TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — State officials say they will indefinitely postpone plans to change the way Kansas motorists are notified when vehicle tags need to be renewed.
The state had planned to move from the traditional notification letter to a postcard, in an effort to save money.
But a Kansas Department of Revenue spokeswoman said Thursday the move was postponed as the department tries to address concerns raised by county treasurers. She did not elaborate on what the concerns were.
The Hutchinson News says it’s unclear how long any change will be postponed. Officials estimated it would save nearly $562,000 a year.
MERRIAM, Kan. (AP) — A 24-year-old Olathe man is charged with trying to kidnap a woman from an eastern Kansas business.
The Kansas City Star reports Johnson County prosecutors have charged Brandon Lee McReynolds with a felony count of attempted kidnapping. He appeared in court Thursday and requested a public defender.
McReynolds was arrested Tuesday after police released surveillance camera images to the public from the Monday incident at a Merriam business.
Merriam police say the woman was working when McReynolds came in to inquire about a job. They say McReynolds then demanded several times she leave with him.
Authorities say McReynolds fled after hearing approaching footsteps, and that the woman wasn’t physically injured.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas education officials have created an online tool to allow the public to comment about math, reading and writing standards.
The tool, called “Join the Conversation!” will be available online until Oct. 30. People will be able to read about the standards and make suggestions on moving a standard to another grade level, creating a new standard or rewriting a specific standard.
Kansas based its standards in part on the Common Core state standards, which have faced criticism in recent years. The Common Core standards replace a hodgepodge of educational goals that had varied greatly from state to state.
The standards will be up for review in 2017 in Kansas.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Democrats say that an immigration bill before the state legislature is prejudicial and extreme.
The lawmakers said in a news conference Thursday that a bill that would deny benefits to people who entered the U.S. illegally amounted to an overreach by Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who sponsored it.
A federal judge in Texas temporarily blocked an executive order Tuesday that would have protected as many as 5 million people from being deported. Kobach said at a news conference Tuesday that the order vindicated his bill to bar immigrants who entered illegally from receiving driver’s licenses or other benefits.
Despite the ban, the Kansas Democratic Party plans to organize clinics to help those who entered the U.S. illegally to naturalize according to a path provided by the order.
INMAN – A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 5 p.m. on Wednesday in McPherson County.
The McPherson County Sheriff’s office reported a vehicle driven by Kevin Zahn, 56, Hutchinson was traveling on Plum between Arrowhead and Arapahoe Road.
The vehicle went left of center, into the opposite ditch and struck some trees. The driver may have been ejected from the vehicle according to sheriff’s officers.
An air ambulance transported Zahn to Via Christi St. Francis for treatment. The accident remains under investigation.
Mithila Jugulam, Assistant Professor of Agronomy at Kansas State University. Photo courtesy of ksu.edu.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State University researchers say new research helps explain why an invasive weed is developing resistance to a well-known herbicide.
The researchers found that the plant kochia (KOH’-sha) has evolved to have multiple copies of a gene that targets the weed killer glyphosate, allowing it to survive treatment. Monsanto brought glyphosate to the market in 1976 under the name Roundup.
Assistant agronomy professor Mithila Jugulam says the resistance mechanism is becoming prevalent in other glyphosate-resistant weeds. Jugulam says the resistance evolved as the result of continuous use of glyphosate and the lack of herbicide diversity in controlling this weed.
The journal Plant Physiology recently published the study Jugulam worked on with plant pathology professor Bikram Gill.
Cliff Couch(photo courtesy of Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police)
More than likely the next Police Chief for the City of Great Bend was shaking hands and talking to community members Thursday night at a meet and greet at the city offices.
The selection committee had three candidates come to interview for the open job on February 5and narrowed the list down to their finalist.
Cliff Couch, the active Goodland Police Chief, is the pick of choice.
Cliff Couch Audio
Couch received his bachelors degree in criminology and psychology and a masters degree in public administration from Florida State University. Couch also spent four years with the Marines as a military police officer.
The 35-year old originally from Tallahassee, Florida has a plan in mind to hit the ground running if he’s hired.
Cliff Couch Audio
Great Bend is looking to replace Dean Akings whom served as Police Chief for 31 years before retiring at the end of 2014.
The City would like to have Couch take over as Police Chief in the next couple of months. The mayor and city council still have to approve the appointment.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Negotiators for the U.S. Postal Service and a major postal union are opening talks on a new contract.
The Postal Service’s current contract with the American Postal Workers Union expires on May 20.
Among the issues on the table is whether Saturday deliveries should be pared down in some areas. Congress has refused to allow the Postal Service to eliminate Saturday deliveries.
The union has proposed that the Postal Service be allowed to offer some banking services. Under the proposal, customers would be able to set up accounts where they could get checks cashed and pay bills.
The agency faces deep financial problems because it is required to pre-fund retiree health care benefits.
KANSAS CITY – An Atchison man has been indicted on federal charges of kidnapping a child according to U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom.
Marcas McGowan, 30, Atchison, Kan., was charged Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., with one count of kidnapping a child, one count of discharging a firearm during the kidnapping, one count of unlawfully possessing a firearm following a felony conviction, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask and Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson will be prosecuting the case. Mr. Thompson has been designated as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney.
“This is a very serious case and my office will be working closely with the Leavenworth County Attorney to see that it gets the attention it deserves,” U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
“My office has always had a great working relationship with U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom and his staff, so I appreciate the opportunity to work with them to pursue this matter federally,” said Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson. “My office always strives for what is in the best interest of the Leavenworth community, and will continue to do so through our collaboration with the U.S. Attorney’s office.”
The federal indictment alleges that on July 18, 2014, McGowan kidnapped a minor victim. He traveled from Kansas to Missouri and back to Kansas with the child.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
Kidnapping: Not less than 20 years and not more than life and a fine up to $250,000.
Discharging a firearm in a crime of violence: Not less than 10 years and not more than life, consecutive to any other sentence, and a fine up to $250,000.
Unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
Unlawful possession of a firearm following a misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
The Atchison Police Department, the Platte County (Mo.) Sheriff’s Office, the Weston (Mo.) Police Department, the Leavenworth Police Department, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the FBI investigated.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A new government report shows Kansas had 800 fewer farms last year compared to 2013.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Thursday that the state had 61,000 farms and ranches in 2014.
A breakdown by size shows small operations with less than $100,000 in agricultural sales decreased by 900 farms from a year earlier. But the number of farm operations which had more than $100,000 in ag sales actually grew by 100 farms.
The agency also reported that the state had 46 million acres of land in farms and ranches. That’s down 100,000 acres from the previous year.
Kansas farms averaged 754 acres, up 8 acres from the previous year.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — State officials say they will indefinitely postpone plans to change the way Kansas motorists are notified when vehicle tags need to be renewed.
