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Kansas Court Overturns Carr Brothers' Death SentencesTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has overturned the death sentences of two brothers convicted of capital murder in the shooting deaths of four people whose bodies were found in a snow-covered Wichita soccer field in 2000. The state Supreme Court on Friday also struck down three of the four capital murder conviction each against Jonathan and Reginald Carr. But it upheld one capital murder conviction each. Their cases will return to Sedgwick County District Court for further hearings and a new sentencing. The court's majority overturned the death sentences because, it said, the presiding judge failed to have separate proceedings for each brother. In overturning most of the capital convictions, the majority said the instructions to jurors were flawed.=============================== Kansas Governor 'Stunned' by Capital Case RulingTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Sam Brownback says he's stunned by Kansas Supreme Court decisions overturning the death sentences of two brothers for a December 2000 robbery, rape and kidnapping spree that ended with four fatal shootings in a Wichita field. Brownback said Friday that the decisions in the cases of Jonathan and Reginald Carr unnecessarily reopen the wounds from what he called a tragic moment in Wichita history. In overturning the death sentences, the court's majority said the brothers should have had separate sentencing proceedings to determine whether they faced lethal injection or life in prison. The court also overturned three of each man's four capital murder convictions. Brownback called the crimes brutal and heinous and said the Carrs were convicted by a jury of their peers before an elected trial-court judge. ===============================US Senator Boosts TV Ads Ahead of Kansas PrimaryTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Senator Pat Roberts has intensified his television advertising ahead of the Republican primary to run a new spot highlighting a state medical board investigation of tea party challenger Milton Wolf. The new ad began airing statewide Friday as part of what Roberts' said was a $350,000 push before the August 5 election. Wolf spokesman Ben Hartman called the ad misleading. The Topeka Capital-Journal reported this week that the medical board is investigating Wolf over his past postings of graphic X-ray images on a personal Facebook page. The newspaper said it received a letter from a board attorney, asking it to share information in its possession about the postings. Wolf is a Leawood radiologist and acknowledged posting the X-ray images and dark humor commentary in 2010. He apologized publicly.===============================Bombardier Job Cuts in Wichita UnclearWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Airplane maker Bombardier is cutting 1,800 jobs across facilities worldwide as it restructures operations. Spokeswoman Isabelle Rondeau with the Montreal-based company said Thursday that Bombardier plans to reorganize the company into four business segments before January 1. Bombardier says production-related jobs will not be affected. It plans a 15 percent reduction in what the company calls "indirect functions," such as human resources, finance and communications. Rondeau said it is too early to say what the impact will be on the company's Learjet plant in Wichita or any other of its facilities. The four business segments will report directly to Chief Executive Officer Pierre Beaudoin. In January, Bombardier announced a workforce reduction of about 1,700 employees and contractors at facilities in the United States and Canada, including 550 in Wichita.==============================Foster Parent Arrested Following Child's Death in Hot Car WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police have arrested the foster parent of a 10-month-old girl who died after being left inside a hot car in Wichita, Kansas. Lieutenant Todd Ojile said Friday the 29-year-old man was booked on suspicion of aggravated endangerment but has not been charged. Ojile says the man had "somehow forgotten" leaving the girl in the back seat after picking her up from the baby sitter late Thursday afternoon. He went inside the house with a 5-year-old child but left the baby strapped in the car seat outside. No charges are expected against the other foster parent, a 26-year-old man who was inside the house. Ojile says they didn't remember the child was outside until something on television jogged their memories. The girl had been in the car for about 2 hours.==============================Wichita Pot Decriminalization Advocates Submit PetitionsWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Advocates of reducing penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana in Wichita turned in petitions to the city seeking to have the question put on the November ballot. Petition organizers say they collected more than 5,800 signatures, more than twice the number needed to put the issue to a vote. The proponents want to reduce the penalty for possession from the current maximum of a year in jail and a $2,500 fine to a $25 fine with no jail time. They also want to change possession of pot or paraphernalia from a criminal misdemeanor to a minor civil offense like a building code violation. The Wichita Eagle reports city officials have some questions about the measure's wording but don't currently plan to try and block it.