Amid a surge in violent crime in Wichita, police are asking the City Council to approve a partnership with the U.S. Marshals for a federal crackdown. The request follows what Police Chief Gordon Ramsay called a “busy weekend” with seven shootings where nine total people were shot. One of the shootings hospitalized an officer, who was shot in the head and legs with what a police captain described as “an AR-15 style assault rifle.” “We have seen since a little over a year ago, we saw shooting numbers skyrocket,” Ramsay said Monday during a news conference where he provided an update on the injured officer. “I really feel, and chiefs all around the country are all saying the same thing, that something has happened societally that is causing people to immediately resort to solving conflict through the use of guns.”
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

Northeast Wichita’s Save A Lot grocery store is closing and with it the only full-service supermarket serving a broad swath of the historically Black community in northeast Wichita. City Council member Brandon Johnson said he has confirmed the planned closure, which is tentatively scheduled for July 10. The closure of the store, at 2402 E 13th St., is a major blow to a large section of the city, Johnson said. “It’s going to make things worse,” Johnson said. “It’s already a food desert and this is the nearest store people over here have.” Other than Save A Lot, the closest grocery stores are Dillons markets at Douglas and Hillside, or two other Dillons on Rock Road, one at Central and one at 21st Street.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle