General News in the 316

[SubGod22]

Another ramp closure.

KSN - Another major I-135 ramp in Wichita to close

Starting next Wednesday, June 5, road crews will close another exit ramp on one of the busiest interchanges in Wichita. The interchange connects Interstate 135 with Kellogg, U.S. Highway 54 and U.S. Highway 400.

The Kansas Department of Transportation will close the northbound I-135 ramp to westbound Kellogg until early August.

KDOT’s recommended detour is for northbound I-135 drivers to take exit 6B, the 2nd Street exit, turn left, take the ramp for southbound I-135, and then the ramp to westbound Kellogg, U.S. 54. and U.S. 400.

[Kung Wu]

Another ramp closure.

KSN - Another major I-135 ramp in Wichita to close

Have they opened any back up?

[SubGod22]

Have they opened any back up?

The currently closed ramp is supposed to open before this one is shut down and become used for the detour of those that would generally use the one that is going to be shut down.

If that makes sense.

It's hard to keep track of them all.

[Kung Wu]

The currently closed ramp is supposed to open before this one is shut down and become used for the detour of those that would generally use the one that is going to be shut down.

If that makes sense.

It's hard to keep track of them all.

It does make sense and what I was hoping to hear!

[SubGod22]

The KEYN and Bradley Fair concert series begins this week from 7:30 to 9:30 each Thursday.

The lineup includes:

June 6: Keo & Them, a neo-soul group from Wichita with influences ranging from ‘70s pop/R&B to contemporary neo-soul, alt R&B, and beyond, according to its website.

June 13: Pretend Friend, a Wichita bluegrass band known for its improvisational jams.

June 20: King Cabbage Brass Band, billed as “Oklahoma’s only brass band,” performing pop, R&B, hip-hop, rock, New Orleans music and original tunes.

June 27: The Canterberries, a Kansas City-based indie female trio who have been friends since age 5 and began singing cover songs in 2020.

July 4: Daydream, a nine-piece funk band from Wichita including several local college music professors and Wichita Symphony members, performing original compositions. Fireworks will follow the July 4 performance.

There's also the summer concert series beginning June 14 and varies between Naftzger Park in Wichita and Capitol Federal Amphitheater in Andover

June 14, Naftzger: Across the Pond, a Wichita based band that plays British music from the 1960s and ‘70s, including The Beatles, The Who, The Zombies and The Kinks.

June 28, Andover: Llew Brown Band, a five-person Wichita group that plays a mix of rock, country and pop.

July 12, Andover: Big Fat Fun, a Wichita band “covering your favorite party tunes from the past 50 years,” according to its Facebook page.

July 19, Andover: The Banned, a Wichita hair metal band with hits from the 1980s.

July 26, Andover: The Source Band, a Wichita-based “high energy party band” with dance music from big band to Top 40, Motown and disco.

Aug. 2, Naftzger: Fast Lane, classic rock covers from the 1960s through ‘80s.

Aug. 9, Naftzger: Lucky People, a Wichita variety band with hits from the ‘80s to now.

Aug. 16, Naftzger: The Roadhouse Saints, specializing in classic rock from the ‘60s to ‘80s.

[SubGod22]

KFDI - INTRUST Bank Arena announces Cirque du Soleil event

Cirque du Soleil, which has brought a number of its shows to Wichita over the past decade, has announced another touring production that will be here early in 2025.

INTRUST Bank Arena officials have announced that the production OVO will be performing on February 7th, 8th and 9th. The show is described as “a colorful intrusion into a new day in the life of insects, a non-stop riot of energy and movement. Through show-stopping acrobatics highlighting selected insect species’ unique personalities and abilities, OVO explores the beauty of biodiversity in all its contrasts and vibrancy.”

Tickets are now available to Cirque Club members and they will go on sale to the general public on Monday, June 10th. The performance schedule will be:

• Friday, Feb. 7^th at 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Feb. 8^th at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• Sunday, Feb. 9^th at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

[SubGod22]

Just to keep tabs, for the 5th time in 2024, Towne West has been disconnected by Evergy

[SubGod22]

KFDI - Exploration Place receives donation for water park facility

The Junior League of Wichita has announced a $2 million gift to Exploration Place to fund the creation of a water park that will be part of a planned outdoor expansion for the museum.

The Junior League of Wichita Water Play Cascades is designed to promote teamwork and collaboration, and it will have pumps and water wheels that will be activated by children and adults working together. It will be part of Exploration Place’s “destination playscape,” which is a $25 million project covering six and a half acres with ten landscaped individual playgrounds.

The gift is being made by the Junior League in honor of its 100th anniversary in 2025. Longtime members Cindy Carnahan and Lynn Ward led the fundraising campaign, and the gift is made up of donations from more than 200 individuals and other entities.

Exploration Place president and CEO Adam Smith expressed appreciation for the gift and in a press release he said, “We know how popular water play is from our indoor exhibits, and we can’t wait for our families to work together in such a fun and creative environment.”

I really can't wait to see how EP will look once all of this is constructed. Should be a wonderful addition for families and help draw people into Wichita's core.

[WstateU]

Just to keep tabs, for the 5th time in 2024, Towne West has been disconnected by Evergy

[SubGod22]

Just a little more from WBJ

WBJ - Junior League's $2 million gift gets Exploration Place closer to outdoor expansion goal

In March, Exploration Place announced a $3 million gift by Textron Aviation for a Flight Adventure playground. Along with the Junior League water feature and Textron Aviation Flight Adventure, the eight additional planned playgrounds are:

• Cargill Agriculture Overlook
• Slide Hill/Slide Forest
• Bison Hill
• Sensory Garden
• Sunflower Meadow
• Prairie Play
• Spider Climber
• Foggy Hills

Work has already begun on the opposite side of Exploration Place, where an amphitheater with a capacity of 1,500 will be built to overlook the Keeper of the Plains statue across the Arkansas River. That project is expected to be complete by late September.

