a magnificent species.