More than 80 miles of bikeways could be added to streets and shared-use paths in Wichita over the next 10 years, according to a draft of the city’s bike plan. Many of the paths will connect to existing bike lanes in the city. The bike paths may mean fewer car lanes on major roadways, most commonly known as a “road diet.” The draft plan also calls for connecting to bike networks outside the city, including Andover and Derby.
Source: Wichita Eagle

In 2021, the city of Wichita received $72.4 million and Sedgwick County received $100.2 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. At the time, it was a lifeline for the local governments, allowing them to continue services and to pay staff who would have otherwise been laid off for an extended period. As part of accepting the funds, local governments agreed to two deadlines: Dec. 31, 2024, to obligate all of the funds and decide where they will go, and Dec. 31, 2026, to spend the money that was allocated. The funds have to be returned if not obligated or spent by their respective deadlines. While the city and the county have met the fund-obligation deadline, Sedgwick County decided to wrap up its ARPA dollar expenditures by the end of the year based on advice it received from the Government Finance Officers Association. Despite ARPA being a Trump Administration program, the advising group told the county the incoming administration might change federal guidelines on how the money should be spent, which could lead Sedgwick County into having to cover the costs through its general funds.
Source: Wichita Eagle

Nearly six years ago, the Biggs family decided it was time to leave California – a move they’d been planning for awhile. All they knew when they left is that they wanted to end up in a small town. They found it in Garden Plain, a small community of just under 1,000 people that sits about 20 miles due west of Wichita. And now, just two short years after opening a restaurant on the town’s main drag, the Biggs are some of the best known people in town. Halagains opened a year ago at 501 N. Main in Garden Plain and has quickly become a local favorite.
Source: Wichita Eagle