Monday, October 3, 2011

10-3-11 News

Another year has gone by and the results are in regarding campus safety. On Friday, the annual safety and crime report from the office of student life was released detailing reports of alcohol-related arrests and more.

The report says in 2010 there were approximately 363 liquor law violations on campus in residential facilities.
The report lists 25 burglaries on campus from the same year as well as six forcible sexual offenses. There were also zero recorded hate crimes on campus listed in the report.

Future crime fighters and the public are invited to two free presentations by representatives from federal law enforcement agencies at Kansas State University in October.

K-state's Criminology Club is sponsoring discussions by Brooke Burger, a U.S. Border Patrol agent based in Topeka, tomorrow and by Kristopher Lewiston, an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Topeka office, on Thursday, Oct. 20. Both presentations start at 7 p.m. in the K-state Student Union's Little Theater.

Monday, August 1, 2011

News for Monday August 1, 2011

LOCAL NEWS

-An entire floor of Hale Library will be closed for the next two weeks. Beginning today through Monday, August 15th, crews will be repairing items as well as laying new carpet. Library staff with offices on the floor will be able to reach them if they contact the help desk for the best route. For more information, you can contact 785-532-2535.

-The results are in on the Battle of the Badges for Manhattan. KMAN reports, The Riley County Police Department has come out victorious with 106 donations to the Red Cross. Riley County EMS came in second with 98, and Manhattan Fire Department had 68.

STATE NEWS

-For the ninth year in a row, a team of Fort Riley soldiers has placed in the top three at a national competition testing close-combat fighting skills.

The Fort Riley team finished second in the recent U.S. Army Combatives Championship at Fort Hood, Texas. Hundreds of soldiers took part in the event, which puts competitors through a variety of one-on-one bouts.

Two members of the Fort Riley team placed first in their weight categories. Capt. Brandon Bear won the 180-pound category, while Spc. Joseph Sundstrom won the 140-pound category.

The entire team was honored at a ceremony Friday at the 1st Infantry Division Headquarters at Fort Riley.

NATIONAL NEWS

-President Obama and congressional leaders on Sunday worked out a deal to avoid the first ever U.S. default that could have come as soon as this week.

The deal would cut trillions of dollars in government spending over the next 10 years and raise the amount of money the U.S. is legally allowed to borrow by enough to avoid another showdown on the matter before next year's presidential election. It also would create a new congressional committee to recommend a deficit-reducing proposal by Thanksgiving and would require a vote on the plan by Christmas.

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

-Transformers: Dark of the Moon's two-week head start couldn't hold off Harry Potter's record-breaking pace as the Deathly Hallows Part 2 passed $1 billion worldwide on Sunday, while Transformers still has a few days left before it arrives at that coveted milestone. Now ranking eighth on the all-time world record chart, Part 2 opens up in China this coming weekend.

SPORTS

-Rising junior Rodney McGruder has been selected to participate with the East Coast All-Stars in the Four Nations Cup held in Tallinn, Estonia starting tomorrow through next Monday.

A third team All-Big 12 selection last season, McGruder will join nine other collegiate players, as they spend seven days in the small Northern European country of Estonia, which is bordered on the east by Russia and on the west by the Baltic Sea and on the south by Latvia.

The East Coast All-Stars will be joined in the Four Nations Cup by host Estonia, along with national teams from Sweden and Georgia.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

News for Thursday July 28, 2011

LOCAL NEWS

The public is invited to attend a student poster session on campus will take place next week. The Research Experience for Undergraduates Summer Academy in Sustainable Bioenergy will host the session as the conclusion of the summer program and will feature bioenergy research.

The session will take place next Wednesday at 9:30am in the Fiedler Atrium. For more information, you can call 785-532-2029.

A Manhattan area rancher is one of 16 people named to the Governor’s new Council of Economic Advisers. KMAN reports Jan Lyons has been involved with the National Cattelman’s Beef Association and is looking forward to the challenge.

Lyons part of a family operation raising Angus Cattle in the Flint Hills of Kansas on McDowell Creek Road and at another ranch near Alta Vista. The new council will be asked to coordinate strategic planning and economic development. It also is expected to evaluate state policies and agency performance as well as conduct research on topics such as tax competitiveness and regulations.

