TOPEKA — Kansas will boost its annual spending on foster care by $35 million under state Department for Families and Children grants that have been awarded to five contractors. DCF Secretary Gina Meier-Hummel had a news conference Thursday to introduce the contractors and discuss how she believes the grants will improve services for abused and neglected children. The department announced them Nov. 1 , six months after requesting proposals from interested parties. The grants run four years, starting July 1. The state expects to spend $245 million on foster care during the fiscal year beginning on that date. That’s a…
Author: KMAN Staff
WICHITA — A 31-year-old Wichita man who killed his wife and left her body in a dumpster has been sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 50 years. In October, Donnell Stafford was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of 37-year-old Leuh Moore. KAKE-TV reports Stafford killed Moore in April and left her body in a dumpster behind a liquor store less than a mile from their home. Stafford was arrested two days later in Davenport, Iowa. Police said the couple had a history of domestic violence. Moore’s 7-year-old son was home when she…
LIBERAL — A Kansas teacher has been charged with dealing methamphetamine in Oklahoma. The Hutch Post reports that 37-year-old Melissa Abla and a man were arrested last month after law enforcement executed a search warrant at their home in Tyrone, Oklahoma. Abla taught at Seymour Rogers Middle School in Liberal. The school district didn’t immediately return a phone message. She is charged in Oklahoma with five felonies and one misdemeanor. Bond is set at $250,000. No attorney is listed for her in online court records. Tyrone is about 10 miles (about 16 kilometers) southwest of Liberal.
TOPEKA — Kansas Gov.-elect Laura Kelly has named a Democratic legislative leader’s top aide as her chief of staff. The incoming Democratic governor announced Will Lawrence’s appointment Thursday and said he has a “sharp understanding of the legislative process.” Lawrence had been chief of staff to Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley of Topeka since 2016 after serving as Hensley’s staff attorney. He also was in a law firm with former Kansas House Minority Leader Paul Davis. During the governor’s race, Lawrence filed an unsuccessful legal challenge to independent candidate Greg Orman’s right to appear on the November ballot. Kelly also…
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas plans to shed more than 150 positions in an effort to cut $20 million from the school’s budget. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Interim Provost Carl Lejuez announced Wednesday that the university will be eliminating about 55 faculty positions and 100 staff positions over the next two school years. Lejuez says the faculty cuts will occur through normal attrition and a buyout program for older faculty. He says the university will need to lay off about 30 staff members, who will be notified by summer 2019. Lejeuz says the university plans to make up…
Officers filed a report for identity theft, forgery and theft by deception in Manhattan on December 6, 2018 at approximately 2:30 PM. Officers listed Diane Daniel, 68, of Manhattan, Clifford Jett, 88, of Manhattan and Commerce Bank as the victims when it was reported an unknown suspect fraudulently opened a bank account using the victim’s information. The estimated total loss associated with this case is approximately $8,827.00. 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…
WICHITA — Another high-level Sedgwick County official has been forced out amid an FBI investigation. The Wichita Eagle reports that commissioners voted 3-2 on Wednesday to pay County Manager Michael Scholes $205,427 to get him to leave. Commissioners said their reason for forcing out Scholes was that he had created a toxic environment. Scholes had been under fire after providing information to the FBI in an investigation last year of Commissioner Michael O’Donnell, who is awaiting federal trial on wire fraud and money laundering charges related to campaign funds. O’Donnell, who’s still a member of the commission, voted against the…
WAMEGO — The Wizard of Oz was recently named the most influential movie of all time according to an article by the Telegraph news. It beat out Star Wars, Psycho, and 47,000 other films. The article cited work from researchers at the University of Turin who developed a computer program that measures the success of a film by how many times it is referenced in other films and how many spin-offs were created from it instead of by box office sales or reviews. Gift shop manager of the Oz Museum in Wamego, Katlyn Stubbeman, commented on the recognition. Stubbeman said one…
Fredrick Swinson, 31, of Junction City, was arrested while in the 200 block of North 5th St. in Manhattan on December 5, 2018, at approximately 11:30 PM. Swinson was arrested on a Riley County District Court warrant for failure to appear. Swinson was issued a total bond of $10,000.00. Swinson was not confined at the time of this report.
WICHITA — Animal rights groups are challenging a Kansas law banning secret filming at slaughterhouses and other livestock facilities. At issue in the federal lawsuit filed Tuesday is the state’s “Ag-Gag” law enacted in 1990. The law makes it a crime for anyone to take a picture or video at animal facilities without the owner’s consent or to enter them under false pretenses. The Animal Legal Defense Fund, the Center for Food Safety and others contend in their lawsuit that undercover operations expose unsafe and inhumane conditions. They argue such investigations are a crucial form of free speech. The Kansas…