LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) The state’s Sexual Predator Treatment Program is already overcrowded and state officials say they expect the problem to get worse. The program was designed to treat sexual offenders so they can return to society. But data from the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services shows that those sent to Larned State Hospital for treatment are almost never released. Since the program it started in 1994, only three people have been released. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that 217 sex offenders are in the program. The SRS says current growth projections estimate that number will grow to more than…
Author: KMAN Staff
HAYS, Kan. (AP) Hays Regional Airport says it recorded the most passenger boardings in its history in 2011. City Manager Toby Dougherty says the 10,912 passenger boardings will qualify the airport for up to $1 million in federal funding for improvements. The numbers were a 17.3 percent increase from 2010. Dougherty attributed the increase to an aggressive marketing campaign and an improving economy. The Hays Daily News reports that Dougherty says complaints about Great Lakes Airlines customer service had declined, thanks to a new manager for the regional air service provider. He says runway reconstruction likely will begin late spring…
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) Hollywood casino is opening its doors for a nine-hour demonstration that will allow invited guests to be the first to place their bets at Kansas’ newest gambling hall. The casino near Kansas Speedway opens Friday, but on Monday it’s doing a run-through required by the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission to make sure everything is running as it should be. Proceeds from Monday’s test run at the casino will be donated to Sunflower House, a charity that protects children from physical and sexual abuse in Johnson and Wyandotte counties. Hollywood Casino, which overlooks Turn 2 at…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Aerospace companies seeking engineers and other workers have been reaching out to Boeing Co. following its announcement this month that it will close its plant in Wichita. Boeing, which employs 600 engineers at the Wichita plant, plans to move some of the work to its facilities in Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Seattle over the next two years. Companies have been asking about the availability of Boeing’s Wichita workers, but Boeing is still determining how many new openings it will need to fill at the other locations, Boeing spokesman Jarrod Bartlett. “But right now we’re still assessing…
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) Hollywood casino is opening its doors for a nine-hour demonstration that will allow invited guests to be the first to place their bets at Kansas’ newest gambling hall. The casino near Kansas Speedway opens Friday, but on Monday it’s doing a run-through required by the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission to make sure everything is running as it should be. Proceeds from Monday’s test run at the casino will be donated to Sunflower House, a charity that protects children from physical and sexual abuse in Johnson and Wyandotte counties. Hollywood Casino, which overlooks Turn 2 at…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has hirred a new chief information technology officer. Brownback says Monday that Anthony Schlinsog will be the permanent choice for the position. Schlinsog has been interim chief of information technology since November. Schlinsog was named to the post on an interim basis after Brownback’s first choice for the post resigned when questions were raised about his academic credentials. Brownback signed an executive order in November requiring the information technology officers from all executive branch agencies, except the Kansas Board of Regents, to report to one information technology official. Schlinsog previously had been the…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A top Kansas social services official is telling legislators that a new policy reducing or cutting off food stamp benefits to hundreds of U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants is fairer than the previous policy. Michelle Schroeder, public policy director for the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, also told the House Appropriations Committee Monday that federal rules gave the SRS few options. An SRS policy enacted Oct. 1 changed how household incomes are calculated for determining eligibility for food stamps. SRS officials have said the change ended a practice that favored families with illegal immigrants. Majority…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) State officials say an affidavit needed to obtain a free Kansas birth certificate will be online sometime this week. A birth certificate is one of the documents that can be used to get a new voter photo identifications. Under a new state law, people may use a birth certificate to get a photo ID if they don’t have any of the other 12 acceptable items to prove U.S. citizenship. An application to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is required to get the free birth certificate and have the usual $15 fee waived. People also must…
The number of cases of whooping cough in Riley County more than doubled over the weekend. Eight individuals, mostly Infants and young children, have displayed symptoms of the disease known as pertussis. That’s Riley County health administrator Suzanne Kufahl says taking simple measures such as making sure you are up on your immunizations will go a long way in ridding the community of the disease. It’s now recommended people age 11-64 be immunized with the T-dap vaccine, which stands for tetanus, diptheria, and pertussis. “Vaccinations are available, readily available, at physicians’ offices or the health department,” Kufahl said. “You don’t…
Riley County Extension Agent Greg McClure with this week’s Extension Report.