WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A second Sedgwick County detention deputy has been charged with sexual misconduct involving inmates. The Wichita Eagle reports Sheriff Jeff Easter announced Wednesday that two male inmates complained in October of being subject to “lewd fondling” at a work-release center. Two counts of unlawful sexual relations were filed in November but didn’t become public until Friday when James Conklin of Wichita made a first court appearance. Conklin’s lawyer, Sal Intagliata, says Conklin has 19 years of “honorable service” as a detention deputy. The attorney also says he intends to challenge the credibility of the accusers. Conklin is…
Author: KMAN Staff
Wamego’s first meeting of the New Year was one of the shortest. At Wednesday’s City Commission meeting, City Manager Merl Page announced the City tries to do a three-year rotation of Police vehicles, and sent out a request for proposal in December. With only one proposal being received, the recommendation to purchase a 2012 Dodge Charger with the patrol package, for the net cost after trade-in of over $22,000. Page said they will trade a 2005 Crown Victoria currently used for Code Enforcement and rotate in a 2009 Crown Victoria. The Commission approved the purchase. In other business,…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A float trip on the Arkansas River isn’t much fun when your kayak scrapes the riverbed. A group called the Arkansas River Coalition has made a tradition of paddling the river in Wichita each New Year’s Day. But months of drought created special challenges Tuesday. The Wichita Eagle reports this year’s trip had been scheduled for the nearby Little Arkansas, where the water is deep enough for kayaks and canoes. But the Little Arkansas was frozen over, so the paddlers launched in the main Arkansas River instead only to hit sandbars or get stuck in mud. Several…
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) A northeast Kansas police department says one of its officers has died in a one-car crash. The Lawrence Journal-World reports 29-year-old Officer Matthew Klock was off-duty when his car hit a traffic signal pole around 2 a.m. Wednesday. The crash happened near an intersection in the western part of Lawrence. Klock was alone in the car. The Kansas Highway Patrol’s report on the accident says he was not wearing a seat belt. Klock had been a member of the Lawrence Police Department since 2007.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) University of Kansas administrators say the school is preparing to implement a new curriculum in the fall. All freshmen will be required to take the new Core Curriculum, and some upperclassmen could opt into the new requirements. The new curriculum is the first to apply to all undergraduates, regardless of their school. The university says it will provide more flexibility and focus on skills the students will develop. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the current Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of General Studies degrees include requirements that can be met by only one or a handful of courses.…
LECOMPTON, Kan. (AP) Residents of a northeast Kansas town are upset that the hours at their post office will be reduced five weeks earlier than expected. The U.S. Postal Service recently told residents of Lecompton that it will reduce the post office hours beginning Jan. 26. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports residents said they were told the cuts would happen March 3. Postal service spokesman Pete Nowacki says Lecompton residents were told at a November meeting that March was a likely date for implementation. He says the change was made so savings could begin immediately. The Postal Service announced in May…
NEOSHO RAPIDS, Kan. (AP) Lyon County authorities say a homeowner shot and injured one person breaking into an eastern Kansas home and held another suspect at gunpoint until police arrived. The incident happened Wednesday morning at a home about three miles north of Neosho Rapids. Lyon County Sheriff Jeff Cope says the homeowner fired one shot at the suspect, who was treated at Newman Regional Health for non-life threatening injuries. KVOE reports the second suspect was held at gunpoint until deputies arrived. The residents of the home were not hurt. Further details of the shooting were not immediately released.
ROSE HILL, Kan. (AP) A southeast Kansas 18-year-old is among the elite in the Boy Scout world. Jeremy Ebert of Rose Hill is only the 180th person in the country to ever earn all 134 merit badges offered by the Scouts. His scoutmaster, Mark Esslinger, says Ebert is the first person in Kansas to earn all the badges. Ebert belongs to Troop 0626 in Rose Hill. Ebert told The Wichita Eagle that he was driven to acquire all the knowledge learned from working on the badges. He says the biggest obstacle was the archery badge because his left hand has…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The condition of the Kansas winter wheat crop has deteriorated in the wake of December’s limited rain and snow. Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service reports that 31 percent of the state’s wheat crop ended 2012 in poor to very poor condition. Forty-five percent was rated in fair condition, with 23 percent in good shape and 1 percent in excellent condition. The agency notes that only three of the 53 reporting stations around the state received more than an inch of precipitation from Dec. 1 through Dec. 30. Range and pasture conditions declined as well, with 84 percent in…
LANSING, Kan. (AP) The mayor of the northeast Kansas community of Lansing is preparing to leave the office he first won 29 years ago. The Leavenworth Times reports Kenneth Bernard will retire Thursday as his successor, current City Councilman Billy Blackwell, takes the oath of office. Bernard has served as mayor of Lansing almost continuously since 1983. He took a short break from 1991 to 1993 before winning the office again. He decided against seeking another term in 2012. Blackwell was elected mayor in a three-way race in November. Bernard will be honored at a reception Thursday night in the…