LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — Some people may wonder — why didn’t Miss Utah just say something about world peace? It’s the stereotypical answer everyone associates with pageants, after all.

The newly-crowned Miss Kansas 2013, who’ll be competing in Miss America in September, is all about breaking stereotypes to set the record straight on so-called pageant girls.

She looks the part of a pageant queen, and she even sounds like one in her operatic performance. While Miss Kansas, 22-year-old Theresa Vail, wears the shoes of a pageant queen, she’s really more comfortable in a pair of combat boots.

“I’ve always wanted to be in the military, and I had the privilege of doing that when I was 17,” Theresa explained.

Theresa’s in the Kansas Army National Guard where she’s currently serving as a dental technician.

“Nobody expects a soldier to be a beauty queen,” she said.

Well yesterday afternoon was impressive, and when I wrote the blog in the early afternoon, there wasn’t a lot going on except for a small cluster of storms in far SE KS and NE OK. I was struggling to figure how things were going to play out…about 1 hr afterwards though that small cluster of storms enlarged, organized and roared to the NE with heavy rain/strong winds and some flooding. Wind reports were 55-70 MPH or so, with a higher gust off near Centerview, MO (75 MPH). It was impressive. Here is a look at the various reports of severe weather that occurred yesterday.

KANSAS CITY, MO — 1. JACK THE GIANT SLAYER