Wichita

It finally came, after waiting for two weeks. Rain. "I'm glad we're having it," said Peggy Norman. "I'm not excited about the cool weather because then that means winter's coming. " Even though only an estimated half inch of rain fell, drivers were running their windshield wipers and people had to get their umberellas open as well. The rain started falling around two in the afternoon, and when it stopped, a double rainbow appeared.

The Wichita Thunder ended the 2010 calendar year with a 4-1 win over the Rapid City Rush at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center on Friday night. Four different Thunder players accounted for the goals, while Marc-Antoine Gelinas had his third consecutive strong outing to earn the win. The Thunder used two power play goals to take a 2-0 lead after the first period. Jesse Bennefield beat Rush goaltender Danny Battochio through the five-hole at 9:06 during a Thunder two-man advantage.

The Wichita Thunder lost 4-3 to the Texas Brahmas at the INTRUST Bank Arena on Friday night. Mick Lawrence snapped a 3-3 tie at 13:37 in the third period to provide the final margin. Wichita had several opportunities with an extra attacker in the final 1:43, but Brahmas' goaltender Wayne Savage prevented the Thunder from tying the game. Trailing 3-2 after two periods, Lance Galbraith tied the game at 6:40 in the third, winning a scrum in front of the net. It was the third time Wichita battled back to even the contest.

The Wichita Wingnuts lost 7-3 to the Sioux City Explorers at Lewis and Clark Park on Friday night. The Wingnuts committed three errors, leading to six unearned runs in the defeat while leaving 12 runners on base. Tied 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh, the Explorers scored five unearned runs to put the game away.  Tim Alberts drew a leadoff walk against Wingnuts' starter Sean Teague, but was forced out at second on a sacrifice attempt by Derek Schermerhorn.  Javier Brown dribbled a single through the left side of the infield to move Schermerhorn to third.

A Wichita neighborhood is celebrating their low crime rate. Members of the Fabrique Neighborhood Association dedicated a stone marker today. It's in the middle of a park the community built this year. The organization has worked with police to identify problem houses in the neighborhood as well. They even worked to sell vacant homes. The neighborhood association hopes to expand the park next year.

A Wichita man is stabbed on the sidewalk Sunday morning. He told police a man walked past him in the 1100 block of North Emporia. That man then turned around and tried to tackle him from behind. The man then pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the elbow. The victim walked to hospital, where he received three stiches. Police are still looking for his attacker.

Wichita police shoot and kill a dog that had gotten loose and attacked someone. Police spokesman Doug Nolte says someone was walking a rottweiller when it got loose and attacked a pedestrian, who is a local TV photojournalist. Nolte says officers shot and killed the dog.  The victim was treated for injuries and is okay. Last year, Nolte says police shot and killed 23 animals. That number includes situations like roadkill that didn't die.  

Gas prices jumped to $2.79 in Wichita overnight.  That's 10-15 cents higher than Monday. And, here is the rest of the story.

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.