Author: KMAN Staff

Making the official announcement Friday morning on KMAN’s morning In Focus program, Jim Sherow, former Manhattan Mayor, announced he is running for the US House of Representatives in the First District, the seat which is held by Tim Huelskamp. Sherow has had an exploratory website up for a couple of months, but has officially thrown his name into the competition. Sherow was born in Hutchinson, but has been a part of the Manhattan community for a number of years.  Sherow has served as a city commissioner and Mayor of Manhattan,  is a historian at Kansas State University and a small business owner.…

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On today’s InFocus, Cathy talks with State Representative Sydney Carlin of Manhattan, followed by Jim Sherow, Former Manhattan Mayor, then U-S Senator Jerry Moran of Manhattan, and ending with Rob Ott, Acting Manhattan Public Works Director and City Engineer.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Topeka officials are investigating anonymous allegations of office bullying at city court. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the complaint was made in a letter sent to the city and other offices. It centers on the municipal court, which is overseen by administrative judge Vic Miller. City spokeswoman Suzie Gilbert says Topeka’s legal and human resources departments are concluding an investigation and that more information will be available later. Miller says he can’t comment on the allegations because they’re a personnel matter.

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MEDICINE LODGE, Kan. (AP) A south-central Kansas man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for at least 25 years for sex crimes involving a child. A Barber County judge on Wednesday sentenced Robert Pruitt (22) of Kiowa under the state’s Jessica Law, which imposes longer sentences for sex crimes involving children. Pruitt also was ordered to wear electronic monitoring for life and lifetime registration as a sex offender. The Hutchinson News reports Pruitt pleaded guilty in October 2013 to one count of rape of a child younger than 14.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Johnson County couple who were the focus of a failed marijuana search is supporting proposed legislation making it easier to get police investigative reports. The failed search for marijuana two years ago at the Leawood home of Robert and Adlynn Harte launched the Hartes on a crusade for documents to shed light on what led to the search, which produced no charges or evidence. The Hartes spent $25,000 working to get the records. The Kansas City Star reports the Hartes appeared before lawmakers Wednesday asking them to make public police documents called probable-cause affidavits, which are…

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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Kansas military boarding school embroiled in a lawsuit alleging widespread abuse of its cadets is asking a federal judge to keep any mention about prior arrests or criminal convictions of its employees away from jurors at next month’s trial. The request comes amid 21 sealed motions filed on Wednesday by St. John’s Military School in Salina seeking to restrict evidence when trial begins March 4 in federal court in Kansas City, Kan. The school also seeks to keep out of the trial a police report, findings by a state child welfare agency and certain testimony. Four…

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) High school debaters will take on the issue of ongoing public school segregation during a Black History Month event at the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. A sixty-minute debate gets under way Friday at the Topeka site that tells the story of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended legally segregated public schools. Debaters from Topeka High School will spar over whether socio-economic issues must be the focus of polices aimed at ending school segregation.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A national construction trade group has unveiled a new national plan to address looming workforce shortages as firms add jobs after a lengthy downturn. The Arlington, Va.-based Associated General Contractors of America released the plan Thursday during a visit to the Washburn Institute of Technology in Topeka. Group spokesman Brian Turmail says Kansas was chosen as the release site because of a state-funded program that offers high school juniors and seniors free, college-credit technical training in high-demand fields. Turmail says the association wants to nudge other states to do the same thing. The plan outlines measures to…

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) A northeast Kansas man whose getaway vehicle was a city bus has pleaded guilty to robbing a bank. The U.S. Attorney’s office says Jamarr Dale (29) faces up to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty Thursday to one count of bank robbery. The holdup occurred Jan. 2 at a Security Bank branch in Dale’s hometown of Kansas City, Kan. Dale admitted handing a teller a note that said, “I need $3,000 or I will start shooting.” He left after the teller gave him a drawer full of cash. Police received a call saying the…

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A former Kansas Bureau of Investigation deputy director has been charged with sexual exploitation of a child and trying to destroy evidence. The Shawnee County prosecutor filed the charges Thursday against Kyle G. Smith (57), of Topeka. County jail officials said he was released around 5:20 p.m. after posting a $15,000 surety bond. Prosecutors allege Smith possessed a photo of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He’s also charged with two counts of interference with law enforcement, alleging he tried to destroy evidence on a telephone and on a computer. Smith’s attorney, Thomas Haney, didn’t immediately…

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