RILEY COUNTY – Officials are working to determine the cause of a Monday fire at a residence in Manhattan.

Fire crews responding to the report of the blaze in the 400 Block of Vattier found a two-story residential structure with smoke and fire showing.

The fire reached a second alarm before it was contained.

The two-story structure was divided into two apartments with neither occupant being home at the time of the fire. Both occupants are displaced at this time and will be provided assistance by Red Cross.

The residence received an estimated loss of $15,000 to the contents and $60,000 to the structure. The owner is listed as Karla Shepherd of Wichita, Kansas.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas woman who admittedly stole more than $570,000 from her former employer has been ordered to spend three years in prison.

A Sedgwick County judge on Monday sentenced 46-year-old Jeannette Block of Wichita. She had pleaded guilty in October to one count of felony theft.

Authorities say Block worked for Pizza Hut of Southeast Kansas Inc. as an accountant and controller for 15 years. Prosecutors say Block’s thefts took place over the last five years of her employment, ending in 2014.

The district attorney’s office says in a statement that Block asked the judge to grant her probation so she could pay back the rest of the money, insisting she already had sold her home and returned $200,000 of the stolen money.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas economists predict the state will have a higher unemployment rate than the nation beginning in 2018.

The Wichita Eagle reports that in October, Kansas’ unemployment rate rose to 4.4 percent, slightly lower than the national average. Kansas Department of Labor economist Tyler Tenbrink says the state’s unemployment rate held steady around 4 percent for most of 2015 but rose during the second half of 2016.

Tenbrink says the state expects the Kansas unemployment rate to rise to about 4.7 percent in 2018 based on current data. He says the Federal Reserve predicts a national unemployment rate of 4.5 percent for that year. He says the Federal Reserve and the state use different methodologies to make these predictions.

Kansas has historically had a lower unemployment rate than the nation.

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union and gay-rights groups are lobbying President Barack Obama to commute the prison sentence of a transgender soldier who leaked classified government and military documents.

The ACLU said the letter Monday co-signed by more than a dozen civil rights groups considers Chelsea Manning’s 35-year sentence unprecedented.

Attorneys on behalf of Manning, imprisoned at Kansas’ Fort Leavenworth, made a similar pitch last month for commutation.

Manning was arrested in 2010 and convicted in 2013 in military court of charges related to her leaking of more than 700,000 secret military and State Department documents to WikiLeaks. At that time she was known as Bradley Manning.

She later filed a transgender prisoner rights lawsuit and has tried to commit suicide at least twice, citing her behind-bars treatment.

PAWNEE, Okla. (AP) — The U.S. Geological Survey has recorded six small earthquakes in the region since early Sunday.

Five were recorded in northern Oklahoma, including a magnitude 3.9 temblor near Pawnee where the state’s largest earthquake was recorded in September.

A 3.6 magnitude quake also struck overnight near Cushing, one of the world’s major oil hubs. Five quakes have been recorded in the state since Sunday night.

No injuries or damage have been reported.

The USGS says one quake hit at 9:22 p.m. Sunday, about 9 miles east of Pawnee. That was followed by the temblor about 3 miles north of Cushing at 2:58 a.m. Monday.

A 3.2 magnitude quake was recorded at 11:39 a.m. Monday, nine miles west of Perry, while magnitude 2.7 and 2.8 quakes were recorded Sunday night and early Monday near Pawnee.

An earthquake shook north central Kansas early Sunday The quake at 2:54 a.m. measured a magnitude 2.6, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and was centered approximately 23 miles northwest of Osborne.

Most of the earthquakes have been linked to oil and gas production.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on Kansas legislators and legislators-elect choosing new leaders (all times local):

Democrats in the Kansas House have ousted their leader in a move signaling that they’ll be more aggressive in criticizing Gov. Sam Brownback and his fellow Republicans.

Democrats on Monday removed Rep. Tom Burroughs of Kansas City as House minority leader even though had a net gain of 12 seats in last month’s election. They’ll have 40 seats in the 125-member House next year to 85 for Republicans.

