WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Hawker Beechcraft plans to furlough about 240 employees now that negotiations with the government have fallen behind schedule. The Wichita Eagle reports the furloughs will affect hourly workers on T-6 and AT-6 production and will begin later this month. Hawker Beechcraft spokeswoman Nicole Alexander says the furloughs will likely be in one- or two-week increments and total several weeks throughout the year to match production. The company builds T-6 military trainers to sell to the U.S. government as part of the Joint Primary Aircraft Training Systems contract. The company is currently negotiating with the government for the…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that a Kansas City, Mo., man filed against the Topeka Police Department and Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that U.S. Senior District Judge Sam Crow dismissed Donzell A. Jones’s lawsuit in which Jones alleged police and prosecutors violated his rights when he was arrested and charged with drug crimes in 2011. The charges were dismissed in 2012. Crow dismissed Jones’ lawsuit in December and said Jones didn’t comply with the judge’s request to fix several deficiencies in his complaint and submit financial information required to proceed…
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) Reno County officials have postponed a trial for an inmate accused of trying to kill an employee at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility. The Hutchinson News reports that the Jan. 15 trial for 36-year-old DaJuan L. Wilkerson has been postponed and a new trial date has not been set. Wilkerson has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted second-degree murder, aggravated battery on a state correctional officer and trafficking contraband into a correctional facility. The charges stem from a July 6 attack on William Kendall, a former prison sergeant who was hospitalized for 15 days with a laceration…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The flu season has hit Kansas hard this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Kansas is one of 41 states designated as having a “widespread” flu outbreak. Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Robert Moser told The Topeka Capital-Journal KDHE uses several methods to track the illness, including monitoring the percentage of patients seeking health care who exhibit influenza-like illness. The typical peak for flu cases is February, and Moser says the rates in Kansas so far are higher and earlier than what Kansas usually reports. KDHE spokeswoman Barbara Hersh says more than…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A former photojournalist for The Topeka Capital-Journal is the new public information officer for the Kansas Department of Transportation. KDOT said in a release Thursday that Ann Williamson replaces current spokesman Steve Swartz, who is becoming the agency’s chief of public affairs. Swartz is a former editor at The Capital-Journal. Williamson’s duties at KDOT will involve working with reporters and producing material for the agency’s website and social media sites. Williamson joined The Capital-Journal in 2002 as a photojournalist. She previously worked at newspapers in Wichita and in Montana, Indiana, Alabama and North Dakota. She is a…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Senate’s next majority leader says he’s an avid Marxist. But Hutchinson Republican Terry Bruce means he’s a follower of Groucho, not Karl. Bruce is a fan of the Marx Brothers, and the decor of his new office at the Statehouse hints at his affinity for their classic comedy films from the 1930s. He’s displaying a photo of Groucho and two of his brothers, as well as a small poster for their film “Animal Crackers.” They’re near a photo of President and famed Kansan Dwight Eisenhower. But there may be some internal dissension over Bruce’s choice…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The top federal prosecutor in Kansas plans to talk to the Wichita Pachyderm Club about his priorities in the state. U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom is scheduled to speak at noon Friday at the group’s meeting in Wichita. Grissom is expected to discuss the law enforcement emphasis on preventing gun violence that made Kansas third in the nation last year for federal gun crime prosecutions.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A three-judge panel has ruled in favor of parents and schools who say the state’s formula for funding education is unconstitutional. Parents and school districts had argued the state has failed to live up to its promises to increase elementary and secondary education funding as ordered by the Kansas Supreme Court in 2006. They say schools have had to make cuts that have hurt student achievement. Friday’s 245-page ruling from Shawnee County District Court will likely trigger an appeal from the state, though it’s unclear how quickly that case would be heard. In the ruling, the judges…
The third Governor’s Flint Hills Visioning Summit took place on Friday at the Rock Springs 4-H Center south of Junction City. This summit brought together stakeholders from all over the Flint Hills region and across the state of Kansas. This summit is a follow up to summits held in 2011 and 2012, and continues the initiative to grow the Kansas economy and create jobs. Almost everyone in attendance had some interest in the Flint Hills region, and were coming together to brainstorm ideas on how to make the region better. Governor Brownback and his administration will use the input gathered…
KMAN news has obtained more information regarding a computer-related theft at Colbert Hills Golf Course in Manhattan. Riley county Police had very few details during a briefing Friday morning, but a spokesman with Colbert Hills indicates the case involves someone hacking into the facility’s computers and changing bank account routing numbers to move the money into improper accounts, rather than as payment to facility employees. The individual adds $14,000 dollars was involved, but Colbert Hills’ payroll company has been able to reverse some of the problem, with three thousand coming back so far. The payroll company is continuing to…