Senator Roberts' Campaign Team Overhauled
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Republican U.S. Senator Pat Roberts' re-election campaign in Kansas is being overhauled as his race becomes an unexpected battleground in the fight for control of the Senate. Roberts confirmed yesterday (FRI) that longtime aide Leroy Towns stepped down as his executive campaign manager but will remain a consultant to the campaign. Towns was Roberts' chief of staff for more than 20 years and remained a political advisor after leaving Roberts' congressional office in 2002. Roberts also said the National Republican Senatorial Committee is sending in veteran consultant Chris LaCivita. Kansas was seen as a safe GOP state, but the three-term incumbent looked vulnerable after a tough primary fight. Before an event in Wichita, Roberts said his campaign is preparing to become more aggressive.
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Marijuana Plants Seize on Corps Property
OSKALOOSA, Kan. (AP) Authorities in northeast Kansas say a drug raid led to the seizure of 9,800 marijuana plants from Corps of Engineers property. KAIR Radio reports the FBI and a Missouri National Guard helicopter took part in this week's raid at a rural Jefferson County home east of the Corps-operated Perry Lake. The Jefferson County sheriff's office says the marijuana plants were being grown on Corps land and were being watered from the residential property. Authorities also seized items of drug paraphernalia from the home. One man was arrested at the scene on five drug-related counts. He was booked into the Jefferson County jail but posted a $10,000 cash surety bond a short time later.
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Corps Increases Water Released into MO River
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The amount of water released into the Missouri River is increasing after August runoff. Last month's runoff was the third highest in more than a century. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says boosting releases from four lower dams will prepare the reservoir system for next year's anticipated runoff and reduce flood risks. Water management chief Jody Farhat says that while the releases are higher than normal for this time of year, the water is expected to remain in the channel unless there is significant additional rain. The Corps says the excess water will extend the navigation season by 10 days, ending December 10th. The higher releases also will benefit winter hydropower generation and reduce the risks to water intakes when ice forms.