TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) State officials will investigate ethics complaints filed against the Kansas attorney general and Johnson County district attorney over their handling of an investigation into a Planned Parenthood clinic. The anti-abortion group Operation Rescue filed separate complaints in September against Attorney General Derek Schmidt and Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe. The group alleges the two men, both Republicans, helped engineer the dismissal of criminal charges against a Planned Parenthood clinic in Johnson County. Operation Rescue announced Monday that the state Office of the Disciplinary Administrator said in a letter in late September the complaints would be investigated.…
Author: KMAN Staff
LANGDON, Kan. (AP) Authorities have identified the Harvey County woman who died and two others who were injured in a car-train accident near Walton. The Harvey County Sheriff’s office says Taylor Sowell, 19, of Newton died when the car she was driving collided with a BNSF freight train Saturday about a mile southwest of Walton. Her 20-year-old husband, Dylan Sowell, and her 17-year-old brother, Kyle Malek of Sedgwick, were taken to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita. On Monday, the hospital said Dylan Sowell was in fair condition but information was not available on Malek. The Hutchinson News reports the railroad…
GREAT BEND, Kan. (AP) The Environmental Protection Agency is collecting soil and water samples this month from industrial sites in Great Bend. The Great Bend Tribune reported that the samples will be taken from around the former O’Neill Tank site and the former Plating Inc. site near the Great Bend Municipal Airport. Plating Inc. is a contaminated site that is monitored by EPA’s Superfund Division, under a federal program to clean up uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. Meanwhile, officials are trying to determine is there’s contamination at the former O’Neill Tank site. EPA spokesman David Bryan says oil and water samples…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Kansas zoo is hoping to hear the pitter patter of baby gorilla feet by 2014. The Wichita Eagle reports that the Sedgwick County Zoo has nine male gorillas. But officials confirmed that a 33-year-old female gorilla from Philadelphia is arriving in the spring, and an 11-year-old female from Calgary is expected as soon as late summer. Meanwhile, three male gorillas will go to Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul, Minn. The move comes after the national coordinator of the Species Survival Plan recommended last week that the zoo be entrusted with breeding gorillas. Currently,…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A new Kansas task force charged with finding ways for schools to put more of their state funding directly into classrooms is getting down to work. Gov. Sam Brownback created the School Efficiency Task Force in September. The governor said he wanted to find ways for the state’s 286 school districts to reduce administrative costs, eliminate overhead and devote more spending to supporting classroom instruction. The panel’s first meeting was set for Monday at the Statehouse. Members will hear from a school finance expert, the head of the state school boards association and a Kansas Policy Institute…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas regulators are considering whether they need new rules for providers of promotional tours to three state-owned casinos. The state Racing and Gaming Commission has scheduled a hearing Friday on the issue. The commission regulates the companies that operate casinos for the Kansas Lottery in Dodge City, Mulvane and Kansas City, Kan. The commission also licenses companies that provide casino junkets financed in part or entirely by the casino managers. Commission spokesman Bill Miskell says the agency wants to make sure that the trips are safe and their providers operate honestly. Miskell says the commission is soliciting…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The Wichita Fire Department and Mayor Carl Brewer are kicking off Fire Prevention Week with two media events. Brewer will speak about fire prevention efforts at 10 a.m. Monday during a public safety briefing at City Hall. The mayor later plans to go to Ortiz Elementary School for the unveiling of the so-called Mobile Prevention Experience unit.
Although the county offices were closed for Columbus Day, county officials and staff did not get the day off. The County In-Service Training was held at Kansas Farm Bureau in Manhattan, and the attendance packed the house. The all day training featured various presentations, staff recognitions, and discussions. Human Resource Manager for Riley County, Cindy Volanti gave a presentation on state health insurance that brought up a lot of questions. With the changes made in insurance policies and coverage, many individuals expressed concern and/or confusion regarding benefits. The updates in the policy manual was another hot topic at the training. An…
The Pottawatomie County Commissioners had a few items to discuss at their meeting on Monday, most of which consisted work done by SMH Consultants. Buck Driggs, vice president of SMH Consultants, gave an update concerning the new Justice Center. Later this week, Driggs hopes to have the second floor poured. The interior of the building and the roof were also discussed. Driggs is hoping to have the roof on by late November and to have the building enclosed so work can begin inside by early January. Driggs also brought a report on the Marlatt / Junietta project to the commissioners. Last week, the project was…
A Manhattan man reports that he was the victim of check fraud and is out a significant amount of money. Riley County police reported to KMAN on Monday that they received a report that Robert Newsome (84) of 3800 block of Kates Drive was the victim of a check fraud between 2010 and 2011. Newsome told police that the total loss was $1,900. ________________________________________________________________________ Stolen goods are recovered after an attempt to sell them to Hastings. On Friday afternoon at approximately 1:26, Hastings, located at 676 Tuttle Creek Blvd contacted Riley county police to report that around $3,000 worth…