DOUGLAS COUNTY —Authorities have completed the damage survey of Tuesday’s Lawrence, Douglas County storm and determined the tornado had a preliminary rating of an EF4 with winds estimated as high as 170mph, according to the National Weather Service.

The tornado at 6:05 p.m. had a maximum width of one mile and was on the ground for over 31 miles and eventually lifted in southern Leavenworth County.

There were 18 reported injuries and no deaths.

Early Wednesday afternoon,  approximately 160 houses, buildings and other structures in Douglas County have been searched and cleared by emergency personnel, according to Douglas County Emergency Management. An estimated 40 of the structures had sustained heavy damage and around 25 had sustained moderate damage.

TURON— A 18-year-old who didn’t realize how deep the water was Tuesday on a township road in southwest Reno County learned a valuable lesson.

Reno County Sheriff Sgt. Travis Vogt says this is a case where the road was not barricaded.

“As far as the township knew, the road was still considered open and I don’t think they knew the extent of the damage,” Vogt said.

“The driver was westbound on Silver Lake, there was water over the road and he committed to go westbound because that was a shorter distance. Once he got into the murky water, he realized that the hole was bigger than what he thought.”

The teen was able to get out of the truck, crawl on the top of the cab, then step on some dry land.

If you come to a road with high water — even if it’s not barricaded — your best bet is to turn around and find another route.

SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have a suspect in custody.

Just before 9:30p.m. Saturday, police responded to 1235 SW Huntoon in Topeka for a report of a shooting, according to Lt. Aaron Jones.

Bystanders were attempting to treat a single shooting victim identified as 34-year-old Darton A. Fields II of Topeka.

EMS transported Fields to a local hospital where he died, according to Jones.

 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the Kansas Legislature:

The Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature has failed to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of an income tax relief bill pushed by GOP leaders.The vote Wednesday in the House was 78-39, but Republican leaders needed a two-thirds majority of 84 votes in the 125-member chamber.

I’m pleased legislators voted to stay on the path to recovery. Pro-business, pro-growth, pro-family tax policy can absolutely reshape Kansas for the better, but only if it fixes the failures of the past, instead of repeating them. #ksleg

— Governor Laura Kelly (@GovLauraKelly) May 29, 2019

The bill was designed to provide relief to individuals and businesses paying more in state income taxes because of changes in federal tax laws at the end of 2017.

It would have provided about $240 million in tax relief over three years. Kelly argued that it would “decimate” the state budget.

Republican leaders argued that it’s not fair to allow some Kansans to automatically pay more in state taxes because of the federal changes. But some GOP moderates backed Kelly’s veto.

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A protest by supporters of Medicaid expansion in a Kansas Senate gallery has temporarily shut down its work on other issues and led to the arrest of nine protesters.

The Republican-controlled Legislature did not plan to consider Medicaid expansion Wednesday, its last scheduled day in session this year. But about 40 protesters arrived at the Statehouse to protest in favor of it. The Kansas House passed a plan favored by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly in March, but the state Senate never debated it.

The protest started when the Senate began considering overriding Kelly’s vetoes of several items in the next state budget. The protesters refused to stop singing and chanting. The Senate suspended its work and closed the gallery.

Harrison Hems, the Senate president’s chief of staff, says nine protesters were arrested.

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9:50 a.m.

Top Republican legislators in Kansas were preparing to test Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s power to shape the state budget and hold off a GOP push for income tax relief.

In agenda discussing the possible veto override attempts today, we had two very special guests visit: @GovLauraKelly and @LtGovRogers! #ksleg pic.twitter.com/SKx5EhayD3

— Kansas House Dems (@kshousedems) May 29, 2019

The Republican-dominated Legislature was convening Wednesday for its final day in session this year with Republicans looking to override Kelly’s veto of a GOP tax relief bill and vetoes of several spending items included in the next state budget. Those items included an extra $51 million payment to the state’s public pension system. Kelly argued that her vetoes promoted budget stability.

Republicans had the two-thirds majorities in both chambers needed to override vetoes. But GOP leaders worried that a few moderate Republicans might back Kelly or that a few lawmakers might not show for what is often a brief adjournment ceremony.

KANSAS CITY  (AP) — The Latest on severe weather in the Midwest:

9:30 a.m.

Officials say three people in Douglas County, west of Kansas City, Kansas, were seriously injured by a strong tornado that struck near the college town of Lawrence.

The tornado touched down Tuesday night in a neighborhood south of Lawrence, which is home to the University of Kansas. More than a dozen homes were severely damaged, but no one was killed.

