Latest news with #JerryMoran
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Watch: Violent tornado carves path of destruction through western Kansas town
GRINNELL, Kan. – A terrifying scene unfolded in western Kansas as a powerful tornado ripped through a small town, leaving behind widespread damage. The National Weather Service issued a Tornado Warning about 7 p.m. Sunday for Grinnell in Gove County. Footage from storm chaser Clinton H. Hendricks IV shows a funnel cloud bearing down on the town with a population of just over 300 residents. As the tornado spins across the landscape, it lofts clouds of dirt and debris into the air. Several buildings were badly damaged, including a church and a school. There's no immediate word of any injuries or deaths. Extensive Damage Reported After Nighttime Kansas Tornadoes, Train Derailment Amid Rare Tornado Emergency The Kansas Highway Patrol and local law enforcement have closed off the town with a strict curfew. A nearby portion of Interstate 70 was also closed due to downed power lines. Midwest Energy said the tornado caused significant damage to the town's electric and gas systems. The utility company identified 15 downed poles and damage in Grinnell city limits, and additional damage is likely. Kansas' current U.s. Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall expressed their concern following the storm. "Kansans, please stay alert," Moran said. "The dangerous weather conditions across the state have already resulted in tornadoes in Gove County and Scott County, with much of the state facing more storms and potential tornadoes." Central Us On High Alert Monday For Dangerous Tornadoes, Giant Hail And Destructive Winds Marshall said he and his wife were praying for the Kansas communities impacted by Sunday's tornadoes. "My office is in contact with local authorities to closely monitor the damage, and we stand ready to assist however we can," he said on Facebook on Monday morning. "With more severe weather expected in central and eastern Kansas today, please stay alert and follow guidance from local officials. Stay safe." Representatives from the NWS office in Goodland, Kansas, are surveying the damage in Grinnell and may provide an EF rating as soon as article source: Watch: Violent tornado carves path of destruction through western Kansas town
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Tornado hits Grinnell, multiple damage reports
GOVE COUNTY, Kan. (KSNW) — The town of Grinnell in Gove County was hit by a tornado shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday. The State Fire Marshal said that he has not heard any reports of severe injuries or deaths. One person told KSN that the town took a direct hit. He said the roof of the Catholic church is gone, the school is damaged, and his brother-in-law's farmstead is wiped out. Gove County Emergency Management is holding an informational meeting for residents at 10:30 p.m. Sunday at the VFW Hall. The Kansas Department of Transportation closed a section of Interstate 70 because the tornado knocked over power poles. The utility companies for Gove County are reporting 1,500 power outages. Midwest Energy reports that the tornado also damaged gas systems in Grinnell. It has closed off the gas system to inspect for additional damage and make repairs. Linemen from the Coly area and gas personnel are on the west side of Grinnell to make repairs. Storm reports: Tornadoes touch down in the Sunflower State NWKS Radio is asking listeners to stay away from Grinnell because they will not be able to see the downed power lines in the dark. U.S. Senators Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran expressed their concern on social media: I'm concerned for the communities in western Kansas impacted by the tornadoes & am working with local officials to assess the damage & see what are the immediate needs on the ground. Kansans, please stay alert! The dangerous weather conditions across the state have already resulted in tornadoes in Gove County & Scott County with much of the state facing more storms & potential tornadoes. Sen. Jerry Moran, Kansas Our prayers are with the Grinnell community this evening following the tornado that touched down. We urge everyone to stay safe, avoid the area, and closely follow guidance from local authorities as severe weather continues to move across our state.' Sen. Roger Marshall, Kansas If you have video or pictures of the storm damage, email connect3weather@ For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers press FAA for more info about recent system outages
