WICHITA, Kan. — The Wichita school district is warning parents that temporary school closures may be necessary because so many teachers are out sick with COVID-19. The Wichita Eagle reports that Superintendent Alicia Thompson told parents in an email that the district hopes to give parents two to three days’ notice before closing schools, but she couldn’t promise decisions won’t be made more quickly. At least two Kansas districts, including Bonner Springs and El Dorado, already have canceled classes. And virtual learning isn’t an option because of limits that lawmakers put in place last year.
Author: KMAN Staff
On Thursday’s edition of In Focus we spoke with Sen. Jerry Moran. We also spoke with Major Scott and Jennifer Roett; Lt. Col (Chaplain) James and Simone Key from Fort Riley. In our final segments we spoke with Manhattan Housing Authority Executive Director Aaron Estabrook.
After about five hours of deliberation, jurors in the murder trial of Richard Goens returned guilty verdicts on all six charges. Following a jury poll, Judge Grant Bannister accepted the verdict and found Goens guilty of first degree murder for the 2019 shooting death of Tanner Zamecnik. Goens was also convicted on five other charges stemming from that November 1 evening, including attempted aggravated robbery, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, criminal discharge of a firearm and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Sentencing is scheduled for 3 p.m. on March 3rd. The trial lasted a full four days, having began…
Riley County is reporting two new COVID related deaths this week, along with its highest increase in cases. A 40 year-old unvaccinated male tested positive on December 21, 2021 and died January 7 at Ascension Via Christi hospital in Manhattan. An 86 year-old fully vaccinated male tested positive for COVID-19 on January 8 and passed away January 10. This now brings the total number in deaths the county to 68. The county has also identified 1,202 new COVID cases and 389 additional recoveries since the last report on January 5. There are currently 1,017 active cases in Riley County and…
TOPEKA, Kan. — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly raised more cash last year, spent more money and entered this year with more funds than her presumed Republican opponent ahead of a tough reelection race in Kansas. Campaign finance reports filed Monday by the campaigns for Kelly and Attorney General Derek Schmidt suggest their contest could be unusually expensive for Kansas. Their reports covered last year. Kelly reported raising more than $2 million. That’s almost $412,000 or 25% more than the $1.6 million Schmidt raised after launching his campaign in March. But Kelly also spent $762,000 last year when Schmidt spent roughly…
WICHITA, Kan. — A Wichita school board meeting was canceled when new members refused to wear masks and elected officials in the Topeka area rejected a plea from health officials to mandate them. Even as a surge in COVID-19 cases has strained hospitals and sent absences soaring in school districts, most of the state was plowing ahead with few if any new restrictions. University of Kansas Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer on Monday told faculty and staff members that classes will start “on time and in person,” with the addition of a stricter mask policy for instructors.
LIBERAL, Kan. — A Kansas man has been arrested in the 2019 robbery, kidnapping and shooting deaths of two men whose bodies were found hours apart in an Oklahoma ditch and a Kansas trailer. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release that 30-year-old Ralph Thomas Salas Jr., of Liberal, was booked into the Seward County Jail in Kansas on Monday. The KBI said the investigation began when a farmer found 25-year-old Timothy Martin’s body in the ditch on his property in Texas County, Oklahoma, near the state’s border with Kansas. Later that night, the body of Martin’s…
The following summary of calls for service/reports filed by the Riley County Police Department is a portion of those received by police. Some names, addresses, and case details are withheld to follow local, state, and federal law as well as in an attempt to protect community members from being victimized further. Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. MANHATTAN, KAN. – Officers filed a report for theft by deception in the 600 block of Schurle Way in Riley on January 11, 2022, around 1:00 p.m. Officers listed a 68-year-old male as the victim when it…
On Wednesday’s edition of In Focus we spoke with USD 323 Rock Creek Superintendent Kevin Logan. Manhattan MLK Committee members – Chair Kevin Bryant, Committee Treasurer Maureen Sheahan Hands On K-State’s Karina Moncayo-Michel and committee member Susanne Glymour also joined the program.
By JOHN HANNA TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Laura Kelly called Tuesday for another freeze in tuition at Kansas colleges in a State of the State address that portrayed the state as booming economically and previewed what are likely to be major themes in her reelection campaign. The Democratic governor didn’t provide details about her college tuition proposal in the annual address, saying only that it is part of the proposed state budget that her administration will outline Wednesday. Kelly already is pushing to eliminate the state’s sales tax on groceries and give a $250 rebate to every Kansas resident who filed a state…