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FlightSafety rebuild aid divides Wichita, Sedgwick County

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita appears poised to help rebuild a building that a plane slammed into last October, killing four people.

But The Wichita Eagle reports that a new conservative majority on the Sedgwick County Commission is blocking assistance for FlightSafety International’s building at the Wichita airport. FlightSafety spokesman Steve Phillips says the company hasn’t made a decision about its plans yet.

FlightSafety received forgivable loans from the county and city in 2008 for a planned expansion that was supposed to add 253 new jobs to the company’s 454 Wichita employees over five years. Both city and county officials acknowledge that the company hasn’t met that goal.

Jim Howell said that weighed into his consideration of the latest request for aid. He’s part of the conservative majority on the County Commission.

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