Kansas.com: News Updates

Texas races past Kansas

J. BRADY McCOLLOUGH — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:42 CST

AUSTIN — With the nation watching, Kansas football coach Mark Mangino showed a softer side.

He walked onto the field to check on his injured players, even trying to help freshman running back Toben Opurum off the ground. He told a referee that he was “a good man.” He gave sophomore Daymond Patterson a big ol’ hug after a long punt return. You could have called it a Bear hug.

But no amount of love from Mangino, affectionately called “Bear” by old friends in Steel Country, could motivate KU to compete with No. 3 Texas, which demolished the Jayhawks 51-20 on Saturday night to move their losing streak to six.

Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle

DAVID ESPO — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:52 CST

A bruising debate on health care awaits the Senate after Thanksgiving now that the historic legislation has cleared a key hurdle over the opposition of Republicans eager to inflict a punishing defeat on President Barack Obama.

The bill would extend coverage to roughly 31 million who lack it, crack down on insurance company practices that deny or dilute benefits and curtail the growth of spending on medical care nationally.

In the final minutes of a daylong session, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., accused Republicans of trying to stifle a historic debate the nation needed.

Nebraska ends Kansas State's season

BLAIR KERKHOFF — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:59 CST

LINCOLN, Neb. — This was all or nothing for Kansas State because a Wildcats loss meant no division championship and no bowl game.

And the loss happened, 17-3 to surging Nebraska, which will meet Texas in the Big 12 title game.

But for Kansas State this season wasn’t for nothing. Although the Wildcats’ 6-6 record meant a mere a one-game improvement over last season, the feeling is vastly different, upbeat because of a program rejuvenated by Bill Snyder.

Arena draws hundreds of job seekers

Chandra Stauffer — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:39 CST

When the doors to Century II opened Saturday morning for the Intrust Bank Arena job fair, a line of applicants already stretched as far south as Waterman.

During the six-hour job fair, at least 5,000 people were expected to submit resumes for the 420 available part-time positions.

Chris Presson, general manager of the arena, wasn't surprised by the large, early crowd.

Mississippi hands Kansas State its first loss

KELLIS ROBINETT — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:46 CST

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Denis Clemente raced upcourt with the basketball, stopped inches short of the three-point line and swished a jumper.

During his time at Kansas State, making shots like that are what the senior guard has done best. Anytime the Puerto Rico native can utilize his speed and find open space before opposing defenses get back and organized, he is dangerous.

Friday was no different, and he scored 17 points. But he took too long to find his offensive groove and Mississippi defeated K-State 86-74 in the semifinals of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

In-game high school football scores and highlights (Nov. 20-21)

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:53 CST

KU chancellor supports Perkins' handling of Mangino situation

J. BRADY McCOLLOUGH — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:34 CST

AUSTIN | Kansas coach Mark Mangino arrived in Texas tonight with the team and is expected to coach in Saturday night’s game against the Longhorns, as the KU athletic department’s investigation into Mangino’s treatment of players has continued into the weekend.

Early Friday afternoon, KU chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little said that people should trust the process that athletic director Lew Perkins has laid out for the internal review. Gray-Little was responding to an online report that asserted the university was looking into Perkins’ handling of the investigation.

“The notion that the university is conducting a review of Lew Perkins is false and completely unfounded,”

Tiahrt seeks to fold TARP and end bailouts for bankers and automakers

Dion Lefler — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:13 CST

Tiahrt Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, has introduced a bill in Congress to halt further spending to bail out financial institutions and automakers.

Tiahrt’s bill is called the “Ensure TARP Expires Act of 2009,” and would block Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner from spending any more money on the Troubled Asset Relief Program, more commonly known as TARP.

Begun under the Bush Administration and continued by President Obama, TARP has injected hundreds of billions of dollars in capital into failing investment, banking, insurance and automotive companies in an effort to stabilize the financial system.

Pregnant woman arrested, suspected in thefts

STAN FINGER — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:58 CST

A pregnant woman believed to have stolen from west Wichita residents once they let her inside to make a telephone call has been arrested, police said.

The 26-year-old woman, who is about eight months pregnant, was taken into custody at her home in Maize on Thursday and arrested at City Hall about 10:40 p.m. after questioning, police said.

She is suspected of stealing cash and perhaps other valuables from four houses in Wichita and one in Goddard, police said.

Woman hurt in commute crash improves

STAN FINGER — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:48 CST

A 25-year-old woman is in fair condition today after being hurt in a two-car crash during the morning commute.

The collision occurred at 13th and McLean at 7:04 a.m., a Sedgwick County dispatch supervisor said. The woman was taken to Via Christi St. Francis in critical condition, but her condition has improved as she receives treatment.

Check Kansas.com for updates.

Man arrested after trying to steal patrol car

STAN FINGER — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:28 CST

WICHITA — A wanted man attempting to flee from police Thursday afternoon chose a unique escape vehicle — a police car — and as a result ended up going nowhere.

An officer on patrol recognized a man wanted on an arrest warrant walking near Douglas and Greenwood at about 3 p.m. Thursday, authorities said. He pulled over his patrol car and attempted to take the man into custody.

