At halftime of the Chick-Fil-A Bowl on ESPN, K-State coach Bill Snyder was named the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year. The award’s foundation travelled to Manhattan to present the award to Coach Snyder. It is the first national coach of the year award this season for the longtime coach, who led the Wildcat to 11 wins and a Fiesta Bowl berth. Snyder has been named national coach of the year for the fifth time in his career. He also won the Bobby Dodd Award in 1998. Snyder has an all-time mark in 21 seasons at K-State of 170-84-1 and…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas officials say the state is finishing 2012 with strong revenue collections, beating estimates by $30 million for December. The Revenue Department said Monday the state collected $602 million in December, compared with the $572 million that had been forecast. Individual income tax payments in December played a big role, exceeding estimates by $27 million. December sales tax revenues came in at $184.6 million, about $5 million less than expected. The department also said revenue collections are running $32.7 million ahead of projections for the first half of the fiscal year that began July 1. Revenue Secretary…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) House Speaker Ray Merrick has turned down a request from Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss to address the 2013 Legislature. Traditionally, the chief justice appears during the legislative session to give lawmakers an update on the status of the state’s court system. The Kansas City Star reports that Merrick thinks the time could be better used for other purposes. Merrick, a conservative Republican from Stilwell, was chosen by his GOP colleagues to be the House speaker for the next two years. The top House Democrat says Merrick’s decision is a sign of growing animosity between…
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) A judge has ruled that a northeast Kansas woman accused of leaving her baby alone in an alley is competent to stand trial. An attorney for 28-year-old Elizabeth A. Michaud of Leavenworth argued earlier this year that Michaud was not competent to stand trial. Michaud is charged with aggravated endangering a child after she allegedly left her son alone May 3 in a Leavenworth alley. Prosecutors believe she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time. On Friday, a Leavenworth County judge found Michaud was competent to stand trial after receiving a report on…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas parks officials are hoping people will want to start the new year with a hike in state parks. Five state parks are participating in a national “First Day Hikes” program. The program offers guided hikes through the parks. The hikes are generally one or two miles long. First Day Hikes are scheduled in all 50 states. The Wichita Eagle reports the hikes will be offered on New Year’s Day in Cross Timbers, Eisenhower, Elk City, Kaw River and Tuttle Creek state parks. The hikes are free, but visitors must have a park permit for all parks…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach says increasing the power of his office is the best way to deter people from double-voting. Kobach will seek authority from the 2013 Legislature to prosecute election fraud. He said it’s the last major step Kansas needs to take to effectively combat voting irregularities. He said county prosecutors are often too overworked to take on such cases. Critics contend Kobach overstates the threat and is suppressing turnout with initiatives he has championed. Those measures include a law requiring all voters to show photo identification at the polls. But Kobach says his…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Two newly elected Kansas legislators from Wichita have endorsed a proposal to hold city and local school board elections at the same time as elections for state offices in even-numbered years. Sen.-elect Michael O’Donnell and Rep.-elect Mark Kahrs, both Republicans, said the change would boost turnout in city and school board elections. In local primaries, turnout can fall below 10 percent. Kansas law now sets municipal and school board general elections on the first Tuesday in April in odd-numbered years. Elections for state offices are the first Tuesday in November in even-numbered years, with primaries in early…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services has announced a volunteer recognition program that will reward state residents for their good deeds. Department secretary Shawn Sullivan says the Volunteer of the Month program will begin in January, with winners chosen from nominations submitted to the department. Each monthly winner will receive a check for $50 and a $20 Walgreens gift card. Nominees will be judged on several criteria, including outstanding performance, high level of willingness to help others, strong commitment to volunteering and good relationships with those who are helped by the volunteer. Nominations can be…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Groups representing Kansas retirees want state lawmakers to provide annual cost-of-living increases in pension benefits for former teachers and government workers. The Kansas Coalition of Public Retirees notes in a recent report that the last such adjustment for all retirees was in 1998. The report suggests tying increases in benefits to the consumer price index. The coalition includes 39 organizations. However, its proposal isn’t likely to get much traction with the Republican-controlled Legislature. The Kansas Public Employees Retirement System projects a gap of $9.2 billion between anticipated revenues and benefits promised to retirees from now until 2033.…
A heated discussion filled time at Monday’s Pottawatomie County Commission meeting . What started off as a request for a change order for IT stuff, turned into multiple conversations among the different entities involved including KBS Constructors, Inc., and Treanor Architects. Trisha Brooke-Fruent, construction manager for SMH Consultants, was center of a battle on days allotted and also the pricing of the cable and technical aspect of the project. Through the course of the discussion, the board finally came to a 2 – 1 vote for the change order with Commissioner Pat Weixelman dissenting. They also presented their desire to…