TOPEKA, Kan. — Meatpacking plants have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, yet thousands of workers at southwestern Kansas meat plants are still waiting to hear when they’ll be vaccinated. The Kansas News Service reported that the wait is frustrating for workers who have watched college faculty, first responders and postal workers get their vaccines, and as Kansas launched a program to get a first dose into the arms of every school worker by early April. Meatpacking plants have been the state’s third-largest source of COVID-19 outbreaks, topped only by long-term care facilities and correctional centers.
Author: KMAN Staff
WICHITA, Kan. — A 17-year-old girl died from smoke inhalation after she was unable to escape a fire in west Wichita. Wichita fire investigator Donny Eckerman told The Wichita Eagle that the girl was trapped inside the duplex Friday afternoon by a deadbolt that required a key to open. The fire started in the kitchen after a burner was left on and a pan with grease caught fire. Firefighters found the girl unresponsive in her grandmother’s room, which is where the deadbolt key was kept. She died later at a hospital. Officials estimate the fire caused $40,000 damage to the…
WICHITA, Kan. — A Wichita man who shot a woman after finding several people inside a home he was trying to sell has been sentenced to probation. Christopher Meece was sentenced recently to two years of probation and ordered to pay $44,000 restitution in connection with the October 2019 shooting. Meece pleaded guilty to several misdemeanors after prosecutors dismissed several felony aggravated battery charges. Meece had reported four burglaries at the home in the days before the shooting. When he went to check on the home on Oct. 29, 2019, Meece told police he saw two men and one woman…
TOPEKA, Kan. — Officials say a woman is fighting for her life after being found critically injured in a fire that consumed an abandoned commercial building in Topeka. The Topeka fire Department says in a news release that crews were called around 8:30 p.m. Sunday to a fire in a single-story masonry commercial building that firefighters believed to be vacant. During a search of the building, firefighters found an unresponsive woman and rushed her to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. Her name has not been released. An investigation showed the blaze was likely started by a “warming fire.”
On Monday’s edition of In Focus Riley County Historical Museum Director Cheryl Collins discussed a self-guided driving tour showcasing African American history in Manhattan.
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 lewd and lascivious conduct in the 1300 block of Anderson Ave. in Manhattan on February 21, 2021, at approximately 9:21 p.m. Officers listed an unknown male suspect when it…
The 96th annual Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting and Banquet was held Friday night. The event this year was held in a hybrid model due to the pandemic restrictions. Larie Schoap, 2020 Chamber Chair, reflected on the past year and the pandemic, saying that the community really stepped up. She says everyone took on the task she set forth last February of looking at “What’s in it for ME.” The ME being the Manhattan Economy. “By supporting our local businesses, not only by shopping with them, but also the decision was to wear a mask or to keep social…
On Friday’s edition of In Focus we spoke with KSRE’s John Jobe. We also spoke with Liz Nelson with the Senior Center. In our final segment Animal Control Officer Brandon Sokol with the Animal Shelter joined the program.
WICHITA, Kan. — A Park City man who was charged with a misdemeanor for sharing a social media post during racial justice protests in Wichita has been placed on diversion. Rashawn Mayes faced a misdemeanor charge after he was accused of sharing media post urging people to cause violence in Wichita suburbs during the protests. He was placed on diversion Thursday and told to write an apology letter to Wichita police. Mayes and Michael Boston Jr. were arrested after the Snapchat post. Boston will not be charged in the case.
TOPEKA, Kan. — A new Kansas legislator accused of abusive behavior before taking office received a written warning Thursday from a committee that investigated his conduct. A letter from the committee delivered Thursday to Democratic state Rep. Aaron Coleman of Kansas City, Kansas, also directed him to accept a fellow lawmaker as a mentor. The letter told the 20-year-old Coleman that his past conduct was “unfitting” for a lawmaker and that he and the House’s top Democrat must choose a mentor. Some Democrats had hoped the House would expel Coleman but Republicans were wary of disciplining a lawmaker over conduct…