TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration is asking the Legislature for about $2 million to alleviate staffing problems at Larned State Hospital. The hospital for the mentally ill is in danger of losing its federal certification because of the inadequate staffing. Losing the federal certification could cost the state $14.5 million a year. The hospital also houses the state’s sexual predator treatment program. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the administration is seeking $993,000 to hire 23 direct care staff. Another $940,000 would be used to increase pay for nurses. State hospitals in Parsons, Osawatomie and Kansas City, Kan. have also…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Shawnee County Republicans are recommending that Undersheriff Herman Jones to become the county’s sheriff. Jones was chosen Thursday to replace Sheriff Richard Barta, who retired last week. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the vote was split and came only after former Topeka Police Chief Ed Klumpp withdrew his name from consideration before the meeting. Gov. Sam Brownback is expected to formally approve Jones’ appointment to serve the rest of Barta’s term, which ends in January. The 53-year-old Jones filed last month to run for sheriff later this year.
SALINA, Kan. (AP) Investigators have cleared a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper of any wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of a man last year. Ottawa County Attorney Betty Mick said Thursday that trooper Justin Rohr was justified in shooting 56-year-old Larry Dean Smith of Delphos last October. The Salina Journal reports the Kansas Bureau of Investigation found that Smith fired first during a confrontation in a heavily wooded area near Delphos. Smith was scheduled to appear in Saline County District Court the day he was shot. He was facing prison time on 10 drug-related charges. He had been released from prison…
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) A University of Kansas satellite campus in Johnson County is adding a new degree. The Kansas Board of Regents has approved an undergraduate degree in information technology on the Edwards Campus through the School of Engineering. A master’s degree in the subject was already available. The undergraduate option is the second new degree program added to the Overland Park campus thanks to the Johnson County Education Research Triangle. Money from an eighth-cent sales tax increase paid for a new $23 million building on the Edwards Campus. Several other new degree programs are planned
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Kansans can rid their homes of expired or unused prescription drugs on Saturday by dropping them off at sites throughout the state. Medications will be accepted for safe disposal as part of the semi-annual National Drug Take Back Day. The event is coordinated by the Drug Enforcement Administration along with local and state agencies. The state attorney general’s office says Kansans have turned in more than 5 tons of medications since the program began in 2010. Attorney General Derek Schmidt said in a news release that unused medications pose risks of misuse or accidental ingestion. He calls…
SALINA, Kan. (AP) Authorities have been warning Salina residents about two scams working in the area. The Salina Journal reports one of the scams involves phone calls and text messages saying the person has won a gift certificate to major retailers. The Better Business Bureau says the scam is being used to solicit private information, including Social Security numbers. A second scam is a secret-shopping letter containing a Better Business Bureau seal, but is not accredited by the organization. The letter is accompanied by a fraudulent check for nearly $3,000 which the recipient is asked to deposit using a debit…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Wichita man has been sentenced to life plus 14 years in prison for raping his 10-year-old stepdaughter and setting her on fire. The Wichita Eagle reports 31-year-old Chris Newberry has been undergoing psychiatric treatment at Larned State Hospital since pleading guilty to rape and attempted murder in September 2009. Wichita police say Newberry doused his stepdaughter with lighter fluid before setting fire to the family’s mobile home in March 2009. His wife and three other children escaped the fire. The stepdaughter survived with burns over 40 percent of her body. The sentence Newberry received Thursday includes…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Organizers are hoping for a turnout of at least several hundred people Saturday for what they’re calling a rally for women’s rights in Topeka. The “We are Women” event will begin at the Statehouse. From there, participants will march to the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. Similar rallies are taking place around the country Saturday. Sponsors in Kansas include Planned Parenthood, the state chapter of the National Organization for Women and the American Civil Liberties Union. The rally comes as Kansas legislators consider a bill giving greater legal protection to health care providers who…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) After strong showings in the postseason, the University of Kansas men’s and women’s basketball teams are being honored by the state Legislature. Members of both teams were scheduled to appear Friday for brief ceremonies in the House and Senate. The men’s team won its eighth straight Big 12 Conference regular-season title and reached the final in the NCAA tournament, losing to Kentucky in the championship game. The women ended the season with a loss to Tennessee in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA tournament. The Jayhawks finished with a record of 21-13.
Ten-year plans call for more than 250 new full-time positions with average wages of over $45,000. CivicPlus will also offer internship opportunities. CivicPlus was founded in Manhattan in 2001, and the company’s CEO, Ward Morgan, says he is pleased to be expanding in town, with a new mixed use, multi-story building at the southwest corner of Fourth and Pierre Streets at an estimated cost approaching $9 million. Morgan says his company is poised to grow by as much as 40% in the next year. He says they considered multiple locations around the U.S. to accommodate growth needs but says thanks to support from the local community…