TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Anyone who has business with the Kansas Department of Motor Vehicles needs to get it done on Monday. After Monday, all DMV offices in Kansas will be closed for the rest of the week while the state installs a new $4 million computer system and employees learn how to use it. Kansas Department of Revenue officials say the one week of disruption will be worth it, promising that the new system will make filing paperwork much more efficient. Online voter registration in Kansas also will be unavailable starting at 7 p.m. Monday through May 7. That is…
Author: KMAN Staff
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A memorial honoring Americans and South Vietnamese who fought in the Vietnam war has been installed on the banks of the Arkansas River in Wichita. Several hundred people gathered Sunday for a private dedication of the Vietnamese American Community Memorial. A public dedication is planned in July. The Wichita Eagle reports that the memorial depicts two soldiers, one American and one Vietnamese. It also includes a plaque noting the sacrifices of Americans and South Vietnamese who fought together in the war. The memorial was paid for by Wichita’s South Vietnamese community. It created some controversy because some…
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) Hutchinson police are investigating the third church vandalism in the city in the last month. The Hutchinson News reports the latest vandalism was reported Sunday at Eastwood Church of Christ, where someone broke out windows and sprayed fire extinguishers throughout the building. Last week, Grace Episcopal Church officials reported vandalism that included several thousands of dollars in damage to the stained-glass windows. And on March 28, vandals clogged a toilet at Tenth Avenue United Methodist Church, causing flooding in large portions of the church. The church’s office was also broken into, but nothing was stolen.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) State corrections officials says most inmates serving time in county jails for sex crimes or murder have been moved back to state prisons. The move comes after four inmates, including one convicted of two murders, escaped from the Ottawa County jail earlier this month. The prisoners were all caught within three days. But the escape raised concerns about the types of criminals being transferred to county jails because of overcrowding. Secretary of Corrections Ray Roberts told The Wichita Eagle the state believes the county jails are secure. He says the inmates were moved to ease public concern…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Secretary of State Kris Kobach says he still anticipates another vote in the Legislature on his plan to move up the date when first-time voters are required to provide proof of their U.S. citizenship. But legislators aren’t sure it will happen. Kansas has a proof-of-citizenship requirement for people registering to vote for the first time in the state, but it takes effect Jan. 1, 2013. Kobach wants to move up the date to June 15, so the rule is in place ahead of this year’s presidential election. The House approved the change, but it stalled in the…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Wichita police say someone intentionally ignited a police car that had been parked on a residential street over the weekend. The Wichita Eagle reports the officer who drives the car awoke shortly after 2 a.m. Saturday and found his cruiser engulfed in flames. Fire Department spokesman Lt. Kelly Zane says flammable liquid was present outside the vehicle, so there’s no doubt it was set on purpose. Police said it’s possible the patrol car was targeted in retaliation for the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old boy by a police officer April 13. Eleven people have been wounded in…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas legislators resume work this week on a new state budget, aiming for the House and Senate to begin debating their respective versions in the next few days. The House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to meet Monday to finish work on its version of the $14 billion budget. It includes more than $50 million requested by Gov. Sam Brownback to meet increased demand for social services and maintain staffing levels at state hospitals. A Senate panel completed its version of the budget Friday, following much the same blueprint that the House is using. The full Senate is…
PARSONS, Kan. (AP) Stories of southeast Kansas farm life during the Great Depression have been captured through an oral history project. The Joplin Globe reports that researcher Pam Cress of the Southeast Kansas Farm History Center has spent two years collecting stories of 45 farm families. Interviews focused on farm practices, the social lives of farmers, and the impact that New Deal programs had on rural families. Today, the histories are available to anyone with an Internet connection. Besides audio files and written transcripts of each interview, the collection includes archived historical photographs. Axe Library at Pittsburg State University is…