Riley County will still hold in-person polling this election season, but officials encourage residents to vote by mail in anticipation of congestion. Riley County Clerk Rich Vargo says he has no authority to run the 2020 primary and general elections entirely by mail amid public gathering concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that the State of Kansas has not made any exceptions to the laws requiring them to open polling places. Even so, Vargo says the county will be “proactive” in sending out personalized vote by mail applications to all registered voters to encourage them to participate in the…
Author: KMAN Staff
LAWRENCE, Kan. — The University of Kansas has announced that 40 of its top-paid employees, including its chancellor, will take temporary 10% pay cuts to help cushion the financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Wichita station KAKE reports that KU Chancellor Douglas Girod announced the cuts in a letter this week. The letter says he, the chancellor’s cabinet, vice provosts, deans and department heads will take the salary reduction for six months. Girod says the cuts will generate $853,000 in savings for the university and that the money will be redeployed for urgent needs. Also taking the 10% pay cut…
TOPEKA, Kan. — Police in Topeka are investigating the overnight shooting death of man near the city’s Freedom Valley Park. Police say in a news release that officers were called to the area around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday for a 911 call reporting gunshots. Arriving officers found a person suffering from critical injuries who died at the scene. On Wednesday morning, police identified the victim as 37-year-old Mark Edwards, of Topeka. No arrests had been reported by Wednesday morning, and police were asking the public for any information on the fatal shooting.
WICHITA, Kan. — Longtime Wichita radio host and Wichita State University basketball announcer Don Hall has died in a crash at a busy Wichita intersection. Hall’s employer, Entercom Communications, shared the news of his death Wednesday with employees in an email. The 70-year-old Hall was a morning show co-host at KEYN Radio in Wichita, and according to the station, had worked for more than 45 years in radio in Kansas. Police say the crash happened around 4:30 a.m., when a driver ran a red light and hit Hall’s vehicle. Hall died at the scene, and police arrested 42-year-old Ray Watkins…
MISSION, Kan. — Worried relatives are demanding that Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly release some prison inmates early to allow for better social distancing amid a coronavirus outbreak at one state facility. New numbers released Wednesday show 75 staff at the Lansing Correction Facility have tested positive, 18% of the prison’s workforce. Fifteen of them have recovered and returned to work. Another 75 inmates have tested positive, and one of them died over the weekend. Two inmates from a work-release facility in Wichita were moved to Lansing after testing positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
Wednesday’s program featured Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc. Manager of the Tenant & Landlord Education Program Teresa Baker. City of Riley Mayor Tim Sharp joined us for a small-town perspective on response to COVID-19. Riley County Clerk Rich Vargo joined us with an update on election related deadlines, mail-in balloting and the need for polling volunteers during the August primary and November general elections.
Since the Manhattan Parks and Recreation Department has canceled summer activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sunset Zoo is conducting a survey to figure out what programs it can offer to the public in a virtual format. Sunset Zoo Education Curator Jared Bixby says one aspect of the survey is figuring out what kinds of activities families want. Another aspect is analyzing the technological capabilities of families wanting to participate. Bixby says one app that they may use for summer activities is Seesaw, which is used by local school districts for distance learning. According to Bixby, Sunset Zoo could…
The Riley County Health Department is conducting a survey in an attempt to better track the spread of COVID-19 locally and make a more informed decision on reopening the community. While the survey is confidential, the health department will ask for contact information so they can follow up with those who have COVID-19 symptoms. RCHD administrator Julie Gibbs says participation in the survey has gone well so far. Those taking the survey can specify if they don’t want to be contacted. All members of the household should have the survey completed for them, even if they aren’t experiencing symptoms. The…