STATE NEWS

The Kansas Highway Patrol has reopened eastbound Interstate 70 west of Topeka following a long standoff with a man barricaded inside a recreational vehicle. The 25-mile stretch was closed in both directions a little after 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Eastbound lanes were opened shortly after the man was taken into custody around 3:30 p.m. Officials expected to open westbound lines quickly. The patrol had closed the highway to protect motorists in case of gunfire. No details about the man were immediately released.

NATIONAL NEWS

Early Wednesday morning, 71-year-old Alex Trebek and his wife were sleeping in a San Francisco hotel when an intruder broke into their room, grabbing money and valuables. Trebek proceeded to chase the burglar down the hall, but was unsuccessful to catch the suspect, rupturing his Achilles tendon in the process.

The suspect, 56-year-old Lucinda Moyers was later arrested and charged with felony burglary and receiving stolen property.

SPORTS

Three former Wildcats signed free agent contracts with NFL teams yesterday. Long snapper Corey Adams agreed to terms with the Dallas Cowboys, Defensive back Stephen Harrison signed with the San Diego Chargers, and one of 2010’s top kick returners William Powell signed with the San Francisco 49ers. The NFL season begins on September 8th.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

News for Tuesday July 26, 2011

LOCAL NEWS

--Kansas State’s next Landon lecture series speaker was announced this past weekend. Former U.S. Senator Alan Simpson will speak October 26th at McCain Auditorium. The Wednesday morning event at 10:30 is free and open to the public.

Simpson speaks across the country on current events, the nation’s economic future, and role of congress in society. He’s well-known for his 1997 book “right in the Old Gazoo: a lifetime of scrapping with the Press.”

Simpson served in the Wyoming legislature for 13 years, later becoming governor and a three term U.S. Senator. After retiring from the senate in 1996 he joined Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of government, where he was a visiting lecturer and director of the Institute of Politics.

--A 50-year-old Arkansas man was arrested after a hazardous material incident in which he was involved led to a 25-mile stretch of Interstate 70 being closed until 10:30 p.m. Monday, said Junction City Police Chief Tim Brown.
Christopher Spence, 50, of Conway, Ark., allegedly called the Junction City/Geary Dispatch Center at 10:32 a.m. Monday and advised that a hazardous material had been placed in Room 123 of the Junction City Ramada Inn, 1133 S. Washington.

As of Monday night, police weren’t identifying the hazardous material.
An FBI spokeswoman said late Monday that preliminary tests found no explosive threat or suspicious content inside the truck.
This led to the reopening of the hotel at 4:30pm and I-70 six hours later.

Reports from Junction City Police say the investigation remains ongoing.

STATE NEWS

--Kansas is promoting its redesigned government website as “fresher-looking” and easier to navigate.

The home page www.kansas.gov links visitors not only to state officials and agency sites but to their social media sites and blogs.
A new mapping feature is designed to help people find state government offices, as well as colleges, parks, libraries and lakes.

NATIONAL NEWS

--Rival Democratic and Republican plans to raise the government's borrowing ability have thrust Congress into a standoff just one week away from a potentially devastating debt crisis.

While addressing the nation Monday night, President Obama says that we can’t allow the American people to become collateral damage to Washington's political warfare.
CBS News reports that with an August 2nd deadline rapidly closing, Congress and the White House have limited options to avoid a potential government default that could send the already weak economy into a damaging swoon.

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

--The results of singer Amy Winehouse’s autopsy signifies no determined cause of death. People Magazine reports that Toxicology tests will be performed and will results in a matter of two to four weeks.

SPORTS

--The Royals finished a lengthy ball game early this morning against the Boston Red Sox. After being delayed 2 hours and 21 minutes past the original start time due to rain, the two teams began playing the game at 8:30 Central Time.
After giving up a run in the second the Royals answer late in the game to force extra innings. After playing five extra sets the Royals came out victorious 3-1.
Starting Pitcher Kyle Davies continues to improve his game, throwing for seven innings giving up six hits on just one earned run and six strikeouts.
The two met again tonight at Fenway Park, first pitch at 6:10pm.

Monday, July 25, 2011

News for Monday July 25, 2011

LOCAL NEWS

Looking for an opportunity to help others? Volunteers are still needed for the Kansas State University Blood Drive. Those who volunteer will be needed from 8am to 5pm on Wednesday in the Student Union. The drive is sponsored by the American Red Cross and more information about the drive you can contact Kristi Ingalls at 785-456-9773.

