Month: May 2018

Storms possible tonight

Severe storms are possible in the region tonight. (National Weather Service graphic)

Strong to isolated severe thunderstorms will develop over the area this evening, according to the National Weather Service.

These storms will be capable of producing winds 40 to 50 mph with isolated wind gusts to 60 mph as well as dime to nickel-sized hail with isolated quarter-sized hail, the weather service said.

Several rounds of showers and thunderstorms will be possible Friday night though the beginning of next work week; however, severe weather then is not expected, according to the weather service.

The forecast for Wyandotte County calls for partly sunny skies today with a high near 85, and a south southeast wind of 13 to 17 mph, gusting as high as 30 mph, the weather service said.

Tonight, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10 p.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 63, with a south wind of 9 to 15 mph, gusting as high as 25 mph. Between a tenth and quarter-inch of rain is possible.

Wednesday, it will be sunny with a high near 87, and a west wind of 7 to 13 mph, the weather service said.

Wednesday night, it will be mostly clear with a low of 62 and a west northwest wind of 5 to 9 mph becoming calm, according to the weather service.

Thursday, there is a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., then a slight chance of showers after 4 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 85, with a south wind of 5 to 11 mph.

Thursday night, skies will be partly cloudy with a low of 66, according to the weather service.

Friday, the high will be near 87 with partly sunny skies, the weather service said.

Friday night, the low will be around 69 with partly cloudy skies, according to the weather service.

Saturday, the high will be near 86 with partly sunny skies, the weather service said.

Saturday night, the low will be around 59 with mostly cloudy skies, according to the weather service.

Sunday, the high will be near 75 with partly sunny skies, the weather service said.

Sunday night, the low will be about 58 with mostly cloudy skies, according to the weather service.

Monday, the high will be near 80 with partly sunny skies, the weather service said.

Man escapes from custody near 106th and Parallel

DeRon McAfee

Kansas City, Kansas, police have issued a public safety bulletin about a man who escaped from custody about 9 p.m. Monday, May 7, near 106th and Parallel Parkway.

According to a police spokesman, Deron McAfee, 21, had been taken into custody for felony charges, but managed to escape wearing handcuffs.

He was wearing a black, red and white plaid shirt and a white T-shirt, according to police.

McAfee is 5-foot-10 and weighs 160 pounds.

Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS or a local law enforcement agency if McAfee’s whereabouts are known.

School district plaintiffs reject Legislature’s education funding, say it isn’t adequate

The school districts that are suing the state of Kansas over school funding said today that the bill passed recently by the Kansas Legislature is unconstitutional and doesn’t meet the Kansas Supreme Court’s requirements for adequate and equitable funding.

The plaintiff school districts, which include the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools, filed a brief today, along with the defendant, the state of Kansas, in the Gannon case. The case is in the Kansas Supreme Court. The court has previously said it would reach a decision by June 30.

The state of Kansas argued that the new school finance law met the court’s requirements and asked for dismissal of the case. The Legislature’s latest bill pumped about $500 million in additional funds into the public schools over a five-year period, which averages about $100 million a year.

The plaintiff school districts, however, say that “the state ignored the findings of every school finance expert, including its own, in determining the cost of an adequate education.” The new school finance law fails the adequacy test, according to the plaintiffs. It also fails the equity requirements, by creating “unequal access to funding,” allowing “wealthier districts more educational opportunity,” according to the plaintiff’s attorney, Alan Rupe.

“This year alone, the state is underfunding education by $506 million according to KSBE’s (Kansas State Board of Education) estimates,” Rupe stated. “The state’s response to the court’s fifth order in Gannon regarding school finance continues a pattern of chronically underfunding Kansas schools and failing Kansas schoolchildren,” Rupe stated.

The school districts have requested that the Supreme Court at least enter a finding that the Legislature should appropriate enough money to meet KSBE’s request for additional resources for fiscal year 2019, according to Rupe’s statement.

“This would require that the state fund a base of $5,090 for FY19, costing an additional $506 million this year,” he stated. The $505 million is on top of the funding added by Senate Bill 423. “However, a long-term solution is necessary to ensure each and every Kansas student is provided the opportunity to receive an education that prepares them for college or vocational success.”

The base for this year under Senate Bill 423 is $4,165.

The plaintiffs also asked the court to phase in more increases in future “out-years” to reach the additional $1.78 to $2.06 billion that the state’s own cost study showed was needed.

Defendants, represented by the state attorney general’s office, stated in their brief that the school finance bills have cured the violations identified by the court. They did not agree with the plaintiffs on many points.

The state argued in its brief that the school finance law passed this year satisfies the adequacy requirement of the state’s Constitution. It further argued that while the Legislature decided not to implement some of its own Taylor study’s recommendations, the study still would support a conclusion that the school finance law satisfied the adequacy requirement.

“The study focused on the costs of satisfying the State Board of Education’s aspirational ‘moon shot,’ which exceeds the Rose standards,” the state argued in its brief.

Also, the state argued that the Legislature declined to do a one-time short term funding surge in favor of a predictable long-term funding stream. It also argued that the five-year phase-in was reasonable and responsible legislative judgment.

The state also argued that local option budget funds and other programs funding should be considered in determining whether the Legislature has adequately funded the schools.

If the court decides the Legislature has not fully satisfied the adequacy of funding requirement, the state asked that the court at least accept the first year of the plan and allow the Legislature to address any remaining issues in the 2019 legislative session.

Any court remedy that would result in the closing of schools would violate the Kansas Constitution, a Kansas law and federal law, the state argued.

The briefs filed today are online at http://www.kscourts.org/kansas-courts/supreme-court/Cases_of_interest/Cases/113267/default.asp.