WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - The Latest on the eclipse in Kansas (all times local):
3:00 p.m.
Clouds parted just in time in downtown Topeka for many people to catch a glimpse of the solar eclipse as it reached its peak of 99 percent.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that about 200 people at a watch part on the parking lot of the library got a look for about 30 seconds through a thin sheen of clouds. People cheered as a small portion of the sun could be seen when the clouds separated.
Light rain pelted employees on the rooftop of the Westar Energy in downtown Topeka as they waited for the eclipse’s peak. Employees were able to spot the sun for a fleeting few seconds.
The skies were clearer in the Wichita area where people could see a little more than 92 percent of the eclipse.
10:15 a.m.
Students in a northeast Kansas school district will get to watch the eclipse after all.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports that concerns were raised about the safety of the viewing glasses that the Eudora Schools Foundation and Eudora Elementary PTO had purchased months in advance so all district students could watch the eclipse. The district said Friday that the glasses were believed to be counterfeit.
But Eudora Superintendent Steve Splichal released a statement Sunday reporting all the sunglasses had been tested by a certified laboratory professional and found to exceed safety standards for eclipse viewing. The glasses were then individually inspected for defects.
Splichal wrote that two donors also provided more sunglasses from verified sources. The district now has enough sunglasses for all students.
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9:50 a.m.
Kansas is preparing for the country’s first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse since 1918.
The Wichita Eagle reports that most of Kansas will see only a partial eclipse on Monday. More than 90 percent of the sun will be blocked by the moon in Wichita and most of southeastern, central and northwestern Kansas.
The path of totality is where the moon will completely block the sun’s light. The path will travel diagonally across the U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina. A narrow area of northeastern Kansas lies in the path of totality, including in Atchison, Leavenworth, Hiawatha and Marysville.
The peak of the eclipse will occur shortly after 1 p.m.
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Information from: The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle, https://www.kansas.com
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