'Light of hope': Awaiting news about crash victims, Wichita residents gather for prayer
WICHITA – More than 100 residents and faith leaders packed into a Wichita City Hall conference room to pray and console each other the day after 67 people died in a mid-air collision over Washington D.C.
It's not yet clear how many Kansans were on the flight, which is a daily route from Wichita to the nation's capital. Officials said that the identities of the victims would only be released after making contact with families.
Many of those who came to the vigil Thursday weren't even sure if they knew someone on board. They still showed up.
"There's no way that we're not going to know people that were on that flight," said local business owner Will Harmon, who described Wichita as a "big-little town."
"If you don't have a personal relationship with someone, you're going to know someone that did. And we need to be here with everybody and support and lift each other up."
Live updates: 'We will find out what happened,' NTSB vows after tragic midair collision
Ronda Kingwood, Pastor of Heart of Christ United Methodist Church, led the assembly in a somber rendition of the gospel song, "We Need You Lord."
Their determined cry was repeated as it echoed through the chamber: "We need you lord, right now."
At a press conference Thursday, Wichita Mayor Lily Wu called the crash "a terrible tragedy that will unite those in Washington D.C. and Wichita, Kansas, forever."
What little is known about the passengers is that several coaches and members of the U.S. Figure Skating development team were on board after attending the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita last weekend. The event is considered a crucial step toward making the Olympic team.
"It was truly an honor to have future Olympians and those who are at the highest competition level of figure skating right here in (Wichita)," Wu told reporters on Thursday. "We were so excited to have the opportunity to host the national championship and even yesterday, I had folks tell me how wonderful these last few days have been with additional individuals that came into our community, whether to watch or participate."
The Rev. Ben Staley of Chapel Hill United Methodist Church showed up at the Wichita airport late Wednesday night to assist family members. At the vigil the next day, he said that community might feel helpless, but they are not hopeless.
"Do you know the world is watching Wichita, Kansas? Let us be a light of hope," Staley told the assembly. "Maybe we should be doing better than we've been doing by caring for one another in spite of differences and all the things that could separate us. Let us remember that love never fails."
Pastor Pamela Hughes Mason, acting president of the Greater Wichita Ministerial League implored the community not to end the day in sorrow.
"We don't know what the day will bring, but we do know that when we come together as one there is power in prayer, power in communities. We pray for comfort in this time of uncertainty, calling for each of us to remember our neighbor."
Rabbi Shmulik Greenberg told reporters at the vigil on Thursday that it is important to come together in moments like these to show unity as a community, regardless of faith denomination.
'We have to come together in times of happiness and joy, and when things like this happen, it's so important that we come together and shine a light. It's not enough to just grieve together, but this has to continue on to joyous times together,' Greenberg said.
The daily American Airlines round-trip flight between Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport and Washington D.C. has only been in service for about a year.
It was announced in January 2024 as benefitting the business and education prospects for Wichita, which is also known as "The Air Capital of the World" for its long history as a hub for aviation manufacturing. Wichita's member of Congress, U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, was on board that inaugural flight a year ago and said Thursday he will continue to support the route.
