TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has signed a bill into law to block tax breaks for abortion providers and ban abortions performed solely because of the baby’s sex. The measure signed by the governor Friday also declares that life begins at fertilization. Some abortion-rights supporters worry that the language in the measure could be used to legally harass providers. Abortion opponents call it a statement of principle and not an outright ban on terminating pregnancies. In addition to the provisions on taxes and sex-selection abortions, the bill prohibits abortion providers from being involved in public school sex education…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Unemployment rose slightly in Kansas in March despite a drop of more than 1,300 applications for initial unemployment benefit claims. The Kansas Department of Labor reported late Thursday that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose from 5.5 percent in February to 5.6 percent in March. The rate was 5.8 percent in March 2012. A labor economist says Kansas didn’t add as many jobs that it typically does in March, suggesting a slowdown in economic momentum. The private sector added 3,100 jobs, primarily in construction and leisure and hospitality professions. Initial claims for jobless benefits fell from 16,388…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Sedgwick County man has been sentenced to 10 years and three months in prison for the death of his motorcycle passenger during a police chase. The Wichita Eagle reports that court records show Joshua L. Wynn, 23, was sentenced Thursday for the September 2011 death of Mallory Scofield, 19. Wynn was convicted in February of second-degree unintentional but reckless murder as part of a plea deal. Scofield died when she and Wynn were thrown from a motorcycle in west Wichita while Wynn was fleeing from a sheriff’s deputy after an attempted traffic stop. Wynn also was…
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) A Johnson County judge has dismissed lawsuits against Leawood and Prairie Village over bans on open carry of firearms. The Libertarian Party of Kansas argued in the lawsuits that the two Johnson County cities violated citizens’ rights by banning open carry. They noted the Kansas attorney general issued an opinion last year that cities cannot ban open carry. Overland Park has rescinded its ban. District Judge David W. Hauber ruled Wednesday that the Libertarian party officials did not demonstrate how they had been personally injured by the municipal bans. He said he could not issue an injunction…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Wichita police say two separate shootings that left one man dead and another critically injured apparently are related. Police say the first shooting happened Thursday night near downtown. A 30-year-old man who was found lying near a home died at a hospital. The second shooting was reported a short time later in southeast Wichita. Police say a man in his 20s was taken to Wesley Medical Center in critical condition. A police spokesman says at least three men are being sought in connection with the fatal shooting.
PRATT, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism is hosting a new bird watching contest. The department says its “Kansas Birding Big Year” contest will run from April 20 to Dec. 31. A “big year” is what bird watchers call an informal competition to see who can observe the most bird species in a geographic area in one year. The Kansas competition will apply to birds spotted in the state. Mike Rader, wildlife education coordinator for the department, says the point is to get people outside and enjoying nature. He says it’s also a good way to…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A federal judge has criticized a Kansas military school for a motion he describes as aimed chiefly at getting positive media attention. U.S. District Judge John Lungstrum on Thursday denied a motion by St. John’s Military School for summary judgment in its favor on a former cadet’s claim of abuse. The judge called the motion a media “grab” lacking merit and borderline sanctionable. Eleven ex-cadets have sued the Salina boarding school alleging abuse. Lungstrum says the school’s motion did not address the basis of the claim by an ex-cadet who says he was bound, gagged and branded.…
FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) Two international military officers, including one who commanded units in Afghanistan, are set to be inducted into the International Hall of Fame at Fort Leavenworth. The honorees are Gen. Tom Middendorp, chief of defense in the Netherlands, and Lt. Gen. Joseph Kasaon, commander of the Kenyan army. They’ll be recognized April 25 during a ceremony at the Army’s Command and General Staff College. Middendorp graduated from the college in 1997 and was named chief of defense in the Netherlands in 2012. He was promoted to general after serving in Afghanistan in 2009. He also led units…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas officials and university economists are preparing to issue new revenue projections for legislators and Gov. Sam Brownback to use in making budget decisions. Friday’s meeting allows the forecasters to revise earlier projections for the current fiscal year and the budget year that begins July 1. The current forecast was issued in November. It predicts the state will collect $6.2 billion in revenues during the current fiscal year and $5.5 billion for the next fiscal year. The forecasters predicted that revenues would decline by $705 million during the next fiscal year following massive state income taxes enacted…
The Kansas State University Police Department is investigating reports of a male taking photos of females in Hale Library. According to K-State Police Captain Don Stubbings the witness reported the person as a black male 5’11″-6’0″ in his twenties with short hair wearing a blue and white striped polo type shirt. It is believed the subject was using a cell phone camera to take photos which were sexual in nature. If anyone has information about these incidents they are encouraged to contact the K-State Police Department at 532-6412. Anonymous tips can be left at www.ksu.edu/police/