The man resisted, and the officer deployed his Taser. The Taser didn't activate, however, and the man broke away, climbed into the patrol car and tried to drive away.

Motor Mouth Wireless robbed; three arrested

STAN FINGER — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:58 CST

WICHITA — Three men were arrested shortly after a robbery at the Motor Mouth Wireless store on Central Thursday night.

Two armed men came into the store at 4525 E. Central at 7:20 p.m., ordered customers to the floor and demanded money from them and the business, police said.

They then ran out to a waiting car and fled north on Pershing. Victims gave a description of the car to police, and an officer spotted a matching vehicle a short time later.

Wichita pharmacy manager sentenced

STAN FINGER — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:48 CST

WICHITA — A 58-year-old Wichita pharmacy manager has been sentenced in federal court to six months of prison and two years of supervised release for embezzling more than $335,000.

Michael L. Halfman, former chief operating officer of Gessler Drug Co., pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement and one count of making a false statement on a tax return. In his plea, Halfman admitted he embezzled from cash deductibles on the sale of pharmaceuticals and general merchandise.

Halfman has also been ordered to pay $21,617 in restitution and to cooperate with the IRS regarding any past or present tax liability. His sentence includes six months of home detention.

Suspect in copper crime returns, gets arrested

STAN FINGER — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:28 CST

WICHITA — There are legendary tales of criminal masterminds — and then there's the guy who tried to steal copper pipe from a rental house Thursday near downtown.

A 39-year-old man went to check on a rental house shortly after 10:30 a.m. in the 600 block of North St. Francis when he noticed the front door had been kicked in, police said.

When he went to investigate, he spotted a 53-year-old man removing copper pipe from beneath the kitchen sink. The suspect bolted from the house and drove off in a green Chevy Lumina.

Topeka-area man with H1N1 dies

KAREN SHIDELER — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:38 CST

Another death associated with the H1N1 virus was reported today by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. It is the state's 19th H1N1-related death.

KDHE said a 75-year-old man from the Topeka metropolitan area — Jackson, Jefferson, Osage, Shawnee and Wabaunsee counties _ was infected with H1N1 when he died. The man had underlying health conditions that placed him at greater risk for serious complications of influenza, KDHE said.

His death was reported to KDHE on Wednesday.

Foggy morning, sunny day for Wichita

Stan Finger — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:23 CST

Fog is shrouding portions of central and southern Kansas this morning – including the Wichita area – but forecasters say it should dissipate by about 9 a.m.

Sunshine should then dominate the day, with high reaching the mid-50s in Wichita. Winds will be out of the north, but should stay light: single digits for the most part, but occasionally touching double digits.

Lows tonight should dip to the low 40s, forecasters say, with light winds shifting from the north to the south. The weekend looks like a pleasant one, with sunny skies and highs of about 60 on Saturday and the low 50s on Sunday.

Ex-US AG Ashcroft endorses Tiahrt for Senate

DAVID TWIDDY — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:42 CST

Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, who on Friday endorsed fellow Republican Todd Tiahrt's U.S. Senate campaign, condemned the Obama administration for moving the trial of Sept. 11 terrorism suspects to civilian rather than military court.

Ashcroft, who served as attorney general at the time of the attacks, said the trials could endanger the public and give anti-U.S. elements a public stage to voice their rhetoric. He also said prosecutors will have to publicly disclose evidence, which could compromise efforts to monitor and break up future attacks.

"If your top priority is the liberty and life of American citizens and the security of their lives and liberty then this decision is less than optimal," he told reporters before a fundraiser for Tiahrt (pronounced TEE-hart). "I believe we are still in a very significant war on terror. The administration doesn't appear to believe that we are in a war on terror."

Outpouring for girl injured in accident

ANGIE HUTSCHREIDER — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:12 CST

This is another in a long line of Miracles for Margaret.

Margaret Romph received her FES rehabilitation bike through insurance and can now begin an integral part of her rehabilitation in the comfort of her newly remodeled rehabilitation room.

Earlier this year, Margaret, her older sister Erin and their grandmother were involved in a serious accident, just outside of the Jefferson City city limits.

Zebra mussels found in Kan.'s Milford Lake

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:07 CST

Zebra mussels have turned up in yet another Kansas lake.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks confirms the tiny, invasive mollusks were discovered this week in Milford Lake, near Junction City.

A boater found several zebra mussels attached to his boat when he pulled it from the water for the season. State biologists did a follow-up and found three more in the 16,000-acre lake.

Loss of federal acres hurts hunters' public access

ROXANA HEGEMAN — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:02 CST

Some of the nation's best hunting for pheasant, quail, turkey and deer today can be found in the vast Kansas prairie.

With nearly 97 percent of the land in the state privately owned, the 271,000 hunters who come here each season have had to depend mostly on a popular state walk-in program that pays landowners to let people hunt on their land.

But hunting access in places like Kansas and other states with little public land may shrink in the coming years as millions of acres across the country come out of the federal Conservation Reserve Program, which pays farmers not to farm environmentally sensitive land.