Benton, KS Events and More

State sues developers of Derby Shores project because ‘it has not been built'

Journalists have asked a lot of questions about the numerous false starts and delays at Derby Shores — part of a state-financed STAR bond district — and now the Kansas Department of Commerce wants answers. “More than four years after the project was approved and bonds were sold, it has not been built,” the state said in a lawsuit filed this month in Sedgwick County District Court . “Announced opening dates have come and gone.” The suit is against Derby Destination Development , a team consisting of Dave Murfin, Rick Worner and Rodney Steven II. Security Bank of Kansas City , the trustee on the project, and the city of Derby also are named. “It is going to take action by the developer to move things forward,” said Derby city manager Kiel Mangus. None of the developers returned calls for comment on Wednesday. A Commerce spokesman said no one was available to comment Wednesday, and neither of the department’s two Morris Laing attorneys returned calls for comment. Mangus said the city is still analyzing what’s in the lawsuit. “We haven’t fully been able to evaluate all the things in the suit, so that’s what we’re going through right now,” he

Derby, KS · 1d

fastfoodclub.com

Seven Old Kansas Supper Clubs Where Dinner Still Feels Like A Night Out In 7

Some dinners are just meals, and some still feel like an event worth dressing up for. Across Kansas, a handful of old-school supper spots keep that spirit going with hand-cut steaks, platters of fried chicken, live music, and dining rooms that have barely changed in decades. These are the places...

KSN.com

Bob Mills, founder of Bob Mills Furniture, dies

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — The founder of Bob Mills Furniture, Bob Mills, has died. His family announced his death Monday on the store’s Facebook page. “It is with heavy hearts and profound sadness that we share the passing of our beloved husband, father, and founder of Bob Mills Furniture, Bob Mills,” the family said. “For our family, this is an immeasurable loss. But we also know that his passing will be felt by the countless people whose lives he touched throughout the years.”

Oklahoma · 3d

Wichita Eagle

Longtime east Wichita restaurant's west-side counterpart opens this week

Managers spent the weekend training staff at a couple of invite-only events. And on Tuesday, the new Firebirds Wood Fired Grill at 2824 N. Maize Road will open to the public. The restaurant, which is southwest of the Hobby Lobby at 29th North and Maize, is the second location of the chain for Wichita. Started by onetime Wichitan and Lone Star Steakhouse founder Dennis Thompson and some partners 25 years ago in Charlotte, Firebirds o pened its first Wichita restaurant in 2013 at the Waterfront development. The chain now has nearly 70 locations across the country. The west-side restaurant is smaller than the one on the east side and a bit less ornate. It doesn’t have a private dining room like the east side, but it does have a big outdoor patio facing Maize Road that has a fireplace and heaters. The menu at Firebirds features a variety of steaks, seafood options like salmon and Chilean sea bass, ribs, chicken, pasta dishes, burgers and sandwiches. It also has a separate lunch menu and serves brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Brunch features breakfast cocktails along with items such as baked French toast and grilled salmon benedict.

Wichita, KS · 3d

klcjournal.com

Opinion: Maybe the future is now for Northeast Wichita

As Wichita plans its development future, Black Wichita has an opportunity to assert agency over its own future in ways modern history might never have allowed. It already has produced the kind of genius that could move the entire city forward. Charles McAfee’s ancestors arrived in Wichita with Jesse Chisholm....

Wichita Eagle

These are the 15 best Wichita-area nursing homes, US News says in latest ratings

U.S. News & World Report has evaluated over 14,600 skilled nursing facilities across all 50 states, seeking to find the best nursing homes of 2027. Of those facilities evaluated, nearly one in five (or 18%) received a “Best Nursing Home” recognition in short-term rehabilitation, long-term care or both. Fifteen of those nursing homes are in the Wichita area. “ Choosing a nursing home — whether for short-term rehabilitation following a surgery or illness like stroke, or for long-term residency — is one of the most crucial healthcare decisions a family can make,” Jordan Derk, Ph.D., senior care researcher at U.S. News, said in a news release. “The Best Nursing Homes ratings are designed to equip families with transparent quality metrics so they can make confident, informed care decisions alongside their healthcare providers.” To rate the nursing homes, U.S. News said it analyzed data regarding staffing, patients’ health outcomes and government-conducted health and safety outcomes. Best Wichita nursing homes These are the best nursing homes in the Wichita area for 2027, according to U.S. News. The facilities listed below were rated “high performing” in short-term rehabilitation, long-term care or both. Ascension Living Via Christi Village McLean Location: 777 N. McLean Recognition

