MOORE, Okla. (AP) – Rescue crews are working through the night after a monstrous tornado barreled through the Oklahoma City suburbs, demolishing an elementary school and reducing homes to piles of splintered wood.

The state medical examiner’s office has revised the death toll from a tornado in an Oklahoma City suburb to 24 people, including seven children. Spokeswoman Amy Elliot said Tuesday morning that she believes some victims were counted twice in the early chaos of the storm. Authorities said initially that as many as 51 people were dead, including 20 children.

The center of the devastation is in Moore, a community of 41,000 people 10 miles south of Oklahoma City.

More than 120 people were being treated at hospitals, including about 50 children. Amy Elliott, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office, said Tuesday that there could be as many as 40 more fatalities from Monday’s tornado.

Parents and guardians of children whose elementary schools were damaged in the deadly tornado that ripped through the Oklahoma City area are hoping for happy reunions.

Many parents seeking their children gathered at a suburban church, listening intently as someone with a bullhorn called out the names of children who were being dropped off. For many families, the ordeal ended in tears of joy. Others were left to wait in the darkness, hoping for good news while fearing the worst.

President Barack Obama will be meeting with his disaster response team, including Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, on Tuesday before delivering a statement on the devastating tornado that tore through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday.

Obama has declared a major disaster in Oklahoma, ordering federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts. The president also spoke Monday with Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and Rep. Tom Cole, whose home is in the heavily damaged town of Moore.

The White House says Obama told Cole that the American people stand behind Oklahomans as they recover from the disaster.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Craig Fugate is heading to Oklahoma on Tuesday to ensure that federal resources are being properly deployed.

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SIOUX FALLS – On Monday at about 3:00 p.m. a tanker truck driver was cited with careless driving after his vehicle rolled over, spilling its load.

The tanker was carrying over 10,000 gallons of fuel when the driver took a corner too sharp, which caused the trailer to go into a ditch and flip over. Fuel leaked out of 4 of the truck’s compartments.

Numerous crews, including 5 fire trucks and 2 hazmat trucks were able to contain the fuel spill. Ellis Road was closed between 12th St and Maple St for over 6 hours while crews worked to clean up the accident.

The driver was not injured in the accident and no other vehicles were involved.

SIOUX FALLS – On Monday at approximately 10:30 a.m., Sioux Falls Fire Rescue responded to Fudruckers located at 3101 W. 41st St. on a report of a structure fire.

First arriving crews reported heavy black smoke and fire coming from the trash room on the east side of the structure. The fire was under control in less than five minutes.

Crews remained on scene for approximately three hours to check for fire extension on all sides of the fire room and remove smoke from the structure. There were no civilian or firefighter injuries.

Sioux Falls Fire Rescue responded with 4 fire trucks, two support vehicles, and 18 firefighters.  The building did not have a sprinkler system.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

SIOUX FALLS – Monday evening in the 1200 block of North Minnesota Avenue a woman and her 2-year-old daughter were struck by car after the child ran into the street.

According to authorities the little girl ran out into the northbound lanes of N. Minnesota Avenue, followed closely by her mother trying to catch her. The child and her mother were struck by a northbound vehicle.

The mother and child received non-life threatening injuries and were transported to the hospital.

The occupants of the vehicle were not injured as a result of this crash.

No citations were issued and alcohol was not a factor.

As many of my journeys are wont to do, it began spontaneously, in error, and late. When I heard that my youngest son’s daycare was taking a trip to the circus, I was disappointed that he would miss it, since he would be home with me that day. Unbeknownst to me, his teacher slipped two comp tickets in his diaper bag.

I found the tickets at 11:45 and saw that it was the El Riad Shrine Circus. Remembering that their location is close by, I decided to walk the little guy over there in his stroller. I set off at 12:20, fully expecting an hour or so of a circus for babies; clowns, trained poodles, hulahoop tricks and what not.

What I found when I got there was a reminder on their marquee that tickets were only available at the arena. It was then that I realized that this was going to be a real circus.

Driving to the arena wasn’t an option, because my wife had our car for the day. Remembering that the city bus terminal was just a few blocks away, I headed there. The arena is a popular destination, right? Surely I could get on a bus and still make the show, albeit a little late.

The next bus for the arena left at 1:45. Another route that would have put me at 12th and Western, still quite a hoof from the arena, didn’t leave until 1:15. This is a bus system that is wholly unbefitting a city with the size and stature of Sioux Falls. Bus systems are run on taxes though, and you get what you pay for.

It was a beautiful day, and I could get there faster on foot, so I decided to go for it. Walking through Sioux Falls, it struck me that the tree clean-up is going painfully slow. In many cases the downed limbs completely cover the sidewalk, meaning that I had to push the stroller through people’s muddy yards. Also, as a courtesy to others, try to avoid parking in your driveway in a way that blocks the sidewalk. I made it around, but someone in a wheelchair would not have been so lucky.

