TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has named a former state House member as the top elections official in one of the state’s most populous counties. The appointment of 43-year-old Andrew Howell as Shawnee County election commissioner was announced Monday. Howell replaces Elizabeth Ensley Deiter,who stepped down last week to become a magistrate judge for four northeast Kansas counties. Shawnee County is home to the city of Topeka and the state Capitol. Howell runs a small home-renovation company in the Topeka area. He served in the Kansas House from 1995 through 2004. He is a Republican like…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) More than $11 million in raises for thousands of Kansas state employees have cleared a final step. The increases were given formal approval Monday by the State Finance Council, made up of Gov. Sam Brownback and top legislative leaders. Kansas lawmakers approved $11.2 million for the raises in May as part of the state budget for the fiscal year that began in July. Nearly 4,300 state employees will benefit, including some Highway Patrol troopers and corrections officers at state prisons and juvenile detention centers. This is the fourth round of annual raises under a plan approved by…
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) A northeastern Kansas man has avoided a trial by pleading no contest in the killing of his wife earlier this year. Thirty-seven-year-old Dominic Camacho had been scheduled to go on trial Monday in Johnson County District Court on a charge of first-degree murder. The Kansas City Star reports the Lenexa man instead pleaded no contest to a charge of second-degree murder. Camacho’s wife, 35-year-old Leslie Camacho, was found strangled March 13 in the couple’s suburban Kansas City home. Police went to the home when relatives became worried after being unable to reach Leslie Camacho. The victim worked…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The public is invited to next month’s inauguration of Wichita State University’s new president. John Bardo succeeds Donald Beggs, who stepped down over the summer after 12 years in the job. Gov. Sam Brownback is scheduled to speak at the ceremony the afternoon of Oct. 12 in the Hughes Metropolitan Complex, about a mile north of the Wichita State campus. Bardo began his academic career at Wichita State. He chaired the sociology and social work department from 1978 to 1983. He later worked at the University of North Florida and Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts. More recently,…
After an extensive four year period, Riley County Commissioners have finally made headway on the 101 Noon Street property. The house is located in Fairmont Park and commissioners have been trying to gain the property in hopes of furthering renovations within the park. Assistant County Counselor, Craig Cox, brought the purchase contract forward, during Monday’s meeting, after receiving it from Atlantic Coast Housing LLC. Cox explained the extensive search for the official deed was the main reason it has taken so long to make it to this point. Commissioners unanimously approved of the signing of the contract and the $20,000 for…
Special teams definitely played a huge factor in K-State’s closer than expected 35-21 victory over North Texas. After North Texas took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, Wildcat sophomore Tyler Lockett took the ensuing kickoff 96 yards to the house. Lockett was named Big 12 special teams player of the week on Monday. The touchdown was the third on a kickoff return in his career, and helped propell K-State to the win. Lockett also received the Big 12 honor after returning kickoffs for scores last season against Texas Tech and Kansas.
After back-to-back victories over ranked opponents, the 12-0 K-State volleyball team is now ranked #11 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association top 25. The Cats stayed unbeaten with three big victories at the Golden Hurricane Classic in Tulsa over the hosts, #10 Minnesota, and #20 Dayton. Texas is now #9 in the AVCA poll after dropping a matching over the weekend to Illinois. Iowa State rose to #19 after beating a top ranked team for the first time in school history, with an upset of Nebraska in Ames on Saturday. K-State opens up Big 12 play with another trip…
After a great all-around effort at the Golden Hurricane Classic in Tulsa, the Big 12 named K-State middle blocker Kaitlynn Pelger as its offensive player of the week. Pelger averaged 4.18 kills per set while hitting .440 over the weekend as the Cats beat Tulsa, #10 Minnesota, and #20 Dayton. She also averaged 2.45 digs and 1.09 blocks per set. Pelger had a double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs against the Golden Hurricane in a straight sets victory on Thursday night. She posted four of her 16 kills in the fifth set of the victory over the Golden Gophers…
Last week, bids were opened for the new EMS building, but this week things have changed. The Pottawatomie County Commissioners made a motion to reject all of the current bids. They will be going back and redesign the building and then re-bidding the project. The commission also had a number of updates from departments. Sherri Schuck, county attorney, talked about the number of cases her department has been dealing with along with asking the commission to approve the purchase of a duplicator. Lois Schlegel, county appraiser, gave a presentation over the website subscriptions and the current sales. Schlegel said that August…
While we all too frequently hear about crimes that result in injuries or loss of some sort, it’s nice to have a good news story to report–and Riley County Police Director Brad Schoen did just that Monday with life saving awards presented at the monthly law board meeting. Dispatcher Dawn Wickizer and Officer Mark Cusimano were presented with the awards. Wickizer not only notified other emergency agencies, but proceeded to instruct the mother how to perform CPR, with Officer Cusimano showing up within a minute and continuing the CPR. MFD and EMS crews arrived a short time later to proceed until…