Governor Declares Disaster Emergency Following Sunday's Storms
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – Governor Laura Kelly has declared a state of disaster emergency in the aftermath of Sunday's severe storms. KSNT reports that Kelly issued the verbal proclamation just after 8 am. Severe storms caused thousands of power outages across Kansas and into Missouri. The declaration activates the Kansas Response Plan and the ability to expedite state agency assistance to communities that need help. The Kansas Division of Emergency Management is coordinating requests for support from counties affected by the severe weather.
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100 MPH Winds Hammer Parts of Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - A long band of severe storms rolled across Kansas Sunday. They began in western Kansas and moved eastward all day long and into the night. By the time they made it to Salina, winds were blowing up to 100 miles-per-hour. But was it a tornado... or just straight line winds? "There's really not that much difference when winds are that strong," said Brandon Drake, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Topeka. Drake says strong winds damaged trees and power lines across the state. Some homes were damaged too but damage estimates are still being compiled.
At one point, as many as 75,000 customers of Evergy were without power. As of 1:30 pm, more than 14,000 customers were still without electricity. (Visit Evergy's outage map.) More showers and storms are in the forecast every day this week.
Visit the National Weather Service online for the latest weather.
Storms Damage Homes in Oklahoma and Kansas as Houston Recovery Continues
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Fast-moving storms with strong winds, large hail and apparent tornadoes swept Oklahoma and Kansas, blowing roofs off homes and blocking roads with toppled trees and downed power lines. Meanwhile, Houston made progress in recovering from last week's deadly storms.
Nearly 20 homes were damaged in western Oklahoma's Custer County, with two people injured in Butler, state emergency officials said late Sunday. Damage to a nursing home was reported in the town of Hydro.
Wind gusts well over 60 mph (about 100 kph) were reported in many areas as the storms, which began Sunday afternoon and lasted through the night, moved eastward. In central Kansas, a 100 mph (160 kph) wind gust was reported at the airport in Salina, the National Weather Service said.
Jacob Schwein, of Russell, Kansas, told television station KAKE that he spotted a funnel cloud from a storm that damaged his home and ripped apart a garage where he kept his race car, trophies and an array of tools.
“When I left work, I seen it,” Schwein said. “I seen it come down right over there on the on the next road.”
Overturned semitrailers were reported in Newton and Sedgwick counties, the office said.
“Due to the damage and debris please do not go out unless absolutely necessary!” the city of Halstead posted online.
The weather service said it received 13 tornado reports Sunday from Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado.
Schools were canceled Monday in several communities that were cleaning up. More storms were forecast for later in the day. The National Weather Service warned of an enhanced risk of severe storms late Monday night into early Tuesday in parts of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska. Those storms could produce large hail, gusts of up to 75 mph (121 kph) and some tornadoes.
Houston-area residents affected by deadly storms last week received some good news as officials said power was restored Sunday to a majority of the hundreds of thousands who had been left in the dark and without air conditioning during hot and humid weather.
Thursday’s storms left at least seven dead and brought much of Houston to a standstill. Thunderstorms and hurricane-force winds tore through the city of over 2 million, reducing businesses and other structures to debris, uprooting trees and shattering glass in downtown skyscrapers.
By Sunday evening, 88% of customers in the Houston area had power restored, said Paul Lock, a spokesperson for CenterPoint Energy.
“We expect everyone to be back on by end of business Wednesday,” Lock said.
More than 225,000 homes and businesses in Texas remained without electricity Monday morning, mostly in the Houston area. More than 1,800 customers remained without power in Louisiana, which also was hit by strong winds and a suspected tornado.
The weather service said Houston-area residents should expect “sunny, hot and increasingly humid days." Highs of about 90 degrees (32 Celsius) were expected this week, with heat indexes likely approaching 102 degrees (39 Celsius) by midweek.
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Wyandotte County Community Developer to Seek Kansas's 2nd District Congressional Seat
UNDATED (KNS) – The race to replace a U.S. representative from Kansas gained a new contender Monday. The Kansas News Service reports that community developer Matt Kleinmann will run as a Democrat. Wyandotte County’s Matt Kleinmann first set foot on the court as a University of Kansas basketball player in 2004. 20 years later, he’s entering the political arena and announcing his candidacy for the 2nd Congressional District of Kansas. Republican Jake LaTurner, who has held the seat since 2020, recently announced he would not seek reelection. As a Democrat running in a solidly red district, Kleinmann is emphasizing unity and cooperation, saying that “...the bonds that unite us are stronger than those who seek to divide us.” Republicans Jeff Kahrs of Topeka and former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt are also seeking election to the same seat.
