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Every year, some 2.6 million birds are shot or die after being trapped in illegal nets in Lebanon. "This country is a black hole in terms of protection," says a conservationist.

Many shoppers blame stores and manufacturers for supermarket inflation. But what do the companies' finances tell us?

President Obama Scrubs University of Kansas VisitWASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has cancelled his scheduled visit Friday to the University of Kansas in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing. The White House issued a brief statement Tuesday saying the president's schedule had changed. He will go to Boston on Thursday to attend an interfaith memorial dedicated to victims of the blasts. It's unclear whether the White House will reschedule the Kansas visit. The purpose of Obama's trip to Kansas had not been disclosed, though state Democratic leaders were asked to find a venue on the Lawrence campus that could hold between 3,000 and 6,000 people.=============Governor Signs Kansas Drug Test Law for Aid RecipientsTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A new law signed by Governor Sam Brownback requires a Kansas welfare agency to test residents seeking cash assistance if there is a reasonable suspicion they are using drugs. The Republican governor said Tuesday during the signing ceremony that substance abuse is a scourge that requires government to step forward and help break the cycle of addiction. Applicants seeking federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Family funds would be screened. Tests would be conducted where there is a reasonable suspicion of drug use. Those who are found to be using drugs would receive treatment and job skills training from the state. Senate Vice President Jeff King, lead sponsor of the bill, estimates that 8 percent of welfare applicants show indications of drug use.=============Kansas Law Aimed at Gang Crime SignedTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas prosecutors now have a new weapon in their arsenal for curbing gang activities by targeting higher-level individuals in the gangs. Governor Sam Brownback on Tuesday signed the Kansas Racketeering Influenced and Criminal Organization Act. It's patterned after similar federal RICO statutes aimed at organized crime. Senator Mike Peterson, a Wichita Republican, says the law gives law enforcement agencies and prosecutors the ability to target heads of gangs and charge them with criminal activities. The law amends several definitions in state laws regarding who could be charged with crimes such as soliciting or coercing others to do illegal acts, human trafficking, drug distribution or extortion. The law also changes criteria for determining which individuals who might be in criminal street gangs, including whom a person associates with and location.=============Kansas Speedway Beefs Up Security After Boston ExplosionsKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Speedway is increasing the police presence for this weekend's NASCAR race after two explosions at the Boston Marathon left three dead and more than 170 wounded. Track president Pat Warren said fans attending the Truck Series race on Saturday and the Sprint Cup race on Sunday should budget more time for when they're entering the facility. The speedway doesn't plan to change its policy of allowing coolers into the track. Kansas Speedway hosted the second Cup race to be run after the attacks of September 11, 2001, and Warren said the training and preparation of his staff under the most stringent security levels in U.S. history has helped ensure that safeguards will be in place for this weekend. Warren also said track officials have discussed a suicide that took place during last weekend's race at Texas. He reiterated that firearms are not allowed at Kansas Speedway.=============Surgeon from Kansas Pressed into Action at Boston MarathonSALINA, Kan. (AP) — A general surgeon from Kansas says he was pressed into service helping the injured just moments after finishing the Boston Marathon. Dr. Chris Rupe tells The Salina Journal he heard a loud explosion about 10 yards away after finishing his run Monday in a time of 4 hours, 4 minutes, 23 seconds. Rupe says he headed to what he thought was a building or grandstand collapsing, then heard the second blast. He was directed to a medical tent where doctors usually help runners with problems like exhaustion. Rupe spent about an hour inside, treating people mainly with injuries to their extremities. After that, Rupe says, most of the injured had been taken to hospitals. Rupe's wife — pediatrician Abbey Rupe — had finished the marathon well before the explosions occurred.============= KU Relays Says Weather, Not Security, Reason for Venue ChangesLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas Relays official says it's unlikely extra security will be hired to work the track and field showcase this week in Lawrence. Meet director Milan Donley says Monday's bombings at the Boston Marathon makes relay officials aware that anything can happen at any time. But he says he doesn't think extra security will be added. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that spectators entering any event at Memorial Stadium on the university campus have had their backpacks and belongings searched since the September 11 attacks. The weather, not security concerns, will move two popular events from downtown Lawrence to the Douglas County Fairgrounds livestock arena. A forecast of heavy rains and cold will move the men's shot put to the arena Wednesday and the women's long jump on Thursday.=============Brownback Tour to Focus on Stable Funding for Kansas Higher EducationTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ Governor Sam Brownback says that his upcoming tour of college campuses in Kansas is part of his effort to persuade legislators, policymakers and state residents of the importance of stable, level funding for colleges and universities. Speaking with reporters Tuesday after a bill-signing ceremony, the Republican governor said legislators need to take a longer view of funding for higher education, including rising tuition costs, administrative expenses and state support. Brownback plans to visit the campuses between April 22 and May 6, two days before legislators return to Topeka to finish the 2013 session. Legislators are proposing cuts to higher education, ranging from 2 percent to 4 percent. Brownback opposes such cuts and wants to retain current funding in the next budget.=============UPDATE: KC Police Find No Danger at H&R Block HeadquartersKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City police say nothing dangerous was found after security staff at the headquarters of H&R Block reported a suspicious package in the mailroom. Police spokesman Darin Snapp says security personnel at the tax preparation company called about the package Tuesday morning. He says police searched the area and turned up nothing dangerous. The incident was initially described as a bomb threat. Snapp says that's because reports of suspicious packages register in the police department's system as bomb threats. Police were called to the same downtown building Monday on the report of a suspicious package that was also later determined to be harmless.