9 years ago
Kansas lawmakers have agreed to strengthen the state's lax oversight of amusement park rides after a legislator's son was killed on a waterslide last year. The state Senate approved the bill Friday on 35-2 vote. The plan now heads to the governor. Rep. Scott Schwab's 10-year-old son Caleb died last summer on a water slide at Schlitterbahn ...

9 years ago
Kansas is taking steps to give parents of critically ill or disabled children more control over medical decisions about whether those children receive care to prolong their lives. Supporters of a bill signed into law Friday by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback hope it becomes a model for other states. The new law takes effect July 1. The ...

9 years ago
First responders and bystanders in Kansas will soon be able to administer life-saving drugs that stop the effects of opioid drug overdoses. Gov. Sam Brownback signed a bill Friday allowing first responders to administer drugs like naloxone, called "opioid antagonists." The drugs stop fatal symptoms of prescription drug and heroin overdoses. The law also allows pharmacists ...

9 years ago
A Kansas jury has cleared a man of attempted-murder charges linked to a shooting nearly a year ago. The Topeka Capital-Journal  reports a Shawnee County jury acquitted 29-year-old Joshua Mathews Yasuo Valdivia on Friday, also clearing him of a weapons count. Jurors did find him guilty of interference with a law enforcement officer. Valdivia testified Thursday, denying ...

9 years ago
A judge has dismissed a Kansas murder case against a woman who was arrested last year in the killing of a teenager nearly 30 years ago. Wyandotte County prosecutors issued a statement Friday announcing the dismissal of the case against 48-year-old Carolyn Heckert of Smithville, Missouri. They didn't say why it was dismissed. Heckert had been jailed ...

9 years ago
Lawrence, Kansas, officials approved the purchase of special equipment after utility workers found a thick coat of zebra mussels in one of the city's water transmission mains. An inspection found a nearly 2-inch thick layer of mussels stretching about 2,000 feet in the main. Utility officials say if the mussels are allowed to grow unchecked, they ...

9 years ago
Officials are warning that the air quality in parts of eastern Nebraska could suffer this weekend as south winds blow in smoke from Kansas agriculture fires. Douglas County health officials have warned that residents in and around Omaha and Lincoln should monitor the Air Quality Index on Saturday and Sunday, as the air quality outside is ...

9 years ago
Hundreds of runners laced up their shoes early Saturday morning and pounded the pavement in and around Abilene. They enjoyed a mild, albeit windy day as the Dickinson County community came together to host the 15th running of the Eisenhower Marathon. The event included a men's and women's marathon, half marathon, 10K, and 5K races. There ...

9 years ago
The nationally ranked unmanned aircraft systems program on Kansas State University's Polytechnic Campus is taking its Part 107 preparation course on the road and heading south. Designed to help professionals successfully complete the Federal Aviation Administration's new remote pilot in command certification, Kansas State Polytechnic is offering a UAS commercial pilot training course in Dallas from ...

9 years ago
Three Salina schools are among 76 from around Kansas that are being recognized for achievement. According to USD 305, the Confidence in Kansas Public Education Task Force has named 76 schools in 33 Kansas public school districts, including Cottonwood Elementary, Oakdale Elementary and Central High School, as recipients of the 2016 Challenge Awards. The awards recognize Kansas ...

9 years ago
Applying for college financial aid may take more time and work now, after the U.S. Department of Education and the Internal Revenue Service recently shut down an online service that allowed families to import information from their federal income tax forms directly into the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The service, called the “Data Retrieval ...