Severe Thunderstorms Soak Kansas
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) Severe thunderstorms have downed trees, power lines, and flooded many areas across Kansas. This weekend's storms have dumped several inches of rain on already saturated ground, and more locally heavy rainfall is forecast for today (SUN). The National Weather Service has issued flash flood warnings for the northeast corner of Kansas and northwest Missouri, as well as flash flood watches and flood advisories for most of the eastern half of Kansas and much of Missouri and Oklahoma. This weekend's rain follows record-breaking rainfall amounts for the month of May. Kansas City Power & Light and Westar Energy are reporting that thousands of customers lost power in the thunderstorms.
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Former Congresswoman Jan Meyers Passes Away
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) Kansas lawmakers are remembering former congresswoman Jan Meyers, who passed away Friday at the age of ninety. Meyers represented Johnson, Wyandotte, and Miami counties in the U.S. House from 1985 to 1997. The Kansas City Star reports that Senator Pat Roberts called Meyers a "trusted colleague and friend" and said he "depended on her advice and counsel" when they served together in the House. Senator Jerry Moran praised Meyers as a role model and trailblazer. While in Congress, Meyers chaired the House Small Business Committee, the first Republican woman to do so in more than 40 years.
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KCK Residents Sue Over 2017 Flooding
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Residents of a Kansas City, Kansas neighborhood have filed a federal lawsuit over flooding during the summer of 2017 that accuses businesses and local officials of negligence. The lawsuit filed earlier this month by five residents in the U.S. District Court for Kansas accuses the companies of leaving debris in a drainage creek west of the Argentine neighborhood. It also names the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, as a defendant. The Kansas City Star reports that the lawsuit claims the debris clogged the creek, resulted in significant flooding and property damage and wasn't cleared away until residents complained. The Unified Government declined to comment. One of the companies being sued is the BNSF Railway and it said it was not responsible for the flooding.
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Topeka Man Claims Self-Defense in Triple-Murder Trial
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A man on trial over an October 2017 shooting in downtown Lawrence that killed three people and wounded two others has testified he wasn't "thinking at all" when he fired his gun. The Lawrence-Journal World reports that testimony ended Friday in the Douglas County District Court trial of 22-year-old Anthony Roberts Jr. of Topeka. The charges against him include two counts of first-degree felony murder. Roberts contends he acted in self-defense after being confronted by a hostile group as bars prepared to close in a popular downtown area. Prosecutors contend Roberts and friends came to Lawrence to "settle a score." The shooting killed 22-year-old Leah Brown of Shawnee; 20-year-old Colwin Lynn Henderson of Topeka; and 24-year-old Tre'Mel Dupree Dean-Rayton of Topeka. The jury is set to hear closing arguments Monday.
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Sedgwick County to Issue ID Cards to Veterans
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Sedgwick County plans to start offering ID cards to military veterans. Register of Deeds Tonya Buckingham proposed offering the cards through her office as a way to combat people who falsely claim to be veterans. The Wichita Eagle reports the Sedgwick County Commission approved the plan on Wednesday. The cards will be free to veterans and Buckingham's office will pay the costs. She expects to begin issuing the cards in about two weeks. Buckingham says she got the idea from the Cook County deeds office in Chicago. Sedgwick will be the first Kansas county to issue veteran ID cards.