The Douglas County Emergency Management agency said Wednesday on Facebook that 15 people were injured by the storm, including the three with serious injuries. It warned people to stay away from storm-damaged areas.

The tornado was part of another strong round of severe and damaging storms that have battered the central U.S. Several twisters were reported in Iowa and Missouri, which also got heavy rain that caused flash flooding and led to water rescues.

Debris picked up on the airfield that caused our Operations staff to close the airport because Foreign Object Damage to aircraft can cause catastrophe. Pots, foam, wall panels, plant ID tags over millions of square feet. Presumed from tornado damage 47 miles away in Linwood, KS. pic.twitter.com/oOhYTs7F6H

— Kansas City International Airport (@KCIAirport) May 29, 2019

8:50 a.m.

Kansas City International Airport is open again after a harrowing night of storms that left debris over the runway, including debris apparently from a tornado-ravaged town nearly 50 miles away.

A tornado warning Tuesday night forced officials to move people from the terminal to a tunnel leading to the parking garage, where they stayed for about an hour.

But flights were delayed for several hours because of debris strewn about the airfield. Airport spokesman Joe McBride says debris that included pots, plants and wall panels was apparently blown to Kansas City from a tornado that struck Linwood, Kansas, 47 miles to the southwest.

The airport’s Twitter account described it as “Thousands of pieces over millions of square feet.”

The airport reopened around 12:15 a.m.

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8:30 a.m.

Another round of severe storms is causing more flood problems in the central U.S.

A round of storms Tuesday night and Wednesday morning resulted in several damaging tornadoes in Kansas. The storm moved into Missouri and dumped massive amounts of rain in the northern part of the state.

Several water rescues were reported in northern Missouri. In sparsely populated Putnam County, officials urged everyone to stay off roads because flooding was rampant after the county got 2 inches of rain in 20 minutes Tuesday night.

Hannibal, Missouri, officials were just beginning to assess damage Wednesday, hours after torrential rain proved too much for the storm sewers, causing a break that resulted in water damage to buildings in the historic downtown area.

The rain is expected to cause yet another spike in river levels. The Mississippi River already is approaching all-time records at several Missouri and Illinois communities.

4a.m.

A least a dozen homes have been destroyed or damaged in Linwood, Kansas, about 30 miles west of Kansas City.

48-year-old Mark Duffin learned from his wife and a television report that the large tornado that hit the Kansas City outskirts Tuesday evening was headed toward his home.

The next thing he knew, the walls of his house were coming down.

Duffin told the Star he grabbed a mattress, followed his 13-year-old to the basement and protected the two of them with the mattress as the home crashed down around them.

He says: “I’m just glad I found my two dogs alive,” He added: “Wife’s alive, family’s alive, I’m alive. So, that’s it.”

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9:40 p.m.

The Kansas town of Bonner Springs appears to have sustained the most damage from a storm that swept through Wyandotte County on the western edge of the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Wyandotte County government spokesman Edwin Birch says there were power outages, uprooted and damaged trees and structural damage to buildings but no reports of injuries.

Earlier in the evening, the National Weather Service said that a large and dangerous tornado was on the ground in Wyandotte County and headed toward an area known as the Legends shopping district.

But Birch says they had no reports of damage from the Legends shopping district or the area immediately around the Hollywood Casino. He does not rule out the possibility of some minor damage but says “the brunt” of the damage in the county was in nearby Bonner Springs.

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9 p.m.

The Kansas City International Airport has temporarily suspended flights and moved people from the terminals to parking garage tunnels for shelter because of storms passing through the area including tornadoes.

Passengers were in parking garages for about an hour before being allowed to return to the terminals.

But the storm left so much debris on the airfield that flights remained delayed, the airport’s Twitter account said. It wasn’t immediately clear when flights would resume. Phone and email messages left with airport spokesman Joe McBride were not immediately returned.

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8:50 p.m.

At least 11 injuries have been reported in Douglas County, Kansas, after the county west of Kansas City was hit with a large destructive tornado.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Douglas County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Jenn Hethcoat said six people had been taken to the Lawrence hospital with injuries suffered during the storm, including one with serious injuries, and five more people were headed to the hospital.

Police said most of the damage in the county appeared to be outside the Lawrence city limits, but there were damaged trees, power lines and other debris on the southeastern edge of the city, and some roads were impassable.

The sheriff’s office said that “several houses throughout the county” had sustained damage.

The newspaper said the tornado was confirmed near Lone Star Lake, southwest of Lawrence, around 6:10 p.m., and moved to the north and east, according to social media posts from the Lawrence Police Department.

7:40 p.m.

