GREENSBURG — A Kansas man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for killing another patient at a mental health facility three days after he was discharged from a state psychiatric hospital. The Hutchinson News reports that 31-year-old Brandon Brown, of Haviland, was sentenced Wednesday in Kiowa County District Court for second-degree murder. He pleaded no contest in October in a case that prompted a state inquiry. Prosecutors say Brown beat Jerry Martinez so severely in May 2015 at a residential care facility that the 61-year-old died the next month. Brown had spent a week at the state-run psychiatric hospital…
Author: KMAN Staff
Local schools stacked up well in the latest rankings by website Niche.com for 2017. The website, which analyzes school districts and colleges across the country, listed Manhattan-Ogden as the 4th-best school district in the state. Rock Creek school district was picked 7th-best and Wamego came in at No. 27 of the 272 districts ranked. Randolph-Blue Valley was 12th. Manhattan-Ogden was also ranked 4th-best in last year’s rankings, while Rock Creek moved up three spots. Wamego dropped from last year’s rankings where it was picked 15th-best. Riley County USD 378 — the smallest of the bunch with just two schools — ranked 75th. The…
WICHITA — Two of the Kansas Department of Revenue’s top officials have stepped down shortly after Gov. Sam Brownback appointed a new revenue secretary, who is expected to make changes to the department. The Wichita Eagle reports Brownback announced in the first week of December that former lawmaker Nick Jordan would step down as revenue secretary and Wichita businessman Sam Williams would replace him. Jim Conant, the agency’s director of resource management, left Dec. 9. Steve Stotts, the state’s director of taxation, retired last week. Williams says Conant left before Williams became secretary, and that Stotts’ departure was not Williams’ decision.…
LAWRENCE — Regents universities in Kansas are reviewing earthquake insurance policies after several quakes were reported in the state this year. The Lawrence Journal-World reports chief financial officers decided to review the policies out of “due diligence.” University of Kansas CFO Leisa Julian says the regents system has $1 billion in property insurance, at a cost of more than $2 million a year. The coverage includes $100 million in earthquake protection. Adding another $100 million would increase the annual premiums by $44,000. The CFOs have taken the matter under advisement for now. Wichita State University President John Bardo strongly supported increasing…
A drug-related arrest leaves a Manhattan man in jail on a high dollar bond. Randall Simonds, 33, was taken into custody in the 2500 block of Bellerive Dr. Wednesday at approximately 4:00 PM. Simonds was arrested on a Pottawatomie County District Court warrant for unlawful distribution of controlled substances and use of a communication facility for drug transactions. Simonds’ bond was set at $50,000. ### Several campers and RV’s were damaged in the Sunflower North storage unit facility in the 2600 of Tuttle Creek Boulevard earlier this week. Riley County Police Officers filed a report for burglary, criminal damage to property,…
They don’t give out a trophy for beating all five of Texas’ major college football programs. A Texas Bowl Champions trophy will be sufficient, however. Led by game MVP Jesse Ertz, Kansas State knocked off Texas A&M, 33-28, in Wednesday night’s Advocare V100 Texas Bowl to finish its season 9-4. “This team epitomized what this program is about — daily improvement,” K-State coach Bill Snyder said. In contrast to most of the Wildcats’ recent bowl game appearances, this contest was closely contested throughout. K-State fell behind 7-0 on the Aggies’ opening possession before rallying to take the lead in the…
BURLINGTON — Authorities have arrested an eastern Kansas sheriff’s deputy after an investigation into child sex crimes. The 28-year-old deputy was arrested Tuesday at the Coffey County Sheriff’s Office on suspicion of two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and one count each of electronic solicitation and sexual exploitation of a child. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release that its agents began to investigate last week at the request of the sheriff’s office. The release says the deputy has been terminated. He had worked for the sheriff’s office since March 2014. The KBI says its…
RCPD officers filed a report for burglary, vehicle burglary, and criminal damage to property in the 700 block of S. 16th St. yesterday afternoon. Officers listed Mel’s Basement and Foundation, RM Baril General Contracting, Rick Reed, 54, of Manhattan, and Dennie Bayer, 69, of Manhattan, as victims when an unknown suspect entered the property and damaged car windows and mirrors on multiple vehicles, damaged warehouse windows and doors, and broke locks in attempts to gain entry. The total loss associated with this case is approximately $3,990.00. Officers filed a report for theft in the 13100 block of Kansas Ave. in Riley, Kansas…
SHAWNEE — A suburban Kansas City gun store that changed locations after a fatal gunfight is closing. Jon Bieker was killed in January 2015 while defending his wife, Becky Bieker, from four Missouri men who were attempting to rob their Shawnee, Kansas, store, called She’s a Pistol. Three of the robbers were wounded in the shootout. All four are charged with attempted robbery and first-degree murder. After the gunfight, the store was moved to a new location less than 2 miles away, but legal bills and increased labor expenses have taken a toll. Becky Bieker told WDAF-TV that the closure “feels…
Today’s guests on In Focus were: Riley County Historical Museum Director Cheryl Collins Todd Lovin of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with Tuttle Creek State Park