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UPDATE: KS Governor Moves to Shrink Waiting List for In-Home ServicesTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Governor Sam Brownback says the state will move more quickly than expected to shrink waiting lists for disabled residents who are seeking in-home services. Brownback announced Wednesday that his administration is immediately releasing funds set aside by lawmakers earlier this year to address the waiting lists. Those funds will total $37 million over the next two years. Advocates for the disabled had worried that the administration would wait until early next year. Brownback acknowledged that it initially was a possibility because of how the state budget had been written. He said 650 of the 5,000 disabled Kansans on waiting lists will receive services. The extra funds come from savings from an overhaul of the state's Medicaid program, which covers health care for the needy and disabled.============Audit Finds Commerce Department Mishandled Economic ProgramTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A state audit says that the Kansas Department of Commerce mishandled an economic development program and violated state law by extending tax breaks above a statutory cap. Auditors said Wednesday that the commerce department authorized $7.5 million in incentives through the Promoting Employment Across Kansas, or PEAK, program in the current fiscal year. State law caps those incentives at $6 million annually. Republicans on the Legislative Post Audit Committee defended the handling of the program, saying it was being used to develop jobs. The Legislative Post Audit also said it was difficult to assess the benefits of PEAK because the commerce department has not compiled meaningful information on the program. Commerce department officials said they believed the cap was a cumulative amount that increased by $6 million each year.============Recent Kansas Law Eyed to Help Control Prison Population GrowthTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Corrections Secretary Ray Roberts says recent changes in post-release supervision of convicted offenders should help control growth in the state's prison population before more beds are needed. Roberts said Wednesday the changes could result in 100 fewer people being returned to prison in each of the next two years for technical violations. He also said the savings would be reinvested in programs to treat substance abuse and mental health problems among prison inmates. As of Wednesday, Roberts said, the state's male prison population was 8,877, or 78 over capacity. The female population was 761, or 34 below capacity. The Kansas Sentencing Commission is expected to issue new forecasts for prison populations in the coming weeks.============New KS Court of Appeals Judge to Take Seat in JanuaryTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Budget constraints and the need to remodel office space will keep newly confirmed Kansas Court of Appeals appointee Caleb Stegall from taking his seat until January. Chief Judge Thomas Malone announced Wednesday that Stegall will be sworn in January 3. Stegall is Governor Sam Brownback's chief counsel. Stegall is filling a new, 14th seat on the Court of Appeals. When lawmakers finished their regular, annual session in June, and they and court officials didn't anticipate the new judge's confirmation by the Senate until January. The Legislature had a special session earlier this month to rewrite a criminal sentencing law, and senators took up Stegall's nomination then. Spokesman Ron Keefover said the judicial branch also must remodel several small, vacant offices into a judge's suite.============Westar Energy Will Have New Controller in NovemberTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The largest electric company in Kansas will have a new executive overseeing its accounting operations in November. Westar Energy announced Tuesday the promotion of assistant controller Kevin Kongs to controller and vice president, effective November 8. The decision was made by the company's board of directors. Kongs will replace Lee Wages, who has been Westar's controller since 1999. Wages is retiring after working at Westar for 36 years. Kongs has been assistant controller since 2006. In 2012 and 2013, he was project co-leader for an upgrade of the company's accounting computer systems. Westar has nearly 700,000 customers.============State of KS Announces Plan to Clean Up Topeka SiteTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The state's environmental regulatory agency is seeking public comment on a $2.3 million plan to clean up an industrial site in Topeka that is contaminated with chemicals dumped decades ago. Investigators say the site was polluted by Reid Chemical Company, which dumped volatile organic compounds that polluted the land and groundwater from the 1940s to 1960s. The cleanup is the responsibility of the site's current user, Contech Engineering Solutions and AK Steel Corporation, formerly known as Armco. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that 1,529 tons of soil were removed from the site in 2008. The state's plan calls for maintaining a three-year-old network of vapor extraction devices that draw out residual chemicals through more than 30 wells. The plan also includes injecting carbon substrate through wells to accelerate the degradation of pollutants.============Fort Riley Soldier Sentenced to Life in Prison for MurderMANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A Fort Riley private has been convicted in the stabbing death of another soldier and sentenced to life in prison without parole. A court martial panel at Fort Riley sentenced Private John Hughes Tuesday for the death of 21-year-old Private Thomas Lavrey, of West Seneca, New York. Lavrey was found unresponsive in his barracks room at the fort in May 2012. Hughes also will be dishonorably discharged, will forfeit all pay and allowances, and have his rank reduced. Hughes was convicted of murder, resisting arrest, false official statements, larceny, wrongful appropriation and going AWOL. KMAN reports that authorities said Hughes stabbed Lavrey in the back of the neck, stole a military vehicle and resisted arrest. Hughes will be confined in the U. S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth.============UPDATE: Hacking Suspect Pleads Guilty in Koch CyberattackWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wisconsin trucker who joined a cyberattack on Wichita-based Koch Industries has admitted his role in the onslaught that took the company's website offline for about 15 minutes. Thirty-seven-year-old Eric Rosol, of Black Creek, Wisconsin pleaded guilty Wednesday to one misdemeanor count of accessing a protected computer. The parties have agreed that the direct loss from the attack staged by the computer hacking group Anonymous is less than $5,000. Koch contends it spent $183,000 for a consulting group when it learned of the planned attack. It will be up to a federal judge to decide at the December 2 sentencing how much in restitution Rosol must pay. Defense attorney Kurt Kerns says they're thankful to resolve the case through a misdemeanor that will allow Rosol to move on with his life.