Cars

We've heard about the dangers of second hand smoke--now a law in Oregon makes it illegal for drivers to smoke in a car if a child is also in there. Oregon's governor signed the measure into law with week--no lighting up if there's a person under 18 in the car.  Supporters say children shouldn't be harmed by their parents bad decision to smoke.  Critics say, the state shouldn't regulate what drivers do in their own cars. It's a secondary violation, meaning, police can enforce the law only if you're pulled over for a separate violation.

The "Get Motivated" seminar at INTRUST Bank Arena Tuesday was supposed to spur some people to action.  Instead, some just got annoyed. It is designed to motivate people.  "Those things they are all upbeat and positive," said one attendee.  But some people didn't get motivated.  They didn't get in the door. For one nearby business, the seminar motivated it to uphold what the "No Parking" signs say. "I've had two cars I've had to tow," said Lesa Ogden of  Home Safe Heath and Chimney.

Wichita police are looking for suspects who fired shots that damaged two cars late Monday. It happened around 10:15 last night in the 3100 block of S. Davidson.  Police say they found five shell casings in the street. Two cars were struck.  According to police, the cars were parked and no one was in them. Eyewitnesses told police they believe the shooter targeted a certain house which is affiliated with a gang.  No one was home and no one was hurt. Anyone with information is asked to contact CrimeStoppers.

Saturday's car auction at the the 2010 BlackTop Nationals has two new entries. Les Eck is auctioning off two of his classic rides, a '64 Mustang and a '57 Thunderbird (see related photos) . The money raised will go to St. Catherine of Siena's new church on Ridge Road. The auction takes place Saturday at the Century II Convention Hall. The event goes from ten o'clock in the morning until 7:30pm.

"I went to bed, woke up the next morning and the windows were busted out," says Kevin Wedman. Kevin Wedman had his minivan just three days before it was vandalized. "It was the back glass here and it was the side glass here," says Wedman. One-thousand dollars later, Kevin's glass is fixed but he is still unnerved. "They need to catch the guy and it needs to be stopped. why did they break it? what did they get out of it?" says Wedman. Kevin's van is one of fifty-five vehicles hit last Monday and Tuesday night.

From a distance, some homes in Bel Aire look untouched by Sunday's storm.  But Duane Howard of Equity Builders says he's seeing a lot of roofs totaled.  "We're actually seeing breakage of the shingle.  Not just bruising.  But true breakage,” Howard said. We've been showing you pictures of storm damage from the Northeast section of Wichita and Bel Aire… windows, siding, and cars hit by hail. "This is a pretty easy storm for the insurance adjusters to come out and work.  Because the density of the hail and the duration of it, it pretty much got everything it hit,” Howard said.

The Kansas Turnpike Authority had their hands full with a vehicle fire on a car transport semi this morning. A viewer sent us a photo from the incident near Emporia. Emergency crews were called to the fire at around 9:00 this morning.  The Kansas Turnpike Authority says five to eight cars on the trailer were burned. The good news is, no one was hurt and no other vechiles were involved. No word yet on what caused the fire.

The damage isn't permanent, but people in one southwest Wichita neighborhood are still angry. Police say someone wrote on between 20 and 30 vehicles with chalk. Map - Location of Vandalism Sgt. Ken Kimble says the word "tag" was written on the windshields. He says owners should be able to clean them off fairly easily. Kimble doesn't think the word stands for anything in particular. Anyone with information about what happened should contact Wichita police or Crime Stoppers at (316)

Local nonprofit organization, Wichita Children's Home, is one of 500 finalist's in Toyota's 100 Cars for Good program, which will award vehicles to 100 nonprofit organizations based on votes from the public. Toyota's 100 Cars for Good program will showcase five non-profit organizations each day for 100 days on Toyota's Facebook page, facebook.com/Toyota . Visitors to the page can vote once a day for the organization they feel is most deserving of a new Toyota vehicle. Wichita Children's Home is one of five organizations highlighted for voting on Tuesday, July 19, 2011.

