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A spot in Independence was named the best “hole-in-the-wall” restaurant for fried chicken in Kansas, according to one affordability blog.

Down Home Family Restaurant, about a two hour drive from Wichita, gained the title from the blog Cheapism, which focuses on finances, budgeting and saving money.

“Great food can come from almost any kitchen, whether the restaurant is fancy or not. It’s the unassuming spots that often prepare some of the best fried chicken, maybe because fried chicken is an unassuming dish itself,” the March 27 piece reads.

The blog looked at online reviews, as well expert recommendations, to come up with the best “hole-in-the-wall” fried chicken spot in every U.S. state.

Writing about Down Home Family Restaurant, staff writer Lacey Muszynski said the fried chicken was “top notch,” as well as the whole atmosphere.

“Munch on [the fried chicken] at the wooden slat booths after making a run to the enormous salad and dessert bar that includes deviled eggs, pickled beets and sweet dessert salads,” the blog post reads.

According to travel and review site TripAdvisor, the fried chicken menu item runs you $8.99. Other menu items include chicken fried steak, pork chops and hamburgers, as well as breakfast options.

There are also take-home family meals that come with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, hot rolls and a choice of vegetables or slaw. The prices are $25.99 for an eight-piece, $29.99 for a 12-piece and $43.99 for a 24-piece meal.

Review site Yelp shows 13 five-star reviews for the Independence eatery, as well as five four-star reviews and no one-star reviews.

“We love eating here. The menu has a large selection and there’s also a buffet which my fiancé loves. They are ALWAYS VERY FRIENDLY & make sure everything is to our satisfaction,” one Yelp review from March 2024 reads.

“Best of the Best!!! I love this restaurant so much. It is a treat to eat there,” another one from November 2021 read.

The restaurant is located at 1515 N. Pennsylvania Ave. in Independence and is open Wednesday through Sunday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Wichita Eagle reached out to the restaurant via Facebook messenger about the ranking and has not heard back.

LS

The Wichita Eagle

Lindsay Smith is a service journalism reporter for the Wichita Eagle. Previously, she was editor-in-chief of Wichita State University’s student newspaper, The Sunflower, for two years. She graduated from WSU in December 2022 with a degree in journalism.

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - A 13-year-old boy from Wichita is fighting for his life after suffering a brain injury while playing in a local basketball tournament.

On March 30, Shama’ar Jefferson said his head was hurting, and he had blurry vision after playing the first half of his basketball game. Shama’ar passed a concussion test but later collapsed.

“I noticed they had got him up into a chair and he started seizing,” said Shaquela Cornwell, Shama’ar’s mother. “Thank god for one of the parents on our team who’s son goes through this. She jumped into action and helped out.”

Shama’ar was taken to Wesley Children’s Hospital. He went into surgery after doctors found a brain bleed.

“They were able to stop his brain bleed and get everything situated. But, he hasn’t woke up ever since. He’s breathing on his own, but he hasn’t woken up since,” said Cornwell.

Shama’ar’s family decided to go to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City for a second opinion and hopefully to find the root cause of the injury.

“He’s a spectacular kid and for this to happen, there’s no words to describe the things he’s going through. It just hurts me,” said Cornwell.

If you wish to help Shama’ar and his family, here is a link to the GoFundMe.

Copyright 2025 KWCH. All rights reserved. To report a correction or typo, please email [email protected]

Maybe Wichita Waterfront visitors just aren’t that into Italian fare.

For the second time in less than months, an Italian restaurant has closed at the Wichita Waterfront, a popular dining and shopping destination at 13th and Webb in Wichita.

Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, which opened just two years ago in Waterfront Plaza at 1441 N. Webb Road, closed at the end of business Wednesday, said chain spokesperson Lauren Miracle. She also shared a statement from the chain about the closing:

“We appreciate the support of the community and value every member of our Grimaldi’s family, including our guests. This was purely a business decision. We hope our Kansas fans will continue to visit our other locations across the country, including our Overland Park pizzeria,” it read.

