FORT RILEY — Governor’s Military Council Executive Director Perry Wiggins spoke on KMAN’s In Focus program recently and discussed changes in the government administration and military activity both nationally and stateside. While Defense Secretary James Mattis’ replacement is to be determined, the country is curious to see what changes will come along even with just a new acting secretary. Mattis was reforming the size of the secretary of defense office and generally had a vastly different mindset while in the role of defense secretary. Because acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahan’s background is that of business and technology rather than in…
Author: KMAN Staff
MANHATTAN — A Maryland-based solar contractor is facing nearly $40,000 in fines after an employee died from electrocution at Fort Riley. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Wednesday it cited Power Factor LLC for four serious violations after the employee died in July while installing solar panels at the fort. The agency says the employee was hoisting a metal rail that came into contact with overhead power lines. OSHA cited the company for exposing workers to electrical hazards, including live and uninsulated power circuits. The agency says the company also didn’t regularly inspect the job site or train workers…
Wednesday’s guests included Wamego USD 320 Superintendent Tim Winter and Rock Creek USD 323 Superintendent Kevin Logan. We also spent time talking with Junction City City Manager Allen Dinkel on the latest projects and developments going on in Junction City.
Officers responded to the report of an injury accident near the intersection of Bluemont and Juliette on January 8, 2019, at approximately 8:45 AM. When officers arrived on scene they found a 2004 SAAB driven by John Wendt, 21, of Manhattan had struck a pedestrian, Lee Hildebrecht, 82, of Manhattan. Hildebrecht was transported to Via Christi for treatment of his injuries. Officers filed a report for burglary in the 600 block of S Delaware St. in Manhattan on January 8, 2019 at approximately 7:50 PM. Officers listed Iris Suarez Trinidad, 39, of Manhattan as the victim when it was reported…
TOPEKA — Kansas Gov.-elect Laura Kelly has picked a federal prosecutor to serve as her office’s top attorney and filled other key staff positions. The incoming Democratic governor announced Tuesday that Clay Britton will be her chief counsel. He has worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in Kansas since October 2016 and previously was an assistant Kansas attorney general and attorney in private practice. Haley Pollock will serve as Kelly’s policy director. She worked for Kansas Action for Children and managed Democrat Paul Davis’ unsuccessful campaign last year in the 2nd Congressional District of eastern Kansas. Cory Sheedy will serve…
WICHITA — The parents of an 11-year-old Wichita girl who drowned at a church party have reached a settlement. The Wichita Eagle reports that Andy Cramb and Joanna Cramb alleged in the suit that Pathway Church and the homeowners failed to keep their daughter, Shelby, safe. Andy Cramb says his wife and son were the ones who realized that the girl was missing when they went to pick her up from the party in 2017. Divers found her body in the lake behind the house. The couple’s attorney, Brad LaForge, says the church had taken stops to “make sure that…
Tuesday’s guests on In Focus were Manhattan City Manager Ron Fehr and Mayor Mike Dodson with a preview of Tuesday’s first legislative meeting of 2019.
Kansas State Treasurer Jake LaTurner today announced his candidacy for the United States Senate. LaTurner is the first Republican to announce his candidacy for the position currently held by Senator Pat Roberts, who announced last week that his current term will be his last. In a press release issued this morning, LaTurner says “Kansas Republicans deserve a candidate for the U.S. Senate who shares their values and is willing to stand up and fight for those values in Washington.” He added that “as a conservative, I will fight every day to represent our Kansas conservative values in Washington.” The 30…
WICHITA — A 31-year-old man accused of kicking a 1-year-old black boy and shouting racial slurs in a Wichita grocery store has been charged with attempted aggravated battery. Trace Riff made his first court appearance Monday after he was charged in the Dec. 23 incident. The Wichita Eagle report s Riff is also charged with interference with law enforcement and disorderly conduct. Witnesses told police Riff kicked the child as he was holding the hand of his 11-year-old sister. The toddler was not injured. Riff was released from jail after the alleged kicking but was arrested again Thursday on drug…
COLUMBUS — A 26-year-old woman has been sentenced to seven years and four months in prison for swerving into two men as they walked across a southeast Kansas street. The Joplin Globe reports that Shelby Colon received the sentence after pleading guilty previously to two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the July 2017 crash that killed 66-year-old Charles Burkybile Jr. and 86-year-old Glen Roosa. Police say Colon stopped at the scene in Galena, Kansas, and showed no signs of impairment. The sentence also includes time for a separate drug-dealing case. District Attorney Jake Conard says the families can “finally receive…