Month: August 2022

Heat advisory in effect today, heat index of 99 possible

From a garden at the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, Bonner Springs, on Saturday. (Photo by Steve Rupert)
There is a marginal chance for thunderstorms Wednesday in Wyandotte County. (National Weather Service graphic)
Hot and dry remains the extended outlook for Aug. 10 through Aug. 16. (National Weather Service graphic)

There will be a dangerous combination of heat and humidity in the region today, with highs reaching 91 and a heat index possibly reaching 99, according to the National Weather Service.

A cold front will move into the area, and a few strong to isolated severe storms will be possible this afternoon and evening, with damaging winds and small hail the main threats, the weather service said.

A heat advisory is in effect in Wyandotte County through 7 p.m. Wednesday, according to the weather service.

Residents are advised to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun and check on relatives and neighbors, the weather service said. Young children and pets should not be left unattended in vehicles.

Take extra precautions if you work or spent time outside, according to the weather service. When possible, reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening.

Wear lightweight and loose-fitting clothing when possible, the weather service said. To reduce risk during outdoor work, it is recommended to schedule frequent rest breaks in shaded or air-conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Call 911 for heat stroke.

Today, there is a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a high near 91, the weather service said. The heat index may reach as high as 99, with a south southwest wind of 7 to 9 mph. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is possible.

Tonight, there is a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a low of 72, according to the weather service. An east southeast wind of 5 mph will become calm in the evening. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is possible.

Thursday, it will be sunny with a high near 92, the weather service said. The heat index will be as high as 97 with a northeast wind of 3 to 7 mph.

Thursday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 71 and a northeast wind of 3 to 7 mph, according to the weather service.

Friday, it will be sunny, with a high near 93, the weather service said. A calm wind will become south southeast 5 to 7 mph in the morning.

Friday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 76, according to the weather service.

Saturday, it will be sunny, with a high near 95, the weather service said.

Saturday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 77, 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 73, according to the weather service.

Monday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 90, the weather service said.

Monday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 72, according to the weather service.

Tuesday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 90, the weather service said.

Kansas voters defeat abortion amendment in unexpected landslide

by Sherman Smith and Lily O’Shea Becker, Kansas Reflector

Overland Park — Kansas voters in a landslide Tuesday defeated a constitutional amendment that would have stripped residents of abortion rights, defying polling and political observers who expected a close result.

The ballot measure was failing by a 62-38 margin at 9:45 p.m. as voters responded to an intense and costly campaign marked by dubious claims by amendment supporters and the unraveling of protections by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The question before voters, in the form of a confusingly worded constitutional amendment, was whether to end the right to abortion in Kansas by voting “yes” or preserve the right by voting “no.”

The outcome could have far-reaching political implications, with a governor’s race and congressional seats on the ballot in November. It also means reproductive health care will remain available in a state where six girls younger than 14 were among nearly 8,000 patients who received an abortion last year.

“I’ve always maintained that a woman’s reproductive health care decisions should be between her and her physician,” said Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, in a statement to campaign supporters. “I’m proud to say that Kansans stood up for our fundamental rights today.”

The proposed constitutional amendment is a reaction to a 2019 decision by the Kansas Supreme Court, which struck down a state law banning a common second-term abortion procedure. The court determined the right to bodily autonomy in the state constitution’s Bill of Rights includes the decision to terminate a pregnancy.

That meant abortion remained legal in Kansas when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, allowing each state to determine its own rules for reproductive health care. Kansas attracted national attention as the first state to vote on abortion rights in the post-Roe world.

“You know,” said Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat, “you go back to William Allen White: ‘If something is going to happen, it’s going to happen in Kansas first.’ A lot of friends from across the country are like, ‘Why is this on a primary ballot?’ So I think they’re paying attention to really some cynical tactics that the other side tried to play to their advantage.”

Voters showed up in unforeseen numbers in urban areas of the state, while rural areas underperformed compared to turnout in the presidential race two years ago. Forecasters with Cook Political Report and FiveThirtyEight predicted early in the evening that the amendment would fail, possibly by a double-digit margin.

Passage of the constitutional amendment would have nullified the Kansas Supreme Court ruling and given the Legislature the authority to pass any kind of abortion restriction, without exceptions for rape, incest or a patient’s health. The amendment’s defeat means abortion will continue to be legal — and heavily regulated — in Kansas.

Supporters and opponents of the amendment spent millions of dollars in campaigns to educate and influence voters.

The so-called Value Them Both Coalition refused to say whether it would support a ban on abortion if the amendment passes, routinely denouncing claims that the amendment equated to an abortion ban. But audio obtained by Kansas Reflector revealed that supporters of the abortion amendment already had legislation in mind that would ban abortion from conception until birth, without exceptions.

The Value Them Both Coalition denied Kansas Reflector entry to its election night watch party because the organization doesn’t approve of Reflector news stories.

On Monday, Democrats received a text message — eventually connected to former Republican U.S. Rep. Tim Huelskamp — that inaccurately told them to vote “yes” to preserve reproductive health rights.

Opponents of the amendment have complained about its misleading language. A line-by-line analysis by the Guardian concluded “the ballot language sows confusion in an effort to push people to vote ‘yes.’ ”

The amendment claims to ban government-funded abortion, which is already banned under state law, and suggests the Legislature “could” provide exceptions in state law for rape, incest or the life of a mother — even though the amendment doesn’t actually require those exceptions.

