Author: KMAN Staff

The new Riley County Health Advisory Board got started Wednesday, with much discussion on what its role should be. Susanne Kufahl, Riley County Health Officer and Administrator,  expressed a hope for additional communications, research and input from the group. And the consensus seemed to be to keep with the current set-up of seven members, who previously served on the Riley County/Manhattan Health board. Preliminary discussion seemed to indicate that was a good representation, although Kufahl predicts the subject will be revisited when all seven of the members are able to attend. Only four were at the Wednesday meeting. One of…

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Four topics covered the Manhattan – Ogden school board winter retreat, all of which centered on the high school. The board started the retreat discussing the senior early release date and whether giving the students the option to have an early release should continue to be allowed. The next topic centered on the high school day start time.  The board examined materials brought by Superintendent Bob Shannon, which included other school’s start time and how those impacted the school along with studies as to the psychology of how teenagers function. The third topic was concerning the open closed lunch hour at…

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The Riley County Police Department and the Riley County Attorney’s office announced Wednesday the arrest of a suspect in connection with the 2010 rape of a 57-year old woman. 24-year old Justin Charles Taylor of Manhattan was arrested by authorities on Wednesday on a single rape charge filed by the Riley County Attorney’s office. The alleged rape occurred in the early morning hours of June 25, 2010 at the intersection of Denholm Street and Kimball Avenue in Manhattan.  Taylor had been in custody on an unrelated matter.  Taylor’s first court appearance is Friday, February 24 at 1 p.m.  at which…

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A Junction City woman was found guilty Tuesday of Medicaid fraud and forgery, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt. A Geary County jury convicted Lavita Nelson, 22, on one count of making a false claim to the Medicaid program and four counts of forgery. The charges stemmed from a scheme where Nelson was hired by her father to be his personal care attendant. Nelson submitted claims to the Kansas Medicaid program for providing health services to her father while he was in custody in the Geary County Jail. The case was heard by Judge Steven Hornbaker. Assistant Attorneys General…

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CHENEY, Kan. (AP) The former residents of a Sedgwick County property where a human skull was found say the skull was left on their parents’ doorstep six decades ago on Halloween. Last month’s discovery of the skull by people considering buying the property sparked an investigation. The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that the former property owners buried the skull before moving in 2010. The ex-owners reported that the skull had been in their family’s possession since the apparent Halloween prank in 1949 in the northeast Kansas town of Circleville. The family also told authorities they tried to have…

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Revenue estimates for the House Republican income tax plan show that the lowest income earners would be the only bracket that would see their tax rates go up. The estimates show the plan would cost Kansas more than $850 million over the next five years, possibly creating budget issues in future years. The figures were obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press from a legislative source who wasn’t authorized to release the information publicly. House Republican leaders developed the plan as an alternative to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s income tax proposal. In both plans, the only group of…

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GARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) Garden City commissioners approved resolutions offering symbolic and financial support to an Amtrak route through southwest Kansas. The commission on Tuesday approved a resolution asking Amtrak to maintain the Southwest Chief’s route between Chicago and Los Angeles that goes through Topeka, Newton, Hutchinson, Dodge City and Garden City. It also approved spending up to $20,000 to help pay for federal lobbying efforts to keep the current route. The Garden City Telegram reports Amtrak is considering an alternative route that would run south of Newton through the Texas Panhandle to New Mexico. It cites the poor condition…

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