Due to the Wildcat Creek flooding earlier this summer, a task force has been put together to address the issue. A total of 17 members from the city, county, and state are contributing efforts to prevent future flooding in the area. KMAN reports that the group wants to manage the area and prevent the flooding without doing serious damage to the creek and other tributaries.

The group will meet this week and present information and other visual aids that will allow them to study the affected area.

STATE NEWS

A Kansas nurse who diluted morphine-based solutions at a Halstead nursing home is expected to be in federal court for sentencing.

Deborah Riggs, of Goddard, pleaded guilty in December to one count each of consumer product tampering and adulteration of a drug. She is scheduled to be sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson.

Riggs was accused of diluting the morphine solutions intended for five patients at the Halstead Health and Rehabilitation Center. The nursing home told The Associated Press last year that no patients actually received the diluted medicine, which was taken from a seldom-used overflow area.

A near drowning led to the early closure of a public swimming pool in Hutchinson on Saturday. The Hutchinson News reported that a 2-year-old boy was found unconscious Saturday in a 3-foot-deep area at the Salt City Splash Aquatic Center.

A lifeguard and manager worked to resuscitate the boy until emergency workers arrived.
The boy ultimately regained consciousness and was taken to Promise Regional Medical Center where he was in stable condition Saturday night.

NATIONAL NEWS

The teenage outdoor education students, having progressed to the point of being on their own in the vast Alaska wilderness, were lined up single file for a river crossing when the grizzly burst with fury into the front of the line, badly mauling two in the group and injuring two more.

Hospital spokeswoman Crystal Bailey said the two mauled teens are listed in serious condition after troopers earlier said the injuries were life-threatening.

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Amy Winehouse, the beehived soul-jazz diva whose self-destructive habits overshadowed a distinctive musical talent, was found dead Saturday in her London home.
Police confirmed that the 27-year-old female was pronounced dead at her home in Camden Square northern London; the cause of death was not immediately known. London Ambulance Services said Winehouse had died before the two ambulance crews it sent arrived at the scene.

SPORTS

The Sunflower Showdown will once again be on national display this winter, as the Big 12 Conference and ESPN announced pairings for its Big Monday men's basketball telecasts on Thursday.

The Showdown, which is presented by Dillons, will be played at Bramlage Coliseum on Monday, Feb. 13, 2012 at 8 p.m. CST. It will mark the second consecutive season that the Manhattan portion of rivalry will be broadcast on ESPN's Big Monday telecast, while it will be the third year in a row that ESPN has broadcast the game to a national audience.

The Royals broke their four game winning streak yesterday, falling to the Tampa Bay Rays 5-0. Rays starting pitcher Alex Cobb threw for seven innings striking out two on six hits. The Royals left eight runners on base through the game with six of those being in scoring position. Kansas City heads to Boston tonight for four game series, first pitch at 6:10.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

News for Wednesday July 20, 2011

LOCAL NEWS

The next phase of a plan to remove a former chemical waste landfill is under way. The former chemical waste landfill North of K-State's Bill Snyder Family Stadium, is where university chemical waste was disposed of in the 1960s and 1970s.
This removal project began in January with the installation of a groundwater treatment system to collect any contaminated water and pump into the treatment system for cleaning.
University environmental officials say they will now begin the waste characterization phase. This phase will consist of opening four separate investigative trenches to better understand what is buried at the site.

Today at the Riley County Fairgrounds a couple food exhibits will take place at three o’clock. Entrants in the Open Class and 4-H Food Preservation exhibits will have their items judged at Pottorf Hall. Along with contest, the 4-H items will be sold this evening from 4pm – 7pm and will open back up tomorrow morning. For more information on the fair you can go to Riley County Fair.com.

STATE NEWS

Harper County authorities today destroyed an estimated 4,000 marijuana plans that were discovered growing near the Chikaskia River.
KWCH in Wichita says officials found the marijuana while following up on a tip from a Danville resident. Officials estimated the marijuana was worth about $4 million.

Kansas wildlife officials say they caught a flathead catfish weighing at least 80 pounds last week while measuring and weighing fish.

Craig Johnson, the lake's fisheries biologist, says the flathead was caught Friday while he and others were electro-fishing at the lake. They send jolts of electricity into the water to stun blue catfish, which are weighed and then released back into the water. The shocking boat was in water about 30 feet deep over the old Walnut River channel when the flathead floated to the surface. The fish was later released.