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Lawmakers are pressing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for information regarding the recent outages with its hazard notification system. U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) joined other senators and U.S. representatives in pressing the FAA for information regarding the recent Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) system outages – and the status of past-due upgrades to the system. Family from Spain, pilot killed in NYC sightseeing helicopter crash Moran is the chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation. The lawmakers wrote the following letter, in part, to the FAA: 'We write to you to request information on the recent temporary outages of the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) system as well as an update on efforts to modernize the system. Pilots rely on the NOTAM system to remain aware of safety hazards on flight routes. This system is critical to the safety of the nearly 3 million passengers who fly over the U.S. every day.' You can read the full letter here. The 2023 NOTAM Improvement Act requires the FAA to establish a task force to strengthen the resiliency and cybersecurity of the NOTAM system, which alerts pilots of safety and location hazards on flight routes. The law required the FAA to upgrade the NOTAM system and create a backup system by September 2024. While the backup system was put in place in July 2024, the required upgrade of the primary system has not yet been completed. Lawmakers said in the letter that the primary NOTAM system experienced outages for several hours on Feb. 1 and March 22. Plane crash near Florida highway kills 3 on board, injures 1 on the ground 'While we are pleased that the backup system is in place as of July 2024 and was successfully activated during that outage, we are concerned about the past due implementation of a modernized NOTAM system, as required by law,' they said in the letter. Lawmakers have requested the following information from the FAA: What caused the recent NOTAM outages? What steps is the FAA taking to mitigate future outages? How quickly was the backup system activated during the outages? How effective was the backup system, including its performance in comparison to the primary system? Please provide an update on the FAA's implementation of the NOTAM Improvement Act, particularly the status of efforts to implement an upgraded NOTAM system. 'Travelers deserve flights that are safe and on time,' the letter reads. 'We urge you to ensure that a modernized NOTAM system is implemented in a timely manner.' Here's a look at recent aircraft tragedies, mishaps and close calls Just this week, a Spanish family and pilot were killed in a helicopter crash in New York City. On Friday, a small plane crashed near a Florida highway, killing three people. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
While nation crumbles, Kansas senator seeks tens of millions for World Cup fan rides
As the nation collapses around our ears, Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran has introduced a bill to provide $50 million a year in federal funding for transportation improvements for metropolitan areas in line to host World Cup and Olympic games. 'It was a tremendous feat to secure a spot as a host city during the 2026 World Cup, and I have no doubt that Kansas City will be a welcoming community for hundreds of thousands of soccer fans from around the world,' Moran said in a press release Thursday. 'Preparations are already underway for the games, and this legislation will support local community and agency efforts to improve infrastructure to connect fans with businesses, hotels, the airport and other host cities during the World Cup.' This bill and that justification are about as tone-deaf an exercise in government as I've ever seen from a member of Congress. Actually, it's beyond tone-deaf. It's infuriating. It's a slap in the face to every one of the 280,000 federal workers who've gotten termination papers from the Donald Trump administration in the name of cost-cutting. Not to mention the as-yet uncounted number of scientists, medical researchers, hospitals, universities, museums, nonprofits and contractors who have had to cease trying to improve America, because Elon Musk and his DOGE Musketeers decided that kind work isn't worth doing anymore. Read the room, Jerry Moran. On Thursday, Americans lost about $2 trillion in wealth when the stock market crashed 1,600 points, due entirely to Trump's incredibly stupid 'Liberation Day,' when he started a trade war against just about every country on the planet, including remote islands populated entirely by penguins and elephant seals. As I wrote this on Friday, our 401ks continued to get pounded even worse, with the market down another 2,200 points, a $4.9 trillion loss in two days. When you, Jerry Moran, had a chance to take a stand against this, you voted to stay the course and run our economy into a much bigger iceberg than the one that took out the Titanic. Meanwhile, the gasoline I put in my car this morning was up 31 cents since I filled up last week. How's that trade war with Canada, our leading source of foreign oil, working out, Jerry Moran? We can't effectively respond to a multi-state outbreak of measles(!), which was essentially eradicated until this year, because the Centers for Disease Control has been gutted by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccination madman sitting around muttering about how full-fat milk is better than 2% — and who you, Jerry Moran, voted to confirm. Musk closed down USAID, which bought and distributed Kansas farm produce to starving people around the world. I'll give you credit, Jerry Moran, for objecting and at least getting the food that was rotting on ships at anchor doled out. But the shutdown of future aid will still hurt our