Author: KMAN Staff

Four Manhattan High Students were named semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Officials with the National Merit Scholarship Program made the announcement that Catherine Lei, Nathan McClendon, Thomas Parish and Josh Schwartz were among the 16,000 semifinalists from across the country. As semifinalists, the students have the chance to continue on in the competition, for 7,400 National Merit Scholarships – worth more than $3 million.

A $10,000 grant will help students within the Blue Valley  school district better understand scientific data. The district received the grant from America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education, which is sponsored by the Monsanto Fund. Making use of the funds, USD 384 will purchase scientific handheld computers and sensors – to transfer data collected through student experiments to their iPads for further evaluation. The equipment will allow the district to broaden outdoor science education experiences, such as field research. High school science teacher Ruth Hutson is thrilled that district has received the funding, saying “Students will be able to think and act…

An unidentified man was life-flighted after receiving an electric shock at a work site on East Sixth Street in Junction City shortly before noon Wednesday. The Junction City Fire Department indicated they could not release a name due to HIPAA restrictions. Geary County Emergency Management Director Gary Berges tells KMAN the individual was taken to a parking lot on I-70 at mile marker 313 by ambulance and then taken by helicopter to the University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas city. The victim was reportedly conscious but was suffering critical injuries.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a program of studies that analyzes the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. The survey is unique in that it combines interviews with physical examinations. Each year, surveyors from the Center for Disease Control visit 15 counties across the United States to gather this data. In an unlikely drawing, Pottawatomie County has been selected as one of the representative counties in 2015. Now, a Mobile Exam Center has been set up near Highland Community College in Wamego as Survey Director Janis Eklund and her team spread out…

Today’s guests on In Focus were: Rock Creek’s USD 323 Supt. Darrel Stufflebeam and Wamego’s USD 320 Supt. Denise O’Dea Nancy Williams and Ila Morrill with Daughters of the American Legion Polly Ogden Chapter in Manhattan-Constitution Week Janis Eklund, Study Manager with Department of Health and Human Services regarding Mobile Exam Center in Wamego

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Officials at Wichita State University say they plan to increase evening police patrols after two recent on-campus robberies. University spokesman Lou Heldman said Tuesday the school will have additional officers on campus between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. Heldman said the school is not adding officers, but rather using officers from day shifts more during the evening. Officials say police officers will be conducting more foot patrols, as well. According to school police chief Sara Morris, a 19-year-old female student was robbed of her purse at knifepoint Monday in a campus parking lot. The student was not…

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas officials say a review of the state’s new welfare law shows it doesn’t conflict with federal rules governing state child care programs. Kansas Department for Children and Families economic and employment services director Sandra Kimmons also said Tuesday that federal officials haven’t indicated that there’s a problem. The Kansas City Star reports that the issue arose after a child advocacy group raised concerns that several aspects of the new welfare reform law could collide with federal rules, jeopardizing more than $40 million a year in federal funds. The law, called the HOPE Act, was approved by…

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A new report shows Kansas farmers have begun planting their 2016 winter wheat crop. The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Tuesday that 1 percent of the winter wheat in the state has now been seeded. That is about average for this time of year. The agency’s weekly snapshot of crop conditions also shows that 33 percent of this season’s corn crop is now mature. It rated corn condition as 57 percent good to excellent, 32 percent fair and 11 percent poor to very poor. Growers have also begun harvesting their sorghum crops. NASS reports that 1 percent…