Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall helped open a conference on human trafficking in Manhattan Tuesday morning. Almost 200 law enforcement officers and victim service providers from across Kansas are in Manhattan Tuesday and Wednesday to team up in the fight against human trafficking. “Human trafficking is the modern form of slavery,” Beall said. “It’s here now. It’s happening in communities across Kansas. It’s everybody’s problem.” Beall is joining with Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt and the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center to sponsor the conference, which is running from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 12,…
Author: KMAN Staff
Wamego’s USD 320 Board of Education went through the reorganization process for the new 2016-17 school year. The Monday meeting opened with the election of Board Officers. Board member Amy Schwein was not present. Rob Adams was re-elected as President by a vote of 5 to 0 and Ryan Hergitt was elected Vice President by a vote of 3 to 2. Reorganization of the board continued with the approval of a resolution to extend the term of office of board members whose term expires anytime in 2017 until the second Monday in January of 2018. This affects District 4…
For 27 years Leslie Campbell has been working with the Pottawatomie County Health Department and served as director for 18 of those years–but she’s stepping down as director in the near future, taking on a position as a clinic manager with the Riley County Health Department. Pottawatomie County Commission Chair Dee McKee tells KMAN Campbell has been a real asset to the county, with her many responsibilities. She describes the position as an active one in working with infectious disease, management of shots and screenings, and in working with the schools. More recently the health director has been working with the…
Last week Riley County commissioners voted to keep their salaries flat and eliminated any cost of living adjustment (COLA) increases and step increases for themselves for the 2017 budget. Monday afternoon, commissioners agreed to eliminate COLA increases for employees as well for 2017, but did keep normal step increases. Before the decision, commissioners and department heads went back and forth on what changes to make to the pay scale. Changes in both COLA and step increases threatened to force the county into restructuring its entire pay scale system. Riley County Human Resource Manager Cindy Volanti told commissioners keeping step increases…
WICHITA — Twenty-four workers laid off by Spirit AeroSystem in 2013 have sued the aircraft parts maker alleging it targeted older workers covered by its health insurance who had costly medical conditions. The former employees, members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, filed the class-action lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Wichita on behalf of themselves and an estimated 160 other employees age 40 or older who were discharged from their jobs. Spirit AeroSystems says that reductions in force are never easy and its decisions are based on non-discriminatory criteria. The company contends it is confident the evidence in…
WICHITA — A discarded World War II bomber is preparing to return to the skies after undergoing an extensive renovation. The Boeing B-29 Superfortress named Doc is expected to take off Sunday from McConnell Air Force Base in southeast Wichita unless weather conditions force the flight to be rescheduled. The Wichita Eagle reports that the plane was certified as airworthy this spring. Doc’s Friends restoration program manager Jim Murphy said in a news release that the planned flight follows 16 years of “hard work, sweat, tears and tireless attention to detail.” The Wichita-built plane was finished too late to fly bombing missions…
The first guest on In Focus today was K-State Clinical Associate Professor/Pet Health Center Susan Nelson. Next on In Focus we had the Battle of the Badges with the Manhattan Fire Department, Riley County Police Department and the Riley County EMS.
A Manhattan man was taken into Riley County Police Department custody on Saturday. Joshua Foster,23, was arrested by the RCPD for probation violation at 115 N 4th St on Friday. He was given a bond of $10,000. A Manhattan man was arrested on Sunday. Riley County Police Department arrested Kevin Harbaugh, 34, while at the RCPD Saturday. Harbaugh was arrested on charges of probation violation and a bond was set at $5,000. Police arrested Dorian Green, 23, of Junction City while in the 3700 block of K18 HWY on Saturday. Green was arrested on a warrant for failure to appear…
SALINA — A central Kansas man will have to serve at least 50 years in prison after being convicted in the death of a 17-year-old girl. The Salina Journal reports Macio D. Palacio Jr. was sentenced Friday to life in prison in the 2015 death of Allie Saum. His sentence requires that he serve a minimum of 50 years before he’s eligible for parole. He was convicted earlier of first-degree, premeditated murder in Saum’s fatal shooting. Saum was struck and killed when Palacio fired into a truck she was riding in. Judge Rene Young imposed sentences for additional crimes but ordered those…
WICHITA — Crews in Wichita have been searching for a man who was reported missing while kayaking in the Arkansas River. The Wichita Eagle reports that Wichita Fire Department crews spent Saturday searching for the man, identified as 24-year-old Brian Bergkamp, a native of Garden Plain. He had been scheduled to enter his third year of theology study at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He was reported missing Saturday when the Arkansas River was swollen by recent rains. Fire officials say two men and three women in separate kayaks were floating on the river Saturday when they hit churning water.…