PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) Strong wind gusts have damaged a Pittsburg hotel so badly it had to be evacuated, knocked out power to the city’s hospital and closed its schools. The Joplin Globe reported that wind gust of up to 70 mph were recorded late Tuesday night, causing roof damage and traffic-snarling power outages. Because of roof damage to Pittsburg’s Econo Lodge, 25 guests were taken to another hotel. After losing power, Pittsburg’s Via Christi Hospital began operating on its generator system. Via Christi spokesperson Michael Hayslip says no patients had to be moved and that the hospital sustained no visible…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A request from the Kansas Department of Education seeking a waiver from the provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind law has been formally received in Washington. The White House says Wednesday that Kansas was among 27 waiver applications received for the latest request period. President Barack Obama invited states to apply for greater flexibility under the law to reach goals for student achievement. Among the strategies will be using other indicators besides test scores to measure student growth and academic progress. It also would give local officials more say to develop programs to help struggling…
HARVEYVILLE, Kan. (AP) Kansas emergency management officials say the tornado that took out a big chunk of Harveyville in eastern Kansas was an EF-2 with wind speeds of 120 to 130 mph. The National Weather Service says at least half the town of roughly 250 people southwest of Topeka suffered damage from the storm that hit just after 9 p.m. Tuesday. Sharon Watson, a spokeswoman for the state adjutant general, says 14 people were injured in the tornado. Eight were treated at the scene by EMS personnel and six were transported to Topeka hospitals, where five were treated and released…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has appointed the Kingman County counselor to fill a vacancy as judge in the 30th District. Francis Meisenheimer was named to the bench Wednesday, filling the void left by the retirement of Judge Robert J. Schmisseur. Meisenheimer has been Kingman County counselor since 2002. He also was a municipal judge in the city of Kingman and attorney for the West Kingman County School District since 1993. Meisenheimer earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Kansas State University and law degree from the University of Kansas. The 30th Judicial District serves Barber, Harper,…
BASEHOR, Kan. (AP) Residents of an eastern Kansas town voted by a wide margin to recall the mayor and two city council members. Tuesday’s vote in Basehor to recall Mayor Terry Hill and council members Dennis Mertz and Iris Dysart centered on the firing of former City Administrator Mark Loughry. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that about 65 percent of voters approved Hill’s recall, 61 percent went for Mertz’s and 59 percent for Dysart’s. Residents had mounted dueling efforts to remove the three, with one committee targeting Mertz and Dysart and the other seeking to recall Hill. Mertz and Dysart supported…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Wichita voters resoundingly rejected a proposal to give $2.25 million in hotel guest tax money to developers of a downtown hotel. The vote on the proposal for a 177-bed Ambassador Hotel lost Tuesday by a margin of 61 percent to 38 percent, or 16,198 to 10,107 votes. The proposal would have allowed the hotel developers to keep 75 percent of the guest taxes collected for 15 years. The special election was forced by a petition drive conducted by opponents, who argued the city was giving too many tax incentives to the developer. The hotel developer, Paul Coury,…
HARVEYVILLE, Kan. (AP) The small eastern Kansas town of Harveyville took a direct hit from an apparent tornado late Tuesday, injuring 11 people and reducing much of the town to ruins. Kansas Highway Patrol trooper Mark Engholm said there were no reports of fatalities, and all of the town’s residents were believed to be accounted for. Three of the victims suffered critical injuries, said Sharon Watson a spokeswoman for the Kansas Adjutant General’s office. Another eight had minor injuries, and many of the victims were taken to a Topeka hospital, Watson said. Much of the town appeared to be heavily…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas officials have developed a new index of leading economic indicators to help better assess business activity in the state. The index is called Indicators of the Kansas Economy, or IKE. It offers a review of economic trends and the overall health of the Kansas economy. The matrix was developed through the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors, created by Gov. Sam Brownback last year as he developed proposals for tax cuts, government efficiency and overall economic growth. Brownback says the index will give policymakers a better picture of how Kansas compares to similar states, such as the…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Kansas House committee is preparing to act on a bill aimed at preventing the state from indirectly subsidizing abortions through tax credits or deductions. Wednesday’s agenda for the Federal and State Affairs Committee included a vote on the measure, which would make several changes in state tax laws, all designed to cut off indirect support for abortions. For example, people who deduct medical expenses from their income taxes couldn’t include abortion expenses in the calculation. A nonprofit organization that provides abortion services would have to pay the state sales tax on what it buys, unlike other…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The former wife of the highest-ranking official caught in a ticket scalping scandal at the University of Kansas has asked a federal judge to rule in her favor in the civil lawsuit filed by the government over assets. A court filing Tuesday by Mary Jean Kirtland seeks a summary judgment, arguing she did not participate in the scheme or receive property deriving from it. Her ex-husband, Ben Kirtland was the associate athletic director in charge of development. Her filing argues the government wants to enforce a criminal restitution judgment against an innocent spouse and to set aside…