TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor has withdrawn a request that some legislators preserve records related to a series of dinners at the governor’s mansion last month. Gov. Sam Brownback hosted Republicans from 13 legislative committees at Cedar Crest at seven gatherings that Taylor is now investigating for possible violations of the Kansas Open Meetings Act. Taylor initially sent letters to all 165 legislators asking them to preserve records of the dinners. Lee McGowan, Taylor’s spokesman, told The Topeka Capital-Journal that that the letter withdrawing the request had gone out to the legislators who weren’t invited to…
Author: KMAN Staff
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) About 400 mourners gathered to honor U.S. District Judge Wesley Brown, whose stamina and devotion to justice kept him on the federal bench right up until his death at 104. Brown was the oldest working federal judges in the nation when he died Jan. 23. But his colleagues remembered him at his memorial service Saturday as a man who gave little thought to it himself. Brown’s law clerk, Mike Lahey, said the judge was a man who lived his life according to two oaths. One he had taken when he became a federal judge in 1963 and…
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) A Kansas Court of Appeals panel has ruled that a former Lawrence man convicted of killing his wife should get a new trial because of an error in jury instructions at his 2005 trial. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the panel determined there was an error in jury instructions about reasonable doubt in the trial of Martin K. Miller, who was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Mary E. Miller. The instructions stated jurors must find Miller innocent if they have reasonable doubt about the truth of “each” claim prosecutors had to prove, and…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A judge has ruled that Shawnee County jurors can hear prosecution evidence that cellphone calls from Dana Chandler to her ex-husband and his fiancee went flat when they were killed. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that District Court Chief Judge Nancy Parrish on Friday denied a defense motion to suppress the cellphone records. Chandler, of Duncan, Okla., is charged with fatally shooting her former husband, Michael Sisco, and his fiancee, Karen Harkness, on July 7, 2002. Her trial begins March 5. Parrish also ruled prosecutors couldn’t present evidence that Chandler’s daughter had obtained a protection-from-abuse order against Chandler…
GARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) Kansas farmers and producers can now apply for federal funding for conserving water. The Garden City Telegram reports that the deadline for applying for the funding from the Ogallala Aquifer Initiative for fiscal year 2012 is Feb. 24. The funding is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. The vast Ogallala aquifer supplies water to several states, but it’s being depleted, largely from widespread irrigation. The NRCS in Garden City says the funding is available for farmers and producers who engage in water-conservation practices such as switching from irrigated crops to dryland crops…
Manhattan Regional Airport officials are making quite the impression on prospective new airlines. Lyle Butler, President and CEO of the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce, says additional airlines would help with some possible flight problems. “It would give us that cover that, should an airline change it’s schedule or go elsewhere, you’ve got another airline to work with,” Butler told Riley County Commissioners Thursday. “I think that only benefits us.” Butler says Airport Director Peter Van Kuren has approached airlines about potential flights going west. He says a couple of airlines have reportedly been favorable about adding flights to the western half…
Manhattan had numerous projects last month as far as construction. Manhattan Building official, Brad Claussen, tells KMAN, compared to the rest of Kansas, Manhattan’s construction numbers are fairly high. According to Claussen, Manhattan pulled in a little over $4 million in construction dollars. He reports January the start of 21 new residential units, including a 12-plex and nine single family dwellings. Among the noted projects Claussen mentioned was the completion of the Westloop renovations to Dillions and the start of re-construction on the Strasser Village apartment complex, which was destroyed by arson on Nov. 6, 2011. You can hear his…
A construction project aimed at easing congestion at Hayes Drive and Casement Road is slated to begin Monday. The project will add turn lanes on the Casement Road and a turn lane for north-bound Hayes Drive. Traffic will be maintained throughout the work zone, but delays and decreased lane widths should be expected. Construction should be completed by Spring of 2012.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Desperation seems to be bringing out the best in Texas at a very important time. J’Covan Brown scored 23 points and the Longhorns got a career effort from senior forward Alexis Wangmene to rally to a 75-64 victory over Kansas State on Saturday for their third win in a row after losing five of six. Texas trailed by 15 early in the second half before Brown and a defensive clampdown sparked the rally. Brown made a deep 3-pointer to put the Longhorns ahead 56-54 with 8:20 to play. “We didn’t panic, man,” said Texas freshman point guard…
Riley County Extension Agent Greg Eyestone with this week’s Riley County Extension Report.