Getting ready for back to school in Wichita

Good morning. It is 802 here on this Tuesday morning, August 11th, currently in Wichita. We have a sunny sky. It is 79 degrees here on this Tuesday morning. It was 50 years ago on this day. August 11th of 1976, terror gripped downtown Wichita for 11 minutes during a deadly shooting spree. A gunman, 19-year-old Michael Soles, distraught over a breakup with a girlfriend and the loss of his job, climbed to the top of the 26-story Holiday Inn Plaza in downtown Wichita. At that time, the tallest building in Kansas. He was armed with two rifles. He fired randomly at people on the streets below, killing three people and wounding others before police shot him and took him into custody. Former longtime KNSS News host, Steve McIntosh, was on the scene that day, reporting on the radio live during the gunfire. I talked to the... Sheriff of Cedric County, Johnny Dar. He was one of a small army of law, men, and news reporters and ambulance technicians down here. And it was an utterly terrifying situation for a few minutes there. We have had, according to Sheriff Dar, eight persons wounded. A total of eight, wounded, it looks like. At least two of them are dead. Two, it looks like they were workmen were shot. We don't know how serious they are. And I understand that one of our... News media reporters from here in Wichita is one of the fatalities has been shot and killed. I'm not at liberty to say who it is at this time. Sheriff Dar asked me to keep it off the record, and I'm going to respect his wishes on that, but one of our news reporters was shot through the heart and killed. Souls is still serving time in prison for multiple convictions of first-degree murder. He's currently being held in Winfield. It is 804 here with Woodward and Witt. Jad, do we have a traffic update? Yeah, we have a traffic accident now. This is on I-135 northbound, and it's right at the ramp to Pawnee. That's what we're looking at here is a traffic accident northbound, and I-135, right there at Pawnee, so watch for a slowdown. Kids in Wichita are heading back to school this week, and schools are preparing for the triple-digit temperatures. The heat has parents concerned about their children's safety. Wichita Public Schools spokesperson Susan Arnsman says the district's biggest challenge comes from their facilities. Some of the school's gyms are so old, they still don't have air conditioning, causing major issues for P.E. glasses when it gets this hot outside. The gym is your classroom, and if that's not comfortable... you know, there's no learning going on. Arnsman says that dealing with the August heat is something they're used to doing and something they prepare parents for. Be prepared for that, if that is bringing a water bottle with them and they walk to school or on the bus. Each school has a different method for water bottles, so just be aware of that. Some allow them to take them into the classroom. Some do not, but they will allow water breaks. The excessive heat is expected to continue into the upcoming weekend. Phil Hildebrand, KNSSS News.

Two people were hospitalized in extremely critical condition after a house fire destroyed two homes. Last night in West Wichita, a neighbor called 911 after 9.30 p.m. reporting the fire, the 9,800 block of West Savannah, that's near Pawnee and Mays. By the time fire crews got there, two homes were engulfed in flames. One home had caught fire and spread to the second house. A second alarm was called, bringing more crews to the scene. Two people were found unresponsive inside the first home. They have been hospitalized. That fire also compromised a gas meter or gas line at the scene, which was feeding the flames. Both homes are total loss. Several investigators, including personnel from the state fire marshal's office, were called out to the scene. The Wichita City Council will discuss a grant application at today's 9 o'clock meeting. Wichita Police hope to apply for a grant from the department. Department of Justice's School Violence Prevention Program. They intend to use the funding to purchase and implement a school safety and public notification technology program. It would cover all secondary schools and alternate education centers. The grant is a $500,000 grant. It does require $250,000 in matching funds from the city of Wichita. Iranian funds are reportedly dwindling. Officials say if peace isn't made, the economy in Iran is facing collapse. The misery index in Iran actually hit a record high of 91.1%. That, of course, due to rampant inflation and unemployment, and the economic strain is likely to get even worse as the U.S. naval blockade continues. For the record, the country has an inflation rate of 82% and an unemployment rate of 9.1%. We're just going to keep on applying the pressure that we can apply and getting as much oil and gas out of the Middle East so that Americans can enjoy lower gas and energy prices. The vice president speaking there, of course, this is all part of the president's strategy to crush the regime in order to secure a safer region, a non-nuclear Iran, and yes, a safe and toll-free straight of Hormuz. And that's Fox's Kevin Cork with that report. The State Department is taking action to get foreign nationals who commit crimes in the United States while holding visas out of the country. The State Department tells Fox News officials have revoked a record-setting 175,000 U.S. visas from foreigners since the beginning of President Trump's second term. Quote, the majority of these visas were revoked due to law enforcement encounters for a range of criminal activity with assault, driving under the influence, theft, and drug crimes being the leading causes. A significant share of these 175,000 visas were revoked for sexual assault, child abuse, fraud, embezzlement, and reckless driving. Right now, the FBI is working to extradite a 20-year-old Indian suspect back to the U.S. to face first-degree murder charges. That was Fox's Jillian Turner with that story.

