TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) An elderly Topeka man has died after his riding lawnmower slid down an embankment, overturned in a pond and pinned him beneath it. WIBW (identified the man as 84-year-old Wilbur Johnson, who was a caretaker of the property he was mowing when the accident happened. Fire crews used a wench to free the man, who was already dead. The Shawnee County Sheriff’s office says emergency crews were called to the scene just before 6:30 p.m. Friday. Area homeowners found Johnson after seeing him mowing along the edge of the pond earlier in the day.
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas legislators who are drafting the final version of a $14.1 billion state budget are narrowing their discussions to their biggest differences. House and Senate negotiators met for about two hours Saturday to work on the spending plan for state government for the fiscal year that begins July 1. There were dozens of differences between the two chambers on items in the budget. The negotiators stuck to minor issues during Saturday’s talks, such as the amount the Department on Aging should reimburse providers of services to the elderly for their payroll expenses. The negotiators plan to resume…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Legislative leaders are describing relations in the Statehouse in military terms, saying war has been declared on moderate Republicans by the party’s conservative wing and Gov. Sam Brownback. The tensions and mistrust among the GOP, which controls both chambers of the Legislature, has stood as an impediment to completing work on the state budget, school finance, pension revisions and drawing new political boundaries. Friday was the 90-day deadline for the 2012 session, one that will now drag into next week. Brownback says he isn’t at war with moderate GOP senators, but wants them to get their work…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Officials in Kansas are bracing for blue-green algae problems after toxic blooms sickened more than a dozen people last year. The Wichita Eagle reported that a small lake in Great Bend is the only body of water in Kansas with an official algae bloom so far. But officials say more algae blooms are expected. Tom Langer is the head of environmental health for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. He says his office is already getting phone calls about algae blooms in other waters. Some major lakes in nearby Oklahoma have officially reported blooms. The problem…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas will be overhauling its state arts agency this summer, but funding for arts programs remains uncertain. Kansas Citizens for the Arts spokeswoman Sarah Carkhuff Fizell said Saturday funding remains the key issue as the state prepares to merge its Arts and Film Services commissions on July 1. Gov. Sam Brownback proposed the merger and signed a bill enacting it this week. It will create a new Creative Arts Industries Commission to focus on creating new arts-related jobs within the state Department of Commerce. House and Senate negotiators were working Saturday on budget issues. Both chambers have…
CHANUTE, Kan. (AP) The National Transportation Safety Board says three people died when a small plane crashed in southeastern Kansas. NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson says five people were aboard the twin-engine Cessna 401 when it went down around 4:30 p.m. Friday northwest of Chanute. Knudson says the eight-seat plane caught fire after the crash. Details about the victims weren’t immediately available. The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating and says the crash occurred about seven miles northwest of Chanute. That’s a generally rural area. The plane was en route to Council Bluffs, Iowa. Knudson says the plane lost contact with…
CHICAGO (AP) Luke Hochevar allowed three hits in seven shutout innings Saturday night and the Kansas City Royals scored three first-inning runs off Chris Sale to beat the Chicago White Sox 5-0. Hochevar (3-3) cruised as the White Sox mustered only one real scoring threat against him all night. That came in the second on a walk and single by Alex Rios before Alexei Ramirezhit into a double play. Hochevar walked one and struck out five, and his strong effort came after two rough outings against Detroit and New York Yankees when he surrendered a total of 19 hits and 16 runs in 6 1/3 innings. Greg Holland pitched the eighth and Aaron Crow walked two…
By Ryan Lackey KStateSports.com (Original Story) MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas starting pitching Wes Benjamin threw a six-hit shutout and Kansas State surrendered four late runs as the Jayhawks evened the series with a 6-0 win Saturday evening at Tointon Family Stadium. With the win, KU improved to 20-30 overall and 5-14 in Big 12 play, while the Wildcats fell to 23-28 on the year and 4-16 in league action. Benjamin (3-7) allowed three K-State hits in the first two innings but did not see a Wildcat reach third base due to a double play and a caught stealing. Another double…