Mental Health
6:44 am
Fri May 31, 2013

Report: Medicaid Expansion Vital to Mental Health

The National Alliance on Mental Illness says gaps in mental health care could be addressed if every state-including Kansas-would expand Medicaid as envisioned in the Affordable Care Act.

Rick Cagan, who heads NAMI Kansas, says the state’s system of community mental health centers is supposed to provide help for Kansans with mental illness, regardless of their ability to pay. But budget cuts have left public mental health providers unable to meet the needs…

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2013 Legislative Session
6:38 am
Fri May 31, 2013

Still No Resolution On Sales Tax Issue

The Kansas House has rejected a new proposal to decrease the sales tax on groceries while keeping sales tax for other items at 6.3 percent.

The House voted 94-18 last night on the measure; it would have allowed further cuts in personal income taxes, in addition to the cuts made last year.

The proposal would have also decreased the sales tax on groceries to 4.9 percent in October.

The current, elevated sales tax is set to drop back down to 5.7 percent in July. Lawmakers raised it to 6.3 percent last year to offset income tax cuts.

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Community
6:35 am
Fri May 31, 2013

Father And Son-In-Law Sought 'Land Of Opportunity'

Credit Carla Eckels / KMUW
Thanh Phan and Tran Van Vi

In 1975, Tran Van Vi was a news reporter in his homeland of Vietnam before, at the age of 50, making the journey to start a new life in Wichita.

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Commentary
5:00 am
Fri May 31, 2013

Restaurant Review: Harry's Uptown Bar & Grill

Credit Fletcher Powell / KMUW

If you have lived in Wichita for longer than a year and haven’t made the trip to Harry’s Uptown Bar & Grill, you are missing out on some of the best atmosphere in town.

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Blues
3:31 am
Fri May 31, 2013

Top 40 Albums May 2013

Credit Deborah Feingold / rollingstone.com

1. Boz Scaggs - Memphis (429 Records)
2. Tom Jones - Spirit in the Room (Rounder)
3. Robin Trower - Roots and Branches (V12)
4. Southern Hospitality - Easy Livin’ (Blind Pig)
5. Al ‘Carnival Time’ Johnson - Beyond Carnival (Rabadash)

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Community
12:42 pm
Thu May 30, 2013

With A Few Precautions, It's Safe For You To Use The Arkansas River

Credit djmcaleese / flickr Creative Commons
The confluence of the Little and Big Arkansas rivers, taken in 2007.

With the annual Wichita River Festival approaching, the city says the Arkansas River is suitable for recreational use.

However, there are some advisory conditions you should follow:

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Community
10:21 am
Thu May 30, 2013

Six Kansas Sites Added To National Register Of Historic Places

Credit Legends of Kansas
Santa Fe Trail Map

The Kansas Historical Society recently placed six Santa Fe Trail locations in Kansas on the National Register of Historic Places. With the addition of these sites in Marion and Morton counties, the state now has 1,310 registered historic sites.

Thirty properties were nominated for the Santa Fe Trail project, and these six were the first to be approved by the National Park Service.

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Rachel Syme is a frequent contributor to NPR Books. She is the former culture editor of The Daily Beast, and has written and edited for Elle, Radar, Page Six Magazine, Jane, theNew York Observer, The Millions, and GQ.

Weather
8:58 am
Thu May 30, 2013

Weather Service Says Watch Out For Floods, Hail And Wind

Updated 9:00am

Heavy rainfall is flooding in parts of downtown Wichita Thursday morning, as well as part of Valley Center.

The National Weather Service reports that excessive runoff from rainfall will cause flooding in small creeks, streams, and low-lying streets and underpasses. Drive carefully and watch for flooded roadways.

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Community
7:02 am
Thu May 30, 2013

From Vietnam To Wichita, In Search Of Freedom

Credit Carla Eckels / KMUW
Christine Cao moved to Wichita when she was 16. Now, 22 years later, she is the owner of Perfect Nails.

According to the 2010 US Census, more than 1.5 million immigrants from Vietnam live in the U.S. The Vietnamese population in Kansas has increased by 21 percent in the last decade. And more than 9,000 Vietnamese Americans live in Sedgwick County.

Vietnamese business owner Christine Cao moved to Wichita 22 years ago when she was 16. She graduated from Wichita's North High School and in 2005 she earned her bachelor’s degree from Wichita State University in public health in organization and public policy.

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