Author: KMAN Staff

WICHITA, Kan. — A civil rights group says a Wichita teacher who posted on Facebook about her concern over school reopening procedures was wrongly disciplined by the district. The Wichita Eagle reports the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas has asked the Wichita school district in a letter to rescind the reprimand. The ACLU says it is defending the teacher’s First Amendment rights. A school district spokesperson says it respects the teacher’s right to publicize views on their own time in a manner consistent with the district’s policies. The teacher had posted the video showing that the thermometer at a…

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TOPEKA, Kan. — A trial has been delayed for the second time for the suspect in the shooting death of a former Washburn University football player and the wounding of another player who went on to play for the New York Giants. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that 19-year-old Francisco A. “Franky” Mendez was scheduled to be tried Oct. 26 in the April 2019 death of Dwane Simmons and the wounding of Corey Ballentine. Shawnee County District Judge Cheryl Rios granted Mendez a continuance in the case while scheduling a status conference to take place Nov. 12. Mendez was charged with…

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KIOWA COUNTY, Kan. — A 14-year-old Kansas girl may have set a new state deer hunting record with a buck she killed this month. Paslie Werth shot a 40-point whitetail buck while hunting in Kiowa County. The deer unofficially measured 282 6/8 inches, which would top the existing record of 280 4/8 inches. Before the record can become official, the rack of antlers on the deer Werth shot must dry for 60 days. Even if Werth’s deer sets the record, it may not last long. A deer shot last fall in Chase County measured 321 3/8 inches, but that deer…

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For the first time in several months, a live music event took place in Manhattan. Purple PAWS Foundation hosted the first ever Beers, Bands, and Barks event on Saturday evening at A&H Farms. Live music, good eats, beer, and dogs were the highlights of the night. After a year of planning Megan Johnson, Assistant Director at Purple PAWS, tells KMAN that the support from the community was overwhelming. “It’s amazing. I’m speechless. After me putting all the hours in this to make sure that everybody was going to be safe in the first place, that we had enough area to…

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Beef consumption has changed significantly during the pandemic. Kansas State University livestock economist Glynn Tosnor monitors consumer demand on a month-to-month basis and says the June report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed some interesting trends. “The USDA domestically through June — beef demand was up 34 percent from the prior year. We should not overreact to that because that’s following up on a couple months of down. I expect those percentages to moderate in the months to come,” he said. Pork was also up 18 percent year over year while chicken demand was up 10 percent in June.…

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On Monday’s edition of In Focus we spoke with Dr. Neala Boyer with KSU Vet Med. We also spoke with Park Planner Alfonso Leyva and Recreation Supervisor Ryan McKee with the Manhattan Parks & Rec. Department. And in our final segment we spoke with Riley County Commission District 2 candidate Greg McKinley.

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The following summary of calls for service/reports filed by the Riley County Police Department is a portion of those received by police.  Some names, addresses, and case details are withheld to follow local, state, and federal law as well as in an attempt to protect community members from being victimized further.  Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. MANHATTAN, KAN. – Officers filed a report for unlawful discharge of a firearm in city limits in 1800 block of College Ave in Manhattan on September 11, 2020, at approximately 3:01 pm. Officers listed the State of…

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WICHITA, Kan. — Federal prosecutors say a Kansas man used social media to send a racist threat to a 15-year-old Black student. A federal indictment made public Friday charges 20-year-old Gage H. Clausen of Cheney, Kansas, with one count of making a threat via interstate communications. Clausen is accused of threatening the Derby High School student and using racist slurs via Snapchat that referred to the teenager as “a filthy farm animal.” The U.S. attorney’s office says in a news release that if convicted, he could face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

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