Funeral arrangements have been announced for longtime Manhattan High soccer coach Francisco “Frank” Alonso, who died Sunday after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. A Celebration of his life will be held at 10:00 A.M. Saturday, November 10th at the First United Methodist Church, 612 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, KS, with Dr. Rick L. Wright officiating. Online condolences may be left for the family through the funeral home website at www.ymlfuneralhome.com. Memorial contributions may be made to the Manhattan-Ogden Public Schools Foundation for a future soccer scholarship fund in Frank’s honor. Contributions may be left in care of the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home, 1616 Poyntz…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA — Washburn University in Topeka says it is committed to providing most of its energy from a Westar wind farm in the future. Washburn and Westar Energy announced Monday they have signed a 20-year agreement for energy produced by a new wind farm. Under the agreement, the university will buy 4 megawatts of energy from a 300-megawatt wind farm that Westar will build in Nemaha County in northeast Kansas. The university said in a news release that would provide about 80 percent of the energy needs for Washburn and the Washburn Tech campuses. The new wind farm is expected…
LAWRENCE — The Lawrence school district will survey whether students, parents and staff would support starting high school classes later in the morning. Lawrence Deputy Superintendent Anna Stubblefield said the surveys will be sent no later than Nov. 12. A phone survey of randomly selected parents also will be conducted. The Lawrence Journal-World reports phone and online surveys done last school year showed wide support for the change among district parents and high school staff. The district surveys will ask respondents if they prefer keeping the high school start time at 8:05 a.m. and release time at 3:10 p.m. It…
WICHITA — Kansas voter registrations have surged this past year heading into the midterm election. The Kansas Secretary of State’s office released the latest numbers Monday showing more than 1.84 million registered voters. Republicans remain the dominant party with 817,713 registered voters, while Democrats grew their ranks to 463,114. Unaffiliated voters totaled 543,403, while Libertarians totaled 17,618. A comparison shows the state has added 40,825 people to voter rolls since September 2017. Kansas appears to be becoming more partisan with the number of unaffiliated voters falling by more than 15,000 in the past year in the state. Both major parties…
The Young Trustees held their second annual chili cook-off at Blue Earth Plaza over the weekend. Addie Bunnell with the Young Trustees talked about the success for this year’s event. Bunnell says proceeds from ticket sales gave event-goers the choice of which nonprofit organization they wished to support. She also discussed the Half-K run held earlier that morning. One of the contestants, Michael Peterson with Big Brothers Big Sisters and Hy-Vee, spoke with KMAN about his team’s support of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Also raising money for Sunflower CASA was KS State Bank’s Chantaleiana Davis and she spoke about the…
Officers filed a report for identity theft and theft in the 2400 block of W 60th Ave. in Manhattan on November 2, 2018, at approximately 4:30 PM. Officers listed Larry Dall, 71, of Manhattan and Sprint as the victims when it was reported an unknown suspect stole services by creating an account in the victim’s name. The estimated total loss associated with this case is approximately $5,967.00. 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…
A blast from the past took place at the Flint Hills Discovery Center with the Celebration 68 for the UFM Community Learning Center. Discovery Center Curator of Education Stephen Bridenstine spoke with KMAN about the partnered event. Along with the dance lessons, Bridenstine says those who came out participated in macrame lessons and enjoyed authentic 1960’s food to sample. UFM Executive Director Linda Teener was also present at the event to talk about the center itself. Teener says UFM goes to the community annually to see what kind of courses they want for the upcoming semester. Photos by Brandon Peoples/KMAN News
KANSAS CITY — The family of a slain Kansas City, Kansas, police captain has filed a formal complaint after the killer pleaded guilty to a reduced charge. KMBC-TV reports that Capt. Robert Melton’s fiancee, Zeta Bates, says complaints were sent to the Kansas Attorney General’s Office and the Kansas Disciplinary Administrator’s Office. The family is upset after Jamaal Lewis pleaded guilty last week to first-degree felony murder in Melton’s 2016 death, which could make him eligible for parole after 25 years. Lewis originally faced a capital murder charge that would have sent him to prison for life without parole if…
LEAVENWORTH — A 38-year-old Lawrence man has admitted making more than 100 calls to 911 threatening to commit sexual assaults, which apparently never occurred. Justin Allen Roehrich pleaded no contest on Wednesday to three counts of making a false alarm. The Kansas City Star reports prosecutors said Roehrich made 122 calls to 911 dispatchers in Leavenworth County. He told dispatchers his name was “Jesse.” Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said officers who investigated the calls found no evidence that anyone was harmed or threatened. The charges stem from three calls during which Roehrich said he was going to perform sexual…
WICHITA — Wichita police say all sexual assault kits will now be submitted for forensic testing, including a backlog of nearly 1,700 kits going back to 2002. Police Chief Gordon Ramsey announced Friday that all the backlogged kits will be submitted by the end of the year. The Wichita Eagle reports that previously, law enforcement officers would determine which kits were sent for testing. Between 2002 and 2015, more than 1,000 rape kits were not submitted by Wichita police. Between 2015 and Friday, a backlog of around 600 rape kits built up. The kits contain DNA taken from women reporting…