My son slept through the entire trip. He didn’t miss that much. The highlight of the walk was passing through the city parks, they look great and are ready to go. Spring has finally arrived, and the parks are waiting. Apparently, the city has decided cleaning up the trees there was more important than getting them off the sidewalks.

Given the route that I took, the walk was about 4 miles. I arrived at 1:35, in time for the final act of the first half of the show, and ten minutes before the bus for the arena would have left. On the floor where we sat, I was struck by the number of people in wheel chairs, and the elderly in assisted living groups. Apparently the complimentary tickets went to more than just daycares.

Mind you that these are people who disproportionately make up public transit ridership; at least when said transit system is adequate to a city’s needs. Judging by the number of organizations’ vans in the parking lot, they didn’t take the bus either. Someone unaffiliated with such groups though, would have had to take the bus, likely with a long wait for a transfer, or just skip the circus.

And that would have been a shame. The show was great. I won’t spoil it for you by telling you what I saw, but suffice it to say, it was well worth the effort and the $5 that I spent on concessions and glow-in-the-dark party favors for my toddler son. He was enthralled and sat still through the whole thing, which is saying something. For a minute there, I was a serious candidate for Dad of the Year.

When the show ended, I asked an arena employee where the bus stop was, and she had no idea. I cannot stress this enough; Sioux Falls needs a better public transit system! It would have been a long wait anyway, had I had the heart to circle the arena looking for the stop.

So, inspired by the feats of human achievement I had just witnessed, I mustered up my pluck and set out on foot again for home. At a more leisurely pace and on a more direct route, the 2.5 mile walk home took me 50 minutes and through more city parks.

As many of my journeys are wont to do, it ended with me wanting to go back, more organized next time.

SIOUX FALLS – On April 25, 2013, at approximately 8:00 p.m., Sioux Falls Fire Rescue responded to 4703 West Thad Place for a structure fire.

First-arriving units found smoke and flames coming from a trailer home. Crews forced entry into the home and found a fire in the kitchen area. There was a small amount of fire on the exterior of the home. The fire was under control in approximately five minutes. The home sustained moderate fire and smoke damage.

No residents were at home at the time of the fire. There were no civilian injuries. One firefighter sustained a minor injury.

Sioux Falls Fire Rescue responded with two support vehicles, six fire trucks and twenty six firefighters. The home did not have a residential sprinkler system. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

At approx. 11:30 PM Sunday April 21st, 2013 Sioux Falls Fire Rescue was dispatched to a reported structure fire at W. 16th St. and S. Minnesota Ave.  Fire Rescue received reports of a large fire with possibly eight people in the structure trying to exit.

Fire crews encountered heavy fire inside of the structure along with energized power lines on fire attached to the house causing extensive electrical arcing. The fire had already spread to the second floor and attic area of the structure as crews searched the apartments for victims and attempted to extinguish the fire. Firefighters were eventually forced out of the structure by the intensity of the fire.

The fire was extinguished in approx. 45 minutes.

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation by Sioux Falls Fire Rescue and Sioux Falls Police Department.

The structure suffered severe fire and water damage and did not have a Fire Suppression Sprinkler System.

Sioux Falls Fire Rescue responded with 34 personnel in 7 fire trucks and 6 support vehicles.  Fire crews were assisted at the scene by the Sioux Falls Police Department, Xcel Energy, MidAmerican Energy, Red Cross, and Rural/Metro Ambulance.  Sioux Falls Fire Rescue would like to remind everyone to have a fire evacuation plan and practice it.

UPDATE: A two-vehicle crash on South Dakota Highway 11 near the intersection with Madison Street south of Brandon on Tuesday at around 7:00 p.m sent an entire family to the hospital.

A southbound Chevrolet Cobalt driven by Ryan Kohlmeyer of Brandon crossed into the northbound lane of travel, where it was struck on the passenger side by a northbound Ford Expedition driven by Stacey Williamson of Garretson.

Along with Ryan Kohlmeyer in the Cobalt were his wife Nicole South and their twin daughters Peyton and Jordan Kohlmeyer who are 22 months old. Williamson was the lone occupant of her vehicle.

The twin girls are in critical condition while the parents are in serious condition at a Sioux Falls hospital.  Williamson was treated at the hospital and released.  Williamson was not wearing a seatbelt, while all of the occupants of the Kohlmeyer vehicle were either wearing seatbelts or in child safety seats.  The South Dakota Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate the crash.

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SIOUX FALLS – Five people were injured in a two-vehicle crash on S.D. Highway 11 near the intersection with Madison Street south of Brandon on Tuesday at around 7:00 p.m.

A southbound Chevrolet Cobalt crossed into the northbound lane of travel, where it was struck on the passenger side by a northbound Ford Expedition.