A tornado has damaged homes in a tiny town in eastern Kansas.

A twister described by the National Weather Service as large and potentially dangerous touched down just before 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the tiny town of Pleasant Grove, a township of about 100 people 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Kansas City, Missouri.

There were no immediate reports of injuries but some homes suffered significant damage.

The tornado was part of another dangerous wave of storms crossing the Plains and Midwest. Kansas City and its suburbs were under a tornado warning Tuesday evening.

Heavy rain was falling on already-saturated soil, creating renewed concerns about flooding, including flash flooding.

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KANSAS CITY (AP) — A vicious storm tore through the Kansas City area, spawning tornadoes that downed trees and power lines, damaged homes and injured at least a dozen people in the latest barrage of severe weather that saw tornado warnings as far east as New York City.

Parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey also were under tornado warnings hours after a swarm of tightly packed twisters swept through Indiana and Ohio overnight, smashing homes, blowing out windows and ending the school year early for some students because of damage to buildings. One person was killed and at least 130 were injured.

The storms in Kansas City Tuesday were the 12th straight day that at least eight tornadoes were reported to the National Weather Service.

After several quiet years, the past couple of weeks have seen an explosion of tornado activity with no end to the pattern in sight.

A large and dangerous tornado touched down on the western edge of Kansas City, Kansas, late Tuesday, the National Weather Service office reported. At least a dozen people were admitted to the hospital in Lawrence, 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and home to the University of Kansas, hospital spokesman Janice Early said. Damage also was reported in the towns of Linwood, Bonner Springs and Pleasant Grove in Kansas.

But the Kansas City metropolitan area of about 2.1 million people appeared to have been spared the direct hit that was feared earlier in the evening when the weather service announced a tornado emergency.

Mark Duffin, 48, learned from his wife and a television report that the large tornado was headed toward his home in Linwood, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Kansas City.

The next thing he knew, the walls of his house were coming down.

Duffin told the Kansas City Star that he grabbed a mattress, followed his 13-year-old to the basement and protected the two of them with the mattress as the home crashed down around them.

“I’m just glad I found my two dogs alive,” he said. “Wife’s alive, family’s alive, I’m alive. So, that’s it.”

The severe weather wasn’t limited to the Midwest. Tornadoes were confirmed in eastern Pennsylvania and the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for parts of New York City and northern New Jersey.

The winds peeled away roofs — leaving homes looking like giant dollhouses — knocked houses off their foundations, toppled trees, brought down power lines and churned up so much debris that it was visible on radar. Highway crews had to use snowplows to clear an Ohio interstate.

Some of the heaviest damage was reported just outside Dayton, Ohio.

“I just got down on all fours and covered my head with my hands,” said Francis Dutmers, who with his wife headed for the basement of their home in Vandalia, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) outside Dayton, when the storm hit with a “very loud roar” Monday night. The winds blew out windows around his house, filled rooms with debris and took down most of his trees.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency in three hard-hit counties, allowing the state to suspend normal purchasing procedures and quickly provide supplies like generators and water.

Monday marked the record-tying 11th straight day with at least eight tornadoes in the U.S., said Patrick Marsh, a Storm Prediction Center meteorologist. The last such stretch was in 1980. The weather service website showed at least 27 reports of tornadoes on Tuesday, most in Kansas and Missouri but also in Pennsylvania and Illinois.

Outbreaks of 50 or more tornadoes are not uncommon, having happened 63 times in U.S. history, with three instances of more than 100 twisters, Marsh said. But Monday’s swarm was unusual because it happened over a particularly wide geographic area and came amid an especially active stretch, he said.

As for why it’s happening, Marsh said high pressure over the Southeast and an unusually cold trough over the Rockies are forcing warm, moist air into the central U.S., triggering repeated severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. And neither system is showing signs of moving, he said.

Scientists say climate change is responsible for more intense and more frequent extreme weather such as storms, droughts, floods and fires, but without extensive study they cannot directly link a single weather event to the changing climate.

WASHINGTON — The Latest on special counsel Robert Mueller and the Russia investigation

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s first public statement on the Russia investigation lasted about nine minutes. Read his full statement released from the Justice Department below.

Two years ago, the Acting Attorney General asked me to serve as Special Counsel, and he created the Special Counsel’s Office.

The appointment order directed the office to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. This included investigating any links or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump campaign.

I have not spoken publicly during our investigation. I am speaking today because our investigation is complete. The Attorney General has made the report on our investigation largely public. And we are formally closing the Special Counsel’s Office. As well, I am resigning from the Department of Justice and returning to private life.

