12 years ago
The Kansas Republican Party has stepped into a dispute over whether U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts is eligible to run for re-election and suggested to a state board that it probably doesn't have the authority to settle the issue. Three-term incumbent Roberts faces a claim that he's not truly a Kansas resident and should be barred from ...

12 years ago
Westar Energy is seeking a rate increase that's expected to cost most residential customers an average of about 25 cents more a month. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports  the utility has filed documents with the Kansas Corporation Commission requesting a rate increase of less than 1 cent per kilowatt hour. The company says the increase is intended ...

12 years ago
Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts' re-election campaign is questioning the professional ethics of his tea party foe in the state's Republican primary. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Roberts spokesman Leroy Towns attacked challenger Milton Wolf over Physician's Own. The now-defunct company registered in Texas sold herb, vitamin and mineral supplements. Records available online from the Texas secretary of ...

12 years ago
A box truck and an SUV were involved in a wreck on Interstate 70 Friday afternoon at 12:36 just west of Russell where both vehicles ended up on their sides. Eastbound I-70 between mile markers 180, the Balta exit, and 184, the Russell exit, was closed for about an hour and a half due to the ...

12 years ago
The government's first forecast of season anticipates the smallest winter wheat crop in Kansas since 1996. The National Agricultural Statistics Service estimated production this year at 260.4 million bushels, based on May 1 crop conditions. The report was done before this week's searing temperatures descended on the already drought-stressed crop. The production estimate is down 18 percent ...

12 years ago
Dodge City and Ford County commissions are officially supporting a proposed merger of Dodge City Community College and Fort Hays State University. The commissions approved resolutions this week at separate meetings saying they support the merger. The resolutions of support were not necessary for the merger to proceed. But the commissions were urged to pass ...

12 years ago
The Salina Farmers’ Market opens for the season this weekend. The market opens Saturday for its 16th season. This year There will be 11 full-time vendors offering everything from locally raised meats and garden produce to cheese, honey, fresh-roasted coffee beans, soaps, jams and jellies, baked goods and cut flowers. Not all of the vendors are ...

12 years ago
Kansas is ending a ban on non-residents circulating election petitions that hasn't been enforced for almost four years because a federal judge declared it unconstitutional. Gov. Sam Brownback signed a bill Thursday repealing the requirement that petition circulators be Kansas residents. The change takes effect next week. Members of political organizations can circulate petitions to gain party ...

12 years ago
Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole resumes his Kansas tour next week with stops including Salina, Wichita, Manhattan, and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene. It's the second leg of a planned series of visits by the 90-year-old Russell native to his home state this year. Dole has said he's making the trips ...

12 years ago
The owner of Asian massage parlors in Wichita has admitted his role in a sex trafficking case unfolding in Kansas. Gary Kidgell, of Waltham  Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to new charges of obstruction and harboring an immigrant living illegally in the United States. Prosecutors agreed in exchange to drop sex trafficking charges against ...

12 years ago
Starting in July, Kansas will punish security fraud more severely if it's committed against the elderly. Gov. Sam Brownback signed a bill Thursday to increase the penalties for securities fraud if the victim is 60 or older. Legislators approved the measure last week by unanimous votes in both chambers. The new law increases penalties across the board ...