TOPEKA, Kan. — Conservative Republicans want to allow some Kansas parents to use state dollars to pay for private schooling for their children. They’re trying to make legislative approval of their plan a condition for funding public schools. State senators and House members were in talks Wednesday on the final version of a measure that could tie funding for public education and initiatives designed to give parents of K-12 students who are at risk of failing more alternatives to public schools. The GOP-controlled House last week approved a bill that would set up education savings accounts for at-risk students with…
Author: KMAN Staff
WICHITA, Kan. — A Wichita aerospace supply company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection following losses it blamed on the COVID-19 pandemic and suspension of Boeing’s 737 Max plane. The Wichita Eagle reports that TECT Aerospace filed for the protection on Tuesday, which also covers the company’s facilities in Park City, Wellington and Everett, Washington. It does not cover a facility in Nashville, Tennessee. The company said in its filings that it will continue its work during the bankruptcy reorganization and plans to separately sell its Kansas and Washington state operations. Court documents say among its creditors, TECT owes…
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Lawrence City Commission members decided to delay a vote on banning conversion therapy for minors after questions arose about how it would affect counseling provided by religious organizations. The commission was scheduled to vote Tuesday on an ordinance that would ban therapy aimed at changing a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The ordinance currently contains a clause providing an exception for clergy. City legal staff said the exception was added to avoid legal challenges based on religious freedom. However, the city heard from two religious leaders who said the ordinance could stop religious schools from offering…
Riley County has confirmed 27 new positive COVID-19 cases and 22 additional recoveries since last Wednesday. This brings the county’s total number of active cases to 28. Ascension Via Christi is currently caring for one person under investigation in the Intensive Care Unit. The percent positive rate for the week of March 28 was 1.1 percent, or 20 positive cases out of 1,787 total tests. Vaccinations are now available to anyone age 18 and older who has not yet received a vaccine. After this week, first doses will be administered at the Riley County Health Department Family and Child Resource…
One person is dead following a car crash between Belvue and Wamego on Highway 24 Wednesday morning. The accident was reported at about 6:15 near Camp Creek Road. According the Kansas Highway Patrol, 19-year-old Phillip Harrison of St. Marys was driving west on Highway 24 in a Toyota Camry when his passenger-side tires left the roadway. He then overcorrected and slid into the east-bound lane where he was struck on the passenger side of his vehicle by a Dodge Ram pick-up truck. Harrison was pronounced dead from his injuries about three hours after the accident was reported. The driver of…
Parks and Rec fees The Manhattan City Commission approved Parks and Recreation program fee increases in a 3-2 vote Tuesday. Fees will now be the cost of the activity plus 10 percent for certain youth, senior and adult special population programs and the cost of the activity plus 20 percent for certain adult programs. Commissioner Mark Hatesohl, who voted in favor of the measure along with Mayor Wynn Butler and Commissioner Aaron Estabrook, says he supports the idea of programs being funded by “user fees.” “The people that are using the parks and recreation programs need to be the main funders of…
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 burglary in Manhattan on April 6, 2021, at approximately 10:48 a.m. Officers listed a 33-year-old female as the victim when it was reported an unknown suspect broke into her…
Wednesday’s program featured USD 383 Manhattan/Ogden Superintendent Dr. Marvin Wade and board member Karla Hagemeister. Manhattan Fire Department Assistant Chief of Risk Reduction Ryan Courtright also joined us for an update on building permits issued recently, including a second Casey’s location in Manhattan. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Operations Project Manager Brian McNulty provided an update on the stilling basin construction ongoing below the Tuttle Creek Dam.
TOPEKA, Kan. — Gov. Laura Kelly says she has no plans to have Kansas issue vaccine passports, which are designed to help inoculated residents travel, shop and dine out more freely. Vaccine passports, which verify people’s immunization status, have become a political flashpoint in the U.S. as they’ve come into use in Israel and under development in Europe. Some Republicans in the U.S. see them as heavy-handed government intrusion. Kelly said Monday that she’s concentrating on making sure people get tested for and vaccinated against COVID-19. The Democratic governor also signed into law a largely symbolic Republican bill requiring public…
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The case of a Black man who died following a party in rural Kansas more than 16 years ago has been ruled a homicide after his body was exhumed as federal authorities investigate his death as a possible hate crime. The Federal Bureau of Investigation said Monday that a new autopsy on the body of Alonzo Brooks concluded the cause of death was homicide. His body was exhumed last year from a Topeka cemetery and transported to Dover Air Force Base for an examination. Brooks was 23 when he disappeared after attending a party near La…