WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The union representing engineers and technical workers at Spirit AeroSystems has filed a grievance with the National Labor Relations Board over changes to the company’s employee evaluation process. The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace said Thursday that it filed the complaint because the company did not negotiate before starting a performance improvement process for employees whose evaluations drop. SPEEA Midwest director Bob Brewer says nearly 1,000 employees dropped in performance ratings without justification. The union contends management concocted a scheme to blame employees for management’s poor decisions. Spirit AeroSystems did not immediately return a message…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Several hundred people rallied outside the Kansas Statehouse against various Republican legislative proposals and some of Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s initiatives. Wednesday’s event was organized by Kansans United in Voice and Spirit. Standing in a cold drizzle, the protesters spoke out against proposals from Republican Gov. Sam Brownback to change the state’s school finance formula, income tax structure and social service programs. The group is also concerned about Kobach’s initiatives on voter registration and immigration. Kobach is a former law professor who helped draft tough immigration laws in Alabama and Arizona. Last fall the group brought…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Gov. Sam Brownback and several wind energy officials are touting efforts in Kansas to develop the power source and asking that a federal tax credit for the industry not be allowed to expire. At a news conference Wednesday, the Republican governor said Kansas is among the national leaders in wind energy production, with several new wind farms scheduled for completion this year. But there’s concern that Congress won’t extend a tax credit that makes it worthwhile for wind developers to invest in new turbines. One industry official said Wednesday that without the tax credit, construction of wind…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Congressman Mike Pompeo is planning to hold one-on-one meetings with constituents next week in Wichita. The Republican lawmaker represents the 4th Congressional District of Kansas in the U.S. House. His office says Pompeo will hold individual meetings with constituents Feb. 22 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at his office in Wichita. The individual meetings are being scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. People requesting meetings with Pompeo can call his Wichita office at 316-262-8992.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services has created a new task force on problem gambling in the northeastern part of the state. The state-owned Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway opened earlier this month near the NASCAR track in Wyandotte County. The task force is looking for community leaders to participate, including law enforcement officials, treatment providers, veterans and minority advocates. SRS has already established task forces on problem gambling near the Kansas Star casino in Mulvane and the Boot Hill Casino in Dodge City. The groups meet monthly. The problem-gambling programs are funded with 2…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Missouri students attending the University of Kansas campus in Overland Park will get a tuition break, starting next fall. The Kansas Board of Regents on Wednesday approved a proposal to allow students from 11 Missouri counties to pay the same tuition that Kansas students pay on the Edwards Campus. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the current Metro KC Tuition Waiver applies to students from only four counties. Undergraduates from Missouri get a discount but still pay more than Kansas residents. Starting next fall, the tuition break will be available for Missouri students from Clay, Cass, Jackson, Platte, Buchanan,…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Candidates for state and federal office in Kansas would have to prove their citizenship under a bill approved by a Kansas House committee. Critics say the bill approved Wednesday by the House Elections Committee is inspired by the so-called birther movement, which has questioned President Barack Obama’s U.S. citizenship. But Rep. John Rubin, a Shawnee Republican who voted for the bill, says if the state is going to ask its citizens to prove they are U.S. citizens, candidates should face the same requirement. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Rep. Ann Mah, a Democrat from Topeka, said called…
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) Trucking company YRC Worldwide says it will move 120 jobs to its headquarters in Overland Park. Kansas officials announced Wednesday that most of the jobs will be moved from Akron, Ohio, the site of the headquarters of Roadway Corp., which YRC acquired in 2003. YRC Worldwide said last month that it was selling the former Roadway headquarters and moving some jobs out of Ohio. The Kansas Department of Commerce said the new jobs in Overland Park are mostly in accounting, customer service and cargo claims. The Kansas City Star reports that YRC Worldwide owned Yellow Freight…
EDWARDSVILLE, Kan. (AP) The action-sports company Zumiez plans to open an order-filling center and bring 100 jobs to Edwardsville. Zumiez, based in Everett, Wash., announced Wednesday that the center will open in May. Company officials say the central location in the Kansas City suburb will allow it to more quickly fill its online orders. The company caters to fans of skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, motocross and BMX. The Kansas City Star reports 35 workers in Everett were offered jobs in the Kansas City suburb but it was unclear how many of those workers will move here.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) A company that bought out the owners of 37 Hutchinson houses that were near sinkholes has donated five of the houses to a housing organization. One of the homes was moved Wednesday from the Careyville neighborhood in south Hutchinson. VigIndustries bought the 37 homes in 2009 because of concerns they would sink because of nearby brine wells. Most of the homes were demolished. But VigIndustries donated five homes to Interfaith Housing Services and moved them to locations in Hutchinson and Newton. Interfaith officials say the homes will eventually be sold to first-time home owners through a program…