Quality assurance in both products created as well as quality assurance of safety are high priorities for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. Veronica Fris, Quality Assurance Manager, tells KMAN through continual improvements, their mission is to always provide a safe operation without mistakes. She talks more about what quality assurance actually is. “Maintaining a desired level of quality of a service or product by monitoring and controlling every step of production,” Fris says. She adds that as part of her job, she not only creates step-by-step guidance, but she also provides hands on assistance if someone is missing a…
Author: KMAN Staff
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Police in Lawrence say U.S. Marshals have arrested a second suspect in the fatal shooting last month of a Wichita man near the University of Kansas campus. Police say 19-year-old Andrel Darnell Spates Jr., of Lawrence, was arrested Wednesday in Tennessee. Police say Spates is expected to be extradited to Kansas in the coming days. Spates’ arrest is the second in the Sept. 8 shooting death of 21-year-old Christian Willis. On Sept. 17, police arrested 18-year-old Javier Isidro Romero, who was later charged with first-degree murder and possession of marijuana with the intent to sell.
TOPEKA, Kan. — Health officials are frustrated that many school boards remain reluctant to adopt mask mandates, even though most COVID-19 outbreaks in Kansas schools are occurring in districts without such requirements. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Wednesday that Kansas has 68 active school clusters, down from 79 a week ago. Those clusters are connected to 596 cases, one hospitalization and one death. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that of those active outbreaks, only 29% were in districts that reported having a mask requirement. Only about 20% of school districts report requiring masks for most or all of…
WICHITA, Kan. — Authorities say a man has been arrested in the killing of his 67-year-old mother who was found dead at her Wichita area trailer home. The Wichita Eagle reports that 42-year-old Kyle Romey was booked into jail Wednesday night on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of Denyce Briet. He is being held in lieu of $500,000 bond. Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter said Thursday that deputies found Briet dead on the floor of the trailer after receiving a 911 call requesting a welfare check. Easter said it wasn’t clear what led up to the killing but…
TOPEKA, Kan. — Officials say staffing shortages have gotten so bad at one of Kansas’ largest prisons that inmates are spending more time confined to their cells. Kansas Department of Corrections spokesperson Carol Pitts said in an email that staffing is a problem across the prison system but that the “greatest challenge” is at the El Dorado Correctional Facility. The result is more cell time and less access to programs and activities. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the prison population has shrunk during the pandemic, and the agency has closed some housing units to reduce staff needs. The agency also…
OLATHE, Kan. — Prosecutors in northeastern Kansas say a high school choir director in Overland Park has been charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of a child and two counts of breach of privacy. The Johnson County District Attorney’s Office says it charged 45-year-old Joseph Martin Heidesch on Thursday following his arrest Wednesday morning. Investigators say the Saint Thomas Aquinas High School choir director was found with images of a child engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Officials also say he used a hidden camera to secretly record two victims as they were undressing. Investigators say the incidents happened between…
WICHITA, Kan. — Kansas’ largest city is under a water boil order after a large water main break, leading Wichita-area schools to close and prompting residents to make a run on bottled water. The city ordered the boil advisory Thursday afternoon, affecting its nearly 400,000 residents and some surrounding communities, following the break of a 42-inch main on Wichita’s north side. Mayor Brandon Whipple asked residents not to hoard bottled water, but many area store shelves were wiped out of water by late Thursday. The advisory is to remain in effect until testing shows the city’s water is safe. Officials…
Ascension Via Christi Clinical Dietitian Britney Petty and Case Manager Abby Johnson, RN discusses malnutrition and ways to help prevent and identify implications of malnutrition. KMAN’s Troy Coverdale sat down with K-State College of Agriculture Dean Dr. Ernie Minton regarding the House’s Agriculture Committee’s Build Back Better Budget Reconciliation Package and implications it could have on land grant university facilities. Manhattan Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Director Karen Hibbard spoke about upcoming events in the Manhattan area.
As Congress continues to look at a reconcilliation measure, one area that could impact Kansas State University would be funding for new or renovated agricultural research facilities at the nation’s land grant schools. Dean of K-State’s College of Agriculture Dr. Ernie Minton tells KMAN the needs are a result of what was a building boom for those facilities in the 50’s and 60’s. Minton tells KMAN one reason the funding is needed is tied to national security. Minton says the Kansas delegation is working with K-State to ensure that there’s some funding included, even if the Build Back Better package…
Riley County commissioners approved a request for qualifications for an EMS headquarters building on Thursday. The RFQ includes a study of the current and future space needs for the department for either on site or a new facility. Public Works Director John Ellerman says the current station was built in 1980 and was only meant for part-time shifts. The plan for a possible new facility would be to have space to house up to 10 ambulances. However, that extra space primarily would be meant for possible future purchases. EMS Director David Adams says most of their non-ambulance vehicles are currently…