=============Man Acquitted in Death of Tabor Football PlayerMcPHERSON, Kan. (AP) — A former McPherson College football player has been acquitted in last fall's death of a player from a rival school. KWCH-TV reportsthat a jury deliberated less than two hours Tuesday before finding 20-year-old Alton Franklin not guilty of second-degree murder. Franklin was quickly freed from the McPherson County jail, where he'd been held since September. Franklin was accused of beating 26-year-old Tabor College defensive lineman Brandon Brown, who was found unconscious outside a party in McPherson last September 16. Brown died six days later from blunt-force head trauma, with alcohol poisoning as a contributing factor. Two witnesses testified they saw Franklin hit Brown. But the defense said there was no evidence that Franklin had struck anyone. Franklin's co-defendant, former McPherson player DeQuinte Flournoy, pleaded no contest earlier to aggravated battery.=============Colorado Names Former KS Prisons Chief as Interim Corrections DirectorDENVER (AP) — Colorado has tapped a retired prisons chief from Kansas to lead the state Department of Corrections on an interim basis after last month's killing of Tom Clements. Roger Werholtz was announced as the interim corrections chief Tuesday. He will work through July as Colorado searches for a replacement to Clements, who was shot in his suburban Denver home last month. The suspect in Clements' slaying, paroled white supremacist Evan Ebel, was killed in a shootout with police in Texas. In a statement, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper said Werholtz would lead efforts to evaluate Colorado's parole system, which failed to locate Ebel after he slipped an ankle monitor. Werholtz retired as Secretary of Corrections in Kansas in 2010. He had earlier served as Deputy Secretary of Corrections since 1987.=============Kansas Board Ponders Cost of New Science StandardsTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas officials involved in drafting new science standards for public schools are trying to reassure the State Board of Education that retraining teachers and buying new classroom materials won't be unusually expensive. The issue arose during the board's meeting Tuesday when members reviewed a final draft of the proposed standards. The science guidelines were developed by 26 states, including Kansas, and the National Research Council. The Kansas board doesn't plan to decide until at least June whether to adopt the standards as the state's own. Board members Deena Horst of Salina and Jim McNiece of Wichita both worried about the potential costs facing local school districts. But state Department of Education official Matt Krehbiel said schools can retrain teachers over time and buy new books on their regular schedules.=============Kansas School Board Approves New History StandardsTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas State Board of Education has approved new standards for history and social studies classes for public schools despite concerns that they don't focus enough on the contributions of minorities. The board's vote Tuesday was 9-0. The guidelines will be used to develop standardized tests for students, with the state using their scores to measure how well schools are teaching. Board member Carolyn Campbell, a Topeka Democrat, said she does not believe the standards go far enough in making sure that schools teach students about the contributions of blacks and other minorities. However, Campbell said they are an improvement over the previous standards, adopted in 2004. Supporters of the new guidelines say they emphasize teaching student research skills over memorizing content.=============Westar Asks Kansas Regulators for $32M Rate IncreaseTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Westar Energy is seeking a nearly $32 million rate increase to help upgrade pollution controls at one of its coal-fired power plants. The Topeka-based utility filed its request Monday with the Kansas Corporation Commission. Westar says the increase would raise monthly electric bills about $7.50 a month or less for two-thirds of its residential electric customers. The impact on the other one-third could be higher, but Westar says it's not sure by how much. At the same time, Westar also wants to cut rates for large and medium-sized businesses. It says those rates have risen faster in recent years than the electric rates for businesses in neighboring states. The new revenues would finance pollution control improvements at Westar's La Cygne plant in eastern Kansas.=============Kansas Teen in Custody After 6-Year-Old Girl ShotMISSION, Kan. (AP) _ Police in a Kansas City suburb have taken a 14-year-old boy into custody after a 6-year-old girl was shot and wounded in an office building. Mission Police Captain David Moloy says the girl was shot in the leg Tuesday morning in an office. Her condition was not known but Moloy says she was talking when she was being taken to a hospital. Moloy says the teenager fled the scene on foot after the shooting. He was apprehended less than a block away about an hour later. He says he couldn't comment on whether the teenager and the child were related or if the shooting appeared to be intentional.============= 3-County Kansas Mental Health Center StrugglingLEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — The executive director of a mental health center that serves three northeast Kansas counties says the center is dealing with increased demand while receiving less funding. Keith Rickard told the Leavenworth County Commission Monday that the Guidance Center sees about 5,000 patients a year, compared with about 2,800 decade ago. The center serves Leavenworth, Jefferson and Atchison counties. He said the center made $400,000 less in 2012 than in 2011. And if the state cuts an estimated $10 million from its community mental health center grants this year, the center will lose about $183,000 in grants. The Leavenworth Times reports the center is required to provide services regardless of a patient's ability to pay.============= Report: Corn Planting Underway; More Rain NeededWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The latest crop update from the Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service shows improving topsoil moisture conditions for areas that have received significant rain or snow. But the agency said Monday more precipitation is needed to have an impact on subsoil moisture, which is now short to very short across 73 percent of the state. Topsoil moisture in is faring somewhat better with 40 percent reported short to very short. The latest snapshot shows Kansas growers have planted only about 3 percent of their planned corn acreage. That's far behind the 16 percent planted by this time last year or the 10 percent average for mid-April. Winter wheat condition was reported to be 33 percent poor to very poor, 37 percent fair, 27 percent good and 3 percent excellent.