General News in the 316

[SubGod22]

KSN - Love's opens its first Wichita travel stop

The new Love’s at 21st and Interstate 135 opened on Friday. This is the company’s first travel stop in Wichita.

Love’s says it is one of the company’s largest travel stops, with 122 truck parking spaces. But it is not just for truck drivers. Anyone is welcome.

The store will employ nearly 150 people, covering retail operations, food service, and truck maintenance. It includes a Love’s Fresh Kitchen concept. Starting on Monday, it will also have Arby’s and Dunkin Donuts.

Maintenance shop and truck wash will open in a month.

[JJClamdip]

https://www.kwch.com/2024/10/24/wichita-man-sentenced-nearly-27-years-prison-deadly-road-rage-shooting/

Good news, this little dumb ass dirtbag is going to jail for a long time.

[SubGod22]

Activity appears to be picking up downtown at the site of the Bio-Med campus. I'm not well versed in construction and what's what or anything, but there's a decent stack of metal something nearish what I believe is the old Mid-States building. The two cranes are active in the corner near the current bus depot. There are three cement trucks on site. Cranes are actively helping place whatever the stack of stuff is. Some sort of support structures?

Maybe I'm just wanting to see things start going up and am not seeing things as clearly as I could, though I also admit I'm guessing and don't know **** about any of the process.

Live feed of Bio-Med construction

Looks like maybe they're using the cranes to help with some kind of drilling. I'm not sure what purpose the large metal contraption is serving. It's obviously not being placed as they've changed spots while I was away but it is attached and now that it's closer to the camera I can see some sort of drill being used along side it.

So nothing seems to be being placed in/on the ground but they're obviously preparing something. Drilling holes and filling them in with cement for support of these metal pieces in the future?

[Ta Town Shocker]

I was surprised to see Oxnard on the list. I went once several years ago and it seemed to be a fairly small agricultural community vs a metropolitan area. I probably only drove through a slice of it though.

[ShockBand]

Despite inflation and other BS, Wichita remains one of the most affordable cities in the country.

WBJ - How affordable is Wichita? Here's how our costs compare.



Slight surprise, San Francisco is the least affordable metro. I always expect it to be Honolulu.

Ten least affordable are

San Francisco
San Jose
San Diego
Oxnard
Seattle
Los Angeles
New York
Honolulu
Boston
Miami

Ten most affordable are

McAllen
Little Rock
Wichita
Toledo
Jackson (MS)
Tulsa
NWA
Birmingham
El Paso
Knoxville

Anytime I see Oxnard I think of this BBT scene:

[SubGod22]

The often forgotten aerospace employer in Wichita making headway.

WBJ - German program tied to Bombardier reaches flight testing in Wichita

Bombardier Defense in Wichita has reached a milestone on its business jet for a defense contract from Germany.

Executives at Bombardier Defense, Lufthansa Technik and Hensoldt announced Wednesday that the first of three Global 6000 business jets, which is part of Germany’s Pegasus program for specialized surveillance aircraft, have entered into flight testing at Bombardier's U.S. headquarters in Wichita.

"It truly has been a collaborative effort to get the aircraft from its initial design stages into the flight test program," Steve Patrick, vice president of Bombardier Defense, said during a news conference Wednesday. "Today is just one of the many significant events in the program, and we're delighted to host our colleagues and friends to celebrate this huge milestone."

He said the Wichita team made "significant modifications" to the system and structure of the aircraft. Wichita employees were assigned to modify and equip the aircraft for German sensor company Hensoldt's surveillance system in 2022.

Patrick said flight testing has already begun at the Wichita facility since the second half of September. He said Bombardier will hand over next summer the first jet to Lufthansa Technik Defense — which will integrate Hensoldt's system and certify the aircraft in Germany before it is delivered to the German armed forces next summer. The other two will follow several months later.

[SubGod22]

KAKE - 'Our Growing Herd': Sedgwick County Zoo launches campaign for elephant habitat expansion

The Sedgwick County Zoo's elephant herd will be growing next year, so the zoo has launched a capital campaign to raise $10 million to expand its exhibit.

The zoo says five female elephants are currently pregnant, with all five babies expected in the spring. The zoo said the expansion if the indoor space would provide more bonding space and allow more room to roam, play and socialize, especially in the colder months.

