What 2014 will bring for Wichita and Kansas
How long can Wichita State University’s basketball team keep winning?
Which way will the Kansas Supreme Court rule on education funding?
Can the state’s Democrats mount a legitimate challenge to Gov. Sam Brownback?
The new year will reveal those answers and more.
Wichita will say goodbye to Boeing and hello to new stores, attractions and a slew of downtown apartments.
As construction begins on a new Southeast High School in Wichita, restoration work should finally wrap up at the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka.
We’ll cheer America’s Olympic athletes and new bridges over the Big Ditch.
As Wichita marks another turn of the calendar, here are some notable events to expect in 2014:
The renovation includes a new copper skin on the roof and dome, updated water, electrical, heating and air-conditioning systems, bigger meeting rooms, an underground parking garage and a new basement visitors center set to open this week. The project, completed in phases, has restored the building to the look of nearly a century ago while providing new office space for state officials and legislators.
Wichita and other school districts have sued the state, arguing that the Legislature has failed its constitutional duty to provide adequate funding to schools. A three-judge panel ruled in favor of the districts, calling for lawmakers to raise the base per-pupil state aid from $3,838 to $4,492, at a cost of about $437 million statewide.
The final decision, however, will come on the state’s appeal to the state Supreme Court – a decision that is expected sometime over the next month.
Kris Kobach, the current Republican secretary of state who has been a polarizing figure for his efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants in Kansas and beyond, has drawn Democratic opposition from Jean Schodorf, a former Republican state senator from Wichita.
Sen. Pat Roberts will face a tea party opponent, Milton Wolf, in this year’s Republican primary. The field for the 2015 Wichita mayor’s race should become more clear, as potential candidates jockey to replace Carl Brewer, who can’t run again because of term limits.
And there could be a face-off between two Republicans this fall for the District 5 seat on the Sedgwick County Commission, as Republican state Rep. Jim Howell plans to run against incumbent Jim Skelton. The outcome of that race could shift the balance of power on the commission, which has logged many 3-2 decisions with Skelton, Tim Norton and Dave Unruh in the majority.
on track to shut down in late March
And Cessna Aircraft and Beechcraft Corp. will become members of the same corporate family. Cessna’s parent company, Textron Inc., announced in December that it had purchased Beechcraft for $1.4 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2014.
At Wichita State, a new $65 million residence hall and dining center for first-year students should be ready for the fall 2014 semester. Construction continues on a $30 million expansion of Rhatigan Student Center.
A new $101.5 million airport terminal at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport continues to take shape on its way to an early 2015 opening. (A committee appointed by the City Council will weigh whether to rename it Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower International (or National) Airport.)
And a number of new apartments will open this year in the city’s core, with more on the way.
new Costco at Kellogg and Webb Road
long-awaited Whole Foods grocery
There’s also plenty of interest in a new Sam’s Club that will open near NewMarket Square in northwest Wichita, and several new CVS stores planned for Wichita.
And signs point to a new DSW, or Designer Shoe Warehouse, at 21st and Maize Road.
Expectations are high in Lawrence as well, as top-ranked recruits Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid may figure into the NBA draft in June after playing for the Jayhawks.
Sports fans also are looking forward to a Kansas City Chiefs playoff game on Saturday in Indianapolis, Todd Butler’s first game as WSU’s new baseball coach, and the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Tyler Perry’s newest stage play
Moviegoers also can expect the usual slew of superhero sequels (Captain America, Spider-Man, X-Men and Transformers), monster flicks (Frankenstein, Godzilla, Planet of the Apes) and screen adaptations of popular books or TV shows (“The Giver,” “Divergent,” “Vampire Academy” and “Veronica Mars”).
Also on tap: new chapters in the Hobbit and Hunger Games series.
renovation of its women’s care units
This story was originally published December 31, 2013 at 9:57 AM with the headline "What 2014 will bring for Wichita and Kansas."