I’ll make a few remarks about the results of our work. But beyond these few remarks, it is important that the office’s written work speak for itself.

Let me begin where the appointment order begins: and that is interference in the 2016 presidential election.

As alleged by the grand jury in an indictment, Russian intelligence officers who were part of the Russian military launched a concerted attack on our political system.

The indictment alleges that they used sophisticated cyber techniques to hack into computers and networks used by the Clinton campaign. They stole private information, and then released that information through fake online identities and through the organization WikiLeaks. The releases were designed and timed to interfere with our election and to damage a presidential candidate.

And at the same time, as the grand jury alleged in a separate indictment, a private Russian entity engaged in a social media operation where Russian citizens posed as Americans in order to interfere in the election.

These indictments contain allegations. And we are not commenting on the guilt or innocence of any specific defendant. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

The indictments allege, and the other activities in our report describe, efforts to interfere in our political system. They needed to be investigated and understood. That is among the reasons why the Department of Justice established our office.

That is also a reason we investigated efforts to obstruct the investigation. The matters we investigated were of paramount importance. It was critical for us to obtain full and accurate information from every person we questioned. When a subject of an investigation obstructs that investigation or lies to investigators, it strikes at the core of the government’s effort to find the truth and hold wrongdoers accountable.

Let me say a word about the report. The report has two parts addressing the two main issues we were asked to investigate.

The first volume of the report details numerous efforts emanating from Russia to influence the election. This volume includes a discussion of the Trump campaign’s response to this activity, as well as our conclusion that there was insufficient evidence to charge a broader conspiracy.

And in the second volume, the report describes the results and analysis of our obstruction of justice investigation involving the President.

The order appointing me Special Counsel authorized us to investigate actions that could obstruct the investigation. We conducted that investigation and we kept the office of the Acting Attorney General apprised of the progress of our work.

As set forth in our report, after that investigation, if we had confidence that the President clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said that.

We did not, however, make a determination as to whether the President did commit a crime. The introduction to volume two of our report explains that decision.

It explains that under long-standing Department policy, a President cannot be charged with a federal crime while he is in office. That is unconstitutional. Even if the charge is kept under seal and hidden from public view—that too is prohibited.

The Special Counsel’s Office is part of the Department of Justice and, by regulation, it was bound by that Department policy. Charging the President with a crime was therefore not an option we could consider.

The Department’s written opinion explaining the policy against charging a President makes several important points that further informed our handling of the obstruction investigation. Those points are summarized in our report. And I will describe two of them:

First, the opinion explicitly permits the investigation of a sitting President because it is important to preserve evidence while memories are fresh and documents are available. Among other things, that evidence could be used if there were co-conspirators who could now be charged.

And second, the opinion says that the Constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting President of wrongdoing.

And beyond Department policy, we were guided by principles of fairness. It would be unfair to potentially accuse somebody of a crime when there can be no court resolution of an actual charge.

So that was the Justice Department policy and those were the principles under which we operated. From them we concluded that we would not reach a determination – one way or the other – about whether the President committed a crime. That is the office’s final position and we will not comment on any other conclusions or hypotheticals about the President.

We conducted an independent criminal investigation and reported the results to the Attorney General—as required by Department regulations.

The Attorney General then concluded that it was appropriate to provide our report to Congress and the American people.

At one point in time I requested that certain portions of the report be released. The Attorney General preferred to make the entire report public all at once. We appreciate that the Attorney General made the report largely public. I do not question the Attorney General’s good faith in that decision.

I hope and expect this to be the only time that I will speak about this matter. I am making that decision myself—no one has told me whether I can or should testify or speak further about this matter.

There has been discussion about an appearance before Congress. Any testimony from this office would not go beyond our report. It contains our findings and analysis, and the reasons for the decisions we made. We chose those words carefully, and the work speaks for itself.

The report is my testimony. I would not provide information beyond that which is already public in any appearance before Congress.

In addition, access to our underlying work product is being decided in a process that does not involve our office.

So beyond what I have said here today and what is contained in our written work, I do not believe it is appropriate for me to speak further about the investigation or to comment on the actions of the Justice Department or Congress.

It is for that reason that I will not take questions here today.

Before I step away, I want to thank the attorneys, the FBI agents, the analysts, and the professional staff who helped us conduct this investigation in a fair and independent manner. These individuals, who spent nearly two years with the Special Counsel’s Office, were of the highest integrity.

I will close by reiterating the central allegation of our indictments—that there were multiple, systematic efforts to interfere in our election.

That allegation deserves the attention of every American.

Thank you.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Kansas State Fair announced it filled the last spot in the grandstand concert lineup.