============Westar Alleges Theft of $8K Worth of ElectricityWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities are investigating a report that a Sedgwick County resident stole as much as $8,000 worth of electricity over nearly seven years. KAKE-TV reports that Westar Energy reported the theft to the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office. Deputies went to the address where the alleged theft occurred. They found that a hole had been drilled in the meter, and a wire had been inserted to keep it from running. Investigators believe the alteration was made in November 2006. No arrests have been made so far.============Kansas Book Festival Attracts 2,000 to StatehouseTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas first lady Mary Brownback has recognized 25 books and their authors as part of the Kansas Book Festival at the Statehouse in Topeka. Among those honored Saturday were former Kansas Bureau of Investigation Director Larry Welch and his book, "Beyond Cold Blood: The KBI from Ma Barker to BTK." Other works that were honored examined the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s in Kansas, family farms and the history of Manhattan from 1854 to 1894. More than 2,000 people visited the Statehouse to participate in the festival, an annual event hosted by Brownback, wife of Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. The festival is a charitable organization established through the Topeka Community Foundation. The festival awards grants to public and school libraries to help purchase books, technology and support reading programs.============Miss Kansas Shows Off Tattoos at Miss America PageantATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Miss Kansas Theresa Vail says she wants to break the stereotype that women with visible tattoos don't compete in pageants. So during the swimsuit portion of the Miss America competition on Tuesday, Vail revealed two tattoos — the Serenity Prayer on her right side and the insignia of the U.S. Army Dental Corps on her left shoulder. Vail is a 22-year-old senior at Kansas State University. She's also a member of the Army National Guard who wants to become a military dentist. Her platform is helping women overcome stereotypes and break barriers. Given her platform, she wrote on her blog last month: "What a hypocrite I would be if I covered the ink." The Miss America pageant has returned to Atlantic City, New Jersey after a six-year absence. The finale will take place on Sunday night.============KU Endowment Has Record Year of DonationsLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas Endowment had another record-setting year in fiscal year 2013. The endowment announced Tuesday it received $174.2 million for the year, an 11 percent increase over last fiscal year's total of $156.5 million. It was the sixth fiscal year the endowment broke the record from the previous year's fundraising The funds pay for scholarships, professorships, facilities, research and other programs at The University of Kansas and the University of Kansas Hospital. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that most of the donations were earmarked for specific purposes, with just $2.6 million given as unrestricted funds. The fundraising year helped the endowment get closer to a goal of raising $1.2 billion by 2016. So far, the endowment has raised $923 million toward that goal.============Sedgwick County Approves Expansion of ZooWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Sedgwick County Zoo will get about $31 million from the county over the next five years, giving zoo supporters a boost in efforts to expand the elephant exhibit. The Sedgwick County Commission voted Wednesday to spend $30 million over the next five years at the zoo, with nearly all the money going to staff and maintenance costs. The increased financial support will allow the zoological society to begin raising $10 million to $12 million for an expanded elephant exhibit. The zoo has two elephants and needs at least one more to meet new requirements for accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Zoo officials delayed starting the capital campaign without a commitment from the county to maintain current and future exhibits and address delayed maintenance needs.============Wichita Council Begins Settlements Linked to StandoffWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Wichita City Council has approved the first settlement in at least a dozen claims filed by tenants of an apartment complex damaged in a police standoff in July. The council on Tuesday approved a $20,000 settlement to Alyssa Cooper and Derrick Jochum. They lived together in one of the apartments damaged in the July 11 standoff with 24-year-old Jared Woosypiti, who was killed in a gunfight with police. The city faces at least a dozen claims for a total of more than $100,000 for damages caused by police during the 32-hour standoff. Officers fired tear gas, detonated explosive devices and shot water into the apartments. Six apartments were damaged. The city pays such claims out of its self-insurance fund.============Wichita Opera to Bring Shows to Kansas CasinoWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — How about a night at the opera, followed by gambling at a casino? That unusual pairing of art and entertainment options will be available soon in the Wichita area, thanks to a partnership between the Wichita Grand Opera and the Kansas Star Arena. Parvan Bakardiev, the opera's general director, said the opera plans to put on full-scale operas and bring popular acts to the arena, operated by the casino near Mulvane. The first act booked by the partnership will be Celtic Woman, an Irish musical ensemble. They'll perform on December 13, accompanied by the Wichita Grand Opera Orchestra. The Wichita Eagle reports that the arena can seat up to 6,000 people, compared with the 2,200-seat Century II Concert Hall where the opera usually performs.============UPDATE: Massage Parlor Employee to Remain in Custody Until TrialWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita massage parlor employee accused in a sex trafficking scheme will remain in federal custody pending trial. Forty-two-year-old Xiuqing Tian of Framingham, Massachusetts waived her right Wednesday to a detention hearing. Her defense attorney Kari Schmidt told the court her client has been unable to find a local residence. She agreed with the prosecution's recommendation that she remain jailed at this time. U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Humphreys entered a not guilty plea at the brief arraignment. Tian is accused of conspiring with Gary H. Kidgell and his wife, Yan Zhang, to recruit women from around the country to come to Wichita to work at Asian massage parlors, then coercing them into prostitution. Their trial is set for October.