==============================Topeka Parks Employees' Lawsuit Moves ForwardTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Shawnee County judge has ruled that a lawsuit filed by 10 former parks and recreation employees against the city of Topeka will go to trial. The employees sued in May 2012 after they were fired from the department and then hired to become Shawnee County employees. They contend the city didn't follow a requirement that employees who lose their jobs in such circumstances should receive severance pay. Shawnee County District Judge Rebecca Crotty last week denied both sides' efforts to have the case decided in their favor without a trial. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Crotty learned Tuesday the two sides were trying to reach a settlement. Crotty indicated a pretrial hearing next Tuesday will instead be a status conference, with pretrial hearing and trial dates set then.==============================Kansas Regents Ask Universities to Start Early on Tuition ProposalsLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Public university leaders in Kansas are being encouraged to start working on next year's tuition proposals now, rather than wait until the spring semester. Kansas Board of Regents chairman Kenny Wilk says the revenue stream from tuition is too significant to wait until the last minute to get it figured out. The Lawrence Journal-World reportsthe regents traditionally have received tuition and fee requests from the universities in May before approving them in June. Regents say they'd like schools to have a more definite idea of what they would request before the board formulates its budget proposal for Governor Sam Brownback and the Legislature. Universities in recent years have had to rely more on tuition from students as state funding has decreased.===============================Lawrence Man Sentenced for Raping StudentLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A 41-year-old Lawrence man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for raping a University of Kansas student in 1997. The Lawrence Journal-World reports Robert E. Grey was sentenced Friday to the least amount of time possible under Kansas sentencing guidelines. He was convicted in a retrial in May for raping a 20-year-old university junior. The new sentence is 16 months shorter than one issued after Grey's first conviction in 2009. A Kansas Court of Appeals panel awarded Grey a retrial last year after finding that prosecutorial misconduct deprived him of a fair trial the first time. The case went cold for years until authorities linked a fingerprint found on the victim's car to Grey. Grey has already served nearly seven years, which will count toward time served.==============================World War I Museum to Host Commission in KCKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City is hosting a public meeting with members of the United States World War One Centennial Commission. The museum says in a release that the events Sunday at the museum south of downtown Kansas City are open to the public and will also include a panel discussion with World War I experts about the impacts of the war, which started 100 years ago this summer. The panel discussion and lecture will also be streamed live online.==============================2 Minnesotans Killed in Kansas CrashMCPHERSON, Kan. (AP) - Two Minnesota residents have been killed in a two-vehicle crash in central Kansas. The Kansas Highway Patrol says 69-year-old Kay Dianne Pautz and 70-year-old Gary Walter Pautz died in the accident north of McPherson on Thursday. Both victims were from Alexandria, Minnesota. The patrol says the accident occurred when another car tried to pass the car the victims were in, causing their car to strike the rear of the passing vehicle and then swerve and rollover.==============================Wichita Group to Protest Immigrant Housing ConditionsLAWTON, Okla. (AP) - A nonprofit organization based in Kansas that focuses on immigrant rights says it plans to travel to Oklahoma and protest the housing of unaccompanied minors at Fort Sill. A delegation from Sunflower Community Action is traveling from Wichita to Lawton on Friday to protest the housing of the children. The group says the children continue to be detained under questionable conditions. Hundreds of teenagers from Central America have been housed at a troop barracks at the southwest Oklahoma Army post after detention centers near the border were overwhelmed with an influx of young people crossing the border. Members of Oklahoma's all-Republican congressional delegation are urging President Barack Obama to reconsider using Fort Sill to the house unaccompanied minors.