TEXT "NEWS" TO 49330 FOR THE LATEST NEWS HEADLINES

580 WIBW NEWS Headlines





There will be more people traveling this Labor Day weekend that last year--quite a few more, according to AAA Kansas spokesperson Jim Hanni.Hanni says over 31 million Americans are expected to drive to holiday destinations. Another 1-point-62 million people will be flying to Labor Day destinations......that's an increase of more than four-and-a-half percent over last year. AAA says decent gas prices and a slowly improving economy are contributing to the travel increase.Turnpike officials are urging Wildcat and Jayhawk fans to allow plenty of extra time to get to and from the games, and to be alert for slow-moving or even stopped traffic at times. The kickoff in Manhattan will be at 2:30 and then at 6 tomorrow evening in Lawrence, which will cause heavy mid-morning westbound traffic and heavy traffic in both directions in the afternoon.

A Topeka woman is fortunate not to have sustained any more serious injuries that what she got after ramming her car into a semi on Highway 75 near 86 th street last night. Sheriffs deputies and the highway patrol say the woman..identified as 27 year old Christine Pish plowed into the backmof thwe semi as it was pulling onto highway 75 and picking up speed. Pish had to be extracated from the car shortly before ten last night..She was taken to a local hospoital with non life threatening injuries.


A former psychiatrist has been sentenced to three years probation for unlawfully prescribing drugs. Ethan Bickelhaupt, who now lives in Chicago, worked at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Topeka before his arrest in 2007. Prosecutors say he wrote prescriptions for people who weren't patients, who gave the drugs back to him for his own use.

A ruling by a federal judge in Nebraska has cleared the way for members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka to continue trampling on the U.S. flag during its protests. U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf overturned Nebraska's law banning flag descrecation yesterday, but it was unclear if his ruling applied only to the Westboro church, or to everyone in Nebraska.

The newest state park in Kansas officially opens tomorrow in Topeka. The Kaw River State Park is on the former Menninger clinic grounds in west Topeka. The opening ceremonies will include a ``Race for the Kaw,'' a four-mile run and two-mile walk.Wildlife and Parks Secretary Mike Hayden says the trails are scenic and challenging.
The Kaw River State Park consists of 76 acres of land on the south bank of the Kansas River. The area is mostly forest overlooking the river and is adjacent to Cedar Crest, the governor's mansion. The new park will include a variety of trails for walkers and bikers as well as a canoe ramp for access to the Kansas River.





Crime Stoppers "Crime of the Week."