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Some Republican Lawmakers Balk at Special Session Expense
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – As Kansas lawmakers prepare to return to Topeka for a special session, some Republicans say it’s an unnecessary expense to the state. The Kansas News Service reports that Democratic Governor Laura Kelly called the special session after vetoing the latest tax cuts proposed by lawmakers. She supports cuts but says she wants a less costly bill. Republican Senate President Ty Masterson says the session is a waste of tax money. He says it will cost about $84,000 per day. Kelly seems more focused on the cost of potential tax cuts. She says the last bill she vetoed would have put the state $1.3 billion underwater by 2029. Kelly plans to announce the session’s start date this week.
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Kansas Governor Will Soon Announce Date for Special Session
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR/KNS/AP) - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly will announce this week when, exactly, she's calling lawmakers back to Topeka for a special session. The Democratic governor and Republican legislative leaders will try to hammer out a compromise deal to cut taxes. So far, the governor has vetoed three previous tax-cutting proposals, including the most recent bipartisan plan.
The latest plan included cutting income, sales and property taxes by a total of $1.45 billion or more over the next three years. GOP leaders have grown increasingly frustrated as they've made what they see as major concessions, including giving up on moving Kansas from three personal income tax rates to just one. Republicans say the special session could cost more than $200,000 for just three days.
Kansas currently has $2.6 billion in surplus funds in the state's main bank account, but that's not the state's only fiscal cushion. Kansas has another $1.7 billion socked away in a separate rainy day fund.
Both parties believe voters will be upset if there is no broad tax relief after surplus funds piled up in the state’s coffers. All 40 Senate seats and 125 House seats are on the ballot in this year’s elections, and Democrats hope to break the Republican super-majorities in both chambers.
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Kansas High School Senior Drowns Just Hours After Graduation
COFFEYVILLE, Kan. (Montgomery County Chronicle) - A southeast Kansas high school is mourning the loss of a senior class member who died just hours after receiving a diploma. The Montgomery County Chronicle reports that a graduate of Field Kindley High School in Coffeyville drowned at Big Hill Lake in Labette County Saturday afternoon, just hours after receiving a diploma at a commencement ceremony. The loss of this high school senior comes six weeks after another senior from Field Kindley High School was killed in a vehicle crash west of Independence.
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Kansas Officials Promote Boating Safety
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - Summertime is right around the corner. And families will be making trips to lakes and pools. Kansas officials are reminding parents to put life jackets on their kids this summer when out on the water. Drowning is one of the most common ways that children die in accidents in Kansas. By law, kids 12 and younger have to wear a life jacket when they’re on a watercraft. Kansas health officials encourage teens and adults to wear them, too - for their own safety and to set an example for younger kids. Adults should keep an eye on kids near water. If several adults are present, they should be clear about who is watching the kids, because drownings happen fast.
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Another Difficult Year for the Kansas Wheat Harvest
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas farmers of winter wheat who had brutally low crop yields last year are again seeing drought take a toll on their fields. Aaron Harries is vice president of research at Kansas Wheat. He says some parts of the state, such as areas along the Nebraska border, got enough rain for good yield potential. But the situation elsewhere, like in central Kansas, is tough. “It’s still a very severely drought affected crop," he said. "What you have is a lot of short wheat. And thin stands. And low yield potential.” He says last year’s winter wheat crop was the worst in more than 50 years. Farmers abandoned nearly 30% of their winter wheat acres. This year’s crop is poised to be better but still below average.
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U.S. Senator Jerry Moran Has Concerns About Boeing's Possible Purchase of Spirit AeroSystems
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran said that he’s concerned about the effect Boeing’s potential purchase of Spirit AeroSystems could have on defense work. KMUW reports that Boeing has reportedly been in talks to acquire Spirit since March. Both companies came under scrutiny in January when a panel on a Boeing airplane blew out in mid-flight. Spirit, Wichita’s largest employer, primarily focuses on making parts for Boeing’s commercial aircrafts. But it also contracts with defense suppliers like Lockheed Martin and Northrup Grumman. Moran says he's encouraging Boeing and Spirit to consider those defense contracts in their negotiations, adding that "...we would not want Boeing to acquire spirit and to lose the 1500 to 2000 employees who do defense work at Spirit for companies other than Boeing." Spirit announced a loss of $500 million dollars in the first quarter, and it said last week that it would lay off between 400 to 450 workers due to a slowdown in operations.
