LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) The Douglas County Commission will ask the state for an exemption from a new law that allows concealed weapons in public buildings. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the commission voted unanimously Wednesday to seek the exemption. Commissioner Jim Flory, a former prosecutor, says counties should be able to decide individually whether to allow guns in their public buildings. He also says counties should work with the Kansas Association of Counties to get an amendment to the bill. The law requires most local governments to allow people who hold concealed-carry permits to bring handguns into public buildings, unless adequate…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A half-dozen segments of the Santa Fe Trail in Kansas are now on the National Register of Historic Places. The Kansas Historical Society announced Wednesday that sites in Marion and Morton counties were placed on the list in April. Kansas now has slightly more than 1,300 places on the register. The 1,200-mile Santa Fe Trail stretched from Missouri across Kansas, Colorado and Oklahoma into New Mexico. The historical society says that before 1846, it served mainly as a trade route between the Missouri and Rio Grande rivers. Five of the segments added to the National Register are…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Critics of multi-state, Common Core reading and math standards are pushing Kansas legislators to block their use in the state’s public schools. House Speaker Ray Merrick said Thursday that some fellow Republicans want an up-or-down vote on an anti-Common Core measure. They were vocal enough that GOP House members were holding up action on a proposed state budget for each of the next two fiscal years. Common Core resulted from efforts by states to develop uniform standards for reading and math. The Kansas State Board of Education adopted the new guidelines in 2010. Critics argue the standards…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Gov. Sam Brownback has opened the summer “Read Kansas Read” program by reading a story about ducks and rabbits to a group of children at the Statehouse. This is the second year for the program, which encourages children to read when they’re not in school. State Librarian Jo Budler said more than 80,000 students took part in summer reading programs last year at public libraries throughout Kansas. Brownback’s audience Thursday was made up of children from the Topeka YWCA’s Kids Quest program. The governor handed out books and encouraged the children to exercise their reading muscles during…
A man accused of killing a British soldier in London went to court on Thursday. Michael Adebowale is charged with murder and possession of a firearm.
Russian researchers say they have discovered a perfectly preserved woolly mammoth carcass with liquid blood on a remote Arctic island, fueling hopes of cloning the Ice Age animal.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett says a new Kansas domestic violence law is laudable. But Bennett also said Thursday that what works in urban areas doesn’t always work in sparsely populated rural counties, where treatment options are fewer. The law requires prosecutors to identify all crimes that have a domestic violence component, and mandates treatment for domestic violence offenders. The law took effect for counties last July and takes effect this July for municipalities. Bennett says one issue is funding. Shawna Mobly, director of a private agency called Correctional Counseling of Kansas, says offenders who cannot…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Sen. Pat Roberts says U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder should resign over allegations that he knew of the gathering of journalists’ telephone records and emails. The Kansas Republican told The Associated Press by telephone Thursday the resignation would be in the best interests of Holder and President Barack Obama. The Justice Department has been intensely criticized over its secret gathering of the phone records of AP reporters and the emails of a Fox News journalist. Holder has testified that he had no knowledge that the records were sought after journalists reported on government activities. Roberts says Holder’s…
On today’s InFocus, Cathy talks with Adjutant General of Kansas, Major General Lee Tafanelli, followed by Gordon Hibbard, President and CEO of Kansas 4-h Foundation. [mp3-jplayer]
The arraignment has been set for a St. Mary’s man who reportedly stole a vehicle and reversed into a police officer’s car back in April. Andrew Schindler, 46, was bound over on charges of aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer, felony theft and felony criminal damage to property, along with a number of misdemeanor charges. One count of felony criminal damage to property has been dismissed. Schindler remains confined at this time. The arraignment is set for June 18.