WICHITA — Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has told a federal court he is changing interagency policies that will improve the state’s ability to verify proof of citizenship for people who register to vote at motor vehicle offices. The notice filed shortly before midnight Wednesday comes a day after a federal court ruled thousands of Kansans who did not provide such documents must be added to voter rolls for federal elections. The judge stayed her ruling until May 31 so the state could appeal. Kobach contends the new policies were being implemented prior to that ruling. Motor vehicle offices now accept…
Author: KMAN Staff
An arrest was made in the 100 block of E. Poyntz Ave. and caused Courtney Vieyra, 30, of Junction City, Kansas to become confined. Vieyra was arrested on the offenses of aggravated failure to appear (listed on a warrant from Riley County) and failure to appear (listed on a warrant from Ogden, Kansas). Also arrested on May 18, 2016 at approximately 7:30 AM was Billy Womack, 31, of Ogden, Kansas. Womack was arrested on offenses unrelated to Vieyra which included distribution of a stimulant, possession of opiates, opium, or narcotic drugs, unlawful possession of marijuana, use or possession with intent…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – Kansas’ state universities including K-State are calling for tuition increases of up to 5 percent, at least for now. The schools submitted their tuition proposals Wednesday to the governing Kansas Board of Regents. But those came before Gov. Sam Brownback signed a budget bill Wednesday afternoon that cuts higher education funding by 4 percent – one percent more than the universities had expected. Kansas State University, Wichita State, Fort Hays State and Pittsburg State each propose a 5 percent increase for the academic year that begins this fall. The University of Kansas and Emporia State seek a…
The Manhattan-Ogden Board of Education made its’ stance on hazing clear at Wednesday night’s board meeting. Superintendent Dr. Bob Shannon presented a new hazing policy to the board which would make the district safer for students and also prevent future lawsuits against the district. Shannon spoke passionately against hazing, and said introducing the hazing policy is merely a preventative measure. No recent hazing has taken place in the district. “From time to time there are unfortunate events on college campuses or high schools across the country. Sometimes someone gets injured, sometimes someone loses their life. No one wants that,” Shannon…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has signed a bill designed to help prosecutors address sexting, the sharing of explicit photos, among teenagers. The bill was among 17 Brownback signed into law Monday and Tuesday. His office announced the signings on Wednesday. The measure creates new misdemeanor crimes of transmitting photos of a child ages 12 through 17 and possessing nude photos of a child ages 12 through 15 if the picture is sent by the subject of the photo. Previously, prosecutors had only felony charges to file against those with nude photos of minors, which was seen as…
Topeka – Governor Sam Brownback today issued a statement following the Obama Administration’s action directing schools on the issue of transgender students. In a joint directive from the Department of Education and Department of Justice, the Obama Administration made an implicit threat to withhold federal funding for schools that do not comply with its guidance. The Kansas State Board of Education discussed this matter on Tuesday, May 17. “The recent guidance letter sent from President Obama’s administration is an unprecedented example of executive over-reach. This attempt to federalize local school board decisions by threatening legal action or denial of federal…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Police say a man has been shot multiple times at a park in Topeka. Topeka police Sgt. Manny Munoz said that the man flagged down a passerby just before 9 p.m. Tuesday. Authorities say the man was taken to a hospital with injuries that are considered to be life-threatening. An investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) Another lawsuit accuses a former physician assistant at a Veteran’s Administration hospital in Kansas of sexual abuse. The suit filed Tuesday in federal court alleges that Mark Wisner suggested he would withhold pain medication if the patient didn’t permit unnecessary and improper genital examinations at the Leavenworth VA Medical Center. Wisner, the hospital and the federal government are named as defendants. At least five other lawsuits have been filed against Wisner. Wisner surrendered his medical license last year after at least seven patients accused him of abuse. Criminal charges that include sexual battery are pending in…
OTTAWA, Kan. (AP) A man is about to learn whether he will be sentenced to death for fatally shooting three adults and an 18-month-old girl on an eastern Kansas farm in 2013. Jurors have recommended the death sentence for 30-year-old Kyle Flack. A Franklin County judge will announce whether he will follow the recommendation at a sentencing hearing Wednesday. Flack was convicted in March of capital murder in the deaths of 21-year-old Kaylie Bailey and her 18-month-old daughter, Lana. Flack also was convicted in the deaths of Bailey’s boyfriend, 31-year-old Andrew Stout, and his roommate, 31-year-old Steven White, who lived…
The Manhattan High BPA students were very competitive at the Business Professionals of America National Leadership Conference (NLC) in Boston May 5-8. The 18 participating students were: Bryan Armbrust, John Benfer, Lexi Bieker, Mark Buckwalter, Jonathan Chen, Lily Colburn, Emma Devane, Fatou Faburay, Stephanie Fu, Suzanna Gevock, Nabil Hossain, Luann Jung, Chloe Lhuillier, Maya Minoch, Lexie Nichols, Brandon Religa, Corbin Sedlacek, and Isis Thornton-Saunders. They qualified for NLC at the February Kansas Leadership Conference in Wichita. 9 of the MHS participants scored in the top 10 in their respective individual or team events. The results follow: Luann Jung & Stephanie Fu- 2nd Administrative Support Team (out…