Six recently elected Pottawatomie County officials were sworn into office during the Pottawatomie County Commission’s on Monday. Dawn Henry, Pottawatomie County clerk, was the only official sworn in who is entering their first term. She is succeeding Nancy McCarter, who spent over 20 years with the county. Among the other officials sworn in during the meeting were Pat Weixelman, county commissioner; Betty Abitz, register of deeds; Sherri Schuck, county attorney; Shane Jager, sheriff; and Greg Riat, county commissioner.
Author: KMAN Staff
WICHITA, Kan. — Wichita set a record for homicides last year with 59, eclipsing the city’s 1993 record of 57 homicides. Wichita joined a number of cities nationwide in setting records for homicides and violent crime during 2020. Police Chief Gordon Ramsay has said that stressed related to the coronavirus pandemic may have been factors in the increase in homicides last year. Those include record high unemployment, closed schools and businesses, increasing domestic violence and the halting of court proceedings. Throughout the year, Wichita recorded a homicide roughly once every 6 days on average.
WICHITA, Kan. — Police say a Wichita teen shot and wounded himself and a 3-year-old boy Saturday while handling a handgun. Wichita Police Officer Paul Cruz said the shooting that was reported around 7 p.m. Saturday appears to have been accidental but prosecutors will review the situation to determine whether to file charges. When officers arrived at the home where the shooting happened, the 3-year-old had already been taken to a hospital in a private vehicle. Police said the 3-year-old sustained serious injuries that aren’t considered life threatening. Cruz said the 15-year-old boy’s leg was also struck by the bullet.
TOPEKA, Kan. — Police in Topeka say a man has died in a shootout with officers following a highway chase early Monday. Topeka police say the incident began late Sunday night when a 911 caller in Shawnee County reported a domestic threat involving a Topeka man. Responding deputies later stopped a car with the suspect inside. Police say the deputies tried to negotiate with the man, later identified as 49-year-old Joseph Howell, but he displayed a gun and fired at least two shots, then fled in the car. Police say deputies forced Howell’s car off the road following a brief…
MAYFIELD, Kan. — Geological officials say a weak earthquake shook an area near Mayfield in south-central Kansas. Television station KAKE reports that the 2.8-magnitude earthquake hit just before 1 a.m. Sunday. The U.S. Geological Survey says the epicenter was just northeast of Mayfield in Sumner County. No damage was reported. Officials say the quake was just one of 40 minor earthquakes reported in Kansas and Oklahoma so far this year. Just two days before the new year, a 3.8-magnitude quake was reported in east Wichita. In December, a Kansas regulatory agency determined that the oil and gas industry wasn’t to…
Riley County swore in its elected officials on Monday. Among the new officials are two new county commissioners and a new Register of Deeds. Commissioners Greg McKinley and Kathryn Focke officially took their seats for their first commission meeting. They are succeeding Ron Wells and Marvin Rodriguez, representing the District 2 and 3 seats. Register of Deeds Amy Manges was also sworn in, succeeding Debbie Regester. Regester had been serving in the position for 20 years before deciding not to run again in 2020. Manges had been an employee in the Deeds office prior to running for the position. Along…
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 in the 4100 block of Spook Rock Way in Manhattan on January 8, 2021, at approximately 11:22 a.m. Officers listed a 27-year-old female as the victim when it…
Monday’s program featured a conversation with K-State College of Veterinary Medicine’s Associate Professor – Food Animal Therapeutics Dr. Brian Lubbers. Kansas State University Division of Communications and Marketing Director Jeff Morris also spoke to the COVID-19 impacts for the spring semester.
The Manhattan Parks and Recreation Department is once again planning for the annual Night to Shine Prom. Night to Shine is a prom put on by the department and University Christian Church for those in the area with special needs. Recreation Assistant Molli Maberry says last year was the first time Parks and Rec put on the event. “We had 117 participants and over 100 volunteers at that event. It was incredible,” she said. The Tim Tebow Foundation, which hosts the event at churches across the country, has opted to continue the event this year, in a virtual format. Last…
WICHITA, Kan. — Regulators are getting a flood of complaints as the state’s largest electric utility tries to come up with a new plan for recovering the cost of providing solar energy. Evergy was sent back to the drawing board after the Kansas Supreme Court ruled last spring that utilities cannot charges customers who produce some of their own energy more than other customers. From Oct. 15 to Dec. 21, the Kansas Corporation Commission received more than 1,000 calls, emails and letters. The Wichita Eagle reports that all but about 20 of them opposed to the alternative plans that are…