TOPEKA, Kan. — A 7-year-old Topeka boy has died after fire broke out at a home. Firefighters were called just before 7 a.m. Monday and were told residents were possibly trapped. A news release from the fire department says crews searched the home despite heavy fire and smoke coming from the first floor. A woman and the child were rescued and taken to a hospital. The child, identified as Alexander Servantez, died. Two other people got out on their own. One has non-life-threatening injuries, and the other was unhurt. The cause of the fire remains under investigation but foul play…
Author: KMAN Staff
WICHITA, Kan. — Two people are in custody after a car allegedly drove at a Kansas deputy who responded by firing into the vehicle. No one was hurt in the incident that happened Sunday evening in Wichita. Police say a Sedgwick County deputy responded to a theft report at a business and found the suspects outside. Police say one of the suspects began driving at the deputy, who fired one round into the vehicle. No one was hit. The car sped away but the suspects a 55-year-old woman and 31-year-old man were later arrested. She was booked on suspicion of…
LARNED, Kan. — Authorities investigating a triple homicide in central Kansas have determined that a man fatally shot his estranged wife and his 12-year-old son before killing himself. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release that 44-year-old Jon Smith arrived at Shala Smith’s Larned home around 3 a.m. Saturday and entered alone, carrying a shotgun. The release said that evidence indicates that he shot his wife, who also was 44, and his son, Carver Smith, before shooting himself. Their bodies were found that night.
Riley County commissioners will support recommendations and legislation for increased state funding for Community Corrections. Community corrections is looking for increased funding to deal with job retention and competitive wages. Commissioner John Ford has already met with community corrections on testifying if the need arises. Ford says this issue is more akin to working with the legislature rather than directly affecting Riley County. He adds he doesn’t know if this is a priority yet for the county, but will go to Topeka for testimonies if necessary. Community corrections for the entire state is looking to increase its funding by $14.3…
On Tuesday’s edition of In Focus we spoke with Riley County Commissioner John Ford.
Day two of the murder trial of Richard Goens continued with state witness testimony and news of a COVID-19 exposure among the jury. As jurors were set to be released for lunch, Judge Grant Bannister informed the court that juror 13 had tested positive for the novel coronavirus some time prior to Monday morning. Bannister says she only reported mild symptoms, and indicates she had no close contact with anyone while in the hallways of the Riley County Courthouse while on break. Masks are mandatory while in the courthouse, and all jurors are divided with plexiglass while seated in the…
EMPORIA, Kan. — A hospital in eastern Kansas ran out of ventilators Friday as the state continued to report a surge in COVID-19 cases. The Lyons County Board declared a local emergency Friday after the Newman Regional Health hospital in Emporia ran short of ventilators. That declaration will help the hospital receive two additional ventilators from the state. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Kansas soared over the past two weeks from 1,109.29 new cases per day on Dec. 24 to 6,543.43 new cases per day on Friday. And in the Kansas City area, officials at the…
WICHITA, Kan. — A 39-year-old woman was in critical condition Sunday after being shot outside a party in Wichita and then hit by a car. Wichita police said the shooting was reported shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday in the 2200 block of East 12th Street. Officer Trevor Macy said in a statement that the woman was wounded once when multiple shots were fired. Then investigators believe she was hit by a car as people began to flee after the shooting. No arrests had been announced as of Sunday afternoon and the victim was not immediately identified.
LARNED, Kan. — Authorities are investigating after two adults and a 12-year-old boy were found shot to death in Kansas. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release that a man discovered the bodies Saturday night in a Larned home. A coroner pronounced 44-year-old Shala Smith, 12-year-old Carver Smith and 44-year-old Jon Smith dead at the scene. The KBI said that there is no ongoing threat to the public and that additional details would be released after an autopsy is completed. Larned, a city of about 3,700 residents, is about 120 miles northwest of Wichita.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Plans are underway to connect a Civil War-era commercial port on the Missouri river and a Kansas City, Kansas, park where Lewis and Clark once camped. KCUR reports that the proposed Northeast Kansas City, Kansas, Heritage Trail came to life when the Groundwork Northeast Revitalization Group partnered with the Unified Government to apply for a grant from the Mid-America Regional Council. They were awarded $108,000, supplemented by a $30,000 match from the UG. The south end of the trail will be Kaw Point Park, part of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail at the confluence…