============= New Mullinville City Council Member Fired from City JobMULLINVILLE, Kan. (AP) — Getting elected to the city council got a man fired from his city job in a small south-central Kansas town. Rob Roberts was one of five people elected to the Mullinville City Council April 2. One April 8, city officials fired the 68-year-old Roberts from his job as the city's maintenance man. The Hutchinson News reports that Kansas law prohibits city council members from holding city jobs. Roberts acknowledges that the city attorney warned him in February that he could not continue as a city employee if he won a council seat. But he says he was told he was fired because of his job performance. Roberts will be sworn in next week. He says he will continue working at his construction business and is a part-time rural postal carrier.=============Wyandotte County Prosecutor Inspired by Career-Ending AccidentKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Wyandotte County prosecutor says he is driven to fight for justice by pain he endures after he was hit by a drunken driver. Christopher Mann was a Lawrence police officer when a drunken driver slammed into him during a traffic stop in January 2002. The Kansas City Star reports that a leg injury ended Mann's police career. Despite continuing pain from the injury, he went on to earn a law degree at Washburn University and became an assistant district attorney in Wyandotte County in 2011. Mann also has advocated for tougher laws to fight drunken driving. And he recruited and became a volunteer for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. He organized a new state advisory board and is now state chairman for MADD Kansas.=============Missouri Man Accused of Making False Abduction ReportKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man is accused of triggering an Amber Alert after falsely reporting that his daughter had been abducted from his home. Clay County authorities charged 40-year-old Bruce G. High of Gladstone with a misdemeanor of making a false missing-person's report. High told police last Sunday that a friend of his daughter's mother took the 5-year-old girl from his home without his permission. The Kansas City Star reports court records show the mother was at High's home when the friend took the girl because her parents were arguing. High also allegedly falsely claimed to have full custody of the girl. Authorities found the child with her mother several hours later. The mother told investigators she hesitated to alert them out of fear she would be arrested on outstanding warrants.=============Kansas, Missouri Students Win Urban Design Contest, $50KMANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A team of graduate students from Kansas and Missouri universities have won a $50,000 prize for coming up with the best redevelopment proposal for the Downtown East area of Minneapolis. The students from the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City competed against 149 teams to win the Urban Land Institute's Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition. After the Kansas and Missouri students were picked as finalists, they visited Minneapolis to refine their project. Last week, they presented their plan to a jury that was made up of national leaders in design and development. Team adviser Jason Brody says the students had a "tremendous vision." The Kansas State assistant professor says the students' winning plan features a cosmopolitan neighborhood centered on a park space.============= George Washington Documents to Be Displayed in AbileneABILENE, Kan. (AP) — George Washington's personal copy of the early laws of the United States written in 1789 goes on display next week in Kansas. Washington's copy of the Acts of Congress will be available for viewing April 23 through May 3 at the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene. The documents are on a nationwide tour of all 13 presidential libraries, under a partnership of the National Archives and the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. The papers are considered some of the most significant works in Washington's personal collection, which includes the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and legislation passed in the first session of Congress.=============Dish's Ergen Says Sprint Debt ManageableNEW YORK (AP) — Dish Network's combative chairman, Charlie Ergen, is defending his $25.5 billion bid for Sprint Nextel, saying the debt load the deal would create for the combined company will be manageable. "We will take on more leverage than we have today," Ergen said in an interview with the Associated Press. "But it's not excessive. In today's market, at today's rates, it's certainly not excessive leverage." After five years of buying of wireless spectrum and trying to create partnerships with cellphone companies, Ergen on Monday unleashed his biggest bet yet, an unsolicited offer for Overland Park-based Sprint Nextel Corporation, the country's third-largest cellphone company. But Wall Street analysts say the debt level of the combined company would put it in a risky position.=============KSU Teacher's Class Attendance in the MillionsMANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas State University teacher has gained a massive Internet following with his videos on culture and information attracting millions of views. Michael Wesch is a cultural anthropologist who explores the effects of new media on society and culture. The video that catapulted him into the spotlight explains how the Internet connects people. He put it together at his home in 2007 and viewership quickly grew. Other videos followed. Wesch has won several major awards for his work, including a Wired Magazine Rave Award. He has also won several teaching awards, including the 2008 CASE/Carnegie U.S. Professor of the Year for Doctoral and Research Universities.============= Woman Found Stuck in Mud Along Kansas RiverTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Police in Topeka say a woman reported missing from a nursing home was rescued more than 15 hours later from mud along the Kansas River. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports police were uncertain how long the woman — described as in her 70s — was stuck along the river before she was found around 9 a.m. Monday. The nursing home reported the woman missing about 3:30 p.m. Sunday after she failed to return from church services. Police were trying to find out how she wound up along the south bank of the Kansas River, where a passer-by spotted her from a bridge Monday morning. Emergency crews pulled her from the mud and took her to a hospital for treatment. Authorities said the woman uses a walker.============= Brownback to Tour State UniversitiesTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Sam Brownback will visit leaders and students at public universities and colleges around Kansas to discuss his support for higher education funding. The Republican governor says in a release Monday that protecting higher education funding must be a priority as the state makes spending decisions for the next two budget years. Brownback's tentative schedule begins with stops April 22 at Wichita State University and Butler Community College and concludes May 6 at Kansas State University. Kansas legislators are still working on the state budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. They return May 8 from a break that began April 5. Brownback says all state agencies must find efficiencies, but believes higher education spending must remain level.