Heavy storms and tornadoes swept through Kansas, causing damage in rural areas and flash flooding. The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for several counties in Kansas on Thursday afternoon through Thursday evening.

The Wichita Eagle reports that a dozen tornadoes were reported around Kansas by Thursday evening, including one that touched down briefly in Cowley County. No damage or injuries were reported there.

In Saline County in central Kansas, a dispatcher said there were unconfirmed reports of a tornado and damage to structures in rural areas, but no injuries.

In southeast Kansas, the Woodson County Sheriff’s Department said there was considerable flash flooding throughout the county.

Severe storms dropped penny-sized hail and produced 55 mile-per-hour winds in areas of northeastern Kansas.

(Staff and wire reports)

President Barack Obama is cutting short the sentences of 102 federal inmates as part of his ongoing push to grant clemency during his final months in office. Three inmates from Missouri and two from Kansas are among those who will see their sentences shortened. Four Iowa men and a woman from Nebraska will also see their sentences commuted.

Almost all of those receiving commutations were convicted of drug-related offenses. Most are considered nonviolent offenders, although some were convicted of firearms charges in connection with drug crimes. Many of the recipients had been serving life sentences.

But Obama isn’t setting them all free right away. Many of those receiving commutations will see their sentences end in October 2018, almost two years into the next president’s term.

The latest round brings to 774 the number of sentences Obama has commuted, including 590 this year. The White House says it’s more than the previous 11 presidents put together.

Here are the commutations from our area listed on the Justice Department’s Web site (click here)
Lemond Carmickel – St. Louis, MO
Offense: Possession with the intent to distribute cocaine; Eastern District of Missouri
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; eight years’ supervised release (February 25, 2000)

Marc Collins – St. Louis, MO
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base (mixture); Southern District of Indiana
Sentence: 210 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release; $1,000 fine (March 4, 2008)

Leroy Fondren, Jr. – Kansas City, KS
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; use of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime; District of Kansas
Sentence: 180 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (March 26, 2007)

Lavelle Henderson – Topeka, KS
Offense: Continuing criminal enterprise; money laundering; District of Kansas
Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (November 22, 2002)

Lincoln Cardell Henderson – Kansas City, MO
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of “crack” cocaine; possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of “crack” cocaine; Western District of Missouri
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (August 31, 2004)

Maria Conchita Marino – West Point, NE
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; Southern District of Iowa
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (February 29, 2008)

Michael Jay Bertram – Dumont, IA
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute a mixture of methamphetamine containing more than 50 grams of pure methamphetamine after having been previously convicted of a felony drug offense; Northern District of Iowa
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (February 23, 2011)

Nicholas Jolise Deering – Des Moines, IA
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of cocaine base; Southern District of Iowa
Sentence: 223 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (June 29, 2010)

Rodger Lee Moran – Des Moines, IA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute at least 50 grams of actual methamphetamine; Southern District of Iowa
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (June 25, 2009)

Kenny Siepker – Carroll, IA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine mixture; unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine while on pretrial release; Northern District of Iowa
Sentence: 372 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (October 11, 2002)

(Staff and wire reports)

A 25-year-old man from Humphreys, Missouri was injured when his ATV hit a deer in the roadway.

A crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol says Spencer Ferguson was driving along Rock Road northeast of Humphreys at about 6:30 last night when his ATV hit a deer. Ferguson was ejected.

He was taken to Wright Memorial Hospital in Trenton for treatment of moderate injuries.

(Missourinet) – Relief is on the way for travelers of an iconic and busy mid-Missouri bridge. The westbound lanes of the Missouri River Bridge in Jefferson City will reopen in mid-November after lengthy construction delays.

What started off as a painting and maintenance project at the start of May became more involved when extensive rust was discovered on the structure. Even with crew working around the clock, the initial mid-August scheduled reopening was scrapped, as was an October 15th deadline.

The Missouri Department of Transportation was further pressured when, during the past couple of months, frequent bridge travelers became concerned when crews hadn’t been seen working around the clock to repair it.

MoDOT’s Patty Lemongelli says workers were actually on the job 24-hours day, but weren’t visible because they were dispatched to the structures underbelly. And she says they’ve recently stopped working all night. “With the cooler fall temperatures, and with the humidity levels around the river, it just doesn’t lend itself to painting the structure. We’re also in the area of working on the bridge over the railroad. Those hours are restricted as well, where night work cannot be done because we have to have a flagman out there on the railroad.”

MoDOT personnel now say they’re confident the work will be complete, and the structure open, by November 14th. Lemongelli says the company working on the span, Saffo Contractors of Wilmington, North Carolina, will be penalized if the deadline’s not met. “It’s now in the contract. And if they exceed that, then they go into liquidated damages.”

MoDOT Central District Engineer David Silvester says he’s pleased with the company’s work. “Saffo is providing a quality product at a very reasonable price. This investment will allow us to get another 20-30 years of service out of the bridge. Without routine maintenance, we’d eventually have to replace the bridge at an estimated cost of $100 million. That’s money we certainly don’t have.”

The westbound bridge was built in 1955 and carries about 28,000 vehicles a day. The eastbound side was built in 1990. Lemongelli says it’s not in need of immediate repair. She stressed crews will not be setting up on that structure after the westbound side is complete, which has been common misconception in the public.