TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A state board has approved a $30,000 payment to a former Topeka Correctional Facility inmate who was forced by a guard to engage in sexual activity. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the payment settles a federal lawsuit filed against the state by parolee Rebecca Fleetwood. Fleetwood accused corrections officer Nathan VanDyke of driving her to a cemetery in September 2008 and forcing her to perform a sexual act. VanDyke later pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual relations and was placed on probation. The payment to Fleetwood was endorsed by the State Finance Council, a bipartisan board made up of…
Author: KMAN Staff
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) Police in Hutchinson are investigating a series of break-ins at churches, but so far they’re not sure if the burglaries are connected. The latest incident occurred this week, when someone broke into Our Redeemer Lutheran Church at night and stole money, electronics and two fire extinguishers. The Hutchinson News reports the church was the fifth to be burglarized since late March. Pastor Chad Trunkhill says he’s grateful that whoever broke windows to get inside didn’t use the fire extinguishers to do more damage. During a late-April break-in at Eastwood Church of Christ, someone sprayed fire extinguishers over…
HOLTON, Kan. (AP) The superintendent of the Holton school district says unpredictable state funding contributed to a dispute with the district’s teachers. Earlier this week, Holton teachers returned 69 unsigned contracts to the district to protest a lack of negotiations and another year without a pay raise. Superintendent Nancy Meyer says the district offered the teachers one-time bonuses last August rather than raises. She says the district took that action in part because the state has reduced funding for public schools and it’s difficult to predict when that trend might end. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Meyer said the Legislature cut…
COLUMBUS, Kan. (AP) A man who escaped from the Cherokee County jail Sunday has been arrested and returned to jail. But authorities allege Jimmy Dale Sluder committed a residential burglary before he was arrested Tuesday in Pittsburg. The Joplin Globe reports Sluder was part of an inmate work program when he ran away while taking out trash early Sunday. He was in jail on theft charges. He was arrested at a Pittsburg apartment after officers received a tip about his whereabouts. Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves says Sluder is suspected of breaking into a Columbus house Tuesday afternoon. He allegedly…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Wichita police say speed is likely a factor in an accident that killed a 6-year-old girl. The victim of the accident Tuesday evening was identified as Fedodora Two-Hatchett. Police say the girl was riding in a car in a residential area when a vehicle going between 60 and 70 mph struck the car at an intersection. The speed limit at the site is 35 mph. Police say the girl was secured in a child safety seat when the cars collided. Her mother, 27-year-old Maria Two-Hatchett was in fair condition at a Wichita hospital. Her 1-year-old daughter also…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) An official from the Kansas Department of Revenue has been named state fire marshal. Gov. Sam Brownback announced the appointment of Doug Jorgensen on Wednesday. The appointment is effective July 1 but requires confirmation by the state Senate. Jorgensen is currently the director of Alcoholic Beverage Control in the Department of Revenue department. He served as acting state fire marshal from January to July of last year, and also spent 28 years with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Testimony is close to wrapping up in a trial over whether Kansas spends enough money on public schools or distributes the dollars fairly. Attorneys expect to finish questioning witnesses Thursday in Shawnee County District Court, where the trial began June 4. The last witness was expected to be state Education Commissioner Diane DeBacker. Three judges are hearing the lawsuit, filed against the state by the Dodge City, Hutchinson, Kansas City and Wichita school districts and 31 students in those districts. They argue that cuts in general aid to schools in recent years are keeping the state from…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The National Park Service is planning a student art contest to commemorate the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation ordering the freeing of slaves. Park Service director Jonathan Jarvis says the contest encourages young people to reflect on their personal meanings of freedom and express those thoughts creatively. Students 13 to 18 years old may enter photography, poetry and digital short films. The first-place winner in each category will receive a $2,500 academic scholarship and the second-place winner will receive a $1,000 academic scholarship. Entries are due by Oct. 15, 2012. The Emancipation Proclamation was…
House Speaker John Boehner says the Supreme Court ruling on health care underscores the importance of repealing President Barack Obama’s health care plan in its entirety.