WICHITA, Kan. — Wichita police have identified the victim of a fatal weekend accident. Police said Monday that 27-year-old Derrick Pruett of Wichita died in the wreck Saturday night. Officers called to the scene found a 2004 GMC Envoy overturned. Pruett was pinned inside the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities say Pruett had lost control of the vehicle and struck the median and a utility pole, causing it to overturn. Police say speed was believed to be a factor in the accident.
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. — Gov. Laura Kelly plans to get a COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday as part of a larger plan to give shots to selected Kansas officials so that state government can continue to operate during the pandemic. The Democratic governor confirmed her plans Monday during an impromptu interview at the Statehouse following a ceremony marking the weeklong Kwanzaa celebration of African-American heritage. She told The Associated Press last week that the state was looking at giving shots to people in state agencies, the Republican-controlled Legislature and the state court system. The state so far has concentrated on vaccinating health care…
WICHITA, Kan. — The trial of a Kansas gamer accused in a deadly “swatting” call in 2017 has been delayed by an additional year after the man failed to obtain a high school equivalency. The Wichita Eagle reports that U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren agreed last week to extend Shane Gaskill’s 18-month pre-trial diversion. If Gaskill completes the terms of his deferred prosecution agreement, prosecutors can dismiss the criminal case. The death of 28-year-old Andrew Finch in Wichita drew national attention to “swatting,” a form of retaliation in which someone reports a false emergency to get authorities to descend on…
TOPEKA, Kan. — Firefighters have worked in freezing rain to battle a fire that appeared to do significant damage to a nearly abandoned shopping mall in south Topeka. Local news reports said firefighters were called to the White Lakes Mall at about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday. Multiple crews fought the blaze and appeared to have it mostly under control after about an hour. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the mall property includes one remaining business, a printing company that apparently didn’t sustain damage. The mall opened in 1964, but its popularity waned when a new mall opened in west Topeka in…
Riley County has reported 45 new COVID-19 cases since last Wednesday. This brings the total number of positive cases in the county to 4,718, with 241 active cases. The county also saw 164 additional recoveries, bringing the total number of recoveries to 4,457. Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan is caring for 13 positive patients at this time. The patients have symptoms severe enough to require hospitalization. WellHealth will continue to provide free saliva-based testing every day (weather permitting), except Sundays and holidays, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at CiCo Park in Manhattan through the end of January. Health…
Sunset Zoo in Manhattan continues to adapt to the challenging times brought on by the pandemic. Melissa Kirkwood, Marketing and Development Officer at Sunset Zoo, says the zoo has had to create several online opportunities because of the pandemic. She says it has been tough, but talks about one popular event they have created called “Zoom the Zoo”. “We’ve videoed different segments of the zoo along with an educator along with sometimes a zookeeper and we are talking in detail about different exhibits and animals within the zoo,” Kirkwood says. Kirkwood adds that they have also opened up online career-connecting…
On Monday’s Edition of In Focus we spoke with Ann Smit with Common Table. We also spoke with Teresa Sanborn with Ascension Via Christi. In our final segments we spoke with Melissa Kirkwood with Sunset Zoo.
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 aggravated indecent liberties with a child in Manhattan on December 24, 2020, at approximately 1:34 p.m. Officers listed a 13-year-old female as the victim and a 36-year-old male known…
TOPEKA, Kan. — Some employees at Kansas hospitals spent a good part of the Christmas holiday caring for patients and providing comfort to families and colleagues. Like other people, the coronavirus pandemic upended holiday plans and family traditions, but COVID-19 has stressed Kansas hospitals. Steve Morgan had an eight-hour shift as the chaplain on duty in a Wichita hospital and reflected on what he sees as colleagues’ sense of purpose on the Christian celebration of Jesus’ birth. Nurse Yvonne Murphy was feeling hopeful during her 12-hour Christmas hospital shift in Topeka after getting a coronavirus vaccine. The holiday came near…
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Police in Kansas City, Kansas, are investigating a Christmas morning homicide. The Kansas City Star reports that police responded to a report of a shooting in the area of the Fairfax Bluffs Apartments north of Kansas Highway 5 and south of the Quindaro Power Station around 6:20 a.m. Friday. They found a Hispanic male in his 30s with apparent gunshot wounds. He was taken to an area hospital, and later died. Police released no further details.