TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from the youngest of five men convicted in the 2015 shooting death of a Salina teenager. The court ruled Friday that Saline County prosecutors did not coerce Andrew Woodring into pleading no contest plea in the slaying of 17-year-old Allie Saum. The court also rejected Woodring’s contention that a district court judge handled the case improperly. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Woodring sought to withdraw his plea. He is serving a life term with no chance of parole for 25 years. The five people convicted in the case fired at a…
Author: KMAN Staff
Housing policy, fee structures and unattended maintenance issues were among topics discussed at a town hall on housing conditions at Fort Riley on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Leaders of Fort Riley and its housing services were at town hall meetings in Riley’s Conference Center on Feb. 26 and 27, part of an Army-wide effort to review conditions in Army family housing and ensure the post is meeting safety standards. Poor housing conditions across multiple branches were highlighted in a hearing by the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier in February. The Department of the Army Inspector General will be holding an additional…
On Tuesday, the Riley County 4-H is meeting for a fun annual event that challenges area high school students to come up with innovative business ideas. The event is called 2019 Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge. K-State Research and Extension 4-H Agent, John Jobe has been updating KMAN for a few months now on the progress of the event, which aims to reward innovative, local youth ideas. This will be the challenge’s third year. Jobe said students will pitch their idea for a business or product to a panel of judges. The top three competitors in this challenge will move on to…
Update 3:30 p.m. RCPD has cleared the 2300 block of Tuttle Creek Boulevard and opened it back up to the public. No further details were released. Original story: Residents are being asked to avoid the area after shots were fired near Manhattan’s Blue Hills Shopping Center in the early morning hours of Saturday, March 2, according to an RCPD release. Authorities received the call to the 2300 block of Tuttle Creek Boulevard around 2:20 a.m. Two people were flown to Stormont-Vail Hospital in Topeka for treatment and the shopping center remains closed. The investigation is ongoing and KMAN will update…
WICHITA — A former Kansas legislator accused of fraudulently taking $10,500 from campaign funds for his personal use has told jurors it is offensive and outrageous to him that anybody would assume he would steal money. Sedgwick County Commissioner Michael O’Donnell took the stand Thursday to defend himself in his federal trial on 23 counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering related to his state and county campaigns. O’Donnell, a Republican, testified he is not rich, but he would never steal money. He detailed for hours on the stand his payments to staffers and other supporters that…
TOPEKA — Kansas lawmakers have hit the halfway point of their annual session and they haven’t had a hearing on a Medicaid expansion plan or pushed an education funding bill out of committee in the face of a court mandate to boost spending on public schools. And the GOP-dominated Legislature doesn’t just appear to be slow-walking new Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s big initiatives. Despite Republican supermajorities, an income tax relief bill that GOP leaders consider an urgent priority hasn’t cleared both chambers. Top Republicans began a long weekend Thursday by arguing that lawmakers’ annual 90-or-so-day session is not unusually sluggish…
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas is expanding care for transgender students at its campus health center. The Kansas City Star reports that transgender students will now be able to start and continue hormone therapy through the university’s student health center, Watkins Health Services. Transgender students seeking services related to gender transition previously had limited health care options at the school, often having to leave campus for the evaluations and lab work needed to begin the process. Student Senate President Noah Ries says students looking to start hormone therapy were forced to take buses or find rides to Kansas City…
WICHITA — A federal judge has set a new sentencing date for the California man who admitted making the hoax call that led police to fatally shoot a Kansas man following a dispute between two online gamers. A court notice posted Friday shows 26-year-old Tyler R. Barriss will be sentenced on March 29. The hearing had been initially scheduled for Friday but was delayed when an unrelated trial took longer than expected. Barriss pleaded guilty in November to 51 charges related to fake calls and threats across the nation. The most serious one is for making a false report about…
MANHATTAN — The Riley County Commission has approved a contract to purchase new election equipment. County Clerk Rich Vargo presented the contract to purchase a new ballot scanner and vote tabulator from Election Systems and Software during Thursday’s commission meeting. There have been some challenges finding the right equipment in the past when the county clerk’s office has searched for voting machines. Part of that Vargo says is because the machines must be certified at the federal and state level. Vargo says the current equipment has been needing to be replaced for some time now, but wasn’t satisfied with what…
Officers filed a report for criminal use of a financial card in the 100 block of E Bluemont Ave in Manhattan on February 28, 2019, at approximately 3:50 PM. Officers listed Chelsea Parks, 26 of Ft Riley as the victim when it was reported an unknown suspect used her card to purchase items. The estimated total loss associated with this case is approximately $1,400.00. Police ask that anyone with information please contact RCPD or the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers. Using the Crime Stoppers service can allow you to remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward of…