Kansas schools moving some activities to avoid heat
Some Wichita-area high schools are rescheduling football games and other activities in hopes of avoiding peak temperatures and keeping athletes safe.
Bishop Carroll, South and Heights High School will start their games 30 minutes later on Friday because of the heat.
In the Buhler school district, soccer games have been delayed more than an hour and game times shortened to avoid high temperatures.
Two area football players have died over the past two weeks, renewing talks about safety and health protocols during extreme heat.
Cathedral construction closes portion of Broadway
A section of Broadway in downtown Wichita is closed this week for construction at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
About a half-block of Broadway, just south of Central, is shut down through Friday.
Workers are installing additional scaffolding for the cathedral's ongoing restoration.
Visitors to the cathedral should enter the parking lot through the entrance on Topeka.
The construction is part of a $12 million restoration project that started more than a year ago. Crews are replacing the church's three domes, among other improvements.
It's Monarch butterfly time in Kansas
Monarch butterflies will soon be traveling through Kansas as a part of their fall migration to Mexico.
The butterflies are expected to arrive in Mexico around the beginning of November — a natural event that coincides with the country's Day of the Dead celebrations.
On their journey there, the monarchs will stop to rest and refuel in parts of Kansas.
Kristen Baum is the director of Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas. She says parts of Oklahoma and Texas are experiencing nectar droughts, which makes Kansas a vital alternative for the species.
“When we start getting these really extensive areas of drought, it's much more challenging for the migration. Nectar is very important this time of year,” she said.
The butterflies are being caught, tagged and released so researchers can follow their activity. That data can in turn help with conservation efforts.
"We’re getting lots of good information about where monarchs are in space and time, which will help us kind of think about what on-the-ground conservation looks like and where does that need to be," Baum said.
An old tag recovered recently from a dead butterfly dated back to 1997, and originated from Wamego High School.
Organizations like Botanica and The Great Plains Nature Center will host tagging events during September.
Barber County approves state's first Google data center
Officials in Medicine Lodge have approved plans for the first Google data center in Kansas.
The Barber County Commission voted Monday to move forward with the 1.7 million-square-foot data center.
It will be built near Sharon, about eight miles east of Medicine Lodge.
Google says the data center, dubbed "Project Helium," will add about 500 jobs. It is expected to begin operations in 2030.
Opponents have raised concerns about noise and potential environmental impacts.
The contract between Google and the county was approved 2-0, with one county commissioner abstaining from the vote.
Derby school opens after kitchen fire
An elementary school in Derby reopened today after it closed for a day due to a fire.
Firefighters responded just before 6 a.m. Sunday to a kitchen fire at Derby Hills Elementary School.
Derby Public Schools closed the school Monday for restoration efforts.
Students and staff will return today after crews used air scrubbers and other filtration equipment to clear the smell of smoke.
The school’s lunchroom, kitchen, staff lounge and music room will remain closed for more restoration work. Derby Hills students will get a sack lunch today.
Wichita experiencing one of the driest summers ever
The National Weather Service says this July and August in Wichita have been the second driest on record.
Wichita Eisenhower National Airport received only three-quarters of an inch of rain within those two months. That’s nearly 8 inches below the average rainfall for that time period.
Official rainfall records in Wichita date back to 1888. Since then, the driest July and August was during the Dust Bowl of 1936, when Wichita got only a quarter-inch of rain.
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