Silver Dollar City, an amusement park in Branson, Missouri, is set open it’s Outlaw Run roller coaster to the public Friday. The amusement park says the ride includes the steepest drop and first double barrel roll on a wood coaster.
Author: KMAN Staff
Manhattan’s Director of Parks and Recreation for nearly seven years is on administrative leave for an unspecified period of time. Curt Loupe confirmed the leave but indicated he could make no further comment to KMAN news Friday night. Loupe took over as Director in 2006, the same year when former Recreation Superintendent Ivan Wilkinson resigned due to allegations of theft. Former Parks and Rec Director, Terry DeWeese, also resigned in the wake of the allegations (DeWeese was not implicated). A time frame or further information regarding conditions of the leave are not being released by city officials. No reason for the…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Legislature is considering bills that would change local elections across the state. One bill before the Kansas Senate would allow local elections to be partisan and held in even-numbered years, while another would have them in odd-numbered years. The House bill calls for the local elections to remain non-partisan and be held in odd-numbered years. Local elections are currently held in the spring of odd-numbered years. The Lawrence Journal-World reports Brad Bryant, deputy assistant secretary of state, says the changes are intended to increase voter turnout, although he acknowledged he had no data to prove…
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) A Lawrence weightlifter will become the first Special Olympian to be inducted into the American Indian Hall of Fame. When 32-year-old Brady Tanner is inducted Saturday into the hall in Kansas City, Mo., he will join inductees such as Jim Thorpe and Billy Mills. Tanner has won hundreds of trophies and medals, including three gold medals in the 2011 World Special Olympic Games in Greece and numerous national titles. He has those accomplishments despite having a syndrome that slows growth and mental development and makes it difficult for him to speak. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Tanner…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says a man suspected of impersonating a sheriff’s deputy while writing bad checks across Kansas has tried the ruse in Colorado. Investigators say Robert Helms, 45, of Pittsburg was spotted Wednesday at a grocery store in Walsh, Colo., about 18 miles from the Kansas border. He reportedly flashed a fake badge and credentials claiming to be a sheriff’s deputy from Adams County, Kan. There is no Adams County in Kansas. The KBI says Helms has written bad checks at convenience stores and other businesses across Kansas, usually in smaller towns. The KBI…
WINFIELD, Kan. (AP) For the second time in five years, a playground at a Winfield park has gone up in flames. Fire officials say a fire late Thursday at the Island Park playground is considered suspicious. No one was injured. The same playground was destroyed by fire in 2008. A 17-year-old Winfield boy was sentenced to probation after admitting to setting the fire. The park was rebuilt by volunteers in 2009.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) New estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show modest population growth in Kansas, with the Fort Riley area ranking as the state’s fastest-gaining region. Census data released Thursday projects that Kansas gained about 15,500 residents from July 2011 to July 2012, bringing its population to almost 2.9 million. The projected growth was 0.5 percent. The Census Bureau also said 40 of the state’s 105 counties gained population over the year. Census estimates said Geary and Riley counties had population growth of more than 3 percent. Both include portions of Fort Riley, where soldiers have been returning from…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) State and federal teams have begun assessing the damage in Kansas from winter storms that hit the state in February. The Kansas Division of Emergency Management says the crews began fanning out across the state March 11. Kansas has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency for damage assessments in 41 of the state’s 105 counties. The storms hit Kansas over a 10-day period, leaving more than 2 feet of snow in some areas and contributing to six deaths. State officials said the costs incurred by various units of government include snow removal and debris cleanup.
HIAWATHA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Farmers Union is holding a series of workshops focusing on food co-ops and how local family farms can feed their communities. The first workshop, on how to start an online food cooperative, will take place April 6 at Highland Community College’s Klinefelter Barn in Hiawatha. The focus will be on providing people who enjoy locally produced food with information on forming partnerships and cooperatives. A second workshop exploring organization of food hubs is expected to be announced shortly. Several operations are modeling their approach on the Oklahoma Food Co-op, which brings consumers and producers together…
On today’s InFocus, Cathy talks with the 51st District State Representative Ron Highland of Wamego, followed by Susan Peterson with the Riley County Senior Services Center. [mp3-jplayer]