11 years ago
Kansas legislators are expected to reopen debate of the state's "Hard 50" prison-sentence law with a proposal to make it the default punishment for premeditated first-degree murder. Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce is writing a bill to make the change. The current default is life without parole for at least 25 years for such crimes, though prosecutors ...

11 years ago
Lawrence police have arrested a suspect in a fatal Christmas morning stabbing that followed a domestic disturbance. Officers were called to an apartment around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday and found a victim with critical injuries. Police say lifesaving measures were unsuccessful. The Lawrence Journal-World reports  a 27-year-old woman was arrested at the scene and booked into the Douglas ...

11 years ago
Authorities in Topeka say a sprinkler malfunction at the Statehouse caused an estimated $100,000 in damage. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports  firefighters were called to the Statehouse at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Fire Department Battalion Chief Ron Hufford says damage to the sprinkler system caused heavy leaking from pipes near a ground-floor entryway on the building's north side. Firefighters spent ...

11 years ago
The Cargill beef packing plant in Dodge City is expected to resume full production by the end of the week following a fire in the kill floor area. No injuries were reported in the fire Monday night, but 1,000 employees were evacuated and firefighters took several hours to put out all the hotspots. KAKE-TV reports operations were ...

11 years ago
It's about to cost close to 50 cents to mail a letter. Regulators have approved a temporary price hike of 3 cents for a first-class stamp, bringing the cost of mailing a letter to 49 cents, beginning Jan. 26. The Postal Service hopes the higher rate will help it recoup about $2.8 billion in losses. The price hike ...

11 years ago
Pope Francis is wishing for a better world, with peace for the land of Jesus' birth, for Syria and Africa, as well as for the dignity of migrants and refugees fleeing misery and conflict. In his Christmas message today, the pope spoke from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica to tens of thousands of people ...

11 years ago
A northeast Kansas sheriff says a man has drowned at Milford Lake after his boat capsized while duck hunting. Geary County Sheriff Tony Wolf declined to identify the man who drowned Tuesday other than to say he was a member of the military. KJCK reports a second man on the boat was able to make it safely ...

11 years ago
Faculty members at Kansas State University want the Kansas Board of Regents to repeal a social media policy devised after criticism about a Kansas journalism professor's anti-NRA tweet. The regents approved the policy last week allowing university officials to fire faculty and staff who post social media messages that conflict with the institution's best interests and ...

11 years ago
The former director of a northeast Kansas animal shelter has pleaded not guilty to stealing $40,000 from the shelter where she worked for seven years. Lisa Junghans entered her plea Monday in Geary County District Court. Her attorney sqys that the state will have a hard time proving she did anything wrong. Junghans began working at the ...

11 years ago
Infant twins have died in a house fire in south-central Kansas. Police in Pratt say the infants died Monday afternoon in the fire at their home. Emergency crews called to the home found the twin's mother outside covered in smoke and soot. She's been hospitalized with fire-related injuries. Pratt police say the two babies were pronounced dead ...

11 years ago
Roads around Kansas are filling with holiday travelers. According to AAA Kansas, 94.5 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the year-end holiday season, an increase of 0.6 percent from the 94 million people who traveled last year. Nearly 30 percent (29.7) of all Americans will take a trip this holiday, with ...