Latest news with #Bogard
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Wichita veteran recounts career taking intelligence photos for the Air Force
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – A Wichita veteran spent nearly 25 years flying high with the Air Force, capturing countless intelligence photos along the way. Ron Bogard is a native of Picher, Oklahoma, who migrated to Wichita and graduated from Wichita West High School in 1965. He joined the Air Force after getting drafted, and through his training, discovered what would become a lifelong passion. 'I didn't know a thing about photography. Nothing. Mom gave me a Kodak Brownie when I was about 10 years old, and I don't think I shot three rolls of film through it. But I went to tech school, and it turned out I had a talent for it,' he said. Bogard was soon stationed at the base photolab at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, shooting everything from military ceremonies and portraits to medical photography and documenting deadly auto and industrial accidents. 'I've been able to put a lot of things away and keep them away. And I've done that for my whole career,' he said. Bogard eventually received the call to head to Vietnam, and after completing additional training, including combat photography school, he was on his way, but he didn't stay long. 'I reported in, and the 1st sergeant came out and said, 'Bogard, go back over there, you're going to Thailand. We need aerial photographers in Thailand,'' he said. Bogard says he didn't mind the safer assignment, where he continued to shoot photos from the air, as well as some impressive ones on the ground. 'I was there for President Johnson when he came. I was one of the photographers that took his pictures,' he said. Tune into KSN News at 10 every Wednesday for our Veteran Salute Bogard was eventually sent back to Forbes Air Force Base in Topeka, where he joined a photo mapping unit and soon found himself flying over numerous South American countries, creating aerial maps. After taking an early discharge, Bogard returned to Wichita to attend Wichita State University. However, after getting married, he chose to re-enlist. His second round with the Air Force sent him to Hill Air Force Base in Utah, where he photographed bomb and missile tests for the next nine years. 'Loved every minute of it. We raised our kids in the mountains and the deserts. We camped all the time,' Bogard said. But he wasn't done gathering aerial intelligence overseas, and his next mission was a highly classified one in Germany. 'Our job was to spy on the East Germans and the Russians. We flew into the Berlin Corridor, flew around the Berlin Circle and then would fly out,' Bogard said. He spent four years taking photos around the Berlin Wall and was eventually sent back to South Carolina, where he was in charge of aerial video and even wrote a training manual. However, when another overseas assignment came up, his wife put her foot down. 'The time came where we got an assignment to Panama. Brenda put her foot down, and I'm in Wichita,' Bogard said. And while Bogard wrapped up his Air Force career in 1989 as a senior master sergeant, his love for photography continues to this day. If you want to nominate a veteran for our Veteran Salute, send an email to connect3news@ or fill out our online contact form! Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bossier City restaurant faces closure amid licensing delays, mounting debt
BOSSIER CITY, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — A locally owned bar and restaurant in Bossier City, The Hangar Taphouse & Kitchen, may be forced to close permanently due to five months of licensing delays and mounting debt. To prevent closure, they've launched a fundraiser, asking the community for support. According to Jason Bogard, the business owner, they signed the lease in July 2024 and 'immediately got to work renovating' the business themselves to transform the space into something special for the community. Bogard said while the city processed their licenses, they still had to pay $16,000 a month for rent. The Hanger Taphouse opened for business in December. Unfortunately, on March 26, 2025, they announced their temporary closure until they pay back the rent or 'ideally, raise enough to buy the building.' Bogard says they are asking for help, 'whether it's $5 or $500, every donation helps us get closer to reopening The Hangar, bringing back jobs, and continuing to serve this amazing community that we love so much.' Shreveport Greek restaurant owner of 28 years dies in Greece, fundraiser Last year, we took a leap of faith and followed our dream: to open a locally-owned bar and restaurant right in the heart of Bossier City, Louisiana. We found the perfect space in the East Bank District, a beautiful building full of potential. We planned to open in September, but unexpected delays in city licensing held us back. While we waited, the bills didn't stop. Without a source of business income, we still had to pay $16,000 a month just for rent, and we did everything we could to stay afloat. By December, we finally opened our doors. Winter is always a slow time in the restaurant industry, and being the 'new kid on the block' made it even harder. But we didn't give up. We fine-tuned our team, brought in a talented marketing expert, listened to our customers, and adjusted. And then something incredible happened: the community started to notice. February was better. March was amazing. We saw the spark, the momentum, and we knew this dream could work. But unfortunately, the weight of those early months caught up with us. Because we fell behind on rent during the delays, we were recently forced to close our doors unless we can pay the back rent or, ideally, raise enough to buy the building and secure our future for good. This restaurant was never just a business to us. It was a gathering place, a family-friendly spot where people came together. My own 5-year-old daughter still asks why we don't go to the restaurant anymore. It breaks my heart every time. The Hanger Taphouse & Kitchen, Jason Bogard. According to GoFundMe, their fundraising goal is set at $125,000. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Health services, food banks, baby showers. A new wellness center has opened in Tacoma
Tacoma on Friday marked the opening of a wellness center geared not just toward Medicaid recipients but the community at large. Wellpoint Washington, which coordinates Medicaid-managed healthcare benefits for a member base of more than 200,000 statewide, launched its new Community Wellness Center at the Tacoma Community House, 1314 S. L St. The center is designed to help connect members with health services, focusing on addressing physical, behavioral, economic, social and environmental factors. Wellpoint Washington president and CEO Lisa Bogard spoke to The News Tribune on Thursday ahead of Friday's open house. She noted that the 'wellness center in Tacoma has been in the works for a few months. ... We have been really focused on making sure we had the right community partner,' which is Tacoma Community House. Tacoma Community House offers immigration, education and employment services, as well as victim-advocacy support services for immigrants, refugees and longtime South Sound residents. Operating as a partner, Bogard said, Wellpoint was able 'to manage this program very cost effectively,' funding and spending less than $50,000. Given the current pressure for cutting billions out of the federal budget, Bogard said, they are watching and waiting. 'We're all waiting to understand what the full impact is going to be on Medicaid,' she said. 'We are focused on trying to make sure that the work we do is sustained, because we believe that the work is important to our communities, and without that, many people will have just greater need.' When asked how many people potentially could be served, she said it was difficult to offer an immediate estimate. 'We are not limiting this specifically to Wellpoint members because we really want it to be for the residents and community in Pierce County,' Bogard said. While core program benefits will be limited to Medicaid participants, 'If someone wants to just come in and ask questions, we're happy to help as best we can to steer them toward services,' she added. Bogard envisions a wide range of services offered at the site. 'We really want to be able to address social determinants of health,' she said. 'That can be anything from literacy to education of benefits, to transportation, or even holding baby showers there.' 'We're going to do food banks,' she added, 'so we're really trying to address those social needs with food insecurity and housing and connecting people to services to make sure that we're meeting their needs during some challenging times.' This isn't Bogard's first wellness center opening. The Eugene, Oregon, native transferred to the Puget Sound region a year ago after previously working in a similar role in Nevada. 'We opened two wellness centers in Reno and Las Vegas, and they're quite successful,' she added. 'Anyone that walks through the door is going to have access to computers, as well as when they we have events such as baby showers, they'll be able to participate,' she said. 'Oftentimes, with Medicaid ... it's understanding what types of services they are eligible for, and then how to connect with them on an individual basis.' 'If someone comes in for transportation, we can help them with bus passes,' she added. 'If it's food insecurity, we'll have some food that's there so that we can make sure that they don't go away hungry. It establishes hope, and it also provides us with an opportunity to really focus on those individual needs in their most critical times.' More information is available at Wellpoint Washington's website and Tacoma Community House online.
