(Photo Credit: The Associated Press)
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Lightning strikes that rolled through northeast Kansas early Wednesday caused power outages throughout the region. KVOE reports that Newman Regional Health Center in Emporia is operating on generator power after lightning took out power about 1 am Wednesday. Westar says outages were reduced to 297 customers in Lyon County by 6:45 a.m. Wednesday. Another lightning strike hit a Westar Energy transformer in Topeka, briefly knocking out power to about 1,200 customers. That number was reduced to 50 by 6:45 a.m. Westar was reporting 2,352 outages in the state by 6:45 a.m., with 1,581 in Douglas County.