Democratic representatives and representatives-elect initially split 20-20 between Burroughs and Rep. Jim Ward of Wichita. But on a second, secret ballot, the vote was 21-19 for Ward.

Ward has been vocal in criticizing Brownback and other Republicans and at times has been more visible than Burroughs.

In the Senate, Minority Leader Anthony Hensley faced no opposition to keeping his leadership job.

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11:50 a.m.

Republicans are giving Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle a second four-year term in the leadership post.

The Wichita Republican easily overcame a challenge Monday from Ways and Means Committee Chairman Ty Masterson of Andover. The vote was 23-7 among GOP senators and senators-elect, with one of the 31 abstaining.

Both Wagle and Masterson are conservatives. But Wagle has been willing to break with Republican Gov. Sam Brownback on tax and budget policy, while Masterson has been a reliable Brownback ally.

The full Senate must ratify the GOP’s decision when lawmakers open their next session in January.

GOP senators and senators-elect also named Sen. Jim Denning of Overland Park as their new majority leader. Denning has been a vocal critic of Brownback’s fiscal policies. Denning had no challenger.

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11:25 a.m.

Republicans in the Kansas House have elected one of the chamber’s most visible GOP moderates as their new majority leader after naming a conservative as their new speaker.

Rep. Don Hineman of Dighton prevailed over more conservative Rep. John Barker of Abilene in a 44-41 vote Monday among GOP representatives and representatives-elect.

Hineman was first elected to the House in 2008, and he’s been a vocal critic of Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s tax policies. The state has struggled to balance its budget since GOP lawmakers slashed income taxes in 2012 and 2013 at Brownback’s urging in an effort to stimulate the economy.

But the vote for Hineman came after House Republicans designated conservative Rep. Ron Ryckman Jr. of Olathe as the speaker for the next two years. Ryckman is Appropriations Committee chairman.

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11:05 a.m.

Republicans in the Kansas House have picked conservative Rep. Ron Ryckman Jr. of Olathe as speaker for the next two years.

Ryckman prevailed Monday over moderate Rep. Russ Jennings of Lakin in a 57-28 vote among GOP representatives and representatives-elect. Ryckman is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

The vote suggested that conservatives still control the Republican majority in the House despite losses in this year’s elections.

Democrats will hold 40 seats in the 125-member House when lawmakers open their next session in January, and the vote suggests moderates could form coalitions with moderate Republicans.

But Ryckman’s supporters described him as a pragmatist who can work with lawmakers of all philosophies. Ryckman helped broker a bipartisan deal on school funding legislation during a special session in June.

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10:40 a.m.

Kansas lawmakers and lawmakers-elect have convened to designate their leaders for next year with House Republicans set to pick a new speaker.

Republicans and Democrats in each chamber were meeting separately Monday after the House and Senate convened.

House Republicans were designating a new speaker because incumbent Ray Merrick of Stilwell did not seek re-election to the Legislature this year.

Seeking the post were Appropriations Committee Chairman Ron Ryckman Jr. of Olathe and Rep. Russ Jennings of Lakin. Ryckman is a conservative and Jennings is a moderate.

The new speaker will serve a two-year term.

Senate President Susan Wagle of Wichita asked fellow GOP senators for another four-year term as leader. She is a conservative, but Senate budget chairman Ty Masterson of Andover was challenging her from the right.

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10:20 a.m.

Kansas lawmakers and lawmakers-elect have convened to designate their leaders for next year with House Republicans set to pick a new speaker.

Republicans and Democrats in each chamber were meeting separately Monday after the House and Senate convened.

House Republicans were designating a new speaker because incumbent Ray Merrick of Stilwell did not seek re-election to the Legislature this year.

Seeking the post were Appropriations Committee Chairman Ron Ryckman Jr. of Olathe and Rep. Russ Jennings of Lakin. Ryckman is a conservative and Jenkins is a moderate.

