TOPEKA — The new head of Kansas’ prison system is telling legislators that more frequent inmate transfers and housing offenders two to a cell helped contribute to several riots during the past two years. Interim Corrections Secretary Roger Werholtz’s assessment of the factors behind inmate disturbances led lawmakers to say Wednesday that they previously did not have the full picture of what happened. Werholtz has painted a picture of a prison system in crisis in briefings for lawmakers this week. He has suggested that understaffing is compromising safety and said several prisons sustained serious damage from riots in 2017 and…
Author: KMAN Staff
KANSAS CITY — The owner of a defunct laboratory in Lenexa has been ordered to pay $544,287 for storing hazardous waste without a license. U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister announced Tuesday that 63-year-old Ahmed El-Sherif was found guilty of storing the waste at Beta Chem Laboratory. Kansas health officials took control of the laboratory in 2013. Environmental Protection Agency agents found numerous containers of hazardous wastes and radiation contamination during a search in January 2014. During a bench trial, U.S. District Court Judge Julie Robinson found that Beta Chem was a defunct operation by 2012 and hazardous chemicals were being stored…
TOPEKA — The Kansas attorney general says the state has dropped former Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s appeal of a contempt order arising from a lawsuit over a proof-of-citizenship law. Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced Tuesday that the state dropped the appeal after the American Civil Liberties Union accepted $20,000 for attorney fees and expenses. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the state’s obligation was $26,200 before the deal was reached. U.S. District Court Judge Julie Robinson found Kobach in contempt of court last year for failing to follow her instructions in ACLU’s lawsuit challenging a statue requiring Kansans to show proof…
Officers filed a report for burglary in the 200 block of N Juliette Ave in Manhattan on January 30, 2019, at approximately 1:00 PM. Officers listed Darius Denson, 22, of Manhattan as the victim when it was reported an unknown suspect entered his residence and took his Xbox and other miscellaneous items. The estimated total loss associated with this case is approximately $1,440.00. Police ask that anyone with information contact RCPD or the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers. Using the Crime Stoppers service can allow you to remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward of up to $1,000.00.…
TOPEKA — Supporters and opponents of a proposed state constitutional amendment say it would effectively ban abortion in Kansas, although it would remain legal under federal law. The Wichita Eagle reports the amendment sponsored by 21 lawmakers would grant equal rights to every human starting from the time of fertilization. The amendment was introduced in the Kansas House Monday. It comes as lawmakers are awaiting a state Supreme Court decision on whether the Kansas Constitution includes the right to an abortion. Rep. Randy Garber, a Republican from Sabetha, says he supports the amendment because he believes life begins at conception.…
LAWRENCE — Authorities say a mother has been arrested after going to a Lawrence bar and leaving her two toddlers in a vehicle parked outside on a dangerously cold night. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that police responded around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday to a report that a customer was trying to get back into the bar after she was kicked out. Staff told police that the woman had been at the bar while her 2- and 3-year-old children stayed unattended in the vehicle as temperatures were in the single digits amid a polar vortex. Officer Derrick Smith says the woman left…
WICHITA — Federal prosecutors have accused a Wichita man of threatening workers of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue. A four-count indictment on Wednesday charges 22-year-old Christopher M. Thompson with making threats to injure a person. The indictment alleges Thompson made calls on Aug. 14 threatening to kill Operation Rescue employees and rape their daughters. The government said in a news release that Thompson faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250 if convicted. Online court records do not indicate whether he has an attorney yet.
LINCOLN — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is helping with an investigation into a hidden video camera at a girls basketball tournament in north-central Kansas. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office says the camera was found Jan. 16 in a restroom area at a tournament in Lincoln. The Hays Post reports the KBI said a juvenile suspect has been identified but no one has been arrested. Lincoln County authorities have released no additional details.
The City of Manhattan could be seeing 36 new affordable senior-living duplexes in the future. The Manhattan City Commission unanimously approved a real estate deal to sell 19 lots of Lee Mill Village to the Manhattan Area Housing Project. The MAHP would use the land — which the city has struggled to sell — to develop two-family housing targeted at residents ages 55 and up in the 40 to 60 percent median income level. The development, currently called Canyon Creek Senior Housing, would consist of 18 buildings holding 36 two-bed, one-bath duplexes. The units would have a garage and include…
Wednesday’s In Focus guests included Kansas State University Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Dr. Pat Bosco, reflecting on his tenure with K-State. Bosco is retiring later in 2019. The second half of the In Focus program featured a conversation with Cloud County Community College President Dr. Adrian Douglas and Geary County Campus Director Jennifer Zabokrtsky discussing programs and initiatives happening this year at both the Concordia and Junction City campuses.