The power ball continues to grow. And if you think it's hot, well, yeah, it is. We have the numbers to prove it. And we will get our weather forecast. Storm Team 12 meteorologist Jake Dunn will be coming up. And we will check in and get a training camp update from Mitch Holtus, the play-by-play voice to the Kansas City Chiefs, who is in the metro area, I believe. How about that? So we'll be doing all that coming up. Make sure you're with us here on KNSS. 812 here on this Tuesday morning on KNSS. Hey, no jackpot winner in last night's Powerball drawing. The total climbs for tomorrow night. The winning numbers for Monday night's drawing were 6, 37, 54, 55, 65, and the Powerball was 10. A winning $2 million match five-less power play ticket was sold in Tennessee, and two $1 million tickets that matched five numbers, but not the Powerball, were sold in California and Maryland. including a ticket sold at a 7-11 on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood. The jackpot for Wednesday night now grows to at least $975 million, where a winner could choose a lump sum cash option of about $422.4 million. Ted Lindner, Fox News. The U.S. set a new heat record confirmed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Fox's Lisa Brady has that report. In records dating back to 1895, this July now holds the title of hottest month ever for the contiguous United States, averaging 76.89 degrees, which beats the Dust Bowl record from July of 1936 by an eighth of one degree. Government scientists say the biggest driver of the record heat was higher nighttime lows in NOAA calculations based on 24-hour averages, not just highs or lows. One official noting the heat was so widespread that every one of the lower 48 states was at least one degree Fahrenheit warmer than the 20th century average. Some scientists and peer-reviewed studies blame climate change and say hotter nights are a classic sign of human-caused changes. Lisa Brady, Fox News. It is 813 here on KNSS. Right now, traffic here in the Wichita area. Things are looking all right out there, not really seeing too many issues. We do have a crash, northbound I-135 right there at the ramp to Pawnee. But it does look like the traffic volumes are already starting to decrease a little bit, and so it's not really causing too much of an issue in that area right now. Again, that's northbound I-135 at Pawnee. Traffic update from 98-7 and 1330 KNSS. The Accident Recovery Team Traffic Center. I'm Jed Chambers. And a look at our weather forecast. Storm Team 12 meteorologist Jake Dunn. Good morning, Jake. Good morning. Mostly sunny, continued, breezy and very hot. Southwest winds 15 to 25 and a high of 105. Mostly clear and uncomfortable. 80 degrees is our overnight low. Sunny, breezy and continued hot on Wednesday high 106. I know it's a broken record. More sun, more heat, more wind, Thursday's high 105. That's your forecast.

