Author: KMAN Staff

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The latest government report shows crop conditions worsening in Kansas. Pasture and range conditions are declining. Stock water supplies are dwindling. Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service released its weekly snapshot Monday a dismal report that put numbers to the unfolding agricultural disaster. About 70 percent of the corn and soybeans were rated in poor to very poor condition. Sorghum was not far behind with 66 percent of that crop also in poor to very poor condition. Meanwhile, about 12 percent of the state’s corn crop has been harvested. The situation is also grim for cattlemen. About 90 percent…

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Between the hours of 5 and 8 pm on Monday, people were given the opportunity to wander in and out, examining the possibilities of what the new Manhattan Regional Airport Terminal Expansion and Remodel might look like. Spread out around the room were 14 boards that showed floor plans, three design concepts and the parking lot expansion. Mead & Hunt representatives were stationed to go over any and all questions that community members posed while also listening to comments. On the front table, questionnaires were available for those who wanted to leave comments and suggestions for things that may not…

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SALINA, Kan. (AP) A Salina priest has pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery after being accused of inappropriately touching an adult male. The Salina Journal reports the Rev. Allen Scheer, of Sacred Heart Cathedral, was accused in April of inappropriately touching a man. Scheer had been scheduled for trial Wednesday on a misdemeanor charge of sexual battery before the plea. A statement on the website of the Catholic Diocese of Salina said Scheer pleaded no contest Friday to the lesser charge of misdemeanor battery. The diocese also says Scheer was sentenced to six months’ probation. Bishop Edward Weisenburger said in…

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OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) Police have issued a Silver Alert for a 66-year-old Overland Park man missing since Thursday. Overland Park police say David Lee Dotson was last known to be home Thursday morning. Police say he is a diabetic and may not have his insulin with him. Dotson was last seen wearing a yellow polo shirt, jeans, gray tennis shoes and eye glasses. He drives a red 2004 Toyota Highlander with Kansas tags, 328 CGM.

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OGALLAH, Kan. (AP) A convicted rapist who escaped from the Ness County jail last Friday is back in custody. Officers arrested 37-year-old Benito Cardenas Jr. in western Kansas on Sunday. KFDI reports officers from four agencies helped arrest Cardenas after a standoff at a house just south of Ogallah Sunday evening. He surrendered peacefully after a standoff at the home. Cardenas was convicted last week of rape and aggravated criminal sodomy under Jessica’s Law because his victim was under the age of 14. Because of that provision, he could be sentenced to life in prison. No further information was immediately…

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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Parents of students in Sumner County public schools are hitting the jackpot as they prepare for the new school year, thanks to the state’s newest casino. The Wichita Eagle reports the Kansas Star Casino is giving $100 prepaid VISA rewards cards to each student in Mulvane and Sumner County schools to help pay for back-to-school supplies. That’s about 6,000 students who have received the cards, while the casino plans to start giving out $500 cards to any of the 425 full-time teachers who apply for them. The money is part of the Kansas All-Star Scholars Fund, which…

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas health officials are seeking public comments on a plan to clean up pollution at a former smelter site in the southeastern part of the state. Officials of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment planned to outline the remediation plan for the Eagle Picher Smelter Site in Galena during a City Council meeting Monday night. A draft of the plan will also be available at Galena City Hall and at KDHE offices in Topeka until the comment period ends Aug. 23. The Eagle Picher site processed lead, zinc and cadmium for decades until it was closed…

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A dispute between Kansas and Nebraska over use of water from the Republican River is heading back to court in New England. The trial begins Monday in federal court in Portland, Maine. A special master appointed by the U.S. Supreme Court will take evidence and recommend a resolution. Kansas officials allege Nebraska is violating a 2003 settlement over use of water in the Republican River basin. The state claims Nebraska exceeded its allotment by more than 78,000 acre-feet of water from 2005 through 2006. Kansas asked the U.S. Supreme Court in 2010 to reopen the case and…

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