============UMKC, Kansas City to Renovate Municipal AuditoriumKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The University of Missouri-Kansas City is partnering with city officials on a $5 million renovation of Municipal Auditorium, the home of the Kangaroos' men's basketball team. The Art Deco-style downtown arena, which opened in 1935, will get new video boards, an LED scorer's table, updated sound system, improved lighting and new seating in the lower level. The arena hosted three of the first NCAA men's basketball Final Fours and is still a busy place. Along with UMKC games, it serves as home to the Mid-America Intercollegiate Association basketball tournament and the NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament. The upgrades were announced Wednesday. Negotiations are ongoing for additional renovations to the building.============MO Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Sex Slave CaseKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A southwest Missouri man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for keeping a young woman as a sex slave for six years. Forty-six-year-old Edward Bagley was sentenced Wednesday after a federal court judge in Kansas City accepted a plea agreement. He pleaded guilty in January to one count of using an interstate facility to entice a minor into illegal sexual contact. Bagley, of Lebanon, Missouri, originally faced 11 federal charges. He was accused of enticing an underage girl to be his sex slave, torturing and mutilating her, and allowing others to view the torture sessions. Bagley and his wife, Marilyn, said the woman voluntarily engaged in bondage and sadomasochism after she turned 18. Marilyn Bagley and four other men are also scheduled to be sentenced this week.============Atchison to Honor Unusual BricklayerWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The city of Atchison will honor a deaf, double amputee who became a famous bricklayer before his death more than six decades ago. On Thursday, the northeast Kansas town will unveil a statute honoring William Boular. He once was featured in "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" and was credited with installing 48,000 paving bricks in one day. Boular lost his hearing and ability to speak from spinal meningitis at age 4. When he was 10, he was hit by a train, severing both his legs. The Wichita Eagle reports that he got around on boots that allowed him to walk on his knees. Boular was a bricklayer, foundry worker and beekeeper. Many of the bricks he laid on Atchison's streets are still intact.============Cowboys, Chiefs Renewing Rivalry at Arrowhead KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — One of the first things Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did when he awoke Wednesday was to take a good look at the little wooden trophy topped by an odd street sign sitting among the many awards and memorabilia in his Dallas-area home. It's called the "Preston Road Trophy," dreamed up by his longtime friend and the late Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, and named after the street on which they once lived just 300 yards apart. Ever since the late-1990s, the trophy has been presented to the winning side on the rare occasions that Dallas plays Kansas City. Jones has had the trophy since 2005. Hunt's son, current Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt, called it "the smallest and ugliest trophy in sports," and it's one he wants badly to win on Sunday.

UPDATE: Kansas Senate Panel Endorses Appeals Court NomineeTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas Senate committee has approved Governor Sam Brownback's nomination of his chief counsel for an open seat on the state Court of Appeals. The Judiciary Committee's voice vote sends the nomination of Caleb Stegall to the full Senate. The chamber is expected to debate and vote on the appointment Wednesday. Republicans dominate the committee and the full Senate, so the GOP governor's nomination of Stegall has not been expected to meet with much opposition. But he faced questions about comments in 2005 in an online magazine he edited that encouraged "forcible resistance" to court orders in order to save the life of a brain-damaged Florida woman. Stegall said during a Judiciary Committee hearing that the comments in The New Pantagruel about the Terri Schiavo case were an endorsement of civil disobedience.===============UPDATE: Kansas House Passes Rewrite of 'Hard 50' Law TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas House has approved changes to a state law that automatically imposes a 50-year sentence on some convicted murderers, a move sparked by a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down a similar law in Virginia. Tuesday's 122-0 vote came on the first day of a special session called by Governor Sam Brownback to fix the state's so-called Hard 50 law. The legislation — which puts the sentencing process in the hands of juries — now goes to the Senate, which is expected to approve it Wednesday. Kansas adopted the Hard 50 sentence in 1990, after the Legislature rejected the death penalty but sought to ensure long prison terms for certain murders.===============Kansas Legislature Opens Special SessionTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators have opened their special session to address a proposed change to the state's "Hard 50" prison sentence in response to a June U.S. Supreme Court ruling. The House and Senate leaders banged the gavel Tuesday shortly after 8 am to read the resolution by Republican Governor Sam Brownback formally calling the special session. ===============Groups Seek Repeal of KS Election LawTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Critics of a Kansas law requiring new voters to provide proof of their U.S. citizenship when registering are pushing legislators to repeal it during their special session. About 100 people came on Tuesday to the Statehouse to protest the law, which took effect in January. More than 15,000 legal residents have their voter registrations on hold because they haven't provided proof of their citizenship. The Reverend Ben Scott, former president of the state's NAACP chapter, said the law is an example of misplaced priorities. Secretary of State Kris Kobach contends the law prevents election fraud. Lawmakers were returning Tuesday to Topeka to repair a law allowing convicted murderers to be sentenced to at least 50 years in prison, and their leaders had no plans to take up other topics.===============Search Continues for Man in Kansas Deputy's ShootingWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Butler County Sheriff Kelly Herzet says he believes a man suspected of shooting and wounding of one of his deputies might be headed to Liberal, where he has several friends. Herzet says officers searching for 41-year-old Jan Kilbourne on Tuesday are pursuing tips about Kilbourne's location. The sheriff told KWCH Tuesday morning that his department currently is concentrating on contacting Kilbourne's family and friends. Kilbourne is suspected in an early Monday morning shooting that occurred after a deputy pulled over a car carrying three people on U.S. Highway 54, about 16 miles east of Wichita. The deputy was shot in the shoulder but was able to return fire. Kilbourne then fled. The Wichita Eagle reported the deputy was treated and released from a hospital. His name hasn't been released.