Annual reporting from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment shows that a typical abortion in Kansas involves a woman of color between the ages of 20 and 30 who lives in Kansas or Missouri and is unmarried, already has at least one child, has never had an abortion before, is less than nine weeks from gestation and uses the drug mifepristone to terminate her pregnancy.

Because of existing restrictions, which remain in place even if the amendment fails, she has received state-ordered counseling designed to discourage her from having an abortion, waited at least 24 hours, looked at an ultrasound image and pays for the procedure out of her own pocket.

No abortions occurred outside of 22 weeks, the legal threshold except in cases where the mother’s life is in danger.

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/02/kansas-voters-defeat-abortion-amendment-in-unexpected-landslide/

All local Wyandotte County precincts reporting unofficial preliminary leaders in tonight’s primary election

With all 148 Wyandotte County precincts reporting, the preliminary unofficial leaders of the primary election have been named.

Full official results have not yet been announced, as mail ballots have until Friday to reach the election office to be counted. Then results must be certified at a later date.

The leader of the Democratic nomination for 33rd District, Kansas House, is Bill Hutton with 44 percent of the vote. He had 1,067 votes to Taylor R. Dean’s 921 votes and Mathew Reinhold’s 464 votes.

Mike Thompson received 91 percent of the vote for the Republican nomination for the 33rd District. He had 1,952 votes to Clifton Boje’s 201 votes.

In the 35th District, Kansas House, Democrat Marvin S. Robinson II received 1,390 votes, for 59 percent, to Nelson R. Gabriel’s 976 votes, for 41 percent.

For the Republican nomination for 35th District, House, Sam Stillwell led with 266 votes, or 69 percent, over John H. Koerner, who had 120 votes or 31 percent.

The Kansas House of Representatives, 36th District, Democratic nomination saw Lynn Melton with 2,647 votes, or 67 percent, to JoAnne Gilstrap’s 1,308 votes, or 33 percent.

Of the Republicans running for the 36th District, House seat, Kevin Braun received 78 percent of the vote with 1,450 votes to Mark David Snelson’s 22 percent of the vote, with 408 votes.

In the 37th District, Kansas House, Democratic nomination, the leader was Melissa Oropeza with 1,203 votes, or 49 percent, to Faith Rivera’s 923 votes, or 38 percent. Coming in third was incumbent Rep. Aaron Coleman with 13 percent or 321 votes.

For Wyandotte County District Court Judge, incumbent Tony Martinez led with 72 percent of the vote, or 12,397 votes, to David Patryzkont’s 28 percent, or 4,877 votes.

Candice Alcaraz was the leader for Wyandotte County District Court judge in Division 12, with 11,796 votes or 69 percent to incumbent Judge Wesley Griffin’s 5,361 votes, or 31 percent.

The constitutional amendment on abortion in Kansas saw 74 percent of Wyandotte County voters, or 22,767 “no” votes to 26 percent or 7,964 “yes” votes.

Statewide, 62 percent of the voters, 398,253, cast a “no” vote with 38 percent, or 239,834, voting “yes.” There are still many statewide votes yet to be reported.

Mark R. Holland, the former mayor of Kansas City, Kansas, leads in the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. He had 41 percent of the vote statewide, with 82,951 votes, to Patrick Wiesner’s 19 percent, Paul Buskirk’s 19 percent; Mike Andra’s 10 percent, Robert Klingenberg’s 7 percent and Michael Soetaert’s 3 percent.

Incumbent Sen. Jerry Moran led with 79 percent of the vote in the Republican contest with 241,250 votes to Joan Farr’s 62,917.

In the Republican nomination for U.S. Representative, 3rd District, Amanda Adkins led with 77 percent of the vote over John McCaughrean, who had 23 percent.

Gov. Laura Kelly led with 95 percent of the vote statewide in the Democratic contest for governor. Richard Karnowski had 5 percent of the vote.

For the Republican nomination for governor, Derek Schmidt had 80 percent of the vote to Arlyn Briggs’ 20 percent.

For the Republican nomination for secretary of state incumbent Scott Schwab led with 57 percent of the vote to Mike Brown’s 43 percent.

In the close contest for the Republican nomination for attorney general, Kris Kobach had 40 percent of the vote to Kellie Warren’s 39 percent, with Tony Mattivi receiving 21 percent.

In a close state treasurer contest, Republican Caryn Tyson had 51 percent of the vote to Steven Johnson’s 49 percent.

House Democratic Leader Tom Sawyer issued a statement on the constitutional amendment on abortion:


“Kansas voters have spoken: They soundly reject this undemocratic constitutional amendment — placed on the August amendment to disenfranchise voters, bolstered by a campaign filled with disinformation and dark money — without hesitation. Voters from all parties, in all corners of the state mobilized in mass to oppose this effort.

Today’s fight is not yet over, though. We must break the supermajority in November to sustain this win, or else this amendment will have the votes to go on the ballot again and again until it finally passes. Kansans must support Vote No candidates on November 8.

The state motto rings true more than ever tonight. Ad Astra per aspera; to the stars through difficulties.”