==============================Kansas Woman Sentenced in Theft from Co-WorkersKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas woman has been sentenced to two years in federal prison without parole for stealing from her co-workers at a U.S. Department Agriculture office in Kansas City, Missouri. The U.S. Attorney's office announced in a news release that 50-year-old Paula Steen, of Overland Park, Kansas, also was ordered to pay $96,012 in restitution. Steen, a former IT specialist, pleaded guilty in December. She admitted that stole from her co-workers over a four-year period, charging $57,693 on credit accounts of a co-worker who is legally blind. Steen also did not repay loans of $48,171 from another co-worker and transferred $16,096 from another co-worker's credit union account to her creditors and bank account. She also tried to open a joint credit card account with a co-worker without his authorization.===============================Ex-IRS Employee Pleads Guilty in Fraud ConspiracyKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A former employee of the Internal Revenue Service in Kansas City pleaded guilty to stealing taxpayers' identity information to receive fraudulent tax refunds. Thirty-two-year-old Taylor S. Knight of Kansas City entered the plea Friday in federal court. She admitted that she used the information to receive fraudulent tax refunds and prepaid debit cards while working at the IRS. Knight and her boyfriend were arrested in August 2011 when they tried to cash a $46,734 refund check at a convenience store, and offered store employees $6,000 to persuade them to cash the check. A suspicious store supervisor called police. Knight faces up to five years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000 and an order of restitution.==============================$16 Million Grant to Support New KU Earth Science & Energy CenterLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas says a $16 million gift will help build a hall in the university's planned Earth, Energy and Environment Center. The university announced the gift Thursday from the family of Donald Slawson, a Wichita resident, who died July 7. He graduated from the university in 1955 and founded Slawson Exploration, becoming a leader in the oil and gas exploration industry. The university said in a news release the gift will fund Slawson Hall, which will provide space for collaboration among researchers in several earth science and energy fields. Part of Slawson Hall will be used to provide real-world applications of discoveries made at the university. Slawson was twice appointed to the National Petroleum Council, and also served two terms on the Kansas Board of Regents.==============================UMKC Going Smoke Free in AugustKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The University of Missouri-Kansas City is banning smoking on all its property beginning August 1. The ban encompasses indoor and outdoor sites, including the sidewalks and even in parking garages. The university banned smoking in some facilities last summer but is expanding the policy this year. The Kansas City Star reports that university officials said the policy was prompted by the increasing use of e-cigarettes on campus, a commitment to health and complaints about smokers gathering outside building entrances. Associate vice chancellor Robert Simmons says a majority of students, faculty and staff support the smoking ban. However, the policy currently does not include penalties. Simmons says the university can't afford to hire more campus police officers to arrest smokers.============================2 Missouri School Districts to Provide Free LunchesKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City and Hickman Mills school districts will offer free lunches to every student, beginning in August. A new federal provision allows qualifying districts with high percentages of students on food assistance to feed all their students. The theory is that the districts will recover the loss in food costs with savings from the expensive paperwork and bureaucracy needed to manage lunch accounts. The Kansas City Star reports that 90 percent of the students in the Kansas City Public Schools qualify for free or reduced-price meals, and 86 percent in Hickman Mills. Other districts in the area are considering using the Community Eligibility Provision. But districts with more students who pay for their lunches say the provision is not financially feasible for them.===============================Huckabee Endorses Roberts in Kansas Senate RaceTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ Former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has endorsed Kansas Senator Pat Roberts as he battles a GOP primary challenge from tea party candidate Milton Wolf. Huckabee is a former Arkansas governor who now has a talk show on Fox News. He ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 but won Kansas' caucuses. Roberts is seeking his fourth, six-year term. Wolf is a Leawood radiologist and has the backing of national tea party groups ahead of the state's Aug. 5 primary. A spokesman for Milton Wolf responded that Roberts won't stop his slide in the polls no matter how many endorsements he receives.