Kansans can use their vehicles to show they support pets. Revenue from a new “I’m Pet Friendly” license plate will be used to reduce the stray animal population. Proceeds from the sale of the plates will support scholarships for Kansas State veterinary students who will work with local animal shelters, particularly in spay/neuter programs. With a one-time production fee of $45.50 and an annual donation of $50, the new plate can be picked up at county tag offices across the state. The dean of Kansas State’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Ralph Richardson, says the program can help improve the quality…
Author: KMAN Staff
The former director of the Kansas African American Museum in Wichita has returned to the job. The museum announced Tuesday that Mark McCormick returned to lead the museum, beginning this week. He replaces Prisca Barnes, who resigned Dec. 27. The Wichita Eagle reports McCormick was director at the museum for about eight months in 2009 before being replaced by Barnes. McCormick is a former columnist at The Eagle and past communications director at the Kansas Leadership Center. He most recently was a reporter for the Springfield News-Leader in Missouri.
Wamego’s City Commission heard future expansion plans. At Tuesday’s meeting, Nemaha County Coop General Manager Jay Ronnebaum approached the Commission with the plan to build a grain handling facility on the site of the recently demolished existing building, which borders the Railroad tracks on Highway 99. Ronnebaum said the plans are still in their infancy, but wanted to allow the City to voice any concerns before spending the money to do all the necessary testing. He said they are looking at multiple options that would be more in line with today’s demands for grain storage. Mayor Bill Ditto said they…
A Kansas State researcher has developed a technique that enriches ground beef with omega-3 fatty acids. The enriched ground beef is named GreatO Premium Ground Beef. It is being sold through Manhattan-based company NBO3 Technologies LLC. Kansas State says in a news release that it will be available mid-February at select retailers in Buffalo, N.Y. The plan is to expand to retailers and restaurants nationwide later this year. Animal sciences and industry professor Jim Drouillard is credited with developing the technique for giving ground beef the same kind of heart-healthy fatty acids found in fish and plant oils. Drouillard says…
A Kansas Senate committee is debating whether to delay or change requirements that the state’s utility companies use more renewable fuels. The state required major utility companies to be able to generate 10 percent of their energy through a renewable source by 2011. Those requirements would increase to 15 percent by 2016 and 20 percent by 2020. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the Senate committee on utilities is considering extending the 15 percent mandate to 2018 and the 20 percent requirement to 2024. And it would allow delaying any requirements if utilities can show good cause, such as increased costs to…
Kansas lawmakers have begun the process of renewing a statewide property tax that helps fund elementary and secondary schools. The 20-mill tax raises about $575 million a year for public schools and must be renewed every two years. A mill equals $1 per $1,000 in assessed property value. The Senate Education Committee heard testimony on the renewal Wednesday. Support came from the Kansas Association of School Boards and the Kansas National Education Association. There was no opposition, and the committee took no action on it. Revenue from the tax is considered to be part of each school district’s contribution to…
Police in Riley County say an 80-year-old man lost $110,000 in just two months to a home mortgage scam. The scammers tricked the Manhattan man using what appeared to be paperwork from Bank of America. The man was warned that he was behind on his mortgage payments and about to lose his home to foreclosure. The victim provided his financial information, allowing the scammers to access his account. Police say the man was first contacted Dec. 1. He reported the theft on Tuesday. The victim declined to be interviewed, except to tell WIBW he had been contacted both by phone…
A federal appeals court has tossed out evidence against a 66-year-old Kansas military veteran convicted of possessing incendiary bombs in preparation for the end of the world. Alfred Dutton, an Army and Marine veteran from Eureka, is serving a 21-month sentence. He pleaded guilty earlier to unlawful possession of unregistered destructive devices. Dutton had sought to suppress evidence taken in 2011 from a storage unit where authorities found five jars of homemade napalm with fuses attached. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday reversed a lower court’s denial of the motion and returned the case for more proceedings.…
The Douglas County prosecutor will decide whether to file charges against a man who was detained after approaching a Lawrence bank while wearing a bulletproof vest under his shirt. The Lawrence Journal-World reports employees at a Bank of America branch called police Tuesday after spotting the man acting suspiciously. The man had been at the bank previously and had conflicts with employees. Officers detained the man and seized a firearm from his vehicle. Police said the weapon might have been illegal for the man to possess because of an earlier, involuntary commitment for mental health reasons. The man was not…
A positive internal report on the effects of Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s latest income tax proposals isn’t quieting criticism from some Kansas legislators. The state Revenue Department released figures Wednesday showing Brownback’s proposed cuts in individual income taxes would benefit Kansas’ poorest taxpayers more than its wealthiest ones. Brownback wants to reduce income tax rates further after cuts last year. Revenue Secretary Nick Jordan said Brownback is seeking a balanced approach. But the analysis doesn’t take into account Brownback’s plan to cancel a sales tax decrease scheduled for July to bolster the budget. And it appears to exclude roughly half…