General News in the 316

[SubGod22]

Downtown office building hits the market.

WBJ - Downtown Wichita's Riverview Building hits the market for nearly $4M

One of downtown's most visually prominent office buildings is back on the market after nearly getting a new owner earlier in the year.

In recent weeks, the seven-story Riverview Building, located on the western edge of Wichita's core, went up for sale. It's priced at $3,975,000.

The move follows news that the 79,254 square-foot building's two anchor tenants — The Law Co. and its subsidiary, LK Architecture — are departing for the downtown Ruffin Building by year's end.

Sounds like the previous deal was terminated when The Law Co. and LK Architecture decided not to renew their lease. Them being there was part of the deal to buy.

[SubGod22]

PBR - Unleash The Beast returns to Wichita, Kansas for first time in more than 13 years Dec. 13-14

For the first time in more than 13 years, and just third time in history, PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) premier Unleash The Beast will buck into Wichita, Kansas, taking over INTRUST Bank Arena with PBR Wichita Dec. 13-14.

For two nights only, more than 30 of the best bull riders in the world will go head-to-head against the sport’s rankest bovine athletes, showcasing the ultimate showdown of man vs. beast in one of the most exciting and unpredictable live sporting events to witness.

The upcoming PBR Wichita will mark the fourth event of the new individual season as riders vie for early points in the race to be crowned the 2025 PBR World Champion.

PBR’s elite Unleash The Beast last bucked into Wichita in September 2011 when Ryan Dirteater (Hulbert, Oklahoma) went a perfect 4-for-4, logging two monster, 90-point rides, en route to one of nine wins for Dirteater before he retired from individual competition in 2020.

Other past Unleash The Beast PBR Wichita winners are: Austin Meier (2010 – Kinta, Oklahoma)

While the Unleash The Beast has not visited Wichita in more than a decade, the city has welcomed the organization’s expansion series, the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour, annually since 2014. This past April, Marcelo Procopio Pereira (Rinopolis, Brazil) rode his way to the winner’s circle by going a perfect 2-for-2 inside INTRUST Bank Arena.

Bull riding isn't in my circle of major interest, but I do know hosting such an event can be good for the city and that bull riding is relatively popular in the region.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning and the link to buy tickets is within the article if you're interested.

[SubGod22]

MSN - Final public meeting on K-254 corridor Oct. 9

In October, the public will learn about the final recommendations for improving the Kansas Highway 254 corridor.

The Kansas Department of Transportation is hosting its final public meeting on the recommendations for the Corridor Management Plan for Butler and Sedgwick counties on Oct. 9 in Benton.

The highway sees more than 10,000 vehicles daily and is the main corridor between Wichita and El Dorado. K-254 has seen many fatal accidents over the years, and with increased development in northeast Sedgwick County and western Butler County, safety concerns are growing.

KDOT will present the final recommendations on Wednesday, Oct. 9, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Circle Middle School, 14697 SW 20th St., Benton.

I'm still a little jaded that they're doing all of this but nothing is expected to actually happen around here for something like 15 years. Hopefully that was someone misspeaking and that activity on improving this stretch of very dangerous highway begins much sooner.

And if/when the Integra facility goes in, there will need to be something done sooner rather than later for all of the traffic and housing we'll see along this stretch of road, as Kechi, Belle Aire, and Benton are surely to benefit from development, both residential and commercial. It may not be much in the grand scheme of things, but Benton does have a development in its very early stages that should add another 100 homes or so within the next couple of years. And that development could help start other future developments there as well.

I know Bel Aire is continuing to build out mostly apartments and townhouses I believe right now, but that's not looking to slow down with or without Integra. I also know there's an area near K96 and Greenwich that should see much more residential growth over the next few years as well. I'm sure Circle Greenwich will also have to be expanded again in the not too distant future.

And the growth of Park City could also see K254 see more activity in the near future as well.

I really hope KDOT doesn't drag their feet on getting this rolling. The communities along K254 have been calling for something to be done for at least a decade as it is already.

And if El Dorado ever gets its act together and brings in a few new businesses with all of the land they have for such, it could make a huge difference. Hell, having the road improvements may help them get some of that business.

[SubGod22]

Interesting. Not sure if this will impact anyone here.

KSN - Road around Wichita's Sim Park to close nightly starting next week

The City of Wichita said the access road to Sim Park, Botanica, Arthur B. Sim Golf Course and Old Cowtown Museum will start closing overnight.

The closure is due to safety and security concerns. It will start on Tuesday, Oct. 1. The closure will begin at 9 p.m. and end at 6 a.m.

Wichita City Council member Brandon Johnson said signage will be posted along Amidon Avenue and Museum Boulevard near the entrances to Sim Park and Botanica to warn those entering.

