🌻 Wichita Weekly (01/23)

Good morning, Wichita!

Holy cow — Tuesday was cold.

I took my trash out that morning, got back inside, and never opened another door. THANK YOU to the guys driving the garbage truck for still showing up despite the cold — and everyone else that kept things working despite the dangerous temperatures!

Personal Update: I am still working through medical imaging testing ahead of surgery — trending alright-ish. Will keep everyone posted and thank you for the kind notes! I appreciate them very much.

Last Week’s Poll

• Question: Have you ever received general anesthesia?

• Results: 100% of respondents said yes! I’m thinking there is a little bit of selection bias going on there…

• Comments:

  • GB: “No problem, drifted off and what seemed like 2 minutes later, I woke up.“

  • SR: “Heart transplant; they generally don’t want you bouncing around during the procedure!“ (makes sense to me!)

  • RPP: “I didn’t have any problems waking up. I know some people struggle with anesthesia but I don’t. Good luck and speedy recovery to you!!“ (Thank you! Getting things lined up soon…)

  • DSP: “You know how they have you count back from 100? I'm out by 94...“

This Week’s Poll

Shoutouts

None this week!

Want to share a shoutout? Scroll down to the golden box — all it takes is referring two locals! It helps me grow, too, so thank you!

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FINALLY, NOT SO COLD!

Weather

Thursday - 01/23 - 30°/ 13° 🌤️ Mostly Cloudy

Friday - 01/24 - 44°/ 23° ☀️ Sunny

Saturday - 01/25 - 38°/ 23° 🌨️ Mostly Cloudy

Sunday - 01/26 - 35°/ 19° ⛅️ Partly Cloudy

Source: KWCH

RECORDS, SKATING, BOOKS

Local News

Wichita breaks 90-year-old weather record on Tuesday

• “The low for Tuesday was recorded at -9 degrees, the National Weather Service in Wichita said at 8:50 a.m. This breaks the previous record for the coldest Jan. 21, which was minus 7 degrees in 1935, according to weather service archives.“

• “Salina also broke a weather record for Tuesday with a low temperature of -13 degrees. The previous record was -7 degrees in 1935.“

• Link: Read more

How US Figure Skating has taken over Wichita

• “The Wichita Thunder played their last game Wednesday, Jan. 15. By Thursday morning, U.S. Figure Skating was moving in. While having an ice rink already available was helpful, the transition between a hockey rink and a figure skating rink is actually a whole process.“

• “First, the top layer of hockey rink ice is shaved away. Then a layer of water is added, followed by white paint, followed by more water, followed by sponsorship logos, then an inch of ice over that.“

• “‘We’ve hosted four different figure skating events all the way back to 2018,” said Josh Howell, Visit Wichita’s vice president of sports development. ‘You have to start there to kind of prove your worth and again, build that trust and that relationship with the staff at U.S. figure skating.’“

• Link: Read more

Wichita-area author landed major contract for debut novel

• “Dove was literally discovered by a Penguin Random House editor in an open submission program that its imprint Berkley launched in December 2021. Her novel was one of only four selected for publication this fall from more than 5,000 submissions.“

• “Mask of the Deer Woman is already getting favorable attention from sites that review books or offer best-pick suggestions, including Amazon, Publishers Weekly and GoodReads. It was one of four detective novels featured in a New York Times column about new books released in January. Times bestselling author Heather Graham calls it ‘a fantastic, intriguing and unique thriller.’“

• “To celebrate the release of “Mask of the Deer Woman,” Dove will be at an in-store event and book signing at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Watermark Books, 4701 E. Douglas.“

• Link: Read more

Chase Koch nonprofit purchases Wichita properties with music in mind

• “Chase Koch-backed nonprofits have purchased 13 properties over a two square-block area of downtown Wichita over the last two years, according to Sedgwick County records — located between 1st and 2nd streets, Topeka Avenue and St. Francis Ave.“

• “Koch's aim, according to a media report, is to grow a musicians development program and the 1-year-old music collaboration Somewhere Fest — renamed from Elsewhere Fest and Conference — through Movement Musick, a 501(c)4 nonprofit.“

• “Movement Musick is Wichita based and described as empowering music industry professionals while driving positive social change.“

• Link: Read more

HOSPITAL, EQUITY BANK, INTEGRA

Business News

How Riverfront Stadium became Equity Bank Park

• “The Wichita City Council unanimously approved an amendment Tuesday to a previous facility use agreement — the last step toward Equity Bank (NYSE: EQBK) and the team finalizing a 15-year deal that changes the downtown ballpark's name to Equity Bank Park.“

• “‘The whole point of what we would like to drive is... how do you get more opportunities for things that make people look at Wichita as a place that's more desirable to live?’ Equity Bank chairman Brad Elliott said.”

• “The naming rights deal marks a big moment for the bank and the Wind Surge, while also kickstarting a long-awaited revenue stream to the city, which will split naming rights dollars with the team. Over $2.1 million is projected to head the city's way from the deal.“

• Article details how the deal came about

• Link: Read more

Integra Technologies sells to New York company

• “Wichita's Integra Technologies, which for the last two years has been awaiting funding to support the construction of a $1.8 billion, 1 million square-foot semiconductor facility, has been acquired by New York-based microelectronics company Micross Components.”

• “Founded in Wichita 40 years ago, Integra is an employee-owned company that assembles and tests computer chips with operations in both Wichita and Silicon Valley. It has spent more than 14 months awaiting federal funds after announcing in 2023 that it would build a $1.8 billion manufacturing facility on a 100-acre site at the southeast corner of K-254 and Rock Road.”

• “The project — which is expected to generate nearly 2,500 jobs — was considered the second-largest investment in Kansas.”

• “Micross, based in Melville, N.Y., provides microelectronic products to the aerospace, defense, space, medical and energy markets — among others. The company works with die and wafer suppliers and provides advanced packaging, assembly, modification and test services. The company is owned by Behrman Capital, a private equity firm out of New York City.”

• Link: Read more

Children's Mercy plans to expand ambulatory, specialty care

• “Leaders of the Kansas City-based pediatric hospital confirmed Thursday in a statement to the WBJ its plans to expand in the region to ‘meet the needs of the community,’ though details of when and where are unknown.”

• "‘(We) will share more details about the location and services as plans are finalized in the first half of this year,’ a spokesperson said.“

• “Children’s Mercy is a nonprofit health organization that provides pediatric services with 8,600 experts in its health system in the Kansas City, Mo. region and beyond.”

• “In Wichita, Children's Mercy operates a site in the Wesley Medical Arts Building at 3243 E. Murdock. The location, which opened in 2013, includes multiple specialty clinics including rheumatology, dermatology and surgery — among others.“

• Link: Read more

COLD WITH BENEFITS?

Figure Skating Championships

Wanting to check out the USA Figure Skating Championships that Wichita is hosting this year?

Well, tickets can still be bought on Select a Seat through this link. Depending on the selection, tickets range anywhere from $15 to $100.

A detailed schedule can also be found on the official US Figure Skating website.

Following preparations that began on January 16th, the official event started on January 22nd with the novice and junior-level competitions. The full-on event begins today, January 23rd, and will continue through Sunday, January 26th.

The event is a pretty big deal for the city — KSN suggests that over $8 million could be spread out across Wichita thanks to the event.

Wichita Life did a detailed full article on the US Figure Skating Championships — complete with detailed schedules and background information. You can check it out here.

If you made it this far — thank you so much! You are the reason I write this newsletter — and it would be nothing without you.

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Best,

The Wichita Weekly