Problems with emergency communications in Riley county were discussed by Riley County Law Board members Monday, with Police Director Brad Schoen and Emergency Management Director Pat Collins telling of recent issues of spotty communication in parts of the county. Collins says there’s 25 to 30 percent loss in coverage in some areas but he says the police department’s main channel is probably the best right now. Director Schoen told the group of a recent problem involving a fight with a suspect resisting arrest, and officers having difficulty communicating with dispatchers. Schoen adds it’s becoming a safety issue. Collins and Schoen…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas school districts have a long tradition of going to court over funding for public education when their efforts fail in the Statehouse. Gov. Sam Brownback says he wants that to change and is encouraging legislators and superintendents from the state’s 286 school districts to open discussions toward ending such litigation. The Republican governor says recent talks among lawmakers and higher education leaders have been productive in explaining the mission of colleges and universities and how they spend state money. The Kansas Supreme Court is expected to rule early next year in a 2010 lawsuit by school…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas advocacy groups are questioning a decision by the Kansas Department for Children and Families to hold $48 million in reserve funds. DCF Secretary Phyllis Gilmore said recently the agency has $48 million in reserve funds and was taking $9 million, under a program called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, to pay for a childhood literacy program backed by Gov. Sam Brownback. TANF is a federal program aimed at helping low-income families achieve self-sufficiency. Karen Wulfkuhle, executive director of United Community Services of Johnson County, told The Lawrence Journal-World that DCF shouldn’t be holding $48 million in…
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) Reno County authorities say they have recovered the body of a man who was reported missing after he went canoeing at Cheney Lake. Reno County Sheriff’s Capt. Wayne Baughman says the body of Sheldon Martin, 31, of Hutchinson was recovered early Monday. The man’s family reported him missing Sunday evening, after he did not return from the lake. Martin was wearing his lifejacket when he was found. An autopsy will be performed. Authorities do not suspect foul play.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) Although it’s preliminary, some Lawrence leaders are considering the possibility of building a convention center in the city. University of Kansas officials say the concept of a convention center is part of the school’s preliminary master plan, although it might not end up in the final draft. Lawrence architect Mike Treanor is pushing the idea. He says a convention center that could hold up to 1,500 people would keep the city’s hotels and businesses full. Tim Caboni, the university’s vice chancellor for public affairs, says KU wants to consider how a convention center could benefit the university…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Some Wichita neighborhoods are working to address a problem with aggressive dogs that are endangering postal carriers and others. Representatives of the Wichita police department and the U.S. Postal Service will discuss the issue Monday with the Wichita Independent Neighborhoods group. The postal service says there have been 27 dog attacks on mail carriers in Wichita so far this year far. KAKE-TV reports the postal service ranks Wichita as the 14th worst city in the country for dog attacks on mail carriers. WIN President James Roseboro says attacks have been reported across Wichita. He says neighborhoods where…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Wichita police say a suspect is in custody after a customer was shot to death at a convenience store. The shooting occurred Sunday evening in southeast Wichita. Wichita police spokesman Sgt. Donald Kimball says the victim, a man in his 30s, just happened to be in the store at the time of the shooting. The suspect was later found in a neighborhood near the convenience store. Further details were not immediately released.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A former Kansas doctor accused of unlawfully possessing drugs and a firearm is headed to trial this week. Lawrence Simons goes on trial Tuesday in federal court in Wichita. District Judge Monti Belot was scheduled to hear arguments Monday on whether jurors may hear a recorded statement Simons made to authorities. Simons, a convicted felon, is accused of giving a bondsman a gun as partial payment for bailing him out of jail in a criminal threat case. Prosecutors also contend that because he had surrendered his license to write prescriptions, he could not lawfully possess drugs later…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A former Kansas House member from Topeka will become interim executive director of the Kansas Health Consumer Coalition next month. The coalition says former Rep. Sean Gatewood will replace executive director Anna Lambertson, who is leaving to lead the Kansas City-based International Relations Council. The council promotes understanding of international affairs among residents in Kansas and Missouri. Lambertson has been the Health Consumer Coalition’s executive director since 2010. The group has been a strong advocate for expanding the state’s Medicaid program under the federal health care overhaul. Medicaid provides health coverage for poor and needy Kansans. Gatewood…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A former Kansas House member from Topeka will become interim executive director of the Kansas Health Consumer Coalition next month. The coalition says former Rep. Sean Gatewood will replace executive director Anna Lambertson, who is leaving to lead the Kansas City-based International Relations Council. The council promotes understanding of international affairs among residents in Kansas and Missouri. Lambertson has been the Health Consumer Coalition’s executive director since 2010. The group has been a strong advocate for expanding the state’s Medicaid program under the federal health care overhaul. Medicaid provides health coverage for poor and needy Kansans. Gatewood…