CHENEY, Kan. (AP) When Raymond Rosenhagen of Cheney died unexpectedly, he left his family with acres of wheat ready to harvest. On Tuesday, friends and relatives showed up at Rosenhagen’s farm to help his family bring in the crop. Rosenhagen died May 15 while getting ready for the upcoming harvest. He had already passed on most of the responsibility for the farm near Cheney to his son, Mark, but still was active in the operation. The Wichita Eagle reports that Mark Rosenhagen told people he could handle the harvest himself. But the neighbors showed up Tuesday and had four combines…
Author: KMAN Staff
BUHLER, Kan. (AP) The fourth time was the charm for the Buhler school district. Voters in Buhler on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a $44.9 million bond issue for the city’s schools. Unofficial returns show the issue passed by a 2,296 to 1,089 vote. The Hutchinson News reports that voters rejected two bond issues in 2006 and one in 2007. The school district estimated the approved bond would cost residents about $40 more a year on a property tax bill for a $100,000 home. The district says the bond issue, combined with state aid, will help build a new elementary school and…
PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) Two 18-year-old Joplin, Mo., men were each sentenced to 14 years and four months in prison for their part in the killing of a Pittsburg man. Oscar DeLeon Jr. and Randu Rivera were sentenced Tuesday in the death of 21-year-old Ryan Clay Arlan Bailey at his home. Bailey was shot in October 2011. His wife and two young children were in the house at the time. Another man, 22-year-old Rickey R. Smith of Joplin, fired the fatal shot. He was sentenced in January to nearly 27 years in prison. DeLeon and Rivera waited outside while Smith and…
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) The University of Kansas has accepted applications from 106 employees seeking early retirement buyouts. A university spokesman says Kansas rejected applications from 43 other employees. The university offered the early retirement incentive in April to about 665 employees at its Lawrence and Overland Park campuses. Those approved for the program will receive a one-time payment equal to one year’s salary, up to a maximum of $100,000. Spokesman Gavin Young says decisions on whether to accept the applications were based on whether the individual buyouts would be a financial or operational benefit to the university. The Lawrence Journal-World…
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) The Hutchinson City Council has agreed to add sexual orientation to the city’s anti-bias ordinance. The council approved the addition by a 3-2 vote Tuesday. The issue had drawn strong public comment at past meetings but only one person spoke against the ordinance before the final vote. The Hutchinson News reports the Kansas Family Policy Council, which opposed the ordinance, is talking to other opponents to decide whether to start a petition campaign to put the issue to a public vote. Because only 1,308 people voted in the last municipal election, opponents would need only 327 valid…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) An American Red Cross chapter in Kansas is handing out 1,000 free fans this week in anticipation of another long, hot summer. The Midway-Kansas Chapter urges people especially vulnerable to the heat, such as the elderly and families with small children, to pick up a fan. Red Cross spokesman James Williams says the group set a record last year and wanted to give even more fans away this year. The Wichita Eagle reports the program has been in existence for more than 15 years. Last year’s goal was to give away 900 fans, but because of heavy…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Lawrence Democrat has filed for re-election to the Kansas Senate, while an Overland Park Republican is running again for the House. The Kansas secretary of state’s office verified the filings Tuesday of Sen. Marci Francisco and Rep. Marvin Kleeb (klehb). Their names will appear on their parties’ Aug. 7 primary election ballots. Francisco was first elected to the Senate in 2004. Kleeb first won his House seat in 2008. All 40 state Senate seats are up for grabs in November. The secretary of state’s office reports online that 28 senators have filed to run again. Ninety-nine…
FORT RILEY, Kan. (AP) Fort Riley’s 1st Infantry Division, better known as the “Big Red One” for its distinctive patch, is about to turn 95. The division was formed in 1917 during World War I when it arrived in Europe with Gen. John Pershing and was known as the First American Expeditionary Force. The soldiers began wearing the red patch on their left shoulders to identify them on the battlefield. Based now at Fort Riley, the division will celebrate its history with a series of events beginning Thursday with a carnival beginning Thursday. The division will participate in a “Victory…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The combines are now rolling in northwestern Kansas as the 2012 winter wheat harvest spreads to the farthest corners of the state. The Kansas Grain and Feed Association, in conjunction with other industry groups, reported Tuesday that farmers in Trego County began cutting over the weekend and are finding the crop better than expected. The Frontier Ag elevator in WaKeeney is reporting test weights ranging from 60 to 65 pounds a bushel. In north-central Kansas, elevator manager Jim Spector at the Farmway Co-op in Clay Center says farmers in Clay County have just begun harvesting in earnest.…
At Tuesday’s City Commission meeting, City Manager Merl Page brought up an issue discussed at a previous meeting, and asked if the Commissioner’s had any recommendations for someone to serve on the County’s Solid Waste Committee. According to Page, County Public Works Director Lew Lowery has been representing the City, but doesn’t want to serve again. The Commissioner’s asked for more time to come up with someone, when Commissioner Cliff Baughman volunteered to be the City’s representative on the committee. In other business, Deb Kiker was appointed to serve on the Housing Authority Board for a two-year term, and Kara…