The City of Manhattan brought in more revenue in 2020 than officials expected. Sales tax revenue for 2020 was down by about 2.6 percent from 2019, although officials thought sales-tax revenue would drop by 20 to 30 percent. Ron Fehr, Manhattan city manager, says this is partially due to a rise in online sales increasing local income from the Compensating Use Tax by 20 to 25 percent. “That didn’t necessarily help our local businesses,” Fehr said. “Some of them did switch to an online platform. Certainly, as folks were working from home and being home more and more reluctant to…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. — About 200 supporters of President Donald Trump have rallied at the Kansas Statehouse to show their support for overturning President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Trump’s supporters listened Wednesday to speeches promoting Trump’s baseless claims about election fraud and suggesting that the COVID-19 pandemic has been exaggerated. They chanted “stop the steal” and “four more years.“ Dozens of them later entered the building peacefully through its security checkpoint and some stayed for another hour. Capitol police reported no arrests. The protest came the same day the certification of the Democratic president-elect’s Electoral College victory was interrupted when pro-Trump protesters…
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas Rep. Jake LaTurner tested positive for COVID-19 while participating in a joint session of Congress that certified President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the Electoral College. LaTurner’s office tweeted early Thursday that the freshman Republican “is not experiencing any symptoms at this time.” LaTurner had voted to object to the counting of Arizona’s electoral votes for Biden, but his tweet said he was following the advice of the House physician and federal Centers for Disease Control guidelines and not returning to the House floor for other votes. LaTurner took office Sunday, representing the 2nd District of eastern…
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Residents of a historic area of Lawrence want to ditch their neighborhood’s name because it honors a slave owner. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the Pinckney Neighborhood Association announced this week that it is now taking suggestions for a new name. The neighborhood was spurred to consider a name change as a response to civil unrest felt throughout the country this past summer after the death of a Black man, George Floyd, at the hands of Minneapolis police. The association said in its announcement that it felt uncomfortable with its name, “particularly since the neighborhood is a…
WICHITA, Kan. — Authorities say two people have been arrested in a double homicide in Wichita. Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Lt. Benjamin Blick says deputies took 34-year-old Joshua Dean Halstead and 28-year-old Jacquellyn Michelle Arthur into custody Wednesday in Wichita. They have been booked into jail on suspicion of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery in the Dec. 29 shooting. Forty-three-year-old Bradley Michael Reece died at the scene. The other victim, 22-year-old Kayla Schmidt, was taken to a hospital, where she died on New Year’s Eve.
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 aggravated domestic battery in Manhattan on January 6, 2021, at approximately 7:00 p.m. Officers listed a 24-year-old female as the victim when she reported a male known to her…
Thursday’s program featured our monthly update from the National Bio and Agro Defense Facility. Guests included NBAF Coordinator for USDA Dr. Ken Burton and Communications Director Katie Pawlosky as well as special guest NBAF Program Manager Tim Barr with the Department of Homeland Security. Executive Director of the Governor’s Military Council, retired Lt. General Perry Wiggins joined us to discuss the military response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other military related affairs.
WICHITA, Kan. — A Wichita man has been sentenced to two years in prison for a 2018 traffic collision that killed a 24-year-old woman. Sedgwick County District Judge Stephen Ternes imposed the punishment Tuesday. The Wichita Eagle reports authorities have said that 25-year-old Dylan T. Lynn of Wichita was driving under the influence of drugs when he lost control of a 2000 Ford Contour and crashed into a tree. His front-seat passenger, Tiana T. Thomas, died of her injuries at a Wichita hospital. Another passenger had non-life-threatening injuries. Court records show Lynn pleaded guilty on Oct. 8 to involuntary manslaughter…
WICHITA, Kan. — The Wichita City Council is diverting COVID-19 grant funding intended for hiring a pandemic-control officer and is instead using it to lease software that ensures police officers don’t cheat on their training. The Wichita Eagle reports that in May the council earmarked about $250,000 to hire an emergency management coordinator to manage the police department’s response to the pandemic. Police told the council Tuesday that they were unable to fill the position and wanted to divert $165,000 of the funds to lease for three years software that will track officers’ training online. That is a capability the…