TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Secretary of State Kris Kobach is both the defendant and his own attorney in a lawsuit now before a federal appeals court over how Kansas deals with small political parties. He planned to argue the state’s case Wednesday morning before the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. The Constitution Party of Kansas wants to regain its status as a recognized political party and is challenging the secretary of state’s refusal to allow people to affiliate with the party when they register to vote. Kobach is known nationally for advising officials in other states about cracking…
Author: KMAN Staff
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) Three elderly, hearing-impaired pedestrians were injured when they were hit by a car in Olathe. Police say one of the pedestrians was critically injured and two others suffered serious injuries on Tuesday night. They were hit after leaving an event at the Deaf Cultural Center, which is across the street from the Kansas School for the Deaf. Police say the driver of the vehicle stopped after the accident. An investigation is continuing.
VALLEY CENTER, Kan. (AP) A suspect is in custody in the 2003 death of a Kansas woman whose case was originally considered an accident. Police believed 26-year-old Patricia Hughes accidentally drowned in June 2003 while trying to rescue her 2-year-old daughter from a residential pool. Sedgwick County sheriff’s captain Greg Pollock said new information was uncovered last year, and Hughes’ death was reclassified as a homicide last September. He said he could not divulge more information in the case. The Wichita Eagle reports that an arrest warrant has been issued for a 52-year-old man, who is charged with first-degree, premeditated…
DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Historical Society is looking for unusual water towers that might be considered important to history. Amanda Loughlin, survey coordinator, says the society is taking an informal survey to raise public awareness of unusual water towers. She says the survey could be the first step to listing the towers on the National Register of Historic Places. The Dodge City Daily Globe reports four water towers in the state have been listed on the register. They are the 1927 Hillsboro water tower, the Florence water tower built in the mid-1880s, the 1913 Highland water tower, and…
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) Starky gets to stay in Lawrence. The Lawrence City Commission on Tuesday agreed to allow potbellied pigs to live in the city. The informal decision came after Lawrence resident Ehren Penix and about a dozen supporters pleaded that Penix be allowed to keep his pig Starky. The Lawrence Journal-World reports commissioners said they couldn’t find a good reason to keep potbellied pigs out of the city. However, owners will have to agree to keep only one potbellied pig at a time, and traditional farm pigs will not be allowed. And if smell becomes an issue, the city…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A proposed House bill would give Kansans a chance to support the arts while paying their taxes. The bill would create the Kansas Arts Commission Checkoff Fund. It would allow taxpayers to add a donation while doing their income tax returns. The proposal is sponsored by 40 House Republicans. It coincides with efforts by Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration to encourage private support for the arts, rather than using public funds. Last year, Brownback cut public funding for the Kansas Arts Commission. His budget proposal for the coming fiscal year proposes $200,000 in state funding for a new…
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) Differences over where and how to hang its wires on utility poles have affected Google’s plans to launch its super-speed Internet project in Kansas City, Kan. The Kansas City Star reports that Google said nine months ago that it hoped to begin service on its gigabit-per-second Internet connections to Kansas City, Kan. by the first quarter of this year. But the company is still working out details over where to install the needed fiber optics. Google declines to comment on the issue and hasn’t publicly acknowledged any significant delays in the project. Mayor Joe Reardon says…
GREAT BEND, Kan. (AP) Wildlife officials say five whooping cranes are spending the winter in south-central Kansas. The five endangered birds have been on private land surrounding the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge and Cheyenne Bottoms State Wildlife Area. Dan Severson, Quivira’s refuge manager, said in a news release Tuesday that the birds include a family of three, one juvenile crane and a single adult. The birds usually stop in Kansas on their way to the Texas coast, but these birds appear to be settling in. Severson says it’s possible the birds are staying because of the ongoing drought, combined with…
Wamego city commissioners are putting the city’s 2012 plan in place. At Tuesday’s Commission meeting, City Manager Merl Page said the City received a request from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment for the right-of-way to probe and take water samples from in and around the downtown area. According to Page, there is currently no formal agreement in writing, but he asked for authority for the City to sign the completed documents after review by the City Attorney Jake Pugh. Approval was granted. In other business, the Commissioner’s and City Staff have scheduled a 2012 Planning Retreat January 30th. They will…
A former Kansas State student was in magistrate court on Tuesday to undergo proceedings on charges of aggravated robbery. Reyna Youdath’s case was put up for another status hearing on Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. According to police reports Youdath was involved in a robbery in Manhattan on the 6th of December where the victim was gagged and tied as her house was burglarized. The charges were brought about by an investigation into the homicide of Steve Freel on December 7. Youdath is being held with a bond set at $250,000.