===============2 Kansas Listeria Outbreak Victims Sue over Tainted FruitWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The families of two Sedgwick County victims of a 2011 listeria outbreak are suing companies involved in getting tainted cantaloupe to market from a Colorado farm. The Wichita Eagle reportsthat the families of a 59-year-old Wichita man who died of the disease in September 2011 and a Haysville woman who still suffers from the illness filed lawsuits last month. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the listeriosis outbreak that killed 33 people in 28 states lasted from August to October 2011 was traced to Jensen Farms of Holly, Colorado. Both suits charge negligence against a Texas company that sold the cantaloupe, a California company involved in auditing the farm, and the respective grocery stores where the victims purchased the fruit.===============Kansas Lawyer Faces Hearing over TweetsTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former Kansas Court of Appeals research attorney faces a disciplinary hearing for derogatory comments she tweeted during the same kind of hearing last year for former state Attorney General Phill Kline. WIBW-AM reports that the hearing for Sarah Peterson Herr was scheduled Tuesday for December 20. Herr posted the comments last November 15 while Kline was appearing before the Kansas Supreme Court in a disciplinary hearing. The court was considering whether to suspend Kline's law license for his conduct during investigations of abortion providers while he was attorney general and Johnson County district attorney. Herr apologized and was fired a few days later. She had worked since 2010 for a Court of Appeals judge and was promoted the following year to research attorney.===============Jet Fuel Taken from Salina Fuel BusinessSALINA, Kan. (AP) — Salina police are investigating the theft of more than $1,000 in jet fuel from a fuel business. Police Lieutenant Scott Siemsen says 144 gallons of fuel were stolen from two trucks at Flower Aviation between June 20 and August 14. The Salina Journal saysthe business reported the theft Friday. Siemsen says the fuel costs $7 a gallon; leaving a loss of $1,008.===============Kansas Church Member Files Amended Nebraska LawsuitOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A member of a Kansas anti-gay church has filed an amended complaint in federal court adding more than a half dozen examples of how the church says a Nebraska funeral picketing law is discriminatory. The amended lawsuit, filed Monday in Lincoln, Nebraska's U.S. District Court, challenges a 2011 Nebraska law that requires protesters to stand 500 feet away from a funeral service. The amended complaint includes seven new examples in which Shirley Phelps-Roper says church members were kept up to 1,000 feet from funeral services, while counter protesters were allowed immediately outside services. The Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church protests at funerals around the country, contending that U.S. soldiers and others are being struck down by God for defending a nation that tolerates homosexuality.===============2 Kansas Men Sentenced for Social Security FraudWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — One Kansas man has been sentenced to prison and a second has received three years' probation in separate cases of Social Security fraud. The U.S. Attorney's office says 54-year-old L.T. Baker, of Wichita, and 40-year-old Paul David Lieder, of Hillsboro, were both sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Wichita. Both had pleaded guilty to lying to the Social Security Administration to improperly receive disability payments. Besides receiving a one-year prison sentence, Baker was also ordered to repay the more than $66,000 he received in disability benefits. Baker admitted using a slightly altered Social Security number to claim he was disabled despite being gainfully employed since 2000. Lieder must repay $24,000 he received in disability benefits by using his father's Social Security number to hide the fact that he was working.===============Longtime Wichita Teacher Killed in MO Crash WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita educators and students are mourning the death of a longtime middle school social studies who was killed in a car crash in southwest Missouri Beth Adamson died Monday in an accident about 10 miles north of Joplin, Missouri, after her husband failed to stop at a stop sign and was broadsided by a pickup truck on Missouri 43. The 50-year-old Adamson had worked for the Wichita School District for 25 years, most of that time as a fourth-grade teacher at Mueller Elementary School. Last year, she became a social studies teacher at the Wichita district's Mead Middle School. The district's crisis team was at her school Tuesday morning to help students and Adamson's colleagues cope with her death. Her husband, John Adamson, sustained minor injuries while the driver of the pickup truck, 63-year-old Gary Colson of Joplin, suffered serious injuries.===============Talk Planned on Excavated Indian Village in KansasSALINA, Kan. (AP) — A presentation on a recently-excavated Kanza Indian village near Wichita is planned this week. Tricia Waggoner, the Kansas State Historical Society's highway archaeologist, will discuss the history of the Fool Chief's Village from 1830 to 1844. The site near Topeka had to be excavated because of a pending road project. The Wichita Eagle reports that the free lecture begins at 5:30 pm Thursday at the Smoky Hill Museum in Salina. In the early 1800s, the Kanza claimed a territory that covered roughly two-fifths of what is now Kansas. But as European settlements claimed more and more land around Council Grove in the mid-19th century, the Kaw Nation was forced into what is now Oklahoma.===============Survey: Midwest, Plains Economy Growth Likely to ContinueOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new survey of business leaders suggests the economy will continue growing in nine Midwest and Plains states through the rest of 2013 but at a slower pace than earlier this year. The survey's overall economic index rose to 53.8 in August from July's 53.5. Any score above 50 suggests growth, but Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says he expects the growth rate to be about half the rate the region recorded in the first quarter. The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth, while a score below that suggests decline. The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.