From Storm Team 12, I'm meteorologist Jake Dime. Currently in Wichita, we do have a breeze out of the south, a sunny sky. It is 79 degrees here on this Tuesday, Wichita's Severe Weather Station, 987 and 1330, KNSS. You're over there. I was strolling through the Facebook feeds, and I came upon your Facebook post from August 8, 1153 a.m. Here's Ted Woodward watching Howard the Duck. Which has to be down. I mean, it's got to be on a list of worst movies of all time. Which is why I needed to watch it. I'd never, you know, we had it on the blur. It's 40th anniversary. I had never seen it. Well, if it's this, if its notoriety is this big, I better watch it. It's got to be. It's an odd couple of hours. Odd. Top ten worst movies of all time. It's in the list. Yeah. And you'd never seen it before? I've seen it once. I've seen it once. And I now have two. I mean, it is so bad. It's quite strange. Strange is you're being generous. But of all the things I'm going through the feet, and it's like, here's a pick. Ted Woodward is watching Howard the Duck. Oh, my God. I can check that one off the list. I could have saved you two hours of your life. You'll never get back. Hey, Leah Thompson's in it. Leah Thompson's delightful. That's like the only redeeming quality. Yeah. And, man, it stands out. I mean, I'd rather watch paint dry. Actually, I would rather watch paint dry. When I was watching the opening credits, you know, Leah Thompson, hey. And the second person listed was Jeffrey Jay Jones. I was like, when Jeffrey Jay Jones is your number two guy on the cast list, I was like, that's not good. Howard the duck. And what's funny is the first comment on this is why with 12 wives. Yeah, Danny Campbell, our listener and a friend, he was in anguish over me. He was laughing my time. Kind of the way you did. Basically, yeah. So, okay. And you're with Siskel and Ebert, you would definitely give it a thumbs down. I mean, it's... I'll give it a C. A C. Wow, that's generous. I'm not here or there on it. You've got to understand, John. This is also a man who, like me, has watched Space Mutiny and overdrawn at the memory bank. Never heard of either of those. Yeah. Nor will I waste the time to. It is 817 here with Woodward and Witt, and now it is time to check in as we do every day and get a training camp update. from the Kansas City Chiefs with the play-by-play voice, the Chiefs, Mitch Holtus. So that's always good. Check in with Mitch and find out what's going on. And today's report is brought to you by Credit Union of America, as we say, good morning, Mitch. Well, good morning, Theodore, and good morning, John, or Johannes, as they say in Andover. And that's exactly where I'm at this morning. Andover.

America. Yep, I'm on stage in front of the administration, faculty, staff, support staff, and others of USDA 385. We have the Andover Trojans, the Andover Central Jaguars. their middle schools and their elementary schools all in one place. And we're having a great time this morning. Our Chiefs Report on this Tuesday, and this isn't a coincidence because here in this Andover get-together, well, it's brought to you by Credit Union of America. That's right, the same sponsor of our Chiefs Report, C.U.ofamerica.com to get pre-approved for your next home loan. It's really, again, no coincidence because Credit Union of America does so much for so many in the Wichita region. A lot to cover this morning. First of all, it was heartwarming to see Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Eric B. Enemy returned to training camp. He's been gone the past 14 days after his wife Mia was shot, allegedly by their son, Elijah. Mia is recovering and doing well enough for E.B. to be back in St. Joseph. I did have my own personal moment with E.B. yesterday. You see, I know Mia and Elijah. very well. Four other players were back from injury yesterday. Wide receiver Xavier Worthy, defensive in Ash Gingalati, wide receiver Cyrus Allen, and linebacker Jeffrey Bossa. Still missing was right guard Trey Smith with a hip injury. Linebacker Drew Trankel with a back injury and defensive back, Legerius Sneed, has yet to be on the field in full duty. This week I'm focusing on players who need to take the next step forward to your guys in their career to get the Chiefs back to a division title and to get Kansas City back to back. being a Super Bowl contender. Today here in Andover, I'm going to bring up Xavier Worthy. As mentioned, Worthy got back on the field yesterday after an August 1 re-injury of his shoulder, X injured it diving for a deep ball from Patrick Mahomes. Now, Worthy originally injured the shoulder last year in week one, in Brazil against the chargers when he collided with Travis Kelsey. It was problematic all last year, and he got some surgery on it in the off-season. Now, in two years, Worthy has 101 catches and seven touchdowns. But now, even though it's Worthy's third year, he's still one of the elder statesmen in a very, very young wide receiver room. Plus, Worthy is working on being more consistent as a wide receiver. Feel like a veteran? More like like the old veteran now in the wide receiver corps? Yeah, I'm kind of feeling like a vet now, man. But it's cool just to have guys that's asking those questions. I was a guy asking those questions, and I feel honored to be able to help the younger guys and obviously be a lesson for them and helped them. When you backed up this year and looked at...

