TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Wichita’s McConnell Air Force Base has been selected to be the main operating base for the Air Force’s new KC-46A air refueling tanker. Members of the Kansas congressional delegation issued a joint statement Wednesday announcing the Air Force decision. The aircraft will replace the aging KC-135 fleet flown by crews for the past 50 years. According to the delegation, the Air Force will base 36 of the new aircraft at McConnell starting in 2016. It also will be investing $192 million in upgrades to the base. McConnell was chosen over bases in North Dakota, Oklahoma and Washington.…
Author: KMAN Staff
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) It appears Hutchinson areas residents might see a big Fourth of July fireworks display after all. The fireworks show was in jeopardy after a new city policy wiped out the revenue that used to pay for it. However, the Hutchinson City Council on Tuesday unanimously supported contributing $10,000 toward a $15,500 show at the Kansas State Fairgrounds. The council didn’t vote but City Manager John Deardoff said he would work on a contract after the council expressed support. The Hutchinson News reports that in the past, revenue from fireworks vendors paid for the holiday show. But after…
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) Civil engineers are giving Kansas’ infrastructure a grade of C minus. The regional chapters of the American Society of Civil Engineers released the letter grade Wednesday. It’s part of a report card that evaluated the state’s aviation, bridges, dams, drinking water, energy, levees, railroads, roads and schools. Besides the state’s overall grade, each sub-category also received a grade. The engineers found the most faults with the state’s bridges and dams, rating them a D-minus. The report said Kansas has nearly 3,000 structurally deficient bridges. The highest grades awarded were for the state’s roads and schools, with…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) A judge has temporarily stopped the closing of a Kansas City charter school. State education officials voted last week to pull the charter of Gordon Parks Elementary School because of the students’ poor performance. School officials say their children are making progress even though many live in poverty. Cole County Circuit Court Judge Daniel R. Green ruling on Tuesday will allow the school to stay open through the end of classes in late June. A court hearing on July 26 will consider the school’s request for a permanent injunction. The school had been scheduled to close…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Wichita man who stabbed another man to death at a party is convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Dat “Tommy” Nguyen was convicted Tuesday in the December death of Tan T. Nguyen, 27. The men were not related. The Wichita Eagle reports Dat Nguyen testified during his trial that he acted in self-defense. Defense lawyer Nika Cummings said her client reacted after hearing that someone had a gun. But prosecutors say the victim was being held down by several other men when Nguyen stabbed him in the back.
IOLA, Kan. (AP) Federal regulators are putting the site of an old zinc and lead smelting operation in southeast Kansas on a list of hazardous waste places with highest priority for cleanup. The Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday it was placing the former United Zinc Associated Smelters Site on the federal Superfund National Priorities List. The land is located in and around Iola in Allen County, where several zinc and lead smelting businesses operated between 1902 and 1925. The area is contaminated with high levels of lead, arsenic, cadmium and zinc. The priority designation makes the site eligible for extensive,…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A team of Kansas Department of Corrections workers are the biggest losers in Gov. Sam Brownback’s weight loss challenge. The corrections employees, who work at the women’s prison in Topeka, bested more than 1,000 five-member teams from around the state. The corrections workers shed nearly 265 pounds about 19 percent of their total weight over four months and received a cash prize Tuesday of $5,000. A group of state transportation workers from Fort Scott finished second for losing slightly less than 19 percent of their collective weight. The competition ended with participants shedding more than 44,000 pounds…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas legislators plan to resume negotiations on tax issues after the House and Senate moved closer to agreement on adjusting the state sales tax. Wednesday meeting of House and Senate negotiators comes after senators proposed trimming the 6.3 percent sales tax to 6.25 percent in July. The House had suggested lowering it to 6 percent. The tax is scheduled by law to drop to 5.7 percent on July 1. But Gov. Sam Brownback wants to keep it at 6.3 percent to produce revenue while Kansas pursues more cuts in personal income taxes after the massive reductions approved…
On today’s InFocus, Cathy talks with Brad Starnes, Riley County Schools USD 378 Superintendent, and Brady Burton, Blue Valley/Randolph USD 384 Superintendent. [mp3-jplayer]
As KMAN news told you earlier Wednesday morning, Wichita-based Via Christi Health says tough finances are forcing it to eliminate 350 to 400 jobs at its facilities throughout Kansas. The nonprofit health system announced the decision Tuesday, saying it will involve layoffs and the elimination of some vacant positions. The cuts amount to about 4 percent of Via Christi’s total employment. Specifically in the Manhattan market with Mercy Regional Health Center, the current budget shortfall is $1.6 million. John Broberg, Senior Administrator of Mercy Regional Health Center says they are currently working with their leadership team to develop a plan to address…