===============Author James Patterson Funds ESU ScholarshipEMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — Bestselling author James Patterson has given $48,000 to pay for scholarships for Emporia State University teaching students. Patterson has funded similar scholarships at several other universities, including Vanderbilt. Patterson said in a news release that his passion is to "get more and more kids excited about reading" and that training teachers is "essential to that mission." Patterson's books include the Alex Cross and Woman's Murder Club series for adults and Maximum Ride, Witch & Wizard and Middle School series for young adults. At Emporia State, eight students will receive $6,000 each. The recipients are Michelle Berg of Wichita, Samantha Buchanan of Grantville, Leanne Feathers of Wamego, Jennifer Gottstein of Lawrence, Joseph Hamer of Wichita, Sarah Johnson of Wichita, Travisray Salyers of Eudora and JaShawn Wallace of Kansas City, Kansas.===============KU's Spencer Art Museum to Display Turrell InstallationLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas is planning an exhibit by James Turrell, who's a sensation in the art world this year. New York City's Guggenheim museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston are all featuring installations of Turrell's work this year. On September 15, the Spencer Museum will open its own Turrell exhibit in the museum's Central Court. Called "James Turrell: Gard Blue," the work is a projection of blue light in an enclosed space that appears in a room constructed specifically for the artwork. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that holograms created more recently by Turrell will surround the main work. The Spencer's exhibit is free and will remain on view through May 18, 2014.===============Garden City Airport's Use Numbers Flying HighGARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) — Boarding numbers at Garden City Regional Airport continue to run high, about 1½ years after the airport began offering flights to Dallas/Fort Worth. Airport boardings began to improve soon after American Eagle began offering two daily flights to Dallas/Fort Worth in April 2012. In the first year, the airport recorded 18,000 boardings, compared with 11,690 in all of 2011. The Garden City Telegram reports that in the first seven months of 2013, the airport has recorded 13,726 passengers. Aviation director Rachelle Powell is estimating the airport will have about 23,000 boardings this year. Before the change to American Eagle, Great Lakes Aviation offered flights to Denver out of Garden City.===============Nebraska Lawmaker Expects More Republican River LawsuitsLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska lawmaker says he fears more lawsuits will be filed if the state tries to limit groundwater irrigation near the Republican River. The state has cited drought conditions in requiring extra conservation measures by irrigation districts using surface water and natural resources districts that manage groundwater supplies. Nebraska State Senator Mark Christensen, of Imperial, told the Lincoln Journal Star that more lawsuits "appear pretty likely" if the state limits groundwater irrigation. The state already has been sued by Kansas over use of the Republican River. A 1943 agreement allocates 49 percent of the water to Nebraska, 40 percent to Kansas and 11 percent to Colorado. Another lawsuit filed by two groups of irrigators is challenging a plan to pump groundwater into the river to comply with the compact.===============Parents, Organ Recipients Form Uncommon FriendshipWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Two women who say they owe their lives to a 17-year-old boy who was killed in an ATV accident 14 years ago spent part of the weekend sharing stories with the teen's mother about the impact his death had on their lives. The Wichita Eagle reports that Bryan Owens was left brain dead on September 6, 1999, after he jumped a small ditch with his four-wheeler and landed wrong. His parents chose to donate his kidneys, liver, pancreas and corneas. On Saturday, Kay Pope and Trish Pooley met with Bryan's mother, Kay Owens, in what a spokeswoman for the Midwest Transplant Network called an uncommon gathering. Pope says she wouldn't be alive without Bryan's liver, and Pooley says she was given new life when his kidney was a match for her.=============== Critic Named to Eisenhower Memorial PanelWASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is appointing a known critic of the planned Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial design to serve on the federal commission that oversees the project. The White House announced plans to appoint former National Endowment for the Humanities chairman Bruce Cole last month, but it drew little attention while Congress was in recess. Cole served under President George W. Bush. Cole has published at least two articles in the past 13 months criticizing architect Frank Gehry's memorial design. He wrote that it would be a "monumental farce" and that the design is "a cross between an amusement park and a golf course." Gehry proposed a memorial park with statues and metal tapestries. This is President Obama's first appointment to the commission.===============UPDATE: Kansas Court Nominee Defends Comments on SchiavoTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Sam Brownback's nominee for the Kansas Court of Appeals is facing questions about comments in 2005 in an online magazine he edited that encouraged "forcible resistance" to save the life of a brain-damaged Florida woman. Caleb Stegall said during a state Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday that the comments in The New Pantagruel were an endorsement of civil disobedience. But Stegall said he wasn't acting even as an attorney when the comments appeared in an online editorial. In 2005, the courts had ordered the removal of life support for Terri Schiavo, who was at the center of a national debate over the right to die. The 41-year-old Stegall is Brownback's chief counsel. The full Senate expects to vote on his judicial appointment on Wednesday.**this story has been updated. Please see above. ===============Kansas House Takes Up Rewrite of 'Hard 50' LawTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas House members have introduced the bill that would change the state's "Hard 50" criminal sentencing law. The House Judiciary Committee met briefly Tuesday morning when lawmakers returned to the Statehouse for a special session. A full committee hearing was scheduled later in the morning. A vote by the full chamber is expected by evening. The current law allows convicted murderers to be sentenced to at least 50 years in prison. A U.S. Supreme Court decision in June raised questions about its constitutionality. The high court said juries must determine whether a mandatory minimum sentence is warranted in criminal cases. The Kansas law lets judges make that determination but the bill would give the task to juries. The Senate hopes to consider the measure Wednesday. It has bipartisan support. **this story has been updated. Please see above.

