Month: August 2017

Flood advisory issued for Wyandotte County

An urban and small stream flood advisory has been issued for Wyandotte County until 6:45 p.m. today, according to the National Weather Service.

At 2:48 p.m., Doppler radar indicated heavy rain from thunderstorms in the area. This may cause urban and small stream flooding in the area, the weather service said.

Up to 2 inches of rain has already fallen, and additional rainfall is expected this afternoon and evening, according to the weather service.

Kansas City, Kansas, Bonner Springs and Edwardsville are among the areas under a flood advisory. Other towns and cities that may experience flooding include Shawnee, Leavenworth, Liberty, Gladstone, Lansing, Smithville, Kearney, Parkville, Tonganoxie, Platte City, Basehor, North Kansas City, Riverside, Weatherby Lake, Claycomo, Kansas City, Mo., and Pleasant Valley.

The weather service advises motorists to turn around and not try to go through a flooded road.

Wyandotte County is also under a flash flood watch from 10 p.m. Aug. 21 through 10 a.m. Aug. 22.

House Democratic leader Ward joins Kansas governor’s race

Rep. Jim Ward

by Nadya Faulx, Kansas News Service

Kansas Democratic House Leader Jim Ward is finally jumping into the race for governor.

Ward ended months of speculation with his announcement Saturday at a Wichita union hall.

He told the crowd he wanted to move Kansas forward.

“I love Kansas. There’s no other place I would rather call home,” he said.

Ward says he wants to bring strong jobs and good public schools back to Kansas, but he says his first priority as governor would be repairing the state’s economy. If elected, Ward says he wants to conduct top-to-bottom reviews of all state government agencies.

“I believe Kansans are fundamentally fiscally responsible, and they haven’t seen that in the past four years,” he said. “They want their state government to pay their bills and be fundamentally fiscally responsible. And that will be job one.”

The eight-term legislator is joining a race for governor that’s crowded on both sides of the political aisle.

In the race for the Democratic nomination, Ward will face former Wichita mayor Carl Brewer, former state agriculture secretary Josh Svaty, Olathe physician Arden Andersen and Wichita high school student Jack Bergesen.

Secretary of State Kris Kobach, Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer and Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer are among candidates seeking the Republican nomination.

But Ward said he’s thinking of his own campaign, and not of any potential Republican challenger.

“I’m focused right now on giving Kansans my vision for our future,” he said. “I’m going to let the Republicans do what they do, and I think if I deliver that message of what’s good for the future of Kansas, everything will take care of itself.”

Follow Nadya Faulx of KMUW on Twitter @NadyaFaulx. Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to kcur.org.

See more at http://kcur.org/post/house-democratic-leader-ward-joins-kansas-governor-s-race.

Enjoying the eclipse viewing

Shelley Snider and Beth Frakes were ready for the full solar eclipse this afternoon near 49th and State Avenue. Frakes said she had waited 95 years for this and she wasn’t going to miss it. She also said, smiling, she plans to mark her calendar for the next one. (Photo by Lou Braswell)