TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas House has approved a bill that would let Kansas residents contribute to arts programs when they pay their income taxes. The measure, passed on a 95-29 vote Thursday, creates a new income tax check-off for the Kansas Arts Commission. The bill goes to the Senate. The proposal, sponsored by 40 Republicans, is in line with GOP Gov. Sam Brownback’s push to have arts programs rely more heavily on private funds. Last year, Brownback vetoed the Arts Commission’s entire $689,000 budget, making Kansas the first state in the nation to eliminate its arts funding. This year,…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A piece of Gov. Sam Brownback’s school finance proposal has cleared the Senate, modifying Kansas technical education programs. Senators voted 40-0 on Thursday to send the proposal to the House. Brownback’s measure provides incentives for high school students who don’t plan to pursue four-year degrees and are interested in a career in a vocational or technical program. The plan would allow them to earn certificates in qualified programs through community or technical colleges while still in high school. Financial incentives would be included to encourage high schools and technical schools to develop the certificate programs and get…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) For the hundreds of Kansas students who serve each year as legislative pages, the check will no longer be in the mail. Senators approved a bill on Thursday that would end the practice of paying each page with a $3 check for their day’s service. Instead, legislators have decided to give them a $5 voucher to be used at the Statehouse snack shop. The Senate approved the bill 40-0, sending it to Gov. Sam Brownback for his signature. The House approved the bill 109-2 on Feb. 17. Sen. Dick Kelsey, a Goddard Republican, says the present practice…
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) A grand opening is scheduled for March 2 for a $23 million building that will expand the University of Kansas’ Edwards Campus by more than half. The 75,000-square-foot building will house business, engineering, science and technology programs on the campus in Overland Park. The new classrooms, lecture halls, computer labs and conference center will allow the Edwards Campus to serve 1,000 more students. A dedicated sales tax approved by Johnson County voters in 2008 paid for the new Business, Engineering, Science and Technology Building. The building is part of the Johnson County Education and Research Triangle.…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Gov. Sam Brownback’s chief of staff says the governor is in favor of making Leavenworth County a distinct Kansas Senate district. David Kensinger, the governor’s chief of staff, testified Wednesday before a Senate committee considering redistricting proposals. He says it is the only one of the state’s 10 most populous counties whose representative does not live in the county. Leavenworth County currently is part of a district represented by Tom Holland of Baldwin City and Kelly Kultala of Kansas City. They were the Democratic nominees for governor and lieutenant governor against Brownback and Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer…
GALENA, Kan. (AP) Galena Mayor Dale Oglesby doesn’t take kindly to trespassers on his property. Early Wednesday, Oglesby saw someone near a storage building at his home. He grabbed his 9 mm semi-automatic handgun and held the man at gunpoint until police arrived. Police say the suspect had two motors from oil field equipment that belonged to Oglesby when the mayor stopped him. The man was booked at the Cherokee County Jail on suspicion of theft and criminal trespass. Police say he might have had an accomplice but that person has not been caught. The Joplin Globe reports the confrontation…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A bill to honor 37 servicemen from a small northeast Kansas town who died in World War II is headed to Gov. Sam Brownback for his signature. The Kansas Senate on Wednesday passed the bill, which was approved earlier by the House. It would name part of Kansas Highway 99 “The Frankfort Boys World War II Memorial Highway.” Frank Benteman, a Frankfort native and WWII veteran who pushed the honor, says Frankfort had more men killed in action in World War II than any other town its size. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that American Legion Post No.…
ATCHISON, Kan. (AP) A Sabetha man convicted of capital murder in the death of a rural Horton woman is seeking a new trial. An attorney for 60-year-old Roger Hollister says he deserves a new trial because the Atchison County judge who heard his case did not properly instruct jurors. Hollister is serving life in prison with no chance of parole for the November 2009 death of 58-year-old Patricia Kimmi. Hollister’s attorney argued in a court motion that evidence presented in the trial was insufficient, errors were made in closing arguments and other errors deprived Hollister of a fair trial. The…
DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) One of two Dodge City women accused of attacking a pregnant woman in an effort to kill the unborn child reached a plea deal in the case. Eighteen-year-old Kaila Vargas pleaded no contest Tuesday to intentional aggravated battery and criminal threat. In exchange for the plea, an attempted murder charge was dropped. Assistant Ford County Attorney Scott James says Vargas and Mary Gobin attacked the woman, who was seven to eight months pregnant, at her home last June. They allegedly threw her to the ground and punched her stomach several times. The Dodge City Daily Globe…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas House members will consider a series of bills recommended by the Office of the Repealer that identify laws, rules or regulations that are deemed no longer necessary. The bills on Thursday’s debate calendar were advocated by secretary of administration Dennis Taylor, who was designated by Gov. Sam Brownback as the state’s official repealer. Brownback asked Taylor last year to gather suggestions throughout Kansas of laws and regulations that are burdensome to government, businesses or residents. Many of the statutes relate to special funds for fees that are no longer collected. Others spell out duties of county…