WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The man who developed a failed Western-themed amusement park near Wichita will be released from prison soon. State corrections officials say Thomas Etheredge, 59, who was sentenced to five years in prison for securities fraud, will get out of prison Monday. Etheredge has served just over three years of his sentence for seven counts of securities fraud for misleading investors in the Wild West World theme park in Park City. Wild West World opened on May 5, 2007. It closed on July 9 of that year and filed for bankruptcy the same day. Etheredge blamed a wet summer…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Topeka police are investigating a drive-by shooting that injured four people. Police say in a news release that officers found blood and shell casings but no victims when they went to the scene in southeast Topeka Wednesday night. Several apartments had been hit by gunfire. A short time later, four men arrived at a hospital with gunshot wounds that were not life-threatening. WIBW reports it’s the second time in a week that a drive-by was reported in the same block in Topeka. No one was injured last Wednesday when someone fired two shots at a building in…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is preparing to discuss his push for a special session of the Legislature to revise the state’s “Hard 50” sentencing law. Schmidt scheduled a news conference Thursday, one day after he wrote to Gov. Sam Brownback asking him to call lawmakers back to Topeka. The Kansas law allows judges to sentence people convicted of first-degree murder to a minimum of 50 years in prison before they can seek parole. Schmidt said in his letter that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision raised questions about the constitutionality of the Kansas law. The high…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A recent graduate of Kansas State University has been appointed political director of the Kansas Democratic Party. The hiring of Wichita native Kerry Gooch was announced Wednesday by Jason Perkey, the party’s executive director. Gooch was an intern for the party during the past year and graduated from Kansas State in May with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Perkey says Gooch will provide infrastructure support to county Democratic parties, caucus groups and third-party organizations affiliated with the state party. The Kansas party is working to increase Democratic voter registration and participation in upcoming elections.
Although no action was taken, the Riley County Commission discussed two drafts during their Thursday meeting. Both were brought forward by the Public Works Department, as they involve existing policies they currently inforce. The first draft was introduced almost five years ago, according to Public Works Director, Leon Hobson, but was put on the back burner for awhile. It involves design standards for subdivisions. This alone raised concern, as the draft is somewhat unclear of who will be impacted. County Counselor, Clancy Holeman recommended Hobson add some kind of language to explain this would only impact subdivisons, not benefit districts…
A private equity firm is buying Abilene-based Alco Stores, which mainly serves small towns across the central United States, for $47 million. KMAN news received a news release which indicates Alco and Argonne Capital Group, a private investment firm based in Atlanta, has announced that Argonne will acquire Alco Stores’ outstanding common stock for $14 a share. That is a premium of 63 percent to Wednesday’s stock price. Alco Stores’ board of directors has approved the deal, according to a news release from the company. Shareholders still have to approve the offer. Alco also has the right to solicit other offers…
Prince William and Kate Middleton have named their son George Alexander Louis just two days after the eight pound, six ounce baby was born.
Heisman Trophy finalist Collin Klein has become the first male at K-State to be named Big 12 athlete of the year, announced on Thursday by the league office. Klein led the Cats to a Big 12 title, 11 wins, and a Fiesta Bowl berth this past season. He won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, was tabbed a second team all-American by the Associated Press and Walter Camp, and was the Big 12 offensive player of the year. The Loveland, CO native also registered a perfect 4.0 GPA during the 2012 football season, and earned 2nd team academic all-Big 12…
Senior guard Will Spradling will make it a trio of K-State men’s basketball players who will compete in Europe next month. Spradling will join Global Sports Academy on a trip from August 8th thru the 16th to play five games against club teams in Belgium and the Netherlands. As previously announced, Wildcat junior forward Thomas Gipson and incoming freshman point guard Jevon Thomas will tour with Athletes in Action in Lithuania from August 6th to the 19th. The trip starts with three days of training in Macon, Georgia at Mercer University, followed by the remainder of the two weeks spent overseas in…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Eric Hosmer hit two home runs and Alcides Escobar drove in the winning run in the ninth to lift the Kansas City Royals to a 4-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night. David Lough singled and scored the game-ending run when Escobar doubled off the fence in left center with one out in the ninth. Hosmer homered in the first and his two-run home run in the eighth tied the score at 3. It was Hosmer’s third multi-homer game and his second this season. Darren O’Day (5-1) took the loss, while Luke Hochevar (3-1),…