HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) Authorities say a 54-year-old Hutchinson man found dead in a jail cell appears to have died of natural causes. Reno County sheriff’s deputies found 54-year-old James Richard Shumpert unresponsive in his cell Sunday night, less than 24 hours after he was booked into the jail. He was pronounced dead at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center. The sheriff’s department said Shumpert had a history of medical problems. An autopsy will determine the cause of death. Shumpert was taken into custody late Saturday on suspicion of criminal possession of a firearm, violating probation and possession of drugs and paraphernalia. He…
Author: KMAN Staff
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) An illegal immigrant charged with assuming the persona of a Texas teacher has struck a deal with federal prosecutors in Kansas in a case that put a face on the crime of “total identity theft.” Thirty-two-year-old Benita Cardona-Gonzalez, a Mexican national living in Topeka, pleaded guilty Monday to a reduced charge of possessing fraudulent identification documents. Cardona-Gonzalez was accused of completely assuming the persona of Houston elementary school teacher Candida Gutierrez, who first went public in a story by The Associated Press. Prosecutors agreed to recommend an 18-month prison term when Cardona-Gonzalez is sentenced in march. Cardona-Gonzalez…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Police in Wichita had little trouble finding the suspect in the early-morning robbery of a bar. The Wichita Eagle reports the 41-year-old man was a regular customer at Judy’s Place, where other patrons helpfully gave police his name and address. Police say the man went behind the bar at closing time early Monday, pushed a cashier out of the way and grabbed several hundred dollars before walking out. Wichita police Lt. Doug Nolte says officers followed the tips from other customers and found the man at his home, along with the stolen cash. Nolte says he does…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) An Abraham Lincoln re-enactor will help the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site mark the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. The free event takes place at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Topeka site that tells the story of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that declared segregated schools unconstitutional. Portraying Lincoln will be Richard Klein of Springfield, Ill. He traveled Lincoln’s famous 12-day inaugural journey during a National Park Service sponsored tour in February 2011. Lincoln issued his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862, after the Battle of Antietam. In it, he announced that if…
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) The University of Kansas has signed on to a technology upgrade that helps its faculty and students who are working overseas. The university has signed onto Eduroam, which allows faculty and students to log onto a wireless network at any other participating research or education institution overseas. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the University of Kansas is one of only a few schools in the Midwest that has signed up for the service, which is used throughout Europe. Kansas faculty who travel abroad for research say the service is valuable when they are at universities or research labs…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Department of Transportation is joining Wichita’s efforts to persuade Amtrak to run a passenger route through the city. The transportation department says an initial planning study for expanded service is a good first step toward Amtrak expanding its rail service to Wichita on a route from Dallas to Oklahoma City. The Wichita City Council has made funding more passenger rail studies a lobbying priority for the upcoming legislative session. Transportation secretary Mike King is talking to Oklahoma officials who currently are more interested in a northeast route toward Tulsa. The Wichita Eagle reports the next…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Wichita man says he plans to begin rebuilding a collection of more than 500 Ken Griffey Jr. baseball cards that were stolen from his home. Christopher Fevurly says thieves broke a window in his home and stole the cards, a television and computer monitor while he was in Arizona to watch the Fiesta Bowl. Fevurly told KAKE-TV he was 11 years old when he began collecting Griffey’s baseball cards in 1989. Griffey began playing in the major leagues that year and quickly became Fevurly’s favorite player. Some of the cards might be worth $50 to $75…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Congressman Tim Huelskamp has a new committee assignment in the U.S. House after the chamber’s Republican leadership took him off two others in December. The Kansas Republican was among four House members who were removed from prominent committees for not voting with the GOP leadership on key issues. Huelskamp was taken off the budget and agriculture committees. He’ll continue to serve on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and has a new assignment on the Small Business Committee. Huelskamp said the new assignment will give rural Kansas a voice on a variety of issues. Huelskamp, who represents…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Gov. Sam Brownback has named a northeast Kansas physician to the State Board of Healing Arts. The Republican governor’s office says Dr. Joel Hutchins of Holton will serve a four-year term on the 15-member board, which licenses and regulates physicians. Hutchins will replace Dr. Nancy Welsh, of Topeka. Welsh was appointed by Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and served on the board since 2004 before stepping down in November. A biography posted online by his family medical practice at Holton Community Hospital says Hutchins is a former Air Force pilot who has practiced medicine for more than 20…
GARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) Pioneering rap artist, author and motivational speaker Chuck D will be the keynote speaker at Garden City Community College’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day events. The Garden City Telegram reports the Jan. 21 speech is free and open to the public. Now 52, Chuck D was the co-founder of the rap group Public Enemy from 1987 to 2009. The group toured worldwide, focusing on social justice and political activism, and was chosen last month for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Colin Lamb, co-sponsor of the college’s Student Government Association, says the Martin…