WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Wichita woman says her family will add more locks to their home after a frightening encounter with a drug suspect. Police say officers were chasing a car early Tuesday when the driver bailed out, ran through a neighborhood, jumped a fence and entered an unlocked home. Vanessa Wadsworth told KWCH-TV her mother and brother were awakened around 3:30 a.m. when the stranger ran inside. Wadsworth says her brother heard heavy breathing and someone heading for the basement. Police pulled up and followed a trail of blood that Wadsworth says led them to the suspect hiding under…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Topeka man charged with rape and capital murder in the death of an 18-year-old jogger is preparing to enter a plea in the case. Dustin Leftwich, 21, previously pleaded not guilty to killing Brenna Morgart last May and dumping her body several miles from where she was hit by a vehicle. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that prosecutors and a defense lawyer told a Shawnee County judge on Tuesday that Leftwich will enter a plea Thursday. He had been scheduled for a motions hearing that day. Morgart was killed May 25, five days after she graduated with honors…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The former Wichita clinic of slain abortion provider George Tiller is being remodeled to meet new Kansas regulations. The work is taking place amid growing opposition by anti-abortion activists as the building’s new owners a group called Trust Women prepare to open it for the first time since Tiller’s 2009 murder. Trust Women attorney Robert Eye said Tuesday that contractors are modifying the clinic to make sure hallways and interior spaces are big enough to comply with the requirements of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. He says once the work is completed and the building…
OSAGE CITY, Kan. (AP) Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts says he won’t support President Barack Obama’s nomination of former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense. Roberts describes his fellow Republican as a longtime friend, but says they have too many differences on foreign policy and national security. Speaking Tuesday in Osage City, Roberts said he and Hagel have differing views on Israel and Iran, among others, that factor into his decision. Calls to Kansas’ other U.S. senator, Republican Jerry Moran, seeking his views on the nomination were not returned Tuesday. Hagel has drawn criticism for his remarks referring to…
LENEXA, Kan. (AP) Police say a northeast Kansas man accidentally shot his wife at a restaurant when his concealed weapon discharged. Lenexa police say the man had a small caliber handgun in his pocket while dining at the Longbranch Steakhouse last week. Officer Dan Friesen says the man reached into the pocket and accidentally discharged his weapon. His wife was treated and released at a hospital for a wound in the leg. Police say the man had a valid concealed carry permit and the proper training but the state likely will revoke his permit. KSHB-TV reports the restaurant’s manager says…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Federal investigators say bad weather and the pilot’s inexperience likely led to a plane crash in April 2011 near Topeka that killed a Kansas family. A National Transportation Safety Board report says 35-year-old pilot Dylan Spencer of Scott City apparently became disoriented while trying to land using flight instruments in overcast and rainy weather. The Spencer family was flying from Scott City to Topeka on April 22, 2011 when the plane crashed while he tried to land at Topeka’s Philip Billard Airport. Spencer, his wife, Amy, 34, and their two young children were killed. The Hutchinson News…
SALINA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Wesleyan University leaders have chosen three finalists to consider as the next president of the Salina school. The finalists announced Monday are Brian McGee, chief of staff and senior policy adviser at the College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C.; Roger Drake, vice president of finance at Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky; and Matthew Thompson, vice president for advancement at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Fla. The Salina Journal reports the presidential search committee chose the finalists from eight candidates. The men will visit the Salina campus in the next two weeks to meet with faculty, staff…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) State health officials are warning the public to restrict their consumption of bass because of concerns about their mercury content. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Monday largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass should be eaten only once per week. The department says women who are pregnant, might become pregnant or are nursing; and children under the age of 18 should eat Kansas-caught bass only once a month. The health department says restrictions are necessary because of the levels of mercury, which can cause health problems, particularly to fetuses and children.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas lawmakers have filed a handful of proposals for the annual session that starts next week, including measures requiring more audits of state agencies. The 90-day session begins Jan. 14. One proposal would change the way audits are conducted on the security of the state’s information technology infrastructure. The bill would allow auditors to file reports if they find evidence that a project is unlikely to meet its goals or is being implemented inefficiently. Another bill would require an audit of the state treasurer’s office when a new treasurer takes office, to ensure that all property and…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Incoming Kansas Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce has filled out his staff with a former congressional intern and an aide to the state House speaker. The Hutchinson Republican announced Monday that Kara Evans will serve has his legislative director. Evans is a recent graduate of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa. She has worked as an intern for Republican U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran of Kansas and James Inhofe of Oklahoma. Bruce also said Katrina Abraham will be his executive assistant. She had the same job in the office of outgoing House Speaker Mike O’Neal. Peter Northcott began working…