============= UMKC Tops in National Recycling CompetitionKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The University of Missouri-Kansas City can now brag it has the nation's greenest campus. With an 86 percent recycling rate, the school ranked No. 1 in the Grand Champion category of the annual RecycleMania competition. More than 260 campuses vied for the title. Through the competition, colleges and universities try to see who can collect the largest amounts of recyclables. Missouri-Kansas City's sustainability coordinator Kaye Johnston says the school's victory shows that "when we all do a little, we all do a lot." The school began several new efforts this year. Among them, the library worked with another organization to recycle books, and peer mentors helped students recycle or compost their trash. There also was a recycling competition and a document shredding event.============= Kansas Suspends TE Sizemore for 3 GamesLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has suspended senior tight end Nick Sizemore for the first three games of the season. Coach Charlie Weis announced the punishment Monday. He said it was for an unspecified violation of team rules. Sizemore, a 6-foot, 245-pound player from Lititz, Pennsylvania, played in 10 games last season and caught two passes.=============Aura of Mystery Surrounds Likely Presidential Visit to University of KansasTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — State officials have been left to speculate about President Barack Obama's plans for a visit this week to the University of Kansas as they wait to hear more details. The White House confirmed Monday that Obama is planning an official event Friday at the university but provided no other information. University spokesman Jack Martin said it had no details. Kansas Democratic Party Chairwoman Joan Wagnon said the White House told state party officials that it was looking for a site that could hold 3,000 to 6,000 people for a midday event. But Wagnon said she still hasn't received any details about the purpose of Obama's visit. Kansas is a Republican stronghold, and the Democratic president received 38 percent of the state's vote in winning re-election last year.**this story has been outdated. Please see above.============= Brownback Would Like to See Obama During Presidential Kansas VisitTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Governor Sam Brownback says he hopes to see President Barack Obama when he makes a visit Friday to Lawrence. The Republican governor says Tuesday that he hasn't been invited to attend Obama's event at the University of Kansas but plans to go if he is asked to attend. Obama hasn't said why he is visiting Kansas. State Democratic leaders say they have been asked to find a venue that could hold between 3,000 and 6,000 people for the president's appearance. Brownback joked that maybe he and Obama, an avid basketball fan, could shoot a few hoops during the visit. Lawrence is home to the University of Kansas Jayhawks, who lost to Michigan in the Final Four round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.**this story has become outdated, as President Obama's visit to KU has been cancelled; please see above.

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! These dangerously cold temperatures are not normal, even by Kansas winter standards... Kansas City health officials worry about measles exposure at KCI... and health officials in Kansas issue Boil Water Advisories for communities in northeast Kansas. More inside.

Brownback Urges More Cuts in Kansas Income TaxesTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Sam Brownback wants Kansas lawmakers to cut individual income taxes even further. In the prepared text of his State of the State speech Tuesday night, Brownback also said his ultimate goal is abolishing the state's individual income tax altogether. For now, the Republican governor said he wants to lower the top rate on individual income taxes to 3.5 percent from the current 4.9 percent. For low-income families, Brownback wants the rate reduced to 1.9 percent from the current 3 percent. The current rates were adopted in 2012 and took effect January 1. The state also exempted the owners of 191,000 businesses from income taxes. The reductions have created a projected revenue shortfall of $267 million for the fiscal year that starts July 1.==================Brownback Seeks Changes in Selection of JudgesTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Sam Brownback wants to change the way the state's top judges are chosen and to take courts out of school funding. In the prepared text of his State of the State address Tuesday night, Brownback cited last week's decision by a panel of trial judges that held the state's school finance formula unconstitutional. The Republican governor said he would support direct election of judges to the Kansas Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. He would also back a version of the federal system, in which lawmakers confirm top judicial appointments. Brownback also wants to change the Kansas Constitution to give the Legislature sole power to determine how much money is needed to provide a "suitable" education. Both changes would require Kansas voters to amend the state Constitution.==================Kansas Governor's Plans Defy Court Order on SchoolsTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Governor Sam Brownback is calling for a fresh round of aggressive cuts in Kansas income taxes and changes in the state Constitution to rein in the judiciary. Brownback reaffirmed in the prepared version of his State of the State address Tuesday evening that his goal is to eventually eliminate income taxes. But his plan for further reductions is tied to keeping the state sales tax at its current rate, rather letting it drop in July as previously planned. Brownback's speech came just days after a three-member panel of trial judges ruled the state must boost its annual aid to public schools by at least $440 million. Brownback endorsed proposed constitutional amendments on education funding and the selection of judges for the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court.==================Governor Seeks $12M Kansas Reading InitiativeTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Sam Brownback wants to spend $12 million to help Kansas elementary school students who struggle with reading. In the prepared version of his State of the State address Tuesday night, the governor outlined three-part initiative called Kansas Reads to Succeed. Besides the funding to for programs to help struggling readers, Brownback is also proposing to require third-graders to demonstrate an ability to read as a condition of being promoted. Additional incentives would be provided to elementary schools that do the best at boosting fourth-grade reading scores. Brownback says 29 percent of Kansas fourth-graders can't read at a basic level. The governor says promoting elementary school pupils who can't read is "irresponsible and cruel."