EL DORADO, Kan. (AP) Frustrated farmers in a south-central Kansas county are coping with a rash of hay bale thefts. KAKE-TV reports Butler County Sheriff Kelly Herzet has ordered his deputies to patrol rural roads, aiming to halt what’s become an almost daily crime. Herzet blames the thefts on the severe drought, which has tightened supplies of hay and driven up prices. Butler County farmer Orville Carver says that someone cut the lock to his gate and stole nearly $500 worth of hay. Carver says the economy has something to do with the crime, but it doesn’t justify stealing from…
Author: KMAN Staff
BAXTER SPRINGS, Kan. (AP) A southeast Kansas mayor who has been embroiled in disputes with city council members over personnel moves has abruptly called it quits. The Joplin Globe reports Baxter Springs Mayor Jenifer Bingham resigned on Tuesday. She was replaced by Mike Kaufmann, who was told Tuesday afternoon by the city attorney that he had to go to City Hall and sign payroll checks. Kaufmann says he wasn’t expecting to be promoted, but he looks forward to returning stability to city government. Bingham ruffled feathers in April when she named replacements for the city clerk and police chief, both…
NESS CITY, Kan. (AP) A former Ness City man who was convicted in August of raping someone under 14 years old has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Benito Cardenas, 37, was convicted in Ness County of rape and aggravated sodomy under Jessica’s Law. He was sentenced Tuesday to life on each of the two convictions, with the sentences to run concurrently. The crimes happened in Ness City in September 2010. Cardenas was living in Dodge City at the time of his arrest in April 2011. Also Tuesday,…
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) A Douglas County judge has upheld the conviction and sentence of a Washington woman who killed two highway workers while driving south of Lawrence in 2007. The Lawrence Journal-World reports District Judge Paula Martin ruled earlier this month that Ramona Morgan’s court-appointed attorney committed some errors, but nothing bad enough to affect the jury’s decision. Morgan had argued she received ineffective counsel and that her 26-year sentence was excessive. Witnesses testified at Morgan’s 2008 trial that she drove around a pilot car twice in a U.S. 59 work zone on Sept. 11, 2007, and the second time…
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) Reno County officials have approved new restrictions on fireworks that prohibit any fireworks that emit flaming balls or shoot sparks more than 6 feet. The commission on Tuesday also voted to ban aerial luminaries, or sky lanterns, and shortened by one hour the hours fireworks may be sold or discharged. The Hutchinson News reports the new rules are the same as those recently passed by the Hutchinson City Council. County commissioners briefly considered an exception for some rural residents but chose not to after hearing from Hutchinson Fire Chief Kim Forbes. Forbes says the regulations let people…
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) The Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas is holding a post-election conference of strategists, journalists and pollsters to analyze the 2012 presidential campaign. The free, public event will take place from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 6, and 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Dec. 7 at the Dole Institute. Campaign officials for President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney will join other political insiders talking about the issues and outcome of the election. Topics will also include how Obama’s next term will differ from his first, and what the future…
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) A photo collection featuring images of African-Americans in Wichita from the late 1940s through the 1970s is now available online through the University of Kansas Libraries. The photos were taken by Leon K. Hughes, who began his photography career in 1946 while working in the city’s aircraft industry. Hughes became a leading photographer for Wichita’s family, church and civic events. He shot marriages, birthdays, graduations and more. The collection offers an inside view of the African-American community. Hughes died in 1978. His widow donated the photos in 2009. The interactive online collection includes more than 1,000 images.…
OAKLEY, Kan. (AP) Seventy pheasant hunters joined Gov. Sam Brownback and other state officials over the weekend for the second annual Governor’s Ringneck Classic in northwestern Kansas. The city of Oakley hosted the event, with hunters taking to the fields near surrounding communities. Brownback began the hunt in 2011 as a way to promote tourism and expand the Kansas economy. Among those taking part were state Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Secretary Robin Jennison and former Kansas City Chiefs player Bill Maas. Brownback’s office says hunting contributes some $400 million annually to the Kansas economy. Proceeds from the hunt benefited the…
Manhattan’s Flint Hills Discovery Center’s director has resigned. Bob Workman will be leaving to become director of the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University. Manhattan city manager Ron Fehr announced the resignation Wednesday afternoon, saying Workman has done a terrific job in bringing the Flint HIlls Discovery Center project through a very successful construction process, as well as assembling and leading an incredible team. Workman will stay at the Manhattan facility through mid-January and will assist with the national search for his replacement. Workman actually began his career at WSU in 1978 and was raised in Wichita.…
The new driver’s license office held it’s official ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday at the new location in east Manhattan, at 8200 South Port Drive, Suite 105. Director of Vehicles, Donna Shelite says one major amenity is a system that allows people customers to secure a place in line without physically coming in. Shelite mentions this system will help to decrease the length of lines and the amount of people waiting for their appointment. By texting or emailing the new driver’s license office, you can secure your place in line without actually setting foot in the office. Not only can you reserve…