Month: April 2016

Slight chance of rain continues in forecast

After morning showers clear out of the region, breezy and mainly dry conditions are expected for the remainder of the day; save a few very isolated showers that could pop up by mid-afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

A few pop-up showers are again possible Thursday afternoon, then dry, sunny and mild conditions reign until late Sunday evening when a few storms may return. At this time, no hazardous weather is expected, the weather service said.

Today’s high will be near 67. There is a 40 percent chance of showers and storms before 1 p.m., then a slight chance of showers and storms after 4 p.m., according to the weather service.

Tonight, the low will be around 49, and there will be a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, the weather service said.

Thursday, there is a 20 percent chance of showers with a high near 69, according to the weather service. There will be a west northwest wind of 6 to 11 mph. Thursday night, the low will be around 50.

Friday, it will be sunny with a high near 71, according to the weather service, and a north wind of 6 to 8 mph.

Saturday, it will be sunny with a high near 76, the weather service said.

17-year-old KCK youth bound over for trial on murder charge

Lloyd Vincent IV, 17, of Kansas City, Kan., was bound over for trial as an adult on one count of premeditated first-degree murder. He was determined to be an adult for the purposes of prosecution.

Vincent is charged in connection with the shooting death of Lonnie Mitchell III on June 22, 2015, in the 1900 block of North 3rd Street in Kansas City, Kan.

The case is set for arraignment on April 21 in Division 7 of the Wyandotte County District Court. Bond remains at $100,000.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Alan Fogleman and was investigated by the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department.

New BPU wind farm partnership to power KCK

The Kansas City, Kan., Board of Public Utilities has partnered with Lenexa-based Tradewind Energy and Enel Green Power to use energy from a new 400 MW wind farm being built in southwest Kansas.

To further diversify its generation mix and use a clean energy alternative, BPU will purchase 200MW of energy through a 20-year renewable energy Purchase Power Agreement, and will tie into the Southwest Power Pool Midwest Energy transmission system.

The partnership was announced at a news event with Gov. Sam Brownback in Topeka, Kan., on Friday, April 8.

“When this project becomes fully operational in 2017, it will increase the size of BPU’s renewable portfolio to 45 percent of its total energy output,” stated Don Gray, general manager of BPU. “Maintaining a diversified mix of generation capabilities allows our public utility to deliver the most affordable, reliable, and environmentally friendly energy we can to the community we serve.”

This long-term partnership will provide a fixed priced on energy for the utility, avoiding market volatility, in turn saving ratepayers money over time. In addition, it will allow BPU to become one of the greenest utilities in the region, and the nation.

The state of Kansas currently has a Renewable Energy Standard goal of 15 percent which climbs to 20 percent in 2020. With the Cimarron Bend wind energy initiative, as well as existing hydro, landfill gas, and wind projects already in place, BPU will achieve a renewable energy capacity of approximately 65-70 percent by 2018, making it one of the most progressive public utilities in the country on this front.

Known as the Cimarron Bend wind farm, this 400 MW project will consist of 200 wind turbines spread out over 60 miles south of Dodge City, Kan.

The Cimarron Bend project is one of 10 new wind energy projects currently under development in Kansas. “When this new wind farm is complete, wind will account for more than 23 percent of all the electricity produced in the state of Kansas – and the BPU is proud to be playing a key part in this state-wide success story,” Gray said.

For an earlier story on this topic, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/new-project-part-of-wind-energy-boom-in-kansas/