COLUMBUS — A former southeast Kansas high school coach has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison for having sex with a 15-year-old girl and getting her pregnant. Forty-seven-year-old Larry “Scott” Madden faces lifetime court supervision upon his release under the sentence imposed this week in Cherokee County District Court. The Joplin Globe reports that he also will be required to register as a sex offender. The former coach and physical education teacher at Baxter Springs High School pleaded no contest in November to three criminal counts. Court documents say he began having sex with the girl in…
Author: KMAN Staff
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Officials are trying to hammer out a deal to address competing water needs of south-central Kansas irrigators and a national wildlife refuge that’s lost considerable water to them. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which operates the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, has been asking Kansas for years to address the fact that hundreds of area farmers have been using water for irrigation that the refuge has prevailing rights to use. An area water manager says reducing access for farmers who are already dealing with limited water raises considerable concern about the economic impact on families and…
TOPEKA — Authorities say a motorist has died after driving into the path of an Amtrak train in Topeka. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the collision happened early Friday when the motorist drove around a crossing gate. The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release that the train then hit the motorist’s car. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Sgt. Todd Stallbaumer says a coroner is working identity the body. No one on the train was injured. The crash is under investigation.
Today’s line-up on In Focus featured State Representative Sydney Carlin, Manhattan; Senator Jerry Moran, Manhattan; and Jackie Hartman, K-State Chief of Staff and Director of Community Relations joined by Sue Peterson, Director of Governmental Relations and Assistant to the President.
Update 2/12/16 -Courtesy of Fort Riley Garrison PAO FORT RILEY, Kan. – A Soldier assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, died Feb. 10 in Clay Center, Kansas.Pfc. Wyatt Ethan Ivy, 20, was an M1 armor crewman who arrived at Fort Riley in February 2015. His home of record is Monett, Missouri. “Our hearts go out to the family of Pfc. Ivy,” said Col. Timothy Hayden, commander of the 1st ABCT. “Everyone in the ‘Devil’ brigade is deeply saddened by this loss. We will do whatever we can to support Wyatt’s…
The City of Manhattan has promoted Susan Adams to the position of director at the Flint Hills Discovery Center (FHDC) beginning Feb. 29. Adams currently serves as a Recreation Supervisor in the Parks and Recreation Department. “We are extremely excited about Susan leading the Discovery Center into the future,” Eddie Eastes, Parks and Recreation Director, says. “She has been involved since before the center was built and has the enthusiasm and experience to be a vibrant leader in this position.” As the director, Adams will focus on tourism attraction, education and recreation with specific attention on visitor experience. She will…
KMAN received more information Thursday regarding the arrest of a Colorado man on rape and aggravated criminal sodomy charges in Riley County. William Nesbitt, 36, was taken into custody in late January with bond set at $500,000. An affidavit for application for warrant released by the Riley County Court Clerk’s Office Thursday shows there are six counts of rape and two counts of aggravated criminal sodomy. The affidavit refers to a report filed in November of 2014 which indicated a 13 year old had been sexually abused by Nesbitt, with references to Williams touching her inappropriately and touching her private…
Kansas State University has confirmed a second student with the mumps, according to a press release sent to KMAN. Both students confirmed with the mumps reside off campus. The university is directly notifying anyone who may have been in close contact with the students. “Kansas State University is informing students, faculty and staff who may have been in contact with either student,” said Jim Parker, director of the university’s Lafene Health Center. “All K-Staters should review their vaccination records, as a precaution, to see if they have had two measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, vaccinations. If anyone experiences possible symptoms, they should…
TOPEKA — Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is describing the state Supreme Court as an activist court for threatening to shut down public schools if legislators don’t write a new school funding law. Brownback was responding to the court’s ruling Thursday striking down a school funding law enacted last year. The court said the law was unfair to poor districts and shorted their state aid by at least $54 million. The court declared that schools will shut down if a new law isn’t enacted by the end of June. Brownback said in a statement, “We will review this decision closely and…
A bill in the Kansas House could raise the state’s portion of the mill levy factored into ad valorem taxes — also known as property taxes — by 2017. Riley County treasurer Shilo Heger told county commissioners Thursday morning the bill — Kansas House Bill 2569 — proposes to increase the state’s mill levy from 1 mills to 5.5 mills. A mill is $1 in tax for every $1,000 in assessed, taxable property value. The increase hopes to increase money for the state’s educational building fund and was introduced on Jan. 28 by the Committee on Vision 2020, of which Clay Center…