WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Two new surveys have found that Kansas grape growers tend nearly 350 acres of vines and produced more than 100,000 gallons of wine last year. The surveys were released this week by the National Agricultural Statistics Service office in Kansas. Kansas Agriculture Secretary Dale Rodman says the data will help the state better understand how to encourage growth in the grape and wine industries. He says Kansas is committed to spurring growth in both traditional and specialty commodities. The surveys found the Kansas grapes were valued at slightly more than $400,000 last year. The state’s wineries had…
Author: KMAN Staff
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) The University of Kansas has received a federal grant to help public school students become more proficient in the arts. The three-year, $777,000 grant comes from the U.S. Department of Education. The money will fund a joint effort between the schools of music and education at the university and the Kansas City, Kan., school district. The initiative is called Project Starts short for Skillful Thinking in the Arts. It’s intended to enhance arts-based education and to help students apply their knowledge of the arts to problems in other areas. University staff will train Kansas City arts teachers…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas legislators are getting an update on efforts by Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration to promote the arts after he vetoed state funding for them. The Joint Committee on Arts and Cultural Resources expected to hear testimony at a Wednesday meeting from members of the Kansas Arts Commission and the nonprofit Kansas Arts Foundation. The foundation formed in February after Brownback outlined a plan to eliminate the Arts Commission and scale back state funding for arts programs. Legislators rejected the plan, keeping the Arts Commission in place, but Brownback vetoed the commission’s $689,000 in state funding. In turn,…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Police say two cars that had been submerged in a Topeka lake contained no bodies. A 1990s model Oldsmobile and a 1980s model Chevrolet Camaro were pulled from Lake Shawnee Tuesday. Shawnee County Sheriff Sgt. Todd Stallbaumer says police found nothing of interest in either vehicle. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that authorities were investigating to determine more information about the cars’ owners, or whether they were stolen. A car removed from the lake in June contained the remains of 84-year-old Leonard Jordan of Milwaukee, who disappeared in 1984. Investigators later determined that no foul play was involved…
SALINA, Kan. (AP) The state is asking Saline County to consider leasing 830 acres of land, part of which would be used for public-access hunting. The Salina Journal reports the proposal from the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism would bring the county more than $38,600 during a 10-year period. Pat Riese, a wildlife biologist with the department, told commissioners Tuesday that the state wants to allow public hunting on the land and plant native grass to improve animal habitat. The grass would be planted on 137 acres, with the rest of the 830-acre tract available for farming. Commissioner…
READING, Kan. (AP) As residents of Reading continue to recover from last spring’s tornado, they’re getting help from a “sister city” in Massachusetts. Residents of Reading, Mass., decided to collect money to help their Kansas counterparts. A May 21 tornado killed one and destroyed 54 of the 101 homes in the Kansas town, which has only 250 people. A resident of the Massachusetts town, Donna Toole, visited Reading this week to learn what it needed. She plans to return to Massachusetts and share that information with that city’s 25,000 residents. The Emporia Gazette reports that Toole says the town is…
The three “R’s” were introduced and discussed at Wamego’s City Commission meeting Tuesday–recycling, replacement, and rezoning. City Manager Merl Page introduced Jeremy Fitzgerald, who is concerned about Recycling cans and plastic bottles at the ball fields. Fitzgerald had researched the cost of disposal containers if the City would purchase them. The Commission indicated it thought it was a great idea, and will do further study on the issue. In other business, local banker and Chamber of Commerce Promotions Chairman Dwight Faulkner, presented a signage design plan for the corner of Highways 24 & 99. According to Faulkner, multiple Chamber committees have been…
Shuss Road, which runs behind Target and provides access to a couple subdivisions was one topic the Manhattan City Commission examined at Tuesday night’s meeting. The matter of discussion was what to do in terms of improvement of the road. Many residents and property owners turned out to give their opinions to the Commission. The Commission discussed the matter with City staff at length, deciding to push the improvements forward. The improvements to Shuss Road will include paving, stormwater control, and curbs. And Aggieville businesses may soon be joined in one business organization. Last night’s Manhattan City Commission meeting…
The Pottawatomie County Sheriff Office along with the Riley County Police Department responded to a bank robbery of the Community First National Bank located at 210 Tuttle Creek Blvd in Manhattan Tuesday evening at approximately 4:43 p.m. A lone white male approximately 5’8 to 5’10 entered the bank and presented the teller a note and then showed a handgun protruding from his waist band. As seen in surveillance video, he also was wearing a dark coat with full length sleeves, black gloves, and a greenish skull cap. No one was hurt during the robbery and the robber fled the bank with an undetermined amount…
The 2012 elections are still a full year off, but a Manhattan business owner has thrown his name into the hat for Senator Roger Reitz’ seat in Topeka. Bob Reader, who owns Flint Harvest, LLC., says his main goal in aiming for the 22nd District Senate seat is to give Kansas State University a voice in the legislature once again… “I’ve been disappointed for the last several years as our Manhattan delegation to Topeka has not been able to perform for Kansas State University,” Reader told KMAN in an exclusive interview. “To a certain extent, we have lost our voice…