Kansas

Kansas City snowstorm delays flower shop deliveries ahead of Valentine's Day

Published

11 months ago

February 13, 2025

Kansas City snowstorm delays flower shop deliveries ahead of Valentine's Day

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Flower shops across the Kansas City metro are gearing up for one of their biggest holidays of the year, but the winter weather storm put a thorn in the delivery plans.

It’s petal to the metal for Tobler’s Flowers in Kansas City.

“Keep on making, working and grinding away,” floral designer Brea Oglesby said.

But Wednesday morning’s snowfall kept the petals indoors. Tobler’s Flowers had to reschedule all their Wednesday deliveries.

Jake Weller

“[Wednesday] was a little too winter weather heavy so we were like let’s just call it off for our drivers’ safety,” Oglesby said. “We’ve been prepping for [Thursday] to get back on the roads. Our drivers do this all the time so they’re really good about driving.”

Florists are taking extra precautions to get the flowers out safely for Valentine’s Day orders, like wrapping the arrangements in plastic to create a humid dome.

“Flowers generally don’t mind the cold temperatures but when it gets below freezing they just immediately die so you have to protect them,” Oglesby said. “It’s been challenging but we make the best of it and utilize the time we have to make sure that we better prepare for the coming days.”

Up in the Northland, Dianne Fortner got her deliveries out early on Wednesday but still ran into trouble on the road.

“This morning you couldn’t even see what lanes were what,” Fortner said. “They were snow-packed, most of them.”

Dianne and her husband, Steve, have owned their floral business since 1985, Steve’s Floral Shop.

“He makes the flowers, I do the deliveries,” Fortner said.

Steve and Dianne used to have a shop in downtown Kansas City but transitioned to their home garage after COVID-19.

“You can keep your doors locked here as well as you can downtown,” Fortner said. “We just moved home and we don’t have to pay rent downtown or worry about parking.”

Dianne knows the safest routes for neighborhood deliveries, even in bad weather.

“I was going slow,” Fortner said. “People were a little upset with me but I’d rather get there than have somebody come get me out of a ditch.”

Unlike roses, Dianne and Steve’s love and business have lasted more than 40 years. That’s why Dianne isn’t expecting a bouquet from her husband this year.

“We see flowers all the time,” Fortner said. “I’m like, buy me a margarita instead.”

Tobler’s Flowers is still accepting Valentine’s Day flower orders.

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KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne covers issues surrounding government accountability and solutions. Share your story with Isabella.

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Kansas

LET’S TALK | KSHB coming to Northeast Kansas City, Missouri, on Jan. 20

Published

10 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

LET’S TALK | KSHB coming to Northeast Kansas City, Missouri, on Jan. 20

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The KSHB 41 News team will be landing in Northeast Kansas City, Missouri, for our latest Let’s Talk event.

We’ll be hanging out from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at Peachtree Cafeteria, 2128 E. 12th Street, in Kansas City, Missouri, 64127.

Join KSHB 41’s Kevin Holmes, Wes Peery, Alyssa Jackson, Ryan Gamboa and others in person to let us know what we need to learn about the Historic Northeast, its residents, what’s going well and what opportunities are possible.

If you can’t make it in person, send us a question using the form below.

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Kansas

Kansas ag officials take comment on proposed water rules

Published

22 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Kansas ag officials take comment on proposed water rules

by: Wil Day

Posted: Jan 8, 2026 / 07:19 PM CST

Updated: Jan 8, 2026 / 07:19 PM CST

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Kansas Department of Agriculture held a meeting on Thursday to discuss proposed rules regarding the Kansas Water Appropriation Act.

The Division of Water Resources is proposing new regulations and changes to current regulations under the law.

The division is looking at amending or revoking regulations related to flowmeters tracking water usage.

It is also proposing changes to groundwater usage rules on how far you can move a well from its original location to prevent harming the water rights of other landowners.

Another regulation would create voluntary Water Conservation Areas, where landowners work with the division to establish water conservation plans on their properties.

Some of the concerns raised at Thursday’s meeting dealt with property rights and the transfer of land to new owners. Some expressed concern about the sale of water rights to other landowners in the area.

There is no listed timeline for when the changes could be made.

For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here.

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Kansas

Rural Kansas fire department reports record number of calls in 2025

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Rural Kansas fire department reports record number of calls in 2025

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A rural Kansas fire department says it saw yet another increase in calls in 2025.

On Tuesday, Butler County Fire District #3 posted data about last year on social media.

It responded to 782 alarms in 2025, which is a new record.

The majority of the calls were for rescue and emergency medical services, followed by service calls.

Courtesy: Butler County Fire District #3

The department’s data show the number of calls has been trending upward over the last 20 years.

From 2006 to 2010, the department handled an an average of 550 calls a year. From 2021 through 2025, that average was 720, a 31% increase.

Courtesy: Butler County Fire District #3

Officials said continued growth in the community has increased the demand for emergency services.

“These numbers reinforce the importance of ongoing training, staffing, equipment planning, and community support to ensure we can continue to provide timely and effective service,” the department said on Facebook.

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