Organizers of a petition initiative to block the city from destroying Century II and the former downtown library will hand deliver nearly 17,000 signatures to City Hall on Friday, a move that could ultimately preserve Wichita’s skyline and wrest control of a key riverfront site from downtown booster organizations looking to redevelop the area. The ordinance proposed in the petition by a group called Save Century II would prevent the city government from demolishing any historically significant city-owned buildings without a public vote, specifically naming the Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center and the former Wichita Central Library building. State law requires 12,554 signatures by registered voters in Wichita, the equivalent of 25% of voters who cast a ballot in the last city election.
(Read more: Local News | Wichita Eagle)

An order issued by Sedgwick County to require business employees and patrons to wear masks to slow the spread of COVID-19 was written to be essentially unenforceable and weaker than a city of Wichita ordinance with similar requirements. And on Thursday, the county order was loosened a bit when Dr. Garold Minns, the county health officer, revised it to exempt religious meetings from a 45-person limitation on the size of public gatherings. Unenforceability is actually written into Minns’ order.
(Read more: Local News | Wichita Eagle)