KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A Chinese national who lived in Manhattan was sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiring to steal proprietary rice seeds developed in the U.S. and giving them to visitors from China. Federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that 51-year-old Weiqiang Zhang was sentenced for two counts of conspiracy and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property. He was convicted in February 2017. Zhang was a rice breeder for Ventria Bioscience in Junction City, which developed genetically engineered rice for therapeutic and medical fields. Prosecutors said Zhang stored hundreds of seeds from Ventria at his home. In…
Author: KMAN Staff
Thursday’s guests were NBAF Director of Partnership Development Dr. Marty Vanier and Retired Lt. Gen. Perry Wiggins, Executive Director of the Governor’s Military Council and former 1st Infantry Division Commanding General. Vanier: Wiggins:
The Manhattan-Odgen USD 383 Board of Education gave final approval to the land transfer agreement between the district and Pottawatomie County land owners. Assistant Superintendent Eric Reid presented the agreement to the board during the March 28 meeting. In the presentation, Reid said they would be trading the land they owned near Elbo Creek Road with a property closer to the infrastructure of Blue Township. The board gave preliminary approval to the agreement during this meeting. During Wednesday night’s meeting, the board made the agreement official with their final approval. Reid spoke to the board saying he received mostly positive…
Every segment brings a different paper from John’s “creatively organized” desk, as well as touching on K-State basketball with plenty of news. Kellis Robinett and Cole Manbeck both join the show today. 0:00 – Amaad Wainright Issue 11:07 – Kellis Robinett 23:13 – Bruce Extension 33:03 – Johnny Manziel said something crazy 38:31 – Cole Manbeck 50:53 – Expectations for KSU hoops 1:04:40 – YCBS
The USD 475 Board of Education approved the selection of Hutton Construction as its Construction Manager At Risk for construction of the new Junction City High School Monday, as well as performance against the District Master Plan for facilities and maintenance repairs and construction through 2023. According to a press release from the school district Wednesday, construction of the new high school and associated facilities was approved by voters during a November 2017 special bond election and is valued at $105 million dollars. The District Master Plan for facilities is valued at an additional $17 million through 2023. Hutton Construction,…
The Pottawatomie County Commission has expressed interest in establishing a fifth ambulance station. It would serve the southwest portion of the county, according to County Administrator Robert Reece, who appeared before the commission Monday morning. According to a report in the Manhattan Mercury Tuesday, such talks are occurring amid Riley County recently stating that it planned to discontinue ambulance coverage in the area. Reece said he and the EMS department would begin moving forward by putting together cost figures for the prospective station, concluding that more research is still needed in trying to generate run and call volumes for the…
Today’s guests on In Focus included USD 383 Superintendent Marvin Wade and Board Member Dave Colburn, followed by Nancy Stover with the Enid Stover Poetry Recitation. Wade & Colburn: Stover:
TOPEKA — A spokeswoman for Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer says he would sign a public school funding plan approved by the Kansas House if lawmakers sent it to him. Spokeswoman Kara Fullmer made the comment Wednesday after Colyer praised the House proposal to phase in a roughly $520 million increase in education funding over five years. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled in October that the state’s current education funding of more than $4 billion a year is not sufficient under the state constitution. Colyer has said repeatedly that lawmakers should approve a plan aimed at satisfying the court before taking…
Officers responded to the report of an injury accident in the 100 block of Bluemont Ave. in Manhattan on April 2, 2018 at approximately 2:45 PM. When officers arrived on scene they found a pedestrian, Dale Budden, 71, of Manhattan had been struck by a 2011 Chevy Silverado Pickup driven by Stanley Fegter, 79, of Manhattan. Budden was transported to Via Christi for treatment of his injuries. Officers filed a report for theft by deception in the 500 block of N 3rd Pl. in Manhattan on April 2, 2018 at approximately 4:10 PM. Officers listed Kale Drewelow, 19, of Fort…
TOPEKA — A coalition of business and agricultural groups is proposing a constitutional amendment that would give the Kansas Legislature sole authority to determine adequate funding for the state’s schools. The push comes as lawmakers work to respond to a Kansas Supreme Court ruling that the state continues to underfund its schools after years of litigation and court rulings. The state Constitution requires Kansas to provide a suitable education for every child. The Lawrence Journal-World reports a group called the Kansas Coalition for Fair Funding says the state needs to take politics out of the education funding controversy and allow…