TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Gov. Sam Brownback is preparing to name a new secretary of the Kansas Department of Transportation. Brownback scheduled a news conference for late Friday morning, saying he would introduce his newest Cabinet secretary. His aides declined to identify the new secretary before the event. Barb Rankin, former KDOT chief attorney, became acting secretary in December following the resignation of Deb Miller. Miller stepped down after nearly nine years to take a job in the private sector. The department is two years into a 10-year, $8.2 billion program of highway, bridge and other transportation projects. KDOT has about…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The lead research coordinator in a Kansas clinical trial of an allergy pill on human subjects is expected to learn her fate for conspiring to falsify test data. Olathe nurse Lisa Sharp was scheduled for sentencing Friday in U.S. District Court in Topeka. Her co-defendant, Dr. Wayne Spencer, was sentenced earlier this month to a year of probation. Sharp pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to defraud and failing to maintain records in a clinical trial as required by the Food and Drug Administration. Sharp and Spencer worked for Lee Research Institute, which was paid by Schering-Plough…
RUSSELL, Kan. (AP) Residents of a north-central Kansas community are mourning a 9-year-old boy who was struck and killed by a freight train. Details were still being gathered Thursday night, but authorities in Russell said the boy was hit by a Union Pacific train on the west edge of town a little after 11 a.m. Thursday. Witnesses said the boy, whose name was not immediately released, had been playing on the railroad tracks. Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis said the train was traveling east from Denver to Salina. Russell is a city of about 4,500 people, located 170 miles west…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) An Oklahoma woman has been convicted of fatally shooting her ex-husband and his fiancee as they slept in a Topeka duplex in 2002. A Shawnee County jury deliberated just 90 minutes Thursday afternoon before finding 52-year-old Dana L. Chandler, of Duncan, Okla., guilty of two counts of premeditated first-degree murder. Prosecutors say Chandler was angry with her ex-husband, 47-year-old Mike Sisco. They said she drove to Topeka from Denver, where she lived at the time, after learning Sisco planned to marry 53-year-old Karen Harkness. The couple’s bodies were found in a basement-level bedroom in Harkness’ home. The…
LENEXA, Kan. (AP) Northeastern Kansas is losing 400 jobs as T-Mobile closes some of its call centers around the country. The customer care call center in the Johnson County community of Lenexa is one of seven the company announced Thursday it will close by the end of June. T-Mobile says the employees will have the option of transferring to one of the 17 remaining centers. KMBC-TV reports the 400 Lenexa workers are among 980 T-Mobile employees in Kansas. The company’s nearest remaining call centers are in Wichita and in Springfield, Mo.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) A second Lawrence police officer suspended for allegedly fixing traffic tickets for a University of Kansas athletics department employee is off the job. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Police Chief Tarik Khatib confirmed the officer’s departure Thursday but declined to give details. Lawrence officials have said another officer, who resigned last month, had a long friendship with the athletics employee and fixed at least six traffic tickets in exchange for Kansas basketball tickets. At least twice, that officer asked the second officer for help. The individual whose tickets were fixed is now in federal prison for his…
The City of Manhattan is proposing community 2012 block grant funding and projects. The City of Manhattan is asking citizens to review the investment summary for the 2012 community development block grant action plan. A public hearing on the plan is scheduled on March 29 at 6pm in the Manhattan City Commission Hall. The plan propuses funding for projects which include the riley county seniors service center, the Manhattan Emergency shelter, USD 383 and the Sunflower CASA project. The action plan is available at Manhattan City Hall on Poyntz Ave. and online at the city’s website. The public comment period…
The Flint Hills Discovery Center is set to open on April 14 and new information is flooding in about the event. The Flint Hills Discovery Center opening will include scavenger hunts, educational games for kids and prizes, all provided for free from ESB Financial and Kasasa. Gov. Sam Brownback, the Kaw Nation and Manhattan Mayor Sherow will also be in attendance for the ribbon cutting ceremony. The ribbon cutting ceremony will begina t 10 AM and then the center will be open to the public at 11 AM. The Discovery Center houses 10,000 square feet of interactive exhibits. Visitors can explore…
Riley County Extension Agent Andrea Feldkamp brings us this week’s Riley County Extension report.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) A second Lawrence police officer suspended for allegedly fixing traffic tickets for a University of Kansas athletics department employee is off the job. The Lawrence Journal-World (http://bit.ly/GONauj ) reports that Police Chief Tarik Khatib confirmed the officer’s departure Thursday but declined to give details. Lawrence officials have said another officer, who resigned last month, had a long friendship with the athletics employee and fixed at least six traffic tickets in exchange for Kansas basketball tickets. At least twice, that officer asked the second officer for help. The individual whose tickets were fixed is now in federal…