MANHATTAN — During this week’s Governor’s Conference on the Future of Kansas Water, Assistant Scientist at K-State Christopher Redmond gave a presentation on drought monitoring with the university’s Mesonet soil moisture monitoring system. Mesonet consists of 16 weather stations across the state that create a network. Redmond said the data they record is provided through a web site where people can see current soil moisture at multiple depths across the state. According to Redmond the data is used for various purposes. Redmond they have seen that a decrease in soil moisture advances drought conditions. So that data provided through the Mesonet…
Author: KMAN Staff
WICHITA — Attorneys for three Kansas militia members convicted of plotting to bomb a mosque and apartment complex housing Somali immigrants in a western Kansas meatpacking town have asked the court to bar at sentencing any victim impact statements because no one was hurt. Prosecutors say the men are trying to “minimize their actions and de-personalize their crimes. The dispute has derailed a two-day sentencing hearing that was scheduled to begin Monday. U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren is expected to set a new sentencing date after conferring with attorneys Thursday. A jury convicted Patrick Stein, Gavin Wright — formerly of…
WELLSFORD — Authorities have identified the three people killed when two tractor-trailers collided head-on in southwest Kansas and caught on fire. The Kansas Highway Patrol says the crash happened early Wednesday when the rig that 55-year-old Gary Heald, of Fergus Falls, Minnesota, was driving crossed the center line on U.S. 54 near the town of Wellsford in Kiowa County. He then rammed the rig that 38-year-old Justin Wise, of Arkansas City, Kansas, was driving. Both drivers were killed, along with 56-year-old Cheryl Thoma, who was a passenger in Heald’s rig. She also was from Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The highway was…
TOPEKA — Kansas’ attorney general is arguing in federal court filings that Secretary of State Kris Kobach should not be held liable for exposing sensitive information about voters. Attorney General Derek Schmidt also contends that voters have no constitutional right to the privacy of their data. The Topeka Capital Journal reports that Schmidt’s office in recent weeks has filed documents outlining the state’s defense of Kobach in a federal lawsuit filed in June by the American Civil Liberties Union. The information exposed by Kobach’s office for 945 Kansas voters included partial Social Security numbers. The ACLU alleges “reckless maintenance” of…
Thursday’s In Focus program featured our monthly visit from the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce. Guests included Director of Economic Development Trent Armbrust discussing new business ribbon cuttings, entrepreneurship and economic development opportunities happening in the region. Director of Membership Sharla Meisenheimer spoke about Small Business Saturday and why it’s so vital to the local economy. Region Reimagined Program Director Christy Rodriguez also was introduced and gave a brief synopsis of some exciting things she’ll be bringing to the region in the coming months.
Facing a severe blood shortage after storms and disasters around the nation, the American Red Cross has issued a call for donations of all blood types — especially from people with blood types O positive and negative. As a result, local Red Cross branches are advertising multiple blood drives being held around the Manhattan area throughout the rest of the month to help address the need. The Kevin Coffey Memorial Blood Drive in honor of Manhattan High grad Kevin Coffey will take place Thursday, November 15, from noon to 6 p.m. and Friday, November 16, from 7:30 a.m. to 1…
Fort Riley will be honoring former Italian and German prisoners of war with a wreath-laying ceremony on Thursday at Fort Riley. Guest speakers for the morning will be Italian Army Major Stefano Catania and German Army Colonel Carsten Doding, both currently stationed at Fort Leavenworth. Fort Riley housed 4500 Italian and German POWs during World War II — one of 600 locations in the nations chosen to do so. The ceremony is an annual remembrance of those soldiers, most notably the 62 Germans and 11 Italians who were buried at Fort Riley. The wreath-laying will be at Fort Riley Cemetery at 10 a.m and is open…
Wednesday’s guests were Wamego USD 320 Superintendent Tim Winter and Rock Creek USD 323 Superintendent Kevin Logan, Flint Hills Regional Leadership Program Executive Director Jack Lindquist and Flint Hills Association of Realtors Executive Margaret Pendleton, as well as Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism Game Warden Ben Jedlicka.
OLATHE — A judge has ordered a mental competency examination for a 19-year-old man charged with sexually assaulting a girl in a child welfare office. Michael Anthony Hamer is charged in Johnson County with rape and aggravated indecent liberties with a child. Prosecutors allege Hamer assaulted a 13-year-old girl in May while they were at a KVC Health Systems office in Olathe. They were both in the state foster care system at the time. The Kansas City Star reports defense attorney Courtney Henderson sought the evaluation because he thinks Hamer doesn’t fully understand the gravity of the charges against him…
KANSAS CITY, Kan — The owner of a suburban Kansas City restaurant was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison for falsely claiming he was paying his workers minimum wage. U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister announced Tuesday that 39-year-old Yong Lin, of Overland Park, was sentenced for falsifying records submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor. Lin owns the China Garden restaurant in Merriam. A federal investigation determined Lin was not complying with the Fair Labor Standards Act because he did not pay employees overtime after 40 hours. In his plea agreement, Lin admitted he said he was paying employees back…