Round two: Severe storms possible after 5 p.m. tonight

Severe storms are possible tonight in Wyandotte County. (National Weather Service graphic)

It won’t be exactly the same as Wednesday night, but severe storms are possible again this evening in Wyandotte County, according to the National Weather Service.

Scattered storms also may surface at different times today across the region, the weather service said. The main severe threat will likely come from storms that develop in central Kansas later this afternoon, shifting to the east this evening as a line of storms along an advancing cold front, according to the weather service.

The main threat from the storms tonight will be damaging winds up to 70 mph, but large hail is possible as well, the weather service said. A few isolated tornadoes also are possible.

Localized flash flooding also is possible. After a clear weekend, the next chance for showers is Tuesday night.

In Wyandotte County, there is a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before noon today, the weather service said. The high will be near 81 with a south wind of 9 to 18 mph, gusting as high as 33 mph. Between a tenth and a quarter-inch of rain is possible.

Tonight, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before midnight, according to the weather service. The low will be around 56, with a south southwest wind of 6 to 15 mph becoming north northwest after midnight. Wind gusts may reach 26 mph. Between a tenth and a quarter-inch of rain is predicted.

Friday, it will be mostly sunny with a high near 77 and a north wind of 8 to 11 mph, the weather service said.

Friday night, the low will be around 54 with mostly clear skies and a north wind of 6 mph becoming calm in the evening, according to the weather service.

Saturday, the high will be near 82 with sunny skies, the weather service said. There will be a west wind of 3 to 6 mph.

Saturday night, it will be mostly clear with a low of 57, according to the weather service.

Sunday, the high will be near 78 with partly sunny skies, the weather service said.

Sunday night, the low will be around 53 with partly cloudy skies, according to the weather service.

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

Monday night, the low will be around 56 with partly cloudy skies, according to the weather service.

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

Tuesday night, there is a 70 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a low of 59, according to the weather service.

Wednesday, there is a 30 percent chance of showers with a high near 77, the weather service said.

Monitor the weather today through the website, www.weather.gov.

Severe threat probabilities after 4 p.m. today. (National Weather Service graphic)

Legislature strikes tentative deal that turns down revenue to avoid tax hike

by Stephen Koranda and Celia Llopis-Jepsen, Kansas News Service

House and Senate negotiators struck a tentative deal Wednesday to prevent changes in federal tax law from ratcheting up state taxes for Kansans.

The Senate wanted broader tax cuts in the same bill, but couldn’t coax the House team to go along.

Rep. Steve Johnson, who chairs the House tax committee, said his chamber didn’t want to go beyond addressing the federal effect in ways that would produce deeper cuts to state government revenue.

“It’s all of the tax cuts and these targeted tax cuts that have given us heartburn,” he said.

Legislative staff and the Kansas Department of Revenue estimate the bill now on the table would cost the state about $80 million in revenue for the fiscal year that starts in July.

After Congress’ overhaul of taxes last year, it seemed some Kansans would end up paying more to the state because of changes to deductions and itemizing.

Legislative leaders want to avoid that by ensuring those Kansans can still itemize on state tax returns. The Senate pushed through a bill to that effect last month, arguing the state couldn’t, in good conscience, profit from the federal reforms.

“The surplus from this unanticipated windfall,” Republican Senate President Susan Wagle urged, “should be returned to the Kansas taxpayers.”

But the Senate wanted tax cuts for Kansans beyond that. Its bill raised the standard deduction and fully reinstated deductions for mortgage interest, property taxes and medical expenses.

Senate negotiator Caryn Tyson, who is running for Congress, argued that after the Legislature passed a two-year $1.2 billion hike last year, raising the standard deduction would help all Kansans now looking at larger tax bills.

But with the state recovering from years of fiscal woes and facing pressure from the Kansas Supreme Court to increase funding for public schools, the House balked at that idea.

Ultimately senators backed down on the standard deduction during Wednesday’s negotiations.

They compromised with the House, too, on restoring the mortgage interest and other targeted deductions immediately. Instead those will be phased in.

Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio, a partner in the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @kprkoranda.
Celia Llopis-Jepsen is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. You can reach her on Twitter @Celia_LJ.
Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to the original post.

See more at http://kcur.org/post/kansas-legislature-strikes-tentative-deal-turns-down-revenue-avoid-tax-hike.

Officer-involved fatal shooting under investigation

An officer-involved fatal shooting shortly after 5 p.m. May 2 is under investigation, according to a Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department spokesman.

Officers of the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department were involved in a shooting in the 2400 block of Wood Avenue, according to the spokesman.

The shooting and the details of the events leading up to it are under investigation, according to the spokesman.

A suspect involved in the shooting died, the spokesman stated.