In November, the Waterfront also lost Old Spaghetti Factory, which had been open for five years at 1421 Waterfront. Managers of that restaurant said at the time that it hadn’t lived up to financial expectations.

Wichitans who’d tried Grimaldi’s coal-fired brick oven pizzas in other markets were excited when the chain announced in 2023 that it was coming to Wichita. Grimaldi’s also served calzones, salads, appetizers and desserts like cheesecake, cannoli and tiramisu.

Grimald’s predecessor in the building was a Mediterranean chain called Zoe’s Kitchen, which was open from 2017 until the COVID-19 pandemic shut it down in 2020.

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April 15, 2025 11:24 AM

This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 11:05 AM.

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Guard Melvin Council Jr. has signed a financial aid agreement to play basketball at Kansas for the 2025-26 season, KU head coach Bill Self announced today. Council will have one season of eligibility at KU and is transferring from St. Bonaventure.

"We're very excited to announce Melvin Council Jr. has signed," Self said. "He's a 6-4, long, rangy guard that can play with the ball and without the ball. Melvin will remind our fans physically and athletically of Tyshawn Taylor. He's a superior athlete who can score the ball and has the potential to be one of the more elite defenders that we've had in recent memory. He's been very well drilled and well coached at Monroe (College), Wagner (College) and Saint Bonaventure. We could not be more excited to have him in the fold."

A NABC All-District and All-Atlantic 10 Third Team selection in 2024-25, Council averaged 14.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game during his senior season at St. Bonaventure.

The 6-foot-4, 185 pounds, Rochester, New York, native led the A-10 in steals with 72 and scored in double figures in 29 games, including all A-10 league contests. Council had four games of 20 or more points, including a season-high 24 points at Fordham on Jan. 4, 2025.

Council played his junior season at Wagner College in Staten Island, New York, where he earned All-Northeast Conference First Team honors, averaging 15.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game in 2023-24. He also led the Seahawks to the 2024 NEC Tournament title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament in earning all-tourney honors.

Wagner defeated Howard, 54-47, in the 2024 NCAA Tournament First Four in Dayton, Ohio, before falling to North Carolina, 90-62, in the round of 64 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Prior to Wagner, Council was a two-time NJCAA Division I All-America at Monroe College in 2022 and 2023. In 2022-23, Council led Monroe College averaging 18.7 points, 4.1 assists and 2.4 steals per game and he also averaged 5.6 rebounds per contest.

Council was also named to the 2023 NJCAA Division I Basketball Championship All-Tournament Team, where he averaged 21.0 points, 5.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds in two games. As a freshman, Council averaged 23.8 points and 7.4 rebounds at Monroe College. Council ended his Monroe College career as the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,400 points. Monroe College is located in New Rochelle, New York.

Council played high school basketball at University Prep in Rochester, New York, where he averaged 26.4 points per game his senior season in 2019-20.

Council is Kansas' third transfer signee, along with guards Tre White from Illinois and Jayden Dawson from Loyola-Chicago.

During the April 8 press conference introducing him as the next archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, Bishop Shawn McKnight expressed satisfaction that he would soon return to The Sunflower State. As bishop of the Diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri, since early 2018, Archbishop-designate McKnight will soon live about 160 highway miles closer to the area in which he grew up and served as a priest for more than two decades.

“I am going to be quite a bit closer to my favorite quail hunting ground in the Wichita diocese,” he said.

He added that when Papal Nuncio Cardinal Christophe Pierre called to notify him that the pope had chosen him for the position, the cardinal asked Bishop McKnight how he felt about the appointment. “I said, ‘Well, that’s my own state, of course, so I am just savoring the whole experience of the grace of this moment,” Bishop McKnight said. “I am very happy to be back in my home state.”

Earlier in the press conference, Kansas City Archbishop Joseph Naumann reflected on his two decades in the post and welcomed his successor. “Archbishop McKnight brings many gifts to the archdiocese: keen intelligence, deep faith, and a love for the church,” Archbishop Naumann said.

