Cole Drake, the 16 year old charged with the homicide of Manhattan High School classmate, Tyler Dowling, was officially sentenced Monday afternoon in Riley County District Court. Attorneys from both sides came before Judge Stutzman to share final remarks about the case. Prosecuting Attorney, Barry Wilkerson was first, and began by saying “we’re not going to dwell on the facts of the case, the court is well aware of the facts..this is a crime that shocked the community”. Wilkerson also said “the only satisfaction that can come out of a case like this, is if I can give Tracy and Angie back…
Author: KMAN Staff
HIAWATHA, Kan. (AP) Two people have died in a collision with a freight train at a railroad crossing in northeast Kansas. Brown County Sheriff John Merchant says a pickup truck collided with a Union Pacific train around 10 a.m. Monday north of Hiawatha. Merchant says the two people in the pickup Thurman Turner, 59, and Veronica Hogle, 18, were pronounced dead at the scene. Both were from Hiawatha. The Kansas Highway Patrol says it’s not clear who was driving the pickup. KNZA-AM reports Turner was well known in the Hiawatha area for rallying fellow motorcycle riders to take part in…
EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) Officials are looking for an Emporia State University student who failed to return from a trip to Germany. University spokeswoman Gwen Larson says Emilee Irsik, 20, of Wichita didn’t tell family or friends about the trip before departing Oct. 19 during the school’s fall break. She landed the next day in Hamburg. Her roommates notified the school when Irsik didn’t show up for classes Oct. 22, the Monday after the four-day weekend ended. University police worked with airport and airline officials to determine her travel arrangements, including that she had booked a return trip Friday. But Larson says…
ATCHISON, Kan. (AP) Family and friends of six men killed in a northeast Kansas grain elevator explosion were honored by a vigil marking the one-year anniversary of their deaths. The men died Oct. 29, 2011, when the Bartlett Grain elevator in Atchison exploded. During a vigil Sunday in Atchison, relatives honored John Burke, Ryan Federinko, Curtis Fields, Chad Roberts, Travis Keil and Darrek Klahr. The St. Joseph News-Press reports the vigil included prayers and Bible readings. Each man’s obituary was read aloud, followed by a bell tolling and a moment of silence. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said in April…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A proposed settlement would increase Kansas Gas Service bills for most customers by about $2 per month. The company, consumer advocates and state regulatory staff approved the settlement Friday but it still must be approved by the Kansas Corporation Commission. The Wichita Eagle reports the gas company’s rates would increase by about $10 million a year. Kansas Gas had asked for a $32 million increase. In a filing to the commission, the three groups said the settlement would be fair for everyone concerned. As part of the proposal, Kansas Gas gave up trying to shift more of…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is sponsoring a two-day event this week that his office is calling the state’s first conference on the future of water. The event is scheduled to begin Tuesday in Manhattan. Brownback plans to speak the first day. Also on the conference agenda are U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas and Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The governor’s office says the conference will examine the state’s water infrastructure, ways to improve water quality and how to meet demand for water from the energy and agriculture industries.…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The extended drought is prompting cattle farmers across Kansas to sell some or all of their herds. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported last week that the number of cattle sent to Kansas feedlots in September was the lowest on record for that month, down 25 percent from September 2011. The number of cattle sold by feedlots to packers in Kansas fell 17 percent from a year ago and tied for the worst month ever. The Wichita Eagle reported the cattle industry expected the steep drop in cattle as drought ruined pastures, dramatically increasing the cost of…
SALINA, Kan. (AP) Salina dentists are offering to buy back kids’ Halloween candy and send it to soldiers. The Salina Journal reports that Discovery Dental Center has offered to buy back Halloween candy from children for $2 a pound. They’ll then send the sugary loot to soldiers overseas. Drs. Earl O’Hara, Gary O’Hara and Brent Mayginnes say they’ll buy unopened candy from trick-or-treaters, exchanging money, toothbrushes and prizes. They’ll ship the candy haul to California-based Operation Gratitude, which assembles and ships care packages for soldiers. The dentists say they’ll also accept monetary donations for shipping and handling for the care…
ABILENE, Kan. (AP) A biographer of President Dwight D. Eisenhower is scheduled to speak in Abilene. Historian Jean Edward Smith, author of the book “Eisenhower in War and Peace,” is leading a discussion Thursday evening at the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. The Salina Journal reports that Smith’s book examines Eisenhower’s journey from Abilene to West Point, through World War II, the presidency and later. Smith has been a faculty member at the University of Toronto and Marshall University, and is a senior scholar in the history department at Columbia University. A book signing will follow the discussion.
SCOTT CITY, Kan. (AP) A social service agency in western Kansas is seeking to expand with the help of a state tax credit program. The Western Kansas Child Advocacy Center is one of 27 nonprofit organizations awarded part of $4.13 million given by the Kansas Department of Commerce. The money comes from the department’s Community Service Tax Credit program. The Garden City Telegram reports the advocacy center will use its allotted $160,000 to buy a third mobile unit, which will allow the organization to expand its mobile mental health services. WKCAC works with victims of child abuse in 29 counties…