Matthew Kelly named city-county government reporter for The Wichita Eagle/Kansas.com

Matthew Kelly, a lifelong Wichita resident and full-time Wichita Eagle reporter since April 2021, will be taking over coverage of city and county government and politics for the Eagle, management announced Wednesday.

Since coming to The Eagle, Kelly has covered business, the USD 259 school board, the COVID-19 pandemic and breaking news.

He has been deeply involved in the coverage of the case of Cedric “CJ” Lofton, a 17-year-old who was having a mental health crisis and died in custody at the Sedgwick County Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center after being arrested by Wichita police. Kelly also exposed flaws in the financial numbers that were being used to advocate for privatizing the city’s golf system.

He said it’s given him an appreciation for the importance of city and county government.

“I want people to understand that local government is the level that really affects people’s lives,” he said.

Kelly said his reporting has been shaped by his experience at the Eagle and earlier, at The Sunflower at Wichita State University. Kelly was managing editor and executive editor of the campus newspaper while earning a degree in political science.

He interned with The Eagle in the summer of 2019 and after graduation worked as an intern on the political desk of the Kansas City Star from June of 2020 until just after the 2020 election.

He has experience with national politics from an earlier internship in Washington with the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit group that tracks campaign spending and influence.

Kelly replaces Dion Lefler on the local government beat. Lefler was promoted to opinion editor and columnist in March.