TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A key Kansas House committee is nearing the end of its work on a draft of the state budget. The House Appropriations Committee planned to meet most of Friday to complete work on the bill. Chairman Marc Rhoades, a Newton Republican, says it closely follows the budget submitted by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. Rhoades says the measure will retain Brownback’s goal of having a projected ending balance of $465 million as of June 30, 2013. That would satisfy a law requiring Kansas to have a reserve account equal to 7.5 percent of state general fund expenditures. The…
Author: KMAN Staff
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Newly released figures show Kansas agricultural exports grew by 35 percent last year to set a record high. The U.S. Agriculture Department’s Foreign Agricultural Service reports more than $3.68 billion in farm exports from Kansas in 2011. The Kansas Department of Agriculture says the previous state record of $3.06 billion was set in 2008. Kansas Agriculture Secretary Dale Rodman says in a news release Thursday that the numbers show just how important agriculture is to the state. Total exports in Kansas grew 17 percent to $11.68 billion. Agriculture accounted for nearly 32 percent of the state’s total…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Kansas Senate committee is preparing to review a proposal to require some potential voters to prove their citizenship starting in June, ahead of this year’s presidential election. The Ethics and Elections Committee has scheduled a review next Thursday of a bill containing the proposal from Secretary of State Kris Kobach. A law passed last year requires people registering to vote in Kansas for the first time to prove their U.S. citizenship, beginning in January 2013. Kobach wants to move the effective date up to June 15. He argues the rule will deter election fraud and should…
PERRY, Kan. (AP) A northeastern Kansas woman says a tornado that struck a town 40 miles away hit home for her when some of the debris turned up by her house. The small Wabaunsee County town of Harveyville was hit the night of Feb. 28 by an EF2 tornado packing winds of 120 to 130 mph. The twister led to one death and damaged or destroyed numerous buildings, including the United Methodist Church. Georgie Stebbins lives in Perry, about 40 miles northeast of Harveyville. Stebbins tells KAKE-TV she was out checking her mail six days after the tornado when she…
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) If you’re in Hutchinson on Friday, you could find yourself on candid camera. The Reno County Museum and the Hutchinson Landmarks Commission have asked residents to carry cameras Friday to document “A Day in the Life of Hutchinson” for posterity. The Hutchinson News reports that residents are asked to photograph scenes at home, work or school, relaxing, exercising or wherever else they might find themselves on a Friday in early March. A selection of the photos will go into a time capsule and sealed in the cornerstone of Hutchinson’s Memorial Hall on April 27, as the city…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The president of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue has endorsed Texas Congressman Ron Paul for the Republican presidential nomination. Troy Newman’s endorsement was released Thursday by Paul’s campaign, two days ahead of voting in the Kansas GOP presidential caucuses. Operation Rescue has its headquarters in Wichita. Many abortion opponents, including leaders of the anti-abortion group Kansans for Life, are supporting former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum in the presidential race. But in a recorded message distributed by the Paul campaign, Newman said Paul will fight to ban abortion and is the only candidate truly committed to defending the…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Republican Party’s rules give an edge to the top finishers in the state’s GOP presidential caucuses in allocating delegates to the national convention. Forty delegates are stake in Saturday’s Kansas caucuses, taking place at 96 locations around the state. The state GOP is hoping 50,000 to 60,000 people will cast votes. Three delegates all Kansas Republican leaders are pledged to the candidate who wins the statewide vote. Three delegates will be awarded to the top vote-getter in each of the state’s four congressional districts. The remaining 25 delegates will be split proportionally among the presidential…
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) Police in Kansas City, Kan., say three people have been arrested in connection with a weekend shooting that left two people dead and a baby wounded. KCTV reports police were meeting with Wyandotte County prosecutors Thursday on possible charges. No details about the suspects have been released. Police were called to an apartment early Sunday on a report of prolonged gunshots. They found 16-year-old Renesha Jones and 21-year-old Keith Barrett dead, and Barrett’s infant son wounded. The baby was treated for a leg wound and released from the hospital. Jones was a student at Center High…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul says he has no numeric goal in mind as he chases delegates in Saturday’s Kansas caucuses. The 12-term Texas congressman said after a Topeka rally with about 500 supporters Friday that he just needs delegates in his bid for the GOP nomination. Kansas has 40 delegates up for grabs in Saturday’s caucuses, which will be held at 96 locations around the state. Paul scheduled stops later Friday in Wichita and Lawrence. He also planned to visit caucus sites in the northeastern Kansas GOP stronghold of Johnson County. Gov. Sam Brownback met with…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A former Wichita police officer who admitting committing sex crimes against two citizens while he was on duty will not be sent to jail. Joseph Taylor McGill was sentenced Friday to three years of probation for aggravated sexual battery and sexual battery. Prosecutors say he inappropriately touched two residents while he was on duty and in uniform. He pleaded guilty earlier this year. McGill also must register as a sex offender and will be jailed if he violates his probation. McGill was a police officer for three years but resigned shortly after the charges were filed.