TOPEKA, Kan. — A bill to legalize medical marijuana has passed in the Kansas House for the first time, but the Senate isn’t expected to consider it in the final days of the annual session. Kansas House members on Thursday voted 79-42 to advance the measure to the Senate for consideration. Although some legalization advocates were hopeful that strong support for the bill among Republicans in the House would spur Senate leaders to debate it this session, Senate President Ty Masterson’s spokesperson, Mike Pirner, told The Associated Press that a budget bill and school funding legislation have taken priority this…
Author: KMAN Staff
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Police in Kansas City, Kansas, are on the lookout for a driver they say dragged an officer during a police stop. Television station WDAF reports the incident happened Thursday afternoon in the Argentine neighborhood. Police say that while the officer was outside the stopped vehicle, the driver sped off, dragging the officer over a grassy area for about 200 feet. Police say the officer suffered minor injuries to his legs and was taken to an area hospital for treatment. Police had not reported finding the suspected driver by Friday morning.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The families of 16 students sued two suburban Kansas City school districts, arguing their children should be allowed to attend school during the pandemic without wearing masks. The Kansas City Star reports that the lawsuit against the Blue Valley and Olathe school districts in Johnson County argues students should be granted individual exemptions to mask mandates. The parents contend masks are interfering with their children’s ability to learn. The lawsuit was first filed in state court but was moved to federal court this week. It alleges the districts violated the equal protection clause under the U.S.…
On Friday’s edition of In Focus we spoke with K-State Research and Extension Riley County Nutrition, Health, and Food Safety Agent Megan Dougherty. Mission Creek Camp Director of Operations Cathy Scrogg, also joined the program. And in our final segment we spoke with Manhattan Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Karen Hibbard.
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 300 block of N. 5th St. in Manhattan on May 7, 2021, at approximately 12:49 a.m. Officers listed a 51-year-old female as the victim when it…
Top Republican legislators and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly are negotiating over funding for Kansas public schools and proposals aimed at helping some parents send their children to private schools. Conservative Republicans have tried to tie an increase in aid to the state’s 286 local public school districts to “school choice” initiatives but have been unable to pass a bill with that combination. Democrats and education groups would prefer to provide the dollars with no new strings. Kelly’s office and GOP leaders hadn’t reached a deal Thursday. However, the Republican-controlled Legislature cannot wrap up its business for the year without resolving…
The board that oversees Kansas’ higher education system has appointed Richard Muma as the new Wichita State University president. The decision Thursday by the Kansas Board of Regents to make Muma the university’s 15th president is effective immediately. Muma had been serving as interim president since September, when former president Jay Golden resigned after less than a year on the job. Muma’s deep ties to the university span 25 years during which he twice served as interim president and has been a professor, department chair, executive vice president and provost.
Ford County authorities say a 23-year-old Garden City man has died from injuries he suffered in a crash during a law enforcement pursuit. Sheriff Bill Carr said Wednesday that Luis Salgado was injured when he was thrown from his vehicle after it rolled on Sunday. Authorities say Salgado was a suspect in a stabbing in Garden City. The chase began in Gray County, when deputies saw his vehicle near Cimarron on Highway 50. The chase went into Ford County and Dodge City, and ended when Salgado’s vehicle hit a power pole and rolled several times.
A 31-year-old Kansas City man has been convicted of participating in a conspiracy to steal more than 1,400 cell phones in several states. Federal prosecutors say the phones were resold. The total loss in the thefts was more than $1 million. Bryan Kirkendoll II was found guilty of eight counts in federal court on Wednesday. Prosecutors say Kirkendoll and Victor Chernetskiy, also of Kansas City, stole electronic devices – primarily cell phones – from stores in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, and Oklahoma, and then resold them. They committed 48 burglaries from November 2018 to June 2019. Chernetskiy pleaded guilty last year…
St. George police have taken a man wanted on five different warrants from two counties into custody after finding him driving a vehicle stolen from Wichita. Jeffrey Keith Mendez faces a total of 12 charges including felony theft and four counts of failure to appear. He initially gave police a false name and was driving with a fake license plate on the vehicle. Mendez was wanted on three warrants from Sedgwick County and two from Shawnee County when police arrested him Tuesday morning near Saint George Elementary.