The National Weather Service of Topeka has issued a Flash Flood Watch, which remains in effect through Saturday afternoon.

The Flash Flood Watch continues for.

• Portions of East Central Kansas, North Central Kansas and Northeast Kansas, including the following areas, in east central Kansas, Douglas, Franklin, Geary, Lyon, Morris. Osage, Shawnee and Wabaunsee. In North Central Kansas. Clay, cloud, Dickinson, Ottawa, Republic and Washington. In Northeast Kansas, Brown, Jackson, Jefferson, Marshall. Nemaha, Pottawatomie and Riley.
• Through Saturday afternoon.
• Scattered thunderstorms are expected to Re-develop across the area later this evening and persist overnight into early Saturday. Although the storms are not expected to be as widespread as last night any additional rainfall will exacerbate ongoing flooding.
• Area creeks and streams could react very quickly to additional rainfall. Area Rivers will see rises and may exceed flood stage if they have not already.

 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – Kansas State University would furlough 8,720 workers if the state does not reach a budget deal by Sunday.

A university spokesman said Friday that nearly 70 percent of its 12,657 workers would be deemed nonessential and furloughed.

Lawmakers were in the 106th day of their annual session, which was supposed to last 90 days. The state cannot pay salaries for the pay period beginning Sunday because a budget has not been passed for the fiscal year that begins July 1

Kansas State President Kirk Schulz said in a statement that the disruption caused by the potential furlough could have unintended consequences.

Pilots attending the annual National Biplane Fly In at Freeman Field in Junction City have been arriving in the city.

The main public viewing day for the event is  Saturday. There will be a pancake feed by Chris Cakes from 7-10 a.m. to help kick off the day. Admission is $5 per car.

Rick Dykstra captured photos of some of the planes the public will be able to view.

The early Friday morning severe thunderstorm that moved through Junction City damaged a roof at Wilhite Moving and Storage at 225 South Franklin.

The owner, Richard Wilhite, said it uplifted part of the outer roof on the business, tore it off, “and blew it over to the south side of the roof. ” Wilhite added, “It must have been some kind of a microburst and got up right underneath the roof and just peeled it back like an onion.”

There is a second roof underneath the roof that was damaged so there was not any major problem with inside damage at the business.

Wilhite discovered the damage when he arrived at work at the business about 6 a.m. Friday. There is insurance coverage.

The thunderstorm that ripped through the Manhattan and Ogden areas early Friday morning left a lot of damage behind.

Pat Collins, Riley County Emergency Management Director, confirmed for Little Apple Post that in the industrial park by the airport tractor trailers were pushed around and flipped over, a couple of residents were impacted by trees blown over in Ogden, and there were a lot of trees blocking streets with power lines down. At about 11:30 a.m. Friday Collins stated “Right now we’ve got city and county crews out trying to get all the trees out of the road.”

Collins noted there were a lot of tree branches down in the yards of residents. “They’ll need to be responsible for that and get them to the transfer station or wherever they’re going to take them.”Collins added iti s free to take them to the transfer station.

He noted many trees are blocking storm drains. Authorities also watched Wildcat Creek Friday morning for flooding. That creek rose into the action stage, but it later stabilized just above the action stage, and the water level began to recede.

There were no injuries reported in the storm.

Collins did says as of 10 a.m. multiple streets were closed in both Manhattan and Ogden and on a couple of rural county roads because of trees across the roadway. He said wind speeds at the Manhattan Regional Airport were closed at 73 miles per hour, and 65 miles per hour at the Riley County shops just north of Manhattan.

Because of the road and tree damage Riley County officials plan to issue a disaster declaration in anticipation of any other rains and flooding. That would put the county in line for any federal funding assistance that might be available. The disaster declaration will be submitted to Riley County Commission Chairman Ron Wells Friday for his signature, with the intent of keeping the declaration in effect for seven days.

 

MANHATTAN –Police in Riley County assisted Homeland Security, US Postal Service Investigators, and ATF in an execution of a federal search warrant in the 500 block of Fort Riley Boulevard in Manhattan on Friday morning.

John Ham, Public Information Officer for ATF, confirmed a suspect is in custody after federal search warrant and federal arrest warrants were served.

Ham confirmed there is no threat to public safety.