==============================Kansas Senator Touts Agriculture Policy ExpertiseTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Senator Pat Roberts has the support of major farm groups and is touting his expertise in agriculture policy as he campaigns for re-election in the nation's leading wheat-producing state. But Republican primary challenger Milton Wolf's campaign is accusing the three-term incumbent of waging what it calls "geographical warfare" with a radio ad running in western Kansas. Roberts has endorsements from the Kansas Farm Bureau and the Kansas Livestock Association. He serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee and is a former House Agriculture Committee chairman. The tea-party backed Wolf is a Leawood radiologist but grew up on a farm in Rice County. Roberts' ad in western Kansas suggests Wolf doesn't understand agriculture and lives "right next to Missouri." Wolf said Roberts is trying to divide eastern and western Kansas residents.==============================Vacant Building Collapses in Downtown KingmanKINGMAN, Kan. (AP) — Engineers are trying to determine why a vacant building partially collapsed in downtown Kingman. City manager Emily Graf says no one was injured when a south wall and part of a west wall of the building collapsed Thursday No surroundings buildings were damaged Graf says the building was constructed in 1890. The block has been closed to protect the safety of citizens. Kingman is about 45 miles west of Wichita.==============================Kansas City Zoo's Oldest LIon EuthanizedKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Zoo's oldest lion has been euthanized after veterinary staffers were unable to treat him successfully for numerous health issues. The Kansas City Star reports the lion, named Dumisani, was 18 years old and had lived at the zoo nearly his entire life after arriving in 1997 from Indianapolis. Dumisani's parents were from the wild, making his genes desirable for breeding. The zoo brought in two females from Africa in 1998 to diversify the gene pool, but the lions had feline immunodeficiency virus and were not suitable for breeding. Officials allowed one litter to be produced before the females underwent a contraceptive procedure, but one of them became pregnant anyway. Dumisana sired seven cubs in the two litters, creating one of the largest prides among American zoos.==============================KDHE Issues Lake Algae WarningTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Health officials are alerting the public about potentially harmful algae blooms in Kansas lakes. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has issued warnings for high levels of the toxic algae in seven lakes. Those include Chisholm Creek Park Lake in Sedgwick County, Memorial Park Lake in Barton County and Jewell State Fishing Lake in Jewell County. Warnings also have been issued for Lake Warnock in Atchison County and South Park Lake in Johnson County. In addition, the Milford Reservoir and parts of the Marion Reservoir also are under a public health warning. A public health warning indicates that water conditions are unsafe and people should avoid any direct water contact such as wading, swimming or skiing.==============================Kansas City Offers Ambulance Workers $2 Million SettlementKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Council has proposed to settle a class action lawsuit over ambulance workers' overtime pay for nearly $2 million. The Kansas City Star reports the council offered the roughly $1.98 million settlement Thursday. The council's finance committee will consider it next week. An attorney for the 110 plaintiffs says they're happy about the resolution. Former paramedics and EMTs sued the city in 2011 following a merger between the fire department and ambulance services in 2010. The workers say Kansas City violated federal law in its overtime pay policies. They say the city didn't pay them for all hours worked that exceeded 40 hours a week. The fire department budget will cover $1.3 million. The rest of the money will come from a legal claims fund.==============================Proxy Adviser Says Sprint CEO Was Paid Too MuchNEW YORK (AP) — Advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services is telling shareholders to protest Sprint Corp. CEO Dan Hesse's $49 million 2013 pay package, saying it's excessive and not tied to performance. Hesse got a special $18.7 million stock award in connection with Softbank Corp. of Japan buying 70 percent of Sprint last year. ISS says that helped put his pay package above three times the median pay for a CEO of a comparable company. Shareholders will vote on approving the executive pay package on August 6. The vote is only advisory, but boards take "no" votes seriously. Sprint, which is based in Overland Park, Kansas, had no immediate comment on the ISS report.