A Wichita chiropractic clinic building is hit by cars twice on the same day. The accident happened at Lakewood Chiropractic in the 2400 block of N. Woodlawn. A clinic worker tells Eyewitness News that the damage was not as bad in the second incident, and no one is injured. The cars hit opposite windows in the storefront. Both accidents appear to be caused by drivers hitting the gas instead of the brake pedal. The first happened just after ten Monday morning.

A Wichita teen is sent to the hospital after being hit by a car. Officers were called to Pershing and Bailey around 5:30 Sunday night. They say a 17-year-old girl was run over by a car. She was taken to the hospial in critical condition.

We've heard about the dangers of second hand smoke--now a law in Oregon makes it illegal for drivers to smoke in a car if a child is also in there. Oregon's governor signed the measure into law with week--no lighting up if there's a person under 18 in the car.  Supporters say children shouldn't be harmed by their parents bad decision to smoke.  Critics say, the state shouldn't regulate what drivers do in their own cars. It's a secondary violation, meaning, police can enforce the law only if you're pulled over for a separate violation.

It's often a sticky situation, and a little smelly, in one Wichita neighborhood.  That's because someone's been tossing eggs and other food garbage at homes and cars in the 2000 block of N. McComas for years. It's quiet in the afternoon. The streets and houses are clean.  But in the mornings? "You know, eggs on the cars, on the house, sometimes there's a lot of trash in the streets," said Dianna Rodriguez, who lives there. "We'll have potatoes, apples, oranges, eggs in our yard.

The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office is investigating after a 31-year-old Wichita woman is struck by her own car. It happened in the afternoon on May 24th. Officials say the woman was in the 4900 block of S. Elmhurst to look for her 2011 Dodge Avenger, which was stolen the day before. She found the car, which was occupied by a 21-year-old woman. The victim opened the driver's door and told the driver she wanted her car back. The driver then put the car in gear and backed up, knocking the victim down.

From a distance, some homes in Bel Aire look untouched by Sunday's storm.  But Duane Howard of Equity Builders says he's seeing a lot of roofs totaled.  "We're actually seeing breakage of the shingle.  Not just bruising.  But true breakage,” Howard said. We've been showing you pictures of storm damage from the Northeast section of Wichita and Bel Aire… windows, siding, and cars hit by hail. "This is a pretty easy storm for the insurance adjusters to come out and work.  Because the density of the hail and the duration of it, it pretty much got everything it hit,” Howard said.

A man has died after a pursuit involving the Kansas Highway Patrol. It happened in the eastbound lanes I-70, in Dickinson County, around 8 p.m. Friday. Authorities said the chase began when a trooper tried to stop the driver for a traffic violation, but the man drove away at a high rate of speed. The car drove off the roadway at milepost 284 and hit a cement barrier. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. His name has not been released. The Salina Journal reports the man was a soldier from Fort Riley.

A car that was reported missing from Salina late last week has been found submerged in Mulberry Creek. Saline County authorities say the car disappeared during a rainstorm in the western part of the county on Thursday. The car was found late Saturday about 3/4 of a mile away. The Sheriff tells our news partners at the Salina Journal that the 2008 Chevy Malibu had damage that indicated it had rolled and tumbled as it was washed away during the heavy rain. The owner says the car got stuck in a muddy driveway late Thursday.

Wichita police say a crash Friday morning could have been much worse.  A woman loses control of her car, crashes through a fence and into a creek. It happened near Lincoln and Bluffview.  Police say the woman was pulling into a parking stall when she accidentally hit the gas pedal.   Eyewitnesses helped the woman out of her car.   She was not hurt, just shaken up a bit. Police tell us she likely escaped serious injury because she was wearing her seat belt.

Emergency crews responded to a collision involving a train and car in Sumner County.  It happened after 2:30 near Seneca and 40th Avenue near Wellington. Authorities say a person on the scene died, but they say it was a suicide.

A child has been rushed to a Wichita hospital after being hit by a car in rural Butler County. Crews were called to the scene near 170th SW Street and Ohio St. Road around 5:15 p.m. Saturday. That's about 8 miles south of Augusta, and 5 miles northeast of Douglass. Details of the accident are unclear, but we do know the child suffered life-threatening injuries in the accident. Expect more information on air and online as it becomes available.