Evergy is taking a step back from plans to erect new towering power poles that would run through Wichita’s Midtown and Riverside neighborhoods after community backlash to the proposal. The existing transmission line, built in the 1950s, runs south from 17th Street and Emporia to 11th Street and Jefferson. A second phase of the rebuild would continue south down Nims to Central, near the Keeper of the Plains. Vocal residents have banded together to express their displeasure for the proposed power poles, which they characterize as eyesores that could inflict permanent aesthetic harm on their neighborhoods. Source: Wichita Eagle

Wichita is home to four professional pickleball players — all of whom are ranked in the top 10 nationally and are a big deal in the sport. That’s unusual for a town of Wichita’s size, and their residency adds to the city’s pickleball cache. Meet Wichita’s four resident pros, all of whom played tennis in college... Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

In the late 1990s, a small group of senior citizens in Wichita picked up a paddle sport with a funny name: Pickleball. ... Now, 25 years later, pickleball is a serious business across the nation and especially in Wichita — and not just for seniors. The relish and gherkin puns have stopped as thousands of locals, both young and old, have taken up the sport, an incredibly social and relatively easy-to-master combination of tennis, ping pong and badminton. The game, which can be played with singles or doubles, uses ping pong-like paddles and holey plastic balls. The plunk of paddles hitting [...]