The new speaker will serve a two-year term.

Senate President Susan Wagle of Wichita asked fellow GOP senators for another four-year term as leader. She is a conservative, but Senate budget chairman Ty Masterson of Andover was challenging her from the right.

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10:05 a.m.

Republican Rep. Ron Ryckman Jr. says House Majority Leader Jene Vickrey has dropped out of their race for Kansas House speaker.

Ryckman said Monday that Vickrey called him over the weekend to tell him. Vickrey’s decision leaves Ryckman as the only conservative candidate in the race against moderate GOP Rep. Russ Jennings.

Legislators and freshmen lawmakers-elect were meeting Monday to pick leaders for next year. Republicans and Democrats were to meet separately in each chamber.

Ryckman is from Olathe and chairman of the Appropriations Committee. Jennings is from Lakin. Vickrey is from Louisburg.

The speaker’s job is open because incumbent Ray Merrick of Stilwell did not seek re-election to the Legislature. The GOP’s choice must be ratified by the full House when lawmakers convene their annual session in January.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers are preparing to designate their leaders for next year with a new House speaker to be chosen by Republicans.

Legislators re-elected last month were convening Monday with freshmen lawmakers-elect. Republicans and Democrats were to have separate meetings in each chamber after the House and Senate convened.

House Republicans were designating a new speaker because incumbent Ray Merrick of Stilwell did not seek re-election to the Legislature this year.

Vying for the post were Majority Leader Jene Vickrey of Louisburg, Appropriations Committee Chairman Ron Ryckman Jr. of Olathe and Rep. Russ Jennings of Lakin.

The new speaker will serve a two-year term.

Senate President Susan Wagle of Wichita asked fellow GOP senators for another four-year term as leader. But Senate budget chairman Ty Masterson of Andover was challenging her.

SHAWNEE COUNTY -Law enforcement authorities in Shawnee County are investigating an attack on a police officer and arrested a suspect on Monday.

Officers saw the suspect , Justin Welch, 23, Topeka, near the intersection of Twilight and Gage and made an arrest without incident, according to a media release.

At 10a.m. on Saturday officers with Topeka police were called to report of a disturbance at a residence in the 2400 Block of SW Candletree Drive, according to a media release.

Moments after arrival, an officer was shoved down a flight of stairs and punched in the face. The suspect ran from the scene.

Just after 5:30 p.m. officers in the same location reported Welch ran from them again.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. –Law enforcement authorities continue to search for a missing Kansas woman.

On Nov. 20, 70-year-old Floreanne Mayfield was seen leaving the Hollywood Casino, 777 Hollywood Casino Blvd., Kansas City, Kan., at 1:34 a.m. At that time, she was wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans, black shoes and a tan jacket. She was headed south on foot. Mayfield has Alzheimer’s disease.

Police believe Mayfield may have received a ride from someone. Law enforcement is requesting the public’s assistance locating anyone who may have given Mayfield a ride or has information about her whereabouts.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department at 913-596-3000.

DONIPHAN COUNTY – Staff and students at USD 114 in the Northeast Kansas community of Elwood are mourning the death of a 4th-grade student in a Monday morning accident.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Jeep Liberty driven by Cierra L. Waitt, 17, Wathena, was southbound on Randolph Road at U.S. 36.

The driver lost control as the Jeep as it entered the intersection.

The Jeep spun counter clockwise, re-entered the westbound lane of U.S. 36 and was hit head on by a westbound semi.

A passenger in the Jeep Kay-Lynn Drinkert, 11, was pronounced dead a the scene and transported to Harman-Rohde Funeral Home.

Waitt and passengers Elijah Waitt, 15, Trinity Waitt, 14, also of Wathena were transported to Mosaic Life Care. Two of them were later transported to Children’s Mercy Hospital.

Drinkert and Elijah Waitt were not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

The school district is providing counselors to students, according to Superintendent Mike Newman.