Kansas Won't Release Data from Reading, Math TestsTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas won't be issuing any report cards this year on how well its public school students performed on standardized reading and math tests after cyberattacks and other problems this spring. The State Board of Education decided Tuesday not to release any scores. The board's decision means there won't be a report on how students scored overall statewide or how students in each school district or individual schools scored. The University of Kansas center that designed the tests told the board last month that it should not release data for individual schools and districts because of cyberattacks and other problems from March 10 to April 10. The state Department of Education typically releases data from testing each fall.==============================Kansas Bank Coping with Computer DisruptionTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Officials at Topeka-based CoreFirst Bank say thousands of customers have been affected by a disruption in its computer-based applications. KSNT-TV reports that a cut in an AT&T fiber-optic line late Tuesday morning affected ATM services, credit and debit card transactions, mobile applications and the bank's website. CoreFirst president Kurt Kuta said the disruption left the bank working off account balances as of Monday's close of business. Deposits and other transactions made after the cut occurred were being recorded in one part of the bank's computer server, but did not show up for customers. The disruption affected all CoreFirst branches in the Topeka area and in Manhattan, Johnson County and Emporia, as well as in Denver, Colorado. Kuta says no customers have lost any money. It's uncertain when the line will be repaired.==============================Wind Storm Whips Through NE Kansas TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Strong winds that blew through central and northeast Kansas left trees down and created power outages but no serious injuries have been reported. Winds reaching more than 60 mph, accompanied by rain and hail hit the state late Monday and early Tuesday. Westar reported up to 25,000 customers without power after the storm but that number had been reduced to about 6,000 early Tuesday. Power outages were reported in Shawnee, Wyandotte, Leavenworth, Douglas, Riley and Geary counties. The Kansas Department of Transportation closed a section of U.S. 24 in Riley County Monday night because of downed power lines. ==============================Winds Leave Damage, Power Outages in MissouriKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A storm that swept through Missouri left thousands without power across the state early Tuesday. No major injuries have been reported. The National Weather Service received reports of wind gusts between 60 and 75 mph. Early Tuesday, Kansas City Power & Light reported about 23,000 people without power in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The National Weather Service said two power poles caught fire when winds whipped the lines in Sedalia.==============================Quiet Year for Tornadoes in KansasWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — It's been a quiet year for tornadoes in Kansas and weather experts are expecting that trend to continue. The National Weather Service says the state recorded 33 tornadoes by the end of June, the lowest number since 30 were recorded in 1994. Meteorologist Chance Hayes in Wichita says most of the Great Plains has seen fewer tornadoes this year, generally because jet stream patterns have stopped moist air from the Gulf of Mexico from colliding with cold air from the north. The Wichita Eagle reports tornado numbers are down nationwide. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says preliminary numbers through July 6 showed 783 tornadoes around the country, a more than 20 percent drop from the average total of 1,046 during the past 10 years.==============================World's Tallest Water Slide Set to Open ThursdayKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — After three delays, the world's tallest water slide is scheduled to open this week. Officials at Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City, Kansas said Tuesday that the public will be able to ride the Verrückt slide on Thursday. The ride was originally scheduled to open on May 23 when the water park's season began. The next scheduled opening on June 5 was postponed, and a June 29 date also was delayed. Park officials have said the delays were needed to allow for more testing. Guinness World Records in April certified the 17-story, 168-foot-tall attraction as the tallest water slide in the world. Riders on the Verruckt, which means "insane" in German, plummet at 60 mph to 70 mph on four-person rafts.==============================Wichita Chief Defends Officers in Fatal ShootingWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams says a police officer fatally shot a man as he lunged at the officer with a knife. Chief Williams said Monday that the officer tried to use a stun gun on Icarus Randolph during the confrontation Friday but it had no effect and Randolph was shot when he got within 6 feet of the officer. Williams says Randolph, a 26-year-old military veteran, was carrying a hunting or combat knife with a blade 4 to 5 inches long when he came out of his home toward the officers. The two officers who responded to the scene are on administrative leave, which is standard procedure after a fatal shooting. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office are investigating the shooting.