TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Supreme Court will hear arguments Thursday in the ethics case against former Attorney General Phill Kline. A state board has recommended Kline lose his law license in Kansas because of his actions during an investigation into abortion providers. Kline has strongly denied any ethics violations. Lawyers for Kline and for the disciplinary administrator’s office will argue Thursday over whether Kline should be disbarred. Supreme Court spokesman Ron Keefover says it’s not clear when the court might rule. The case is being heard by five judges not usually on the court, after five Supreme Court justices…
Author: KMAN Staff
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Supporters of Wichita’s newest veteran’s memorial took an important step toward their goal of opening the memorial by Veterans Day next year. On Sunday, the site of the Operation Freedom Memorial was dedicated in Veterans Memorial Park in Wichita. The memorial will include a sculpture in the center of a 25-foot diameter circle. It will be surrounded by three 8-foot black granite walls, which will carry the names of the nearly 100 Kansans killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, Operation Freedom Foundation still needs thousands of dollars before the monument can be built. Anita Dixon…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The state still has not paid the final $2 million it owes to 3M Co. for a new motor vehicle system that created long delays after it was introduced in May. As of Friday, the last payment on the $25 million contract is six months overdue. Revenue Secretary Nick Jordan has said the state won’t make the last payment until all the problems with the system are fixed. The revenue department says the program is no longer experiencing statewide problems that occurred during the summer. But spokeswoman Jeannine Koranda says some local issues have not been resolved.…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Topeka school district is transforming a former milk barn into a center that will include exhibits on electricity and renewable energy. Located on the former grounds of the Topeka State Hospital, the center will be a key feature of the Kanza Education and Science Park. To the west of the barn is a 160-foot, 100-kilowatt wind turbine. To the east of it are mounds of dirt and construction machinery, where Westar Energy is building a new substation. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that once the learning center and substation are finished, students visiting the park will be…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Department of Education is asking school districts how extensively they’re teaching cursive handwriting. Results of a survey will be presented to the state Board of Education at a meeting this week in Topeka. Schools around the country are spending less time on handwriting instruction as students do more of their work on computers. Experts say students accustomed to writing on computers at home have a hard time seeing the relevance of spending hours practicing handwriting. But the National Association of State Boards of Education wrote in a September policy update that there are benefits. The…
HAYS, Kan. (AP) Hays education officials are moving ahead with plans for a middle-school addition that can also serve as a storm shelter. Deputy superintendent Richard Cain told The Hays Daily News that construction on the eight classrooms at Hays Middle School could begin in April. Cain says the district received an extension of the Sept. 16 deadline to submit plans to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Those plans are expected to be submitted soon. The Hays USD 489 Board of Education voted in February to accept a FEMA grant to help pay for the project. The addition will be…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A man placed in the Boy Scouts’ so-called “perversion files” in 1968 went on to sexually assault a 6-year-old in 1992. The next year, Gerald V. Ashworth raped a mentally disabled woman and fondled another disabled woman. The mother of the raped woman says she wonders now whether her daughter might have avoided becoming a victim if the file had been public. The Wichita Eagle isn’t naming the mother to protect her daughter’s identity. Ashworth used his access as a volunteer and Sunday school teacher to drive the woman’s daughter from a church to a vacant home…
At least one governmental group was at work on the recognized Veteran’s day holiday (Monday), with Geary County officials canvassing last week’s election votes. One particular race was of interest, with only six apparent votes in final but unofficial results separating county commission candidates Larry Hicks and Mike Watson. Watson was a former director of the Riley County Police Department, while Hicks has served as a commissioner and was previously employed at Manhattan Broadcasting. The caucus (Monday) widened Hicks’ gap, with an official tally of 1,166 for Hicks and 1,150 for Watson–a 16 vote difference.
Even though the Wamego volleyball team saw their dream of a state tournament end in the regional finals, the Lady Raiders won 35 matches and lost to eventual 4A champion McPherson. The Kansas Volleyball Association named two Wamego girls to its 4A all-state team. Senior libero Rachel Griffitt made the second team, while sophomore middle blocker True Musstetter received honorable mention.
While details will not be available until after the Veteran’s Day holiday, several arrests of note are listed on this past weekend’s Riley County Police reports. Gary Lee Smith Jr., 34, of Manhattan was taken into custody on a warrant with charges including aiding and abetting in a crime and theft of property. A failure to appear warrant is also involved. His bond was set at $100,000. Antonio Sutton, 26, of Manhattan was arrested Saturday night on a failure to appear warrant, with bond set at $25,000. Sutton was arrested in May for aggravated robbery. Sutton is believed to be one of…