TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Department of Revenue says the state’s tax collections in September topped expectations by $28 million. State officials released the figures Friday, calling the unanticipated bulge in revenues a positive signal about the Kansas economy. A revenue forecast issued earlier this year predicted that the state would receive $582 million in taxes in September. The Revenue Department says the state actually collected nearly $611 million, a difference of almost 5 percent. The surplus in September was more than enough to wipe out a shortfall in August. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, the state is…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has created a task force charged with finding ways for schools to put more of their state funding directly into classrooms. Brownback announced formation of the Governor’s School Efficiency Task Force on Friday, to be chaired by State Board of Education member Ken Willard of Hutchinson. Several accountants and the governor’s budget director are also on the panel. A news release from Brownback’s office says a recent survey found just 15 of the state’s 286 school districts are meeting the statutory requirement to spend 65 percent of their state aid on the classroom.…
LENEXA, Kan. (AP) Police in northeastern Kansas say they’ve seized about 2,700 pounds of marijuana from a vacant landscaping company warehouse in a Johnson County industrial park. The seizure Friday morning by Lenexa police follows a recent investigation and arrest by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration in Indianapolis, plus an arrest in the Kansas City area. Lenexa police say undercover officers investigated the warehouse for the past week and found hundreds of boxes of plastic cups. Police say each box contained two bundles of marijuana hidden behind plastic cup sleeves. Authorities estimate the street value of the marijuana at $1.5…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Democratic leaders of the Kansas House and Senate are renewing concerns about the effects of new cuts in state income taxes. Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration has asked agencies to cut 10 percent of their spending in their budget requests for the fiscal year that starts next July. House Minority Leader Paul Davis and Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley said Friday they’re concerned those cuts will be just the start. They said essential services, including public schools, will face cuts while the state relies more on property and sales taxes. Brownback’s spokeswoman, Sherriene Jones-Sontag, says agencies…
On December 4th, new flood plain maps will take effect for Pottawatomie County. Zoning Administrator, Gregg Webster, explained the original maps were made in 1988, and updated in 1998. With new technological advances, and a better understanding of the area, new maps have been created. The flood of 1993 caused a lot of damage to farms, but very few homes were directly affected by the flood waters. However, with recent developement in rural areas, many more homes could be impacted. With the new maps going into effect, Webster suggests anyone who lives in the flood zones should acquire flood insurance before the maps…
The city of Wamego held it’s eighth annual Oztoberfest event on Saturday, and there were witches, munchkins, and of course…lots of Dorothys everywhere. The Wizard of Oz museum is located in Wamego, and it is at the heart of the festival. Wamego Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mary Lynn Barnett explained that since the city had the museum, why not have a festival to go with it? She states that “Over thirty thousand people come to the museum every year, so why not have a festival around that idea”? In recent years, at least a few of the munchkins from…
92-year-old Zulma Blanco has been skiing the slopes of Cathedral Mountain in Argentina since about the age of 20. The grandmother of five says she has no plans to stop anytime soon.
President Barack Obama says other nations want to be like the U.S., touting the country’s workers, universities and scientists. ‘We’ve got the best stuff,’ he told an audience in Washington. The challenge is bringing it all together, he said.
On Friday afternoon K-State president Kirk Schulz gave his state of the university speech, and proudly told those gathered of the university’s triumphs over the past year. K-State generated a total of $27.8 million dollars and new funds, and had $121 million dollars in gift activity. Schulz praised faculty, staff, and students for their efforts during the year. The push for becoming a top research institution was a major part of the presentation, and Schulz outlined new facilities and plans to improve university infrastructures. Some of the future infrastructure improvements include rebuilding the Purple Masque Theater, and a new Grain…
September sales tax numbers reflecting July retail sales are in and after looking at the numbers, the sales tax totals $736,335, which is down from last year by $47,536. This is also down compared to the budget by $78,832. Bernie Hayen, Manhattan director of Finance, said that “most of the larger community retailers, including auto dealers, reported sales tax remittances that were down from 3% to 10% compared to a year ago.”