Author: KMAN Staff

Manhattan High came up just short of their first Mid America Classic title in a 51-48 loss to Olathe South in the championship game Saturday night. The Indians fell behind by as many as nine points in the second quarter but came storming back to go ahead 38-36 heading into the fourth quarter. The third quarter was capped off by a buzzer beater from Par McNair to give Manhattan the lead. The lead changed hands four times in the second half before Olathe South took the lead for good midway through the fourth quarter and held off MHS for their…

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OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) The son of a woman whose cancerous cervix led to an immortal cell line for medical research is speaking next month at Johnson County Community College. David “Sonny” Lacks will talk Feb. 21 about what it meant to find out decades after the fact about his late mother’s contribution to science. Henrietta Lacks was a poor black woman who died of cervical cancer in 1951. Without her consent, pieces of the tumor that killed her were removed and used for medical exploration and to build a billion-dollar research industry. The story of her life was told…

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HAYS, Kan. (AP) A western Kansas teen has died after a sport utility vehicle collided with a deer and overturned. The Kansas Highway Patrol identified the victim as 16-year-old Hope James of Dighton. She was a passenger in a SUV whose driver swerved Friday night in an attempt to miss a deer. The driver hit the deer anyway and drove off the shoulder of Interstate 70 in Ellis County. The driver then over corrected and rolled. The vehicle landed on its top, hitting a fence. The patrol says four other people in the SUV were injured. Everyone was wearing a seat belt.

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On Saturday  Kansas State University  campus was bustling with activity as kids from all over the great plains gathered for the final stage of the 2013 Future City Competition in Rathbone Hall. The competition was held in five parts including an essay portion, design, a narrative describing the city, and the final presentation before a panel of experts. Assistant Dean for the Kansas State College of Engineering Tom Roberts says the event is a great opportunity for young folks to engage in engineering, and was impressed with the presentations. This year’s competition was based on storm water and pollution control,…

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The number of mentally ill prisoners in Kansas has increased by 126 percent since 2006. The Topeka Capital-Journal (http://bit.ly/YxttTP ) reports that nearly two out of every five adult inmates in Kansas is classified as mentally ill. Republican Sen. Steve Fitzgerald blames the spike on what he describes as the state’s failure to develop an effective community-based system of treatment. His district includes Lansing Correctional Facility. Fitzgerald says Kansas Department of Corrections Secretary Ray Roberts is by default the provider of last resort for a growing cadre of people with mental illness. Kansas cut mental health spending…

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Topeka mayoral candidate who wants to rid the city of its code enforcement department has been fined $1,000 for failing to maintain a vacant home he owns. Under the sentence imposed Friday in Topeka Municipal Court, Randal Trackwell has 60 days to fix the home or he could face two months in jail. A judge will assess progress on the home during a hearing set for April 12, 10 days after the general election. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the Trackwell, 66, plans to appeal. He says Topeka code enforcement officers stole lumber he purchased to…

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SOLOMON, Kan. (AP) A central Kansas company that rebuilds, repairs and recycles electrical distribution equipment has laid off 33 employees amid a business slowdown. The Salina Journal reports that 22 of the laid off workers come from Solomon Corp.’s operations in its namesake town. Solomon Corp. vice president Tom Hemmer says the layoff amounts to a 7 percent reduction in the company’s workforce. Economic conditions caused the reduction that trimmed employment to 467 companywide, 328 in Solomon. Solomon Corp. also has plants at Grand Junction, Colo., Georgetown, Texas, and Decatur, Tenn. Hemmer says the layoff affected every department and every…

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