NATIONAL NEWS

American Airlines is buying at least 460 new planes over the next five years and splitting the order between aerospace giants Boeing and Airbus. The airline expects the new, better-mileage planes will save money on fuel and provide more enticing amenities to passengers.

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

David and Victoria Beckham's newborn daughter, Harper Seven Beckham, is already setting trends - and she's not even two weeks old.
Sales of Harper Lee's classic novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" reportedly soared after it was revealed that the Beckhams named their daughter after the author.

Britain's Daily Mail reports that sales of the book - which was first published in 1960 - went up 123 percent on the U.K.'s Amazon website after David mentioned the inspiration behind the baby girl's name.

SPORTS

Kansas State sophomore running back Bryce Brown was named to the 2011 Preseason All-Big 12 team after a vote of various media members who cover the league, the conference office announced Tuesday.

Brown is the second-straight Wildcat running back to be named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team, as Daniel Thomas was honored prior to the 2010 season. A native of Wichita, Kan., Brown sat out the 2010 season after transferring from Tennessee. In 12 games for the Volunteers in 2009, Brown rushed 101 times for 460 yards and three touchdowns. Brown will see his first game action with K-State on September 3rd.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

News for Tuesday July 19, 2011

LOCAL NEWS

Kansas State University officials say the struggling economy has not hurt gifts to the school’s foundation. The university said in a news release Monday that it received a record $107 million in contributions to the KSU Foundation in the last fiscal year. More than 44,500 alumni and others contributed during the last fiscal year.
Of the $107 million, $67 million was in cash, real estate or appreciated securities.

The other $40 million was pledges and deferred gifts, which the university will receive at a later date.
The university received four gifts of $5 million or more and nine gifts between $1 million and $5 million.


The Alpha Delta Xi sorority house has been vandalized.

KMAN reports sometime between the 25th of May and the 16th of June a unknown suspect shot out 15 windows at the sorority, and heavily damaged the front door. The suspected weapon is a BB gun.
The total dollar loss is estimated to be around 22-hundred dollars, with Riley County Police still investigating the crime.

STATE NEWS

Eleven Army medical teams are competing at Fort Riley for the
right to be called the best of the best.

The competition at the northeast Kansas post began Monday.
Teams went through a medical simulation training center where
they had to treat lifelike mannequins for combat injuries on a
realistic battlefield.
Today's events included a confidence course, with teams
navigating 10 obstacles including scaling a high wall.

A coroner said a southern Kansas man who was found dead while riding his bicycle died with heat as a factor. Dr. Lacie Gregory said 47-year-old Larry Godfrey's death will be considered a natural death. He was diabetic and was on medication, which led to cardiovascular collapse. But Gregory told The Winfield Courier that heat was a factor in Godfrey's death.

The Sumner County Sheriff's Department said Godfrey's body was found on Saturday near Oxford, lying near his bicycle.

NATIONAL NEWS

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating an air traffic controller for allegedly working while drunk at an air traffic center in Longmont, Colorado, an FAA official confirms to CBS News.

The unidentified controller, reportedly a veteran and former union rep, was allegedly six hours into his shift July 5 when a random drug and alcohol test administered onsite showed his blood alcohol level in excess of the legal limit for ATC employees on the job, which is .04, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Orr.

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

There will be no storybook ending for Borders. The 40-year-old book seller could start liquidating its 399 remaining stores as early as Friday.

The Ann Arbor, Michigan-based chain, which helped pioneer the big-box bookseller concept, is seeking court approval to liquidate after it failed to receive any bids that would keep it in business. The move adds Borders to the list of retailers that have failed to adapt to changing consumers' shopping habits and survive the economic downturn, including Circuit City Stores Inc., Blockbuster and Linens N’ Things.

SPORTS

Frank Myers Field at Tointon Family Stadium will undergo a facelift beginning this week with the installation of the AstroTurf GameDay Grass 3D60 infill system.

The new infill turf will be installed over the entire field, replacing not only the artificial infield and warning track areas that were constructed in 2006, but the natural grass outfield and bullpen areas, as well. The field art will have a Powercat behind home plate with a large “KS” featured in center field.

The Royals dropped the first of their three game home series with the White Sox last night, 5-2. Starter Kyle Davies pitched an slightly improved performance giving only two earned runs and sitting down nine batters. The two go at it again tonight at 7:10pm.