WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Relatives of a man who committed suicide at the Sedgwick County Jail have filed a wrongful death claim against Sheriff Robert Hinshaw. The family of Jonathan Haehn is seeking $250,000 in damages in the wrongful death claim, which is the first step toward filing a lawsuit. Haehn hanged himself with a bedsheet on May 24. The family claims they warned jail staff that Haehn was bipolar and an alcoholic and was a risk for suicide. Hinshaw told The Wichita Eagle that the county has denied the claim because a screening on Haehn didn’t show him being at…
Author: KMAN Staff
GREAT BEND, Kan. (AP) The state wildlife department will set dates for this year’s duck season this week, which has become a contentious issue in southeast Kansas. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism commission will meet Thursday in Great Bend. The Wichita Eagle reports duck hunters say the birds arrive later in southeast Kansas than in other parts of the state, where the season opens in late October. The department is suggesting opening the season Nov. 3. But commissioners Don Budd, of Kansas City, and Robert Wilson, of Pittsburg, think it should open one or two weeks later.…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) A conservative congressman representing Kansas has apologized for any offense caused by his naked swim in the Sea of Galilee last summer. Politico reported Sunday that freshman U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder was among 20 lawmakers and staff who swam at the holy site during a fact-finding trip to Israel last August. Yoder was the only one not wearing clothes. Yoder told The Kansas City Star he is “incredibly remorseful” and apologized for any embarrassment he has caused. He said it was dark and that he was only in the water for about 10 seconds. Politico says…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Gov. Sam Brownback has appointed Shawnee County’s elections commissioner to a magistrate judgeship in northeast Kansas previously held by her husband. Brownback named Elizabeth Ensley Deiter to the bench in the 22nd Judicial District, which covers Brown, Doniphan, Marshall, and Nemaha counties. Her husband, Steve, stepped down from the job in June. Magistrate judges do not have to be attorneys. They can handle misdemeanor criminal cases and first appearances and preliminary hearings in felony criminal cases, as well as traffic infractions, juvenile cases and limited civil cases. They also can perform marriages. Elizabeth Ensley Deiter has served…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Voters in two Topeka precincts are being allowed to cast ballots in advance in a limited special election prompted by the distribution of the wrong ballots at one polling place. The Shawnee County elections commissioner’s office is allowing any of the 432 affected voters to cast ballots starting Monday, in person at the office or by mail. Polls also will be open Aug. 28, the date of the special election, at the Light of the World Christian Center, where the ballot mix-up occurred Aug. 7. It’s the polling place for the two precincts, one in the 52nd…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Twelve Topeka-area attorneys have applied for a vacant Shawnee County District Court position created by the announced retirement of a longtime district judge. A local nominating commission plans to interview the candidates Sept. 5 and forward the names of two or three finalists to Gov. Sam Brownback, who will make the appointment. District Judge Daniel Mitchell has announced that he’s retiring at the end of the month. He’s been a judge since October 1985, handling juvenile cases. The attorneys applying for the judgeship are Athena Andaya, James Benfer, Brett Berry, Lee Davidson, Jason Geier, Kimberly Knoll, Joe…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A conservative Democrat in the Kansas House is hoping a recount sought by her primary challenger confirms her narrow victory in their south-central Kansas district. Rep. Jan Pauls, of Hutchinson, won the Aug. 7 primary in the 102nd House District by seven votes over challenger Erich Bishop, also of Hutchinson. The final tally in Pauls’ favor was 427-420. But Bishop asked the Reno County clerk’s office to recount the ballots by hand, and it expected to finish the recount Monday. Pauls’ race was notable because gay rights advocates have targeted her for defeat, and Bishop has been…
DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) Dodge City is getting a fresh look at its historic past. Author George Laughead Jr. has assembled a new book titled “Images of America: Dodge City,” using photographs from the collection of the Ford County Historical Society. The Dodge City Daily Globe reports that most of the photos in the book have never been published. Laughead says the pictures help portray life in the iconic town between roughly 1890 and 1910. The book is available for pre-ordering on Amazon.com and is scheduled for release on Sept. 10. It’s being published by Arcadia Publishing, a company specializing in…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Members of the state’s all-Republican congressional delegation couldn’t avoid talking politics at the annual conference of the Kansas Independent Oil and Gas Association. U.S. Sens. Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran were on hand Monday for a panel discussion on energy policy. Three of the state’s four U.S. House members were also there. Congressman Kevin Yoder was absent. He spent Monday apologizing to constituents in his northeastern Kansas district for his nude swim in the Sea of Galilee during a trip to Israel last year. Roberts bemoaned remarks by Missouri Congressman Todd Akin that women’s bodies can prevent…
EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan plans to visit Emporia and other Kansas communities during a national back-to-school tour. The Emporia Gazette reports that Duncan will be in town Sept. 18 to visit the National Teachers Hall of Fame, where he’ll hold a town hall meeting with teachers and students. Duncan is also planning stops in Topeka and Kansas City, Kan. It would be Duncan’s first visit to Emporia. Teachers Hall of Fame spokeswoman Carol Strickland says Duncan has wanted to visit the hall and Emporia State University since 2009, when the school was chosen as a top…