Four people were traveling in the Cobalt. One person was in the Expedition. Extent of injuries is unknown at this time. All five occupants were taken to a Sioux Falls hospital.

No further information is immediately available. The South Dakota Highway Patrol is investigating.

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SIOUX FALLS – On Tuesday at around 11:30 a.m., Sioux Falls Fire Rescue units were dispatched to a reported structure fire in the 2800 W. Costello Rd.

Firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the patio door at the rear of the house.  Upon entry crews encountered heavy smoke and heat in both the basement and main floor of the house.

Crews got the fire under control in about 20 minutes and remained on scene and extinguished hot spots and checked for fire extension over the next two hours.

There were no injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Sioux Falls Fire Rescue responded with 21 personnel in 6 fire trucks, and two support vehicles.  Fire Crews were assisted by Sioux Falls Police, Public Works, Rural Metro Ambulance, Mid American Gas, and the Red Cross.

Sioux Falls Fire would like to remind residents to change the batteries in all smoke detectors twice annually, and check them on a regular basis.

CYPRESS, Texas – A 20-year-old student who told police he had fantasized for years about stabbing people to death went on a rampage with a knife at a suburban Houston community college, hurting more than a dozen people, authorities said.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said that about 11:20 a.m. Tuesday, Dylan Quick began a building-to-building rampage with a razor-like knife at the Lone Star Community College System in Cypress. He wounded at least 14 people.

Neighbors said he was a shy young man who would say hello when he took out the trash and helped his parents tend the yard, though he rarely came out alone.

“I can’t imagine what would have happened to that young man to make him do something like this. He is very normal,” said Magdalena Lopez, 48, who has lived across the street from the Quick family for 15 years.

The Quicks were friendly and fit in well with the other families on the block of brick, ranch-style homes. Most were aware that Quick is deaf. A street sign, “Deaf Child In Area,” was posted on the block to warn drivers.

“I can’t believe he would do it,” Lopez added.

But hours after the stabbing attack, Quick was charged with three counts of aggravated assault, and the statement from the sheriff’s office said pieces of the blade used in the attack were found in at least one victim and at the scene of the attack. A knife handle was found in a backpack Quick was carrying when he was arrested. Authorities were seen leaving Quick’s parents’ home with two brown paper bags.

No one answered the door or the phone at the red brick home, though two vehicles were parked in the driveway, one of them a Honda Accord with a license plate that read “DYLAN.” It was not immediately known if Quick has an attorney.

The attack began before noon on a sunny spring day, interrupting the careless chatter of Diante Cotton and his friends, who were sitting in the cafeteria when a girl clutching her neck walked in, yelling.

“He’s stabbing people, he’s stabbing people,” Cotton said the girl shouted, his first indication that something was amiss on the normally tranquil campus.

Walking outside, Cotton and his friends saw another half-dozen people with injuries to their faces and necks. Some were being loaded into ambulances. The most critically injured were evacuated in medical helicopters.

“I turned around, and there was just blood – just blood dripping down the stairs, all over the floor, all over everyone’s towels, on their necks, just a lot of blood,” Melody Vinton told KHOU-TV.

The attacker ran past Vinton, she said, as she was leaving her chemistry class. He was stabbing people, she said, one after another, always aiming for the neck or face.

“There’s no humanity in that. Just to see another human being do that was more traumatic than anything,” Vinton said.

Vinton and other students in the science building rushed to help the victims until emergency crews arrived.

Michelle Alvarez tried to back away when she saw Quick running toward students. She didn’t even feel it as he swiped her.

“He came running and swinging at my neck, as I tried to get out of the way,” she told the Houston Chronicle.

It remains unclear how long the attack lasted, but Lone Star college officials said they locked down the campus shortly after 11:30 a.m. Students described phones going off informing them of the lockdown. Some stayed in class until they were dismissed. Others went out to the hallways, where they were evacuated to their cars.

Of the 14 people hurt in the attack, five remained in a hospital in good condition Wednesday, including two previously listed as critical, according to Kathryn Klein, a spokeswoman at the Memorial Hermann Texas Trauma Institute.

The sheriff’s office said Quick told them he had fantasized about stabbing people to death since elementary school and had planned the attack for some time.

But Michael Lincoln, who lives next door, said Quick had never been aggressive, making the accusations even more shocking.

“If he’s outside, he speaks to me, `Hey neighbor, how you doing?’” Lincoln said.

Elva Garcia, 46, who lives two houses down from the Quicks, described him as a nice young man who stayed out of trouble and only came outside with his parents. She saw him, she said, just this past weekend, working with his parents in the front yard.

“We can’t even believe it. What motive would he have?” Garcia said.

The attack came three months after a different Lone Star campus was the site of a shooting in which two people were hurt. The suspected gunman in that incident is charged with aggravated assault.

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