WLBT

‘A lot of people knew her’: 18-year-old college freshman found dead in her dorm room

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH/Gray News) - A first-year student-athlete has been found dead in her dorm room over the weekend at Newman University. According to the university, a resident found 18-year-old McKenzie Rohr, a member of Newman’s new track and field team, in her room on Sunday. First responders were...

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KSN News

Kansan’s secret CIA mission declassified after 61 years

For one Kansas veteran, a classified military mission kept much of his service private for more than six decades.

Wichita Eagle

The big Angelo's move is about to begin, Wichita. Here's what to expect:

Wichita will be Angelo’s- free for a bit starting this weekend, and owners of the Italian restaurant are advising fans to stock up on take-and-bake pizzas and pasta dishes to get them through. The restaurant, which is relocating from its home of five years at 5900 E. Central, will have its last day there on Saturday. Then, they’ll start the move to the new space at 550 N. Rock Road, where businesses including Quinton’s Bar & Grill , Ernie Biggs, Dempsey’s Burger Pub and Crutch BBQ previously operated. The owners aren’t yet sure how long the move will take, though. On social media this weekend , they said that the best-case scenario is that the restaurant will be reopened within seven to 10 days — but that’s assuming that the move and inspections of the new space stay on track. The post thanked customers for their continued support and patience and promised an update as soon as it was available. Angelo’s announced in May its plans to relocate. The space it’s taking over was famously home to The Grape during the 1980s and 1990s. Originally, Angelo’s had hoped to have the move complete by the end of August, but things

Wichita, KS · 3d

Wichita Eagle

Wichita restaurant was about to get a second rebrand. Now it's just plain closed.

The restaurant space on the northeast corner of Central and Maize has gone through a bit of an identity crisis over the past couple of years. After operating for years as a Planet Sub, the space at 10330 W. Central was taken over by local restaurateur Johnny Chandra and some partners, who opened it in January 2025 as a dual-concept fried chicken and boba restaurant called Crispy & Co/HaneBe. Then, in March, the owners renamed the restaurant Zen Bento and began serving bento boxes with choices such as spicy pork bulgogi, udon noodles, Chinese sweet-and-spicy chicken, and General Tso’s chicken. But in August, Zen Bento closed, and a sign posted on the door said the restaurant was closed for remodeling and would be rebranded as a sushi bar. Those plans are now off, Chandra said. “We decided not to reopen with the new concept because we weren’t able to find a partner to run it,” he said. Now, the 2,360-square-foot space is listed for lease with Landmark Commercial Real Estate . Chandra and his partners have opened several other restaurants in Wichita over the past eight years, starting with Tuptim Thai, 2121 N. Rock Road, in October 2018 and followed

KWCH.com

Paint With Alpacas at Lazy Moon Ranch in Augusta

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Looking for a creative group outing? Lazy Moon Ranch in Augusta combines art and animals with farm tours and painting classes alongside alpacas. Owner Jerramy said visitors can tour the farm before heading into the alpaca pasture for a step-by-step painting class, with the animals roaming nearby. The ranch also offers pottery with alpacas and indoor painting classes with sheep in its year-round Halloween-themed art barn. Activities are open to a range of ages and skill levels, and experiences are available year-round by appointment. To learn more or book a visit, go to lmoonranch.com.

Augusta, KS · 19h

goshockers.com

Shockers Bounce Back with Blowout Win over Friends

WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State set single game school records for field goal percentage, made three-pointers and scored the most points in a game during the Paul Mills era in a blowout 113-60 win over Friends Wednesday night in Charles Koch Arena. Wichita State (2-1) was extremely efficient on the...