"This ambitious initiative aims to expand the existing Elephant Boma within the Reed Family Elephants of the Zambezi River Valley Habitat," the zoo said in a release on Wednesday. "This new space will also allow our community to watch the elephant herd grow and mature for years to come, in an environment that will continue to closely mirror the elephants' natural social structure. The expansion will ensure the best possible care for the multigenerational herd, promoting their physical and social well-being."

[SubGod22]

Despite inflation and other BS, Wichita remains one of the most affordable cities in the country.

WBJ - How affordable is Wichita? Here's how our costs compare.

Inflation has been a constant pain point for businesses and consumers since the pandemic recovery ramped up, and no metro has been immune.

Wichita, though, has maintained its steely reputation for affordability.

That’s according to a Business Journals review of data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity Index, which reflects how costs compared between metros in 2022. We analyzed the nation's 100 largest metro areas.

The index shows how costs compare in a metro compared to the national baseline of 100. That means a metro with an index of 90 would be 10% more affordable than the national average, for example. The data also includes specific index scores for the cost of housing, services and goods in each metro.

Wichita ranked as the third most affordable city, only falling behind Little Rock, Ark. and McAllen, Texas.

Wichita's highest category score was in housing affordability at No. 5. When it comes to the affordability of goods, Wichita is 20th among large U.S. cities and 14th for other services, but the ICT didn't fare well in the affordability of utilities, landing 73rd on the list.

Slight surprise, San Francisco is the least affordable metro. I always expect it to be Honolulu.

Ten least affordable are

San Francisco
San Jose
San Diego
Oxnard
Seattle
Los Angeles
New York
Honolulu
Boston
Miami

Ten most affordable are

McAllen
Little Rock
Wichita
Toledo
Jackson (MS)
Tulsa
NWA
Birmingham
El Paso
Knoxville

[SubGod22]

This could be big for Wichita and the business jet world

WBJ - Textron Aviation CEO says next Citation generation 'shakes up the entire light jet industry'



I think having the ability to have to plane land itself is massive.

The first next-gen Citation has been sold.

WBJ - Bank technology CEO is first buyer of next-generation Textron Aviation Cessna Citation jet

Ryan Samples, founder and CEO of Oklahoma City-based BankOnIT, is the launch customer for the new Cessna Citation CJ4 Gen3 business jet, Textron Aviation announced at the National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas.

Late Monday — the same day the Wichita-based aircraft manufacturer unveiled the Cessna Citation M2 Gen3 and CJ3 Gen3, alongside the CJ4 Gen3 — the company said Samples had entered into a purchase agreement to take delivery of the first CJ4 Gen3. The jet is expected to enter into service in 2026.

"As a pilot and business owner, I’m incredibly excited to be the launch customer for the Cessna Citation CJ4 Gen3," said Samples, a long-running Citation customer whose company is a technology provider for financial institutions, in a news release. "Our longstanding appreciation for Citation jets has only grown with each new model."

Financial terms of the purchase were not disclosed.

Each aircraft announced Monday, including the CJ4 Gen3, will be equipped with Garmin Emergency Autoland technology alongside other new features. Garmin's recently announced G3000 Prime avionics suite will also be included in the CJ4 Gen3, making Textron Aviation the first manufacturer to announce it will have the technology on its aircraft.

[SubGod22]

I guess we know where the rate increase is going.

WBJ - Evergy to build two south-central Kansas natural gas plants

Evergy announced Monday that it will build combined-cycle natural gas plants in Reno County and Sumner County, with an estimated project cost of more than $1 billion each and scheduled openings by the end of the decade.

One 705-megawatt plant will be located 4 miles south of Conway Springs in Sumner County, across the road from a current Evergy substation, with completion by 2029. The Reno County plant will be located a mile south of South Hutchinson with completion by 2030.

Evergy said each project will fuel 500 jobs during the construction phase.

"High-efficiency modern natural gas plants will meet the electricity needs for our region's growing economy," Evergy chairman, president and CEO David Campbell said in a statement. "These plants also will bring good paying jobs and tax dollars to Kansas."

The company held announcements in both counties Monday.

