WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Officials of Wichita’s Housing and Community Services department say 59 employees will be furloughed on 13 days this year because of the automatic federal budget cuts. The agency announced the forced days off yesterday, citing the federal sequester. The salaries of all 59 workers are funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Author: KMAN Staff
The Kansas City Royals waited out a lengthy rain delay, and then another delay when the stadium lights went out. They also had to watch outfielder Alex Gordon walk off with a scary head injury in the sixth inning. Gordon was eventually helped from the field by Royals trainer Nick Kenney. The team said he had a possible concussion and a bruised right hip, and he will be evaluated again on Thursday. Eric Hosmer hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning, and the Royals held on to beat the Cleveland Indians 6-5 on a wild Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium.…
More than 100 homes and structures have burned in an Arizona wildfire that claimed the lives of 19 members of an elite firefighting crew, officials said on Wednesday.
Businesses are welcoming the Obama administration’s decision to delay a mandate for companies to buy health coverage. But the one-year postponement raises new questions about President Barack Obama’s landmark health law.
HOISINGTON, Kan. (AP) A central Kansas boy is in a Wichita hospital after being mauled by a neighbor’s pit bull. KAKE-TV reports the 4-year-old from Hoisington was in critical condition Wednesday. Hoisington police say the boy was playing a backyard Monday afternoon when the dog jumped a fence and attacked him. The boy was taken first to a Barton County hospital, then transferred to Wichita due to the severity of his injuries. The pit bull was euthanized and tested negative for rabies.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) The University of Kansas is starting a new program to address a shortage of social workers in western Kansas. Data collected by the university’s School of Social Welfare shows that fewer than 200 of the state’s 4,000 licensed social workers live in the western half of the state. Last month, the school launched a new yearlong Master of Social Work program based in western Kansas. It’s the state’s first such program west of Wichita. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that students will complete some work online. They’ll also go to class every other weekend at either Fort Hays…
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) Lawrence police are looking for help finding a thief who’s been stealing downtown parking meters. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the thief has apparently used a pipe cutter, or a similar tool, to saw off at least five parking meter posts since April. At least two parking meters were also reported stolen in Lawrence in 2010, though it’s not clear how they were removed. Police say the destruction of parking meters is far more costly than the loss of the coins in the meter. The cost to replace the post and meter heads is about $800 for the…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) One of nine defendants charged in the shooting death of a Topeka woman has pleaded no contest. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Bayate Rayshawn Covington, 21, pleaded no contest Tuesday in Shawnee County court to reckless second-degree murder and other charges in the July 2011 shooting death of Natalie Gibson. Sentencing for Covington is July 18. Gibson was killed during an attempted robbery at her home that also left another woman wounded. Terms of the plea include requiring Covington to testify in pending cases related to the death. Five other defendants in the case have been sentenced,…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Kansas prosecutor has agreed to delay his lawsuit against the Kansas Corporation Commission over alleged open meetings violations while the utility regulatory board reviews its policies. Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor said Wednesday he filed a motion in state court agreeing to a 120-day stay while the KCC conducts a voluntary audit of its procedures. Taylor’s June 19 lawsuit alleges the three-member commission violated the Kansas Open Meetings Act by taking binding action on a Salina water rate increase without convening in public to vote. Taylor’s office says the motion was filed Tuesday in Shawnee…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A new report from a libertarian-leaning think tank rates the Kansas highway system second among states for its overall condition and cost-effectiveness. The Reason Foundation ranked Kansas only behind North Dakota in its annual report on state road systems. In the previous two years, the Los Angeles-based group rated Kansas third in the nation. The foundation said Kansas kept its highways in good condition while having lower-than-average costs per-mile for maintenance and administrative costs. The latest report was based on data reported to the federal government in 2009. The following year, Kansas started a 10-year, $8 billion…