TOPEKA, Kan. Negotiators for the Kansas House and Senate say agreement on a plan for more cuts in income taxes is unlikely until May. The two chambers have passed different versions of tax-cutting legislation. Negotiators have been trying to work out a compromise, but they said Wednesday a deal was unlikely before lawmakers begin a month-long break after this week. Legislators are scheduled to return to the Statehouse on May 8. The sticking point is what to do about a 2010 sales tax increase that is set to expire July 1. The House wants to let the sales tax drop…
Author: KMAN Staff
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) Reno County voters are ready to pay higher taxes to for a new jail and improvements for other county offices. Voters on Tuesday approved a half-cent increase in the county sales tax to pay for a new 250-bed jail. Unofficial results showed the issued passed by a margin of 77.4 percent to 22.6 percent. The Hutchinson News reports plans for the new project include the jail, a secure entrance to the courthouse and Law Enforcement Center and renovating the current jail annex into new officers for county officials. The current jail will be renovated for storage and…
LAWRENCE, Kan. Lawrence voters overwhelmingly approved a $92.5 million bond issue for the city’s schools. The Lawrence Journal-World reports unofficial early results showed the measure passing Tuesday with 72 percent of the vote. About $80 million of the money will be used for upgrades and renovations to the district’s 14 elementary schools and two high schools. The district will use another $6.5 million for technology upgrades and $5.7 million for expanding career and technical education programs. The bonds will be phased in over three years and are not expected to increase taxes.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. Kansas City, Kan., voters chose Mark Holland as their new mayor. Holland defeated Ann Murguia in Tuesday’s election by a margin of 56 percent to 43 percent. After his win, Holland vowed to continue the city’s recent economic progress, while also addressing challenges in underdeveloped areas of the city. Holland, a United Methodist pastor, will succeed Mayor Joe Reardon, who chose not to seek a third term. He will be sworn in April 25.
TOPEKA, Kan. Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is praising legislators for giving final approval to a bill aimed at helping law enforcement fight gang activity, human trafficking and drug dealing. The bill would allow prosecutors to pursue a new set of felonies when a suspect repeatedly commits or attempts to commit crimes, or influences or coerces others to commit crimes or to benefit financially from crimes. The legislation was designed after the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, or RICO. Senators approved the measure Tuesday on a 38-2 vote, sending it to Gov. Sam Brownback. The House approved it…
Michelle Plouffe scored 24 points including four critical free throws in overtime as Utah defeated Kansas State 54-46 in the semifinals of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament before 2,750 Wednesday night at Bramlage Coliseum. Kansas State which entered the game 13-0 all-time in the WNIT at Bramlage got off to a slow start making just two field goals in the game’s first 12 minutes as the Utes raced out to a 21-7 lead. K-State cut the deficit to 26-17 by halftime but still shot just 22 percent from the floor for the half. In the second half, the Wildcats turned…
WICHITA, Kan. A south-central Kansas woman has pleaded guilty to federal health care fraud for illegally receiving payments from the Kansas Medicaid program to care for a sister with Down syndrome. Prosecutors say 46-year-old Lupe Adela Mains, of Pretty Prairie, also pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of mail fraud. Mains acknowledged receiving Medicaid funds from October 2007 through March 2009 to provide home care for her sister while the sister was really receiving care from another family member in Wichita. Mains also admitted that she fraudulently continued to collect her sister’s Railroad Retirement Board survivor disability benefits during that…
SCOTT CITY, Kan. The Ogallala Aquifer Advisory Committee plans to use its first meeting of 2013 to look at short- and long-term options for the declining Kansas aquifer and its users. The meeting is scheduled Monday at 10 a.m. in Scott City at the Scott County Library. Topping the agenda are enhanced management updates by each groundwater management district. There will also be discussion of potential future changes to the multi-year flex account program that allows producers to better manage water use during drought years.
More than 50 artworks by Kansas prison inmates are going on display in the Statehouse. The works will be exhibited for a week beginning Friday on the second floor of the Capitol in Topeka. It’s the second show of inmate art at the Statehouse in 18 months. A spokesman for the state Corrections Department says the first exhibition drew positive comments on the quality of the works and the importance of allowing inmates to express themselves creatively. The spokesman, Jeremy Barclay, says that some of the works incorporate their creators’ regrets and remorse for their crimes.
In the latest sign of escalating tensions with North Korea, the Pentagon said it will send an advanced ballistic missile defense system to Guam in the coming weeks, as Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called Pyongyang a real and clear threat.