KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A study has determined that Kansas schools are relying too heavily on test scores rather than teacher comments when deciding if changes are needed in an individual student’s education. KCUR-FM reports that University of Kansas researchers argue student assessments in the state should be data-driven rather than data-dependent in determining if a deviation from the established curriculum is required. The study released earlier this year calls for a balanced system that includes teacher recommendations, test scores and other metrics. Don Stull is one of the study’s authors and a professor emeritus at KU. He says…
Author: KMAN Staff
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Wichita lawyer who stole more than $900,000 from an elderly client with dementia was sentenced to probation. Larry Toomey was given two years of probation, with an underlying sentence of 26 months, on Friday. He pleaded guilty in April to felony theft. The Wichita Eagle reports Toomey’s attorney, Steven Mank, told the court Toomey was entitled to the money because of a gift memo drafted by the 104-year-old client. Prosecutors say Toomey spent nearly $962,000 from the woman’s bank accounts, including for a gambling addiction. Under his sentence, Toomey was ordered to be evaluated for a…
Pawnee Mental Health Services celebrated the completion of its new Crisis Stabilization Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday afternoon. The ceremony occurred six months after an initial wall-breaking ceremony and included a word or two from Robbin Cole, the exective director for PMHS; Laura Howard, the secretary for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services; Wayne Sloan, CEO for BHS Construction and PMHS Foundation Board member; and Bruce Johnson, the manager for the Crisis Stabilization Center. With the opening of this facility, this area of Kansas now has a service not often available outside of urban areas. “There are…
Twin Valley League 8 Man Frankfort (6-0) at Axtell (6-0) Clifton-Clyde (6-0) at Washington Co. (4-2) Hanover (5-1) at Wetmore (1-5) Doniphan West (2-4) at Blue Valley (1-5) Southern Cloud (0-6) at Linn (1-5) Onaga (3-3) at Tescott (0-6) Twin Valley League 11 Man Centralia (5-1) at Wabaunsee (1-5) Valley Heights (5-1) at Northern Heights (4-2) Lyndon (6-0) at Troy (2-4) Mid-East League Silver Lake (6-0) at Osage City (4-2) Riley County (4-2) at Southeast of Saline (5-1) Council Grove (2-4) at Rossville (4-2) Clay Center (3-3) at…
Friday’s program featured a discussion on Medicare with K-State Riley County Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Agent Megan Dougherty. Riley County Seniors’ Service Center Program Coordinator Liz Nelson detailed events coming up in November at the center. Flint Hills Veterans Coalition President Janet Nichols joined us to preview the annual Veterans Day parade and festivities in Manhattan planned for November 11.
Homecare and Hospice held its 15th annual wine walk Thursday in Downtown Manhattan. The wine walk, dubbed he “Promenade on Poyntz”, is an annual fundraiser for the only non-profit hospice provider in the Flint Hills Region. In the event, participants who purchased a ticket, all met up and checked in at the intersection of 3rd and Poyntz. Participants then made their way to a host of local merchants who opened their doors. Twelve of the local downtown businesses served as stops along the promenade. Each store offered a red or white wine as well as a small treat or snack…
With some cuts made to the plan for the Manhattan High School West campus construction, the district is still over budget. During the school board meeting Wednesday night, representatives from McCown Gordon and Gould Evans presented the cuts they made to the plan. Project Manager Whitney Lang first went over the things they were able to keep. This included the elements in scope that would allow the ninth graders to be able to make their move to the campus, such as additional classrooms and parking. Other additions include the auxiliary gym, turf for the practice field, and new tennis courts.…
Local voters will be seeing new voting machines at polling places this year. New electronic-voting machines were unveiled to local government officials during a meeting Thursday afternoon. The old machines have been replaced simply because the technology being used needed to be updated. “We started those (the previous voting machines) in 2006,” Rich Vargo, the clerk for Riley County, said. “Their life cycle was projected to be eight years, so we got an extra four years out of them. They had gone beyond their life cycle. And of course with anything new (technology-wise), there’s newer security measures.” Each machine costed…
DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — Two Cargill employees are being treated for burns after an explosion at a Cargill plant in Dodge City. Cargill spokesman Daniel Sullivan says the explosion occurred early Thursday in a stand-alone building away from the main plant. The two employees were the only people in the building. Their conditions were not immediately available. Sullivan said the cause of the explosion is under investigation. The plant stopped production for the day Thursday while the explosion is investigated. Sullivan said Cargill expected the plant to resume operations soon and said it will meet its commitments to customers.…
DALBEY, Kan. (AP) — Two Missourians were killed when the vehicle they were in was hit by a train in rural northeast Kansas. Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie says deputies were called late Wednesday to the scene of the crash near the former settlement of Dalbey. The Atchison Globe reports Laurie says 34-year-old Jeremy McAfee, of Savannah, Missouri, was found outside the truck. He later died at an Atchison hospital. Deputies found 34-year-old Allison Richardson, of Platte City, Missouri, dead at the scene. The sheriff said the truck apparently was stopped on the tracks. The train was believed to have…