Kansas

Snowstorm to hit Kansas later than expected. Bitter cold to follow in Topeka

Published

1 year ago

February 11, 2025

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Snowstorm to hit Kansas later than expected. Bitter cold to follow in Topeka

A winter storm is expected to hit parts of Kansas between Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing 5 to 9 inches of snow.
Wind chills on Thursday morning could reach as low as -15 degrees, increasing the risk of frostbite.
The storm is expected to make travel difficult, with slick roads and reduced visibility.

Very cold air is expected to enter north-central, northeast and east-central Kansas early Thursday in the wake of a winter storm expected to bring the area 5 to 9 inches of dry, fluffy snow between late Tuesday and late Wednesday, forecasters cautioned.

Wind chill indices Thursday morning are expected to range from minus 5 to minus 15 degrees in the area involved, the National Weather Service’s Topeka office said Tuesday morning in a graphic posted on its website.

“Cover exposed skin if outside as frostbite can set in within 30 minutes,” that graphic said.

While forecasters had predicted the storm would be preceded late Monday and Tuesday morning by snowfall totaling as much as an inch in the same area, the weather service said Topeka hadn’t seen any snow as of 7 a.m. Tuesday.

Storm now expected to arrive later than initially thought

The weather service on Monday issued a winter storm warning lasting until 6 p.m. Wednesday for most of north-central, northeast and east-central Kansas, then expanded that early Wednesday to also include some counties southeast of Interstate 35.

In addition, forecasters adjusted their predictions regarding the timing of the storm, which they had initially anticipated would reach most of the area involved by 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Snow is now expected to reach Concordia in north-central Kansas by 6 p.m. and Marysville, Topeka, Abilene, Emporia, Garnett, Hiawatha, Lawrence and Manhattan by 9 p.m., said a graphic posted on the website of the weather service’s Topeka office.

The weather revised the winter storm warning it issued Monday to arrange for it to begin at 9 p.m. Tuesday in Shawnee, Jackson, Jefferson, Douglas, Osage, Wabaunsee, Pottawatomie, Morris, Riley, Brown, Nemaha and Marshall counties.

That warning still begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Republic, Washington, Cloud, Clay, Ottawa and Dickinson counties.

When will the storm peak?

Snowfall is expected to peak between Midnight Tuesday and 9 a.m. Wednesday, then continue through late Wednesday afternoon, the weather service said.

“Roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will likely become slick and hazardous,” it said. “Travel could be very difficult.”

Falling snow could also bring reduced visibility, forecasters said.

How much snow is expected?

The weather service predicted snowfall totals would be as follow:

6 to 9 inches at Concordia, Manhattan and Hiawatha.
6 to 8 inches at Holton.
5 to 9 inches at Salina and Kansas City, Kansas.
5 to 8 inches at Topeka, Marysville and St. Joseph, Missouri.
4 to 8 inches at Ottawa.
4 to 6 inches at Emporia and Ottawa.

“Winds are not expected to be overly strong with gusts of 20 to 25 mph as snow is falling,” the weather service said. “This could still lead to blowing and drifting snow given the dry and fluffy nature of the snow.”

Governor issues pre-emptive state of disaster declaration

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly issued an oral, pre-emptive state of disaster declaration Sunday in preparation for the anticipated storm.

“The declaration allows resources to be used to provide state assistance, specifically the waiver of hours of service for propane providers,” the governor’s office said in a news release.

Kelly encouraged Kansans to prepare for the storm by creating an emergency plan and home emergency kit.

Storm prompts opening of warming centers, shortening of meeting

Topeka Rescue Mission Ministries announced Monday afternoon it would team up with Fellowship Hi-Crest beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday to offer warming centers for the public at 601 N.W. Harrison and 455 S.E. Golf Park Blvd.

The Kansas State Board of Education, which had planned to hold a two-day meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday, announced Monday that the anticipated winter storm had prompted it to decide to meet for one day only, on Tuesday.

“The agenda item regarding action on the removal of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) from graduation requirements, scheduled for Wednesday, will be moved to the board’s March agenda,” the announcement said. “Members are expected to take up the rest of Wednesday’s agenda items on Tuesday.”