==============================Leawood to Allow Little Free LibraryLEAWOOD, Kan. (AP) — After a plea from a 9-year-old boy, a Kansas City suburb will temporarily allow residents to have small, free lending libraries in their yards. The Leawood City Council on Monday night unanimously approved a temporary moratorium that allows "Little Free Library" structures in residents' yards. The moratorium, effective Tuesday, will last until October 20. The action came after the city received national attention when it required 9-year-old Spencer Collins to remove his library. The small box on stilts was full of books, which residents could read and replace for free. The Kansas City Star reports the city must wait 60 to 90 days and hold public hearings before it can permanently change its ordinances. It plans to survey Leawood homeowners associations to gauge public opinions on the libraries.==============================Topeka Air Service Increasing with United FlightsTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Six months after United Airlines began flying to Chicago out of Topeka Regional Airport, ridership is increasing but airport officials say it needs to continue climbing. Airport authority president Eric Johnson says the twice-daily flights to Chicago were about 64 percent full in June. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the numbers increased from 25 percent full in January to 65 percent in May. Government funds provided about $2 million in revenue guarantees if ticket sales fell short of a revenue goal. Johnson said most of the guarantee funds probably were used in the slow first quarter and the revenue shortfall for the second quarter hasn't been calculated. He says airport officials want the service to be profitable to ensure that United wants to continue to provide service from Topeka.==============================Scottsdale Approves $290K for Defense in Pedicab CasePHOENIX (AP) — Scottsdale, Arizona has approved up to $290,000 to defend the city in lawsuits over a pedicab accident that injured two Kansas men. Michael Tysver and Cody Clark were severely injured in the January 2013 crash. The two 22-year-old Great Bend residents were in Arizona for the Fiesta Bowl game. They were headed back to their hotel when the pedicab collided with a car. Their suits claim Scottsdale was negligent by allowing pedicabs to operate without restrictions on public roads. Clark's suit seeks $40 million for a head injury and Tysver $5 million for a spine injury. Clark's parents are seeking $3 million apiece for trauma caused to their family. Scottsdale denies any liability in the case. The Arizona Republic reports that a Chandler law firm is defending Scottsdale in the suits.==============================Murder-Suicide in NW Missouri Involved NeighborsEXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo. (AP) — Excelsior Springs police say two men who died in a murder-suicide were neighbors. Police on Tuesday announced that 53-year-old Timothy Todd Logan shot and killed 49-year-old Cletis Southwick Friday outside an Excelsior Spring home. Southwick then ran to a neighbor for help.The Kansas City Star reports ( http://bit.ly/1qHpj7L ) officers saw Logan, armed with a rifle, running away and set up a perimeter. Officers heard a single gunshot and found Logan dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.Southwick died Sunday at Liberty Hospital. A motive for the shooting has not been made public.==============================Fuselage Recovery Completed at Montana Derailment SiteMISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — Crews have removed all three commercial airplane fuselages from a river embankment in western Montana after they tumbled off a train in a derailment. Montana Rail Link spokeswoman Lynda Frost tells the Missoulian that the last of the newly manufactured Boeing 737 fuselages was hoisted up Tuesday. A fuselage is the main body of an aircraft. Nineteen train cars derailed Thursday, spilling three fuselages into the Clark Fork River near Alberton and three more near the tracks. Frost says the fuselages and their flatbed cars weigh a combined 70 tons each. The fuselages and other airplane parts were being transported from a manufacturing plant in Wichita to Boeing facilities in Washington state. Railway officials are investigating the cause of the derailment.==============================National Group Plans to Challenge Kansas Gun LawTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A national gun-control group says it is planning to challenge a Kansas law declaring that the federal government has no authority to regulate guns manufactured, sold and kept only in the state. The Washington-based Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence announced Monday that it would file a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the state law. The Kansas law was enacted in 2013 and makes it a felony for any U.S. government employee to attempt to enforce a federal regulation or treaty when it comes to Kansas-only firearms, ammunition or accessories. A similar law enacted in 2009 in Montana was struck down by the federal courts. Kansas Governor Sam Brownback promised a vigorous defense of the state's law.==============================Kansas Wheat Harvest Makes ProgressWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The latest government crop update shows the Kansas wheat harvest is making slow progress. The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday that 70 percent of the wheat has now been harvested, compared with an early-July average of 88 percent. The agency says that some cutting was delayed by the application of herbicides to control weeds. The condition of Kansas wheat still in the field was rated as 61 percent poor to very poor, 27 percent fair, 11 percent good and 1 percent excellent. Cooler temperatures and rain in the past week are helping spring-planted crops. Corn condition is rated as 8 percent poor to very poor. About 34 percent of the corn is rated fair, 47 percent good and 11 percent excellent.