“This step is being taken to further safeguard the park and museums and discourage unsafe activity in the park and surrounding neighborhoods,” said Johnson. “The area has seen reported increases in street racing and property crimes.”

[SubGod22]

A new ramp closure starting soon at Kellogg and I-135.

KAKE - Ramp from Kellogg to I-135 to close until late December

The exit ramp from westbound Kellogg to southbound I-135 is closing for roadwork that's expected to last until the end of the year.

The Kansas Department of Transportation said the closure, beginning October 1, is necessary for milling, patching and a concrete overlay. Drivers should follow the signed detour on northbound I-135 to exit 6B and 2nd Street, then turn left on southbound I-135 to west Kellogg exit 6A.

The work is expected to conclude by late December, conditions permitting. The map below outlines the project area and the detour route.

[SubGod22]

It sounds like we have a very smart, very motivated, young man here in Wichita who could be onto some big things.

WBJ - Wichita software developer behind viral TikToks starts AI language app

College wasn’t cutting it for Wichita software developer Grant Johnson.

“I jokingly say that school was getting in the way of my education,” he said. “It was really time consuming and I would be drained by the time I'd come home and I'd want to work on my projects.”

Since teaching himself how to code in high school, Johnson has started projects that combine programming, artificial intelligence, robotics and more. He logs his experiences on TikTok, where he has over 61,000 followers, including his creation of a robot called Humanoid that can impersonate historical figures using AI, and Vision Vest, a vest that helps blind individuals navigate walking without a walking stick. One of his top videos has garnered more than 9 million views.

After his first — and only — year at Wichita State University, Johnson’s projects landed him a job at Invista, a chemical manufacturing subsidiary of Koch Inc., at age 19, where he still works full-time.

Now, at 21, Johnson is starting his own business.

In March, Johnson said he started working on the concept of a language learning app called Chatterbox, which will provide users with specialized learning courses using AI.

Johnson said language-learning apps on the market provide a generalized experience for users and primarily focus on memorizing words. His app, he said, will use AI to create specific, real-life-based courses to meet each user’s motivations for learning the language.

“So you're not just memorizing these words, but you have application to it as well,” he said. “That plays into some of the motivations you have to learn, whether that be travel, a new job, a new spouse, anything related to that. You're able to effectively learn what you need to learn. Instead of having to have a general way that most people learn, it can be specialized for you.”

Johnson added that personalized features on apps in the market are also expensive, making them unaffordable for some users.

Sounds like he already has a 12 person team of linguists and programmers to get this language app moving. First language to be done is Spanish, followed by English, French, and Portuguese.

He hopes to have the app ready for the public in December. I'm also quite confident we're going to be seeing/hearing more from him down the road. Wichita needs people like this

[SubGod22]

This is pretty cool.

Eagle - Former Wichita basketball star makes 'surreal' acting debut in Netflix movie Rez Ball

Serendipitous timing has allowed a former Wichita basketball star to make her acting debut in a Netflix film produced by NBA superstar LeBron James.

Analyss Benally, a 2016 Heights graduate, said it will be a “surreal” feeling on Friday when Rez Ball, a film centered around a Native American high school basketball team, makes its nationwide premiere on the popular streaming platform.

Not only does Benally appear on screen as one of the players on the girls basketball team, but she also scored some speaking lines in the movie that is drawing rave reviews.

“Just the thought of it kind of gives me a tingle in my whole body,” Benally told The Eagle. “I don’t think it’s going to fully hit me until I see it on Friday.”

This young ladies story is pretty interesting. The movie was filmed in her hometown in New Mexico and touches on subjects far too common for those who have lived on reservations. Her family ended up in Wichita when she was 12 and her older sister received a basketball scholarship to Kansas Wesleyan. Sounds like a lot of people who leave the reservation struggle and her family wanted to make sure they were still close so she wasn't alone while experiencing a massive culture shift.

Benally eventually earned a scholarship to San Jose State and has been playing professionally in Europe.

She sounds like an impressive young woman who uses her time back in the states to travel around the country putting on free camps and speaking to kids in hopes of inspiring more Natives to step out of their comfort zone and shoot for the stars.

Wichita may not be her home town, but it's where she grew up and matured as a person and a player and I think she's someone we can all embrace and be proud of.

[JJClamdip]

Interesting. Not sure if this will impact anyone here.

KSN - Road around Wichita's Sim Park to close nightly starting next week

This will piss off the Wichita married/homo/rump ranger crowd, lots of guys cruising for wiener in this area and this will put the brakes on a lot of that action.

[Shockm]

This will piss off the Wichita married/homo/rump ranger crowd, lots of guys cruising for wiener in this area and this will put the brakes on a lot of that action.

