EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) Officials are looking for an Emporia State University student who failed to return from a trip to Germany. University spokeswoman Gwen Larson says Emilee Irsik, 20, of Wichita didn’t tell family or friends about the trip before departing Oct. 19 during the school’s fall break. She landed the next day in Hamburg. Her roommates notified the school when Irsik didn’t show up for classes Oct. 22, the Monday after the four-day weekend ended. University police worked with airport and airline officials to determine her travel arrangements, including that she had booked a return trip Friday. But Larson says…
Author: KMAN Staff
ATCHISON, Kan. (AP) Family and friends of six men killed in a northeast Kansas grain elevator explosion were honored by a vigil marking the one-year anniversary of their deaths. The men died Oct. 29, 2011, when the Bartlett Grain elevator in Atchison exploded. During a vigil Sunday in Atchison, relatives honored John Burke, Ryan Federinko, Curtis Fields, Chad Roberts, Travis Keil and Darrek Klahr. The St. Joseph News-Press reports the vigil included prayers and Bible readings. Each man’s obituary was read aloud, followed by a bell tolling and a moment of silence. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said in April…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A proposed settlement would increase Kansas Gas Service bills for most customers by about $2 per month. The company, consumer advocates and state regulatory staff approved the settlement Friday but it still must be approved by the Kansas Corporation Commission. The Wichita Eagle reports the gas company’s rates would increase by about $10 million a year. Kansas Gas had asked for a $32 million increase. In a filing to the commission, the three groups said the settlement would be fair for everyone concerned. As part of the proposal, Kansas Gas gave up trying to shift more of…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is sponsoring a two-day event this week that his office is calling the state’s first conference on the future of water. The event is scheduled to begin Tuesday in Manhattan. Brownback plans to speak the first day. Also on the conference agenda are U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas and Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The governor’s office says the conference will examine the state’s water infrastructure, ways to improve water quality and how to meet demand for water from the energy and agriculture industries.…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The extended drought is prompting cattle farmers across Kansas to sell some or all of their herds. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported last week that the number of cattle sent to Kansas feedlots in September was the lowest on record for that month, down 25 percent from September 2011. The number of cattle sold by feedlots to packers in Kansas fell 17 percent from a year ago and tied for the worst month ever. The Wichita Eagle reported the cattle industry expected the steep drop in cattle as drought ruined pastures, dramatically increasing the cost of…
SALINA, Kan. (AP) Salina dentists are offering to buy back kids’ Halloween candy and send it to soldiers. The Salina Journal reports that Discovery Dental Center has offered to buy back Halloween candy from children for $2 a pound. They’ll then send the sugary loot to soldiers overseas. Drs. Earl O’Hara, Gary O’Hara and Brent Mayginnes say they’ll buy unopened candy from trick-or-treaters, exchanging money, toothbrushes and prizes. They’ll ship the candy haul to California-based Operation Gratitude, which assembles and ships care packages for soldiers. The dentists say they’ll also accept monetary donations for shipping and handling for the care…
ABILENE, Kan. (AP) A biographer of President Dwight D. Eisenhower is scheduled to speak in Abilene. Historian Jean Edward Smith, author of the book “Eisenhower in War and Peace,” is leading a discussion Thursday evening at the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. The Salina Journal reports that Smith’s book examines Eisenhower’s journey from Abilene to West Point, through World War II, the presidency and later. Smith has been a faculty member at the University of Toronto and Marshall University, and is a senior scholar in the history department at Columbia University. A book signing will follow the discussion.
SCOTT CITY, Kan. (AP) A social service agency in western Kansas is seeking to expand with the help of a state tax credit program. The Western Kansas Child Advocacy Center is one of 27 nonprofit organizations awarded part of $4.13 million given by the Kansas Department of Commerce. The money comes from the department’s Community Service Tax Credit program. The Garden City Telegram reports the advocacy center will use its allotted $160,000 to buy a third mobile unit, which will allow the organization to expand its mobile mental health services. WKCAC works with victims of child abuse in 29 counties…
ABILENE, Kan. (AP) A fire that started on a deck outside an Abilene assisted-living facility forced about 60 residents out of their beds and to a church across the street. The Salina Journal reports the fire started between 4 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. Saturday at Frontier Estates but was contained to one area. Facility manager Sally Zedalis says a passerby noticed the flames and called police. All of the residents were taken to a First Christian Church, where they were fed breakfast. Most were able to go back to their apartments later Saturday morning, but residents of four apartments that…
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) Frightening test scores have prompted a Hutchinson elementary school to cancel its annual Halloween parade so pupils can use the time learning. KWCH reports administrators at McCandless Elementary canceled the event because it is being monitored by the State Department of Education and student test scores were low. Some parents are upset that children who are getting good grades are being punished because of the performance of others. Principal Glen Owen says classroom celebrations will go on as scheduled, but the time allotted for the Halloween parade will be used instead for school work. A spokesman for…