TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Kansas prosecutor expects to decide soon whether to pursue criminal charges over the shredding of state documents seen as key evidence in a criminal case against a Planned Parenthood clinic. Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor says he hopes to have a decision by the end of February. At issue is a 2009 decision by the Kansas attorney general’s office to shred copies of reports to the state on individual abortions from Planned Parenthood’s clinic in Overland Park. The shredding occurred 18 months after 107 criminal charges were filed against the clinic in Johnson County, with…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Westar Energy reached a settlement with The Kansas Corporation Commission staff to raise its rates by $50 million. However, a consumer rights group says it will fight the rate increase. The Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board said Monday it will ask the KCC next week to overturn the settlement with its staff. A spokeswoman for Westar said CURB is the only group opposing the deal. An attorney for CURB said residents and small businesses will pay $41 million of the increase, which includes a 10 percent profit for shareholders KCC lawyers originally asked Westar to accept a $33…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration expects to decide this summer which private companies will manage the state’s $2.9 billion Medicaid program. Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, who led the team that developed Brownback’s plan to overhaul the program, told two dozen legislators Monday evening that “multiple organizations” are seeking the Medicaid contracts. Medicaid provides health coverage for the poor, disabled and elderly. Brownback’s administration plans to issue three contracts this year for the Medicaid program. Each contract would start Jan. 1, 2013. Each company would operate statewide, so that Medicaid clients would have a choice of coverage. The…
GODDARD, Kan. (AP) A carjacking suspect who died in a gunfight with law enforcement officers was a 52-year-old man from Wichita. Reno County Sheriff Randy Henderson said Tuesday the suspect was Darren J. Baker. He was shot Monday afternoon after a chase that began when police in Goddard tried to pull his vehicle over for a traffic violation. Henderson says Baker left the stolen vehicle north of Cheney Lake and started firing on officers, who returned fire. Officers from four different law enforcement agencies were involved in the shooting. Kansas Bureau of Investigation agents are investigating the shooting.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Gov. Sam Brownback is warning Kansas legislators that the state and its congressional delegation face a continuous fight to obtain federal funding for a new lab that would research plant and animal pathogens. Brownback told two dozen lawmakers during a Monday evening meeting at his official residence that he expects the legislative battle over the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility to last another five years. A site in Manhattan, near the Kansas State University campus, has been cleared for construction of the $650 million biosecurity lab. The new lab, which could start operations by 2018, would replace…
After several meetings on the subject, Manhattan urban area planning board members came to an agreement on what has been a somewhat controversial subject– crematoriums. Manhattan City Manager Ron Fehr tells KMAN the group approved a motion on the matter Monday night with two options, locating it in an existing cemetery or in an industrial area. Fehr says two options for a cemetery location would be either the Kansas Veteran’s Cemetery or Sunrise Cemetery. If the crematorium would be in an industrial location, there would be a mandatory 500 foot setback from residential uses. The proposals were sent on to the Manhattan…
Silver Creek Road in Riley County will be closed for a bridge repairs beginning Thursday. The road will be closed north of 52nd Street on Silver Creek Road. Traffic will need to use alternate routes throughout the duration of this project. Repairs will take approximately 1 working day to complete, unless adverse weather conditions cause unexpected delays.
The City of Junction City has issued a boil water advisory for water customers on the west side of Spring Valley Road, north of Wildcat Lane and south of Buddy Drive in Olivia Farms development. This advisory is the result of a sixteen inch water main break. The water main was in the process of being repaired, but the advisory will remain in effect until testing of water samples indicates no evidence of contamination and all other conditions which place the systems at risk of contamination are deemed to be resolved. For questions, you can call Veolia Water at 785-238-7142 or…
An effort to ease traffic congestion on I-70 near Fort Riley began Tuesday morning, with an agreement for inbound traffic only to Marshall Field off of I-70 from 5:00 to 7:00 a.m. five days a week. Geary County Sheriff Jim Jensen indicates it was an agreement involving Geary County, Fort Riley and the Kansas Department of Transportation. The arrangement will allow for three lanes of traffic into Marshall Field during those hours, which will be observed on weekdays. Jensen indicates military police are directing traffic during those times and it will be well-marked, but he wanted motorists to be advised of the change.
An Ogden woman charged with attempted second degree murder entered a no contest plea Monday morning to aggravated battery and aggravated assault. Elizabeth Heaven, 29, entered the plea in Riley county District court. Heaven’s sentencing is set for March 19th. Heaven was taken into custody in early July 2011.