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Children's Mercy Hospital Research Team Works to Cut Down on Diagnosis Times for Kids with Genetic Disorders
UNDATED (KNS) – Researchers at Children’s Mercy are trying to shorten diagnosis wait times for Kansas kids with rare genetic disorders. The Kansas News Service reports that Ana Cohen is on the research team. She says it can take about 9 to 12 months to get a diagnosis. The process generally requires families to get a referral from their primary care provider and travel to a specialist. Cohen says this is especially hard on rural families. But during her pilot research in Salina, primary care physicians collected genetic material themselves and sent it to Children’s Mercy for analysis. Cohen says this cut diagnosis wait times in half. “The really exciting part," she explained, "...was that we found that this was a very successful approach. the primary care providers felt that this was not a burden to them.” The program recently was expanded to four other clinics in rural Kansas.
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Jerry Moran Hopes Iranian President's Death Not Blamed on U.S.
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran said Monday that he hopes the death of Iran’s president in a helicopter crash isn’t blamed on the West. Ebrahim Raisi died Sunday when a “technical failure” caused the helicopter he was in to crash. The crash also killed the country's foreign minister. Iran’s former foreign minister said that the United States is responsible for the crash because of sanctions it imposed on the Middle Eastern country’s aviation industry. Moran made a stop in Wichita Monday, saying "I hope that this doesn’t become another reason for Iran to blame the West, United States and others. This was apparently an accident." Moran added that he hopes Iran will move away from what he called ‘state-supported terrorism.’ Iran backs Hamas, the militant group Israel is currently fighting in Gaza.
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Half a Million Kansans Expected to Hit the Road for Memorial Day
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - A week from today (MON) is Memorial Day. Triple-A Kansas says nearly a half million Kansans will hit the road for the long holiday weekend. Triple-A says 488,000 Kansans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the holiday travel period, which runs from Thursday through Monday. Most people will drive to their destination. The average price of gas is around $3.15 a gallon, slightly less than last year.
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USDA Announces Cuts to Survey Reports
UNDATED (HPM) - the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s statistics division recently announced it is discontinuing a few industry survey reports due to budget cuts. The National Agricultural Statistic Service is stopping its July Cattle report, the Cotton Objective Yield Survey and all County Estimates for Crops and Livestock. Troy Joshua, director of the statistics division, says the budget came six months into the fiscal year… and is 23-million dollars below last year’s budget. "We expected a cut, but we didn't expect it to be that deep of a cut." Joshua says the division made other internal budget cuts before stopping the reports. A bipartisan group of federal lawmakers is urging USDA officials to reconsider.
(Read more.)
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Missouri Senators, Not Taxpayers, Will Pay Potential Damages in Chiefs Rally Shooting Case
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers will have to pay out of their own pockets if they lose defamation cases filed against them for falsely accusing a Kansas man of being one of the Kansas City Chiefs parade shooters and an immigrant in the country illegally.
Missouri's Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Monday told his administration not to use taxpayer dollars to pay any potential damages awarded to Denton Loudermill Jr., of Olathe, as part of his lawsuits against three state lawmakers.
But Missouri Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office will continue to represent the state senators, despite Parson earlier this month calling that “problematic.”
“We are not going to target innocent people in this state,” Parson told reporters earlier this month. “This gentleman did nothing wrong whatsoever other than he went to a parade and he drank beer and he was inspected.”
The Feb. 14 shooting outside the historic Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, killed a well-known DJ and injured more than 20 others, many of them children.
Loudermill, who was never cited or arrested in the shooting, is seeking at least $75,000 in damages in each of the suits.
“Missourians should not be held liable for legal expenses on judgments due to state senators falsely attacking a private citizen on social media,” Parson wrote in a Monday letter to his administration commissioner.
Loudermill last month filed nearly identical federal lawsuits against three Republican Missouri state senators: Rick Brattin, of Harrisonville; Denny Hoskins, of Warrensburg; and Nick Schroer, of St. Charles County.
The complaints say Loudermill suffered “humiliation, embarrassment, insult, and inconvenience” over the “highly offensive” posts.
A spokesperson for the Missouri attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment Monday about Parson's request not to pay for potential damages or the lawsuits filed against the senators.
Loudermill froze for so long after gunfire erupted that police had time to put up crime scene tape, according to the suits. As he tried to go under the tape to leave, officers stopped him and told him he was moving “too slow.”
They handcuffed him and put him on a curb, where people began taking pictures and posting them on social media. Loudermill ultimately was led away from the area and told he was free to go.
But posts soon began appearing on the lawmakers’ accounts on the social platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that included a picture of Loudermill and accusations that he is an “illegal alien” and a “shooter,” the suits said.
Loudermill, who was born and raised in the U.S., received death threats even though he had no involvement in the shooting, according to the complaints.
The litigation described him as a “contributing member of his African-American family, a family with deep and long roots in his Kansas community.”
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