TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Some law enforcement groups are not happy with a proposal to drop antique guns from the definition of firearms, as part of a bill to change Kansas’ firearms regulations. Assistant attorney general C.W. Klebe discussed the proposed changes Wednesday before a Senate committee. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports new regulations would clarify that local governments can’t bar concealed-carry license holders from bringing guns into their jurisdictions. One lawmaker questioned if the state couldn’t require out-of-state visitors to follow Kansas laws. Another change would remove older guns such as matchlock, flintlock or muzzle loader rifles from the definition of…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Attorney General’s office has been inundated with applications for licenses to carry concealed handguns in the first three weeks of this year. Assistant attorney general C.W. Klebe told legislators Wednesday that the office has processed 2,000 applications so far this year. He says his office might be on pace to process up to 20,000 applications this year. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Klebe wouldn’t speculate on a reason for the increase. But Sen. Rob Olson of Olathe says he believes Kansans are afraid of gun control measures being proposed by President Barack Obama. The Obama administration…
LENEXA, Kan. (AP) Law enforcement officials say a 3-year-old boy who apparently let himself out of his apartment in a Kansas City suburb has been found safe. Lenexa police say the boy was found shortly before 8 a.m. Thursday in an apartment next door to the apartment where his family lives. The boy’s parents called police about 4:45 Thursday morning after finding the boy and his dog gone. Police, fire officials and neighbors helped with a frantic search because the boy was only in his pajamas in frigid weather. Lenexa police spokesman Dan Friesen says the boy had let himself…
PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) The city of Pittsburg has agreed to contribute $5 million toward an indoor event center and track to be built at Pittsburg State University. The Pittsburg City Commission voted on Tuesday to donate $1.5 million up front and $175,000 per year for 20 years from the city’s revolving loan fund. The $17 million center will include a 300-meter track and an 80-yard practice field. The city will have a lease agreement to share use of the center. The Joplin Globe reports university officials asked the city invest $7.6 million in the center. The city approved the smaller…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Wichita man convicted of abusing an 18-month-old girl and placing her inside a trash bag while she was still alive is appealing his first-degree murder conviction. Jonell Lloyd was convicted in 2008 in the death of Chavira Brown, who was beaten, tied up in plastic bags and left in the attic of his Wichita home. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison without possibility of parole for first-degree murder and another 10 years for child abuse. He was caring for the girl while her mother had surgery. Testimony at his trial indicated Lloyd had beaten…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Low-income Kansans who need help paying their energy bills will be able to apply for assistance from a state program until the end of March. The Wichita Eagle reports the Kansas Department for Children and Families is taking applications for its Low Income Energy Assistance Program until March 29. The program helps pay winter heating bills, focusing on people who have disabilities, the elderly, or families with children. Last year, the program paid an average of $520 to more than 53,600 households. The amount of benefits depends on several factors, including income, the type of dwelling and…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Kansas House committee is preparing to debate a bill to prevent public employee unions from automatically deducting money from members’ paychecks to finance political activities. The Wichita Eagle reports that the Commerce, Labor and Economic Development Committee was taking up the bill Thursday, a day after a contentious hearing with business advocates and labor union representatives. Republican legislators and business groups supporting the measure contend it will protect workers from having to contribute to political activities they don’t support. They say workers who support unions’ activities can still write checks themselves. But labor officials say joining…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The top official of the Kansas Turnpike Authority is preparing to testify about Gov. Sam Brownback’s proposal to merge the agency with the Kansas Department of Transportation. Turnpike Authority president and CEO Michael Johnston was scheduled to appear Thursday at a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee. The authority is responsible for operating and maintaining the 236-mile toll road that stretches from Kansas City, Kan., to the Oklahoma border south of Wichita. Brownback has estimated the state could save $15 million in each of the next two years by combining KDOT and the Turnpike Authority.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A federal judge has granted a request by the ACLU to dismiss its challenge to a Kansas law restricting private health insurance coverage for abortions. Wednesday’s one-sentence court formally ends the case, with each side bearing its own costs and attorney’s fees. Under the order, the American Civil Liberties Union could not raise the claims again. The ACLU sought last week to end the case. The organization cited a judge’s earlier ruling that it failed to prove that the Legislature’s chief goal in passing the 2011 law was to impede access to abortions. The law prohibits private…
Cathy continues taking us through her cancer journey. [mp3-jplayer]