Nice weather continues Wednesday

National Weather Service graphic

Wednesday’s weather will continue to be mild and dry, according to the National Weather Service.

The next chance for rain will arrive in the early morning hours Friday, but the best chance for storms will be late Friday night through the morning hours of Saturday, the weather service said.

The threat of severe weather on Friday or Saturday currently looks low, according to the weather service.

The Missouri River at Parkville, which includes the Wyandotte County area, is currently in action stage, and below flood stage, according to hydrology charts. The Kansas River at 23rd Street is currently below action stage and below flood stage.

Today, it will be sunny with a high near 81 and a west wind of 5 to 8 mph, the weather service said.

Tonight, it will be clear with a low of 65 and a south wind of 5 to 7 mph, according to the weather service.

Thursday, it will be mostly sunny with a high near 87 and a southwest wind of 7 to 14 mph, gusting to 22 mph, the weather service said.

Thursday night, there is a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 68 with a south southwest wind of 5mph becoming calm in the evening. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is forecast.

Friday, there is a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a high near 80, the weather service said. A calm wind will become southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Between a quarter and half-inch of rain is likely.

Friday night, there is a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a low of 66, according to the weather service. Between a quarter and half-inch of rain is possible.

Saturday, there is a 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 78.

Saturday night, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 65.

Sunday, it will be mostly sunny with a high near 79, the weather service said.

Sunday night, it will be mostly clear with a low of 65, according to the weather service.

Monday, Labor Day, it will be sunny with a high near 83, the weather service said.

Monday night, it will be mostly clear with a low of 67, according to the weather service.

Tuesday, it will be sunny with a high near 86, the weather service said.

Touring the KU behavioral health campus on Strawberry Hill

Tours were held today for the new University of Kansas Health System behavioral health facility on Strawberry Hill in downtown Kansas City, Kansas. The new 47-bed inpatient mental and behavioral health unit is in the former EPA building at 5th and Minnesota Avenue. Patients are scheduled to start arriving on Sept. 4. Half of the building will be used to house patients, while the other half will be administrative programs and offices. Hundreds of employees could be added to downtown Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by William Crum)
The new KU behavioral health facility at 5th and Minnesota is characterized by its spacious atrium, with natural light streaming in through many windows. The building has 220,000 square feet. It is the former EPA building in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, and is considered to be one of the anchor buildings in downtown KCK. (Photo by William Crum)
More scenes from a tour held Aug. 27 at the University of Kansas Health System behavioral health facility on Strawberry Hill in downtown Kansas City, Kansas. The project cost was estimated to be $61 million when it was announced. (Photo by William Crum)
More scenes from a tour held Aug. 27 at the University of Kansas Health System behavioral health facility on Strawberry Hill in downtown Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by William Crum)
More scenes from a tour held Aug. 27 at the University of Kansas Health System behavioral health facility on Strawberry Hill in downtown Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by William Crum)
More scenes from a tour held Aug. 27 at the University of Kansas Health System behavioral health facility on Strawberry Hill in downtown Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by William Crum)
More scenes from a tour held Aug. 27 at the University of Kansas Health System behavioral health facility on Strawberry Hill in downtown Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by William Crum)

Colyer encourages LaTurner to drop out of Senate race and run for 2nd District House seat

Former Gov. Jeff Colyer said this week that he will not be running for U.S. Senate in 2020, but he is encouraging Jake LaTurner, state treasurer, to run for the 2nd Congressional District seat in 2020.

Colyer, an Overland Park physician, plans to be a fall 2019 Fellow at the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service in Washington, D.C., his alma mater, according to a news release. Colyer also is on call as a surgeon at hospitals in the Kansas City area and has several projects in the private sector.

“I appreciate all the encouragement I have received since Senator Roberts announced that he wouldn’t be seeking re-election in 2020. Right now I am doing some interesting things in private sector and in medicine.” Dr. Colyer said in a news release. He plans to continue his service to the state in the future, he added.

In a news release on Tuesday, Colyer called on LaTurner to end his campaign for the U.S. Senate and instead seek the nomination for the U.S. House, 2nd District – a district with a Republican incumbent. LaTurner is from southeast Kansas and is currently a resident of Topeka.

“The fact is we have too many candidates in the Senate race and a need for an improved candidate in the Second District. This would help our state in two ways—by giving us a viable conservative option in the Second District and helping to clear the logjam in the Senate race,” Colyer said in the news release.

The 2nd District currently is represented by Republican Steve Watkins, a conservative, who has not said that he is not running.

Colton Gibson, Colyer’s former special assistant, said that running for office in 2020 is out of the picture for the former governor, but 2022 is another story. Another U.S. Senate seat and the governor’s seat are up for election in 2022, and Colyer is looking at 2022, he said.

However, Colyer is not considering a run for the 3rd Congressional District, Gibson said. He has run for that office before, in 2002. Adam Taff won the Republican nomination that year by about 2,800 votes over Colyer, losing to incumbent Democrat Congressman Dennis Moore in the general election.

Colyer was lieutenant governor when former Gov. Sam Brownback stepped down to accept an appointment in 2018. Colyer lost the GOP governor primary to Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach by 343 votes in a seven-candidate race. Kobach lost the general election to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

Kobach announced in July he would be a candidate for the U.S. Senate seat in 2020, and arguably has the best name recognition of six Republicans who currently are being mentioned for the office. Susan Wagle, Kansas Senate president, is another well-known GOP candidate.

On the Democratic side, Barry Grissom, former U.S. attorney, and Nancy Boyda, former U.S. representative from the 2nd District, are among the candidates.