TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Trials for a mother and son charged in the death of the man’s wife will start on the same day in different Topeka courtrooms. Thirty-two-year-old Manuel Campos Alcala of Topeka was bound over Wednesday on first-degree murder and other charges tied to the Oct. 18 shooting death of his wife, 34-year-old Ashley Alcala, at her Topeka home. His trial was scheduled to start March 25. That’s the same day his mother, Manuela Alcala, of El Paso, Texas, is scheduled for trial on the same charges. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports prosecutors said they would shuttle witnesses from one…
Author: KMAN Staff
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) The University of Kansas Hospital has transplanted its 1,000th liver followed soon after by the 1,001st transplant. The hospital announced Wednesday the recipient of the 1,000th transplant was 60-year-old Brenda Higgins of Kansas City. Thirty-nine-year-old Deborah Ellerbusch of Newton received the 1,001st liver. The hospital’s liver transplant program started in 1990. Hospital officials say the program is among the 25 largest in the nation.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The State Board of Education will hear updates next week on progress in writing new standards for teaching history, government and social studies in Kansas. The board’s agenda for its Jan. 9 meeting also includes a status report on a national project to draft new science standards. The guidelines are similar to the Common Core standards that were adopted by states for reading and math. Four new members who won election to the 10-member board in November will be sworn in. The board will also reorganize for the next two years, choosing a chairman with the retirement…
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) The fate of the Farm Bill after its one-year extension by Congress will be examined this month at a gathering of the major farm commodity groups in Kansas. The annual Kansas Commodity Classic takes place Jan. 16 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Manhattan. The event brings together the state’s corn, wheat and grain sorghum industry groups. Sessions include an overview of trends in grain markets and a discussion of the weather outlook. A panel of academic and industry leaders is also expected to discuss research and technology advances in the major Kansas grain crops. Kansas State…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Two Kansas professors are making the case that a major solar burst may have happened more than 1,200 years ago. Brian Thomas of Washburn University and Adrian Melott of the University of Kansas became interested after reading that tree samples from the years 774 and 775 showed a spike in the amount of carbon-14 in the atmosphere. The Japanese scientists who made the discovery ruled out a major solar event based on their calculations. Thomas and Melott noticed that those calculations assumed the solar event would emit energy evenly. But Thomas is an associate professor of physics…
At Thursday’s Riley County Commissioners Meeting, a bid was approved for the Lakeside Heights Sewer Benefit District. Residents around the area are pushing for the project because of inadequate spacing for lateral fields when the developments were first put in during the 1960’s. Currently the district has three residents who want to tie in to University Heights Sewer district. Karen McCulloh, County Commissioner, says this will enable more houses to be built in the area. Larson Construction was the only group bidding on the project. Their base bid was $49,428 which was considerably less than the $59,280 cost projected by the engineers.…
The New Year’s Baby at Geary Community Hospital in Junction City has been announced. J’Shawn Deonte Wedlow was born to Ivory and Jasmine Wedlow of Junction City. J’Shawn was born Wednesday at the Martha K. Hoover Women’s Health Center in Junction City. J’Shawn weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces, and was 21 ½ inches long. The maternal grandparents are Grant and Teresa Felton of Junction City. The paternal grandmother is Floydia Wedlow of Mississippi. #### Mercy Regional Health Center has reported its first birth for the New Year. Maria Noel was born at 8:17 Wednesday morning, weighing four pounds, 11 ounces. Maria’s…
Westar Energy is expanding its Reliabilitree program in Manhattan, and will be initiating more tree services in the near future. The program is aimed at a proactive response to trim fouling foliage in the Manhattan area, and provide more engagement with property owners. Westar Energy director of support services Elsie Eisenbarth says “Tree pruning prevents power outages and improves safety by reducing the risk of accidental contact with power lines. Our top priority is to provide our customers with the highest quality, safest electric service.” Westar says trees set to be pruned will be tagged with orange paint, and a…
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter are reporting that the Kansas City Chiefs and Andy Reid are on the verge of agreement to make him the team’s next head coach. A source says “the major issues have been discussed and agreed upon.” Reid coached the Philadelphia Eagles for the past 14 years, leading them to 130 wins, five NFC Championship games, and one Super Bowl. The Chiefs and Reid’s representatives reportedly met at a private airport in Philly on Wednesday, and the source says “no hangups are expected.” Former Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel was fired after a 2-14 season, and…
A 17-3 run to close the first half gave the K-State women a 36-34 lead at halftime against Kansas, but the Wildcats went cold in the final 20 minutes, and Kansas prevailed 72-63 at Allen Fieldhouse on Wednesday night in Lawrence. K-State trailed 31-19 with 4:46 left in the first half when their surge began including the final 11 points of the half. Haley Texada scored 11 of her 21 points during that run. However, KU would jump quickly out to a 46-40 lead with 14:36 remaining, and pushed their edge to as many as 10 points. The Cats pulled…