Meridian

A Wichita woman wakes to an unwelcomed guest. There was a strange man inside of her house just before 4 this morning. The man was in the hallway just outside her bedroom door.  She called 911.  By the time emergency responders arrived at the house near Kellogg and Meridian, they found the man going through a dresser. Police say he had jewelry in his pockets. The man was arrested, and no one was injured. 

Wichita police are looking for clues after thieves broke into an abandoned grocery store and made made off with $10,000 worth of copper refrigerant tubing. Police say thieves broke open a basement door of the old Dillons at Douglas and Meridian and removed hundreds of feet of copper tubing. It's unclear exactly when the crime occurred, but the theft was reported to police around 10:00 p.m. Wednesday. "This is a crime of opportunity," said WPD Lt. Doug Nolte.  "Some of these larger vacant commercial properties are very attractive targets.

FIREWORK SHOWS FOR THE 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND June 30th to July 4th  Make this 4th of July weekend special by attending one of the many firework shows in Wichita and surrounding areas. Events for this year’s Independence Day include music, food, games, competitions, parades, swimming, and of course, fireworks! Make sure to check the dates for each event. This year’s 4th of July falls on a Monday, but there are some firework shows taking place on Saturday and/or Sunday.

Wichita Police have identified the two people found dead in an apparent murder-suicide as 20-year-old Brittany Linton and 21-year-old Zachery McGowan. Both Linton and McGowan were found dead of gunshot wounds Wednesday at their apartment at 31st St. S. and Meridian. Investigators say it appears that McGowan shot Linton, then shot himself. Police say a gun was recovered at the scene. Investigators say a 25-year-old man was at the home at the time, but did not hear a gunshot.

Firefighters still don't know what caused a fire that destroyed a house under renovation near 53rd Street North and Meridian. The fire marshal says the damage to both the ceilings and the floors is so bad investigators are having a tough time getting inside the building safely. No one was home.  Investigators estimate damage at $300,000 . ---------- Investigators will go back to the scene of an overnight fire in Wichita when the sun comes up. They want to know how much damage was done and will try to pinpoint where the fire started.

There are only two in the country and Wichita is home to one of them. This week, a new energy efficient Wal-Mart opens in northern Wichita. Dubbed the "HE.2," the building uses 25 percent less energy than a typical Wal-Mart Supercenter. Highlights of the design include:    -Dozens of skylights -Lights that automatically dim when sun shines through -Circulating water that is used to heat and cool the building.  The same system is used in the coolers reducing refrigerant use by up to 90 percent.

Wichita city crews begin picking up tree debris from areas hardest hit by last Wednesday's storms.   Crews are focusing on the area bounded by 31st Street South, Meridian and the south and east city limits. Crews will not make repeat trips after passing through a neighborhood. Tree limbs must be cut into four-foot lengths and placed at the curb. Crews will not pick up roof, fence, patio furniture or other materials, and will not sort tree limbs from piles with construction debris.

A second car fire leads to four arrests in connection with a burned police car. Wichita police say Saturday morning around 2:30 emergency crews found a stolen car that had been burned at Osage Park, near 31st St. S. and Meridian. As officers investigated, they put together clues and found connections to an earlier fire that destroyed a squad car. The squad car was burned outside an officers home in early April. Investigators say the fire caused about $36,000 in damage. Clues from the second fire led police to arrest an 18-year-old man, a 17-year-old boy, a 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl over the weekend.

A man is robbed at gunpoint after he's told to bring money to a gas station to buy rims for his car. The man showed up to the gas station on the 800-block of South Meridian with $600 in his pocket. When he and his friend met the person they were supposed to buy the rims from a gun was pulled on them. The thief took the money and left in a newer Pontiac G6. He has a scruffy beard and tattoos on his arms. If you have any information on this incident you're asked to call police.

By Kara Sewell (HAYSVILLE, Kan.) Passing by, it looks like typical construction.  But all the dirt and digging on South Meridian is actually a makeover. Not on the road but the ditch alongside the road. Map of Ditch Area The ditch is supposed to drain water from retention ponds in the area but it's filled with tree limbs and debris preventing water from getting through. After heavy rains in April, some residents in the area experienced flooding because the ditch was clogged.