MO Man Charged in 4-City Water ThreatKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 69-year-old Kansas City man has been charged with trying to extort $10,000 from the FBI in exchange for helping avert a purported plot to contaminate four public water supplies in Kansas and Missouri. U.S. Attorney Tammy Dickinson announced the charges Friday against Manuel Garcia, who was arrested and placed in federal custody pending a detention hearing. Dickinson says there was no evidence of a credible threat to the water supplies in St. Louis, Kansas City, Missouri, Topeka and Wichita. Prosecutors allege Garcia called the FBI and other agencies this month claiming two acquaintances planned to put some kind of dangerous chemical into the communities' water supplies. Investigators say Garcia offered to try to locate the two men in exchange for $10,000 and a grant of immunity.===============Google Fiber to Bypass Overland ParkOVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Google Fiber is bypassing Overland Park for now after the Kansas City suburb hesitated to sign a deal. The Kansas City Star reportsthat the tech giant negotiated a tentative deal that would open the way for it to sell its 1-gigabit-per-second Internet connections and cable-style TV service there. It sought no direct subsidies and asked for some access to rights of way in return for free Internet service to public buildings such as schools and libraries. But the city council decided in September to put off a vote for a month. After receiving assurances about an indemnification clause, the council was ready to approve the agreement this month. But by then, Google was moving on. Company spokeswoman Jenna Wandres says "Speed matters."===============KS Supreme Court Upholds Murder ConvictionEMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has affirmed the felony murder conviction of an Emporia man who was present when an acquaintance shot and killed another man. The justices returned the 4-3 decision Friday. In the ruling, the majority rejected Samuel Llamas's arguments that he was only a bystander to the crime. They found there was sufficient evidence to support the conclusion that Llamas had helped the shooter track Omar Flores. Prosecutors said Llamas was with the shooter when Flores was shot at least 10 times outside an Emporia motel in September 2009. Witnesses said Flores was killed because he refused to pay for a bad batch of methamphetamine.===============KS DCF Agency Reviewing Ties with Faith Builders OrganizationWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The secretary of the Kansas Department for Children and Families says her agency wouldn't place children at foster homes operated by a non-profit until a review of concerns raised by a state lawmaker is completed. The Wichita Eagle reports that Phyllis Gilmore wrote a letter to state legislators dated Thursday saying she had instructed the agency's contractors and subcontractors to do no further placements with Faith Builders. Wichita state Senator Oletha Faust-Goudeau contacted DCF staff in August with questions she and others had about the agency's interactions with Faith Builders. Gilmore received the review earlier this month and says more work needs to be done to address DCF's association with the organization.=============== Man Sentenced for Role in Northeast KS HomicideHOLTON, Kan. (AP) — A 23-year-old northeast Kansas man has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for his role in a January shooting death. The Topeka Capital-Journal reportsthat Lloyd Wabaunsee of Mayetta was sentenced Friday in Jackson County (Kansas) District Court for second-degree murder. He pleaded no contest to the charge in September after the prosecution agreed to recommend the sentence. Because of his criminal history, Wabaunsee normally would have faced a sentence ranging from about 18 ½ to 20 ½ years. Wabaunsee was found hiding in the trunk of a car in a grocery store parking lot in Urbandale, Iowa, about a week after 29-year-old Kevin Stanley was shot at his Mayetta home. After the discovery, Wabaunsee and three others were arrested. Wabaunsee was the last defendant to be sentenced.===============Deal Expected in KS County Theft CaseHOLTON, Kan. (AP) — A northeast Kansas prosecutor says she expects to reach a plea agreement with a woman accused of stealing $16,000 from the Jackson County (Kansas) agency where she worked. KNZA-AM reports that 40-year-old Janette Fund, of Delia, waived her preliminary hearing Thursday and was bound over for arraignment in November. County Attorney Shawna Miller says a plea agreement is likely. Fund was arrested in September and faces 90 counts each of theft and entering false accounting information. She worked from April 2011 to July of this year for the county's Noxious Weed, Landfill and Recycling Department. The Jackson County sheriff says Fund was caught in July with missing cash that should have been deposited in the agency's accounts. The thefts allegedly went on for two years.===============KS Gov Calls for '50-Year Vision' on WaterMANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Governor Sam Brownback has ordered five state agencies and a council of economic advisers to begin work on what he's calling a "50-year vision" for water policy in Kansas. Brownback announced Thursday that he's directed the agencies and his economic advisers to deliver their blueprint for long-term water policy by November 1st, 2014. The governor announced his actions at the start of a two-day conference in Manhattan on water issues. Brownback says the persistent drought in the western half of the state shows the importance of water to the Kansas economy. He directed the Kansas Water Office and its planning counterpart, the Water Authority, to work on the 50-year vision, along with the state departments of Agriculture, Health and Environment, and Wildlife, Parks and Tourism.=============== KS Women's Prison Receives $25K Dental GrantTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The state prison for female inmates in Kansas has received a $25,000 grant for its denture manufacturing lab from a nonprofit organization. The Kansas Department of Corrections announced Thursday that the Topeka Correctional Facility had received the grant from the Delta Dental of Kansas Foundation. The agency says the prison's dental lab will use the money buy equipment and supplies that will increase its productivity and improve its training of inmates in denture-making. Dentures made in the lab go to health clinics that serve needy Kansans. The foundation was set up in 2003 by Delta Dental of Kansas, the largest administrator of dental benefits in the state.