March 25 - 31, 2024

Celebrate Women's History Month

March is Women’s History Month – a chance for us to highlight the incredible women who work for or have served Sedgwick County. Gwen Welshimer was the representative for District 5 from 2006 – 2010. She is the only woman who has held this district seat on the Sedgwick County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) to this day.

Prior to joining the BoCC, Gwen excelled as a real estate broker and served multiple terms as a representative for the 88th District in the Kansas Legislature. Known for her unwavering character, Welshimer advocated for reduced government spending and lower taxes during her tenure.

Visit our social platforms throughout the month to discover the many extraordinary women highlighted.

Introducing, Julie Stimson, the first female Director of Sedgwick County Emergency Management. She takes pride in her military background in public health and emergency preparedness and her involvement in our community.

Watch this video to learn more about her job, her thoughts on Women's History Month and her advice for women in leadership roles.

Alexandria Landwehr runs the Juvenile Diversion program for the District Attorney’s Office, helping kids in trouble get back on the right path. She is also the mother of 4-month-old Bennett, who came to work with her as a newborn for 13 weeks, under the D.A.’s Minor Dependents of Employees policy. Because of this and other great benefits, Alexandria says she loves working for Sedgwick County where she has met wonderful people she considers lifelong friends.

Women’s History Month is important to Alexandria because she says it wasn’t too long-ago women didn’t have basic rights, let alone a platform to speak from, and young girls and boys need to see women in positions of authority and understand what it took to get there.

Women's History Month is here, and we're highlighting some of Sedgwick County's remarkable women, like Olive Ann Beech, the “First Lady of Aviation.” She was an aerospace businesswoman who founded Beech Aircraft Corporation with her husband, Walter Beech, in 1932. Olive Ann worked the financial side of the business and played an important role in major company decisions.

When her husband fell ill in 1940, she took over leadership of the company and steadily ushered it into World War II. Olive Ann oversaw the retooling required for military production of two of their planes and enabled Beech Aircraft to produce more than 7,400 aircraft during the war. After Walter’s death in 1950, she became the president of Beech Aircraft and chaired the board, making her the first woman to head a major aircraft company.

Thanks to her leadership, Beech Aircraft flourished and is still around today. Olive Ann has earned more awards, honorary appointments and special citations than any other woman in aviation history.

Recycling Revelations

Several Sedgwick County staff and community members toured Waste Connections' Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Hutchinson recently and discovered how easy recycling can be! Contrary to popular belief, greasy pizza boxes CAN be recycled, and there is no need to wash out cans and plastic food containers before dropping them into a recycling bin. Lids, even metal ones, don't need to be removed from bottles or glass jars. It's also a myth that one piece of garbage will taint an entire bin of recyclables and force it to be thrown into the landfill. High-tech robotics, using artificial intelligence, can now sort out contaminants.

Since Waste Connections handles most of Sedgwick County's recycling, the following guidelines apply to most residents with curbside recycling:

Allowed:

glass
aluminum
cardboard, including pizza boxes
plastic
paper and newspaper
junk mail, including slick advertisements
shredded documents

Not allowed:

Styrofoam, including takeout containers, coffee cups or packing peanuts
single-use plastic bags
pet food bags
potato chip bags
latex or mylar balloons
wood
tires
batteries
electronics
organic material

If you have more questions about what can and cannot be recycled or whether your curbside recycling is processed at the Hutchinson MRF, contact Waste Connections' Customer Service at 316-838-4920 or WasteConnections.com.

2024 April Burn Ban

A burn ban imposed by the State of Kansas will be in effect for Sedgwick County for the month of April. New open burn permits WILL NOT be issued, and current permit holders will not be allowed to conduct open burns during this time.

Pasture, crop, range, wildlife/watershed management burns ARE allowed, but will require a valid permit from Sedgwick County Fire District 1. Burn permits may be requested online at https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/fire.

2024 Severe Weather Safety Program

Severe weather season is almost here! Sedgwick County Emergency Management wants to help your family prepare now so you can stay safe. April 2 join us for the final FREE severe weather safety class exclusively for Sedgwick County residents.

For the full schedule, click: https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/media/66091/2024-severe-weather-class-flyer.pdf.

EMPAC - Employee Assistance Program

Sedgwick County’s EAP program, EMPAC, can help. When you or a household member need trusted professional help, EMPAC, is just a phone call away. For more than 40 years, EMPAC has been helping employees thrive in their personal and professional lives by providing caring and compassionate support.

Free and confidential EMPAC services include 12 phone, video- or in-person sessions per year for personal and professional needs such as:

Stress, depression, anxiety
Family and parenting concerns
Marital and relationship challenges
Workplace conflicts
Alcohol or drug dependency
Grief and loss

Get started. Make your free appointment today. 316.265.9922 | 800.234.0630 | empac-eap.com

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