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KNSS Radio

Wichita City Council puts in overtime in nighttime meeting

A $500 thousand increase in funding was approved for irrigation improvements at Tex Consolver and Auburn Hills Golf Courses.

KWCH.com

Wichita’s SB Mowing named to GoFundMe’s first ‘The Kind 50’ list

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Spencer B. of Wichita-based SB Mowing has been named to GoFundMe’s inaugural “The Kind 50,” a list recognizing 50 people and organizations whose kindness helped others over the past year. You may know the SB Mowing from its popular videos on multiple social...

Wichita, KS · 3d

Wichita Eagle

Derby council approves final plat for controversial multi-family development

Derby’s City Council has approved the final plat for a large multifamily development that has been the topic of controversy among residents in recent months. The Stone Creek Sixth Addition is a planned apartment complex project in the Stone Creek neighborhood, at the northeast corner of Patriot Avenue and Triple Creek Drive — a property that has sat vacant for years. Residents have argued that a large multi-family development would not be a good fit for the neighborhood, one full of single-family homes as well as an elementary school. “That lot had sat there empty for 26 years, and nobody ever dreamed that something of that magnitude . . . would go into that area,” Derby resident Scotty Little said in the public forum portion of Tuesday’s meeting. “This densely populated project in the middle of our single-family homes is not a good fit and will never be a good fit.” In July, developers requested industrial revenue bonds and a 60% property tax abatement for the next ten years as well as a construction materials sales tax exemption from the city of Derby. After heavy pushback, the council rejected the developer’s application, but the project moved forward. Derby’s planning commission

Derby, KS · 1d

Wichita Eagle

Wichita State reveals 2027 Hall of Fame class with 5 Shocker legends

The woman who helped launch Wichita State’s bowling dynasty. An Olympic semifinalist. One of the greatest power hitters in Shocker softball history. Those are among the five former Wichita State standouts who will receive the university’s highest athletic honor after being selected for the 2027 Shocker Sports Hall of Fame class, announced Wednesday. The newest inductees are softball star Madison (Perrigan) Duncan, women’s bowling standouts Dasha Kovalova and Vicki Little, and track and field All-Americans Viktors Lacis and Aaron True. They will be formally inducted at halftime of WSU’s Jan. 31 men’s basketball game against UTSA at Koch Arena, following a celebration dinner the previous evening. The class spans nearly five decades of Shocker athletic excellence, with perhaps no better example of that history than Little, a Wichita native who helped lay the foundation for one of the most successful college bowling programs in the country. Little was a member of the 1975 Wichita State women’s bowling team that captured the program’s first national championship. Just two years later, she was back on top of the sport, this time as the head coach who guided the Shockers to the 1977 national title. Those championships were the first two of a

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KSN News

Wichita State losing streak continues with blowout by Missouri State

The Shockers shot only 35% from the field, compared with the Bears' 41%. In 3-point range, WSU made only 23% of its shots.

Wichita Eagle

Wichita restaurant owner had decided he'd have to close. Then things changed.

The owner of a Wichita Hawaiian restaurant who recently decided he’d have to close his business has changed his mind. Mike Brotemarkle, the owner of Sharky’s Island Bites at 8918 W. 21st St., had even notified his landlord that he’d be out of the space by Dec. 1. But earlier this week, he told the landlord he’d decided to stay. It all started when Brotemarkle received a cease-and-desist letter from a restaurant based on the West Coast called Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar saying that the Sharky’s Island Bites name was too similar to its trademarked name and that it created brand confusion. The California-based Uncle Sharkii chain, which has several locations across the country, recently partnered with Walmart and is planning to open versions of its restaurants in some stores across the country. It already has opened restaurants inside two Walmarts in Texas. Brotemarkle said that he found himself faced with a decision: fight the lawsuit, close Sharky’s and open it under a different name, or close the restaurant entirely. The first two options, he’d decided, would be too expensive. But Brotemarkle said that his lawyer recently discovered that Uncle Sharkii had let its trademark lapse. Though the chain is