Friday’s guests included Manhattan Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Karen Hibbard. She talked about the groundbreaking on the Johnny Kaw Plaza project — coming up Monday, Feb. 4 — as well as a reception honoring Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Lyle Butler on Feb. 21. Butler’s last day before retirement is Feb. 28. Riley County Research and Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Agent Megan Dougherty stopped by to talk about Walk Kansas, which runs from March 17 through May 11. Then Junction City Commissioner Phyllis Fitzgerald closed out the program talking about multiple projects she’s involved in…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA — State game wardens have confirmed a mountain lion carcass was found in north-central Kansas. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism reported Thursday that hunters found the female lion’s remains in Rooks County, just north of Hays. The agency said the group of hunters contacted a local game warden. The incident is still under investigation. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports it is the first mountain lion spotting in Kansas since 2016, though several unconfirmed sightings have been reported. It is the 21st confirmed sighting in Kansas since 1990, though there were no confirmed sightings between 1990 and 2005.
JUNCTION CITY — About 100 people responded to public pleas to attend the funeral of a 63-year-old Junction City veteran. Army soldiers and members of the public braved frigid weather Wednesday to attend services for Servando “Kiko” Silva-Jimenez, who served as a medic in the U.S. Army. He died Jan. 15 at Geary Community Hospital in Junction City. The Manhattan Mercury reports officials with the Johnson Funeral Home tried for days to find Silva-Jimenez’s relatives. Social media posts began circulating asking that people attend Silva-Jimenez’s services at the Kansas Veterans Cemetery. However, at the last minute, cemetery manager Cecelia Shellnute…
Julie Turner, 36, of Manhattan was arrested while in the 100 block of N 4th St in Manhattan on January 31, 2019, at approximately 3:30 PM. Turner was arrested on a Riley County District Court warrant for failure to appear. Turner was issued a total bond of $5,000.00. Turner was still confined at the time of this report. Russell Allen Jr, 37, of Manhattan was arrested while at the Riley County Police Department on January 31, 2019, at approximately 5:30 PM. Allen was arrested on the offenses of theft in connection with a theft that occurred in the 2500 block of Candlecrest…
OLATHE — A man arrested at a Kansas storage unit with two of his children and his dismembered wife’s remains has been convicted of three felony counts of sexual exploitation of a child. Jurors deliberated until around 12:30 a.m. Thursday before finding 36-year-old Justin Rey guilty of the felonies, as well as misdemeanor counts of child endangerment and contributing to a child’s misconduct. Rey said he cut up his wife, Jessica Monteiro Rey, after she died in October 2017 after giving birth at a Kansas City, Missouri, hotel. He was arrested with the couple’s newborn and 2-year-old at a storage…
Update 4 p.m. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s chief spokeswoman is calling a Republican tax relief bill “irresponsible.” Kelly spokeswoman Ashley All said Thursday that the bill endorsed by a Senate committee would undo the state’s progress toward getting its finances in order. But she stopped short of saying the governor would veto the measure if it passes. The committee advanced the bill on a voice vote Thursday. The full Senate expects to debate it next week. The measure is designed to prevent Kansas residents and businesses from paying more in income taxes to the state because of changes in federal…
LARNED — A 65-year-old patient at the Larned State Hospital has been convicted of aggravated sexual battery involving a staff member at the hospital. Pawnee County Attorney Douglas McNett reports Russell McFarland was convicted Wednesday. Testimony during his trial indicated that in Mary 2018, he followed a 19-year-old female staff member into a staff-only area of the hospital, forced her into a corner and tried to kiss her. He was a patient in the hospital’s sexual predator treatment program at the time. Another patient intervened and the staff member was able to get free. The Hays Post reports additional testimony…
Manhattan area residents will get a chance to see what local non-profit organizations offer to the community Saturday, Feb. 2. The 2019 Community Fair, hosted by the Manhattan Town Center, will feature organizations representing low income residents, families, military personnel and children. Also present will be healthcare, education and recreation groups. They’ll have booth locations throughout the mall from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. “Our annual Community Fair continues to grow and provide a great venue for members of the community to learn about local organizations,” said Jeff Sutton, Manhattan Town Center Marketing Manager. “We’re pleased to offer this event free of charge to our…
The City of Manhattan’s assistant director of community development says the community should no trouble maintaining a 20 percent flood insurance discounts for residents in areas with high flooding risk. Chad Bunger says the discounts are provided through the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System, a voluntary program that rewards communities that engage in floodplain management and flood mitigation projects. The city has to submit verification of what projects are ongoing each year to re-certify for the discount. “We submit the information [every year], they come and inspect and/or seek a full-blown report every five years, but in between that…
TOPEKA — A proposal to strip the Kansas secretary of state’s office of its power to prosecute voter fraud cases has cleared its first major hurdle in the Legislature. The bill endorsed Wednesday by a House committee would dismantle a key piece of former Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s political legacy. The Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee’s unanimous voice vote sends the bill to the House for debate. Kobach received prosecution power in 2015 after arguing that his office needed the power to pursue cases on its own because local prosecutors often don’t have time. He is an attorney but…