Clean-Up Continues After Andover Tornado
ANDOVER, Kan. (KMUW) - Clean-up continues in south-central Kansas following Friday's severe storms. A tornado that struck Andover was on the ground for nearly 13 miles and packed winds of 165 miles per hour. The tornado damaged or destroyed more than 1,000 buildings in southeast Wichita and Andover. Despite the damage, the storm only produced four minor injuries. Two of them were to Andover firefighters who were injured during search and rescue efforts. Chad Russell, chief of the Andover Fire Department, said, "I've been to a few of these and to have the damage that we have in our community and not have deaths is a just miracle.” Among the buildings severely damaged was Prairie Creek Elementary School. District officials say Prairie Creek will be closed for the remainder of the school year. Students there will not have classes this week as the district decides how to relocate them to other schools.
(Additional reporting...)
Recovery Efforts Underway After Tornado Tears Through Wichita Suburbs
ANDOVER, Kan. (KMUW) - Officials with the National Weather Service say a tornado that hit southeast Wichita and then Andover packed winds of 165 miles per hour. Friday night’s tornado was on the ground for nearly 13 miles and for more than 20 minutes. It damaged or destroyed more than 1,000 buildings. Despite the damage, the storm only caused a handful of minor injuries. Among the buildings severely damaged was Andover's Prairie Creek Elementary School. District officials say it will not reopen this school year. Students there will not have classes this week as district officials decide how to relocate them to other schools. Officials say the tornado that struck the Andover area was an EF-3, the third strongest tornado on the Enhanced Fujita scale.
Wichita, Andover Tornado Generated 165 MPH Winds as It Destroyed Homes
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) _ The tornado that damaged more than 1,000 buildings in south-central Kansas generated winds up to 165 mph and carved a path of destruction nearly 13 miles long. The National Weather Service said the tornado that caused extensive damage Friday mostly in the Wichita suburb of Andover and injured several people rated an EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale it uses to assess tornadoes. Andover Fire Chief Chad Russell said that at least 300 to 400 buildings were destroyed by the storm as part of a total of 1,074 buildings that were damaged. The Weather Service said the tornado was on the ground for 21 minutes Friday evening.
( Find out how to help victims of Friday night's tornado.)
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3 Oklahoma Students Killed Following Storm Chasing in Kansas
UNDATED (Fox News) - Three students from Oklahoma were killed after a day of storm chasing in Kansas. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says the students were headed back home Friday night when their vehicle hydroplaned and hit a semi-truck on I-35 in northern Oklahoma. Authorities say 19-year-old Gavin Short, 20-year-old Nicholas Nair and 22-year-old Drake Brooks died in the crash just before 11:30 Friday night. All three victims were meteorology students at the University of Oklahoma.
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Deadly Weekend in KCK Leaves Three Dead, Three Injured
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) - Three people died and three others were injured after two weekend shootings in Kansas City, Kansas. KCK Police say one shooting happened late Saturday while the second one was reported early Sunday morning. The Kansas City Star reports that in the first shooting, officers found two people who had been fatally wounded in the 1800 block of North 26th Street. A third person who had also been shot was taken to the hospital. On Sunday morning, police found one dead person and two wounded individuals in the 200 block of North 6th Street. Police did not immediately name the victims or report any arrests.
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Another Kansas Highway Patrol Cruiser Struck, Second Time in Less than a Week
SHAWNEE COUNTY, Kan. (KOAM TV) — For a second time in less than a week, a Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper's vehicle has been struck on the side of a highway. No one was seriously injured in either case. On Saturday, a trooper's vehicle was hit on the Kansas Turnpike just south of Topeka. The trooper had just finished assisting a motorist who had stopped on the shoulder. The patrol cruiser was struck by a commercial motor vehicle that failed to move over. The officer, who became trapped inside his vehicle and had to be extricated, was taken to the hospital where he was treated for minor injuries. Officials later reported that the officer was able to go home with his family Saturday evening. On Tuesday, a similar situation unfolded in Ellis County, where a highway patrol vehicle was slammed into by a distracted driver. Officials say this was another instance where a commercial motor vehicle failed to move over and away from a trooper stopped on the road. Since 2006 in Kansas, the "Move Over Law" has required drivers to move to the side, away from emergency lights. And in recent years it has become national law endorsed by the National Transportation Safety Board.
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New Report Highlights Health Disparities in Kansas
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - Annual county health rankings show more people die prematurely in southeast Kansas and in Wyandotte County than in the rest of the state. Southeast Kansas has struggled with poverty for generations. Going back to the heyday of the region’s mining industry. The Kansas City Kansas area faced racism and redlining that hindered financial investment in neighborhoods of color for decades. Today, both areas have poor health outcomes. Ericka Burroughs-Girardi is an expert at the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. It publishes the county health rankings.“There is a very strong tie between wealth and health," she said. The report suggests economic opportunity and living wages are important for creating healthy communities.