farmers and has crippled our ability to project 'soft power' in developing countries, a vacuum that China will doubtless be quick to fill. The Department of Education is in the process of shutting itself down, but not before creating a 'Special Investigations Team' with the Justice Department to 'use the full power of the law to remedy any violation of women's civil rights,' as they put it in a press release I got Friday. That sounds really important until you read on and find out what they're really talking about is purging a few transgender children from K-12 school sports. I'll remind you, Jerry Moran, that you voted to put the Education Department in the hands of fake-wrestling magnate Linda McMahon. I expect such nonsense from your fellow Kansas senator, Roger Marshall, who's drunk so much Trump-flavored Kool-Aid that I expect him to turn orange any day now. I expected better from you, Jerry Moran. I've always been a supporter of yours, but right now, you're reminding me of Kevin Bacon in 'Animal House,' standing in the middle of a riot yelling 'Remain calm. All is well.' Our economy and the Republic are crumbling by the day, we've alienated just about everyone who could help us out of this self-inflicted disaster, and the best you can come up with is a bill to spend $50 million a year to get drunken sports fans from the airport to the hotel to the stadium? Hell to the no. I have some actual experience with this. I worked at the Pasadena Star-News in 1994 when the city hosted the World Cup Final. As the local media sponsor, we hosted the party for the international press corps, which consisted mainly of running back and forth to the liquor store all night. So you can trust me when I tell you that everybody who had a ticket managed to make it to the Rose Bowl for the game. And that was before Uber and Lyft. Anyone who can afford tickets to the World Cup, (and airfare and hotel) can afford to fund their own local transportation. So you can stop worrying about the World Cup. We have incredibly larger problems to deal with right now, and it's time for you to get your head in the game.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Moran touts bipartisan bill earmarking federal infrastructure funding for World Cup, Olympics
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, filed bipartisan legislation to deliver as much as $50 million in federal transportation infrastructure grant funding to cities hosting 2026 World Cup events and Olympic competition in 2028 and 2034. (Kansas Reflector screen capture of U.S. Senate YouTube channel) TOPEKA — U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas reintroduced federal legislation to set aside $50 million annually for transportation infrastructure projects in support of cities hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 2028 Summer Olympic Games and 2034 Winter Olympic Games. Moran's primary interest was a section of the bill earmarking funding to 11 U.S. cities, including Kansas City, selected to host Men's World Cup competition next year. 'It was a tremendous feat to secure a spot as a host city during the 2026 World Cup, and I have no doubt that Kansas City will be a welcoming community for hundreds of thousands of soccer fans from around the world,' the Republican senator said. 'Preparations are already underway for the games and this legislation will support local community and agency efforts to improve infrastructure to connect fans with businesses, hotels, the airport and other host cities during the World Cup.' Other cities hosting World Cup competition are Seattle, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and New Jersey, Philadelphia and the San Francisco Bay area. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat and a member with Moran on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, said the proposed federal funding would help communities safely and efficiently coordinate transportation for fans, workers and goods during World Cup and Olympic events. 'With less than 500 days until Seattle hosts its first 2026 World Cup game, we need the Department of Transportation to get in the game and support host cities as they work to showcase the best of American innovation and hospitality,' she said. Under the Senate bill, host cities and surrounding communities would be eligible for grants to build roads, expand light rail, purchase buses, create bicycle lanes, improve existing roads and upgrade airport terminals for the World Cup as well as the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and the 2034 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Text of the bill indicated funding also could be used for Paralympics, Special Olympics and women's World Cup events. Financial aid funneled through the U.S. transportation agency could be spread among host cities, states and tribes within 100 miles of the sports venues, the bill said. 'We are pleased to see this important transportation assistance legislation introduced in support of Kansas City's World Cup efforts,' said Pam Kramer, chief executive officer of KC2026. 'These investments and support will help us create sustained and lasting impact beyond the World Cup, improving mobility in the region well beyond 2026.'
