Hot and humid weather returns on the weekend, with a heat index off over 100 on Saturday and Sunday. (National Weather Service graphic)
Hot and humid conditions will return to the area this weekend through the first half of next week, according to the National Weather Service forecast.
A heat index between 100 and 105 is expected this weekend into early next week, the weather service said.
There will be a few chances for showers and storms tonight and Thursday, as well as Saturday night, but no severe weather is expected at this time, according to the weather service.
Today’s air quality index is moderate for Wyandotte County. The primary pollutant is PM 2.5, which is “moderate” today. The ozone reading is “good” today.
Today, it will be sunny, with a high near 85 and a southeast wind of 3 to 6 mph, the weather service said.
Tonight, there will be increasing clouds, with a low of 69 and a south southeast wind of 6 mph, according to the weather service.
Thursday, there is a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a high near 86, the weather service said. A south southwest wind of 6 to 10 mph will gust as high as 20 mph.
Thursday night, there is a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 a.m., according to the weather service. It will gradually become mostly clear, with a low around 69 and a south southwest wind of 8 mph.
Friday, it will be sunny with a high near 92 and a south southwest wind of 6 to 9 mph, the weather service said.
Friday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 74, according to the weather service.
Saturday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 95, the weather service said.
Saturday night, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 a.m., with a low of 76, according to the weather service.
Sunday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 95, the weather service said.
Sunday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 77, according to the weather service.
Monday, it will be sunny and hot, with a high near 97, the weather service said.
Monday night, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a low of 76, according to the weather service.
Tuesday, there is a 30 percent chance of showers, with a high near 94, the weather service said.
Challenger Tyrone Garner Jr. has pulled ahead of incumbent Mayor David Alvey by 60 votes in the unofficial primary results for mayor.
Garner, a former deputy police chief in Kansas City, Kansas, led 3,464 votes to Alvey’s 3,405 in the unofficial vote total Tuesday night. The top two in the primary election will advance to the general election Nov. 2.
In the mayor’s contest, Mayor Alvey more or less occupied the middle ground while being opposed from the left and the right on issues such as the proposed safe and welcoming ordinance, and UG property taxes. Garner received the endorsement of the firefighters’ union, which is currently in contract negotiations with the UG, before the primary.
Garner said on Tuesday night that he gives God the glory and he wants to thank the voters who believe in the message for change and for reimagining Wyandotte County with the message for change.
He said he would continue the fight for lower taxes, fair taxes, for BPU bills that better reflect utility bills, for investment in the disinvested areas of the community, and to bring leadership that’s community-driven to Wyandotte County.
His campaign will continue to run on the platform outlined on his website at garnerformayor.com, he said.
He added he just wanted to unify the community if he becomes the mayor. He also said he would like to take Wyandotte County from a good community to a great one that it can be, with the right leadership.
Mayor Alvey, a former educator and school administrator, said after the vote totals were announced that all he needed to do was to come in second to advance to the general election.
He now has three months to get his message out about his experience and the progress his administration has made, and how they will make progress in the future, along with a message about Garner’s inability to lead and lack of experience, he said.
The vote for mayor was split five ways, and it was in a year following 2020, when citizens expressed dissatisfaction at high levels after a lockdown.
“I think we live in a divisive time and people are trying to find candidates who align most closely with what they want, and if there had been even more candidates, you would have had even more division of a vote,” Mayor Alvey said. “I think it’s just where we are.”
Chris Steineger, a former state senator, was third in the mayor’s contest with 2,649, followed by Janice (Grant) Witt with 1,762 and Daran Duffy, 963.
There were 12,313 ballots cast with a 13.86 percent voter turnout, according to the Wyandotte County Election Office statistics. The turnout was around 1 percent lower than Election Commissioner Michael Abbott had predicted earlier.
Another incumbent who came in second in the unofficial totals was 8th District Unified Government Commissioner Jane Philbrook, with 443 votes to Andrew Davis’s 535. They will advance to the general election.
Board of Public Utilities’ incumbent Ryan Eidson, at-large Position 2, was in third place with 1,839 votes, following state Sen. David Haley, 3,925 votes, and former state senator Mark Gilstrap, 2,074 votes. Kimberly Weaver had 1,825 votes and Dennis Grindel, 1,095.
Daniel Soptic and Celisha Towers will advance to the general election for Wyandotte County Sheriff.
In the UG commissioner, 2nd District at large office, incumbent Tom Burroughs won, with Claudine Sanders also moving up to the general election.
In the UG, 1st District commissioner contest, incumbent Gayle Townsend placed first, and will face Melvin Williams in the general election.
In the UG commission, 5th District contest, incumbent Mike Kane will advance, facing opposition from Eleanor Morales Clark.
Incumbent BPU member Mary Gonzales won the BPU at-large, Position 1 position primary, and will face Gwendolyn Bass in the general election.
The results are unofficial, and vote outcomes potentially could change, particularly in close contests, after the voter canvass on Aug. 16. There could be ballots still in the mail to be counted, and also, there could be provisional ballots cast Tuesday that may be counted by the Board of Canvassers on Aug. 16.
For the most part, incumbents did well in the advance votes that have been reported tonight by the Wyandotte County Election Office.
Incumbent Mayor David Alvey led Tyrone Garner by 82 votes, 1,490 to 1,408, in the advance vote count.
An incumbent who were not leading her contest in the advance voting was Commissioner Jane Winkler Philbrook, who was four votes behind Andrew Davis, 236 to 240.
Ryan Eidson, incumbent Board of Public Utilities member, at large Position 2, was trailing David Haley by 976 votes, 748 to 1,714 in advance voting. Mark Gilstrap, a former state senator, got 755 votes.
There is no incumbent running for Sheriff, with the retirement of Don Ash. The top vote-getters so far in advance voting for Sheriff were Daniel Soptic, 2,163, and Celisha Towers, 1,740.
Preliminary unofficial election results, advance votes only
With 4,818 ballots cast
Mayor-CEO David Alvey, incumbent, 1,490 Daran Duffy, 207 Tyrone Garner, 1,408 Chris Steineger, 971 Janice (Grant) Witt, 710
Sheriff Charles Bunnell, 719 Daniel Soptic, 2,163 Celisha Towers, 1,740
Unified Government Commissioner at large, District 2 Tom Burroughs, incumbent, 889 Claudine Sanders, 443 J. Michael Tiner-Mackey, 152
UG Commissioner, District 1 Gayle E. Townsend, incumbent, 363 Lisa Walker-Yeager, 108 Melvin Williams, 151
UG Commissioner, District 5 Latorua “Torrie” Chinn, 273 Eleanor Morales Clark, 233 Mike Kane, incumbent, 743
UG Commissioner, District 8 Andrew Davis, 240 Geoffrey Kump, 112 Tscher “Cece” Manck, 56 Jane W. Philbrook, incumbent, 236 Diana Whittington, 108
Board of Public Utilities Member, at large Position 1 Gwendolyn Bass, 1,198 Mary Gerlt, 638 Mary Gonzales, incumbent, 2,363
BPU Member, at large Position 2 Ryan Eidson, incumbent, 748 Mark Gilstrap, 755 Dennis Grindel, 399 David Haley, 1,714 Kimberly Weaver, 699