[SubGod22]

This could be big for Wichita and the business jet world

WBJ - Textron Aviation CEO says next Citation generation 'shakes up the entire light jet industry'

As Textron Aviation looks to turn the page from a nearly month-long machinists strike that ended Sunday, the company has unveiled the next generation of its light jets — the Cessna Citation M2 Gen3, CJ3 Gen3 and CJ4 Gen3.

The Monday announcement, made on the eve of the National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas, highlighted that each aircraft will be equipped with Garmin Emergency Autoland technology alongside other new features.

“I really think this shakes up the entire light jet industry and is an enormous enhancement to our existing great product lineup," said Textron Aviation president and CEO Ron Draper in a media briefing prior to NBAA.

The jets are currently under development. The CJ4 Gen3 is expected to enter into service in 2026, followed by the M2 Gen3 and CJ3 Gen3 in 2027.

Garmin's recently announced G3000 Prime avionics suite will be included in the CJ4 Gen3, making Textron Aviation the first manufacturer to announce it will have the technology on its aircraft.

"It's a fully-streamlined touchscreen, fully-immersive experience for our pilots that creates a smoother flight deck flow and ultimately reduces pilot workload, making this aircraft just even easier to fly," said Jimmy Beeson, Textron Aviation's director of product development.

I think having the ability to have to plane land itself is massive.

[SubGod22]

Short notice

Eagle - 'Not like any other band in the history of music': Stryper comes to Wichita

What do you get when you have a band that dresses in outfits that resemble a bumble bee, play heavy metal music, but sing lyrics about Jesus?

The punchline, at least in the 1980’s, was a band with a multi-platinum album, videos all over MTV and a Grammy nomination.

There aren’t many bands in the “heavenly metal” genre of music, and very few of those can claim the the success that Stryper has had.

“We’re not like any other band in the history of music,” claims singer and guitarist Michael Sweet.

Stryper will bring their 40-year history of black and yellow outfits and melodic hard rock with its Christian message to Wichita this Saturday for a show at Temple Live at 8 p.m.

[SubGod22]

KAKE - Passageways gets a new home

A new home is on the horizon for a non-profit that devotes all of its time and energy to helping Wichita’s homeless veterans.

1202 West Douglas will be the new location for Passageways, a non-profit that specializes in helping veterans escape homelessness. The building used to be a DAV space, and it is located in the heart of Delano.

The new location is a big upgrade for Passageways, as it will allow for more than 7,000 square feet of usable space, while Towne West had only 2,000 square feet.

The founders of Passageways met with Kan Vets United, another non-profit that helps veterans, on Tuesday to celebrate and sign paperwork.

This is an upgrade over their spot at Towne West. More space and they can trust that the lights will stay on and the water flowing and the doors won't be randomly locked when they get there.

[SubGod22]

WBJ - Wichita OKs tax-expempt bonds to advance affordable housing project downtown

After previous attempts to renovate stalled out in 2018, the out-of-state owner of an 11-story downtown building secured a key approval Tuesday to move forward with a refreshed project.

The Wichita City Council voted unanimously to approve a letter of intent for up to $30 million in industrial revenue bonds to help finance the renovation of the Market Centre building at 155 N. Market into 114 affordable rental units. The developer has already secured 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credits through the Kansas Housing Resources Corp., which requires the use of tax-exempt bond financing.

The development, named Market Centre Apartments, also secured a sales tax exemption on construction materials through the IRB; a property tax abatement was not requested.

Looks like this is finally going to happen.

[SubGod22]

WBJ - Owner of long-vacant downtown building has fresh plans for affordable housing

Market Centre, a historic downtown Wichita building that's been vacant for several years, could take a step toward new life this week.

On Tuesday, the Wichita City Council will consider a Michigan-based developer's request for a letter of intent from the city to issue up to $30 million in industrial revenue bonds to help finance a renovation of the 11-story structure at 155 N. Market into 114 affordable housing units.

The development, named Market Centre Apartments, will qualify for a sales tax exemption on construction materials.

Plans call for a mix of studio, one and two-bedroom units, with monthly rent ranging from $659 to $1,041.

This will join nearby Landmark Square office building in bringing more affordable apartments to downtown. Landmark Square will have 74 units.