Kansas Klips

Tornado that hit Manhattan rated EF2

MANHATTAN — A follow-up survey for the National Weather Service found an EF2 tornado did in fact hit Manhattan near the K-State campus on Saturday evening, the 11th of June. Originally, straight-line winds had been blamed for the damage. On Thursday, June 16, the National Weather Service says a new damage survey found a short tornado path near the east side of the Kansas State University campus. The survey rated the tornado an EF2 with estimated peak winds of 115 miles per hour. It said the tornado was about 50-yards wide and was on the ground for about half a mile. It lasted for about two minutes. The survey summary noted that the debris pattern from some homes was sent northwest with mud and debris evident on the south face of some homes along the path. (SalinaPost.com)

Ellis man arrested for criminal threat at city pool

ELLIS — An Ellis man was arrested after making criminal threats at the city pool. According to the Ellis Police Department, officers received a call from an Ellis Municipal Pool employee reporting that a man was at the pool making racially charged statements toward other people. According to the EPD, when the 59-year-old man was asked to leave, he said he was going to get a gun and harm people at the pool. Officers were able to find the man a block over, but upon seeing the police, the man attempted to flee. Ellis police officers were able to stop the man and detain him. A further investigation into the criminal threats was pursued. After speaking with other patrons of the pool, the EPD said enough probable cause was developed, and the man was arrested on suspicion of criminal threat, disorderly conduct and felony interference with law enforcement. (HaysPost.com)

$30K in copper wire stolen from elevator

SALINA — Investigation is underway by the Salina Police Department after copper wiring, estimated to be worth more than $30,000, was stolen from the former Western Star Mill elevator in Salina. Allmetal Recycling in Salina said current prices for scrap copper range from 40 cents to $2 a pound for unstripped insulated wire, depending on the thickness of the wire. He said Allmetal is curently paying $3.15 a pound for what is considered No. 1 copper scrap and $2.85 a pound for lower-grade, No. 2 copper scrap. (Salina Journal)

Woman dies after crash with a semi

PAWNEE COUNTY — A Kansas woman died in an accident just before 4:30 a.m. Friday in Pawnee County. The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Nissan passenger car driven by Courtney Dawn Towery, 28, Larned, was eastbound on Kansas 156, just east of Kansas 265. The vehicle left the roadway and traveled into the south ditch. The driver over corrected. The car returned to the roadway and traveled left of center. A 2008 Kenworth semi driven by Asael Hernandez-Salas, 45, Syracuse, Kansas, struck the Nissan. Towery was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Beckwith Mortuary. Hernandez-Salas was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP. (SalinaPost.com)

Double homicide investigation in Ford County

SPEARVILLE — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Ford County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the murders of a mother and daughter from Spearville. The Ford County Sheriff’s Office received a call from an address in Spearville on Wed., June 15. Officers from the Spearville Police Department spoke to a male subject who reported that his girlfriend and daughter were missing. While they were inside the home, law enforcement officers noticed evidence that a crime had occurred in the residence. The man, identified as Michael A. Peterson, 31, of Spearville, was detained for questioning. KBI agents and deputies from the Ford County Sheriff’s Office began an extensive search for 31-year-old Kayla Vasquez and 4-year-old Aalilyah Vasquez. At approximately 4:15 a.m., authorities located the body of Kayla Vasquez in rural Ford County. Shortly thereafter, the body of Aalilyah Vasquez was discovered in Kinsley. Peterson was arrested for capital murder connected to the deaths of Kayla and Aalilyah Vasquez. (KBI News Release)

Heat stress blamed for thousands of cattle deaths in the state

BELLE PLAINE — Thousands of cattle in feedlots in southwestern Kansas died of heat stress last week due to soaring temperatures, high humidity and little wind, industry officials said. The final toll remains unclear, but as of last Thursday at least 2,000 heat-related deaths had been reported to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the state agency that assists in disposing of carcasses. Agency spokesman Matt Lara said he expected that number to rise as more feedlots report losses from last week’s heat wave. A.J. Tarpoff, a cattle veterinarian with Kansas State University, said this was truly a weather issue. He said as temperatures rose, there was a huge spike in humidity, and at the same time, wind speeds dropped substantially, which is rare for western Kansas. The week prior, temperatures were in the 70s and 80s, but by the end of the week, they spiked higher than 100 degrees. Scarlett Hagins, spokeswoman for the Kansas Livestock Association, said, “It was that sudden change that didn’t allow the cattle to acclimate that caused the heat stress issues in them.” The deaths represent a huge economic loss because the animals, which typically weigh around 1,500 pounds, are worth around $2,000 per head, Hagins said. (HaysPost.com)