TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas policymakers say they sense that the state’s economy is on the mend. They point to recent job reports, increasing state revenues and sentiment among residents and the business community that conditions are turning around. But there is caution in the legislators’ sentiments, fueled by uncertainty regarding federal tax laws and how quickly consumer sentiment will be fully restored. The state Department of Labor will report Tuesday on the January unemployment rate, which finished 2011 at 6.3 percent. A federal report released Friday showed the nation added 227,000 jobs. One indicator of the rebound is state revenues.…
Author: KMAN Staff
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Wichita grocery store owner faces sentencing Monday in a food stamp conspiracy that targeted poor people willing to sell their benefits for cash. Ahmed Al-Maleki, the owner of Kansas Food Market, was convicted of conspiracy, wire fraud and food stamp fraud. His attorney has portrayed the Iraqi immigrant as a hard worker who saved enough to open his grocery store in 2009. The defense is seeking a probationary sentence, while the prosecution is recommending prison time. Prosecutors said Friday in a filing that losses amounted to more than $130,000 over six months. The filing said the…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A former south-central Kansas official accused of stealing trucks is due in court on federal theft charges. Forty-nine-year-old Steven Collier, of Nashville, Kan., is the former public works director for Barber County. Collier is scheduled for a change-of-plea hearing Monday. Collier and his wife, Diana Collier, of Medicine Lodge, are charged with theft, interstate transportation of stolen property and sale of stolen property. They’re accused of stealing trucks, a bulldozer, a tractor and other items from Barber County. Steven Collier was responsible for road and bridge maintenance and construction projects.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas House is preparing to debate a bill that would cut the state’s sales and income taxes in what supporters see as a push for economic growth. The measure on the House’s agenda Monday would promise future cuts to individual income taxes as revenues grow, forcing the state to check the annual growth in its spending at 2 percent. The state would phase out taxes on the earnings of thousands of partnerships, sole proprietorships and other small businesses. The sales tax rate also would drop to 5.7 percent from 6.3 percent in July 2013, as previously…
A fire at 2033 Beck Street brought firefighters out Sunday evening. The Manhattan Fire Department responded to a report of an automobile fire while it was parked in the garage. Upon arrival, fire fighters found the blaze had extended into the house. “At the time of the call, Riley County Dispatch informed us there was no one inside the structure at the time,” says Sam Dameron, Manhattan Assistant Fire chief . Dameron estimates 21 fire personnel responded, and the fire was brought under control in about an hour. Estimated damage is $255,000.
A runaway juvenile from rural Onaga has been located. As KMAN news told you late Friday, 14 year old Corey Troxel left the foster home where he was staying Wednesday evening, reportedly on foot. The Pottawatomie county dispatcher indicated Troxel was located over the weekend, with Sheriff Greg Riat indicating he had returned to the rural Onaga residence Sunday evening.
A Kansas State University’s student newspaper column that questioned why students from countries unfriendly with the United States are allowed to attend public universities has raised some recent controversy. Sophomore Sean Frye suggested in the Feb. 24 issue of The Collegian that legislation be passed to prevent the enrollment of students who “could, in the near future, become the enemy.” Frye’s column targeted students from China, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey and incorrectly stated $7 million in state and federal funds is spent each year to educate international students at Kansas State. University officials say that international students pay about…
Overall, law enforcement officials are pleased with how Fake Patty’s Day went down this year, despite a dramatic uptick in the number of arrests during the Saturday festival. Riley County Police Director Brad Schoen told Riley County Commissioners Monday morning the total arrests for the midnight to midnight reporting period of Fake Patty’s Day was at 86, an 87-percent jump from 2011. However, Schoen also reported the number of citations issued had actually dropped from last year, down 25-percent to 347. Schoen credited early planning and coordination with the bar owners in Aggieville for how the event unfolded. Riley County EMS…
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) Kansas State has received a No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament East Regional and will face ninth-seeded Southern Miss in the second round. The Wildcats (21-10) finished fifth in the Big 12 and were bounced in their opening game of the conference tournament by Baylor. But two wins over Missouri and a road victory over the Bears in the regular season locked up their at-large bid. The winner will likely face No. 1 seed Syracuse. It’s the third straight appearance for Kansas State under coach Frank Martin and the fourth in five seasons after taking…
For the fourth time in the last five years, the Big 12 conference will send six schools to the NCAA tournament. Kansas and Missouri are each # 2 seeds in the field with each playing in Omaha, Nebraska on Friday. The Jayhawks will open against Detroit-Mercy, while Missouri faces first-time NCAA participant Norfolk State. Baylor is a #3 seed and will play South Dakota State in Albuquerque on Thursday. Iowa State is a #8 seed and will take on defending national champ UConn on Thursday night in Louisville. Plus, Texas sneaks into the field as a #11 seed and will play…