Opinions

From the Editor’s Files Editor's Note: Publisher Paul Rhodes is on vacation, and he shared his column from this same week, 12 years ago. That was an important milestone for this newspaper group, since it had just acquired the monthly publication, East Wichita News.

Savvy Senior Dear Savvy Senior, To avoid any future health care surprises, can you tell me what original Medicare doesn’t cover in 2026? New Beneficiary Dear Beneficiary, It a great question. While original Medicare (Part A and B) covers a wide array of health care services after you turn 65, it doesn’t cover everything.

Dear Savvy Senior, What treatments are recommended to help with tinnitus? I started noticing a subtle ringing in my ears about 10 years ago, but it’s gotten much more bothersome since I turned 60. Ringing Ronnie Dear Ronnie, Tinnitus is actually one of the most common health conditions in the country.

To the editor, I write to you in protest of Evergy’s proposed 133-mile, 345kV transmission line and in defense of a land and history that cannot speak for itself. This project, which would cut through Sedgwick, Sumner, Cowley, and Chautauqua counties before terminating in Oklahoma, threatens to permanently scar one of Kansas’s most meaningful landscapes while offering nothing in return to the communities asked to sacrifice the most.

Editor's Note: Publisher Paul Rhodes is on vacation, and he shared his column from this same week, 15 years ago. Our publisher used to ski and snowboard back then, and sometimes he still hurts thinking about it.

Happy New Year! One of my goals as we start the year is to pull back the curtain on something I work on every day – economic development – and make it a little less mysterious. People hear the phrase and think it’s only about recruiting a big company or cutting a ribbon. Sometimes those things happen, but most economic development is quieter than that. It’s the steady, behind-the-scenes work of helping our communities stay strong, grow wisely, and be a place people choose to live, work, and invest.

Dear Savvy Senior, I have been thinking about planning my funeral in advance so my kids won’t have to later but would like to inquire about prepaying. Is it a good idea to prepay for a funeral that you might not need for a while? Aging Annie Dear Annie, Planning your funeral in advance is definitely a smart move.

This past weekend I learned about the death of Frank Garofalo in the most perfect way possible: I read his obituary in the Wichita Eagle. For 40 years, journalist Frank Garofalo was a driving force in the newsroom of the most influential newspaper in the state of Kansas.

This past weekend, I went down with the ship. The fateful ship that did me in was the Titanic, and we made a family adventure of the popular exhibit at Union Station in Kansas City.

Savvy Senior Dear Savvy Senior, I recently had an estate plan drafted, including a will, power of attorney and advance directive, but I’m not sure what to do about all my online accounts – email, banking, and social media. What can I do to make sure my family can access what they need and protect my digital information after I’m gone.