"I wouldn't hesitate to continue to fly in and out of Washington Reagan airport, including on this particular flight and this particular plane," Estes said. "When you look at the overall track record in terms of how safe air travel is, I still feel confident we have strong safety measures in our air traffic system. And obviously we want to make sure that if there are any areas that need to be improved, we will work on those. And if there's something to be learned out of this lesson, we will take that lesson and move forward."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Wichita mourns plane crash victims with prayer vigil
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island marks 20th anniversary
NEW YORK (PIX11) — Parks are popular summer destinations, and one world-class open space is celebrating an anniversary. Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island was built in 2005. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the facility is hosting several special events. More Local News The track will be open for a public community run on Thursday, June 12, at 6 p.m. New York City FC II will play four home matches at the iconic stadium on August 8th. Runners of all ages and students hold championships and qualifying meets. Lou Vasquez has been the director of Icahn Stadium for 20 years. His love of running began as a student athlete at the former Downing Stadium. 'There's so much history here. World records have been set here. It's an inspiration to the athletes, Come on down and run the track where Usain Bolt broke the world record,' he said. The city created the track and field space in 1936, originally called it Triborough Stadium. It has a seating capacity of 5,000 and meets specifications for local, national, international and Olympic events. The New York Football Club donated $3 million to upgrade the interior soccer field in 2024. In September, it hosted the first professional soccer matches. In July, the track will be replaced with the same surface used by the Olympics. This is the peak park season. Field trips and festivals happen all summer on the island. The MTA built new vehicular and pedestrian ramps between Randall's Island, Queens, and Manhattan. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
WADA calls on US to stop 'dangerous' Enhanced Games
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president Witold Banka has called for next year's Enhanced Games to be banned (ANDREJ IVANOV) World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) chief Witold Banka has called on US authorities to prevent the drug-fueled Enhanced Games from taking place next year. Speaking in Lausanne in an address to a meeting of summer Olympic officials, Banka said the inaugural edition of the Enhanced Games in Las Vegas -- where athletes will be free to use performance-enhancing drugs -- "must be stopped." Advertisement "We all must stand up and condemn those who put greed and ego before the well-being of athletes and the values of fair competition," Banka said. "As the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles approach, we cannot allow what should be a celebration of honest sporting endeavor to be overshadowed by this cynical attempt to undermine clean sport. "WADA is now urging the authorities in the US to seek ways to prevent the Enhanced Games from going ahead as planned. For the sake of athletes' health and the purity of sport, it must be stopped." In separate remarks following the address, Banka urged US authorities to consider legal action to prevent the Enhanced Games from taking place. Advertisement "Every effort should be made by the authorities in the US to prevent this dangerous event from going ahead as planned," Banka said. "This should be explored from the legal perspective. For example, I would question whether it is legal for licensed doctors to give these potent drugs to healthy athletes. "It goes completely against the rules and values of their profession...I think there is a strong role to be played by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA)". USADA has been a strident critic of WADA in recent years following controversy over the global doping watchdog's handling of positive drug tests from 23 Chinese swimmers in 2021. Advertisement Responding to Banka's remarks on Wednesday, USADA chief executive Travis Tygart accused the WADA president of "attempting to leverage this sideshow to distract from fixing WADA and to stoke anti-American rhetoric." "As we have repeatedly said, for all of the obvious reasons, the Enhanced Games or any other open competition is a bad idea," Tygart said in comments emailed to AFP, urging Banka to accept an invitation to a US Senate hearing next week where the 2021 case involving Chinese swimmers is to be discussed. The first Enhanced Games will be staged in Las Vegas in May 2026, with athletes participating in three sports -- athletics, swimming and weightlifting. Athletes will be allowed to use drugs banned across international sport such as steroids and human growth hormones, with winners of each event receiving $250,000, and a bonus of $1 million for any athlete who breaks a world record. rcw/bb

NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
Josh Allen would "absolutely love" to play flag football in Olympics
The Olympic flag football tournament is three years away. But plenty of current players are talking about it. Most recently, Bills quarterback Josh Allen made it clear he'd be interested in pursuing gold for the United States. 'I'm not gonna disrespect the guys that are playing flag football right now, but, you know, if there's an opportunity for me to try, I would absolutely love to,' Allen told reporters on Tuesday. 'I've always wanted to compete for my country and, you know, every time the Olympics are on, I'm tuned in and glued to the screen. But I think there's really no greater honor to do that. That'd be really cool.' Yes, flag football is a very different game than tackle football. However, it's hard to imagine a physical specimen like Allen not figuring it out — and not being completely dominant. Many decisions will need to be made by USA Football regarding how the U.S. men's team will be selected. And, yes, current flag football players deserve an opportunity to compete. It's hard to imagine anyone competing with Josh Allen, if he's determined to go for gold.