OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — More than 200 Sprint employees in Overland Park, Kansas, have been laid off since the company merged with T-Mobile. The Kansas City Star reports a June 17 notification to state regulators shows T-Mobile cut 241 positions at the former Sprint headquarters. A judge approved a merger of the two companies in February and it became official in April. A T-Mobile spokesperson says the company plans to eventually hire 5,000 new workers across the organization. In a statement, the company said the layoffs in Overland Park were part of an overall study of where to best place…
Author: KMAN Staff
Riley County Health Director Julie Gibbs updates us on the latest COVID-19 related news in Riley County over the weekend, including 127 total cases now since testing began in March.
Following a morning march, at least 100 Manhattan residents continued Juneteenth observations Friday night at City Park with a flashlight vigil for those killed by police nationwide. Juneteenth commemorates the date when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas and announced the emancipation of enslaved people in the state on June 19, 1865. Also known as Black Independence Day, the institution of slavery persisted in Union-held territory until the 13th amendment’s ratification that December. Manhattan’s observation would have entered its 31st year if COVID-19 had not prompted the celebration’s cancellation. Amid nationwide activism following the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, local Black Lives…
Manhattan and Riley County officials at a joint meeting Thursday agreed to draft an interlocal agreement to service the new Keats Sewer District. County and city staff will now work out service details and price points to connect the planned sanitary sewer system in Keats to Manhattan’s treatment facility before returning to the bodies for final approval. The project is anticipated to be financed with forgiveable federal grants for up to 45 percent of the project as well as 40-year loans to be divided and charged to benefiting property owners. Exact cost estimates are pending. “I think this is the right…
“Black lives matter! Black lives matter!” These were some of the chants that could be heard from Black Lives Matter supporters as they marched around City Park in recognition of Juneteenth, the day that marks the anniversary of when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, to announce the end of the Civil War. Prior to the march, BLM supporters and Riley County Police Department officers, who were for the most part wearing face masks, gathered in Triangle Park to listen to a lineup of speakers, which included Carl Taylor, a local pastor, who spoke about the…
BELLE PLAINE, Kan. — More than a century after the arrival of the railroads to the Flint Hills of Kansas, a large-scale track expansion is tearing up a scenic stretch in the last remaining tallgrass prairie left in the nation. The BNSF Railway is laying nearly 42-miles of track from Ellinor to El Dorado. The railroad says the work is occurring along its right-of-way and 19 parcels of land it is acquiring. Documents show the project involves eight wetland fills, realignment of streams at three locations, seven new bridges and 36 culvert extensions. No environmental impact study was required.
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Authorities say six people were killed and one was seriously injured in a fiery head-on crash on a northeast Kansas highway. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office says the crash happened around 6:40 p.m. Thursday when a car and another vehicle collided on U.S. 40 on the northern outskirts of Lawrence. Both vehicles were in flames when deputies arrived. The sheriff’s office says the car was completely burned and six people inside had died. The other vehicle was partially burned and its driver, the sole occupant, was taken to a hospital with serious injuries. Authorities have not said…
PRATT, Kan. — Authorities are investigating the death of a Kansas man after a fight. Police in Pratt said in a Facebook post that officers and an emergency medical crew found 57-year-old Frank O. “Butch” Sturgeon lying on the floor of a garage Wednesday while responding to a disturbance. He had sustained a head trauma and was unconscious. He was rushed to a hospital, where he died. Police said the preliminary investigation found that Sturgeon, who was from Pratt, fell during an altercation. The release said police will present their findings to prosecutors when their investigation is completed. No other…
The Atlanta police officer who was fired one day after shooting a black man has some in Riley County Police Department worried about due process. Speaking to the Riley County commission, RCPD Director Dennis Butler says he had spoken with an officer who was concerned they would not be given administrative due process in a similar situation. “I want you to know that not only did I assure them that as long as I’m the director, regardless of what a prosecutor decides, they will be afforded the due process they enjoy,” says Butler. Butler sent out an email to the…
Riley County commissioners approved the bid from TRS Range Services for the new Riley County Police Department firing range Thursday. Before the commission approved the current $1.43 million bid, they wanted to know why the range would have multiple lanes. During their previous meeting, Commissioner Ron Wells asked if they can consolidate to save money. RCPD Lt. Brad Jager says the current range has three lanes they use all at one time. When officers are out at the range, they are training all day. One range could be used for certification and another for decision making scenarios. The goal is…