TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Kansas Democrat has lost a bid to get on the primary ballot for a state House seat after his filing form somehow went astray. Larry Meeker, of Lake Quivira, hoped to seek the Democratic nomination in the 17th House District in the Kansas City area. But Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s office refused to put Meeker on the Aug. 7 primary ballot, saying he never filed. Democrats contend Kobach’s office lost Meeker’s form when a party staffer delivered it before the filing deadline. Kobach’s office contends it has no record of receiving the form. The State…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Kansas gay rights group has failed to block a conservative Democrat from seeking re-election to the state House. The State Objections Board on Tuesday rejected a challenge to the primary election filing by Rep. Jan Pauls, of Hutchinson. The challenge came from Tom Witt, executive director of the Kansas Equality Coalition. The coalition has clashed with Pauls over issues such as same-sex marriage. Witt questioned whether Pauls truly lives at a former church the lawmaker claims as her knew address. Witt said Pauls and her husband cannot live there legally. Pauls said she has made the…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Sedgwick County jailer is under arrest following allegations that the man raped two male inmates in their cells. Sheriff’s detectives arrested the 21-year-old detention deputy Tuesday on suspicion of several offenses, including aggravated criminal sodomy and mistreatment of confined persons. The case was being presented to the district attorney’s office for possible charges. The sheriff’s office in Wichita says it became aware of an initial allegation on June 3 and a second allegation Monday. In both instances, male inmates in their 20s said the deputy entered their cells in the middle of the night and sexually…
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) Illinois officials say the parents of two small children found tied up and blindfolded in a Kansas Walmart parking lot were investigated last year for possible neglect. A spokesman for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services says the agency opened a case on the family in December after verifying a report of neglect. Kendall Marlowe says the case was closed in April and the children were allowed to remain with the family. Adolfo Gomez Jr. and his wife, Deborah Gomez, are charged in Douglas County with two counts of child abuse and five counts of…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) An official of the annual Wichita motorcycle parade that collects toys and holiday donations for charity has died in a motorcycle crash. Sedgwick County authorities say 55-year-old Holly Potelle, of Harper, was riding on Kansas 42 near Viola around 6 p.m. Monday when a strong gust of wind pushed her motorcycle into a ditch. KAKE-TV reports the motorcycle struck a driveway, throwing Potelle about 30 feet into the air. Potelle lived in Harper and taught language arts at Harper Elementary School. She was the director of the Wichita Toy Run, a benefit motorcycle ride that collects toys…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Texas man has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for robberies in Topeka, Lawrence and Wichita. Federal prosecutors announced Tuesday that 26-year-old David B. Johnson, of Lubbock, Texas, was sentenced for robberies at a yogurt shop and convenience store in Topeka, an adult entertainment store in Lawrence and a sandwich shop in Wichita. All the robberies occurred in January. Johnson was sentenced after pleading guilty to four counts of robbery and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm. Johnson led police on a chase that reached 100 mph shortly after the robbery in…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) With Kansans driving less and using more fuel-efficient vehicles, the state is studying the possible impact of a drop in fuel tax revenue. The Kansas Department of Transportation says the decline in revenue from motor fuel taxes is a concern because that money is the primary way the state funds its highway projects. The Wichita Eagle reports Kansans drove 82.2 million miles each day last year. That’s an increase from 81.9 million miles in 2010, but a drop from 83 million in 2006. Leif Holliday, a traffic engineer for the transportation department, said traffic had grown 1…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Department of Agriculture is considering moving its headquarters out of Topeka to Manhattan or southwest Kansas. The state department that handles facilities for state agencies is soliciting bids for office space for the Department of Agriculture. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports bids are being sought from Topeka, Manhattan and Great Bend, Garden City and/or Dodge City. Agriculture department official Max Foster said Monday the department’s lease in Topeka ends Sept. 30, 2013. A spokeswoman for Secretary of Agriculture Dale Rodman says the department has been working for the past six months to find a space that…
SALINA, Kan. (AP) A search committee is working to find a new president for Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina. The search started after the university’s board of trustees accepted the sudden resignation of Fletcher Lamkin on Friday. They appointed provost Wayne Lowen as interim president while the search is conducted. The Salina Journal reports Lowen will continue to serve as provost and additional staff might be hired to help with those duties. Trustees chairman James Nelson says no timetable has been set for finding a replacement. Lamkin’s resignation on Friday came after 2.5 years as president. His tenure was marked…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Hutchinson man who sent two letters to a Kansas mental hospital threatening to kill President Barack Obama has been sentenced to two years in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom says 27-year-old Michael Scott Ramsey was sentenced Monday in Wichita. He pleaded guilty in March. Grissom says Ramsey delivered letters on July 1, 2009, to Larned State Hospital saying he was going to kill the president. In one of the letters he said “this is Michael Ramsey telling you this.” Ramsey received a mental evaluation at a federal detention center in Los Angeles, where experts found…