Several loose ends were tied up in Wamego at Tuesday’s City Commission meeting. City Manager Merl Page presented several resolutions for approval. The first has been out there for a while, regarding tangible gifts and memorials donated to the City by the public. The resolution’s purpose is to avoid misunderstandings regarding ownership and care of any donation to the City. The Commissioner’s approved a resolution allowing individual property owners to retire their special assessments. This issue was discussed at an earlier meeting, and the Governing Body had no problem with the repayment as long as Bond Counsel agreed. The property…
Author: KMAN Staff
The Manhattan City Commission met on Tuesday night for what City Manager Ron Fehr called a “record breaking” quick session. A new bond rate for some city bonds, and an ordinance which allows the rezoning of a lot near Scenic Drive were on the agenda. The City commission approved a new bond rate set around 1.6 percent. City Manager Ron Fehr says the new rates will lead to big savings of approximately $350,000. Fehr says Manhattan has been rated double A and double A Plus by the three rating agencies, and city staff will be looking to get better…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Wichita man accused in the stray-bullet killing of a sleeping 8-year-old girl has been ordered to stand trial. Twenty-four-year-old Zachary Gaston is charged with first-degree murder in the Sept. 4 killing of Kimbra Moore at a mobile home park. KFDI-FM reports a Sedgwick County judge ordered Gaston to go on trial following a preliminary hearing Tuesday. Police have said the gunfire followed an early-morning dispute in a nearby parking lot between a group of four men and a man in a stolen car. Gaston is accused of shooting at the car while chasing it into the…
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) A former top executive at Topeka-based Payless ShoeSource has been chosen to head the Kansas Bioscience Authority. Authority officials announced the selection of Duane Cantrell as president and CEO on Tuesday. He’ll replace David Vranicar, who became interim president after former president and CEO Tom Thornton resigned under pressure in 2011. The Kansas Bioscience Authority is charged with investing in and nurturing new companies in the biosciences and life sciences fields. Cantrell is currently the managing partner of a retail consulting firm. Before that he spent 26 at Payless ShoeSource, where he was president from 2001-2004. Authority…
OAKLEY, Kan. (AP) No injuries are reported but a lot of corn is on the ground after two grain bins collapsed at a northwest Kansas elevator. The Hays Daily News reports the exterior walls of the two concrete bins at one end of Frontier Ag Inc.’s elevator annex in Oakley gave way around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. Emergency personnel said all employees were accounted for. Frontier Ag grain marketing manager Ben Brandvik says each bin could hold about 25,000 bushels when full. He said the far end of the elevator was not very full when the walls crumbled, although a witness…
PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. (AP) Officials in a suburban Kansas City community have asked the Johnson County District Attorney to remove a City Council member for letting a homeless friend sleep at City Hall. KSHB reports Prairie Village Councilman David Morrison was the focus of an ethics hearing Monday night. A formal complaint says Morrison gave his security access code to longtime friend Kelly Malone and lied to police dispatchers twice about why Malone was in the building. Morrison escorted Malone into City Hall on two nights, and on the third Malone returned there on his own. Police found Malone hiding…
MCPHERSON, Kan. (AP) Pastors could soon be a fixture in McPherson police cars in a program designed to give officers an understanding ear and help in high-stress situations. Two local ministers currently are participating in the new program, and several others are expected to join as auxiliary members. KWCH reports the pastors will be there to talk to officers on an informal basis and help with things like death notifications, which can be highly emotional. Police Lt. Jerry Montagne says he wishes such a program would have been around several years ago when officers had to tell family members their…
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) Hutchinson students have officially set a Guinness World Record for the number of people working out with Hula Hoops, but organizers acknowledge that feat might not last long. Students at Hutchinson Magnet School broke the record in May with 290 people participating in the workout, eclipsing the former record of 232 participants set in April by a group in England. The Hutchinson News reports local workout coordinator Michelle Clinage received confirmation of the record late last week, but students weren’t being told about it until Tuesday morning. Parent-Teacher Association vice president Joanne Miller says the accomplishment might…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Opponents of immigration policies favored by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach are calling for his resignation. A group called the DREAM Act Coalition expects up to 75 people from around the country to join an anti-Kobach rally Tuesday at a Topeka state office building. The DREAM Act would create a citizenship path for residents who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Kobach is a Republican and former law professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He has helped shape immigration policies around the country, and continues to litigate immigration issues in other states while…
The latest unemployment numbers for Manhattan and the surrounding counties have been released, and in general, they continue to improve. For the Manhattan metro area, which includes the city as well as Geary, Pottawatomie, and Riley counties, the unemployment rate for October was 4.6 percent, which is exactly the same as it was for September of this year. It is, however, down from where it was in October of 2011 when it was 5.3 percent. For the city of Manhattan itself, the unemployment rate for October was 3.8 percent, the same as it was last month, and down from 4.4 percent this time last…