TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Federal investigators say bad weather and the pilot’s inexperience likely led to a plane crash in April 2011 near Topeka that killed a Kansas family. A National Transportation Safety Board report says 35-year-old pilot Dylan Spencer of Scott City apparently became disoriented while trying to land using flight instruments in overcast and rainy weather. The Spencer family was flying from Scott City to Topeka on April 22, 2011 when the plane crashed while he tried to land at Topeka’s Philip Billard Airport. Spencer, his wife, Amy, 34, and their two young children were killed. The Hutchinson News…
Author: KMAN Staff
SALINA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Wesleyan University leaders have chosen three finalists to consider as the next president of the Salina school. The finalists announced Monday are Brian McGee, chief of staff and senior policy adviser at the College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C.; Roger Drake, vice president of finance at Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky; and Matthew Thompson, vice president for advancement at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Fla. The Salina Journal reports the presidential search committee chose the finalists from eight candidates. The men will visit the Salina campus in the next two weeks to meet with faculty, staff…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) State health officials are warning the public to restrict their consumption of bass because of concerns about their mercury content. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Monday largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass should be eaten only once per week. The department says women who are pregnant, might become pregnant or are nursing; and children under the age of 18 should eat Kansas-caught bass only once a month. The health department says restrictions are necessary because of the levels of mercury, which can cause health problems, particularly to fetuses and children.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas lawmakers have filed a handful of proposals for the annual session that starts next week, including measures requiring more audits of state agencies. The 90-day session begins Jan. 14. One proposal would change the way audits are conducted on the security of the state’s information technology infrastructure. The bill would allow auditors to file reports if they find evidence that a project is unlikely to meet its goals or is being implemented inefficiently. Another bill would require an audit of the state treasurer’s office when a new treasurer takes office, to ensure that all property and…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Incoming Kansas Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce has filled out his staff with a former congressional intern and an aide to the state House speaker. The Hutchinson Republican announced Monday that Kara Evans will serve has his legislative director. Evans is a recent graduate of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa. She has worked as an intern for Republican U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran of Kansas and James Inhofe of Oklahoma. Bruce also said Katrina Abraham will be his executive assistant. She had the same job in the office of outgoing House Speaker Mike O’Neal. Peter Northcott began working…
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) A northeastern Kansas police department would like to reunite a 300-pound concrete gorilla with its rightful owner. KCTV reports the gorilla statue mysteriously appeared over the weekend in Overland Park. Someone placed it near a gazebo in a neighborhood park in the Kansas City suburb. Police say the concrete simian was too heavy for officers to move, so they brought in a tow truck with a crane to haul it out of the park. Officers checked with nearby residents but failed to find anyone who was missing a concrete gorilla.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) A conference designed for women involved in managing farms will tackle a wide range of issues, from financial risks to farming in the city. Registration has opened for the conference, called Women Managing the Farm. It takes place Feb. 7-8 in Manhattan. The annual event aims to reach women who are landowners, farm managers or otherwise engaged in agricultural careers. This year’s agenda includes more than a dozen sessions on topics including estate planning and legal issues, crop insurance, drought management and social advocacy. Sponsors include the Agriculture Department’s Farm Service Agency and Kansas State Research and…
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) Authorities say a 54-year-old Hutchinson man found dead in a jail cell appears to have died of natural causes. Reno County sheriff’s deputies found 54-year-old James Richard Shumpert unresponsive in his cell Sunday night, less than 24 hours after he was booked into the jail. He was pronounced dead at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center. The sheriff’s department said Shumpert had a history of medical problems. An autopsy will determine the cause of death. Shumpert was taken into custody late Saturday on suspicion of criminal possession of a firearm, violating probation and possession of drugs and paraphernalia. He…
K-State Senior Quarterback Collin Klein has accepted an invite to play in the East-West Shrine Game on January 19th inside Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The announcement came this afternoon via the Shrine Game’s Twitter account. The game will be at 3pm CT on the 19th and will be broadcast on NFL Network. Klein who was a Heisman Trophy finalist will be on the East Team according to the game’s website this afternoon with K-State Defensive Back Nigel Malone on the West Team. Eight other players from Big 12 schools will play in the game all on the West…
During Tuesday morning’s In Focus, Riley County Commissioner, Karen McCulloh announced she intends to run for the Manhattan city commission. McCulloh announced her retirement before the previous election primaries and was honored for her four years of service on the board during Monday’s county commission meeting. If McCulloh is successful, in her hopes to gain a seat aboard the city commission, she hopes to get the city and county to work together more, especially as the half cent sales tax has passed again. “A lot of very nice friends have talked to me for quite awhile and I said ‘yes’…