=============== KS Board of Ed Member Criticized for Biz PromotionTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas State Board of Education member is receiving criticism for passing out brochures for his tutoring business at a meeting. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that board member Steve Roberts refers to himself as "Mr. X, Mentor of Mathematics." Earlier this month, he distributed cards to dozens of high school guests from Topeka. The cards directed the students to an Internet website where clients can subscribe to a math instructional program for $15 per month. The site, but not the cards, say Kansans can access tutorials for free. Several fellow board members are objecting, including chairwoman Jana Shaver. She says a board meeting isn't the proper forum for Roberts to make students aware of Mr. X services. Roberts says handing out the marketing materials was a spur-of-the-moment calculation.=============== EPA to Host KS Session on Climate Action PlanLENEXA, Kan. (AP) — Federal environmental regulators plan to hold a listening session in northeast Kansas next month on President Obama's Climate Action Plan. The Environmental Protection Agency says the November 4 session is among 11 being held nationwide. The goal is to solicit ideas from the public about the best approaches under the Clean Air Act to reduce carbon pollution from existing power plants. The four-hour Kansas meeting will be held at the EPA's regional office Lenexa and starts at 4 pm. Comments can also be sent to carbonpollutioninput@epa.gov until November 8.=============== Wichita Police 'Impostor' Was Sheriff's DeputyWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities in Wichita say a man suspected of impersonating a police officer and stopping a motorist was actually a Sedgwick County sheriff's deputy. The Wichita Eagle reports that a woman called 911 Monday evening saying she'd been stopped by someone in an unmarked car. The woman said the man took her personal information but did not issue a citation. But Sheriff's Lieutenant David Mattingly said Thursday it turns out the man was a sheriff's detective who stopped the woman for speeding and having an expired tag. Mattingly says the detective used his discretion and did not issue a citation. Mattingly also says the detective told him he had shown the woman his badge, immediately identified himself to her and was wearing a jacket with the word "sheriff" on it.=============== KS Man Wanted in Rape Case Arrested in DelawareWILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — The U.S. Marshals Service says a Kansas man charged with giving a girl drugs and raping her has been caught in Delaware. Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal William David of the District of Delaware says 19-year-old Edwin Ramirez of Johnson County was sought by the Overland Park Police Department in Kansas on an outstanding warrant charging him with rape, sexual battery and contributing to a child's misconduct. Officials say Ramirez provided drugs to two teenage girls, then raped one of them in January. After deputies developed information that placed Ramirez in Delaware, David says deputies and Wilmington police raided a Wilmington home this week and arrested Ramirez as a fugitive from justice.===============Anti-Gay Message Left for Overland Park Restaurant ServerOVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A server at an Overland Park restaurant who got an anti-gay note instead of a tip from a couple he waited on has been getting support online. The Kansas City Star reports that a couple who ate at Carrabba's Italian Grill in Overland Park recently left a message for their waiter instead of a tip. Their message read in part: "Thank you for your service, it was excellent. That being said, we cannot in good conscience tip you, for your homosexual lifestyle is an affront to GOD." Friends of the waiter spread word of the note on social media. Marvin Baker, with Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Overland Park, went to Carrabba's Thursday for lunch with his partner to show support for the waiter.===============New Penguin Exhibit Opens at Kansas City ZooKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A new $15 million penguin exhibit is opening its doors at the Kansas City Zoo. KCTV reports that visitors can see the black-and-white animals starting Friday. More than 40 penguins are housed in the Helzberg Penguin Plaza, and the zoo hopes to add more to the 2,800-square-foot habit in coming years. The flightless birds eat up to 50 pounds of fish per day. Kansas City Zoo Director Randy Wisthoff says he couldn't be happier with how the exhibit turned out.=============== Burglary Suspect Crashes Truck into Wichita HouseTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A burglary suspect is jailed after fleeing from authorities and crashing his pickup truck into the house he'd just broken into. Lieutenant Jason Gill of the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Department says that when officers responded Thursday night to a burglary call, the suspect was still at the home. KAKE reports that the suspect fled, leading to a three-minute chase. The chase ended when the truck crashed through the front door of the house where it all began. The suspect knows the person living at the house, and Gill said they had been having "domestic issues." No one was hurt.===============Father and Daughter Die in KCMO CrashKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A father and his 14-year-old daughter have died in a Kansas City crash. Police said the crash happened Thursday when a driver apparently lost control of his vehicle. Witnesses reported that the driver was speeding before swerving and rear-ending another car. Police said that after the initial crash, the speeding car went off the side of the road and hit a tree. Police identified the victims Friday as 32-year-old Justin D. Williams and his daughter, Jazmine J. Harris. The driver's 5-year old-daughter and a 13-year-old girl were in the back seat. Police said the two girls were transported to an area hospital and are reported to be stable.