Officials reported additional information would be released next week.

K-State University President Kirk Schulz has released the following statement in regards to the possible furloughs of state employees if the State Legislature does not pass a budget.

 

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“Today many of you will receive notification that you will be officially furloughed beginning Sunday if the state Legislature does not pass a budget.

The current emergency furlough has created a unique situation for our university family. Next week we have hundreds of activities that involve people who count on us, including orientation and enrollment, summer classes, conferences, camps and ongoing research projects. The disruption caused by this furlough can have many unintended consequences for our valued employees and those we serve.

We have the utmost respect for all our employees and value your contributions. Some employees will be able to continue working to maintain crucial functions for next week’s activities. Please do not interpret this immediate need for some employees to remain as any measure of value for those who may be furloughed.

If a budget is passed prior to Sunday, we will make every effort to get the information to you. Aspecial website has been established to provide the current information or you can call 785-532-1565 to hear a recorded message with the latest news. We also will use K-State Todayand social media to make folks aware of any announcements. You can access the special website from the K-State home page also.

Thank you for your patience and all you do for our university.”

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K-State Communications and Marketing also provided the following release in regards to the furloughs.

“As of 7 a.m. Friday, June 5, the Kansas Legislature still has not approved a budget for the next fiscal year, which means furloughs of state employees remain a possibility.

All Kansas State University employees, including student workers, will be notified by noon today if they may be furloughed. If the Legislature passes a budget between the time employees are notified and 11:59 p.m. Saturday, June 6, furloughs will not happen and employees should report to work as normal.

Several channels have been set up to keep employees informed of the status of the furloughs, which may change at any moment:

• Furlough hotline at 785-532-1565.
• https://www.k-state.edu/furloughs.
• https://www.k-state.edu.
• https://www.kansas.gov/employee/.
• K-State’s Twitter account.

The Division of Communications and Marketing also has a furlough FAQ website and isaccepting additional questions.

All faculty and staff who supervise student workers need to inform students if the furlough takes place.”

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The water level at Milford Lake is expected to rise by several feet.

The Corps of Engineers was required to reduce outflow from the lake down to 25 cubic feet per second on Thursday because the Missouri River went above flood stage at Waverly, Missouri. In addition a big influx of water is headed down the Republican River toward Milford Lake.

R. J. Harms, Project Operations Manager for the Corps at Milford Lake said they see about 10,000 cubic feet per second coming in at the Clay Center gate, meaning the Republican River is bringing a lot of water to the reservoir. “The Lake obviously is going to come up quite a bit. ” Harms also added,”We expect since we shut off our releases and we have a huge amount of water coming in that the Lake is going to rise several feet before it’s done.”

The reservoir is currently two feet above normal conservation level, which does not have much impact. But Harms says when it gets five to seven feet high there could be problems with access to some boat ramps, and some roads in campgrounds that might be closed off.

Harms said people need to be aware of the lake level and the trend…which in this case involves a rising water level.

Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism

PRATT–Free Fishing Weekend, hosted by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, is the perfect opportunity to introduce someone to the joys of angling. Typically held the first full weekend in June each year, free fishing weekends are two-day periods when fishing licenses are not required to fish Kansas lakes and reservoirs. Free Fishing Weekend for 2015 is June 6 and 7. Although license requirements are waived for the weekend, anglers must still abide by all other regulations such as length and creel limits, equipment requirements, etc.

If you’re looking for a place to drop a line during Free Fishing Weekend, visit ksoutdoors.com/fishing and click “Where To Fish” for a list of fishing locations near you.

After you’ve found an ideal spot or two, consult the 2015 Kansas Fishing Regulations Summary prior to hitting the water. The summary contains vital information specific to all public waters and even has some handy tips and tricks on tying knots and identifying fish. View an electronic version at ksoutdoors.com/fishing, or pick up a hard-copy at your nearest license vendor.

With the right location, a variety of baits to choose from, and some cooperative weather, Kansas fishing can be a blast. Give it a try; we can bet you’ll be hooked.

Already a believer? Head over to your nearest license vendor, or ksoutdoors.com/fishing, to purchase your 2015 fishing license today and enjoy reeling in these flippery friends all year long. Resident annual fishing licenses can be purchased for $20.50.