Topeka, Kansas

15 Stories

Zoo Ostrich Dies After Swiping, Swallowing Keys

'Beloved' 5-year-old Karen euthanized at Kansas' Topeka Zoo

(Newser) - Curiosity killed the cat, and it proved fatal for the ostrich. A "beloved" ostrich at a zoo in Kansas died Thursday after reaching outside her enclosure, grabbing a staff member's keys, then immediately swallowing them, NBC News reports. Karen the ostrich, dubbed the "dancing queen" at Kansas'...

Topeka Mayor, 45, Needs Pacemaker After COVID

'COVID is no joke,' says Michelle De La Isla

(Newser) - "COVID is no joke," Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla warned at a city council meeting this week. The 45-year-old mayor said she has been suffering from long-haul COVID since being infected in January and will be fitted with a pacemaker Monday because of heart damage caused by...

3 Teens Shot in Dispute Over Trump Signs

Topeka police say no arrests made yet

(Newser) - Police in Topeka, Kansas say three teenagers were shot Saturday in a dispute over Trump campaign signs allegedly stolen from a man's yard—but no arrests have been made yet. Police say the teens were shot after being confronted by the man, who believed they had stolen his signs...

Cops Apologize for 'Lighthearted' Father's Day Tweet

They asked people to turn in dad with outstanding warrants

(Newser) - The Topeka Police Department said it was a "lighthearted" Father's Day tweet—but a lot of people weren't laughing. "Does your child’s father have warrants? Is he carrying around any drugs? Has he been committing any crimes?" the Sunday morning tweet asked. "Want to...

Zookeeper Was in the Tiger Habitat. So Was the Tiger

She's in stable condition after being attacked by 7-year-old male

(Newser) - A zookeeper at the Topeka Zoo is in stable condition after finding herself on the wrong end of a tiger attack early Saturday. The unnamed woman and a 7-year-old male Sumatran tiger named Sanjiv inadvertently ended up in the outdoor tiger habitat at the same time, and zoo director Brendan...

Linda Brown Dies 64 Years After Case That Made History

Decision led to school desegregation

(Newser) - Linda Brown lived to be 75 years old, but she had secured her place in history by the time she was 9. Brown, who died in her hometown of Topeka, Kan., this week, was at the center of the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case that caused school segregation...

10 Cities With Worst Murder Clearance Rates

Just 17.5% of murders solved in Flint over a decade: 24/7 Wall St.

(Newser) - Police solved 61.5% of all reported murders in 2015—but that means 38.5% of homicides went unsolved. So where were people most likely to get away with murder? 24/7 Wall St. rounds up the metropolitan areas, using FBI crime data from 2005 to 2015. The worst 10, with...

After Students Protest, First Lady Scraps Grad Speech

She will speak at Topeka event a day earlier instead

(Newser) - High school students in Topeka, Kansas, have decided they would rather have friends and family members at their graduation ceremony than Michelle Obama. The first lady ditched plans to speak at a combined commencement ceremony for five high schools after students protested that security concerns would limit the number of...

2 Policemen Shot Dead in Topeka

Were investigating suspicious vehicle

(Newser) - Two police officers were gunned down as they investigated a suspicious vehicle report in Topeka yesterday. A gunman shot David Gogian, 50, and Jeff Atherly, 29, from the vehicle minutes after they arrived on the scene as backup for another officer, police say. "It's unspeakable, almost, about why...

Kansas Mega Winner Claims $158M Ticket

Mega Millions ticket is claimed for nearly $158M

(Newser) - A lucky Kansas resident today reaped the benefit of pure dumb luck: $157.9 million, or $110 million after taxes, the Topeka Capital-Journal reports. The anonymous Mega Millions winner buys lottery tickets "quite often," says the Kansas Lottery's executive director, but picked up only one Mega ticket...

Bombs Found Near Kansas Statehouse

Man arrested in tunnel leading to Capitol

(Newser) - Police in Topeka may have foiled an attack on government offices. Homemade bombs were found in a pickup truck near the Kansas capitol after cops spotted an empty holster in the vehicle, AP reports. The truck had a Florida license plate only issued to US military paratroopers. Its driver was...

Topeka Decriminalizes Domestic Violence

City says it can't afford prosecutions

(Newser) - Domestic abuse suspects are walking free in northeast Kansas because different arms of government can't agree on who should pay for their prosecution. Last night, Topeka's city council took the startling step of repealing the local law that makes domestic violence a crime, the New York Times reports....

Google Renames Itself Topeka
Google Renames
Itself Topeka
Apr 1, 2010 7:33 AM CDT

Google Renames Itself Topeka

Proclaims it a 'different kind of name for a different kind of company'

(Newser) - Google was so moved when Topeka, Kansas, changed its name to Google, that as of today, the company has changed its name to Topeka. “We didn’t reach this decision lightly,” writes Eric Schmidt on the official Topeka blog . “We had a fair amount of brand equity...

Greenville, SC, Joins Cities Sucking Up to Google
Greenville, SC, Joins Cities Sucking Up to Google
Topeka, watch your back
Mar 10, 2010 1:40 PM CST

Greenville, SC, Joins Cities Sucking Up to Google

Town hopes to win fiber optics experiment with 'Lucky' campaign

(Newser) - Topeka, Kansas, isn’t the only midsize city sucking up to Google in hopes of hosting its high-speed fiber optic broadband experiment. Greenville, South Carolina, is giving Topeka a run for its money with its “We’re Feeling Lucky” campaign, a play on Google’s “I’m Feeling...

Topeka Changes Name to Google

For a month, anyway; city wants to be test site for speedy Internet

(Newser) - There’s no such place as Topeka, Kansas—at least, not this month. Mayor Bill Bunten issued a proclamation temporarily changing the town’s name to “Google, Kansas—the capital city of fiber optics.” The town’s been trying to convince Google (the company) to make it a...

15 Stories
Most Read on Newser