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KS - June 17 2025

Winds Destroy Statue; Second Storm Approaches; Kansas COVID Fraud; Mob Underboss Dies; Thunder Take Series Lead, 3-2

Greg Loving

17 Jun 2025 • 4 min read

101-MPH Winds Destroy Iconic McPherson Statue, Slam Wichita Area

NWS Upgrades Central Kansas to Moderate Risk as Second Storm Wave Approaches

Kansas Recovers Just 2.4% of $460 Million in Pandemic Unemployment Fraud

Reputed Kansas City Mob Underboss Peter Simone Dies at 79

Thunder's Williams Explodes for 40 as OKC Takes Command of Finals

1. 101-MPH Winds Destroy Iconic McPherson Statue, Slam Wichita Area

A severe storm system that tore through Kansas early Tuesday generated 101-mph winds at Wichita's Eisenhower Airport at 4:22 a.m. and appears to have toppled McPherson's iconic 28-foot chimney sweep statue, ending an era for one of the state's most beloved roadside landmarks. The fiberglass giant that stood between mileposts 56 and 57 for more than 20 years was discovered flat on his back with mangled legs and his signature chimney brush shattered around him, while in Wichita the powerful winds knocked out power to more than 45,000 homes and businesses. Evergy officials warned residents statewide to prepare for another round of severe storms expected Tuesday afternoon and evening, potentially compounding damage from the morning's destructive weather that damaged vehicles, toppled trees and battered buildings throughout central Kansas.

CJOnline

2. NWS Upgrades Central Kansas to Moderate Risk as Second Storm Wave Approaches

The National Weather Service elevated central and south-central Kansas to a Moderate Risk for severe weather, warning that scattered to numerous severe storms will develop after 3 p.m. and continue through early Wednesday. The update from NWS Wichita forecasts damaging winds up to 80 mph, tennis ball-sized hail, a few tornadoes and flooding from heavy rainfall, with meteorologists expressing high confidence that the strongest storms will impact areas from Hutchinson and Pratt east through Wichita to Winfield.

NWS

3. Kansas Recovers Just 2.4% of $460 Million in Pandemic Unemployment Fraud

Kansas has recovered only $11 million of the $460 million stolen through fraudulent unemployment claims during the COVID-19 pandemic, Labor Secretary Amber Shultz told legislators at a June 10 hearing, calling the massive fraud an "extremely stressful and unfortunate part of our agency's history." Of the total losses, $292 million came from state funds and $168 million from federal programs, with recovery efforts hampered by the labor department's limited investigative powers and reliance on banks and law enforcement to track down the stolen money.

Kansas Reflector

4. Reputed Kansas City Mob Underboss Peter Simone Dies at 79

Peter Simone, identified by federal prosecutors in 1992 as the man who ran much of the Kansas City mafia's day-to-day operations, died Thursday after battling lung cancer, just days before his 80th birthday. The Rockhurst High School graduate and 50-year Royals season ticket holder was labeled an underboss of the Kansas City Outfit by the FBI in congressional testimony in 1988, though his obituary remembered him as a devoted family man.

Kansas City Star

5. Thunder's Williams Explodes for 40 as OKC Takes Command of Finals

Jalen Williams delivered a playoff career-high 40 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers 120-109 in Monday's crucial Game 5, moving the Thunder within one victory of the NBA championship, leading the series 3-2. The third-team All-NBA forward's explosive performance helped OKC withstand another trademark Pacers comeback attempt and seize control of the series.

The Athletic

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McPherson / Lindsborg

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