[SubGod22]

New business wants to help small businesses utilize AI.

WBJ - Wichita startup focuses on artificial intelligence and how business can benefit from it

As artificial intelligence tools surge in popularity, Jason Van Sickle sees the potential for Wichita to both benefit from — and spark — further AI-driven innovation.

Now, the Wichita entrepreneur is pushing forward a new company, Insource.ai, with the goal of making that a reality.

Alongside fellow co-founders Taylor Van Sickle and Alexandria Van Sickle-Baird — his son and daughter — Jason Van Sickle has a plan to provide tools and expertise to the Wichita business community and beyond that he says would allow organizations to use AI to save costs, improve efficiencies and help already-strong employees.

Jason Van Sickle, who made his mark locally in the 2000s and 2010s in real estate development, returned to Wichita after time in Denver and Silicon Valley to advance Insource.ai.

"That was really important to us, to launch an AI startup in Wichita, because it's always been our hometown," he said. "I think of it this way — 50-plus years ago, Wichita got ahead of the curve in the aircraft industry and became the aircraft capital of the world. There's no reason Wichita can't become one of the AI capitals of the world, and we want to help businesses in our community see how they can be a part of that."

[SubGod22]

KWCH - Riverfest expected to hit economic impact goal

Last year, Wichita’s Riverfest had an economic impact of just over $25 million.

This year, with five days complete, the president of Riverfest said it’s expected that goal will be reached again.

Nancy Duling, the president of Wichita Festivals, said Riverfest uses local vendors for a majority of events. This includes local trash companies, ice merchandisers and local food and entertainment stands.

One of the biggest economic drivers of Riverfest is a direct result of the concerts happening each night.

[SubGod22]

WBJ - Wichita church to move out of Delano with assist from Riverfront Village developer

The church located at the center of the planned nine-figure Riverfront Village development on the Arkansas River's west bank is officially on the move — with help from the buyers of its current building.

Over the weekend, Metropolitan Baptist Church broke ground on Phase 1 of its new home just southeast of K-96 and 53rd Street North in Maize.

Plans calls for a March 2025 completion on the 19,500 square-foot building, which will include a worship center/multipurpose gym, youth space, adult classrooms and a lobby that can also be used for gatherings.

I know there were concerns for the church and their congregation when this all went down. Looks like they're landing on their feet and will be just fine.

Asked whether the church's latest plans indicate there are updates on Riverfront Village, Liebau declined to share timing specifics but said, "We are looking forward to making some announcements on what we're going to do there."

Riverfront Village is one of two mixed-used developments envisioned for the area surrounding the home of the Wichita Wind Surge, with the other located east of Riverfront Stadium on the Arkansas River's west bank.

Overland Park-based EPC Real Estate Group is expected to break ground on its $110-million development — with plans calling for an eight-story, 165-room hotel, a 180-unit luxury apartment complex, a 260-stall parking garage and 10,000 square feet of retail space — in the third quarter.

I'm looking forward to announcements as getting the ballpark district moving forward will be a win for all, and will tie in well with the current businesses just down the street.

Below is a 2018 rendering just for some visuals.



This, along with the BioMed campus and surrounding developments and hopefully some arena district growth with Old Town not far could make for a massive change for downtown and really be a huge spark to Wichita and the core.

[SubGod22]

One thing that Wichita has long been criticized for is public transit. It's one of those things where there are people who would benefit from a more robust system but at the same time this is such a commuter friendly area and nearly everyone owns a car that it raises the question of if the value is really there or not.

KSN - WAMPO studying options for expanding Wichita regional transit

There’s a new effort to improve public transit in the Wichita metro area.

On Wednesday, the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization hosted public meetings to identify ways to improve transit to the region. That could include bus routes connecting Wichita suburbs or making park-and-ride parking lots on the edges of town.

One Kechi resident hopes to see more public transit options like those in her hometown of Seattle.

“I believe that the more transit that you have, the more connectivity you create in the larger metropolitan area. You have the ability to connect outlying communities into the urban center,” Joanie Harris said.

WAMPO is studying the kinds of services, schedules and costs for expanded regional transit. They plan another public meeting this summer with narrowed-down recommendations.

[SubGod22]

New home for emergency homeless center

KWCH - Closed Wichita elementary school set to become next emergency homeless center

A recently closed Wichita elementary school is set to become the city’s Multi-Agency Center, or MAC. Wichita Vice Mayor Maggie Ballard made the announcement Thursday.

Ballard said the city will purchase the recently closed Park Elementary School located at 1025 N. Main, which will also serve as the future Wichita emergency homeless shelter and contain coordinated social services for the unhoused population.

Ballard said the building will be ready to use for the 2024-2025 winter emergency shelter and could be ready for full-service use by 2026.

“The center will feature a no-barrier, short-term shelter, open 24/7, year-round and feature coordinated services to connect unhoused individuals,” said Ballard.

She said the MAC will ultimately help the community achieve its goal to functional-zero homelessness.

Park Elementary School was one of six Wichita Public Schools the district closed this year due to a budget shortfall.

Assistant City Manager Troy Anderson said given its proximity to multiple homeless service providers. The location is ideal.

“...for referrals and coordinated services, easy access and mobility for those needing services and collaboration among agencies,” he said.