Hanson, the trio of brothers whose ’90s hit “MMMBop” vaulted them to teenaged stardom, is coming to the Kansas State Fair. The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based pop rock band will close out the Nex-Tech Wireless Grandstand Concert Series on Sept. 14. Tickets go on sale at 8 a.m. this Friday.

The catchy 1997 hit “MMMBop” made Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson a household name. They were imprinted on hearts, minds — and yes, bedroom walls — across the globe. Their album, “Middle of Nowhere,” sold 10 million copies worldwide. “We are very excited to bring the Hanson brothers to the Nex-Tech Wireless Grandstand,” fair General Manager Robin Jennison said. “This is another great show for our concert series, and it will be a fun way to close out our nighttime events at the 2019 Kansas State Fair.” The fair is selling premium tickets for $55 in the Bud Light Party Pit – a standing-room-only area right in front of the grandstand stage. The grandstand’s center section is $30. All other tickets are $20.

Marketing Director Amy Bickel said the goal is to create a festive atmosphere that is affordable for all fairgoers. “We want this to be a concert where fans can come with family or have a reunion with friends,” Bickel said. “Many of the tickets are only $20, which includes the $7 gate admission through Aug. 11. It is an inexpensive way to see a great concert and spend a day at the Kansas State Fair.”

The group has had hits in recent years, too. “Anthem,” released in 2013, charted No. 22 on the Billboard 200, making it their eighth album to chart on the Top 40. A single from that album, “Get the Girl Back,” reached No. 39 on the Adult Pop Songs chart.

Isaac, Taylor and Zac will be 38, 36 and 33, respectively when they perform on the grandstand stage in September. Besides their beloved ’90s hits, the trio will perform other favorites from the 10 studio albums they have released in the past 25 years.

 

Here is the full Nex-Tech Wireless Grandstand lineup:

• Bobby Bones and the Raging Idiots with Nicolle Galyon. Friday, Sept. 6: Tickets from $20-$65. This comedy act is comprised of Bones, who hosts the nationally syndicated “The Bobby Bones Show,” along with Producer Eddie and a group of random friends. Galyon, a native of Sterling, Kansas, is a successful Nashville songwriter with several hit country songs.

• Billy Currington, Saturday, Sept. 7: Tickets from $25-$65. Grammy-Award nominee Currington has 20 Top 40 hits, including No. 1 songs “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right,” “Pretty Good at Drinkin’ Beer,” “Do I Make You Wanna” and “People are Crazy.”

• Skillet, Sunday, Sept. 8: Tickets from $20-$55. This quartet has cemented its place as one of the 21st century’s most successful rock bands. Their single “Monster” is the eighth most-streamed rock song of 2015 with more than 57 million plays on Spotify. “Monster” also earned the distinction of becoming the best-selling digital single in the history of Christian music.

• Demolition Derby, Monday, Sept. 9: An affordable family affair – this night of destruction occurs on Dillons Dollar Day. Gate admission is just $1 or free with a Dillons Plus Card. Demolition Derby tickets are $10 for adults 13 and over. Children 12 and under are free.

• Francesca Battistelli and Zach Williams, Wednesday, Sept. 11: Tickets from $20-$50. Battistelli, a contemporary singer/songwriter, has seven No. 1 singles. Her hits include “Holy Spirit,” “Free to Be Me” and “Beautiful, Beautiful.” Williams made music history when he achieved two consecutive No. 1 radio hits for a total of 35 weeks with “Chain Breaker” and “Old Church Choir.”

• Lauren Alaina with Mitchell Tenpenny, Friday, Sept. 13: Tickets from $20-$55. Alaina, a runner-up on Season 10 of American Idol, includes her first No. 1 hit, the title track “Road Less Traveled.” Breakout artist Tenpenny’s single, “Drunk Me,” recently hit No. 1 on the country chart. His latest single is “Alcohol You Later.”

• Hanson, Saturday, Sept. 14: Tickets from $20-$55. Hanson hit it big in 1997 with “MMMBop.” Their “Middle of Nowhere” album garnished them multiple Grammy nominations and five consecutive Top 40 singles besides “MMMBop,” including “Where’s the Love,” “I Will Come to You” and “Weird.”

• All Star Monster Truck Tour, Sunday, Sept. 15: Tickets from $5 to $35. Rev up your engines, the All Star Monster Truck Tour, featuring BIGFOOT, the king of monster trucks, will invade the Nex-Tech Wireless Grandstand. The VIP Monster Experience is $35, which includes gate admission, admission to the show, reserved seating, meet and greet with drivers and a ride in a monster truck.