Author: KMAN Staff

New zoning regulations were the focus of Thursday’s Riley County commission meeting. The commission held its second work session concerning amendments being made to the Vision 2025 plan. “We’re trying to preserve agriculture values and land,” McCulloh said. “(In that light) we’re going to try to divert residential development into areas that are not prime agricultural land. In hopes of facilitating what McCulloh calls ‘smarter development’, property owners will be required to own only five acres of land to start building, as opposed to the county’s previous standard of 20. *** This past year saw a record number of apartment renters in Riley…

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The end of the seven-month U.S. air mission in Libya means 50 airmen will be returning home to Kansas. They’re expected to arrive Thursday evening aboard two KC-135 Stratotankers at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita. Additional airmen and KC-135s will be returning over the next few weeks. Members of the 22nd Air Refueling Wing and 931st Air Refueling Group were among the first airmen called as part of Operation Unified Protector to provide air refueling coverage for NATO’s air campaign in Libya.

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) A baby girl is back home in northeastern Kansas after being treated for severe bites by her family’s pet dog. KCTV in Kansas City reports the 11-month-old girl was attacked by the boxer-Lab mix Tuesday night at her home in Olathe. The baby’s grandfather, Gary Nelson, says the girl was just learning to crawl and got too close to the dog’s food bowl. The dog attacked within seconds, biting the baby repeatedly on the head and body before her mother pulled the animal away. Nelson says his granddaughter needed stitches in 10 places, including her head, lip…

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The top state social services official in Kansas says he’ll announce a new adoption initiative next week. Social and Rehabilitation Services Secretary Rob Siedlecki has scheduled a news conference for 1:30 p.m. Monday. The event will be at the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center, an interactive museum in Gage Park in central Topeka. SRS says adoptive families also will participate in the event but is not yet giving details about the initiative.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The Environmental Protection Agency has given the Kansas Department of Health and Environment a $343,000 grant to help reduce diesel emissions in Wichita and Kansas City. The money will be used to retrofit 59 school buses in Kansas City, Kan. The funds will also go toward replacing two pieces of construction equipment used by the city of Wichita and upgrading two engines on other vehicles. The EPA has awarded $50 million nationwide for clean diesel projects in a move to reduce harmful emissions.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) CNN’s chief political correspondent has been named recipient of the 2012 William Allen White National Citation. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Candy Crowley, who also anchors the program “State of the Union with Candy Crowley,” will give a speech at the University of Kansas on Feb. 10 when she accepts the award. The William Allen White citation is given each year by the William Allen White Foundation’s trustees. Past recipients include columnist George Will and reporter Bob Woodward. Details about the time and location of Crowley’s speech have not been announced.

EL DORADO, Kan. (AP) The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered owners of a southeast Kansas oil refinery to investigate contamination that may have affected water in the area. The EPA’s regional office said this week that it reached a settlement with current and past owners of the Frontier El Dorado refinery in El Dorado. The current owner is Frontier El Dorado Refining. Shell Oil Products US was an earlier owner and is also listed on the settlement. The EPA says the site is contaminated with several toxic chemicals, including benzene, lead and hexavalent chromium. The agency says those chemicals may…

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A top aide to Gov. Sam Brownback will brief the State Board of Education next week on the administration’s proposal for distributing aid to public schools. Brownback policy director Landon Fulmer will speak to the 10-member board during its monthly meeting Nov. 8. Brownback wants to change the way Kansas distributes about $3 billion in state aid to school districts. The proposal includes setting a new baseline for state aid, giving districts block grants and letting counties vote on a special sales tax for education. Brownback is expected to present the plan to legislators when they return…

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The Islamic Association of Mid Kansas says it has received an outpouring of support since a mosque in west Wichita was seriously damaged in a fire. Association spokesman Hussam Madi says individuals and churches have offered support and spaces for group members to worship since the fire on Monday. The association posted a letter of appreciation on its website Wednesday. The cause of the fire at the mosque remains under investigation. Damage estimates are around $130,000 but fire officials say the mosque might be totally destroyed because of damage to the attic and support structures. The FBI…