TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Democrats’ leader in the Kansas Senate says the party will push to decrease the state’s sales tax and to provide additional tax relief for the poor. Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley of Topeka said Tuesday that Democrats will propose expanding tax legislation before the chamber for debate this week. Hensley shared details with The Associated Press. One proposal would allow the sales tax to drop to 5.7 percent in July, as scheduled. Republican Gov. Sam Brownback wants the sales tax to stay at 6.3 percent rate to stabilize the budget as he pursues individual income tax cuts.…
Author: KMAN Staff
DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) A Garden City man is charged with second-degree murder in a fatal stabbing in Dodge City. The Ford County Attorney’s Office on Monday charged Alfredo Gasca-Aldama, 52, with reckless second-degree murder in the death of Jesus Ortiz, 22. Gasca-Aldama is being held on $250,000 bond. Dodge City police say both men were taken to a hospital Saturday night suffering from stab wounds. Ortiz later died. Gasca-Aldama was arrested after being treated for his wounds. Police have declined to release information on the circumstances surrounding the stabbings. It was not immediately clear if Gasca-Aldama had an attorney.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A 34-year-old Wichita man is charged with first-degree murder in a fatal accident that occurred while he was fleeing from police. Keith Ritz was charged Monday in the death of Venancio Perez, 38. Police allege Ritz was fleeing in a stolen pickup truck when he ran a stop sign last Tuesday in south Wichita and hit a pickup driven by Perez, who died at the scene. The murder charge accuses Ritz of unlawfully killing Perez while fleeing from or trying to elude an officer. Ritz remains in Sedgwick County jail on a $250,000 bond. A preliminary hearing…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Sedgwick County sheriff’s deputy and a male suspect are hospitalized after a car chase, and a female suspect is in custody. Butler County Sheriff Kelly Herzet says the chase began in Sedgwick County Monday evening when a deputy tried to stop a car for traffic violations. When the suspects sped off, the deputy chased the car into Butler County. The deputy was shot near Potwin and the suspects then tried to run. After a brief search, the male suspect was shot and the female was arrested. Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter says investigators believe all those…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A new coalition is launching a campaign to get Kansas to expand its Medicaid program as encouraged by the federal government’s overhaul of health care. The Kansas Medicaid Access Coalition planned a Tuesday morning news conference. The coalition includes more than 30 groups representing consumers, health care providers and religious organizations. Medicaid provides health coverage for the needy and disabled. The 2010 federal health care law encourages states to expand their programs by promising to pay almost all of the cost. But many members of the Republican-dominated Legislature opposed the federal overhaul championed by President Barack Obama,…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A former Salina coffee shop owner has been placed on a year’s probation in federal court for selling a designer drug that mimics the effects of marijuana. The U.S. Attorney’s office said Monday that Erick Srack, 44, had pleaded guilty to introducing a misbranded drug into interstate commerce. Srack admitted selling bags of what was labeled “Aromatic Potpourri.” The substance was intended for smoking as a recreational drug. Srack was also prosecuted in Kansas courts. He was sentenced in October 2011 to 30 months in state prison for selling illegal drugs from his coffee shop, The Grind.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Mental health advocates plan to rally in Topeka this week for increased funding for services throughout Kansas. Thursday’s event is sponsored by the Kansas Mental Health Coalition. Shawn Sullivan, state secretary of aging and disability services, plans to take part in a morning gathering at the Topeka Performing Arts Center. In the afternoon, Gov. Sam Brownback is scheduled to address the advocates in the Statehouse. Rally participants are pushing for the governor and legislators to restore money that was cut from mental health services.
It’s Riley County Day on today’s InFocus. Cathy talks with Commissioner Robert Boyd and Appraiser Greg McHenry. [mp3-jplayer]
The 1st Infantry Division headquarters will officially mark its return sometime early next week to Fort Riley after successfully completing its first deployment to Afghanistan. Maj. Gen. William Mayville, Jr., and Command Sgt. Maj. Charles Sasser, Jr., the division’s commander and senior noncommissioned officer, will uncase the division’s colors during a ceremony at the post’s Victory Park. Nearly 700 staff members and Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion Soldiers deployed last March for Afghanistan, where the unit took command of Regional Command – East. Operating as Combined Joint Task Force-1, the 1st Inf. Div. commanded and controlled RC-East, an area roughly…
Wamego’s Board of Education is looking to the future on several issues. At Monday’s meeting, after approving the hire of an additional 3rd Grade teacher and increasing the music teacher contract to accommodate increased student enrollment, the need for additional facilities was discussed at length. Superintendent Denise O’Dea said they are out of room now, and is looking for direction where the board members want to go given the current and future enrollment growth. A special meeting was set for April 3rd at 7 p.m. to further discuss the districts facility needs. The discussion on Concealed Carry Weapons in the…