Wyandotte County is at a slight risk today for severe thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service. Winds, large hail and isolated tornadoes are possible in some areas from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Most severe weather will be south of Route 50, which is south of the Wyandotte County area. (National Weather Service graphic)
Rain continues in today’s forecast from the National Weather Service.
The area also is under a flash flood watch from 1 a.m. April 30 through 7 a.m. May 2, according to the weather service.
Between three-fourths and 1 inch of rain may fall today, and between a quarter and half-inch of rain may fall tonight, the weather service said. On Wednesday, a light amount of rain could fall.
Wyandotte County is at a slight risk for severe storms from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. today. The risk increases for an area south of Route 50, according to the weather service.
Today, there will be showers and thunderstorms, with some producing heavy rain, the weather service said. The high will be near 64 with an east northeast wind of 7 to 10 mph. Between three-quarters and 1 inch of rain is possible.
Tonight, there is a 70 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1 a.m., according to the weather service. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. The low will be around 54 with a northeast wind of 5 to 9 mph becoming west northwest after midnight. Between a quarter and half-inch of rain is possible.
Wednesday, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 7 a.m., the weather service said. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. The high will be near 70 with a west northwest wind of 6 mph becoming light and variable. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is expected.
Wednesday night, there is a 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, and some could produce heavy rain, according to the weather service. The low will be around 55 with a northeast wind of 7 to 9 mph. Between a tenth and quarter-inch of rain is possible.
Thursday, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 67 with a north wind of 8 to 10 mph. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is expected.
Thursday night, there is a 20 percent chance of showers after 1 a.m., with a low of 50, according to the weather service.
Friday, it will be partly sunny with a high near 68, the weather service said.
Friday night, it will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 51, according to the weather service.
Saturday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 74, the weather service said.
Saturday night, there is a 30 percent chance of showers after 1 a.m., with a low of 55, according to the weather service.
Sunday, there is a 30 percent chance of showers, with a high near 73, the weather service said.
Sunday night, there is a 40 percent chance of showers, with a low of 55, according to the weather service.
Monday, there is a 40 percent chance of showers, with a high near 71, the weather service said.
For more weather information, visit www.weather.gov.
In Wyandotte County, 2 to 3 inches of additional rainfall is possible through Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Minor to moderate river and small stream flooding is possible. A flash flood watch is currently in effect through Thursday. (National Weather Service graphic)
A flash flood watch is in effect through Thursday morning for Wyandotte County, according to the National Weather Service. (National Weather Service graphic)
Missouri River flooding may continue later this week in certain areas. While Wyandotte County is not currently projected for flooding, the Missouri River at St. Joseph, Missouri, will be in minor flood stage. (National Weather Service graphic)
by Stephen Koranda, Kansas News Service
Legalizing sports gambling in Kansas seemed like a safe bet earlier this year. It’s a new source of tax dollars and enjoys bipartisan support.
Yet so far, attempts to advance a sports gambling bill have struck out.
In baseball terms, it’s the bottom of the ninth inning for the issue this year.
Lawmakers return this week for the final days of the session. If they don’t advance a bill, sports gambling in Kansas will be benched until 2020.
Kansas is one of dozens of states racing ahead on sports betting after the U.S. Supreme Court knocked down a federal ban last year. States are competing for the attention of sports fans and the tax dollars siphoned off their bets.
Where should you bet and whose eyes are on the data?
Where gamblers would actually place their bets has been one of the sticking points in the debate.
Inside the Hollywood Casino in Kansas City, Kansas, General Manager Rick Skinner stands among 2,000 blinking, beeping slot and video poker machines. To him, sports gaming would fit right in among the gambling already happening at the casino.
“It would just be another great attraction for the bricks-and-mortar facilities in the state,” he said. “We’re one of four casinos in Kansas, but we have four competitors right across the river.”
Sports betting could help the state-owned casinos in Kansas compete with those Missouri gambling halls and bring gaming money to the state.
Skinner wants lawmakers to consider another thing: whoever runs the sports book takes on financial risk.
In the long term, the house ultimately wins, but that can come with big short-term losses. The low-scoring Super Bowl and Tiger Woods making a surprise comebackboth ended up costing sports books money.
Does the state want to take on that risk by running gaming directly?
“Tiger Woods winning the Masters was a prime example,” Skinner said. “It was the biggest one-day loss in sports book golfing.”
Online apps for sports betting, and who runs them, pose another tricky issue.
Penn National Gaming operates the Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway. If allowed, company officials argue they can compete with widespread illegal online gambling that already draws in more than $60 billion a year.
“If we can’t compete with them, people will continue to go to the unregulated market,” said Jeff Morris, vice president of public affairs and government relations Penn National Gaming. “We have the compliance pieces in place to provide a safe wagering place for our customers.”
