'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

NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
Olympic wrestling gold medalist Amit Elor to miss world championships team qualifier
Olympic wrestling gold medalist Amit Elor will not compete at an event to determine the 2025 World Championships team on Saturday due to health reasons. 'I recently found out that I was anemic during the World Team Trials (May 16-17), which added up to be too much with my current injuries,' was posted on Elor's social media. 'In the meantime, I'm committed to safely working on strengthening my wrestling. I'm also very excited to contribute to the wrestling community by being more available for camps and clinics ❤️ Wishing the very best to all the wrestlers competing this weekend! No matter what, I'm sure we're going to have an incredible team representing us at the world stage. To my Final X competitor, @glaudealex (Alexandria Glaude) you got this and I'll be cheering for you at worlds!' Last August, Elor became at age 20 the youngest Olympic wrestling gold medalist in American history, extending a five-year, 82-match win streak. After competing at 68kg in Paris, she moved back up to 72kg (a non-Olympic weight) this year and qualified for this Saturday's Final X. Elor was due to face Glaude, 28, for the 72kg spot on the team for this September's World Championships in Croatia. Nick Zaccardi,


Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Coast Guard suspends search for plane that crashed into the ocean off San Diego and killed 6
The Coast Guard suspended the search Tuesday for the wreckage of a small plane that crashed into the ocean shortly after taking off from San Diego, killing all six people aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board said it will continue working to determine why the Cessna 414 crashed Sunday, but it doesn't expect to have any updates on the crash until it publishes its preliminary report about a month from now. With the wreckage still resting under a couple hundred feet of water, the NTSB's investigator isn't even immediately travelling to where the plane crashed about 3 miles (about 5 kilometers) off the coast of Point Loma, a San Diego neighborhood that juts into the Pacific. Authorities have not identified the people who died in the crash. The plane was scheduled to return to Arizona on Sunday — one day after it flew out to San Diego. A natural supplements company called Optimal Health Systems based in Pima, Arizona, said it sold the plane in 2023 to a group of individuals who are part of their small community. Air traffic controllers quickly became concerned about the plane after it failed to climb over 1,000 feet or turn back east after taking off. The pilot reported having trouble climbing and maintaining his heading before repeatedly calling out 'Mayday' before the plane disappeared from radar. This crash came just weeks after a small Cessna crashed into a San Diego neighborhood in foggy weather and killed six people . Those two are just the latest in a string of deadly crashes , mishaps and near misses in aviation this year ever since an airliner collided with an Army helicopter over Washington, D.C., in January, killing 67 people. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Simone Biles Apologizes To Riley Gaines, Calls For Inclusion And Respect In Sports
Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles apologized for getting personal in an online clash with right-wing activist Riley Gaines and further clarified her statements on transgender athletes. Biles' apology comes after Gaines, a 25-year-old former swimmer, targeted a high school softball player who is trans in Minnesota on X. Biles called out Gaines for bullying while attempting to defend the athlete. 'I've always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport. The current system doesn't adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn't help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for,' Biles wrote on Tuesday. 'These are sensitive, complicated issues that I truly don't have the answers or solutions to, but I believe it starts with empathy and respect. I was not advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women's sports. My objection is to be singling out children for public scrutiny in ways that feel personal and harmful.' 'Individual athletes—especially kids—should never be the focus of criticism of a flawed system they have no control over,' Biles continued. 'I believe sports organizations have a responsibility to come up with rules supporting inclusion while maintaining fair competition. We all want a future for sport that is fair, inclusive, and respectful. Xoxo Simone.' On Friday, Gaines pointed out that the comments on a post celebrating a high school softball team had been turned off. 'To be expected when your star player is a boy,' she wrote. Biles stepped in in defense of the teenage trans athlete with multiple tweets. 'bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male,' Biles wrote. In a separate post, Biles referred to Gaines as 'truly sick' and a 'sore loser,' referencing a 200-yard swimming freestyle race in 2022 in which Gaines tied for fifth place with Lia Thomas, an athlete who is trans. The race skyrocketed Gaines to popularity among many right-wingers. 'You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports,' Biles added. 'But instead… You bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!' Gaines said she was disappointed by Biles' comments and doubled down on her anti-trans stance. 'It's not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces,' Gaines wrote. 'You can uplift men stealing championships in women's sports with YOUR platform. Men don't belong in women's sports and I say that with my full chest.' On Tuesday, Gaines accepted Biles' apology in a lengthy post on X. 'Sports ARE inclusive by nature. Anyone can and everyone SHOULD play sports. Competition, on the other hand and by definition, is exclusive. So the idea of 'competitive equity' is nonsensical,' Gaines said. She also baselessly claimed that trans athletes are harming or abusing girls. 'You can't have any empathy and compassion for the girls if you're ignoring when young men are harming or abusing them. I am not ashamed to be a voice for the voiceless,' Gaines wrote before proudly proclaiming her support for President Donald Trump and pointing out her lawsuit with several other athletes against the NCAA. Gaines did not address singling out the trans high school softball player. Despite NCAA President Charlie Baker claiming in testimony in front of a Senate panel in December 2024 that he is aware of fewer than 10 college-aged trans student athletes in the U.S., conservatives have hyper-fixated on trans athletes as some sort of detriment to women's rights and sports teams. In February, Trump signed an executive order prohibiting 'male competitive participation in women's sports.' The order establishes the right to 'rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities.' California and a winning high school trans athlete in the state have recently drawn the ire of Trump, who has threatened to withhold funding based on his executive order. Simone Biles Slams Riley Gaines' 'Truly Sick' Anti-Trans Talk: 'Straight Up Sore Loser!' Simone Biles Makes Shocking Remark About Her Future In Gymnastics Simone Biles Wants 'Justice' After Jordan Chiles' Medal Was Revoked