A 54-year-old Winfield man has died while using a tractor to clear brush in south-central Kansas.
The Kansas Highway Patrol said officers responded Friday to the spot along near U.S. 77 in Winfield where David Lowe was killed. The patrol said Lowe died when he got off the tractor and the back tire ran over him.
Beef Products Inc., the main producer of the lean beef trimmings that critics call “pink slime,” has donated more than $800,000 to state and federal political candidates over the past decade.
The company’s product made from beef trimmings is under scrutiny because of public concerns about the ammonium hydroxide it uses to treat the meat, which the company says kills bacteria.
Executives and employees at BPI have given at least $546,500 to candidates for state office in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota and Texas. And the company’s owners Eldon and Regina Roth have given $274,250 to congressional and presidential candidates since 2008.
Nearly all of that $820,750 — except for $28,400 — went to Republicans.
The top two officials at the Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority have been fired.
The Wichita Eagle reported that Commissioner Curtis L. Whitten and Deputy Commissioner Dennis Casarona were fired Friday. Both men said the firing happened over the phone.
State Sen. Dick Kelsey said neither man was given justification or a chance to discuss concerns. The Goddard Republican is familiar with the justice authority and said the situation was mishandled.
Gov. Sam Brownback has appointed Terri Williams as acting commissioner. Williams is currently the deputy secretary of community and field services in the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Brownback spokeswoman Sherriene Jones-Sontag described the situation with Whitten and Casarona as a personnel issue. She said she couldn’t confirm the men were fired.
The holder of a golden Mega Millions ticket from Kansas is now the state’s all-time jackpot winner, but lottery officials said that person hasn’t contacted them.
Executive Director Dennis Wilson said Saturday that Kansas Lottery officials are planning to have a big, public celebration once the winner comes forward – if that’s what the person wants. Kansas law allows jackpot winners to remain anonymous.
The largest previous jackpot for Kansas, in the multistate Powerball game, was $92 million, claimed in November 2009.The total Mega Millions jackpot from Friday’s drawing was estimated at $640 million, with winning tickets sold in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland. The Kansas winner’s share is about $213 million.
Wilson said the lottery advises the winner to get good advice before coming forward.
Topeka, Kan. – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has published a preliminary report titled Abortions in Kansas, 2011. The report reveals there were 7,851 reported abortions reported in 2011, which is 522 fewer than what was reported in 2010.
Out-of-state residents slightly outnumbered in-state residents, 3,939 reports to 3,912. Of the 3,939 out-of-state residents who obtained abortions in Kansas, 3,857 (97.9%) were residents of Missouri.
Women 20-24 years of age comprised the largest age-group seeking abortions (33.4%). The largest decline in the number of procedures also occurred to women 20-24 years of age, which decreased by 189 procedures (6.7%) from 2010.
State law requires that physicians, hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers report abortions to KDHE. The Women’s Right-to-Know Act requires physicians who perform abortions to provide certain information, to meet individually with women seeking an abortion and to report to KDHE the number of informed-consent certifications received by women. There were 8,033 informed-consent certifications reported by physicians in 2011.
This report is a preliminary analysis of these data as collected by the KDHE Bureau of Epidemiology and Public Health Informatics.
TOPEKA – Corporate and personal income tax receipts for March out performed expectations Friday, propelling revenues for the month to $40.1 million beyond estimates.
Corporate income taxes doubled expectations tot $21.5 million more than what was expected, while personal income taxes came in $14.6 million more than estimates.
“The numbers this month are further signs that the state’s economy continues to improve under Gov. Brownback’s fiscal policies,” said Revenue Secretary Nick Jordan. “But we still have more work to do and it is essential that we maintain our focus on pro-growth economic policies, such as approval of the Governor’s tax reform plan, to ensure that the state continues to exceed expectations in the future.”
March revenue receipts were 10.3 percent more than anticipated and put the state $72.2 million, or 1.8 percent, ahead of consensus revenue estimates for the year.
Another bright spot in the report was state sales tax receipts, which are $2.3 million more than estimates.
Kansas farmers expect to plant this spring the third largest corn crop since 1936.
The Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service reported Friday that the 4.7 million acres of prospective corn plantings is down 4% from the huge crop that was also planted last year.
The agency also reported that expected acreage for soybeans at 3.9 million is down 3% but it is still the third largest soybean acreage in Kansas history.
Anticipated sorghum acreage of 2.5 million acres is down 4% from a year ago.
Kansas growers seeded 9.5 million acres of winter wheat last fall, up 8% from the previous year.
Some 20.6 million acres of Kansas farmland is anticipated to be planted to those four major crops. That is up 1.5% from last year.
An agent for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation has described for jurors the condition of the badly burned body of a 14-year-old cheerleader found at an asphalt plant.
KBI agent Cory Latham explained Friday some of the crime scene photos shown at the trial of Adam Longoria. The agent said that a body curls up when it is burned. He said charred pieces of what appeared to be duct tape was found across her mouth and nose. The body appeared to have been fully clothed when it was burned.
KWCH-TV reports that an employee of the asphalt plant testified Friday that he found what initially appeared to be a mannequin with flies buzzing around it. He described it as very surreal, saying the body had no humanlike features.
Kansas legislative negotiators have agreed on a $14.1 billion state budget after settling disagreements between the House and Senate on dozens of issues.
Three senators and three House members wrapped up their talks Thursday evening. Both chambers expect to vote Friday on the compromise spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
However, negotiators left some decisions for a budget cleanup bill they’ll consider later, such as longevity bonuses for state employees. Lawmakers adjourn Friday for their annual spring break and return April 25 to wrap up the year’s business.
The compromise budget includes nearly $13 million in spending on programs for children and the disabled included by the Senate but not the House.
But the budget is likely to cut overall spending about 4 percent.
Kansas unemployment levels remained flat in February, with the jobless rate holding steady at 6.1 percent.
An economist with the state Department of Labor said Friday the seasonally adjusted rate and overall employment report did not indicate significant change from January. The jobless rate was 6.9 percent in February 2011.
The agency said eight of 11 industry sectors reported gains in the past 12 months, with the professional and business services industries adding 11,900 jobs, an 8.2 percent increase. Overall, the economy has added 21,300 private sector jobs.
Labor Secretary Karin Brownlee said the February numbers alone suggest a “lukewarm” labor market. But she says the growth over the past year has been healthy.
Initial unemployment claims were down in February, as were continuing benefit claims.
A 94-year-old Salina flower shop worker is being honored as the oldest still-working Kansan.
The Salina Journal reported that George Aden is sure there’s a worker who is older than him. But not according to the Kansas Department of Commerce and the Older Kansans Employment Program. They’ve checked the ledgers, and say he’s it.
Besides working two days a week at Designs by Cunningham, the retired bookkeeper volunteers at his church and spends time with friends at the Salina Senior Center.
Aden says he loves his job and calls the flower shop “a relaxing place.”
When he decided at the age of 85 that he was done delivering flowers, his employers switched him to processing flowers. Four years ago he cut back to handling just the roses.
A 64-year-old Wichita man has survived being struck by lightning.
The Wichita Eagle reported that the man was taken to an area hospital for what are described as non-life-threatening injuries.
Dispatchers received the call about the lighting strike at 9:26 p.m. Thursday.
The National Weather Service says the odds of being struck by lightning in a person’s lifetime are one in 10,000. Over the last 30 years, the U.S. has averaged 55 reported lightning fatalities per year.
The National Weather Service said that only about 10 percent of people who are struck by lightning are killed.
Hutchinson Police are investigating a suspicious death after a man was found at a home at 507 East 3rd in Hutchinson.
Police Sgt., Thad Pickard says they are not ruling it a homicide, at least not yet. Details are sketchy and police are still waiting to have the body moved to the Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center for an autopsy.
Police Sgt Tyson Meyers tells us a neighbor smelled a strong odor and couldn’t make contact with the individual. That person then called the landlord, but couldn’t get a hold of them, so they called police.
It’s clear that the victim had been there for sometime as the smell outside the home was extremely strong.
Police are investigating the case as suspicious, but say there are no initial signs of foul play. They say they won’t know the cause of death, until the autopsy is complete.
No name has been released with the investigation ongoing late Thursday afternoon.