==================Kansas Legislature Opens with Bipartisan ToneTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Leaders of the Kansas Legislature are stressing a desire for bipartisanship as they begin the annual session. The House and Senate convened Monday with Republicans outnumbering Democrats 32-8 in the Senate and 92-33 in the House. Senate President Susan Wagle of Wichita promised an open-door policy for senators of both parties. The chamber's minority leader, Democrat Anthony Hensley of Topeka, praised Wagle as a fighter after noting her multiple bouts with cancer. In the House, new Speaker Ray Merrick of Stilwell told members they shouldn't be afraid to share ideas with colleagues. House Democratic Leader Paul Davis noted what he called a toxic atmosphere in American politics over the past decade. Davis said the remedy starts with lawmakers working together and realizing that compromise is good.==================Kansas Legislature Could See Push to Repeal Corporate Farming RestrictionsTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Sam Brownback's administration appears ready to ask Kansas legislators to repeal state laws that restrict the involvement of corporations in farming. State Agriculture Secretary Dale Rodman told freshmen legislators Tuesday that the state's anti-corporate farming laws need to be repealed. He said later during a brief interview the state can't expand agriculture as much as it could because of the restrictions. Also, Attorney General Derek Schmidt said he told Rodman in a recent letter that some of the restrictions are likely unconstitutional. Kansas has restricted corporate involvement in agriculture since 1931, during the Great Depression. Current law generally limits corporate ownership of agricultural land to family farm corporations or partnerships or small corporations formed by Kansas residents. It makes exceptions for feedlots, poultry operations, dairies and hog farms.================== Chairman Predicts Kansas House Vote Next Week on RulesTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The chairman of the Kansas House Rules Committee says he expects the chamber to vote next week on a final set of rules for the next two years. McPherson Republican Clark Shultz said Monday his committee may revise a rule that limits House debate on spending proposals. The House adopted temporary rules Monday that mirror ones in place for 2011 and 2012. The Rules Committee will propose revisions for the House to consider. Shultz said one issue is the budget rule, which says that if members want to propose higher spending for particular programs or agencies during a House debate, they have to offset it with a cut elsewhere. He said there's confusion about which bills are affected by the rule and what spending offsets are allowed.==================2 Firms Agree to Fines for Kansas No-Call ViolationsTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas attorney general's office says two companies have agreed to pay $10,000 each for violating the state's no-call telemarketing law. Attorney General Derek Schmidt identified the companies Tuesday as Prairie Life Fitness LLC, of Omaha, and Vandell Communications LLC, based in Illinois. Schmidt's office began investigating Prairie Life Fitness in early 2012 after an Overland Park resident complained of getting a solicitation by phone. The company acknowledged marketing its Kansas-based fitness centers to Kansas residents who had placed their numbers on the national do-not-call registry. The attorney general says Vandell Communications telephoned Kansas residents on the no-call list offering prizes on behalf of a Nevada company selling travel-related services. Schmidt says both companies agreed to pay the state $10,000 in penalties and fees for the violations.================== SW Kansas Woman's Death Under InvestigationLIBERAL, Kan. (AP) — Authorities are asking for the public's help as they investigate the death of a southwest Kansas woman. Twenty-three-year-old Yesenia Rodriguez was found dead Sunday morning in the driveway of her home just outside Liberal. Seward County Sheriff Bill McBryde says an autopsy performed Monday showed no signs of trauma. But authorities are treating the case as a homicide as they wait on a toxicology report. McBryde said the woman's last known contact was with her roommate at 3 am. Her body was found outside her home slightly more than five hours later. The sheriff also says Rodriguez's car — a gray 1994 Toyota Corolla — is missing. Investigators hope to hear from anyone who might have seen the vehicle.================== Thief Steals Wheels from Disabled Kansas DogOTTAWA, Kan. (AP) — An eastern Kansas family wants to know what kind of person would steal the wheels right out from under a disabled 10-year-old dog. KCTV reports the crime happened Saturday while Jeffrey and Lou Baker's friendly, 50-pound boxer Sammy was outside their rural Franklin County home. Sammy was outfitted with a special canine wheelchair last fall after losing the use of his back legs to a progressive disease. The wheelchair straps onto his body and helps him get around. Franklin County Deputy Jerrod Fredericks says it takes "a special kind of crazy" to commit such a crime. The wheelchair turned up along a hiking trail near the Bakers' home. The straps were intact, but someone removed a pin to make it easier to get the device off the dog.==================Gaming Company Proposes $7.25M Settlement with KS CountyCOLUMBUS, Kan. (AP) — Penn National Gaming is proposing a $7.25 million settlement with Cherokee County in a dispute over a casino that was never built. Cherokee County sued Penn National for $53 million in 2008 after the company decided not to build a casino in southeast Kansas. The company cited competition from a resort just south of where it planned to build the casino. A Shawnee County judge in November accepted the county's argument that the company backed out after deciding it could make more money elsewhere. Penn National has the state contract for a casino in Kansas City, Kansas. The Joplin Globe reports the settlement includes $4.75 million and 200 acres of property worth about $2.5 million. The commission has not formally accepted the settlement, which the judge also must approve.================== Searchers Find Body of Missing Hays High Schooler HAYS, Kan. (AP) — Ellis County authorities say the death of an 18-year-old Hays high school student was accidental. The body of Citlatli Adilene Armendariz was found Monday afternoon in a creek about a mile south of Hays. She had been missing since she left a party Saturday night. KWCH-TV says a coroner's report found she died of hypothermia along with head injuries resulting from a fall. The Ellis County sheriff's office says Armendariz fell down a 6-foot embankment and landed head first on ice in Big Creek. She then walked about another quarter mile to where her body was found. Investigators say there is no indication of foul play, though the investigation will continue.================== Kansas City Police Chase Ends with Fatal ShootingKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City police have identified the man killed in a shootout with officers that followed a low-speed chase along an interstate. The chase began early Tuesday when Independence police tried to stop the driver, identified later as 38-year-old Todd S. Weber. Police said Weber's last known address was in nearby Overland Park, Kansas. Officers followed Weber into Clay County and Kansas City, in a pursuit with top speeds of only 35 mph. Stop sticks slowed the vehicle, but it continued for several miles. Eventually, Weber got out of his vehicle on Interstate 435 in eastern Kansas City. Police spokesman Steven Young says the man pointed a gun at officers and began firing. Officers returned fire, killing him. None of the officers was seriously hurt.