WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A south-central Kansas man who demolished a historic building in Harper is due in court for a plea hearing on charges of failing to notify regulators. Hugh Allen Barker, of Harper, had a change-of-plea hearing scheduled Monday in U.S. District Court. He’s accused of destroying the Buckeye Building in 2008 without informing federal or state environmental regulators. The 1885 structure was owned by The Balmer Fund, a nonprofit group that restores historic Kansas buildings Barker, the owner of Barker Sand and Gravel, contracted with the city to demolish the building after authorities condemned it.
Author: KMAN Staff
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The runner who scoured homeless shelters for people willing to sell their food stamps for cash will learn his punishment for taking part in a conspiracy that snared two Wichita grocery stores. Wally Mikhael Gaggo is due in federal court Monday for sentencing in two related cases. Gaggo has admitted scheming with the owners of two small grocery stores who gave food stamp recipients about 50 to 60 cents on the dollar for the stamps and pocketed the difference. Gaggo has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Prosecutors have…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Secretary of State Kris Kobach plans to speak this week to two Kansas legislative committees about the state’s new law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls. The Republican secretary of state pushed successfully last year for the law, which took effect Jan. 1. He contends it will combat election fraud, but critics fear it will suppress turnout. Kobach was scheduled to update the House Elections Committee on the law Monday morning. He’s set to appear Wednesday morning before the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee. The state also has a law to require people registering…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Topeka Zoo says it needs a special building to quarantine its large animals when they are ill. Zoo director Brendan Wiley says the lack of such a building could jeopardize the zoo’s chance for accreditation this year. He says the lack of a quarantine building was pointed out in 2007 by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The association is examining the zoo this year because its five-year accreditation is ending. The Topeka Capital Journal reports the city council discussed the need for the building for large apes and carnivores last week but took no action.…
LECOMPTON, Kan. (AP) An 1890 painting of Kansas’ first senator, “Wild Jim Lane,” will be unveiled next month at the Lecompton Historical Society. Lane’s descendants recently donated the portrait to Lecompton, where Lane lived during the Civil War. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Lane was a celebrated orator who fought to keep Kansas a free state. He was known as “Wild Jim” because his political opponents successfully characterized him as a bit loony. The portrait was donated by Lane’s direct descendent James Shaler, of Massachusetts. It will be unveiled as part of a “Bleeding Kansas” history lecture series on Feb.…
A Manhattan woman may be out over a thousand dollars in false charges after her wallet was stolen over the weekend. The Riley County Police Department says Linda Weis, 73, reports her wallet was taken while she was shopping in Target sometime between 5:30 and 6:40 Sunday evening. The loss of the wallet and miscellaneous contents is valued at $40, however, RCPD Lieutenant Josh Kyle says over $1,800 dollars worth of fraudulent charges have been made on at least one of the credit cards kept in the wallet. The investigation is ongoing.
A DJ at an Aggieville bar was battered and threatened with a knife by several individuals early Sunday morning. According to Riley County Police Lieutenant Josh Kyle, 23-year-old Isaiah Garrett of Manhattan was battered by several people and threatened with a knife just before four a-m Sunday at Bushwackers on North Manahttan Avenue. While the suspects were known to Garrett, no arrests have been made as yet
State Senator Roger Reitz of Manhattan has announced he does not plan to make a decision about possibly running for re-election until the end of the legislative session. Reitz indicates although this fall’s elections are still several months away, he has been asked by a number of constituents if he intends to seek re-election to continue to serve the Junction City and Manhattan communities in the Kansas Senate. Reitz says he is still committed to putting his experience and energy to work every day as we face our state’s challenges and opportunities in Topeka. Reitz adds in a prepared statement, there are a host of important…
Kansas State University and the Flint Hills Area Transportation Agency have partnered to create a campus bus route. The route, which started the first day of the spring semester, serves students, faculty and staff free of charge. The fixed-route loop connects Kramer Dining Center, Jardine Apartments, the Center for Child Development and Derby Dining Center. The route runs every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays. Students, faculty and staff must show their university-issued identification card to ride the bus without paying. The bus serving the route can transport up to 20 passengers. It has a bicycle…
K-State Head Coach Bill Snyder released the following statement on the passing of Joe Paterno: Sharon and I are pained by the loss of Joe Paterno. He and his wife Sue were dear friends and genuinely caring people. Joe’s passion for helping others exceeded even his unparalleled successes on the field. He gave of himself for his state, his community, his university and those within his program. He has and will continue to impact, in a most positive way, the lives of thousands of young men as well as thousands of us who are not so young anymore. He was…