TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s proposal for reducing income tax rates cleared a House committee, but it’s unclear if the plan will be debated by the full chamber. The House Assessment and Taxation Committee endorsed the bill Thursday after modifying it to preserve a tax credit for mortgage interest payments. The voice vote sends the bill to the full House, which has already passed a rival plan that differs vastly from the governor’s proposal. Conservative Republicans tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill by removing Brownback’s plan and substituting it with proposals to eliminate the tax on incomes of…
Author: KMAN Staff
COLUMBUS, Kan. (AP) A southeastern Kansas man has been convicted of murder for causing a double-fatality crash while he led police on a high-speed chase for 11 miles. The Cherokee County News-Advocate reports that a jury took less than 90 minutes Thursday to find Kaston Hudgins guilty on two counts of first-degree murder. Hudgins was fleeing a Cherokee County traffic stop on July 16, 2009, when he slammed into a car driven by 41-year-old school teacher Teresa Kemp. Her 13-year-old daughter, Taylor, died at the scene on U.S. 69 south of Pittsburg. Teresa Kemp died six days later. Witnesses testified…
The Manhattan Fire Department’s Hazardous Materials Team responded to the 400 block of Houston Street Thursday evening to investigate a report of a jar with mercury in it. Ryan Almes, MFD Deputy Chief of Technical Servies, tells KMAN the sealed jar containing mercury was described as small. The mercury was transported to the Kansas State University Police Department for disposal. Almes indicates this case appears to be much smaller than the one last summer, involving a four inch tall container filled with mercury, discovered at the Beta Sigma Psi house on Centennial Drive. The house had to be evacuated for…
The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone with information leading to the apprehension and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the theft of multiple sets of Night Vision Goggles (NGVs) from Fort Riley. Ten AN/PVS-14 NVG’s, two sets of AN/PVS-7B NGV’s and two sets of AN/PVS-7D NGV’s were stolen between Sept. 28 thru Sept. 30 and on Oct. 19, 2011, respectively. The stolen U.S. Government property is valued at $48,722. The NGV’s were allegedly stolen from the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, and the 1-28th Infantry Battalion, 4th…
A new redistricting map coming out of the Kansas House of representatives committee has Pottawatomie county, including the Manhattan portion, in the First district, while the Riley county part of the city stays in the second. The continuing issue for lawmakers remains shifting the maps to boost up populations in the mainly rural First District, which has seen a sharp decline in the last 10 years as more and more Kansans opt to live in the bigger cities in the eastern half of the state. “And so we’ve had several votes now,” Rep. Richard Carlson (R-St. Mary’s) tells KMAN. “One map…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Senate has approved legislation giving Junction City more flexibility in managing its debt. Thursday’s vote of 36-4 sends the measure to Governor Sam Brownback. The bill gives Junction City officials three additional years to reduce the ratio of outstanding debt to its total property valuation. The limit would remain at 37 percent under the bill through June 2016. Junction City issued bonds in the past decade to make improvements related to the return of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division to Fort Riley. City officials and supporters of the debt extension said the expected level of…
KMAN’s Chris Swick takes a look at Your Weekend for KMAN’s Morning News.
SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) The Kansas City Royals have signed shortstop Alcides Escobar to a $10.5 million, four-year contract extension that includes two option years that could drive the value to $21.75 million. The team announced the deal Thursday. Escobar will make $1 million this season and $3 million each of the next two seasons. The options are for $5.25 million in 2016 and $6.5 million in 2017 with $500,000 buyouts each year. The 25-year-old Escobar was acquired from the Brewers in December 2010 in the deal that sent pitcher Zack Greinke to Milwaukee. He was immediately slotted into the…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Tight end Kevin Boss has agreed on a three-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. Boss, who signed as a free agent with Oakland last season after spending his first four seasons with the New York Giants, will get $9 million from the Chiefs. He also will get $2 million that was guaranteed by the Raiders for 2012 before they cut him earlier this week. Boss made 28 catches for a 13.1-yard average and three touchdowns with Oakland. He had 18 touchdowns in four seasons in New York. Kansas City’s starting tight end, Tony Moeaki,…