TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) House members have rejected an amendment that would have restricted the types of inmates the Kansas Department of Correction could house in county jails. The proposal rejected Tuesday was in response to the escape in April of four state prison inmates who were being held in the Ottawa County jail. The men were in the county jail as part of a contract to alleviate state prison overcrowding. The House rejected the amendment on a 79-41 vote, arguing that the issue would hamper the corrections secretary’s ability to manage prison populations. The amendment would have prevented convicted rapists…
Author: KMAN Staff
COUNCIL GROVE, Kan. (AP) Five months after a devastating fire, the Historic Hays House 1857 Restaurant in Council Grove is about to reopen. The restaurant is believed to be the oldest continuously operated restaurant west of the Mississippi River. It was opened in 1857 by Seth M. Hays, the grandson of Daniel Boone. A fire on Dec. 14 destroyed the kitchen and caused soot and smoke damage throughout the building. No one was injured in the fire, which began in a grease fryer. The Council Grove Republican reports the restaurant will reopen May 18. A group of 25 Council Grove…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Three Kansas House members are pushing a resolution opposing a 20-year-old United Nations initiative that encourages nations to adopt environmentally sustainable development. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the House members on Monday joined a spokesman for Americans for Prosperity and several citizens to discuss their opposition to the U.N. initiative called Agenda 21. Republican House members Greg Smith of Olathe; Forrest Knox of Altoona and Dennis Hedke of Wichita testified that the initiative was supported by radical environmentalists who want to end private property rights. Agenda 21, which refers to the 21st century, encourages governments to use several…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansans who had to wait a week to conduct business at Department of Motor Vehicle offices can get back in line. The offices will reopen across the state Tuesday, after being closed for a week while a new computer system was installed. The Kansas Department of Revenue is asking for patience from residents, saying employees will need time to adapt to the new $4 million computer system. The department says the new computer system will make filing paperwork more efficient and cost effective.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas attorney general’s office paid outside lawyers almost $628,000 through April to defend anti-abortion laws enacted last year. The office says it paid more than $327,000 to Foulston Siefken, a Wichita firm helping defend a budget provision denying federal family planning dollars for non-abortion services to Planned Parenthood. The group has a federal lawsuit against the measure. The attorney general’s office paid about $193,000 to Thompson, Ramsdell Qualseth, of Lawrence, to help defend health and safety regulations for abortion providers. Two Kansas City-area physicians challenged the rules first in federal court and then in state court.…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas legislators have cleared the way for final votes in the House and Senate on a plan for cutting income and sales taxes. Senate Majority Leader Jay Emler said those votes could come Wednesday. Two Democratic lawmakers involved in negotiations over the plan refused to sign off on it. The Legislature’s rules mandate unanimous agreement among House and Senate negotiators, but both chambers voted Monday to suspend that requirement. The plan would reduce individual income tax rates, exempt 191,000 businesses from taxes and lower the sales tax to 5.7 percent from the current 6.3 percent in July…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas House is trying to revive Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s proposal to start requiring first-time voters to produce proof of their U.S. citizenship next month. House members expected to vote on a bill Tuesday. Kansas has adopted a proof-of-citizenship requirement for people registering to vote for the first time in the state, but it doesn’t take effect until January. Kobach wants the rule in place June 15, in time for a normal surge of registrations before a presidential election. Critics say the requirement will suppress voter turnout. The House approved a version of Kobach’s proposal…
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) A northeastern Kansas woman accused of leaving her 2-month-old son alone in a stroller in a dark alley has told a judge she’s a good mother. Twenty-eight-year-old Elizabeth Michaud made the statement Monday during an appearance in Leavenworth County District Court. The Leavenworth woman is charged with aggravated child endangerment. The Leavenworth Times reports a judge refused to release Michaud on her own recognizance, which would have let her leave jail without paying money. She remains in custody. A Leavenworth resident spotted the stroller and the baby late on the night of May 3 in an alley…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas House is preparing to debate a proposed $14 billion state budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Tuesday’s debate will focus on spending priorities proposed by the House Appropriations Committee, including more money for social services to meet increased demand. The Senate has already passed its own version of the budget. The Senate plan would spend some $14.4 billion and increase spending for public schools. Legislators are quickly approaching the 90-day limit of the session. Once the House approves a budget, negotiators from the two chambers will begin meeting to work out their…
Arrests Randy Darnell Bodwin, 28, Junction City, Kan., for failure to appear. Bond set at $119. Rolando Santiago Cantu, 39, 605 Laramie St., Apartment 2, for failure to appear. Bond set at $100. Brian James Gasswint, 29, Junction City, Kan., for driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license. Bond set at $1,500. Jeffrey Thomas Gasswint, 25, Junction City, Kan., for driving under the influence. Bond set at $500. Benson Joe Neal Jackson, 19, 514 Kearney St., for failure to appear. No bond. Kenny Lee Malone, 27, 1114 Garden Way, Apartment B, fopr theft of property. Bond set…