12 years ago
Feelings are mixed in Kansas over the inclusion of former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as one of 10 finalists for Time magazine's Person of the Year award. Democratic Kansas House member Jim Ward told the Wichita Eagle it's an honor for everyone whenever someone from the state is recognized for influencing major world events. But Republican Rep. Brenda ...

12 years ago
The Kansas Cosmosphere has hired a consultant to help determine why attendance is falling at the space attraction in Hutchinson. Cosmosphere president Jim Remar says the center hired Boston-based Verner Johnson Inc. to help the museum develop a plan for its future. Venue ticket sales at the Cosmosphere have dropped 21 percent between 2007 and 2012. Attendance ...

12 years ago
A 19-year-old Kansas man has been sentenced to nearly 27 years in prison for his role in the death of a 6-month-old boy. Michael Dechant of Ogden was sentenced Monday for second-degree murder in the shaking death earlier this year of his girlfriend's son. Prosecutors say Dechant violently shook Dominick Lubrano on March 15. The baby died ...

12 years ago
A central Kansas lawyer who served several decades ago in the state Legislature as a Democrat is now considering challenging Congressman Tim Huelskamp in the Republican primary. Ellinwood attorney Kent Roth announced Monday that he's formed a committee to explore a run for the GOP nomination in the 1st Congressional District of western and central Kansas. Huelskamp ...

12 years ago
Members of the Kansas State Board of Education are considering approval of a recommendation for new tests that will determine student proficiency in math and English. The board will act Tuesday afternoon on a proposal made during the November board meeting that Kansas use student testing from the Smarter Balanced consortium. The new tests are aligned ...

12 years ago
Congress' easy renewal of an expiring ban on undetectable plastic guns belies the larger reality that major new firearms restrictions have little chance of enactment soon. Lawmakers took an easy step Monday when the Democratic-run Senate unanimously gave final congressional approval to a bill adding another decade to the prohibition against guns that can slip by ...

12 years ago
A Douglas County jury has convicted a 38-year-old woman of distributing crack cocaine out of her home, which was also the site of a Lawrence day care. The Lawrence Journal-World reports  a Douglas County jury found Tiffany C. Hubbard guilty last week of two counts of distributing cocaine, two counts of using a cellphone to distribute ...

12 years ago
The campaigns of U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts and the Kansas Republican's primary challenger are sparring publicly over ethics issues, increasing the acrimony in their already contentious race. Roberts executive campaign manager Leroy Towns filed a complaint last week with the Senate Ethics Committee against challenger Milton Wolf. Wolf hasn't yet filed a required financial disclosure form, despite ...

12 years ago
A Kansas meat-packing company has announced plans to expand its operation in south-central Kansas. The Kansas Department of Commerce said Monday that Creekstone Farms Premium Beef will expand in Arkansas City. The Arkansas City-based beef processing company has 720 employees and anticipates hiring 300 more workers during the next five years. Creekstone Farms processes Black Angus beef ...

12 years ago
Lawrence police have called off a search for a 23-year-old University of Kansas student from Peru after finding a body matching the student's description. Gianfranco Villagomez, an industrial design student from Lima, Peru, was last seen walking near 9th and Michigan streets in Lawrence about 2:30 a.m. Saturday. His girlfriend reported him missing Saturday. Police ...

12 years ago
The Drug Task Force makes two arrests after neighbors make complaints. According to Task Force Commander Lt. Jim Norton, agents used a search warrant on Friday afternoon at 562 Uppermill Heights Drive, to enter the home after multiple complaints about suspected drug activity were made by area neighbors. Police arrested Michael N. Rodenbeek, 51 and 27-year-old Sean ...