Kansas

Winter storm preps underway for schools in south central Kansas

Published

2 years ago

January 4, 2024

Winter storm preps underway for schools in south central Kansas

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – The first winter storm of the year means the first chance for schools in south central Kansas to be canceled.

While there’s a good possibility some students could have a three-day weekend, school districts said they consider several factors before calling off classes, including temperature, the number of snow days left for the school year and road conditions.

Valley Center School District Superintendent Greg Leahr said it’s hard to tell whether or not school should be canceled until the snow starts to fall. He said he’ll be up around 3:30 a.m. on Friday with the district’s transportation director to determine whether the roads are safe.

“Him and I will go drive different bus routes and different roads here throughout the district just to ensure that not only all of our buses and our cars can get to school safely,” Leahr said.

Wichita Public Schools will also be surveying the roads, but the district has other considerations as well.

“We look at the number of available school days which is also kind of important and a good factor for us to look at. Buildings and building conditions is another good piece that we look at because as kids get to school we want to make sure that the environment is conducive to learning,” Wichita Public Schools Operations Director Fabian Armendariz.

Individual districts have much the same criteria, but each decides independently on when or whether to call for a snow day. Armendariz said the latest USD 259 would call for cancellation would be 4:30 a.m. on Friday. Notifications would go out to families at 5:30 a.m.

Leahr said USD 262 would let staff know about that same time.

“Then make sure that our families know shortly thereafter,” said Leahr.

Both Leahr and Armendariz said if the storm hits early, before busses are running and there’s a lot of snow, there’s a better chance schools get canceled because student and staff safety is most important.

Source link

Related Topics:Featured kansas KWCH Storm Team 12 USD 259 USD 262 Wichita winter storm

Click to comment

Kansas

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

Published

23 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.

—

Source link

Kansas

Kansas ag officials take comment on proposed water rules

Published

1 day 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.

Source link

Kansas

Rural Kansas fire department reports record number of calls in 2025

Published

2 days 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.

Source link