Author: Brandon Peoples

Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab was appointed this week to lead the National Association of Secretaries of State. Schwab was sworn in Wednesday at the conclusion of the NASS 2023 Summer Conference in Washington, D.C. He becomes the fifth Kansan to serve as the organization’s president and first since Ron Thornburgh in 2002. His term runs through July of next year. In a statement, Schwab noted he’s “looking forward to working with colleagues as each state prepares for an important election year in 2024.” NASS serves as a resource for states to share ideas and collaborate on election and…

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The nearly 200 transgender people who rushed in recent weeks to change the sex listings on their driver’s licenses created an immediate “public safety concern,” a state-court judge declared Wednesday in keeping in place a ban on those changes. The state agency that issues Kansas driver’s licenses failed Wednesday to persuade District Judge Teresa Watson that she’d made a mistake in imposing the ban two days earlier. Watson’s latest order means that Kansas remains for now one of only a few U.S. states that won’t change transgender people’s licenses to reflect their gender identities. The ban is a…

Pottawatomie County has announced a public hearing will take place next week on potential zoning regulation changes. The hearing is regarding the Unified Development Regulations that govern development and uses permitted on county properties. According to a county news release, most of the changes include typo fixes and clarifications of existing regulations. All of the proposed changes can be found at pottcounty.org/493. The proposed changes are not related to solar farms or rock quarries. County Planner Stephan Metzger says those items are being discussed and debated individually. The public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. July 20 in the Sunflower…

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas is intervening in a lawsuit between Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and the Kansas Department of Revenue, on behalf of five transgender Kansans over an effort to bar changes to gender markers on state issued driver’s licenses. The announcement follows District Judge Teresa Watson’s temporary restraining order blocking Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration from allowing gender marking changes while the case moves forward. Since Jan. 1, more than 500 people have sought to change the gender marking on their licenses. The ACLU contends that Kobach’s lawsuit is discriminatory and unconstitutional. Kobach’s lawsuit says the Kelly…

Kite’s Bar and Grill in Aggieville has closed its doors until after the 4th of July and says in a social media post, food at the popular establishment, won’t be served until the fall. Kite’s will reopen on July 6 at 4 p.m. with bar service only, and will suspend all kitchen services and switch bar hours to 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday until the fall. Owner Scott Sieben tells KMAN in a statement, the decision was a strategic move to ensure the sustainability of the business into the fall. He says they will continue to offer…

Authorities continue to investigate several cases involving fentanyl-related overdoses in Riley County. On Wednesday, leadership from RCPD, the Kansas Highway Patrol and Drug Enforcement Administration gathered at the Riley County Attorney’s Office building to announce four more arrests as part of their ongoing investigation. Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson.. RCPD Director Brian Peete says it highlights the attention the department and its partners are giving to the deadly epidemic. Charges were read against 59-year-old Ronald Ince and 37-year-old Nathan Reeves, both of Manhattan, suspected in an August 2021 fentanyl-related overdose death. A third person charged in that incident remains at…

Kansas will receive over $451 million in federal funds to support broadband expansion across the state. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced the state allocations Monday as part of a roughly $42 billion High Speed Internet grant program to connect areas lacking access to affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service. Sen. Jerry Moran pledged to continue oversight of federal broadband deployment programs. He spoke on the Senate floor earlier this month. Sen. Roger Marshall also spoke on the Senate floor earlier this month about the need for continued broadband expansion into rural areas. He also co-sponsored…

The Riley County Law Board narrowly approved the 2024 Riley County Police Department budget in a 4-3 vote Monday, which includes a 6.5% increase in overall expenditures, while maintaining a 6.5% cost of living adjustment for employees. The $26.6 million budget includes over $1.8 million in added funds, but subtracts over $220,000 from the remaining 50% of a 2-year salary survey implementation, conducted by The Arnold Group in 2023, intended to bring wages to a more competitive rate with neighboring law enforcement agencies. As a result of Monday’s action, just 37% of the remaining survey will be funded in 2024…

The Riley County Police Department says a six-month homicide investigation by detectives led to the arrest of a 32-year-old Manhattan man Friday, in connection to the January murder of 42-year-old Takeera Griffin. Caleb Perry, already jailed on unrelated charges, now faces charges of first-degree murder, criminal use of a financial card and three counts of interference with law enforcement. Investigators were dispatched Jan. 8 to the 1300 block of Flint Hills Place for a welfare check. Arriving officers found Griffin dead in her apartment and Perry on scene. RCPD says Griffin’s death was initially unclear, but an autopsy later determined…

Riley County Police say three people have been taken into custody on Pottawatomie County District Court warrants in connection to the suspected fentanyl-related death of an 18-year-old man at a Manhattan hotel March 11. Those arrested include 19-year-old Noah Baker, of Junction City; 21-year-old McKaine Farr, of Wamego; and 22-year-old Shawn Samuelson, of Manhattan. Each have been charged with distribution of a controlled substance, causing death. The Junction City Police Department and Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the arrests. Samuelson was already confined on unrelated charges. Baker was arrested Thursday, as KMAN previously reported. Police say a subsequent search…