Author: KMAN Staff

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas is closer to ending a constitutionally questionable ban on out-of-state residents circulating petitions to put candidates on the ballot or gain recognition for political parties. The state House approved a bill Monday to repeal the prohibition. The 118-1 vote sends the measure to the Senate. The bill results from a federal lawsuit filed in 2010 by the Constitution Party. The state hasn’t enforced its ban since, acknowledging that it likely violates rights to freedom of speech and association. The Constitution Party isn’t recognized in Kansas. Voters can’t list themselves as being affiliated with it when they…

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It was a day of reviewing goals from the past year and looking toward the coming year for the Riley County Law Board Tuesday.  Progress indicators in 2012 were basically met, according to Riley County Police Director Brad Schoen, who went over the approximate half dozen goals. Some of those are improving traffic safety, reducing crime, increasing public satisfaction, and making use of available technological advances. One particular goal that created discussion involved mental health housing needs, with an ad hoc working group discussing the matter. Board member Wynn Butler indicates he wants to see something concrete and less talk. Director Schoen…

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Will Spradling scored a season-high 19 points, and K-State easily spoiled Bob Huggins’ return to Manhattan in a 71-61 over West Virginia on Monday night at Bramlage Coliseum.  The Cats jumped out to an 18-4 lead thanks to a 12-0 run, and held a 33-20 edge at halftime.  The lead stretched to as many as 21 points in the second half, both shortly after Mountaineer technical fouls, one on Huggins and the other on guard Eron Harris.  K-State (21-5, 10-3) had four other players in double figures, Nino Williams scored 13 points, Angel Rodriguez and Thomas Gipson had 11, and…

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Cathy has returned from her vacation and sits down to talk with Linda Knupp, Director of the Manhattan Public Library Book Sale, Heather Lansdowne, Library Association President, and Gary Jeffrey, MLA book sale chair, followed by C.Clyde Jones, Diana Chapel, and Beverly Olson, with Shepherd’s Crossing, on today’s InFocus. [mp3-jplayer]

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HOLTON, Kan. (AP) A northeast Kansas high school cheerleader is expected to undergo at least two more surgeries after her team’s van rolled off an icy road and into a ditch. WIBW-TV reports Christa Merriman already has had surgery to reconstruct her nose after the accident Friday night as she and fellow Holton cheerleaders were coming home from a game. The van carrying Christa, three teammates and their supervisor hit black ice on a bridge just north of Topeka and went into the ditch. Christa says everyone had their seatbelts on but she somehow ended up in a storage part…

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s budget director has apologized publicly for supplying him with an incorrect figure that led the Republican governor to make erroneous claims about his Democratic predecessor. Budget Director Steve Anderson said in a statement Monday the mistake occurred in entering data on an internal administration spreadsheet tracking total state spending. The error showed total state spending peaking at $16 billion during the state’s 2010 fiscal year, under Democratic Gov. Mark Parkinson. The actual spending for fiscal 2010 was about $14 billion. In recent presentations to groups, Brownback has contrasted the purported $16 billion figure…

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