LAWRENCE — University of Kansas students and faculty can no longer use tobacco or vaping products on campus under a new policy pushed by health-conscious students. The Kansas City Star reports that the university banned smoking, vaping or using any other tobacco products on school grounds as of July 1. State law already bans smoking inside and immediately outside campus buildings. The new school policy comes more than five years after a student survey found that 64 percent favored stricter tobacco policies. Faculty who responded at the time to an Office of Institutional Research and Planning survey agreed. The new…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA — Fire investigators say a fire that destroyed a house near Topeka began when fireworks thrown in the trash reignited. The Kansas State Fire Marshal’s office says both residents inside the home just south of Topeka city limits escaped the early Thursday fire after being awakened by smoke detectors. Firefighters rescued a dog and cat inside the home. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports firefighters responded to the fire near Lake Sherwood early Thursday. The fire has been ruled accidental. Fire investigator Tony Celeste says the fireworks were put in a trash bin near the house after they were shot off…
OVERLAND PARK — Police say a man who died in a shooting near a Kansas elementary school was a 48-year-old man from Missouri. Overland Park police on Wednesday identified the victim of Tuesday’s shooting in Overland Park as Todd Davis, of Lee’s Summit. A second man, 54-year-old Efren Gomez, whose hometown was not available, was critically injured in the shooting. A suspect is in custody pending charges. Police say the suspect and the two victims were working for a contractor putting in new turf at an elementary school when the shooting occurred. The motive remains unclear. No children were at…
TOPEKA — Kansas’ Department for Children and Families is facing criticism from some in the child welfare community over its decision to loosen requirements for some staff positions. Under new rules, the state will hire people with bachelor’s degrees to investigate claims of abuse and neglect. Formerly only licensed social workers were hired for the jobs. Critics say loosening the restrictions amounts to lowering standards for important jobs that require a high level of knowledge and ethics. State officials note a growing number of children in foster care and high turnover in the investigator jobs, which can be emotionally taxing.…
OVERLAND PARK — One of the two contract workers injured in a shooting outside a suburban Kansas City elementary school has died. Overland Park, Kansas, police spokesman John Lacey says the victim died Tuesday afternoon, several hours after he and a co-worker were shot at Sunrise Point Elementary School. The second victim remains in critical condition. The names of the men have not been released. The suspect was arrested at a home where authorities found a sport utility vehicle that was carjacked after the shooting. Formal charges have not been filed. Police Chief Frank Donchez says the home belonged to…
WICHITA — Authorities say an off-duty Wichita officer was wounded and a suspected home intruder killed in an exchange of gunfire. KWCH-TV reports that Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay says 24-year-old Christian Webb shot the officer in the leg after entering the officer’s home through an unlocked door. The officer then returned fire, hitting the Webb several times. Webb died at a hospital. The officer was treated and released. Ramsay says the officer’s wife and children were home at the time of the shooting and are shaken up but uninjured. Ramsay says some cars had been broken into near where…
The Manhattan City Commission approved two rezoning ordinances in the Stonehaven neighborhood off of Miller Parkway at their meeting in City Hall Tuesday. Commissioner Wynn Butler was not in attendance. One ordinance rezoned the 11-acre future site of a development by Americare Systems, Inc., a senior citizen housing company. The development will include a memory care facility, assisted living facility, and independent housing for seniors. The property is changing from business park and multi-family housing districts to a planned unit development (P.U.D.), all with partial airport overlays. According to the City of Manhattan website, a P.U.D. is “a zoning process that…
WICHITA — Authorities say an off-duty Wichita officer and a suspected home intruder have been wounded in an exchange of gunfire. KWCH-TV reports that Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay says a 24-year-old man shot the officer in the leg after breaking into his home. The officer then returned fire, hitting the suspect several times. The intruder is hospitalized in critical condition. Ramsay say the officer also was taken to a hospital and is expected to be OK. The officer’s wife and children were home at the time of the shooting and are shaken up but uninjured. Ramsay says some cars…
LAWRENCE — City leaders in Lawrence say they will consider lowering fines for people caught in possession of marijuana. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the current city law allows for fines of up to $1,000 for first-time offenders. A resident, Laura Green, recently presented a proposal to the Lawrence City Commission that would call for reduced fines and make other changes. The commission agreed to discuss the issue at an upcoming work session. Lawrence adopted its marijuana ordinance more than a decade ago. Green says attitudes toward marijuana have shifted in recent years. Under the current law, first-time offenders face…
TOPEKA — Kansas state officials say fiscal year-end tax receipts came in $318 million above projections. The Kansas Department of Revenue on Monday released a revenue report showing that fiscal year-end tax receipts were $1.2 billion above the previous fiscal year. The overall increase was not surprising since state lawmakers reversed past income tax cuts to deal with persistent budget woes. But Department of Revenue Secretary Sam Williams says that tax receipts were above expectations for every month during the fiscal year that ended June 30. The agency says receipts were especially strong in June, when receipts were $144 million…