==================University of Kansas Gets Approval for $39M ProjectLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas received approval from the Lawrence city commission to begin construction on a $39 million complex that will include track and field, soccer and softball facilities. KU athletic director Sheahon Zenger announced Tuesday that the school had received the all-clear to begin construction on the facilities west of campus. Preliminary plans call for a track and field stadium with 7,000 permanent seats and room for 3,000 temporary seats. The new home of the Kansas Relays would mean the existing track could be removed from Memorial Stadium, where the Jayhawks play football. The new soccer stadium will seat 2,500 and the softball stadium will seat 1,500. School officials hope to have the facilities ready by spring 2014.==================Ex-Kansas Sheriff Sentenced on Drug ChargesSTOCKTON, Kan. (AP) — A former northwest Kansas sheriff has been sentenced to four years and one month in prison for distributing methamphetamine. KWCH-TV reports that the sentence given Tuesday to former Rooks County sheriff Randy Axelson was shorter than the five years and four months requested by prosecutors. Axelson was arrested December 2011 following an investigation by Kansas authorities. He was accused of distributing meth over a period of four months at the Rooks County Fairgrounds and within 1,000 feet of Stockton High School. He pleaded guilty in July 2012 to four counts. Prosecutors dropped five other counts in exchange for the plea.==================Man with 2 Children Suspected in Topeka TheftsTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Topeka police say a man brought along two children while he stole items from an office building and a church. Topeka police spokeswoman Kristen Veverka said Tuesday the man stole items from an office building on January 2. The two children were with him inside the building. Last Thursday, a man accompanied by two children took property from a Topeka church. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the man is white, mid-30s, slender with brown hair. He and the children left the church in a two-tone blue minivan.==================Washburn Prof Chosen as Law School Dean for University of ArkansasLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has picked a new dean for its law school. Provost Zulma Toro announced Tuesday that Michael Schwartz of Lawrence, Kansas will be the dean of law at the William H. Bowen School of Law. Schwartz replaces former federal prosecutor Paula Casey, who has served as the law school's interim dean since July 2012. Casey will resume her role as a professor when Schwartz takes over as dean July 1. Schwartz is currently associate dean for faculty and academic development at Washburn University School of Law in Topeka.================== Trial Delayed in Kidnapping/ Killing of Topeka GirlTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The capital murder trial of a Topeka man charged with kidnapping, raping and killing an 8-year-old girl has been postponed for several months. Billy Frank Davis Jr. is accused of kidnapping Ahliyah Irvin on March 13 while she slept in her Topeka apartment, where Davis was a neighbor. Her body was found within hours inside a clothes dryer in the same apartment complex. The Topeka Capital Journal reports that a Shawnee County judge on Monday granted a defense request to delay the trial from March 4 to October 7. A motion to move the trial to another county was denied. Davis could face the death penalty if he's convicted. Police say he told detectives that he kidnapped and choked the girl during a flashback to his military service in Iraq.================== KSU to Convert Car to Compressed GasTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The city of Topeka is teaming up with Kansas State University students to make a vehicle powered by compressed natural gas, an alternative fuel created from the methane extracted from human waste. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports mechanical engineering students will convert a city vehicle to compressed natural gas in a bid to find a use for methane gas from a Topeka wastewater treatment plant. Don Rankin, public works utilities infrastructure division director, says the plant wastes the methane equivalent of about 440,000 gallons of gasoline. Topeka expects to spend no more than $10,000 to supply the vehicle and buy parts for the conversion. Rankin says the results and cost benefit analysis could go a long way in helping the department determine the best use for the wasted fuel.================== Pratt Ethanol Plant Expected to ReopenPRATT, Kan. (AP) — A new owner plans to reopen an ethanol plant in Pratt that's been closed since 2008. Officials with Scoular Company of Omaha, Nebraska announced Monday that it sold most of its interest in the plant to Pratt Biofuels Investors. That's a new company formed by investors in a California ethanol plant, Calgren Renewable Fuels. Calgren plans to reopen the Pratt plant by spring. The plant, which can produce 55 million gallons of ethanol a year, closed in 2008. The Wichita Eagle reports that Scoular will continue to procure feedstock and will market and ship the ethanol and distillers grains produced at the plant. Scoular has eight facilities in Kansas and employs more than 150 people in the state.==================Missouri Court Reinstates Suit Against Royals MascotKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Sluggerrr, the Kansas City Royals mascot, is going back to court. A Missouri appeals court on Tuesday reversed a lower court decision in a lawsuit filed by John Coomer of Overland Park against the Royals and their mascot. Coomer alleges he suffered a detached retina and other injuries when he was hit by a hot dog Sluggerrr threw into the stands during a Royals game in 2009. In 2011, a Jackson County (Missouri) jury found for the Royals, saying fans accept a risk of being hit by flying promotions when they attend games. The Kansas City Star reports that the Missouri Western District Court of Appeals overturned that decision Tuesday. The court ruled that being hit by a hot dog is not a well-known risk of attending a baseball game.==================Baby Abandoned in Lawrence in 1964 Discusses LifeLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A woman who was abandoned as a newborn in Lawrence almost 50 years ago says she's had a happy life. A cleaning woman found the baby at what was called the Grover Bungalo Launderette in November 1964. She was likely no more than three hours old. Nurses at a Lawrence hospital named her Baby Amy. Her parents were never found. The Lawrence Journal-World reports she was adopted and spent the first seven years of her life in Kansas. The family moved to New York state. After earning two college degrees, she has traveled the world as an underwater archaeologist and currently lives in Craig, Alaska. She and her husband have two children. She says she forgives her birth mother and would thank her if the two ever met.