TOPEKA, Kan. — Police in Topeka are investigating the overnight shooting death of man near the city’s Freedom Valley Park. Police say in a news release that officers were called to the area around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday for a 911 call reporting gunshots. Arriving officers found a person suffering from critical injuries who died at the scene. On Wednesday morning, police identified the victim as 37-year-old Mark Edwards, of Topeka. No arrests had been reported by Wednesday morning, and police were asking the public for any information on the fatal shooting.
Author: KMAN Staff
WICHITA, Kan. — Longtime Wichita radio host and Wichita State University basketball announcer Don Hall has died in a crash at a busy Wichita intersection. Hall’s employer, Entercom Communications, shared the news of his death Wednesday with employees in an email. The 70-year-old Hall was a morning show co-host at KEYN Radio in Wichita, and according to the station, had worked for more than 45 years in radio in Kansas. Police say the crash happened around 4:30 a.m., when a driver ran a red light and hit Hall’s vehicle. Hall died at the scene, and police arrested 42-year-old Ray Watkins…
MISSION, Kan. — Worried relatives are demanding that Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly release some prison inmates early to allow for better social distancing amid a coronavirus outbreak at one state facility. New numbers released Wednesday show 75 staff at the Lansing Correction Facility have tested positive, 18% of the prison’s workforce. Fifteen of them have recovered and returned to work. Another 75 inmates have tested positive, and one of them died over the weekend. Two inmates from a work-release facility in Wichita were moved to Lansing after testing positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
Wednesday’s program featured Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc. Manager of the Tenant & Landlord Education Program Teresa Baker. City of Riley Mayor Tim Sharp joined us for a small-town perspective on response to COVID-19. Riley County Clerk Rich Vargo joined us with an update on election related deadlines, mail-in balloting and the need for polling volunteers during the August primary and November general elections.
Since the Manhattan Parks and Recreation Department has canceled summer activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sunset Zoo is conducting a survey to figure out what programs it can offer to the public in a virtual format. Sunset Zoo Education Curator Jared Bixby says one aspect of the survey is figuring out what kinds of activities families want. Another aspect is analyzing the technological capabilities of families wanting to participate. Bixby says one app that they may use for summer activities is Seesaw, which is used by local school districts for distance learning. According to Bixby, Sunset Zoo could…
The Riley County Health Department is conducting a survey in an attempt to better track the spread of COVID-19 locally and make a more informed decision on reopening the community. While the survey is confidential, the health department will ask for contact information so they can follow up with those who have COVID-19 symptoms. RCHD administrator Julie Gibbs says participation in the survey has gone well so far. Those taking the survey can specify if they don’t want to be contacted. All members of the household should have the survey completed for them, even if they aren’t experiencing symptoms. The…
The Pottawatomie County Commission unanimously approved the rezoning of a 79-acre tract of land from Agriculture to Agriculture Residential Monday, but not without some opposition. The zoning change will allow the entity applying for the rezoning to develop houses at a higher density. The tract of land discussed is located about 3.5 miles north of Hwy 24 and Flush Road. Celia Bessin, a Pottawatomie County resident, says people who live on this land in the future may not be able to handle living next to agricultural areas. Commissioner Pat Weixelman says he believes what the applicant does with their land…
MISSION, Kan. — Kansas has reported its first death in a prison coronavirus outbreak and saw the number of positive cases in six meatpacking plants rise to 378 as the state works to reopen its economy. But Dr. Lee Norman, the state’s health director, said the good news was that the number of influenza-like illnesses reported in the state was “dropping like a rock.” He also noted that most of the infected meat packing workers were asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. None have died and at most one is hospitalized.