More than 20 electric scooters were recovered from the Arkansas River by the Keeper of the Plains Tuesday afternoon. Electric scooters came to Wichita in July 2019. One of the companies currently operating in Wichita is VeoRide. A KSN photojournalist spoke to a person at the scene working to recover the scooters who identified themself as a manager for VeoRide. He said the units may have been there for some time, only becoming visible because of lower water levels. KSN has reached out to the company for a formal statement but has not received a reply. Source: KSN-TV

Twenty electric scooters were recovered from the Arkansas River near the Keeper of the Plains this week, but it comes as no surprise to residents and business owners in the area who have seen submerged scooters for years. Electric scooter rentals have been available in Wichita since the summer of 2019. City leaders celebrated their arrival, and the scooters were a hit with residents and visitors. However, the scooters have had a hard time staying above water. Calvin Cupp works at Boats and Bikes, a boat rental service just off the Arkansas River near the Keeper of the Plains. He spends [...]

The 2023 Kansas State Fair is almost here. More hotels are planned for Hutchinson, but not in time for this year's fair. The fair is planning for more than 300,000 visitors for the 2023 Kansas State Fair, but not all will be staying in Hutch. Currently, there are about 700 hotel rooms after the largest Hutchinson hotel closed in 2019. The Kansas State Fair brings in anywhere from $75-100 million each year. "For 10 days specifically, that period is a huge boost for the entire community," said Visit Hutch Vice President LeAnn Cox. Source: KSN-TV

After a fire heavily damaged the Rawlins County Junior-Senior High School in June, parents and students knew things would change. It has taken some time, but the district has a tentative plan for handling the new school year. Eric Stoddard, USD 105 superintendent, posted an update about the fire and the plans on the district's Facebook page. "We've had a, really a tragedy in our community," he said. ... USD 105 has contracted with a Wichita company to provide modular classrooms for the junior-senior high school, but the classrooms will not be installed until mid-September at the earliest. Source: KSN-TV

Companies trying to convince workers to move to Wichita have some new ammunition. Forbes Advisor ranks Wichita as the 12th best place for young professionals to live. The researchers behind the Forbes Advisor report compared the 100 most-populous metropolitan areas, 99 of which had available data. They weighed things like pay, job opportunities, housing prices, cost of living, and lifestyle. Source: KSN-TV

Earlier this week, Governor Laura Kelly announced she would be pushing for Medicaid expansion after a study released in July 2023 by the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform (CHQPR) found 58% of rural hospitals were at risk of closure. “Already, too many rural hospitals have shut their doors," Governor Laura Kelly said in response to the report. "When that happens, the communities have been devastated. These Kansans have to drive hours now to receive their basic care. There is an obvious way to stop the bleeding: Expand Medicaid.” Source: KSN-TV