TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Topeka attorney who stole more than $460,000 from several clients’ trust funds and another accused of inadequately representing clients will no longer be able to practice law. Dockets provided by the Kansas Supreme Court on Wednesday show that Robert Telthorst and Steven Rosel have been disbarred. The Topeka Capital-Journal reported that the men voluntarily surrendering their law licenses previously. Telthorst pleaded guilty last month to wire fraud and money laundering. He admitted to taking clients’ money for his personal use. Meanwhile, three professional conduct complaints had been filed against Rosel. He’s accused of making inappropriate advances…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A national survey ranks Kansas at the bottom among states in being prepared for public health emergencies, terrorism incidents and natural disasters. But state officials took issue Wednesday with the latest, annual “Ready or Not?” report from the nonpartisan Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It gave Kansas and Montana the lowest scores, 3 on a 10-point scale. Kansas Division of Emergency Management spokeswoman Sharon Watson says the state has responded successfully to numerous natural disasters and the division has been called upon routinely to help other states. For example, she noted that…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Gov. Sam Brownback is urging Kansans to observe a moment of silence Friday for the victims of the school massacre in Newtown, Conn. Brownback and governors across the country are calling for people to pause and reflect at 9:30 a.m. in local time zones. That’s the hour of the shooting last Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The gunman killed 20 first-graders and six adults before committing suicide. He also killed his mother at their home. Brownback described the crime as “senseless” in a news release Wednesday. He says that the state’s “hearts and prayers are with…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Portions of two major highways in northwestern Kansas have been closed because of hazardous winter weather conditions. A powerful storm moving out of the Rockies on Wednesday created near blizzard conditions in portions of the state. Transportation officials closed sections of Interstate 70 and U.S. 36. The Colby and Oakley school districts canceled Wednesday classes ahead of the storm. In Goodland, the National Weather Service predicted just 1 to 3 inches of snow from Interstate 70 south with slightly higher amounts near the Nebraska border. But forecasters warned that winds gusting to 50 mph from midday through…
LENEXA, Kan. (AP) The Environmental Protection Agency says a southwest Missouri business that disposes of explosives waste has agreed to pay $580,135 to settle alleged violations. The EBV Explosives Environmental Company informed the agency last year that emission rates of the hazardous pollutant hydrogen chloride were above permitted levels at its Joplin-area facility. The company does business as General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems – Munitions Services. The EPA said Wednesday that alleged violations at the facility included exceeding emission limits for several types of toxins and operating a type of incinerator called a thermal treatment unit without a valid…
GARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) Garden City commissioners say they are hopeful that a private developer’s plans for a theater will help revitalize the city’s downtown. Holcomb resident Mark A. Pamplin says he wants to turn the nearly 84-year-old State Theater into a state-of-the-art, 400-seat theater-in-the-round with year-round performances. He told the commission Tuesday the $3 million renovation project would be funded entirely by private investments. Commissioners said that made Pamplin’s proposal preferable to one from The Garden City Recreation Commission, which would use the center for community theater and other local productions. Under that plan, the city would still own…
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) The death of a 69-year-old Kansas City, Kan., man is reverberating through the international dog show community. Police found the body of Peter Belmont Jr. Sunday at his home but have not said how he was killed. The Kansas City Star reports Belmont was known on the dog show circuit for his breeding of Afghan hounds under the kennel name Elmo. Patricia Egan, president of the Afghan Hound Club of New South Wales in Australia, told The Star Tuesday that Belmont was “a legend” in the Afghan hound world. She says his loss will be mourned…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Two men who pulled a motorist from a burning pickup truck in Wichita are among 18 people being honored for their heroic acts. The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission announced Wednesday that 43-year-old Thomas Joseph Delgado of Valley Center and 36-year-old Joseph C. Page of Wichita will receive medals for valor. The pulled the motorist from the truck after an accident on Aug. 31, 2011. The 18 people on the list all risked their lives to rescue someone in distress. Four died during their attempts.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) A 24-year-old woman faces six years in prison after pleading guilty to charges from a June standoff with Hutchinson police. Kayla Salyer Rodriguez will be sentenced Feb. 1 after pleading guilty Monday to aggravated kidnapping and two counts of aggravated assault. As part of her plea, Rodriguez admitted she threatened two women with a handgun on June 1 and kidnapped one of the women. The Hutchinson News reports police were in a standoff for more than six hours at a Hutchinson apartment after receiving a report that Rodriguez had forced another woman into the apartment with a…
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) A new wheat variety will be named 1863 to help Kansas State University celebrate its 150th birthday. The hard red winter wheat variety will be introduced next year as the university begins its sesquicentennial celebration. The celebration’s coordinator, Megan Umscheid, calls the new wheat variety a “neat connection” to the school’s heritage. Kansas State was the nation’s first operational land-grant university under the Morrill Act. Kansas Wheat Alliance president Daryl Strouts approached Kansas State about the project. Planters who purchase the wheat variety will get waterproof stickers with the university’s 150th anniversary logo to post on their…