your game saying, I need to do these things better. What have you made a priority? Play every play 100%. Obviously be stronger at the point of contact. Obviously with this offseason, I mean, Andrew last year, it was getting that shoulder back and obviously being able to do the things that I couldn't do last year, which was limited by the shoulder. So I just want to be able to get better as the overall receiver and route running included. The Chief Kingdom knows that Worthy is one of the fastest players in the NFL. But this year, Worthy has to prove. Worthy to be the wide receiver that Patrick Mahomes can trust on third and long to make the tough catch for a first down. Tomorrow I'll be back in St. Joseph, but as for now, I'm with the outstanding people in front of me of U.S.D. 385, the Andover School District. Reporting, I'm Mitch Holtis, Voice of the Chiefs. Thank you, Mitch. We'll be checking in with Mitch again tomorrow morning. And, of course, today that was brought to you by Credit Union of America. Do you have a little bit of sports for you? Sports brought to you by SertaPro painters. Schedule your free estimate online at SertaPro.com. We do have minor league baseball at home this week. Only three home series left for the Wichita Winsurge. And this week is one of them. The Windsorge hosting the AA affiliate of the Houston Astros, making their only visit into town this season, the Corpus Christi Hooks. For the next six days at Equity Bank Park downtown. 635 is game time tonight for the Wichita Wind Surge, who have won six of their last seven home games. So playing well at home. Let's see if we can keep that going this week for the Wind Surge downtown. And the Kansas City Royals lost 6 to 5 at Dodgers Stadium last night against the first place Dodgers. Six to five was the final score. The Royals have dropped four of their last five. Visiting the Dodgers late night with the Royals and the Dodgers. Live coverage at 830 this evening. And that is over on 975 and 1240 KFH. Sports. Brought to you by Wichita Brewing Company, now featuring Kalamancey Creamsickle. This vibrant summer sour brings a wave of exotic calamansi and juicy tangerine, while the finish smooths into a sea of tropical velvet, thanks to a delicate dose of real coconut cream. WBC, pizza and beer made here. 823 with Woodward and Witt. Traffic and weather update is next, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani praised in Florida. We'll find out what that's all about on the Sean Hannity Morning Minute. Next on KNSSS.

