HOISINGTON, Kan. (AP) The central Kansas community of Hoisington is giving away up to 15 home sites of roughly 12,000 square feet each to families willing to build houses on them. The Great Bend Tribune reports the acreage is a former mobile home park that was donated to Hoisington on the condition that it not be sold. The Hoisington City Land Bank decided this week to give the lots on a first-come, first-served basis to families who pay a refundable earnest fee of $500. Hoisington city manager Jonathan Mitchell says the program has the potential to increase the population and…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Topeka man has been sentenced to eight years and six months in prison for killing a neighbor after they argued about noise. WIBW-TV reports LaVance Thompson, 31, will also spend three years on post-release supervision under the sentence he received Thursday in Shawnee County District Court. Thompson was initially charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of James Sanders, 36, the night of Dec. 25, 2011. Thompson’s trial was under way in August when he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter. Sanders and Thompson were neighbors in a Topeka apartment building. Prosecutors…
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) The University of Kansas will use a $24.5 million grant to establish a national center aimed at improving how children with disabilities are taught. Kansas officials said Wednesday the five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education is the largest grant ever received at the university. The money was awarded to the university’s Life Span Institute. Wayne Sailor, a special education professor, will be lead investigator for the grant project. He says the project would be based on research conducted in the last 20 years, which shows that students with disabilities do better when placed in classrooms…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A group that supports early-childhood programs in Kansas is preparing for massive budget cuts next year. The Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund has been told that up to 75 percent of its $56 million budget could be cut because of a drop in money from a lawsuit against tobacco companies. Topeka Capital-Journal reported Wednesday that the head of the cabinet, Amanda Adkins, told board members to prepare two different program recommendations. One would assume the group would continue to receive $56 million in tobacco funds. The other would assume the group gets only $12 million. Kansas…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Sedgwick County commissioners have approved a $10,000 grant for this weekend’s “Wings Over McConnell” air show but won’t be using a special hospitality tent that was to come with the donation. Commissioner Richard Ranzau had questioned spending the money on what he called a “party tent” at the McConnell Air Force Base event in Wichita. Commissioners initially were offered a special “chalet tent” where they and other leaders would be treated to a catered meal and beverages. Instead, the Wichita Eagle reports a tent now will be available for anyone seeking some shade. Backers of the donation…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins and her Democratic challenger are sparring over donations to the Republican incumbent’s re-election campaign from financial interests. Tobias Schlingensiepen of Topeka, the Democratic nominee in the 2nd Congressional District, called a news conference Wednesday to accuse Jenkins of turning her back on Kansas by taking the contributions. He says Jenkins has collected more than $610,000 from banking and insurance interests while voting against bills placing more regulations on those industries. Jenkins’ campaign manager, Bill Roe, issued a statement calling the $610,000 figure a “fabrication.” Roe also says most of the donations Jenkins has…
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Supreme Court will hold a special session at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park next week to hear arguments in four cases. The court says its records show that Wednesday’s session will be its first in the northeastern Kansas county. Chief Justice Lawton Nuss says it’s part of an ongoing effort to inform Kansas residents about what the court does and who the justices are. Other special sessions have been held in Greensburg, Salina and Wichita. Wednesday’s docket includes appeals in three criminal cases from Johnson, Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties and a civil…
Public Hearing for Lakeside Heights Sewer District Thursday’s Riley County Commissioner meeting had a few major items on the agenda, including the public hearing for the Lakeside Heights sewer district. A map of the area and information regarding Lakeside Heights was provided by Assistant County Counselor, Craig Cox. Cox explained the need for the sewer system due to difficult living conditions. All property owners in Lakeside Heights are in compliance with the sewer benefit district, except one. Owner of lot 22, Dean Horton, and his wife, Maxine, attended the meeting to share their disagreement with the sewer district. Horton said…
Leaders in the aging service field are in Manhattan for an annual conference on policy and regulatory matters. Secretary Shawn Sullivan from the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services addressed the group Thursday morning. Most of his presentation dealt with KanCare, with Sullivan telling KMAN the deadline is approaching for initiation of the program, which is January of 2013. An estimated 45,000 seniors in Kansas are impacted by changes in Medicaid and the state’s Kan-Care program. It was all part of the LeadingAge Kansas Policy and Regulatory fall conference, being held in Manhattan, which Sullivan describes as a good opportunity for long-term care…
The Kansas High School Activities Association released classifications for the 2012-13 school year in all sports but football, and there will be two class 4A schools in Pottawatomie county. Joining Wamego in 4A will be Rock Creek, who is the smallest school in the class at 258 students. Contrast that with another school that will be brand new to 4A in Highland Park, who has 729 students, a difference of close to 500 potential student-athletes. There are no changes in the local area as Manhattan of course remains in 6A, Wamego in 4A, Riley County in 3A, and Blue…