A disgruntled former women’s accessories designer shot a former colleague to death Friday and then was killed in a shootout with police near the Empire State Building that left nine others wounded, officials said.
Author: KMAN Staff
The Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s 911 system is back up and running after having some technical difficulties. For the time the system was down, the Wamego Police Department was taking calls and getting help to people who needed it.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Supreme Court has overturned the capital murder conviction and ordered a new trial for the man sentenced to death for killing a Greenwood County sheriff in 2005. The unanimous ruling on Friday sends back the case of Scott D. Cheever, who was convicted in October 2007 for the shooting death of Sheriff Matt Samuels when the officer was serving a warrant at a rural home where meth was made. The justices ruled that Cheever’s constitutional rights were violated when a psychiatrist disclosed Cheever’s psychological records during the trial without his consent. The testimony was based…
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) A 61-year-old Leavenworth man died when the moped he was riding was hit by a car. Leavenworth police say the accident happened early Friday near the entrance of a Home Depot store in Leavenworth. The man’s identity has not been released and police continue to investigate the crash.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Shawnee County judge refused to lower the $1 million bond for a suspect in a Topeka slaying whose first murder trial ended in a hung jury. An attorney for 18-year-old Daquan D. Wilkins of Topeka argued Thursday that Wilkins’ bond should be lowered because he was not directly involved in the shooting death of 40-year-old Natalie Gibson. Wilkins also was charged with aggravated battery in the shooting of Gibson’s partner, Lori Allison. The two women were shot as they arrived at their home in July 2011. Wilkins was one of nine people charged in the shootings.…
SALINA, Kan. (AP) The Saline County Clerk says opponents of a Salina ordinance prohibiting discrimination because of sexual orientation and gender identity gathered enough signatures to have the issue reconsidered. Saline County Clerk Don Merriman on Thursday certified that the opponents collected more than the number of signatures required to have the issue returned to the city commission. An ordinance protecting people from discrimination in housing, public accommodations and employment based on sexual orientation and gender identity went into effect June 4. The Salina Journal reports the petition will go before the city commission in the next 20 days. If…
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) Hutchinson voters are likely to face dueling questions on whether to repeal or expand a law that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. The Reno County Clerk’s office has certified that petitions submitted last week by opponents and supporters of the ordinance each had sufficient valid signatures. One petition seeks to repeal an ordinance passed by the city council in June. Supporters want to expand the limited protections included in the ordinance. Hutchinson City Manager John Deardoff says the City Council will consider the petitions Sept. 4. The council can either adopt the conflicting changes or agree…
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) State health officials say 18 cases of the West Nile virus have been reported so far this year in Kansas. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says 11 of the cases have been reported in Sedgwick County, with the rest throughout the state. State public health veterinarian Ingrid Garrison says health officials are expecting to see more cases because the peak time for the virus is August into September. The virus is spread by mosquitoes. It causes only mild illness in most people. But in some cases it develops into a severe illness with permanent neurological…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A class-action lawsuit by workers at a south-central Kansas slaughterhouse has been settled in mediation. No details of the settlement in the case against Creekstone Farms Premium Beef are included in a notice filed Thursday in court. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of an estimated 700 workers at the Arkansas City City packing plant over so-called “gang time” compensation. The practice pays employees only when product is moving, plus 10 minutes for putting on and removing protective gear. The workers also claimed the company wasn’t paying for all the time they worked. Creekstone contended it paid…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Wichita group opposed to adding fluoride to city water is challenging fluoride supporters to a televised debate ahead of a November vote. The Wichita Eagle reports the group Pure Water for Wichita issued the challenge to Wichitans for Healthy Teeth. The debate is proposed for Oct. 17, about three weeks before the election. Pure Water spokeswoman Ann Garvey says she’s hoping for an open and frank discussion about fluoride. A spokesman for Wichitans for Healthy Teeth said it had not yet received the challenge. The Wichita City Council this week decided to put the question on…