A crash was reported at 7:13 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, on northbound 71st Street and Leavenworth Road in Kansas City, Kansas, according to a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper’s report.
According to the trooper’s report, a 2019 Dodge Charger was pursuing a vehicle for felony charges, while a 2016 Dodge Charger was secondary in pursuit.
A metro city agency deployed stop sticks, and the first Dodge Charger made an evasive maneuver to the left to avoid them, the report stated. Ultimately the vehicle struck the stop sticks, causing it to turn sideways, the report stated.
The second Dodge Charger also made an evasive maneuver to the left to avoid the stop sticks, according to the report.
The second Dodge Charger then struck the first Dodge Charger in the left front and rear doors, the report stated. Both vehicles came to rest in a private lot.
The driver of the first Dodge Charger, a 23-year-old man from Tonganoxie, Kansas, had no apparent injury, the report stated.
The driver of the second Dodge Charger, a 26-year-old man from Leavenworth, Kansas, had a possible minor injury and was taken to the hospital, the report stated.
Democratic governor’s job approval at 53%; GOP attorney general’s at 40%
by Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector
Topeka — An early survey in the 2022 election cycle shows Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly with a narrow advantage over Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt in a head-to-head gubernatorial showdown of two statewide officeholders gearing up for that campaign.
The poll by Clarity Campaign Labs, a liberal-leaning firm in Washington, D.C., at the behest of EMILY’s List, which promotes Democratic women candidates, indicated Kelly had a 3 percentage point advantage on Schmidt. Kelly held support of 47% of participants to Schmidt’s 44% in a survey with a 3.4% margin of error.
Kelly attracted backing from 83% of voters who considered themselves ideologically moderate and 21% who viewed themselves as somewhat conservative.
Laphonza Butler, newly appointed president of EMILY’s List, said Kelly had proven herself a champion of women and families during a period of unprecedented health and economic challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Butler expressed confidence in Kelly’s path to re-election.
“The numbers tell us that Kansans appreciate her leadership,” Butler said. “A majority of Kansans across party lines approve of Governor Kelly’s performance in office throughout her first term.”
Kelly and the Kansas Democratic Party have sought to convince voters the state’s economy was in a strong position. The governor has touted expansion in business investment and associated job growth. She says she was integral to achieving proper funding of K-12 public schools, restoring stability to the state’s transportation program and overhauling the child welfare system.
The Kansas Republican Party and Schmidt have argued Kelly fumbled the state’s response to COVID-19. They’ve asserted she responded to the pandemic by unnecessarily closing businesses, imposing mask mandates and limiting the size of gatherings at places of worship. In addition, the Kansas GOP has sought to nationalize the governor’s race by taking issue with policies embraced by President Joe Biden.
The survey taken more than one year prior to next year’s general election revealed 53% of respondents approved of the job Kelly had done as governor with 41% disapproving of her performance. Across the political spectrum, 27% of self-identified Republicans expressed approval of her track record as governor since 2019 along with 69% of independents and 94% of self-identified Democrats.
In terms of Schmidt, the pollsters said 40% of participants approved and 42% disapproved of his performance as attorney general. During the GOP primary campaign, Schmidt has sought to convince Republicans of his conservative credentials and eagerness to push back against policies of Biden.
In 2018, Kelly defeated the Republican nominee, Secretary of State Kris Kobach, by securing 47.8% of the vote. Kobach had prevailed in back-to-back statewide campaigns for secretary of state, but couldn’t translate high name recognition and a GOP registration advantage into victory in the governor’s race.
Kelly’s first campaign for governor emphasized unpopularity of former Gov. Sam Brownback, who had stepped down to work in the administration of President Donald Trump. Instead of distancing himself from Brownback, Kobach advocated resumption of the Brownback economic experiment that centered on slashing state income taxes. Spending wasn’t reduced a comparable amount under Brownback and the state struggled with budget problems until his tax program was repealed in 2017.
In her campaign for governor, Kelly asserted Brownback’s leadership jeopardized the state’s education and highway systems and undermined the safety net for vulnerable Kansas. She also said Kobach was “Sam Brownback on steroids.”
The survey for EMILY’s List showed Brownback remained unpopular among Kansas voters. In this poll, 17% said they were in favor of returning to Brownback-era policies. At the same time, 56% of respondents wanted to “go in a different direction” than policy championed by Brownback.
Overall, 30% approved of how Brownback did his job as governor and 62% disapproved of his performance as the state’s chief executive.
The telephone survey of 810 registered voters in Kansas was conducted Sept. 13-15. The sample was weighted by the polling firm to reflect a likely 2022 general electorate. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.45%.
Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Windy weather is in the forecast for Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
Elevated fire weather conditions exist today because of lower relative humidity and southwest winds gusting to 29 mph, the weather service said.
There is a slight chance of showers late this afternoon and evening along and north of I-70, according to the weather service. No severe weather is expected.
A strong upper trough moving through the northern Plains early this morning will dive southeast into the upper Midwest through the day today, the weather service said.
Its associated surface front extends southward through central Nebraska and into northwestern Kansas. As the trough dives southeast, the cold front will push southeastward through the area from late this morning through late this afternoon, according to the weather service.
Residents may see an increase in mid and high clouds ahead of the cold front. Winds will promptly switch from the southwest to the northwest as the front moves through, the weather service said.
As the saturation in the mid-levels lowers, there is a small chance for light rain showers to develop. However, it’s more likely to be dry in the Kansas City metro area, according to the weather service, although there could be a few light rain showers.
After the cold front moves through, Saturday’s high will be near normal at 78, the weather service said. Then, temperatures will rise to about 90 on Sunday and Monday, about 10 to 15 degrees higher than normal.
Today, it will be partly sunny with a high near 81 and a south southwest wind of 11 to 18 mph, becoming west in the afternoon, the weather service said. Winds may gust as high as 29 mph.
Tonight, there is a 20 percent chance of showers before 10 p.m., according to the weather service. Mostly cloudy skies in the early evening will give way to a gradual clearing, with a low of 54 and a north wind of 5 to 9 mph.
Saturday, it will be sunny, with a high near 78 and a calm wind becoming west 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon, the weather service said.
Saturday night, it will be clear, with a low of 60 and a south wind of 3 to 6 mph, according to the weather service.
Sunday, it will be sunny, with a high near 90 and a south southwest wind of 8 to 14 mph, gusting as high as 25 mph, the weather service said.
Sunday night, it will be clear, with a low of 68, according to the weather service.
Monday, it will be sunny, with a high near 90, the weather service said.
Monday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 65, according to the weather service.
Tuesday, it will be sunny, with a high near 89, the weather service said.
Tuesday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 65, according to the weather service.
Wednesday, there is a 40 percent chance of showers, with a high near 84, the weather service said.
Wednesday night, there is a 30 percent chance of showers, with a low of 63, according to the weather service.
Thursday, there is a 40 percent chance of showers, with a high near 82, the weather service said.