Maybe their wives are finally getting the police behind these actions. STD’s have been happening for years in Riverside, Park Villa, and Oak Park. You have to go to Broadway to get to those who pay money or drugs, for “action”.

[JJClamdip]

Maybe their wives are finally getting the police behind these actions. STD’s have been happening for years in Riverside, Park Villa, and Oak Park. You have to go to Broadway to get to those who pay money or drugs, for “action”.

The disc golf ran them out of Oak and Park Villa and the family activity ran them out of Riverside. The Pavillon at Sim Park, just a hundred yards from Children’s Botanica, is the hot spot. This will put a kink the activity in that area and just move it somewhere else.

[Ta Town Shocker]

This will piss off the Wichita married/homo/rump ranger crowd, lots of guys cruising for wiener in this area and this will put the brakes on a lot of that action.

Someone is a little butthurt over it.

[SubGod22]

Via Christi improving how they treat A-fib.

KSN - Via Christi offers new treatment for atrial fibrillation

It is often treated through ablation, in which a catheter is inserted into a patient up to their heart, and heat or cold is used to destroy the abnormal tissue causing A-fib. Via Christi says it has just successfully completed a new procedure called the FARAPULSE™ Pulsed Field Ablation System.

Via Christi says the new procedure, led by cardiac electrophysiologic P.D. Margolis, MD, marks a significant advancement for heart care patients. The FARAPULSE PFA System works similarly to traditional ablation procedures, but it uses electric fields to target specific areas of heart tissue causing irregular heartbeats, which Via Christi says reduces the risk for complications.

“We reduce the risk of damage to surrounding tissues with this procedure because it
doesn’t rely on extreme temperatures. It is an innovative and effective treatment option for managing A-fib with significantly fewer risks,” said Dr. Margolis in a news release from Ascension Via Christi. “By adopting this technology, Via Christi continues to demonstrate its commitment to bring the most advanced, most effective heart care to Wichita.”

[SubGod22]

Andover taking growth and development seriously now?

WBJ - Andover modifies policy on financial guarantees, bond terms to make suburb more 'developer friendly'

The key changes adopted in a Sept. 10 City Council meeting include:

• Financial guarantee requirements were reduced from 50% to 35% of the total project improvement costs
• Costs considered include engineering, design, construction, inspection, temporary note interest and administration
• Release schedules for financial guarantee funds have changed from 40% released at 50% certificate of occupancy, 80% at 75% occupancy and full release at 90% occupancy — to 50% released at 50% occupancy and full release at 75% occupancy
• Public infrastructure bond terms increased from 15 to 20 years
• Debt payments on failed development projects drop from 6.6 years to 4.6 years

They've apparently received a lot of feedback that their previous requirements made financing difficult as it meant too much up front costs to banks/lenders to get things moving. Despite the previous requirements, Andover does have the Skyloft development rolling along, a nearly $2M restaurant development going in south of the Red Bud Trail on Andover Rd, and some other smaller things going on. I believe the hope is that this will bring in more business development which Andover has long needed and perhaps more recreational options for the city. Their growth over the last 30 years has been primarily residential and fast food with a few exceptions here and there. They haven't been keeping up on overall development with the likes of Derby and Goddard and even more recently Park City. Hopefully this will help change that.

[SubGod22]

KWCH - Wichita theater chain working to reopen Old Town Warren

Wichita theater chain Boulevard Theatres announced on its website that it’s working to reopen the Old Town Warren in November. The doors to the theater in downtown Wichita have been closed for more than a year. That’s set to change next month.

The Old Town Warren closed in July of 2023, and with the theater’s closure, there’s a feeling from some Wichitans that Old Town suffered with it.

“Old Town is kind of a historic kind of place and whenever they took away the Warren, it kind of felt like they were taking back some history and Old Town felt a lot more boring, a little bit less character,” said Wichitan Zach Montebon. “With it being closed, we have not actually got a lot of business down here so much because the Warren is what attracts more business.”

The plan is to show some variety with new movies, independent films, and some cult classics.

I do think that having the theater open downtown is good for the city. And it will become even more important as downtown continues to grow.

[SubGod22]

And for those keeping track... KAKE - Evergy again cuts power to Towne West Square over delinquent bill

For at least the eighth time this year, Evergy has cut power to Towne West Mall.

An Evergy spokesperson said Wednesday morning that Kohan Retail Investment Group had again fallen delinquent on the electric bill and power was disconnected.

The larger stores at the mall have separate accounts that remain in good standing and are not subject to disconnection.

The issues began in June of last year, when Kohan paid the electric bill just in time to keep the lights from going off. In addition to power disconnections, water service has been shut off at least twice this year.