==============================Emporia Enjoying Connection with HostessEMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — Snack cakes have been a sweet deal for Emporia. The northeast Kansas town has seen jobs return and millions of dollars in investments since its Hostess Brands plant reopened last year and expanded this year. The Kansas City Star reports the company that makes Twinkies, Donettes and other cake products added $30 million in improvements to the plant. A ribbon cutting is planned Friday to celebrate a new warehouse, and a Twinkie festival is scheduled Saturday. The plant was closed and 500 jobs were lost during a labor dispute in 2012. The Emporia plant was one of four Hostess bakeries reopened last year when a partnership group bought the company's assets. About 330 non-union workers are currently employed by the plant and another 50 jobs are likely to be added.==============================High Water Postpones Missouri River Boat RaceKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — An annual paddle boat race on the Missouri River will be postponed until August because of high water on the river. The MR340 race on the Missouri River between Kansas City, Kansas, and St. Charles, Missouri was scheduled to begin Tuesday. Organizers announced Monday that the race will be held Aug. 12-15. More than 600 people had signed up to be paddle canoes and kayaks across the state, with the race expected to end Wednesday or Thursday. The Kansas City Star reportsseveral areas of the river are expected to be above flood stage this week, which makes the river run faster and submerges sandbars and other obstacles.==============================NE Kansas Escapee CapturedLANSING, Kan. (AP) — A minimum-security inmate at a northeast Kansas prison is back in custody after reportedly walking away from a work detail. The Leavenworth Times reports 52-year-old Ronald J. Emons was apprehended without incident late Monday afternoon at or near Fort Leavenworth. Emons is serving time at the nearby Lansing Correctional Facility for violating his probation for a conviction of attempted indecent liberties with a child. KAIR Radio reported that Emons went with a work crew around 6 a.m. Monday to a reservoir outside the prison compound's fenced area. Staff noticed him missing around 10:40 a.m. A judge sentenced Emons in July 2011 to probation for attempted indecent liberties with a 14- to 16-year-old child. He has been sent to Lansing twice for violating the terms of his probation.==============================Amtrak CEO to Make Kansas Whistle-Stop TourNEWTON, Kan. (AP) — Top executives of Amtrak and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway will make a whistle-stop trip on the passenger railroad's Southwest Chief in Kansas. Friday's event takes place amid efforts to preserve the Southwest Chief's current route between Newton, Kansas, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. The service is in jeopardy because BNSF, which owns the track, needs to upgrade it for its freight trains. Kansas Transportation Secretary Mike King will be aboard the train with Amtrak president and CEO Joe Boardman and BNSF executive Matt Rose. They plan to talk with local officials at each stop about the funding needed to keep the Southwest Chief's current route after Amtrak's current agreement with BNSF expires in 2016. The train is scheduled to leave Topeka at 9 am and stop in Newton, Hutchinson, Dodge City and Garden City.==============================New Media Relations Chief For KULAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas has a new director of news and media relations, and she previously held a similar job at archrival Kansas State University. KU announced Monday that Erinn Barcomb-Peterson had started the director's job on the Lawrence campus after nine years at KansasState. Barcomb-Peterson holds a journalism degree from the University of Kansas. She worked as a reporter for The Eudora News and design editor for The Ottawa Herald before going to work for Kansas State's news and editorial services in 2005. She became director there in 2011. The KU job became open when Jill Jess Phythyon took a similar position in March at Ohio State University's College of Nursing. KU School of Medicine Communications Director David Martin replaced her temporarily.==============================Kansas GOP 4th District Congressional Candidates Appear at ForumWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The two Republicans vying for the south-central Kansas congressional seat traded barbs at their first face-to-face forum. Congressman Mike Pompeo told the Wichita Crime Commission on Monday he's on a mission in Washington to shrink the size and scope of government. He says he believes deeply in the private sector. Former congressman Todd Tiahrt said he's challenging Pompeo in the August primary to reclaim his old seat because he cannot sit by and watch all the hard work he did in Washington deteriorate. He cited what he called the "train wreck" in Washington caused by lawmakers who can't get along with each other. Tiahrt represented the 4th Congressional District for 16 years before giving it up in 2010 for an unsuccessful campaign for Senate.