TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Regional differences are complicating a redistricting debate in the Kansas Legislature that already is contentious because of political tensions. State senators are reviewing proposals for redrawing their districts in committee and huddling over maps in pairs and small groups. Some Republicans want to use redistricting to maintain the GOP’s dominance, while some GOP conservatives worry about a bipartisan alliance cutting them out. Enacting a Senate redistricting plan also is proving tricky because some rural senators are hoping to preserve their collective clout, despite population losses over the past decade. If they’re successful, they could keep Johnson County,…
Author: KMAN Staff
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A former aircraft mechanic who fled to Equador after he was charged with selling stolen aircraft parts has asked a federal judge for leniency, arguing his voluntary return to the United States to face charges shows remorse and a willingness to accept responsibility for the crime. Diego Alejandro Paz Teran is scheduled for sentencing Monday before U.S. District Judge Monti Belot on a charge of interstate transfer of stolen property. The former Cessna Aircraft Co. mechanic has admitted that for six months between 2008 and 2009, he stole aircraft parts from his employer and sold them on…
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) New state guidelines are prompting the Hutchinson Zoo to limit the types of wild animals it will help at its rehabilitation center. The zoo says it won’t take in deer, pigeons, starlings, raccoons or skunks. The Hutchinson News reports the decision comes after the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism issued new guidelines on caring for wild animals. Zoo director Jana Durham says most wild animals have a better chance of surviving in the wild. And zoo curator Kiley Buggeln says safety is another concern. Many wild animals suffer from diseases such as rabies, distemper or…
BURLINGTON, Kan. (AP) The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled a public meeting to address a recent inspection report on Wolf Creek nuclear power plant near Burlington. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the meeting is scheduled for March 6 in New Strawn to discuss the report that was done after the plant experienced an off-site power loss on Jan. 13. The federal agency says the power loss resulted in the failure of a main generator electrical breaker and the loss of power to a startup transformer, temporarily cutting the plant’s connection to the electrical power grid. The NRC says emergency diesel…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas legislators are scheduled to consider a proposal next week that would set aside space in the Statehouse for an all-faiths chapel. The Lawrence Journal World reports that House Majority Leader Arlen Siegfreid has proposed a place “reserved for prayer and meditation in the state Capitol building.” A hearing on the Olathe Republican’s bill is scheduled Wednesday and Thursday before the House Federal and State Affairs Committee. The measure says belief in God, prayer and meditation have played a significant part in the history of the U.S. and Kansas. Several lawmakers said the measure could raise legal…
SALINA, Kan. (AP) A 37-year-old central Kansas man has been sentenced to at least 50 years in prison for killing his wife. Judge Jerome Hellmer on Friday sentenced Davin R. Sprague to the `hard 50,” which is a life sentence with no possibility of parole for 50 years. Sprague, of rural Saline County, was found guilty of first-degree murder in September in the death of his 28-year-old wife, Kandi Sprague. The Salina Journal reports Hellmer ruled that the murder warranted the harsher sentence, and evidence presented about Sprague’s troubled childhood and emotional distress did not outweigh it. Hellmer also ordered…
KECHI, Kan. (AP) The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office says a 28-year-old man has been pronounced dead in Kechi after a woman called to report she had run over him. The sheriff’s office says the driver, a woman who was not identified, called 911 to say she had run over a person early Saturday. When emergency crews responded they found the man under the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities identified the victim as Carson E. Shotton of Kechi.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Frito-Lay says several members of management at its Topeka plant have been laid off. Frito-Lay spokeswoman Aurora Gonzalez told The Topeka Capital Journal that the Topeka employees were affected by parent company PepsiCo’s global layoffs announced as part of PepsiCo’s earnings Feb. 9. PepsiCo said then that it was planning to lay off about 3 percent of its workforce to help offset higher costs for ingredients and increased spending on advertising in North America Gonzalez declined to give an exact number of employees affected in Topeka. She said, overall, PepsiCo laid off 8,600 employees. Gonzalez said there…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Senate has given first-round approval to a measure allowing oil and gas drilling companies to spread some waste produced by fracking operations over fields in Kansas. The Wichita Eagle reports that the move Thursday comes as southern Kansas is experiencing a surge in horizontal drilling involving the hydraulic fracturing technique known as fracking. The material companies could spread on Kansas fields involve clays, which often have high concentrations of chloride. It’s viewed as a cheaper and more efficient way to get rid of waste created by fracking. High levels of chloride can damage plants and…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Senate leaders are suggesting that Gov. Sam Brownback’s school finance proposal be shelved for the year and sent to a committee for further review. Senate Vice President John Vratil, a Leawood Republican, said even though he supports most of the Republican governor’s plan there doesn’t seem to be enough support in the Senate Education Committee to get the plan ready for debate. Brownback says he’s not giving up on his plan, which would give local school districts more flexibility in how they raise and spend their resources on education. He says the current funding formula is…