TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Gov. Sam Brownback’s chief spokeswoman says the Kansas Senate’s top Democrat has no grounds to suggest the swearing-in of Brownback’s chief counsel to the Court of Appeals is being delayed for political reasons. Eileen Hawley said Tuesday the suggestion by Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley is unfounded. Hensley questioned having Caleb Stegall take his seat on the Court of Appeals on Jan. 3. The Senate confirmed Stegall’s appointment Sept. 4. Hensley suggested the timing was designed to delay a statewide vote on keeping Stegall on the bench by two years, to November 2016. But judicial branch officials…
Author: KMAN Staff
LOUISVILLE, Kan. (AP) Whoever ransacked a building at a northeast Kansas landfill apparently felt a little remorseful. KCLY-FM reports an employee discovered the burglary at the Pottawatomie County landfill building near Louisville late last week. The sheriff’s office says the burglar caused about $250 in damage to the building and made off with a small amount of cash. The perpetrator also left behind a note of apology. The crime remained unsolved Tuesday.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A northwest Kansas woman has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $104,000 in Social Security and Medicaid funds. The U.S. Attorney’s office says Earlyne Weigel, 57, of Hays, entered the plea Tuesday in federal court. Weigel began receiving Social Security benefits in 2003, with the payments adjusted to account for her household income. In her plea, she admitted falsely telling officials in 2005 that she no longer lived with her husband. An adjustment to her benefits allowed her to fraudulently receive nearly $44,000. The adjustment also allowed her to receive nearly $61,000 in Medicaid benefits. Weigel faces…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Wichita store owner charged with trafficking in fake luxury goods has told a court she intends to change her plea. A notice of intent was filed Tuesday in federal court in Wichita in the case of Glenda Sue Morgan. A change-of-plea hearing was set for Oct. 29. An indictment handed down in April charges Morgan and her Wichita shop, The Fabulous Store LLC, with conspiracy and trafficking in counterfeit goods. Prosecutors allege Morgan sold handbags, wallets, sunglasses and jewelry bearing trademark designs and brand names that were not made by the companies. The brand names included…
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) Overland Park police have arrested a Kansas City, Kan., man on suspicion of first-degree murder in a shooting death in Overland Park. Officer Gary Mason, a spokesman for Overland Park police, told The Kansas City Star that the 21-year-old suspect is being held in the Johnson County Jail in connection with the shooting death of Brandon L. Holmes. The suspect was arrested Monday. Holmes was found shot to death at his home Friday afternoon. Police say he died from a gunshot wound to his chest.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Highway Patrol says no charges will be filed against the driver of a vehicle that struck and killed a 29-year-old Lawrence bicyclist. The Lawrence Journal-World reports Hayley M. Berrios was riding a bicycle east across the South Lawrence Trafficway in July when she was struck by a vehicle. Berrios was declared dead at the scene. She was hit by a 1974 Chevrolet truck driven by a 67-year-old Lawrence man. Kansas Highway Patrol trooper Dennis Shoemaker says the driver of the pickup will not be charged. Shoemaker says the highway patrol and Douglas County Sheriff’s Department…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The state’s consumer counsel’s office says Westar Energy’s latest rate request has been settled. The proposed settlement will give the utility an additional $30.7 million a year and raise residential customer bills $3 a month. The Kansas Corporation Commission still must approve the settlement. The Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board says the settlement drops a proposal by Westar to shift about $50 million of cost from its large industrial and commercial customers to residential and small-business ratepayers. The Wichita Eagle reports Westar applied for the rate increase mostly to pay for required environmental upgrades at its La Cygne…
WINFIELD, Kan. (AP) Cowley County authorities say human remains discovered near Winfield in March were those of a homeless man originally from New Mexico. The sheriff’s office said in a news release Monday that DNA testing showed the remains were those of Adam Tyler Miller, 38. Authorities say Miller had been staying in the Arkansas City and Winfield area. He was arrested for trespassing twice in September 2012 but had no contact with law enforcement since then. Miller told officers he was homeless and suffered from several medical conditions. The sheriff’s office says Miller left his home and family members…
EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) The Emporia animal shelter is quarantined as officials deal with an outbreak of distemper. A temporary intake center has been set up at the Lyon County Fairgrounds in response to the outbreak, which has killed more than 60 dogs since February. Veterinarians say early test results confirmed the illness was distemper. KVOE reports the Capital Area Animal Rescue Team will operate the temporary shelter for at least three weeks. Animal Shelter manager Peggy Derrick says the remaining dogs at the animal shelter are healthy. Emporia veterinarian Floyd Dorsey says the health issues began in February and March…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas residents with concealed carry permits will now be allowed to carry their weapons in Alabama. Attorney General Derek Schmidt said Monday that Alabama has become the 34th state to honor permits issued in Kansas. Schmidt said Alabama enacted a law recognizing permits from all other states, starting Aug. 1. It did so after Kansas enacted a similar law applying to permit holders from other states traveling in Kansas. The new Kansas law also requires people with concealed carry permits who move to the state to obtain a Kansas-issued license to legally continue carrying concealed guns. The…