But some lawmakers want to keep the casinos out of sports betting.
Republican state Rep. Francis Awerkamp wants the Kansas Lottery to run sports gaming directly to keep casinos from mining sophisticated details about gamblers’ betting habits. Armed with that date, he said, casinos could target gamblers with marketing that might lead problem gambling.
“Are we trying to encourage people to gamble more?” he asked earlier this year. “Is that a common good? I don’t think that’s a proper use of personal data.”
Morris said casinos take steps to combat problem gaming, like voluntary exclusion lists, and a sports betting app would be no different.
Proposals for legalized betting typically include provisions for some of the revenue to help treat gambling addiction. One plan would have routed 2 percent of sports gambling revenues to treatment programs, which is the same rate collected on other gambling at state casinos.
Mining for sports betting gold
The topic is attracting so much attention because tens of millions of dollars could be at stake.
It’s been difficult for state researchers to pin down financial estimates for sports gambling in Kansas. They referenced a study estimating between $1 billion to $2 billion in bets placed in Kansas per year if it was made legal.
A billion dollars in bets would leave around $50 million left for administrative costs, fees and profit, state staff estimated. How much of that would be collected by the state depends on how the gambling is structured.
If the state directly runs sports gambling, then more money would go into state coffers. If casinos run it and the state simply collects taxes, Kansas government could take in a few million dollars.
Sports leagues also want a cut, and a say. More gambling means they’d have to spend more policing against players who’d be tempted to shave points or otherwise fix a contest.
Major League Baseball argues it’ll have to spend time and money combating cheating, so it should get a cut of the revenue.
The league also wants to block certain types of bets, like whether the first pitch of a game will be a ball or a strike. It could be easier to cheat on something like that than change the entire outcome of a game.
MLB says cheating could ruin the image of a sports league.
“Major League Baseball has an obligation to our fans and our sport to ensure any sports betting law does not damage our game,” said MLB Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel Bryan Seeley in testimony to Kansas lawmakers earlier this year.
Devilish details
The Kansas Constitution says the state must run any gambling. That’s why it technically owns the four casinos in the state and hires gaming companies to build and operate them.
But a state-run sports book could take several forms — something operated directly by the Kansas Lottery, bets taken through lottery retailers or a state smartphone app. Or the lottery could simply oversee betting run by casinos.
The devil’s in the details, and the details are proving especially devilish. Time is running out to smooth over differences between groups such as the state lottery, casinos and convenience stores.
“Trying to get them all on the same sheet of music just takes time,” Republican state Rep. John Barker said before lawmakers took their spring break.
Barker chairs the Kansas House committee considering the issue. He’s urged the parties to try to reach an agreement lawmakers could consider after the session resumes this week.
State regulators, casinos and the sports leagues have been in negotiations.
While time is running short, sports betting has another high-profile supporter, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.
“I’m hoping that they can come to an agreement on sports betting,” she said last week. “Other states are moving ahead with that and I would really hate for Kansas to be left behind.”
Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio and the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. Follow him on Twitter @kprkoranda.
Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.
See more at https://www.kcur.org/post/kansas-sports-betting-deal-tangled-over-who-runs-it-and-who-gets-cut
Scenes from the hangar dance Saturday to benefit the TWA Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by William Crum) The TWA Museum has items on display from an earlier era of airlines. (Photo by William Crum)
by William Crum
More than 500 people attended the 2019 hangar dance Saturday to benefit the TWA Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.
At this event, an estimated 50 people who live in Wyandotte County participated. Many of the TWA workers lived in Wyandotte County.
One of the main sponsors of this event was Walters Dance Studio of Kansas City, Kansas.
The TWA Museum has items on display from an earlier era of airlines. (Photo by William Crum) The TWA Museum has items on display from an earlier era of airlines. (Photo by William Crum) The TWA Museum has items on display from an earlier era of airlines. (Photo by William Crum) The TWA Museum has items on display from an earlier era of airlines. (Photo by William Crum) The TWA Museum has items on display from an earlier era of airlines. (Photo by William Crum) The TWA Museum has items on display from an earlier era of airlines. (Photo by William Crum) The TWA Museum has items on display from an earlier era of airlines. (Photo by William Crum) Scenes from the hangar dance Saturday to benefit the TWA Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by William Crum) Angela Lamb, a six-year student, performed with Mark Harris, co-owner of Walters Dance Studio. (Photo by William Crum) Hugh MacFaden, St. Joseph, Missouri, greeted people attending the hangar dance Saturday. He was wearing a vintage World War II Army Air Corps uniform. (Photo by William Crum)
