HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) The treats, rides and entertainment are back, as the Kansas State Fair opens its 100th annual fair. The fair begins on Friday in Hutchinson. For the first time in four years, admission prices have gone up, with a regular adult ticket going from $8 to $10. Fair general manager Denny Stoecklein says the fair doesn’t get outside support and needed to raise prices because expenses have increased. He noted the state is nearly $1.5 million behind in payments it is supposed to make to maintain the fairgrounds and its building. KWCH reports the Fair Board has tried…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt says the state has joined 13 other states supporting a lawsuit over Maryland’s restrictions on concealed-carry permits. Schmidt said Thursday that he added Kansas to a friend-of-the-court brief filed in an appeals court case being heard in Virginia. The court is reviewing a Maryland district court ruling that struck down a requirement that residents must give a reason for needing a concealed-carry permit. Schmidt says the government does not have the right to ask citizens why they want a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Kansas is one of 39 states with…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Senate Majority Leader Jay Emler says he won’t run again for the leadership position after this year’s elections. Chances that Emler could persuade fellow Republicans to keep him as majority leader diminished after August’s primaries. Conservatives unseated eight other moderate GOP incumbents, including Senate President Steve Morris, of Hugoton. Republican senators and senators-elect are to meet Dec. 3 to pick their leadership for the next four years. Emler became majority leader in January 2011 after Derek Schmidt took office as attorney general. Emler says he had always planned to hold the job only two years. The…
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) An animal rights group is citing a federal judge’s order as it makes plans to show a controversial video inside a tent at the Kansas State Fair. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said Thursday it will also give away free copies of its video “Glass Walls” at the fair opening Friday. The video contains footage taken undercover of animals being slaughtered and abused at factory farms. PETA went to court after fair officials said the group would have to shield people passing its booth from being exposed to photos and video of animal abuse. The…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is urging residents to take time this month to prepare for disasters and emergencies. The governor planned to sign a proclamation Friday declaring September “Emergency Preparedness Month in Kansas.” On Monday, the Kansas Division of Emergency Management will sponsor “Emergency Preparedness Day” at the State Fair in Hutchinson. Officials recommend preparing home emergency kits that include water, medicines, flashlights, batteries, copies of important personal documents and nonperishable food. Online: Kansas Division of Emergency Management: http://www.kansastag.gov/kdemdefault.asp
NORTONVILLE, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Highway Patrol has released details of a fatal collision that closed two highways in the northeastern part of the state for several hours. The patrol says the crash happened around 9 a.m. Thursday when a pickup truck pulled from a stop sign into the path of a tractor-trailer. The collision killed the driver of the pickup, 72-year-old Marcia Rygaard, of Effingham. The crash occurred at the intersection of U.S. 59 and Kansas 116, north of the Atchison County town of Nortonville. Highways leading into the town were closed for about five hours while officers investigated…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The U.S. Justice Department says the state women’s prison in Kansas violates the civil rights of its inmates by failing to protect them from sexual misconduct and abuse by staff and other prisoners. The department said in a letter Thursday to Gov. Sam Brownback that the problems have continued since it began investigating the Topeka Correctional Facility in April 2011. The letter outlined steps the prison and the Kansas Department of Corrections can take to resolve the issues. Those steps include additional training and investigations of all complaints of misconduct. But the letter also says that if…
On Friday, Shawn Sullivan, Secretary for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, came to Manhattan for a dedication ceremony at Justin Hall at K-State. While here in Manhattan, Sullivan had some free time, so he gave a presentation at the Manhattan Area Senior Center for seniors in the community, along with some Kansas State students. Sullivan talked about the upcoming changes that seniors can see in programs such as Medicaid and Medicare, along with Social Security. Sullivan also spoke to the benefits of Senior centers such as the one here in Manhattan on giving not only a hot…
The 2012 democratic national convention has just wrapped up, and Delegate Kathryn Focke is headed back to Kansas with plenty of stories from her time in Charlotte. She tells of early days, and nights starting at 5:00pm with speeches and other activities leading up to the prime time events. “By the time that prime time comes”, says Focke, “everyone is really geared up. Some of the speakers before prime time really get the crowd going”. Vice President Joe Biden was introduced by his son, and his speech, which was set right before the President spoke, was very serious. “He was…
A “mixed bag” is how Manhattan Finance Director Bernie Hayen describes the latest sales tax receipt numbers for the city. Sales tax numbers are up $90,713 compared to last year for the city of Manhattan. $880,233 in sales tax receipts were reported in the August numbers, with an adjusted amount of $819,633. Hayen explains the mixed bag reference, with some retailers down in numbers. All of the home improvement stores were down, which Hayen says might have reflected the hot weather.. Grocery sales were up, but Hayen attributes that to the opening of Dillon’s West. The rest of the big box numbers were up two…