Top Republican legislators and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly are negotiating over funding for Kansas public schools and proposals aimed at helping some parents send their children to private schools. Conservative Republicans have tried to tie an increase in aid to the state’s 286 local public school districts to “school choice” initiatives but have been unable to pass a bill with that combination. Democrats and education groups would prefer to provide the dollars with no new strings. Kelly’s office and GOP leaders hadn’t reached a deal Thursday. However, the Republican-controlled Legislature cannot wrap up its business for the year without resolving…
Author: Troy Coverdale
Troy Coverdale
Currently the host of "KMAN's Morning News", Troy is a 30 year veteran of radio, nearly 20 in northern Colorado, where he served as the "Voice of the UNC Bears" while serving as the news and sports director for one of the oldest AM stations in the country. No stranger to Manhattan nor Kansas, Troy is an alum of K-State in broadcast journalism and grew up near Circleville. He began his broadcast career with KSDB-FM on campus while working part time at another radio station in town. He's married to the former Monica Haugsness of Seneca, who has patiently put up with his schedule for more than 25 years.
The board that oversees Kansas’ higher education system has appointed Richard Muma as the new Wichita State University president. The decision Thursday by the Kansas Board of Regents to make Muma the university’s 15th president is effective immediately. Muma had been serving as interim president since September, when former president Jay Golden resigned after less than a year on the job. Muma’s deep ties to the university span 25 years during which he twice served as interim president and has been a professor, department chair, executive vice president and provost.
Ford County authorities say a 23-year-old Garden City man has died from injuries he suffered in a crash during a law enforcement pursuit. Sheriff Bill Carr said Wednesday that Luis Salgado was injured when he was thrown from his vehicle after it rolled on Sunday. Authorities say Salgado was a suspect in a stabbing in Garden City. The chase began in Gray County, when deputies saw his vehicle near Cimarron on Highway 50. The chase went into Ford County and Dodge City, and ended when Salgado’s vehicle hit a power pole and rolled several times.
A 31-year-old Kansas City man has been convicted of participating in a conspiracy to steal more than 1,400 cell phones in several states. Federal prosecutors say the phones were resold. The total loss in the thefts was more than $1 million. Bryan Kirkendoll II was found guilty of eight counts in federal court on Wednesday. Prosecutors say Kirkendoll and Victor Chernetskiy, also of Kansas City, stole electronic devices – primarily cell phones – from stores in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, and Oklahoma, and then resold them. They committed 48 burglaries from November 2018 to June 2019. Chernetskiy pleaded guilty last year…
St. George police have taken a man wanted on five different warrants from two counties into custody after finding him driving a vehicle stolen from Wichita. Jeffrey Keith Mendez faces a total of 12 charges including felony theft and four counts of failure to appear. He initially gave police a false name and was driving with a fake license plate on the vehicle. Mendez was wanted on three warrants from Sedgwick County and two from Shawnee County when police arrested him Tuesday morning near Saint George Elementary.
A Sedgwick County Sheriff’s detention deputy accused of having a sexual relationship with an inmate has been arrested. The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office announced on Wednesday the arrest of Deputy Tony LoSavio. A news release said a tip received Tuesday about the relationship led investigators to arrest LoSavio on suspicion of having unlawful sexual relations with a woman being held at the jail. Authorities say he faces eight counts and has been placed on unpaid suspension.
Physical assaults of children in their care have resulted in a Junction City day care’s license suspended upon recommendation by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. An Investigator toured Little Rainbow Day Care Home April 28th. In the license suspension order, the investigator said they witnessed one toddler being struck in the face by an adult, another pushed into a cabinet and other physical actions taken to move children from one activity to another. The screaming and yelling by one staffer towards children at the day care was also cited, and the day care’s owner, Pauline Leone, was identified…
Law enforcement in western Kansas say a 14-month-old boy who was inside a sport utility vehicle when it was stolen from a driveway early Wednesday morning has been found safe. An Amber Alert was issued for the toddler after his mother reported that she had strapped him in to the SUV in the driveway of her Garden City home around 5 a.m. Wednesday to take him to a babysitter. The mother said that when she briefly went back inside, she saw the SUV drive away. About three hours later, police found the SUV with the child still inside abandoned a…
Republican lawmakers have advanced a plan to provide hundreds of millions of dollars to Kansas businesses hurt by coronavirus pandemic restrictions. They’re also poised to give GOP leaders the final say over how the federal COVID-19 relief funds are spent. The Republican-controlled state Senate voted 26-13 on Tuesday to approve a bill to set aside $700 million in federal coronavirus relief funds for small businesses. The Senate is expected to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a measure leaving to top lawmakers the final decisions on spending $4.8 billion in federal funds that Kansas expects to receive. The GOP-controlled…
The Riley County Police Department was recognized for its 30th year as an accredited department through a credentialing commission. Director Dennis Butler tells KMAN that being one of the agencies that can claim the commendation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies shows a commitment to good police practices. Butler says the process includes an in-person visit by members of the commission once every four years. The accreditation visit was the eighth that RCPD has passed since gaining CALEA recognition for the first time in 1991. At the time, the RCPD was the first agency in the state…