WASHINGTON – Federal scientists forecast that Oklahoma will continue to have the nation’s biggest man-made earthquake problem but 2017 probably won’t be as shaky as recent years.

In February, the USGS reported six earthquakes in Kansas.

The strongest measured 3.3 on February 22, and was centered four miles northeast of Anthony in Harper County. Another 3.3 quake hit just north of the Oklahoma State line in Sumner County on February 13. A 2.6 quake shook Sumner County on Sunday morning.

In its annual national earthquake outlook, the U.S. Geological Survey reported this week that a large portion of Oklahoma and parts of central California have the highest risk for a damaging quake this year: between 5 and 12 percent.

Seismologists say Oklahoma’s problem is triggered by high volume ground injections of wastewater from oil and gas drilling.

USGS seismic hazard chief Mark Petersen says Oklahoma’s recent regulation wastewater injection is starting to work, so scientists slightly reduced Oklahoma’s risk this year.

– The AP contributed to this report.

HARVEYVILLE, Kan. (AP) — Five years after a tornado killed one person, injured about a dozen more and destroyed up to 40 percent of the small eastern Kansas town of Harveyville, officials are proud of the rebuilding progress but acknowledge more needs to be done.

The EF-2 tornado hit Harveyville, in Wabaunsee County just after 9 p.m. on Feb. 28, 2012. Residents, people from surrounding communities and many organizations quickly came together to get the town back on its feet, current Mayor Dustin Kuntz told The Emporia Gazette,

“We were so blessed by the love and support from other people, communities and agencies,” Kuntz said. “It was almost more than we could accept at one time. If you think about water going into a funnel, there’s only so much it will let through, and we had a funnel going on here. There was so much help. It was just so incredible it became a challenge to administrate it efficiently.”

Kuntz also credited the Harveyville Area Rebuilding Team, which consolidated community organizations and resources to help get residents back on their feet.

The mayor said a family occasionally moves into an empty lot and several residents have rebuilt.

Amy Terrapin, emergency management coordinator for Wabaunsee County, said residents stepped up.

“The community of Harveyville didn’t sit around and pity themselves,” Terrapin said. “They didn’t sit around and wait for the federal, state or local government to come pick things up. They got out their dump trucks and tractors and got to work.”

Today, the city has a new park and playground and a storm shelter. A group of mothers who were tired of taking their children to other communities to play in a nice park put on a bake sale and other events and received some memorial donations. They gave the town between $16,000 and $17,000 to use as matching funds to obtain grants.

When the twister hit, residents weren’t warned because the tornado siren had to be activated manually and it wasn’t. Now, the city has a new siren that can be remotely activated by the Wabaunsee County Sheriff’s Office.

A new United Methodist Church sits in the same location where the former church was destroyed. Some of the church’s original stained glass was created into an art piece by Breanna Strohm, the niece of Richard Slade, who died from injuries he suffered in the tornado. The piece sits in the church’s sanctuary.

“To see what we have today compared to what we had before and what got destroyed, it blows you away,” said longtime resident Larry Montgomery.

But Kuntz said the town still lives with some long-term repercussions from the storm.

“It would be nice if every empty lot had families that attended your churches and your schools, but we still have empty lots — we haven’t fully recovered yet,” he said.

RENO COUNTY — The Kansas man sentenced to just over 12 years in prison in a marijuana distribution case is seeking an appeal of that sentence.

Gerardo Saucedo, 34, Hutchinson, entered pleas in the case as charged and was sentenced to prison by Judge Tim Chambers.

He filed an appeal of that sentence, but the state is now asking that the appeal be dismissed, noting that the defendant has failed to have the appeal docketed in a timely manner.

It was filed in March of last year, but as of Jan. 30, had not been docketed.

The issue was scheduled for hearing Friday in front of Judge Tim Chambers.

The Kansas Court of Appeals reported they did receive the motion to have it placed on their docket and they accepted, so the case is pending a hearing in Topeka.

On Friday, Reno County Deputy District Attorney Tom Stanton says he isn’t even sure of what Saucedo is appealing.

He was not sentenced under the sentencing guidelines because Judge Chambers granted a departure or Saucedo would have been spending more time in prison.

In April of 2014, Saucedo was arrested after a search warrant was served on his home.

Police found around 90 pounds of marijuana in brick form believed to be from Mexico. They also found numerous containers of high-grade marijuana scattered throughout the home, as well as new packaging materials, a digital scale and some weapons.

He was convicted of possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to

SUMNER COUNTY – An earthquake shook portions of Kansas early Sunday.

The quake, just after 6 a.m., measured 2.6 and was centered approximately 17-miles northeast of Caldwell in Sumner County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

In February, the agency recorded six Kansas earthquakes. They measured from 2.5-3.3. The February 13 quake was also in Sumner County.

It measured 3.3 and was centered in rural area just north of the Kansas-Oklahoma State line, according to the USGS.

There have no reports of damage or injury from Sunday’s quake.