================== Suspect in Hutchinson Shooting Waives HearingHUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — A suspect in a fatal Hutchinson shooting will be arraigned February 4, after he waived his right to a preliminary hearing. Twenty-year-old Isaac D. Beltran of Hutchinson is charged with second-degree murder in the November 2012 death of 26-year-old Dustin Brooks. The Hutchinson News reports that Beltran's case was transferred after Monday's hearing to Judge Tim Chambers. Beltran will enter a plea at the February 4 hearing. Brooks died at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center after being shot outside a Halloween party. Police say the shooting occurred after Brooks and Beltran argued.================== Israel's Ambassador to US to Deliver Landon LectureMANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — The Israeli ambassador to the United States is appearing at Kansas State to give the latest installment of its Landon Lecture series. Michael Oren will present "Israel, The Ultimate Ally" at 10:15 am on January 29th. The U.S.-born and -educated Oren has held the ambassador post since June 2009. His last two books are "Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East from 1776 to the Present" and "Six Days of War." Both were New York Times best sellers. Oren sometimes attracts controversy. Ten Muslim students were convicted of misdemeanors for repeatedly interrupting his 2010 speech at the University of California at Irvine. The Landon Lecture is named for Governor Alf Landon, a Republican who was Kansas governor from 1933 to 1937. Landon lost to Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1936 presidential election.==================Man Pleads Guilty to Charge in Missouri Sex Slave CaseKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man accused of torturing a young woman he kept as a sex slave has pleaded guilty to having sex with her when she was underage. Edward Bagley entered his plea Tuesday in a deal with prosecutors. He agreed to a 20-year prison sentence that still must approved by a federal judge. Bagley was originally charged in September 2010 with 11 federal counts, including conspiracy, sex trafficking, forced labor trafficking and using an interstate facility to entice a minor into illegal sexual conduct. Prosecutors say the woman was 16 in 2002 when she moved into the now 45-year-old Bagley's mobile home on the outskirts of Lebanon, Missouri. She lived there until 2009. Four other men and Bagley's wife have pleaded guilty to conspiracy and await sentencing.================== Kansas Youths Host Town Hall on Underage DrinkingWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A group of students from Wichita area high schools will host a town hall meeting on the dangers of underage drinking. The Mayor's Youth Council event begins at 6 pm Tuesday in the council board room at Wichita City Hall. Panelists include Mayor Carl Brewer along with some city officials, law enforcement personnel, school and council representatives. The Mayor's Youth Council is made up of more than 30 students from area high schools.==================Creve Coeur, MIssouri Joins Cities with Protest RestrictionsCREVE COEUR, Mo. (AP) — Another St. Louis-area town is placing restrictions on funeral and burial protests by groups such as the Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church. The St. Louis Post-Dispatchreports that the Creve Coeur City Council on Monday unanimously passed a measure banning picketing within 300 feet of a space where a funeral or burial service is taking place. The ban is in place during the service, along with one hour before and after. Clayton passed similar legislation in December. Both laws mirror a Manchester ordinance that has been upheld by a federal appeals court. Westboro is known for anti-gay protests that often occur at military funerals.================== UMKC, Bar to Offer Continuing Legal EducationKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A new partnership will create the largest continuing legal education provider in the Kansas City area. The University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law and the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association announced Monday that they're working together to teach attorneys the latest on topics such as ethics. UMKC's director of continuing legal education, Daniel McCarroll, will serve as director for the collaboration. Local bar association executive director Vickie Schatz will be the manager. UMKC Law School Dean Ellen Suni says the decision to combine the two competitors will "make Kansas City a model for economical, efficient excellence in continuing legal education." The Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association serves about 5,000 members in seven Missouri counties and two counties in Kansas.==================Chiefs' Reid Adds Former Bears Assistant to Coaching StaffKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — New Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid hired former Bears assistant Dave Toub to direct special teams on Tuesday, and announced that he's retaining linebackers coach Gary Gibbs and defensive backs coach Emmitt Thomas from the previous staff. Reid announced the majority of his coaching staff late last week, including Doug Pederson as offensive coordinator and Bob Sutton as the defensive coordinator. Toub has spent the past nine seasons with the Bears. Prior to that, he worked with special teams and the defensive line for Reid in Philadelphia. Reid still has not announced an offensive line coach, though former Dolphins coach Tony Sparano has interviewed for the job. Reid also confirmed Tuesday that he had hired Eugene Chung to be the assistant offensive line coach. Chung also worked with Reid in Philadelphia.==================New-Look Chiefs Turning Attention to NFL DraftKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The overhaul of the Kansas City Chiefs is nearly complete. Andy Reid has been hired to replace Romeo Crennel as coach, and longtime Green Bay Packers personnel man John Dorsey has replaced Scott Pioli as general manager. Most of the assistant coaches are on board, and now the Chiefs can start turning their attention toward the rebuilding job. The Chiefs finished 2-14 last season, matching the worst record in their 53-year history. But the byproduct of all that on-field suffering is that they have the number-one NFL draft pick for the first time, giving Kansas City a good place to start turning around the team.==================Brownback to Deliver Kansas State of State AddressTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Governor Sam Brownback is preparing to deliver his third State of the State address, outlining for legislators his agenda for the 2013 session. The speech will be delivered Tuesday night to a joint session of the House and Senate. Brownback is expected to share his plans for balancing the state budget, which faces a projected shortfall of $267 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The governor has already suggested that a sales tax increase approved in 2010 and set to expire this summer be kept in place to raise revenue. Brownback is also likely to suggest how legislators should respond to last week's court ruling that declared the state's school finance formula unconstitutional.**this story has been updated. Please see above.

Here are the headlines for our area, as compiled by KPR news staffers.

