TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback says federal officials have granted the state permission to overhaul its Medicaid program. The decision by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was announced Friday. It allows Kansas to turn the $2.9 billion-a-year program for the needy over to three private insurance companies in January as planned. The state already has awarded three-year contracts to the companies. Medicaid covers medical services for about 395,000 poor, disabled and elderly Kansans. Brownback’s administration argues that moving all Medicaid participants into managed care will improve services while controlling the state’s costs. Kansas needed HHS…
Author: KMAN Staff
MCPHERSON, Kan. (AP) A national group says a new police chaplain program in a central Kansas town violates the U.S. Constitution. The Freedom From Religion Foundation notified McPherson city officials that it had received a complaint about the program, saying it violates the separation of church and state. The Wisconsin-based organization is asking the city to end the program. The program allows two Christian ministers to ride along with McPherson police officers, to counsel officers and be present when officers inform families of deaths. An attorney for the foundation says the complaint came from a McPherson resident. The Hutchinson News…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The wife of a man convicted of killing a rural Kansas woman has been removed from a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the victim’s children. An Atchison County judge on Thursday removed Rebecca Hollister from the lawsuit filed by the children of 58-year-old Patricia Kimmi of rural Horton. Hollister’s husband, Roger, is serving life in prison for Kimmi’s November 2009 death. Kimmi’s children allege in their lawsuit that their estranged father, Eugene Kimmi, and the Hollisters conspired to cause Patricia Kimmi’s death. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the judge ruled the plaintiffs had presented no evidence to prove…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Prosecutors say they have collected $15.8 million in criminal and civil cases filed in federal courts in Kansas. U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said Thursday in a news release the amount his office has recovered for the federal treasurer and for crime victims in fiscal 2012 was up by one-third. He says that in this time of economic recovery, the collections are more important than ever. Criminal actions accounted for $2.1 million in collections, while civil cases brought in $13.7 million. That compares with the previous year in which the District of Kansas collected $11.8 million in both…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Incoming Kansas Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce’s new chief of staff is a former legislative liaison for Gov. Sam Brownback. Peter Northcott began working for Bruce this week, immediately after leaving Brownback’s office. Bruce said Thursday he was impressed by Northcott’s work on the governor’s staff, which involved daily contact with lawmakers when the Legislature was in session. Bruce says he immediately approached Northcott after fellow Republican senators designated him as their next majority leader. Both Bruce and Brownback are conservative Republicans. Republicans maintained their 32-8 majority in the Senate in this year’s election, but conservatives ousted…
HORTON, Kan. (AP) The Kickapoo Tribe has received a $25,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to plug abandoned wells on its land in northeast Kansas. The agency announced this week that the tribe was among 50 recipients of grants totaling $1.2 million. The goal of the Kickapoo project is to reduce the amount of surface runoff that flows into the open wells, leading to contamination of groundwater. Educational and outreach materials also will be used to increase awareness of groundwater contamination. The EPA says the Kickapoo Tribe has recorded elevated levels of E.coli bacteria and nitrates in the groundwater.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas first lady Mary Brownback has donated 500 books from the Kansas Book Festival to the annual Marine Corps Toys for Tots program. Brownback made the presentation to two Marines on Thursday at Cedar Crest, the governor’s official residence in northwest Topeka. Brownback is a supporter of several literacy programs in Kansas, including the Kansas Book Festival. Included in the donation were 22 different titles for reading levels from kindergarten through seventh grade. The books were a donation from the Scholastic publishing company to Brownback for her to distribute. Marines will be collecting more toys at various…
The Riley County Law Enforcement Center was dedicated in honor of Alvan D. Johnson during a ceremony Friday afternoon. Johnson, spent 22 years as Director of the Riley County Police Department before retiring in January 2000, and currently serves as a County Commissioner. Johnson was instrumental in defining a need for a Law Enforcement Center and, upon approval by the citizens of Riley County, led a team to design the facility. The building is now known as the Alvan D. Johnson Law Enforcement Center. During his 34 year law enforcement career, Johnson served as a member of the Kansas Sheriffs’ Association, Kansas Peace Officers Association, and served as…
There will be major changes on K-18 beginning Sunday. That’s the latest word from Kansas Department of Transportation officials. Those who drive K-18 will see the connection point of Murray Road to K-18 closed on Sunday. Plans are to open the connection of Skyway Drive to Scenic Drive at the North round-a-bout on Scenic Drive. The access for the entire business district east of the airport will be Scenic Drive to Skyway Drive. K-Dot Construction Manager Jerry Haug explains that motorists will need to be careful and that the access to the airport will be at the 56th avenue interchange. He also warns GPS systems will…
Updated: The individual who was trapped in his car after a rollover accident on Friday, has been extracted. Initial reports say that the man drove off the road doing 50 mph, hit a utility pole and rolled his car landing on the roof of the car. He was transported to Mercy Regional Health Center. The road was temporarily closed both directions, but is now open. Original Story: Anderson Avenue is closed in both lanes in the 6200 block due to a rollover accident and a down power line that occurred at about 3:00 pm today. Preliminary information says there is someone…