TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Revenue Department says the state collected nearly $27 million less in taxes than expected in May. The agency reported Thursday that May’s tax collections totaled slightly more than $564 million. Economists and researchers had forecast last month that May revenues would total nearly $591 million. Officials attributed the lower-than-expected figure to a slowing of growth in individual income tax receipts. Still, Kansas Revenue Secretary Nick Jordan says revenues through the first 10 months of the current fiscal year totaled $5.4 billion an increase of 8 percent over the same period a year ago.
Author: KMAN Staff
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) A 20-year-old Kansas man faces nearly three years in prison after pleading no contest to blackmailing a former girlfriend to get her to send him provocative pictures of herself. Todd Murphy, of Hutchinson, was originally charged with sexual exploitation of a child for a September 2010 incident involving a 16-year-old girl. The Hutchinson News reports that Murphy pleaded Wednesday to the lesser charge, which was amended by Reno County district attorney Keith Schroeder after he spoke with the girl’s family. Schroeder says Murphy hacked into the girl’s email account and obtained a picture of her in a…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Crews are working in several Kansas communities to restore power, remove broken trees and repair minor damage from hail and high winds that smacked the state. The most serious damage from Wednesday night’s weather was reported near the town of Silver Lake, northwest of Topeka. Shawnee County’s emergency management director said straight-line winds destroyed a Baptist church under construction. In Wichita, the city-owned Sim Park Golf Course was closed Thursday while crews replaced hundreds of divots created by hailstones. About 15,000 customers of Westar Energy in scattered communities lost power during the storms. Most had electricity restored…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansans whose vehicle tags expired in May are getting a break from the state. The Kansas Department of Revenue and Kansas law enforcement agencies say people whose car tags expire as of May 31 will have until June 29 to renew them. The grace period was prompted by long delays earlier this month after a new vehicle title and registration system was installed across the state. Officials said that for 30-day permits, the cardboard style permit can be displayed on vehicles. For 30-day permits that expired any time in May, there will be a grace period through…
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) An open house will be held Sunday at the Immaculate Conception Church in Leavenworth, which was closed for nearly a year for a renovation project. The church closed last June 12 for the $1 million renovation project, which included a redesigned sanctuary, increased accessibility for the disabled and new flooring, lighting and pews. It reopened for services on May 27. The Leavenworth Times reports the church is built on the site of a cathedral that opened in the 1860s but burned down in 1961. The Rev. David McEvoy said it was the first major renovation project at…
ELLSWORTH, Kan. (AP) Nothing is wrong with the economy in the central Kansas town of Ellsworth. Manufacturing and other businesses are expanding or locating in the town, which has about 2,800 residents. The Salina Journal reports new projects will bring more than 200 jobs to the Ellsworth County town by 2015. City officials attribute much of the growth to the town’s location. It’s a 15-minute drive from Interstate Highway 70. And it’s on Kansas 156, which has become a major route from Garden City to northeast Kansas. On Tuesday, residents will vote on a property tax increase to expand and…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The president and CEO of Heritage Bank in Topeka says a fraud scheme cost the bank $712,145 last year. Ernie Beaudet testified about the loss Wednesday at a hearing for 40-year-old Jennifer Hughes-Boyles, a former vice president at the bank. Hughes-Boyles pleaded guilty in February to fraud. Hughes-Boyles was scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday. But the sentencing was delayed after attorneys received new reports on the bank’s losses earlier in the day. A judge gave attorneys 10 days to submit briefs before setting a new sentencing date. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports she faces a maximum sentence of…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Kansas farmers are finding wide variations in quality and yield after nearly a week of the winter wheat harvest. The latest daily bulletin put out Wednesday by industry groups reported the harvest 30 percent complete in Pratt County. The elevator in Iuka reports good yields in that area, with most fields averaging between 40 and 45 bushels per acre. Farmers around Hoisington in Barton County have been cutting for four days, and the crop in that area is not doing as well as expected. But farther east around Marion, where the harvest is about 25 percent complete,…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The Wichita School District and its teachers union have declared an impasse in contract talks following a heated negotiation session that district officials called adversarial. The Wichita Eagle reports the district will seek federal mediation to settle the contract dispute with its 4,000 teachers after talks broke down Wednesday. Negotiations began in March on a new contract to take effect in August. Major sticking points have included teacher evaluations, lesson plans, dress codes and classroom discipline. A lawyer for the district, Tom Powell, says the union started the negotiations on a negative note by insisting on recording…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Historical Society is inviting amateur archaeologists to take part in a summer dig and field school. Participants will be digging from Saturday through June 17 at the Kansa Indian site of Fool’s Chief Village, located on Topeka’s north side. Artifacts will be excavated, cleaned and catalogued at a field laboratory. The Historical Society and the Kansas Anthropological Society are sponsoring the dig. The Kansa site was chosen because it will be affected by a road project planned for the intersection of U.S. 24 and Menoken Road in Shawnee County. Working with state and federal transportation…