TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas revenue officials say the state collected $62 million more in taxes than expected in January. A preliminary report Thursday from the Department of Revenue says January’s tax collections totaled nearly $635 million almost 11 percent above an official forecast for the month. The report also says the state collected about $3.7 billion in the first seven months of the current fiscal year. That’s $95 million more than officials had expected. January’s larger-than-expected collections are likely to dramatically shrink the projected $267 million gap between anticipated revenues and current spending commitments for the fiscal year that starts…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The chief justice of the Kansas Supreme Court is asking legislators to spend more money to improve the operations of the court system and allow more flexibility in assigning district judges. Chief Justice Lawton Nuss submitted his annual State of the Judiciary message Thursday in writing. The chief justice has traditionally delivered the address in a speech to the Legislature. But House Speaker Ray Merrick blocked the speech this year, saying lawmakers’ time could be better spent on other things. Nuss says additional funds to help the court system modernize its case management system would improve its…
TIPTON, Kan. (AP) A Salina hospital official sustained minor injuries when he was accidentally shot during a weekend hunting excursion in northern Kansas. The Salina Journal reports that Joel Phelps, chief operating officer of Salina Regional Health Center, suffered pellet injuries mostly to his legs in the accident Saturday. Phelps says he was injured when another hunter tripped and the gun that hunter was carrying discharged. He declined to name the other hunter. A Salina trauma surgeon who was also part of the hunting group treated Phelps at the ranch and said the wounds were superficial. Phelps says he was…
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) University of Kansas Hospital research is finding that regular yoga may help keep heart rhythm disorders in check. The Kansas City Star reports that a KU Hospital study was published this week in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The research finds that regular yoga sessions can help reduce the number of episodes of rapid, out-of-control heartbeats experienced by patients with atrial fibrillation. The preliminary study also shows that the patients cut their blood pressure and lowered their levels of anxiety and depression. Two similar studies are also under way at KU Hospital. KU…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The two lawyers who represented a capital murder defendant during his appeal will defend the Topeka man when his case is retried. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the Kansas Supreme Court on Friday issued a ruling that overturned Phillip D. Cheatham’s 2005 murder convictions. He was found guilty of capital murder in the 2003 shooting deaths of two women and was sentenced to death in October 2005. The high court cited ineffective assistance of counsel by Cheatham’s defense attorney as the reason for overturning the convictions. The Board of Indigent Defendant Services says it will fund Cheatham’s…
SHAWNEE, Kan. (AP) Johnson County’s district attorney says the Shawnee City Council violated the spirit of the state open meetings law when the council made “deals” to elect the mayor’s uncle to a council seat. District Attorney Stephen Howe said Wednesday that it’s difficult to determine if the council broke the letter of the law, but it’s clear they broke the spirit of the law. He’s recommending that the council receive training on the state’s open meeting laws. The problem began last May, when several people applied to fill a vacated council seat. But Howe says evidence shows that Mayor…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Kansas Senate committee has endorsed anti-racketeering legislation aimed at increasing sentences for convicted gang leaders. The Judiciary Committee’s action Thursday sends the measure to the full Senate for debate. The Wichita Eagle reports the bill would create the Kansas Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, better known as RICO. The statute would resemble the federal RICO law, which was enacted to combat the Mafia and allows prosecutors to charge gang members for engaging in a string of criminal activity, rather than for individual crimes. A similar bill died in the House two years in a row…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A coalition of community groups in Wichita is holding a homeless count and hosting an event offering services for the city’s homeless families. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at the Century II expo hall in Wichita. Volunteers will interview homeless individuals to count them and gather information. Services will include haircuts, flu shots and dental screenings; distribution of information about housing and benefits; and a giveaway of socks, hats and gloves. United Way of the Plains is coordinating the count. It’s designed to measure the size and scope of Wichita’s homeless problem…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas House is set to take a final vote on a bill restricting political fundraising by public unions. The House gave the measure first-round approval Wednesday on a 66-54 unrecorded vote. Approval on a second vote, expected Thursday, would send it to the Senate. The bill would bar groups that represent teachers and government workers from automatically deducting money from members’ paychecks to finance political activities. Similar legislation cleared the House in 2012 but died in the Senate. Its chances of success are considered higher this year, with Republicans now holding large majorities in both chambers.
An explosion at the main headquarters of Mexico’s state-owned oil company in the capital Thursday heavily damaged three floors of the building, sending hundreds into the streets and a large plume of smoke over the skyline.