==============================Couple Pleads Guilty to Hiring Illegal WorkersKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The owners of two Overland Park hotels pleaded guilty to hiring workers who were in the country illegally and then paying them less than other workers. U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom announced in a news release Monday that 53-year-old Munir Ahmad Chaudary and his 41-year-old wife, Rhonda R. Bridge, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to harbor undocumented workers for personal gain. The couple admitted they hired the workers for Clarion hotels they own in Overland Park and Kansas City, Missouri. Grissom says the illegal workers were not given Social Security, workers' compensation and unemployment insurance. A sentencing date hasn't been set. They face five years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. Prosecutors also are seeking the forfeiture of assets gained through the couple's activities.==============================Kidney Transplant Clinic to Open in WichitaWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Missouri hospital will open a clinic in Wichita next month to serve kidney patients who need transplants. Saint Luke's Hospital, of Kansas City, announced plans Tuesday to open the clinic near Wichita's Via Christi hospital. Doctors at the clinic will evaluate potential transplant recipients. They will also provide pre- and post-surgery care for patients who receive new kidneys at Saint Luke's in Kansas City. KWCH-TV reports that more than 1,000 dialysis patients in Wichita are being evaluated for transplants. Wichita was left with a void when Via Christi announced in May it would not reopen its own program, which was halted in 2012 for the investigation of the deaths of four transplant patients in less than a month.==============================Firefighters Find Pot Plants in Northern Kansas Mobile HomeWAKEFIELD, Kan. (AP) — A northern Kansas man's troubles may go beyond a burned-out mobile home after firefighters reported finding an apparent marijuana-growing operation inside the structure. KMAN-AM reports the fire broke out around 1 a.m. Saturday in the Clay County town of Wakefield. Clay County Sheriff Chuck Dunn says firefighters doused the flames and notified his office after coming across what appeared to be a marijuana operation. Dunn says officers found more than 50 marijuana plants, along with grow lights, an automatic watering system and a ventilation system. A 54-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of growing and possessing marijuana and other offenses. The sheriff said the fire rekindled Saturday night and destroyed the rest of the mobile home. The cause both times has not been determined.==============================Parents Work to Keep Missing Children in SpotlightST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Missouri parents whose children have been missing for years say they struggle to keep their children's cases in the public eye while dealing with the frustration of not knowing what happened. One such parent is Tammy Mack, whose 15-year-old daughter Ashley disappeared from St. Joseph 10 years ago. She says she hasn't given hope of finding out what happened to Ashley but she no longer spends hours every day online and on the phone searching for clues. She and family and friends held a candlelight vigil at the pool Sunday night. She also planted a tree near the pool in her daughter's memory. The Kansas City Star reports that a convicted felon who lived in Ashley's neighborhood is a strong suspect in her disappearance but no one has been arrested.==============================Flooding Forces Evacuation of 100 Boy ScoutsWALSENBURG, Colo. (AP) — About 100 Boy Scouts -- many from Kansas -- are back at their southern Colorado camp after being evacuated because of flooding. The scouts left the Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch on school buses and sheriff's vehicles around 4 am Tuesday after rain caused a creek running through the property near Walsenburg, Colorado to rise. They went to a Red Cross shelter set up in Walsenburg's community center and authorities cleared the scouts to return around midday. Scout executive Michael Stewart says the scouts, most of them from southwestern Kansas, were camping in tents above Bear Creek and weren't in immediate danger. Scouts there were also forced to evacuate last year by a wildfire, which has made the land more prone to flooding. The scouts have been getting a real-life lesson in conservation by planting trees and grass to prevent erosion and flooding.

Governor Laura Kelly has used her line-item veto on portions of the $6 billion funding plan for K-12 schools... public universities in Kansas are asking for a tuition hike... and experts are predicting a record wheat shortage - in Kansas! Those headlines and more... here.

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