WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A bankruptcy judge wants more information before deciding whether to approve Hawker Beechcraft’s request to pay eight top executives more than $5.3 million in bonuses. But a company spokeswoman says the judge did allow $1.9 million in bonuses for 31 other lower management-level employees during a hearing Thursday in New York. The judge asked for a written summary of the day’s testimony. It wasn’t immediately clear when he may rule on the larger bonuses. The Wichita, Kansas-based plane maker filed for bankruptcy in May. Machinists Union spokesman Frank Larkin says the case should be about what’s best…
Author: KMAN Staff
Though temperatures were triple digits, shade was a refuge for parade goers as the Riley County Fair Parade began at 6:00 pm on Thursday at the Manhattan Town Center and ended at City Park. Up and down the street, children could be seen being handed candy, as city ordinance prohibits the throwing of candy. Also, as this is an election year, candidates took advantage of the parade by presenting themselves to the public. The parade has kicked off the Riley County Fair, which will be occupying the fairgrounds this weekend. There is still a number of other events that can be attended. For the…
SALINA, Kan. (AP) A drug task force seized herbal potpourri from three Salina businesses, in an effort to ban what police say are dangerous drugs. Salina Police St. Jim Norton says the containers of herbal potpourri were seized Wednesday from Pack Rat Smokes, Food Mart and Pump Mart. He says charges aren’t being pursued against the businesses, but the seized products will be held as police evidence. The Salina Journal reports the state on Monday declared herbal potpourri containing a chemical substance called UR 144 illegal. Norton says a business that was importing large quantities of the substance and supplying…
ARLINGTON, Kan. (AP) The small Reno County town of Arlington is throwing a 125th birthday celebration this weekend. The town of 1,500 people will gather Saturday to remember the town’s history. Arlington was founded in 1887, a decade after the Arlington mill was built along the Ninnescah River. The celebration will include a retelling of the town’s history by re-enactors. And it will recount the construction of Kansas 61, which linked Arlington to Hutchinson. The Hutchinson News reports plans include a parade, an 1887 variety show and birthday cake and ice cream at the community center.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A man who was scheduled to be sentenced in a fatal traffic accident in Topeka instead says he wants to withdraw his guilty pleas. Thirty-three-year-old Kody Shane Godfrey surprised those in a Shawnee County courtroom Wednesday when he said he wanted to withdraw guilty pleas to felony first-degree murder and aggravated battery. Godfrey is charged in last November’s wreck, which killed 22-year-old Jordan Dodgen of Shawnee and injured five others. Prosecutors say Godfrey sped off when a police officer tried to stop him, eventually crashing into four vehicles at a Topeka intersection. The chase lasted about 30…
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) Former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is heading to Kansas to speak in Lawrence and attend a campaign fundraiser for a U.S. House member. Rumsfeld was scheduled to speak Thursday afternoon at a forum at the Dole Institute for Politics at the University of Kansas. Later, he was to attend a fundraiser in Johnson County for Republican Kevin Yoder, who represents the 3rd Congressional District. Before leaving Lawrence, he was to sign copies of his book “Known and Unknown: A Memoir.” Rumsfeld was secretary of defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford and from 2001…
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) A Kansas judge has rejected a bid for a third trial for a former high school janitor serving a life sentence for the 1974 killing of a 13-year-old Prairie Village girl. Lawyers for John Henry Horton argued that evidence was improperly kept from a Johnson County jury at Horton’s second trial in 2008. The Kansas City Star reports that District Judge James Franklin Davis ruled Wednesday the evidence would not have changed the verdict. Horton was convicted in 2004 and again in 2008 of killing Lizabeth Wilson, who was last seen near Shawnee Mission East High School.…
Early Thursday morning, five search warrants were executed regarding an ongoing investigation conducted by the Riley County Police Department, Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Department, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The search warrants were in reference to the distribution of methamphetamine. As a result, the following individuals were arrested for methamphetamine charges: Ricardo Enrique Carrillo-Leyva, a 34-year-old resident of the 14700 block of Royal Circle in Wamego, Kansas was arrested for the distribution of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was held at the Pottawatomie County Jail. Alberto Martinez-Banuelas, a 22-year-old resident of…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback says he’s taking a family vacation to celebrate his 30th wedding anniversary, but he and his staff are not disclosing details. The governor let his plans slip Wednesday when he was asked at a news conference if he’ll campaign for fellow conservative Republicans before the Aug. 7 primary election. Brownback said the vacation starts Friday and will last the better part of a week. He declined to say where he’s going. Spokeswoman Sherriene Jones-Sontag also wouldn’t provide details, saying the governor and his family want privacy.
After making adjustments to the quarter cent sales tax ballot question, Riley County Counselor, Clancy Holeman, brought forward the finalized and somewhat lengthy question to Thursday’s Riley County Commissioner Meeting. Holeman explained the length of the question by informing commissioners most ballot questions are somewhat “wordy” due to the fact that breaking the question into smaller questions can lead people to approving and declining various parts of the question, instead of approving or declining it entirely. Commissioners approved the ballot question after further discussion. Budget and Finance Officer, Johnette Shepek, also presented a number of updates to commissioners at the meeting including updates on the…