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Health Gap Between Wyandotte, Johnson Counties Remains Large
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - The health gap between neighboring Johnson and Wyandotte counties remains the most dramatic in Kansas. Annual county health rankings show Johnson, the state’s wealthiest county, is also its healthiest. Wyandotte, home of Kansas City, Kansas, is one of the least healthy. Ericka Burroughs-Girardi is an expert at the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, which published the new report. She says historical redlining of neighborhoods of color is one reason for the gap. “So, discriminatory policies, disinvestment - all of these policy decisions - have played a role in Wyandotte and other communities that have struggled to pull themselves out of a hole," she said. People die younger in Wyandotte than the rest of the state. And babies are more likely to be born with a low birth weight, which can cause health problems.
Report: Southeast Kansans Die Younger than Rest of the State
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - A new report shows that people continue to die younger in southeast Kansas than most of the rest of the state. Health care is making strides in the region - but that is just one ingredient in good health. Jason Wesco is president of the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, which serves seven counties. “If we want people to be healthier, we can’t only operate in health care. So we’re getting in a big way into transportation. Into housing. We feed people. We are working on social isolation. We do a lot of those things," he said. The region is struggling with generational poverty going back to the heyday of the mining industry. Higher rates of childhood poverty, teen pregnancy and smoking are some of the challenges facing southeast Kansas. The annual county health analysis comes from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
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Schools in Kansas, Elsewhere Feeling Loss of Falling Enrollment
MISSION, Kan. (AP) - Public school systems are beginning to feel the pinch from enrollment losses tied to the coronavirus pandemic. Funding for schools is driven partly by student headcounts, and emergency provisions in many states allowed them to maintain funding at pre-pandemic levels. But like the billions of dollars of federal relief money that have helped schools weather the crisis, those measures were not meant to last forever. A school system in suburban Kansas City is eliminating over 100 jobs, including kindergarten aides and library clerks. Oakland, California, is closing seven schools. Other districts around the country are merging classrooms, selling buildings and leaving teaching positions unfilled.
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Nation's Largest Active Wildfire Still Burning in New Mexico
UNDATED (AP) - Kansas has had its share of wildfires this year, but the nation's largest active wildfire is burning right now through portions of northern New Mexico. Calmer weather conditions in New Mexico are helping over 1,000 firefighters battle the still burning blaze. On Friday, strong winds had pushed the fire across some containment lines and toward the city of Las Vegas, which has about 13,000 residents. The fire's rapid growth to 152 square miles forced crews to repeatedly change positions because of dangerous conditions. No injuries were reported. Improved weather conditions Saturday aided firefighting efforts. The fire in northern New Mexico has burned at least 166 homes.
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Curriculum Debate Underway in Wichita
DERBY, Kan. (KMUW/KNS) - Leaders of a Wichita-area school district have been speaking out against a textbook publisher for statements related to race and social justice. The Derby school board approved a seven-year contract with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for a new social studies curriculum for elementary students. But board president Michael Blankenship voted no, in part because of a statement the company posted online supporting Black Lives Matter and anti-racism efforts. Blankenship said he reviewed and liked the curriculum materials. But he says the company’s political views could still find a way into classrooms. "I don’t think the company would be making those types of statements if it wasn’t in other material," he said. The curriculum company stood behind their statement. Officials said it was intended to express care and support for Black teachers, students and families.
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Priest to Return to Topeka Parish After No Charges Filed
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A priest who was accused of sexual abuse of a minor will return to his parish in Topeka after prosecutors decided not to file charges against him. Archbishop Joseph Naumann of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas announced Friday that Rev. John Pilcher will resume his duties as pastor of Mater Dei Parish immediately. Pilcher was on a leave of absence since September after the allegations were made against him. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation investigated the allegations and Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay announced this week that he would not file charges. The archdiocese also investigated the allegations. Naumann said Friday he had “full confidence” in Pilcher.
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Missouri House, Senate GOP Push to Ban Transgender Athletes
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri's Republican-led House has passed legislation aimed at restricting transgender kids' participation in sports. House members voted 95-46 to require transgender public school students to play on teams that match the sex listed on their birth certificates. Senators also debated a proposal to strip funding from schools that don't enact similar restrictions. Missouri’s current public high school sports rules already prohibit transgender girls from competing on girls teams unless they’re undergoing hormone therapy. Two transgender girls have been approved to play on Missouri girls’ teams in the past decade.
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These area headlines are curated by KPR news staffers, including J. Schafer, Laura Lorson, Kaye McIntyre, and Tom Parkinson. Our headlines are generally posted by 10 am weekdays, 11 am weekends. This news summary is made possible by KPR listener-members. Become one today!