TOPEKA — Kansas is reporting that it collected $54 million less in taxes than anticipated in February, and the shortfall creates new budget complications. The report Tuesday from the state Department of Revenue came only two weeks after the Republican-dominated Legislature passed a bill to eliminate a projected budget deficit of nearly $200 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1. But the state now must act again to avoid a deficit on June 30, before the new fiscal year begins. The department said the state collected $303 million in taxes last month instead of the $357 million projected in a November…
Author: KMAN Staff
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A group that publishes the Emporia newspaper once edited by late journalism icon William Allen White has bought two family-owned newspapers and a weekly in Kansas. John Montgomery says he plans to retire and has sold the Junction City Daily Union, Abilene Reflector-Chronicle and the weekly Wamego Smoke Signal to Chris Walker’s White Corp. The deal took effect Tuesday. Though financial terms were not disclosed, Montgomery said he plans to keep a Daily Union office and remain in an advisory capacity. Seventy-five-year-old Montgomery is a fourth-generation newspaperman in a family that has been in publishing for…
Charleston, S.C. — The Association of Defense Communities (ADC) and the Defense Communities Caucus today designated 10 communities from across the nation as “Great American Defense Communities” for providing unwavering support to service members and military families. The Great American Defense Communities program was launched this year to acknowledge the unique contributions cities, counties and regions that host installations make to improve quality of life for service members, veterans and their families. This inaugural class of communities was selected by a panel of defense community advocates and experts from dozens of nominees based on the broad range of efforts…
A Fort Riley soldier was identified as the victim in a collision on I-70 in Topeka that happened Monday. Coral Lynn Clark, 24, was killed in the wreck. She was a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist. “The officers, NCOs and enlisted members of the 1st Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Pfc. Coral Lynn Clark,” said Lt. Col. Clint E. Tracy, the brigade’s rear provisional commander. Tracy continued, “Coral was a model soldier and an inspiration to her peers and superiors alike through her work ethic and her singing.” Clark joined the…
This edition of In Focus, features Cathy Dawes discussing news from around the Little Apple with Manhattan Mayor Karen McCulloh and City Manager Ron Fehr.
PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) The fourth suspect in a 2014 home invasion that led to the death of a Pittsburg State University student has been taken into custody in Mexico. The Pittsburg Morning Sun reports 20-year-old Bryan Levi Bridges was arrested in Juarez, Mexico, on Sunday night. He was wanted in Kansas on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary and conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery in the October 2014 home invasion that left 20-year-old Taylor Thomas dead. Crawford County Attorney Michael Gayoso says he hopes to have Bridges back in the county early next week for a first court appearance. Prosecutors…
ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) An Arkansas City man has been arrested on suspicion of 34 sexual offenses, including rape. The Arkansas City Police Department said Monday that the man was arrested Friday during a controlled traffic stop. Police said they were notified Wednesday of an adult male having an inappropriate relationship with a girl. Authorities say that during their investigation, they identified another juvenile victim. Police say some of the offenses occurred in Arkansas City and others took place in rural parts of Cowley County. The man faces three counts of aggravated criminal sodomy, 12 counts of aggravated indecent liberties…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas officials will learn soon whether the state’s tax collections in February fell short of expectations. The report due Tuesday from the Department of Revenue could complicate the state’s budget picture. It comes only two weeks after the Republican-dominated Legislature passed a bill that closes a projected deficit of nearly $200 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The budget measure approved by lawmakers would leave the state with cash reserves of only $6 million on June 30 and $86 million at the end of June 2017. Continued shortfalls would erode those projected reserves. Tax collections…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Authorities have released the names of two people whose deaths in a central Topeka apartment are being investigated as “suspicious.” Topeka police identified the deceased as 22-year-old Robert A. Fink Jr. and 21-year-old Ashlie Hundertfund. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that police found the bodies Monday morning when they went to check on the welfare of a resident who hadn’t shown up for work. Topeka police Lt. Colleen Stuart says there was no immediate word on the cause of the deaths but foul play hasn’t been ruled out.
HOLTON, Kan. (AP) Authorities say hypothermia killed a kidnapping suspect whose body was found in a wooded area of northeast Kansas. On Monday, Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse released the findings of an autopsy report on the death of 32-year-old Jon Sumpter, of Silver Lake. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that a hunter found Sumpter’s body Jan. 31 about a half-mile south of the Nebo State Fishing Lake. Morse said Sumpter was believed to be the suspect in a December kidnapping in which the victim escaped. The following day, the stolen sport utility vehicle that was believed to have been used…