Hurricane Sandy made landfall in Southern Cuba early Thursday. The National Hurricane Center says the storm hit Cuba as a Category 2, with maximum sustained winds of 114 mph. <iframe width=”425″ height=”239″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/4Ni_IE2-QOo” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission has dismissed a complaint against a conservative Democratic House member. The commission concluded Wednesday that Rep. Jan Pauls of Hutchinson didn’t intend to violate the law when she failed to list a rental property she owns on annual financial disclosure forms. Pauls filed a new form with the secretary of state’s office in July after questions were raised. She said she and her husband lost money on the duplex they rented out. The complaint against Pauls was filed by the chairman of a Kansas Democratic Party caucus that advocates for gays and…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A former southeastern Kansas city clerk whose thefts have left the community near bankruptcy will spend a year and a day in federal prison for her crimes. Laura Whittley, 50, sobbed Wednesday as U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten rejected a passionate defense request for probation. He also ordered her to repay $120,000 in restitution. Whittley pleaded guilty in May to bank fraud and money laundering. She apologized in court and said she will do her best to repay the stolen money. Thayer is a Neosho County community of 500 people with just 183 households and a…
LIBERAL, Kan. (AP) A new trial date has been scheduled for a 31-year-old western Kansas man who’s charged with trying to kill his three children. Irineo Garcia of Liberal has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted first-degree murder. He’s scheduled to stand trial Feb. 11 in Seward County District Court. The Hutchinson News reports that a psychological evaluation delayed Garcia’s trial, which initially was scheduled for last February. He’s accused of trying to kill his three children, then ages 5, 6 and 7, in 2010. Prosecutors say he also tried to kill himself. The children and Garcia were…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Leawood lawyer has been appointed to the 10th Judicial District of Kansas. Gov. Sam Brownback’s office said Wednesday in a release that Brownback has named Leawood attorney Michael Joyce to the state’s 10th Judicial District, which covers Johnson County. Joyce takes the seat of retiring Judge Lawrence Sheppard. Joyce was one of three names submitted to Brownback by the district’s nominating commission.
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) A 35-year-old woman died when she was struck by a car as she walked on a street in Overland Park. Police identified the victim as Tiana J. Beall. She was struck by the car about 11 p.m. Tuesday. No other details about the accident were immediately released. The vehicle involved in the death was located Wednesday. Overland Park police said no arrests have been made and the investigation continues.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) Jury selection has begun in the trial of a 33-year-old man charged with killing a Hutchinson woman. Billy Joe Craig and Charles Christopher Logsdon are charged with first-degree murder in the 2011 shooting death of Jennifer Heckel. Investigators have said they believe the men planned to rob someone else and went to the wrong house and killed Heckel. Her 5-year-old son was home at the time, and he alerted neighbors, who called police. The Hutchinson News reports that Logdson’s trial began Tuesday with jury selection, which was expected to last two days. Logsdon’s lawyer, Jim Pratt of…
OSKALOOSA, Kan. (AP) A judge in northeastern Kansas has declared a mistrial in an attempted murder case because jurors saw improper evidence. Jefferson County District Judge Gary Nafziger ordered the mistrial Wednesday in the attempted murder trial of John Hayworth Jr., 62, of Valley Falls. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Hayworth is charged in the December shooting of William Schoonover, 58, also of Valley Falls. The trial, which opened Monday, was declared a mistrial after jurors watched a DVD containing footage that should have been redacted. Jefferson County Attorney Jason Belveal says a redacted copy had been made, but the…
GOODLAND, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Highway Patrol says a northwest Kansas man died after being hit by a car. The patrol says Jeffrey A. Badgett, 46, of Goodland died late Tuesday when he walked into a road in Goodland and was hit by a Jeep Cherokee. Badgett died at the scene. The driver of the Cherokee was not hurt. An investigation into the accident is continuing.
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) Overland Park city officials are considering adding some restrictions to a new ordinance that allows residents to openly carry weapons. The city council voted last month to allow gun owners to carry firearms in public places if they are kept in holsters with the safety engaged. Guns are not allowed in city-owned buildings. Since then, councilman Jim Hix says council members have been inundated with complaints from Overland Park residents. The Kansas City Star reports the council will consider next month requiring those openly carrying weapons to have the same permits currently required to carry concealed…