===============KC-Area Priest Pleads Guilty to More Child Porn ChargesLIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City priest who was sentenced last month to 50 years in federal prison for child pornography has received an additional 21 years in Clay County (Missouri) for similar charges. The Reverend Shawn Ratigan pleaded guilty Friday in Clay County Circuit Court to three charges of possessing child pornography and was sentenced to seven years for each. The Kansas City Star reports the sentence will run at the same time he serves his federal term. The 48-year-old has admitted taking lewd photographs of young children. His case resulted in a misdemeanor criminal conviction against Bishop Robert Finn for failing to report suspected child sexual abuse to the state. The photos came to light in December 2010 after a computer technician found several suspicious images on Ratigan's laptop.===============Supporters Applaud Lawyer Re-Examining MO Rape ClaimKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Supporters of a Missouri girl who says she was raped as a 14-year-old by an older schoolmate who wasn't prosecuted are applauding the selection of a Kansas City attorney who is tasked with re-examining the case. Daisy Coleman's backers and lawyers who have worked with Jackson County (Missouri) prosecuting attorney Jean Peters Baker say her experience handling high-profile cases and as a victims advocate make her a good choice for special prosecutor in Daisy's case. Baker says her review of the case will be fair and thorough. The Nodaway County prosecutor determined that there wasn't sufficient evidence to justify charges. Daisy says an older boy got her drunk and sexually assaulted her in January 2012. He says the sex was consensual.===============Ex-MO Officer Accused of Stealing Drugs, JewelryRAYTOWN, Mo. (AP) — A former western Missouri police has been charged with stealing prescription painkillers and jewelry from his department's evidence room. The Jackson County (Missouri) prosecutor on Friday charged 35-year-old Justin M. Pool with three felony counts of theft of a controlled substance and two felony counts of property theft. Pool formerly worked as an officer with the Raytown Police Department, where the thefts allegedly occurred on five separate occasions in January of this year. A Missouri Highway Patrol investigator wrote in court documents that in each instance, Pool checked out an evidence bag, removed pain pills or jewelry and replaced the items with nonprescription drugs or cheap jewelry. Online court records did not list an attorney for Pool, and a phone number for him could not be found.===============MO Man's Body Recovered from Collapsed TrenchLEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. (AP) — Crews have recovered the body of a worker killed in the collapse of a trench being dug to connect a sewer line to a house under construction in suburban Kansas City. Forty-nine-year-old Brian D. Allen, of Windsor, was buried in dirt and clay when the trench — about 10 to 15 feet deep — collapsed Thursday afternoon in Lee's Summit. Lee's Summit firefighters worked more than 24 hours before recovering Allen's body Friday afternoon. The rescuers had reached the body overnight, but additional shoring had to be installed to keep the sides of the trench from collapsing again. Police Sergeant Chris Depue says Allen and another man working with him were employed by a local plumbing company that was working for the builder.===============KC Schools Superintendent Gets 5-Year Contract ExtensionKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City, Missouri school board wants to keep its superintendent around for another five years. The board decided Thursday to sign Superintendent Steve Green to a new contract paying him $250,000 a year after the district showed improvements. The Kansas City Star reports that the contract would retain Green through June 2018. The coming years promise to be fraught with challenges. Because the district is unaccredited, it soon could be forced to begin paying to allow its students to transfer to accredited school systems. A legal challenge has been holding up the transfers. The 59-year-old Green already has worked in the district two years. If he sticks around for all seven years, that would make him an exception. Green is Kansas City's 20th superintendent in the last 31 years.=============== Salina Woman Accused of Craigslist ScamSALINA, Kan. (AP) — A Salina woman is accused of scamming sellers on Craigslist by sending fake money orders for purchases. The Salina Journal reports the 51-year-old woman was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of multiple felonies. Police Lieutenant Jim Norton says an investigation turned up at least eight victims with total losses of more than $5,000. The victims had advertised items for sale on Craigslist, including a guitar, silverware set, an electric dryer and a set of animal traps. Norton says investigators seized a stack of fake Western Union MoneyGrams made out for $975 each from the suspect's apartment. Authorities believe the woman would send the seller a fake MoneyGrams and then make calls seeking repayment by claiming an assistant had sent the wrong one. The victims wired back money.

Six foreign medics are resting up at the Bulgarian presidential residence after a harrowing eight-year ordeal in Libya. They had been imprisoned since 1999, accused of deliberately infecting children with HIV in a Libyan hospital.

A registered sex offender has been arrested in Lawrence after allegedly trying to lure a 10-year-old girl into a restroom at a local restaurant.

Kansas Senators are considering a proposal that lists grounds for impeaching justices on the state's highest court.

The Justice Department is reviewing its lethal injection protocols because of a shortage of a key drug. Authorities are also less likely to seek the death penalty for murderers of drug dealers. In a trend that's moved from the states to the federal level, things are getting quiet on death row.

Thousands of federal inmates are being released because of a change in the way the U.S. government sentences drug criminals, but few are going straight from prison to freedom.

Billed as a "companion" to major Senate sentencing legislation released last week, the top Republican and Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee say the proposal comes after months of negotiations.

The longtime spiritual adviser to an inmate on federal death row is seeking to delay the July 15 execution because he worries about contracting COVID-19 at the prison.