On Wednesday’s edition of In Focus we spoke with USD 383 Assistant Superintendent Eric Reid and board member Kristin Brighton. We also spoke with Manhattan Christian College President Kevin Ingram.
Author: KMAN Staff
WICHITA, Kan. — A Keeper of the Plains replica statue that was taken from a Wichita park over the weekend has been found not far from where it was stolen. The Wichita Eagle reports that a resident spotted the statue in the grass beside a creek that runs by Colvin Elementary School. City maintenance workers retrieved the statue Monday evening. It’s too soon to say what they’ll do about the damaged statue. It is one of 13 Keeper of the Plains replica statues, each painted by different Wichita artists. The 10-foot-tall, 75-pound fiberglass statue was pried off its base.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A Wyandotte County judge has ruled that state agency records of a 3-year-old girl whose body was found this summer in a shallow grave should not be released to the public. Olivia Jansen’s body was found in a shallow grave on July 10, the same day her father reported her missing. He and his girlfriend have been charged with felony murder and other crimes in her death. Several media outlets have filed requests for records from the Department for Children and Family Services. The Kansas City Star reports that the judge granted a motion to prohibit…
OLATHE, Kan. — A commissioner for the most populous county in Kansas urged constituents to buy firearms and prepare for a “coming war” in a Facebook post that described a chaotic end to law and order. Johnson County commissioner Mike Brown used the hashtags “All Lives Matter” and “Blue Lives Matter” as he described violence, “burning churches” and “looting stores” in the weekend posts. Brown, who is white, is up for re-election in November. The posts are no longer public, but Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, a Democrat who is Black, retweeted images of them Monday and described the messages…
FORT SCOTT, Kan. — Authorities have found a body in a Kansas lake while searching for a missing kayaker. Fort Scott police say emergency crews began looking Sunday in Lake Fort Scott for 19-year-old Raymond Harper after his friends recovered his kayak but couldn’t find him. A helicopter and divers were called in to help before a body that is believed to be Harper’s was found Monday afternoon.
WICHITA, Kan. — Wichita area health officials are cracking down on face masks and bar curfews to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Sedgwick County health officer Dr. Garold Minns made compliance mandatory in a new emergency public health order that took effect Tuesday morning. The Wichita Eagle reports that the order runs through Oct. 21. The health order has required face masks, an 11 p.m. curfew on bars and a 15-person limit on mass gatherings. But previous versions of the order said that while it was lawful, compliance was voluntary. The update removed wording that the order “cannot be…
PITTSBURG, Kan. — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is helping to investigate the death of a 23-year-old woman whose body was found inside her Pittsburg home. The agency said in a news release that Pittsburg police received a 911 call Tuesday morning about an unresponsive person. Responding officers then found Tylei Messer dead inside the home. The KBI says special agents and a crime scene team were sent to the home. No other details were immediately released, including her cause of death.
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 responded to a report of a theft in the 500 block of Augusta Way in Manhattan on September 15, 2020, at approximately 8:18 am. Officers listed a 23-year-old male as the victim when…
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 criminal damage to property and theft in the 600 block of Pecan Cir in Manhattan on September 14, 2020, at approximately 6:09 am. Officers listed a 43-year-old male, a…
Riley County residents who are not yet registered to vote have until Oct. 13 to do so for the general election. Speaking to the Riley County commission Monday, County Clerk Rich Vargo gave an update on his office’s election efforts. Vargo urged those who have not yet registered, especially college students, to do so before the deadline. He also encouraged college professors to make sure their students are registered. Advanced voting begins on Oct. 14. The clerk’s office will also be sending out the mail ballots for those who applied for advanced voting by mail. By state law, those ballots…