987 and 1330 KNSSS. Good morning. It is 831. Ted Woodward and John Whitmire with you here on this Tuesday, August 11th. Currently in Wichita, it is mostly sunny and 81 degrees here on this Tuesday morning. Today, Wichita marks 50 years since the deadly shooting rampage by a sniper atop the Holiday Inn Plaza Hotel downtown on Douglas. At the time, that was the tallest building in the state. He was on a drizzly Wednesday afternoon, August 11, 1976. 19-year-old Michael Soles of Oklahoma, distraught over the loss of his job, a broken relationship with his girlfriend as well, made his way up to the 26th floor. He was armed with two rifles, and he began firing at victims on the streets below. That shooting spree lasted for 11 minutes. Former longtime KNSS News host, Steve McIntosh, was on the scene that day, downtown, providing live radio coverage. It was a situation of terrifying. Well, it was just terrifying. It's the only way you can put it. A lot of people in the buildings down there. We heard the shots and they were taking cover. We saw a bunch of bystanders down in front of the Fox Theater down on Water Street. That's where one or two of the victims were. There was, I understand, one up on Douglas or more up on Douglas Street. This news reporter shot in his car through the chest. He was in his car for about 15 minutes in the middle of the street. And, of course, with all that sniper fire, the police couldn't get over and get to him, and he was dead. Three men were killed that day, lone officer Mark Phelan, freelance photographer Joe Gulart, who was covering the shooting, and Glass Company employee Elmer Hensley. Multiple others were wounded. Responding law enforcement officers were able to make their way to the top of the hotel and shot souls, taking him into custody at the end of the siege. Souls remains incarcerated on multiple convictions of first-degree murder. He's currently being held in Winfield. Today is National 8-1-1 Day, and as home improvement projects continue during the summer, Kansas Gas Service is reminding homeowners to call 8-1-1 before digging in order to help prevent damage to underground utility lines. Or in the case of the Gretchen Whitmer household, call a handyman because the wife doesn't let me get near any home improvement projects. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, calling 811 before digging gives homeowners a 99% chance of avoiding damage to underground utility lines. Sean Engstrom, operations director for Kansas Gas Service, said even small projects can pose a risk if homeowners don't know what's below the surface. While you're working your home project, the last thing you want to do is damage in underground pipeline. Engstrom says homeowners should call 811 before projects, no matter how small they may seem. Whether you're... installing a tree in your yard, whether you're repairing your, maybe it's your mailbox or building a new fence. Call 811. It helps keep the community safe and protect what's underground. National 811 Day was brought about to raise awareness about the importance of contacting 811 before getting started with any digging projects. Phil Hildebrand, KMSS News.

Mayor Lily Woo says she's excited about tonight's national night out activities in Wichita neighborhoods. I encourage you, even if you didn't sign up for one of the neighborhood nightouts, gather with your neighbors, go and chat with the neighbor that you haven't met yet in your own neighborhood. It is an opportunity just to get to know one another and connect and also know that the school year is about to start. So it does take a village. to make sure that kiddos are doing well. They're walking to school or getting picked up at the bus station. So just make sure that we're being good neighbors. Mayor Wu appeared yesterday on Mondays with the mayor on Woodward and Whitt on KNSSS. Summer nights getting a little more spectacular between this summer's solar eclipse to the Perseid meteor showers. The Perseid meteor shower is about to put on one of this year's best celestial fireworks displays, peaking Wednesday night into Thursday morning. At its peak, you can see 50 to 100 meteors an hour under dark skies. The Perseids are especially popular. They're bright. Fast and leave glowing trails. No telescope needed. Find a dark spot, get comfy, and give your eyes 20 minutes to adjust. Then watch the sky, especially toward the northeast for those big, bright streaks. The best part? Nature's fireworks are free. Roxanne Evans, Fox News. The longstanding question of what makes a woman, a woman, is plaguing the WNBA. as former NBA players are signing up for the Women's League draft. Former NBA player, Innes Cantor Frieda, making it official submitting a letter declaring for the 2027 WNBA draft, challenging the league over who qualifies to play. If simply declaring who you are is all that's required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WMBA. Former NBA player and Minnesota Senate candidate Royce White also says he wants his shot at playing in the WMBA, posting this photo of himself in a wig with the hashtag letter play. The WMBA says only women are eligible to play but doesn't define what constitutes a woman. Now pressure is building on the league to clarify exactly who can play. That was Fox's Brooke Taylor with that story from Dallas. It's 850 with Ted Woodward and John Whitmire on 987 and 1330 KNSS. Our Wichita Business Journal updates coming up. Now it's time for three big things. Three. Global shipping traffic has dropped sharply after Iran rejects the New Deal mediated by Oman. Two. Analysts predict that the highly competitive U.S. Senate race between Marshall and Hamilton is... likely to consume more than $50 million in total campaign spending. Two people remain in extremely critical condition after a late-night house fire on Savannah Street in West Wichita. That's three big things with Woodward and Witt on 987 and 1330 KNSS. Let's get a final traffic update with Chad Chambers. And this morning we've got something slowing down now, so this is an area you'll want to avoid.

