TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Closing arguments began Thursday in the trial of a 51-year-old Oklahoma woman charged with killing her former husband and his fiancee. Dana L. Chandler, of Duncan, Okla., is charged with two counts of premeditated first-degree murder in the 2002 slayings of Karen Harkness and 47-year-old Mike Sisco. They were found dead in Harkness’ home. Prosecutors allege Chandler shot the two after Sisco told her he planned to marry Harkness. Chandler was arrested in Oklahoma last July. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that prosecutors began presenting their closing arguments Thursday morning. During the 13-day trial, jurors heard 100 witnesses…
Author: KMAN Staff
GARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) Garden City will host Amtrak and BNSF representatives next month for a discussion about the future of an Amtrak route that runs through the area. City Manager Matt Allen told the Garden City Commission this week that the meeting is scheduled for April 10. The Garden City Telegram reports that Allen said the objective of the summit is to discuss issues relating to the future of Amtrak’s Southwest Chief, Amtrak’s passenger rail route that runs from Chicago to Los Angeles daily, passing through Kansas. Amtrak uses BNSF Railway lines. Because of dispute over rail maintenance, Amtrak…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission has fined a Wichita City Council member for using his government computer to send an e-mail supporting a friend’s campaign. The commission fined Michael O’Donnell $500 on Wednesday. O’Donnell had agreed to a consent decree acknowledging that his actions violated state ethics law. The Wichita Eagle reports that the e-mail at issue was sent by O’Donnell to 39 people on Oct. 4 during a council meeting. It was an invitation to a political fundraiser on behalf of his friend, state Sen. Garrett Love, a Republican from Montezuma. O’Donnell on Wednesday expressed contrition…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A federal magistrate’s pretrial order shows that the Topeka housing manager rejected a settlement offer the city made late last year in a federal discrimination lawsuit she is pursuing. The order also shows that Corrie Lynn Wright is seeking more than $397,500 in the case filed last July. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathryn Vratil issued the order Friday setting legal ground rules for the case and indicating it would go to a jury trial as scheduled Aug. 27 in Topeka. The lawsuit contends the city denied Wright a promotion she was promised. The…
PAOLA, Kan. (AP) The Miami County Commission has decided once more to forgo government money for contraceptives. Commissioners on Wednesday revisited an earlier decision not to seek the government contraceptive funds. About 75 people attended the meeting, and audience members spoke on both sides of the issue. The Kansas City Star reports that the board voted 3-2 against taking the funds. The commission also voted 3-2 earlier this month to delete about $9,000 from the county’s annual grant request from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The grant money has subsidized the cost of contraceptives for low-income women for…
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) Judges from the Kansas Court of Appeals will travel to Overland Park next month to hear cases at Johnson County Community College. The college says three-judge panels will hear arguments on cases from throughout the state on April 17 in the Nerman Museum for Contemporary Art. The public is invited to watch the sessions, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Appeals court members sit in three-person panels at locations across the state. Each panel typically takes up 30 appeals during a two-day period each month.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Twenty-three Kansas hospitals will share more than $10 million in Medicaid incentive payments for moving toward electronic health records. The Department of Health and Environment says the incentives will be distributed over three years, with the first payments being made Thursday. The hospitals are being rewarded for taking steps to improve medical coordination and improving services for patients. Along with the hospitals, KDHE says 10 medical professionals will share about $212,000 for participating in the electronic records program.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism will hold open houses at state parks later this month. The free events are scheduled March 31 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at all state parks. The agency says the open houses will offer visitors a chance to see facilities and recreation opportunities. Staff will also be demonstrating the department’s new system for streamlining park reservations throughout the state. The Outdoor Reservation Management System goes online on April 17. Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism: http://www.ksoutdoors.com.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A committee in the Kansas House expects to debate proposals next week for cracking down on illegal immigration. Chairman Steve Brunk, a Bel Aire Republican, says the Federal and State Affairs Committee will take up immigration issues Monday. Brunk said the panel will start with a proposal to require government contractors to check the immigration status of their workers using the federal E-Verify database. Also before the committee are bills making it a crime to knowingly harbor an illegal immigrant; requiring applicants for government assistance to prove they’re in the U.S. legally; and directing law enforcement officers…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A bitter split among majority Republicans has prompted the Kansas Senate to delay a vote on a bill redrawing the boundaries of its 40 districts. The Senate spent three hours Wednesday debating a redistricting plan favored by the chamber’s moderate GOP leaders. Legislators must redraw their districts this year to account for changes in the state’s population over the past decade. Conservative Republicans believed the proposal favored GOP moderates facing challenges in the August party primary elections. Conservatives blocked a vote, and the Senate returned the measure to committee. The plan put four conservative Senate candidates in…