TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has appointed Mark McGivern as interim secretary of the Department of Administration. Brownback named McGivern on Thursday as the temporary replacement for Dennis Taylor, who is leaving to become executive director of the Kansas Lottery. A permanent secretary is expected to be named in the coming months. McGivern currently directs the Office of Facilities and Property Management within the Department of Administration. The department oversees state purchasing, upkeep of state office buildings and computer and phone services for state agencies. Taylor’s appointment as head of the Kansas Lottery becomes effective Friday. He succeeds…
Author: KMAN Staff
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Two convicted felons have been arrested in connection with a shooting at a Wichita McDonald’s that resulted when the restaurant got their order wrong. Police say a 27-year-old woman who was driving a Trailblazer that tried to cut in front of another vehicle Wednesday morning in a drive-thru lane after discovering her order was incorrect. The driver of the car that was cut off refused to budge, and eventually the woman in the Trailblazer threw a tire iron at her. Police say a man in the Trailblazer got out and fired a shotgun blast into the driver’s…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas is seeing its projected budget shortfall shrink because of better-than-expected revenue collections. The Legislature’s research staff issued a new projection Thursday of $267 million. The figure represents the gap between anticipated revenues and current spending commitments for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The end-of-November figure had been $295 million. But the state saw a bulge in revenues in December, particularly in individual income tax collections. Legislative researchers shared the new shortfall projection with The Associated Press before distributing their report to most legislators and making it public. The shortfall results from massive income tax…
ULYSSES, Kan. (AP) A western Kansas ranch that contains nationally recognized chalk formations and other important historical artifacts has been sold, pending some legal research. The Hays Daily News reported Wednesday that businessman and rancher Norman Nelson bought the Pyramid Ranch in Gove County for $10 million. Its 12,900 acres includes the Monument Rocks chalk formations, which have been designated a National Natural Landmark, as well as fossil finds and two graves of U.S. Cavalry soldiers. Nelson owns First State Bank and land in Norton, Trego and Russell counties. Nelson says he plans to use the land for his ranching…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Topeka man charged with killing his mother alleges in a lawsuit that he is being discriminated against in jail because he is a Muslim. Jason W. Hachmeister is in Shawnee County jail awaiting trial for first-degree murder in the strangulation death of his mother, Sheila Hachmeister. She was found dead in their Topeka home in September 2010. Hachmeister, a practicing Muslim, is seeking $100 million in the federal lawsuit. The Topeka Capital-Journal says Hachmeister accuses jail officials of not providing him with food that met the requirements of his Muslim faith. He also says Muslims aren’t…
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) State transportation officials say the number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities dropped dramatically in 2012 in Kansas. Preliminary data from the Kansas Department of Transportation says 57 people died in alcohol-related crashes, compared with 102 in 2011. Alcohol-related traffic accidents also declined last year 2,184, the lowest number in more than a decade. The Lawrence Journal-World reports Pete Bodyk, traffic safety manager for the transportation department, says one of the reasons for the decline is likely a law enacted in 2011 that requires even even first-time DUI offenders to use an ignition interlock device. The department says 402…
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) A 30-year-old Wichita man is in jail after barricading himself inside a Hutchinson home for more than six hours. The man surrendered peacefully Wednesday evening after the standoff and is jailed in Reno County awaiting charges. Authorities say the standoff began when a state parole officer saw the man in a car that had been stolen in Wichita. The suspect had violated his parole on Sedgwick County charges including aggravated assault and endangering a child. After a brief chase, the man ran inside a Hutchinson home. Residents inside the home got out of the house and the…
EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) Security guards at Emporia’s high school and middle school will be able to carry guns starting Feb. 1. The Emporia school district’s board of education voted Wednesday to allow the security guards to carry guns while on duty at the schools. Currently, all school employees are banned from carrying guns. Superintendent Theresa Davidson said the change will move the district closer to a comprehensive plan for making all students and staff safe. KVOE reports the board also changed the job description for security officers. Officers will be required to have some law enforcement experience, be certified with…
SALINA, Kan. (AP) A Salina man has pleaded no contest to first-degree murder in the beating death of a toddler. The Salina Journal reports that 28-year-old Antonio M. Brown Sr. pleaded no contest Wednesday in Saline County court to first-degree murder during commission of a felony. Brown also pleaded no contest to two counts of child abuse in connection with the 2011 beating death of 14-month-old Clayden Lee Urbanek. Saline County District Judge Rene Young set sentencing for Feb. 12. The child’s mother, 21-year-old Brittney Betzold, was sentenced earlier this month to about 13 years in prison for second-degree murder…
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Republican Party is holding its annual convention in Hutchinson near the end of the month. State GOP Chairwoman Amanda Adkins announced in an email Wednesday that the two-day gathering will begin Jan. 25. Hundreds of party activists are expected to attend. The convention features receptions by elected public officials and a dinner speaker on the opening night. The next day’s events include a meeting of the GOP’s state committee and a lunch with U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts. The Republican Party traditionally schedules the convention close to the Jan. 29 anniversary of the state’s admission to…