LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) A 41-year-old Lawrence man was sentenced to more than 36 years in prison for death of his girlfriend, who died of an infection after she was beaten with the leg of a table. Christopher Belone was sentenced Tuesday in the 2006 death of Linda Begay of Lawrence. It was the second time he had been sentenced in the case. Belone was first convicted in 2006 but the Kansas Supreme Court ordered a new trial, ruling a jury should not have been allowed to hear a taped interview Begay gave investigators before she died. The Lawrence Journal-World reports…
Author: KMAN Staff
MINNEAPOLIS, Kan. (AP) The third of four inmates who escaped in April 2012 from a north-central Kansas jail was sentenced to 11 more years in prison. The Kansas Attorney General’s Office says Alberto Barraza-Lujan, 24, was sentenced Tuesday for aggravated escape from custody. He’ll serve the sentence after finishing a sentence of 11 years and four months for previous convictions. Barraza-Lujan and three others escaped from the Ottawa County jail in Minneapolis. They were being housed at the county jail to relieve overcrowding at the state prison. Barraza-Lujan was serving time for attempted aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A 22-year-old Topeka man was sentenced to nearly nine years in prison for his role in the shooting death of a woman and the wounding of her partner. Ronald Wakes was sentenced Tuesday in the July 2011 death of 40-year-old Natalie Gibson and the wounding of Lori Allison, 43. He was one of nine people charged in the shooting, which occurred during a botched robbery at the women’s home. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Wakes pleaded no contest in February to involuntary manslaughter, aggravated robbery, aggravated battery and attempted aggravated intimidation of a witness. Chris Biggs, assistant district…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is preparing to sign legislation altering the way judges are appointed to the state Court of Appeals. The bill gives the governor authority to make the appointments, subject to confirmation by the state Senate. The measure does away with the special commission that screens applicants for the Court of Appeals and nominates three finalists from whom the governor makes the appointment, with no role for the Legislature. Brownback scheduled a bill-signing ceremony Wednesday. The Republican governor has also indicated an interest in changing how Kansas Supreme Court justices are selected, which currently follows…
EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) The Red Rocks State Historic Site, home of famed Kansas journalist William Allen White and his family, will reopen April 4 for the spring and summer travel season. White was editor of The Emporia Gazette and in his day hosted high profile political and literary people at his home in Emporia. Theodore Roosevelt was among the five U.S. presidents to visit Red Rocks. The Historical Society said Tuesday that visiting hours will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday during the season, which ends Oct. 26. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 students. Kansas…
A new photography exhibit by a National Geographic photographer opens up Monday at the Flint Hills Discovery Center. “Touch the Sky: Prairie Photographs by Jim Brandenburg” is a collection that features 44 framed images by the Minnesota native. The exhibit includes images of the wide-open prairie, herds of bison, grasshoppers, dragonflies, and dove as well as a few panoramic photographs. Shot in Nebraska, Iowa, the Dakotas, Oklahoma, Illinois, and other states; the exhibit also reveals a depiction of lightening storms and wildfire raging across the landscape. The exhibit will be on display through May 26th in the 2nd floor gallery and is the…
Manhattan sales tax numbers are down a bit again this last reporting period, according to Manhattan Finance director Bernie Hayen. March figures were released late Wednesday morning, which reflect actual numbers for two months prior, or January of this year. $874,400 were collected, with an adjusted rate of $814,963. That’s down $17,686 and $10,212 for the respective amounts. The adjusted amount is $30,543 less than the adjusted forecast of $845,506, and $5,917 less than the adjusted compared to the budget. Hayen has a reminder that last year’s month-to-month reports were often at an all time high for city sales tax collections, and the amount this year is still…
Riley County Police were made aware of an indecent liberties case after receiving the information from Wichita police. Limited information was released, as the investigations department just received the case, but a sex offense was reported to Wichita police sometime around 9:30 Tuesday evening. Although the case was reported in Wichita, it actually occurred in Manhattan. A male child, under the age of ten, was the victim of inappropriate touching in the northeast part of Manhattan. It is unknown when the incident occurred, but the suspect is a female who is known to the victim. Police indicated that the child…
Blue Springs Missouri defensive end Elijah Lee has committed to K-State according to the Kansas City Star.Lee recorded 72 tackles and 15 1/2 sacks during his junior season for the eventual Missouri Class 6 state champions. He later won the Buck Buchanan Award — handed to the top lineman or linebacker in the Kansas City metro area. Lee also had offers from Wyoming and Toledo and is a three-star recruit on rivals.com. He’s the second Blue Springs standout to commit to K-State this month, as three-star running back Dalvin Warmack also pledged to the Wildcats three weeks ago. Warmack ran…
PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) The Kansas City Royals set a team record for spring training wins with their 23rd victory, beating the Seattle Mariners 11-6 Tuesday behind Brett Hayes’ four hits. Hayes tripled and drove in two runs. The Royals had 18 hits, including seven doubles. Lorenzo Cain, Jarrod Dyson and Miguel Tejada added two hits for Kansas City. The Mariners took a 4-1 lead before a six-run seventh for Kansas City. Mariners starter Jeremy Bonderman gave up seven runs and 11 hits in 5 1-3 innings. Franklin Gutierrez and Michael Morse homered for Seattle in the seventh.