KANSAS CITY — Newly elected Democratic Kansas Congresswoman Sharice Davids says her top priority is reopening the government. In a speech Friday at a Kansas City, Kansas, Chamber of Commerce forum, Davids called the partial government shutdown “completely unacceptable.” She said she would push for back wages for furloughed government workers and low-wage contractors. There are nearly 19,000 federal employees in the Kansas City area, where her district is located. Davids also announced she is opening an office in Wyandotte County. She previously said she would maintain the office in neighboring Johnson County’s Overland Park that had housed former 3rd…
Author: KMAN Staff
MANHATTAN — The theme for this years Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration and 2019 Art and Writing Contest was a quote from Dr King himself: “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” Peace Memorial Auditorium served as the backdrop for Saturday’s celebration of Dr. King’s legacy and the program also allowed for the opportunity to showcase the work of contest winners and present the Spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service awards. Saturday’s program began with a welcome speech from Mayor Mike Dodson and continued on with an opening prayer…
K-State has started to turn their season around after back to back top 20 road wins. K-State football also has had a few announcements over the last week plus a look at questions from Twitter for John Kurtz, Mason Voth and guest Matt Hall from K-State Online. 0:00 – KSU saved their season 17:01 – Rebounding & Peak Beasley 27:30 – Play hard chart, title contender? 40:38 – Spring game date 51:43 – Monachino and coordinators, Fortnite Squads 1:02:32 – Questions
Researchers at Kansas State University are working on a system to make chemical crop treatments more efficient using robots have been awarded an $882,920 USDA grant. The focus of their work is a system that can identify the presence of crop pests and utilize focused chemical applications by autonomous robots. It’s an effort to reduce broad use of pesticides to limit environmental impact as well as ensure that pesticide treatments are more effective — agricultural producers lose 37 percent of crop yield to pests despite collectively spraying close to $15 billion worth of the chemicals per year. The project is…
FORT RILEY — A ribbon cutting was held Thursday for Fort Riley’s newly renovated SpareTime Interactive Entertainment Center. The entertainment center will give soldiers on base a place to spend their “spare time” but also have interactive activities available to any general member of the public to partake in. Visitors who don’t have a Department of Defense ID card can obtain a pass at the Visitor Control Center near the Henry Gate, Exit 301 off of Interstate 70. Business Manager Nicole Trolio tells KMAN the building is finally complete after two years of renovations with some exciting new attractions. Along…
K-State’s Spring semester is set to begin Tuesday, Jan. 22, as will the university’s Week of Welcome festivities. Students will be able to take part in activities every day of the week, running until Tuesday, Jan. 29. The week starts with a game of Hungry Hungry Humans in the Student Union courtyard from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. A Jumbo Ball Pit will be in the Student Union courtyard from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Also taking place in the courtyard later that day is a Gift Basket Bingo, with multiple themed baskets available for winners. That takes…
Friday’s In Focus featured two segments with Riley County 4H Agent John Jobe from K-State Research and Extension. Jobe highlighted an upcoming emergency preparedness exercise at Pottorf Hall and an update on the Youth Entrepreneurship challenge coming up in March. In segment three, KMAN spoke with Riley County Seniors Service Center Program Coordinator Melissa Colby and new Community Care Coordinator Whitney Short about upcoming events and the center’s Alzheimer’s support group for caregivers. We also heard from local lawmakers this week reacting to new Gov. Laura Kelly’s first week in office, including Wednesday’s State of the State address to the…
WICHITA — A 33-year-old Wichita man has been sentenced to 47.5 years in prison for human trafficking. Prosecutors say Christopher Reed used social media to sell drugs and promote prostitution. His youngest victim was 17. He was convicted in December of 19 crimes including rape, human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of a child. Evidence during this trial showed Reed used a vacant apartment in a Wichita building he owned to post photos of teenage runaways online and to force them to work in prostitution. District Attorney Marc Bennett said in a news release that Reed was on parole for…
TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Labor is recommending that federal employees who are furloughed because of the partial government shutdown should apply for unemployment benefits. The department said in a news release Thursday that unemployment insurance was created to help people who are not working through no fault of their own. Federal employees in Kansas can apply for benefits by calling a contact center at 1-800-292-6333. Applicants will need to provide wage verification, such as pay stubs or W-2 forms. Federal employees who are working full time but not being paid are not eligible for unemployment benefits. The law…
WICHITA — A former Kansas sheriff has been sentenced to two years of probation for selling a .45 caliber pistol and ammunition to a convicted felon. Court records show former Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple was also ordered Thursday to pay a $4,000 fine. Whipple pleaded guilty in October and agreed to resign and surrender his law enforcement certification as part of the plea deal. Whipple initially faced three wire fraud charges alleging that he faxed reports falsely certifying that deputies had received training. But under the plea agreement those charges were dismissed at his sentencing hearing.