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

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Kansas

RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Friday after Tuesday sub-state wins

Published

11 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Friday after Tuesday sub-state wins

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Below is a look at the results from Tuesday night’s high school basketball sub-state semifinals in Northeast Kansas.

Editor’s Note: This story will be updated with what schools are hosting when that information becomes readily available.

WIBW Scoreboard

BOYS

5A East Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

KC Washington 68, Highland Park 38
Shawnee Heights 49, De Soto 37 (will play Leavenworth Friday)

5A West Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Topeka West 55, Hutchinson 32 (will play Bishop Carroll Friday)
Emporia 61, Great Bend 41 (will play Maize South Friday)
Seaman 73, Valley Center 51 (will play Hays Friday)

3A West Franklin Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Burlington 60, Osage City 35 (will play Baxter Springs Friday)

3A Sabetha Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Hiawatha 73, Oskaloosa 48 (will play Heritage Christian Friday)
Silver Lake 58, Sabetha 39 (will play Perry-Lecompton Friday 7:30 p.m.)

GIRLS

6A West Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Washburn Rural 60, Wichita South 32 (will play Derby)
Topeka High 69, Maize 45 (will play Liberal)
Manhattan 67, Free State 21 (will play Wichita East)

4A East Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Rock Creek 71, Parsons 23 (will play Tonganoxie)
Wamego 54, Labette County 33 (will play Bishop Miege)
Hayden 2, Athison 0 (will play Baldwin)

2A Eskridge/Mission Valley Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Rossville 71, KC Christian 49 (will play Maur Hill-Mount Academy)
Lyndon 61, Jeff. Co. North 31 (will play Valley Heights)
Valley Heights 65, Doniphan West 41 (will play Lyndon)

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Kansas

Doe v. State of Kansas | American Civil Liberties Union

Published

23 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Doe v. State of Kansas | American Civil Liberties Union

In early 2026, the Kansas state legislature passed SB 244, a law which prohibits transgender people from using public restrooms on government property that align with their gender identity and establishes a private right of action that allows anyone who suspects someone is transgender and in violation of the law to sue that person for “damages” totaling $1,000.

The law also invalidates state-issued driver’s licenses with updated gender markers that reflect the carrier’s gender identity. In February 2026, transgender people across the state received letters from the state Department of Revenue’s Division of Vehicles informing them that their driver’s licenses “will no longer be valid,” effective immediately. SB 244 also prohibits transgender Kansans – or those born in Kansas – from updating the gender marker on state-issued birth certificates and driver’s licenses in the future.

The same day SB 244 went into effect, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Kansas, and Ballard Spahr LLP filed a lawsuit challenging SB 244 in the District Court of Douglas County on behalf of two transgender men who had their driver’s licenses invalidated under the law. The lawsuit charges that SB 244 violates the Kansas Constitution’s protections for personal autonomy, privacy, equality under the law, due process, and freedom of speech.

“The invalidation of state-issued IDs threatens to out transgender people against their will every time they apply for a job, rent an apartment, or interact with police,” said Harper Seldin, Senior Staff Attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Rights Project. “Taken as a whole, SB 244 is a transparent attempt to deny transgender people autonomy over their own identities and push them out of public life altogether.”

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Kansas

Kansas City man sentenced for cocaine trafficking, possession of illegal firearm

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

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Kansas City man sentenced for cocaine trafficking, possession of illegal firearm

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A Kansas City man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy and possession of an illegal firearm.

According to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, 22-year-old Antoine R. Gillum was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole.

His sentencing stems from a June 2024 incident in a metro gas station. KCPD investigators contacted Gillum inside and found that he had discarded a 9 mm pistol in an aisle between the merchandise. He also discarded a pill bottle containing multiple illegal substances: cocaine base, oxycodone/acetaminophen and oxycodone.

Officers searched the vehicle Gillum had arrived in and found approximately 32 grams of cocaine base.

On May 6, 2025, Gillum pleaded guilty to one count each of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Jennings. It’s a part of ‘Operation Take Back America,’ a nationwide Department of Justice initiative to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations.

No further information has been released.

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