Month: September 2021

Kansas National Guard to help in Louisiana hurricane relief

About 280 members of the Kansas National Guard will deploy to Louisiana to help in hurricane relief, according to an announcement by Gov. Laura Kelly.

The soldiers and airmen will provide support in and around areas affected by Hurricane Ida. They are deploying as part of an emergency management assistance compact, a multistate agreement allowing states to send government aid to other states in emergencies.

“In times of crisis, Kansans have always stepped up to help out our fellow Americans – and today is no different,” Gov. Kelly said. “Today, I deployed Kansas National Guard Soldiers and Airmen to Louisiana to help those struggling in the areas affected by Hurricane Ida. We stand ready to provide relief for the impacted families.”

Approximately 280 soldiers and airmen will deploy for this mission, which is expected to last 21 days, including travel. The deploying soldiers and airmen are members of the Kansas Army National Guard’s 130th Field Artillery Brigade, Manhattan; 1st Battalion, 161st Field Artillery, Hutchinson; 1161st Forward Support Company, Wichita; 169th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, Olathe; 635th Regional Support Group, Wichita; 891st Engineer Battalion, Iola; and the Kansas Air National Guard’s 184th Wing, Wichita and the 190th Air Refueling Wing, Topeka. The Guardsmen will be taking engineering equipment such as skid steers, dump trucks, chain saws, and excavators. They will also be taking other equipment which includes generators, light medium tactical vehicles, high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles, and palletized load system trucks.

“This humanitarian mission is part of what the National Guard is all about,”Maj. Gen. David Weishaar, the adjutant general and director of the Kansas Division of Emergency Management said. “Citizen-soldiers and airmen supporting the civil authorities in time of trouble. It’s a mission we do well, are proud to do and one that we have asked our Guardsmen to do quite often the past 18 months. The efforts of these Kansas soldiers and airmen will give their Louisiana brothers and sisters in uniform much-needed relief and help the people affected by this disaster get back on their feet that much quicker.”

UG budget workshop to be Thursday

The Unified Government Commission will hold a special session at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2, for a budget workshop.

According to the meeting notice, the public will be able to observe the meeting live on YouTube, UGTV and through Zoom. Access also is available by phone. Also, the public may go to the lobby of City Hall, 701 N. 7th, and watch the special session on a link there.

The Zoom link is at https://us02web.zoom.us/s/89567826979?pwd=VnZveTB6WE5IUnFqRVNtQXdKbFNjZz09.

The passcode is 994795.

The webinar ID is 895 6782 6979.

Those who want to connect by telephone may call 877-853-5257 or 888-475-4499.

Next week, the UG Commission also will have a public hearing on exceeding the revenue neutral rate and a final budget public hearing at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7.

The Zoom link for the Sept. 7 meeting is at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84006610377?pwd=M0JOQ2VpOVpPdi9VQm1adHZ6NkhRZz09.

The passcode is 059680.
The webinar ID is 840 0661 0377.

To connect by phone, call 877-853-5257 or 888-475-4499.

UG budget information is at https://www.wycokck.org/Departments/Finance/Budget.

Pleasant weather ahead today

Photo by Mary Rupert

National Weather Service graphic

Mostly cloudy skies this morning will gradually clear through the day, according to the National Weather Service.

Seasonal temperatures are expected, the weather service said.

Today’s high will be near 85, with the humidity at 76 percent.

The next chance for thunderstorms arrives Friday into Saturday morning, according to the weather service. A cold front will slowly pass through the region.

The Labor Day forecast is sunny, with a high near 89.

Today, it will be mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 85 and an east wind of 7 to 9 mph, the weather service said.

Tonight, it will be mostly clear, with a low around 68 and an east wind of 8 mph, according to the weather service.

Thursday, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 85 and a southeast wind of 8 to 11 mph, gusting as high as 20 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 69 with a southeast wind of 8 mph. Between a tenth and quarter-inch of rain is possible.

Friday, there is a 60 percent chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 1 p.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 82 with a south wind of 7 to 9 mph. Between a half and three-quarters of an inch of rain is possible.

Friday night, there is a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with some of the storms producing heavy rainfall, according to the weather service. The low will be around 68. New rainfall amounts could be between 1 and 2 inches.

Saturday, there is a 30 percent chance of showers before 1 p.m., with a high near 81, the weather service said.

Saturday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 62, according to the weather service.

Sunday, it will be sunny, with a high near 83, the weather service said.

Sunday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 64, according to the weather service.

Monday, Labor Day, it will be sunny, with a high near 89, the weather service said.

Monday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 66, according to the weather service.

Tuesday, it will be sunny, with a high near 85, the weather service said.