HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) A Hutchinson tea party group says its depiction of a skunk as the new symbol of the U.S. president is satire and people don’t have to look at it if they don’t want. Patriot Freedom Alliance says on its website that like the president, the skunk is “half black, half white, and almost everything it does stinks.” The Hutchinson News reports local NAACP president Darrell Pope sees no humor in the depiction, which he calls a blatant statement of racism. Local tea party supporter Chuck Sankey says former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been the target…
Author: KMAN Staff
FORT RILEY, Kan. (AP) The family of a Fort Riley soldier that was shot and killed in Ogden is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case. Relatives of Sgt. Ronald Evans Taylor posted information on the reward and a sketch of the suspect on a billboard along Fort Riley Boulevard in Manhattan Friday. Taylor, a 28-year-old Army X-Ray technician, was shot to death Oct. 14 as he drove his car a few blocks from his home on the post. WIBW reports that Taylor’s brother says there is still no clear motive or suspect in…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Members of the technical and professional union at Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita will decide whether to accept a new contract at the company. The vote will be held at 5 p.m. Monday at Curtis Middle School. Members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace’s Wichita Technical and Professional Unit will also decide whether to authorize a strike. The Wichita Eagle reports that the union says the 9.5-year contract includes $2,000 signing bonuses, annual raises starting next year, participation in the Spirit Incentive Plan and increased restrictions on Spirit’s use of contract labor.
ATCHISON, Kan. (AP) A grandfather of a northeast Kansas man who killed an Atchison police officer says the shooter was angry at police and the criminal justice system. Twenty-five-year-old Skyler Barbee shot and killed himself after fatally wounding Sgt. David Enzbrenner on Friday. The officer was working on a codes enforcement call across the street from one of Barbee’s relatives. The Rev. Leo Barbee Jr., of Lawrence, told The Kansas City Star that Skyler Barbee was angry because his father is serving life without parole at a Louisiana prison for armed robbery after prior convictions. The grandfather says that Skyler…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Administrators at Wichita schools would be encouraged to forgo cargo pants and tank tops in favor of more professional attire under a proposed dress code. The Wichita Eagle reports the proposed guidelines were developed by the Wichita Educational Administrators Association. The group’s president, Wilbur Middle School principal Mark Jolliffe, says the guidelines are partly intended to demonstrate the importance of professional dress to staff, students and the community. The code would encourage principals and other administrators to wear collared shirts, tailored trousers and skirts or dresses of what’s described as “appropriate length.” Items on the don’t-wear list…
WELLINGTON, Kan. (AP) Officials in Wellington expect a huge turnout for a meeting on what an oil boom could mean for the south-central Kansas community. KWCH-TV reports the informational meeting is taking place at 6:30 p.m. in Wellington’s Memorial Auditorium. As many as 800 people are expected to attend. Oil isn’t a new industry in south-central Kansas. But new drilling techniques are tapping undiscovered oil fields in other states, and some believe Kansas could be next. Kansas House member Vince Wetta, a Democrat from Wellington, says oil companies are buying up mineral rights all over south-central Kansas with an eye…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Holiday shoppers still seeking desk chairs or flat-screen computer monitors might consider browsing at the Kansas State Surplus Property office in Topeka. Lori Myers manages the state surplus office, which has a warehouse of sale items that have been discarded by government agencies. The goods include outdated computers, unused office equipment and mass-market artwork that had hung on state office walls. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the rule on state property is pretty simple: other government agencies have first dibs. After 30 days, items are for sale to the public. Myers says laptop computers are so popular…
GREAT BEND, Kan. (AP) A central Kansas man has died in jail while awaiting trial for the 2010 shooting death of his brother-in-law and the wounding of his estranged wife. The Hutchinson News reports that 34-year-old Shawn Ney was found unresponsive early Saturday at the Barton County jail. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is looking into the death, and Ney’s father says the body was taken to Kansas City for an autopsy. Ney was accused of shooting his estranged wife, Sarah Ney, and his brother-in-law, Stephen Calderwood, in front of both victims’ children at a home in Great Bend. The…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The Kansas City Chiefs have fired coach Todd Haley less than a year after he led the team to the AFC West division title. The injury-ravaged Chiefs dropped to 5-8 after Sunday’s 37-10 loss the New York Jets. Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said Monday the move is “best for the future of the Chiefs,” who lost several of their stars to season-ending injuries, including quarterback Matt Cassel and running back Jammal Charles. Haley leaves with a 19-27 record in nearly three years at his first NFL head coaching job. The Chiefs won the AFC…
The weekend marked Kansas State’s Fall Commencement ceremonies honoring the newly graduated seniors. During the College of Arts and Sciences commencement, the honorable Judge Maritza Segarra, a Kansas State alumnus from the 1980s, challenged graduates to use the tools they learned while in school. While giving further career advice, Segarra explains how she never imagined endin up in the career she has now. Segarra went on to be the only female judge at the Magistrate and District Court levels in the 8th judicial district and is the first “Latina” district court judge in Kansas history. University Provost and Senior Vice President April Mason was present for The…