It is eastbound K-96, and it's just after you get off of high 135. Got a lot of traffic there in that construction zone, and it's moving very slowly. Traffic update from 987 and 1330 KNSSS, the Accident Recovery Team Traffic Center. I'm Chad Chambers. Hot and breezy today with a high of 104 degrees. Tonight, mostly clear and warm, low of 78 degrees. Tomorrow, dangerously hot again with... the sunny and breezy throughout the day and a high of 104 degrees. Right now in Wichita, it is clear and 81 degrees at Wichita's Severe Weather Station, 98, 7 and 1330, KNS. Two hours of the Glenn Beck program comes up after our program. We've got Gleene Beck from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. every weekday here on KNSS. Stock market is open for the day. Still trying to figure some things out, it looks like. The NASDAQ is down a little. The Dow is up a little. Got things going on the stock market. Now it is time for a local business update. Let's find out what's going on with editor Kirk Semenoff from the Wichita Business Journal. Good morning, Kirk. Good morning, Ted. Developers of two proposed solar farms in Southern Sedgwick County that were denied permits last week by the County Commission. Tell the Business Journal, they are reevaluating what's next. The Galena Solar and Banch Line Solar Projects. Total about 750 million in planned investment and would have added hundreds of megawatts of power generation, but both went down on 4-1 votes after residents raised concerns about the impact on nearby properties in rural areas. The developers can come back in six months with revised plans or 12 months with the same plans. Those votes marked the third major utility scale solar projects turned down by the county in the past two years. While Textron Aviation's parent company CEO recently cited workforce and experience in manufacturing and efficiencies, the company was putting together about $24.5 million in upgrades to its east and west Wichita facilities, according to a business journal analysis. The projects include roadway improvements, hangar upgrades, lighting replacements, and production infrastructure projects. investment is a $16 million reconstruction of the Greenwich Road corridor at the company's East Campus, along with security, drainage, and access improvements. The company says the projects are intended to modernize facilities and support innovation and manufacturing and efficiency for Wichita's 11,000-person workforce. And gentlemen, in honor of a public service announcement running on your air currently, I have a new sign-off I would like to try today. Local breaking business news every day on KNSSN.S and at Wichitaub Business Journal.com. I'm Kirk Seminoff. I'd rather listen to you than the other. I'll take it, actually. That sounds better, so we're happy to have you on any day, every day. There we go. Kirk might have put more preparation into his bit than the Kansas Highway Patrol did.

Come on now. Ah, come on now. Hey, you know, we've been talking this morning. Today is the 50th anniversary of the sniper shooting in downtown Wichita. Terrible day in Wichita history. Kirk, where were you that day? Nine-year-old Kirk Seminoff was, I guess, getting ready to go back to school with one more trip to Lamont Speedway at Town East Square, you know, where the arcades were. Huge arcade in Town East. And I remember, I remember whatever radio station was playing, maybe K-U-Y-N was playing over the pinball machines and whatever games were going, and they broke in with... reports of gunfire at the Holiday Inn downtown. And I'm a stupid nine-year-old, so I remember thinking, could a sniper's bullets reach town east from downtown? I later learned, no, they can't. When you're nine, a lot of things, that's where I was. Yeah. Where were you guys? My family, we were on vacation. We were in Des Moines. And the next morning, we were in the lobby at the Holiday Inn, and there's a stack of newspapers there, the Des Moines Register, and I looked, and there's a cute picture of the Holiday Inn on the front, and I told my dad, I said, that looks just like the Holiday Inn in Wichita. Of course, my dad picked up the newspaper, and the headline had what happened yesterday. So I learned about it when I was in Des Moines, seeing a newspaper. All right, that is... Woodward and Witt on this Tuesday, John, thank you. Thank you, Ted. Thank you, Chad. And stay cool out there, folks. Oh, yes. Yeah, much so. Woodward and Witt, 98, 7 and 1330, KNS, Wichita.