9 years ago
Kansas senators are working to keep Gov. Sam Brownback's administration from approving new economic development projects that cost the state sales tax revenue. Senators approved a budget bill Thursday with an amendment preventing the Department of Commerce from approving new STAR bonds projects this and next fiscal year. The program has been used to finance construction ...

9 years ago
The Republican president of the Kansas Senate has ousted Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook from leadership of the Senate's health committee. Pilcher-Cook, a Shawnee Republican, said in an emailed statement Friday that Senate President Susan Wagle removed her from her post as chair of the Senate's Public Health and Welfare Committee. Pilcher-Cook said she was removed because of ...

9 years ago
Kansas legislators are preparing to close a deficit largely with budget juggling, and a growing number are seeing broad problems with how the state is managing its finances. Conservative Republican Gov. Sam Brownback's critics blame his aggressive tax-cutting policies for crises across state government. The problems include inadequate pay at state prisons and short staffing in ...

9 years ago
A series of earthquakes was felt across the Midwest Saturday morning. The U.S. Geological Survey reports a 5.1 magnitude earthquake in northwest Oklahoma that was reportedly felt across Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Nebraska, Texas, Arkansas and Iowa. Fairview police and the Major County Sheriff's Office say there are no reports of injury or damage as a result ...

9 years ago
Does a park in your neighborhood need a new playground? Has your community been waiting for the right time to put in a new picnic shelter, ball fields or a dog park? Now, with the reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act (LWCF), the time is right to make those projects happen. LWCF grants have ...

9 years ago
HOUSTON (AP) - Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. declined by 30 this week to 541. The Houston company said Friday 439 rigs sought oil and 102 explored for natural gas amid depressed energy prices. A year ago, 1,358 rigs were active. Among ...

9 years ago
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A Kansas City man convicted of federal drug and weapons charges faces considerable prison time after authorities said he also killed five people. Rashawn Long was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in federal prison without parole for illegally possessing a controlled substance and firearms. Sentencing guidelines would have called for about ...

9 years ago
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A 28-year-old man is behind bars after having second thoughts about an early morning convenience store robbery and turning himself in. The Wichita Eagle reports a man walked into a Kwik Shop in northeast Wichita around 2 a.m. Friday, indicated he had a weapon and demanded money from the cash register. Wichita Police ...

9 years ago
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A coalition of voting rights groups have sued a federal elections official who required residents of Kansas, Alabama and Georgia to provide proof of U.S. citizenship in order to register to vote using a national form. The federal lawsuit, filed late Friday, also names as defendant the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. It ...

9 years ago
The Kansas Senate has passed a bill blocking a state regulatory commission from spending money to study how to comply with new federal clean-power rules until a legal challenge is resolved. The chamber's 37-2 vote on Thursday night sends the measure to the House. The vote came just two days after a divided U.S. Supreme Court ...

9 years ago
Festival fans will be crossing the bridge into Oakdale Park just 119 days from now. Brad Anderson the Executive Director of Salina Arts and Humanities admits he keeps a running countdown in his head as he joined in on the KSAL Morning News on Friday. "A majority of the entertainment has been selected the art shows are ...