And as he recounted Bishop McKnight’s education and experience, the outgoing archbishop quipped, “When I look at his resume, I begin to think I was under qualified for this position.”

Bishop Carl Kemme of the Diocese of Wichita expressed joy and pride in the news of Bishop McKnight’s appointment. “The people of the Diocese of Wichita were well served by Fr. McKnight during his years of service to his home diocese,” Bishop Kemme said. “We were delighted that he was chosen as bishop of Jefferson City, Missouri and that he has now been chosen to lead the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas.”

Bishop Kemme adds that the development is another sign of the strength of the diocese’s faith. “This appointment further highlights the vitality of the Diocese of Wichita and the vocations to the priesthood nurtured here,” he said. “It is a profound blessing to see men from our community of faith rise to serve the Church in such significant roles. I look forward to working with him as one of the bishops in the Province of Kansas. We are proud of Archbishop-designate McKnight and pledge our prayerful support for him and his new ministry.”

Getting the Call

The Archbishop-designate began his prepared remarks awith a message in Spanish for the archdiocese’s Spanish-speaking community, and later said he planned to improve in that language.

“I spent three years in Rome studying, and I know Italian much better than I do Spanish,” he said. “But it is something I guarantee I am going to work harder on in the near future.”

Bishop McKnight noted that the announcement of his appointment began a process that would culminate with his installation at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 27 at the Church of the Nativity in Leawood.

“I am grateful to our Holy Father Pope Francis, for entrusting me with this new mission to shepherd the people of God in northeastern Kansas,” he said.

Bishop McKnight said he received the call about his appointment from Cardinal Pierre only minutes before a confirmation Mass on Sunday, March 23, in the small town of Indian Creek, Missouri.

“I was standing at the time, and then I quickly took a seat,” he said. “For two weeks, I had to keep it all to myself. It’s the strangest experience when you know you’ve got the call, you know what’s happening, and you’re not allowed to say anything to anyone, and you just keep going on with things (as normal). It’s a very isolating time, but I can feel the beginnings of the transition occurring – the leaving and the coming. I hate to say goodbye, but I do love to say hello.”

An Archbishop’s Biography

Bishop W. Shawn McKnight, born in 1968, grew up in a large Catholic family and attended Catholic schools.

He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Wichita on May 28, 1994. He earned a Master of Arts degree and a Master of Divinity degree from the Pontifical College Josephinum (1993-1994) and earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm in Rome in 1999.

Bishop McKnight served as chaplain at Newman University in Wichita from 2000 to 2001, where at the same time he was an adjunct professor of theology and visiting scholar at the university’s Bishop Gerber Institute of Catholic Studies. In 2001, he earned a Doctor of Sacred Theology, also from the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm, and wrote a dissertation on the permanent diaconate.

He later taught liturgy and homiletics at the Pontifical College Josephinum seminary from 2003 to 2008, where he also served as director of liturgy, dean of students, director of formation in the school of theology, and vice-president for development and alumni relations.

From 2010 to 2016, he served in Washington, D.C., as executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations.

Bishop McKnight also holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Dallas.

He was pastor at the Church of the Magdalen in Wichita from July 2016 to January 2018.

He was ordained the fourth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri, on Feb. 6, 2018.

The archbishop-designate’s opening remarks during the April 8 press conference also included a nod to his diocese of origin. “A brief word also to the Catholic community in the Diocese of Wichita, a place where I was born, raised, and where I was fostered in my vocation to be a priest,” he said. “Little did I know on my ordination day, 31 years ago, first as a deacon, then as a priest, when I surrendered control over my future in obedience to the Church, that it would eventually lead me to serve in central and northeastern Missouri and now back again in Kansas, as (Kansas City’s) metropolitan archbishop, I have nothing but gratitude to God, unworthy as I am, for the many rich and varied experiences I have had as a diocesan priest and bishop.”