TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansans who have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic say they are going weeks or months without unemployment benefits. Some lawmakers say they can’t get answers from the state Department of Labor about the problems its having with aging technology. Problems persist nearly six months after the department’s former leader resigned amid unemployment missteps. Unemployed Kansans have taken to social media, saying they have gone weeks without receiving benefits they’re due. Republican legislators suggested this week that the department is being evasive. The department blames an aging computer system and says it’s working to eliminate backlogs.
Author: KMAN Staff
OLATHE, Kan. — Authorities have identified the driver of a FedEx semitrailer killed when the truck sailed over the side of a suburban Kansas City, Kansas, highway bridge, crashed onto the road below and erupted in flames. The Kansas Highway Patrol says 24-year-old Christian Harris, of Liberty, Missouri, died in the early Wednesday morning crash. Investigators say the crash happened when the truck launched off the side of the Kansas Highway 7 bridge and landed on Kansas Highway 10 below near Olathe. The crash led to a large fire that consumed the truck and shut down all lanes of K-10…
WICHITA, Kan. — Wichita police say a 14-year-old boy has been injured in a shooting, and investigators have taken another teen suspected of pulling the trigger into custody. Police say the shooting happened around 7 p.m. Wednesday in a home in northeast Wichita. Arriving first responders found the 14-year-old with a gunshot wound to his chest. Police say in a news release Thursday that the boy, whose name has not been released, was taken to a hospital with a serious injury that was not believed to be life-threatening. Police say they believe the shooting was accidental, but note that a…
OLATHE, Kan. — A Johnson County judge has dismissed a misdemeanor domestic battery charge against an Overland Park city councilman but said prosecutors could refile the case later. Councilman Scott Hamblin was charged after police were called to his home on July 21. No injuries were reported. Johnson County Judge James Phelan dismissed the case Thursday after denying the prosecutor’s request for a continuance. Prosecutors said a police officer who was an essential witness couldn’t testify because he is quarantined after exposure to COVID-19. They also said police had not been able to serve the victim a subpoena to testify.
LAWERNCE, Kan. — The Kansas Attorney General’s office is moving to dismiss a felony theft case against former University of Kansas researcher Liuqi Gu. However, Assistant Attorney General Paul Brothers said in the motion that the case could be refiled. The motion filed Tuesday says the state needs more time to investigate because of “recent developments” in the case. Prosecutors have alleged Gu used his university discount to get steep cost reductions on scientific equipment, which he then sent to China. Gu was charged in December 2019 with four felonies and two misdemeanors. An evidentiary hearing in the case had…
News from K-State Communications and Marketing Former longtime CEO and dean of Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus, Dennis Kuhlman, died Monday due to complications of COVID-19. Kuhlman served as CEO and dean of the Salina campus from 1997 until his retirement in 2012, leading the campus’s enrollment growth and its establishment as an aviation industry leader. He also grew campus facilities, including the addition of the Student Life Center, which opened in 2009. K-State President Richard Myers says Kuhlman’s leadership “helped establish our Polytechnic campus in Salina as one the preeminent aviation and applied technology institutions in the country. The university…
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 and criminal damage to property in the 2600 block of Blueline Cir. in Manhattan on December 9, 2020, at approximately 7:22 a.m. Officers listed a 21-year-old female as…
Fort Riley guests included Specialist Tabetha Tinsley and Sgt. Ryan Tate speaking about Operation Santa Claus, the annual toy drive for children of Fort Riley soldiers. We also heard from Sgt. 1st Class Jennifer Champagne about the 1st Infantry Division Band’s virtual holiday concert. Champagne and Staff Sgt. Elliot Chodkowski performed two holiday songs as part of their appearance on the program Thursday. Ascension Via Christi President and CEO Bob Copple was our guest on the latter half of Thursday’s show, speaking on the potential timeline for a rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines in Kansas as well as successes the…
A COVID-19 vaccination is just around the corner. Ascension Via Christi President and CEO, Bob Copple, tells KMAN vaccines have been made and are waiting for the full approval from the FDA before distribution. On KMAN Thursday morning, Copple said as early as next week, they could have doses of the vaccine in Manhattan and begin vaccinating health care workers. Widespread public access to vaccines still isn’t likely until spring. He says many people may be worried about how quickly this vaccine was produced, but reassures that all safety measures have still been followed. “We’ve seen that throughout this process,”…