KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCTV) – Max Howell has pleaded guilty to federal charges of bank fraud and money laundering.

The contractor was the recent focus of numerous KCTV5 investigative reports where families questioned what happened to their money.

Numerous subcontractors also stepped forward claiming they were never paid for their work.

Those allegations have stacked up in civil courts in both Kansas and Missouri.

Criminal charges came in August of 2022 when federal prosecutors argued Howell misused funds from HUD and other grants.

Howell faces up to 40 years in prison. Sentencing takes place in September.

Public records show Howell has created a total of 10 businesses in Kansas and Missouri. New business names meant homeowners were often unaware of previous problems.

The civil lawsuits remain ongoing. Just earlier this month, a Clay County judge granted a summary judgment of $75,000 against Max Howell. Other civil lawsuits remain ongoing.

KCTV5 reached out to Max Howell and his attorney for comment but did not hear back.

Copyright 2024 KCTV. All rights reserved.

A loud, pervasive type of cicada that emerges only once every 17 years will appear this year in far western Missouri, but apparently not in Kansas.

Cicadas from what is known as “Brood XIII” are projected to come up from the ground in an area extending as far east as Benton County, Missouri — which is adjacent to Crawford County in southeast Kansas — says a 2024 cicada map compiled using data from various federal agencies and published May 7 by USA Today.

But Brood XIII cicadas aren’t expected to emerge in Kansas, which is anticipated to see “only the non-periodical cicadas we see every year,” said Rodrigo Mercader, an assistant professor of biology at Washburn University.

“We will have to wait until 2032 to see periodical cicadas in Kansas when Brood IV emerges,” Mercader told The Capital-Journal on Monday.

Brood IV cicadas also come up from their subterranean homes every 17 years, and last did so in Kansas in 2015, he said.

Why are people excited about periodical cicadas?

There are at least 15 cycles, or “broods,” of periodical cicadas, some of which emerge every 17 years while others emerge every 13 years.

The red-eyed bugs with black bodies and translucent, orange-tinted wings stay above ground for a few weeks, mating and laying eggs, before they die. Their eggs then produce the next generation of cicadas.

Mercader said people are becoming excited about periodical cicadas this year for two main reasons:

• Numerous periodical cicadas from two different groups — Brood XIII, which emerges from the ground every 17 years and Brood XIX, which comes up every 13 years — are appearing this year. Though the geographic areas where those broods appear are adjacent, there is little overlap and only small areas of central Illinois are expected to see both broods. The two broods last emerged at the same time in 1803.

• Broad XIX periodical cicadas will be present in a large geographic area, appearing in “quite a few” states.

Where are periodical cicadas expected to appear this year?

Different broods of cicadas emerge in different parts of roughly the eastern half of the United States in different years. Other species of cicada show up every summer.

Cicadas have not been seen in the far West.

Many of this year’s cicadas have already come up from the ground.

States anticipated to see periodical cicadas this year are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Virginia.

Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – As many Kansans continue cleaning up from this weekend’s storms, a new report from Bloomberg finds storm damage throughout the country steadily increasing. Statewide, the Kansas Insurance Department continues to see millions of dollars in payouts.

In 2023, the state’s insurance department reported nearly 145,000 storm damage claims resulting in about $443 million in storm claim losses paid out by insurance companies. The recent round of storms that tore through several areas, including towns in Harvey County, left plenty of work for companies like Wray Roofing, Inc. and Shield Roofing. In Newton, the roofers report working around the clock since Sunday.

“There has been a large volume of calls,” summarized Deven Phillips with Shield Roofing.

Representing Wray Roofing, Kent Jost reported pulling crews off of regularly scheduled jobs, “just to make sure everybody stays dry and until insurance can get out and get everything adjusted.”

The local roofing companies reported seeing most of the damage from wind and hail.

“Wind does the most damage. Hail is kind of something that not very many people know until it is on the car,” Phillips said. “But, yeah, hail’s been a pretty big factor and it’s starting to increase in size, duration of it, and frequency.”

The companies agree that numerous claims from last can be expected in an active-weather state like Kansas, and they share some advice.

“You don’t want to file a claim preemptively and not actually have enough damage to where now, you’re going to have a negative strike against you,” Phillips said. “So always call out a qualified, trusted, contractor to evaluate those damages first before actually calling the insurance.”

This storm season, if you or someone you know is having trouble with an insurance claim, you can contact the Kansas Department of Insurance’s Consumer Assistance Division toll-free at 1-800-432-2484, by email at kdoi.complaints@ks.gov or online at www.insurance.kansas.gov for any claims-related questions or concerns.

Copyright 2024 KWCH. All rights reserved. To report a correction or typo, please email news@kwch.com