WICHITA, Kan. (AP) President Barack Obama says he wants to give tax breaks to all aviation companies in Kansas so they hire and produce in the state. But he told Wichita television station KAKE-TV Wednesday he doesn’t want to give somebody who is buying a corporate jet an extra tax break that ordinary people can’t get because they don’t need it and that is not the reason someone would make such a purchase. The president says people buy corporate jets because they are convenient and the buyers can afford them. He said buyers don’t need an extra tax break, especially…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Senate is considering a proposed amendment to the state constitution aimed at preventing the courts from deciding disputes over how much the state spends on its public schools. Senators expected to take final action Wednesday. Supporters will need a two-thirds majority, or 27 votes in the 40-member chamber, to win approval for the proposal. The measure would add a new sentence to the Kansas Constitution’s article on education, declaring that the Legislature has the exclusive power to determine how much the state will spend on schools. That article now requires the Legislature to make suitable…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Senate has approved a bill prohibiting doctors from terminating a pregnancy solely because a woman doesn’t want a baby of a certain gender. The 37-2 vote Wednesday sent the measure to the House. The bill makes it a misdemeanor the first time a doctor is convicted of performing a sex-selection abortion and a felony each time afterward. A doctor also could face lawsuits from a patient or family member over such a procedure, but the measure says that women who have such abortions can’t be prosecuted. There’s no solid data on how many sex-selection abortions…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The Saline County attorney’s office says a former cadet leader at St. John’s Military School has been charged with eight counts of aggravated sexual battery involving a younger student. Charges against David James Burke, 18, of McLean, Va., were filed under seal Friday pending his first court appearance on Thursday morning, assuming the Saline County courthouse is not closed because of a major snow storm engulfing the state. The case stems from alleged assaults that occurred in October. Attorney Dick Blackwell says that his client initially bonded out on a single misdemeanor count and he did not…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A major winter storm has prompted Gov. Sam Brownback to close Kansas state government from Thursday morning through Friday morning. The National Weather Service is predicting the winter storm system will drop heavy snow across the state, with more than a foot expected in many areas. Brownback urged residents on Wednesday to stay home and off the roads as the storm advanced. Legislative leaders announced earlier in the day they were curtailing House and Senate activities through Friday and will be idle Thursday. Legislative deadlines for measures clearing committees were also pushed back until Tuesday ahead of…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The U.S. Postal Service says it plans to close its encoding center in Wichita, causing a loss of 380 jobs. The postal service said in a news release Wednesday that the center would close later this year, likely in or shortly after September. The center employs 797 people but only the 380 who are not covered by collective bargaining agreements will lose their jobs. The other employees will be reassigned to available positions within the postal service. Officials said new technology that automates and speeds up processing of hand-written mail and poorly printed addresses made the encoding…
HAYS, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Water Office says it will begin releasing water Monday from Cedar Bluff Reservoir to help recharge Hays water wells. The announcement on Tuesday says the releases will recharge wells along the Smoky Hill River near Schoenchen. The Hays Daily News reports the release will use virtually all of the 1,247 acre-feet of water left in an artificial recharge pool, or approximately 406 million gallons. Unlike earlier, similar releases, the city of Russell isn’t joining the request for water. That city instead will pursue other water supplies near its Pfeifer wellfield. Russell owns water in Cedar…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration projects that the revenue-raising measures he’s proposing this year to bolster the state budget won’t wipe out massive income tax cuts enacted last year. Secretary Nick Jordan said Wednesday the new figures from the Department of Revenue show Kansans still will see a net decrease in taxes each of the next four years. The department’s figure for net tax relief is $392 million for the fiscal year beginning in July, with the projection growing to $528 million in the following fiscal year. The department circulated the figures among lawmakers to counter arguments…
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) A former Lawrence police officer who was fired after admitting he fixed traffic tickets is suing the city, alleging wrongful termination and racial discrimination. Former Police Sgt. Michael Monroe, who is black, says in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court that he was denied due process and fired last March because of his race. He is suing the city and Lawrence Police Chief Tarik Khatib. Monroe admits he fixed traffic tickets for former Kansas Athletics employee Rodney Jones, who is in federal prison for his role in a broader ticket scandal. But he says he didn’t…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The ex-husband of a Kansas murder victim has settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed against him by his children. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Atchison County District Court records filed Tuesday say the terms of the settlement between Eugene Kimmi Sr. and his children are confidential. Kimmi was the ex-husband of Patricia Kimmi, 58, of rural Horton, who was killed in November 2009. Patricia Kimmi’s children sued their father, Roger Hollister, and Hollister’s wife, Rebecca Hollister. They alleged the three conspired to kill Patricia Kimmi. Roger Hollister was convicted of the murder. Rebecca Hollister was later dropped from…