ROSE HILL, Kan. (AP) A southeast Kansas 18-year-old is among the elite in the Boy Scout world. Jeremy Ebert of Rose Hill is only the 180th person in the country to ever earn all 134 merit badges offered by the Scouts. His scoutmaster, Mark Esslinger, says Ebert is the first person in Kansas to earn all the badges. Ebert belongs to Troop 0626 in Rose Hill. Ebert told The Wichita Eagle that he was driven to acquire all the knowledge learned from working on the badges. He says the biggest obstacle was the archery badge because his left hand has…
Author: KMAN Staff
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The condition of the Kansas winter wheat crop has deteriorated in the wake of December’s limited rain and snow. Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service reports that 31 percent of the state’s wheat crop ended 2012 in poor to very poor condition. Forty-five percent was rated in fair condition, with 23 percent in good shape and 1 percent in excellent condition. The agency notes that only three of the 53 reporting stations around the state received more than an inch of precipitation from Dec. 1 through Dec. 30. Range and pasture conditions declined as well, with 84 percent in…
LANSING, Kan. (AP) The mayor of the northeast Kansas community of Lansing is preparing to leave the office he first won 29 years ago. The Leavenworth Times reports Kenneth Bernard will retire Thursday as his successor, current City Councilman Billy Blackwell, takes the oath of office. Bernard has served as mayor of Lansing almost continuously since 1983. He took a short break from 1991 to 1993 before winning the office again. He decided against seeking another term in 2012. Blackwell was elected mayor in a three-way race in November. Bernard will be honored at a reception Thursday night in the…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Chamber of Commerce wants to allow the state’s groceries and convenience stores to sell wine, liquor and full-strength beer. Chamber vice president Kent Eckles says the chamber will be part of a coalition urging legislators to rewrite laws on alcohol sales in the upcoming session. Kansas law allows only retail liquor stores to sell wine, liquor and full-strength beer, while groceries and convenience stores can sell only so-called weak beer, also known as cereal malt beverage. The restrictions are a holdover from a Prohibition past that included famed saloon-smasher Carrie Nation. Eckles said the chamber…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Sweeping changes in the Kansas tax code take effect Tuesday, when new rates for individual income taxpayers take effect. The laws were approved by the Legislature in May and signed by GOP Gov. Sam Brownback. They are part of the administration’s efforts to improve the state’s business climate and increase the amount of money residents keep in their paychecks. The top individual income tax rate drops to 4.9 percent from 6.45 percent. The owners of 191,000 businesses are exempt from income taxes. The changes are expected to cost the state about $4.5 billion over the next six…
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) A recent audit finds the state could do a better job selling unused property. The Legislative Division of Post Audit found that the Department of Administration has failed to accomplish some key tasks. The report says the division lacks the authority to independently designate what properties are surplus. The audit also says the state’s central asset inventory of real property is inaccurate and incomplete. And the process for selling surplus property includes disincentives. But The Lawrence Journal-World reports reports there are obstacles in selling the properties. Some of the properties need title searches, others need appraisals, and…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Wichita’s Orpheum Theater will be the setting for a memorial service for Jean Kindel Garvey, a well-known philanthropist whose causes included education, social services and the arts. The Wichita Eagle reports the 90-year-old widow of businessman Willard Garvey died Sunday at her Wichita home. In 1963, the Garveys co-founded the Wichita Collegiate School, a private school for children from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. In 1980, Jean Garvey founded The Independent School, another private institution designed to provide quality education for children from all backgrounds. Jean Garvey also contributed time and resources to numerous nonprofit groups. And in…
It was back to the grindstone in Pottawatomie County Court Wednesday, with lots of activity the second day of the new year. Kayla Paz, 25, entered a plea of no contest to four counts of animal cruelty, and was then found guilty. Paz is scheduled for a January 17th sentencing. Paz and four others were arrested in connection with a December 2011 case involving neglected horses. In other court action Wednesday, Lacey Peters. 26, of St. Mary’s entered a plea to possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. She originally was charged with methamphetamine distribution within one-thousand feet of a school. Peters was given 12 months…
After over a month of anticipation, the 2013 Fiesta Bowl is a little over 24 hours away between K-State and Oregon. Both the Wildcats and Ducks were in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense, as Oregon was second and K-State was 10th. K-State senior linebacker Arthur Brown says the Cats won’t change their approach to stop the Ducks, and Oregon’s speed won’t be a shock. K-State sophomore center BJ Finney says they can help the defense by keeping the Oregon offense off the field. K-State and Oregon will kick off at 7:30pm on Thursday night in the Tostitos Fiesta…
Another candidate has filed for Rock Creek’s USD 323 school board. Norbert Marek has filed with the Pottawatomie County Clerk’s office for position Five. Marek is the second candidate to file for that position, reportedly being vacated by Kyle Hudson. Marek tells KMAN he lives in the school district and two of his children attend Rock Creek schools, so he has an interest in how the schools are operated. He says he decided to run given the current representative is not going to seek re-election. He says he doesn’t have a particular agenda, but wants to continue the quality education…