Tornadoes Touch Down in Western Kansas
FAIRPORT, Kan. (AP) — Tornadoes touched down in sparsely populated western Kansas as a severe storm system moved through the Midwest Friday. The National Weather Service says the first tornado was confirmed around 5 p.m. Friday near the unincorporated community of Fairport, which is about 20 miles northeast of Hays. The twister was moving east at 15 mph, and meteorologists were predicting that it would remain over mainly rural areas of northern Russell County. A tornado also has been spotted near the small unincorporated town of Modoc in Wichita County. There were no immediate reports of damage. Meteorologists say conditions were favorable for the formation of tornadoes in about 40 other counties in the state. The storm system also churned up 60 mph winds and hail.
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Kansas Man Killed in Weather Service Parking Lot Identified
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — The FBI says it was a Kansas man who died after driving a car through a gate and into the parking lot of the National Weather Service on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. The FBI said in a news release Friday that Allen Rouse of Wichita, Kansas, was the only person in the car — which burned after coming to a stop in the parking lot on Thursday. An Oklahoma University spokeswoman said OU police are investigating the incident as a suicide.
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Stripe Rust Threatens Kansas Winter Wheat Fields
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Industry leaders are warning winter wheat growers about a growing threat to their crop from stripe rust moving across Kansas.The industry group Kansas Wheat said Friday a heavy infestation of the disease has been reported in southeast Kansas near Altamont and more moderate cases have also surfaced in Labette around Labette County. Kansas State Research and Extension also reports stripe and leaf rust may be active in Barber, Ottawa, Allen, Bourbon and Anderson counties.The disease has the potential to cause losses of 40 percent or more to a wheat crop when it occurs prior to heading on some varieties.
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Kansas AG says Fantasy Sports Proposal is Constitutional
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt says a legislative proposal to legalize fantasy sports leagues doesn't violate the state constitution's ban on private lotteries. Schmidt issued a legal opinion Friday at the request of a Kansas House member who opposes gambling. In defining fantasy sports, the proposal says they're contests determined by the skill of the participants. Schmidt said one key element of a lottery is that chance determines the outcome.The Kansas Constitution bans lotteries other than the one operated by the state. The state Racing and Gaming Commission announced last year that it views private fantasy sports leagues as illegal lotteries, but it has not pushed for enforcement. Fantasy sports players compete by creating digital teams from a pool of real athletes and tracking their performances.
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Yost insists Royals Not to Blame for String of Fights
CHICAGO (AP) — Manager Ned Yost insists his Kansas City Royals are not to blame for a string of fights and that opponents are mostly at fault. Yost says his team has not started "any of this." He says opponents are trying to get under his players' skin and that his team has to remain composed. Yost spoke before Friday's game against the Chicago White Sox, a day after the teams were involved in a benches-clearing melee that resulted in five players being ejected. It could also lead to discipline from the league.The defending AL champion Royals were leading the Central division at 12-4. But while the wins are mounting, so are the skirmishes.The latest was at the end of the seventh inning Thursday, when Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura snagged a grounder by Adam Eaton and the men appeared to have words.
