WICHITA — A new report shows the number of farms and ranches fell last year in Kansas. The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Thursday that the state had 60,400 farms in 2015, down 600 from the previous year. The number of farms with less than $100,000 in agricultural sales decreased by 800 farms, while the number of those with more than $100,000 in sales grew by 200 farms. Kansas has 46 million acres of land in farms and ranches, unchanged from a year earlier. The agency says the average size of farming operations is 762 acres, up 8 acres from…
Author: KMAN Staff
Friday’s guests on In Focus were Senator Tom Hawk, of Manhattan, Ri. Co. Ext. Health, Nutrition, Food Safety Agent Ginny Barnard, Riley County Sr. Center Meals on Wheels with Elsa Morgan and Mary Jo Harbour, and Gary Westerman.
TOPEKA — A proposal to build a new veterinary laboratory at Kansas State University is one step closer to reality. The Kansas Board of Regents on Wednesday approved the university’s proposal for a Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, with an estimated cost of $43.2 million. The project still must be approved the Kansas Legislature. The university plans an 80,000-square-foot facility. The new building will allow the university to consolidate its diagnostic and research labs with offices and support facilities. Regent Bill Feuerborn said Kansas State will seek $10 million in private donations for the project. A timeline for the construction,…
TOPEKA — Kansas lawmakers are discussing two separate proposals for lowering the state’s sales tax on groceries. Twelve Kansas senators are sponsoring a proposal to offer voters a constitutional amendment that would reduce the sales tax to zero over three years. One of the sponsors, Democratic Sen. Tom Holland, says voters need to have a voice in how the state is handling its tax policies. Unlike many other states, Kansas charges its full state sales tax rate on groceries. The rate was increased last year to 6.5 percent. The Kansas City Star reports another proposal would reduce the grocery sales…
Police arrested Robert Weixelman, 35, of Manhattan, on Thursday evening at approximately 10:00 p.m. on the offenses of violation of a protection order and stalking. This arrest stems from actions violating a court order which occurred on the afternoon prior to the arrest in the 600 block of Osage St. Bond was set at $10,000. An Ogden woman was arrested on Thursday morning for attempted burglary and theft. 26-year old Tara Sotkovski was arrested while in the 200 block of 12th St. in Ogden shortly after 10 a.m. Sotkovski was arrested on a warrant for the offenses of attempted aggravated burglary and theft.…
TOPEKA — On Thursday afternoon, Rep. Sydney Carlin of Manhattan, a Democrat, successfully offered an amendment to a bill on the House floor outlawing revenge porn. Revenge porn is the posting of nude or sexually explicit photos or videos of an ex-spouse or significant other online without their consent and is very different to regular pornography from websites similar to NuBay. “Within hours of a vengeful ex-partner uploading images of a victim to a website, that image can be viewed hundreds of thousands of times,” Carlin said in a press release. “In a matter of days, it can become the…
More than 200 Soldiers with the 1st Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade are set to return soon from a nine-month deployment to Kuwait. While deployed, the brigade’s Soldiers were responsible for planning, oversight and resources for troops in five countries and 13 locations. The brigade supported Operation Inherent Resolve and provided sustainment support to U.S. Central Command across its area of responsibility. The unit departed Fort Riley in June 2015. All members of the “Durable” brigade are expected to be home by the end of March.
The Riley County Police Department has plans for a proposed service building expansion, but what wasn’t planned was the cost estimate of such a project. The estimate brought forth to the Riley County Law Board Tuesday has a price tag of $775,000. “We were a little surprised about the price,” RCPD Director Brad Schoen told Riley County commissioners Thursday morning. “I think there are some things we could to to drastically reduce that.”Schoen told commissioners a big reason for the hefty figure deals with the site modifications that may have to be made for the expansion, especial Schoen told commissioners…
WICHITA — The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging a Kansas law requiring proof of citizenship when people register to vote at state motor vehicle offices. A federal lawsuit filed Thursday contends the documents requirement violates the National Voter Registration Act, a federal law that aims to increase voter participation by eligible citizens. That law is sometimes called the “Motor-Voter Law” because of a provision requiring states to provide voter registration services in conjunction with drivers’ license applications. The ACLU lawsuit contends more than 35,000 Kansans have been blocked from voting since Kansas implemented the documentary proof-of-citizenship requirement. Kansas Secretary of State…
With Spring Training camps starting to open for all teams, Royals fans in particular are very excited for the new season. After all, their team is the defending World Series champion, having taken down the New York Mets last fall in five games. But if you still need a little motivation to get ready for the upcoming season, make your plans to check out the Royals’ World Series trophy. As part of the “Trophy Tour”, you can get your picture with the hardware on Monday February 22nd at the Courtyard by Marriott, 310 Hammonds Drive in Junction City from 11am-1pm.…