WaKeeney Man Charged with Murder in Fetus' DeathWAKEENEY, Kan. (AP) _ The Kansas attorney general has filed a first-degree murder charge against a 30-year-old western Kansas man accused of killing an 8- to 10-week-old fetus. The Salina Journal reports that Scott Robert Bollig of WaKeeney has been charged with first-degree murder. The criminal complaint filed in Trego County accuses Bollig of putting a crushed medication used to end pregnancies on a pancake for a pregnant woman to eat. The incident allegedly occurred January 26. The complaint doesn't name the medication or say when the fetus died. Bollig's lawyer (Daniel Walter) says he'll challenge the statute used to charge Bollig. The statute makes it illegal to kill or wound an unborn child during an attack on the mother. ==============================Bill to open Kansas Police Records AdvancesTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas House has approved and sent to the Senate a bill that allows more access to police documents about the reason behind arrests. The bill also would make affidavits justifying search warrants open to the parties involved. The bill advanced 113-10 on Thursday as the House finished work on dozens of bills ahead of the first major legislative deadline of the session. A tougher fight for the bill is expected in the Senate. As written, individuals whose homes are searched would have 30 days to request documentation explaining the reason for the search. Kansas is one of the few states that seal probable-cause affidavits. Prosecutors have raised concerns that opening the records could jeopardize the safety and privacy of victims and witnesses.==============================Third Person Charged in Salina HomicideSALINA, Kan. (AP) — A third person has been charged in the 2013 death of a 27-year-old Salina woman. The Salina Journal reports that 21-year-old Megan V. Wells is charged in Saline County with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. She's being held on $1 million bail. Two men, 25-year-old Joel Heil and 33-year-old Dane C. DeWeese, of Abilene, have pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the death of Kristin Tyler, who was missing for two weeks before her body was found May 9 in rural Saline County. DeWeese's trial is set for March 24, and Heil's trial is scheduled for May 7. A lawyer for Wells didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.==============================Northeast KS Prosecutor Running for US SenateTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A northeast Kansas prosecutor has decided to run for the U.S. Senate and is the first Democratic candidate to publicly declare an interest in the race. Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor confirmed Thursday that he'll seek the seat held by three-term Republican incumbent Pat Roberts. Roberts is seeking re-election but faces a GOP primary challenge from Leawood radiologist Milton Wolf. Taylor said he will discuss his reasons for running during a Friday morning news conference at the Kansas secretary of state's office. Taylor formed an exploratory committee in November, saying people were urging him to run because of their frustrations with gridlock in Washington. Taylor was first elected district attorney in the county that includes Topeka in 2008 and was re-elected in 2012.==============================Kansas Senate Passes Bill Ending Lawmaker PACsTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate has passed a bill abolishing political action committees formed by legislative leaders in both parties after a bitter partisan debate. Republicans used their supermajority to push the bill through the chamber Thursday on a 31-6 vote, sending the measure to the House. Democrats opposed the measure, seeing it as an attempt by GOP majorities to hamstring the minority party's fundraising efforts in a Republican-leaning state. GOP senators said the bill is a good-government measure. Senate Democrats and House Democrats have leadership PACs. There's a Senate Republican PAC, but it's controlled by GOP moderates, who once led the Senate but were ousted from power in 2012. House Republicans have no PAC. A 2000 law prohibited legislators from forming new PACs, but it didn't abolish existing ones.==============================Missouri Senate Passes Business Truce with KansasJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri senators have passed legislation proposing a truce with Kansas in the battle for businesses in the Kansas City area. The bill approved 30-2 Thursday would end offers of special tax incentives for businesses to relocate from one side of the border to the other in the metropolitan region. The measure now goes to the Missouri House. But the truce also would need approval from the Kansas Legislature or governor to take effect. Over the past five years, Missouri and Kansas have collectively waived hundreds of millions of dollars of tax revenues for businesses that moved across the state line. The Missouri legislation would bar incentives for businesses moving between the Missouri counties of Jackson, Clay, Platte and Cass and the Kansas counties of Wyandotte, Johnson, Douglas and Miami.==============================Tea Party PAC Backs Wolf in Kansas US Senate RaceWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A national tea party group is endorsing Milton Wolf in the Kansas physician's bid to unseat three-term U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts in the state's Republican primary. The Tea Party Express announced its backing for Wolf during a rally Thursday in Wichita. The group also planned rallies with Wolf in Topeka and Overland Park. The California-based group describes itself as the nation's largest tea party political action committee and is involved in Senate and congressional races across the nation. Wolf already has backing from Kansas tea party groups. He recently has faced criticism about posting graphic images from X-rays of victims of gunshot wounds and other medical injuries on Facebook page several years ago. Wolf has apologized, but Roberts is running statewide cable-television and radio ads attacking Wolf on the issue.==============================Bill Would Raise Kansas Limits on Lawsuit DamagesTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate has approved a bill that increases the state's limits on some damages in lawsuits but makes other changes in evidence rules. The Senate's 32-8 vote Thursday sends the measure to the House. The bill is partly a response to a 2012 Kansas Supreme Court ruling in a medical malpractice lawsuit. The court upheld the state's $250,000 limit on non-economic damages such as pain and suffering in personal injury lawsuits. But the court also suggested that the limit might not remain constitutional because of inflation. The bill would boost the cap to $300,000 in July and $350,000 in July 2022. The increase is tied to changes in evidence rules sought by the Kansas Chamber of Commerce. One change gives judges greater discretion to limit expert testimony.==============================Kansas House OKs Official State FossilsTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Two ancient giants that once roamed the area now known as Kansas have earned approval from the House to be designated as the state's official fossils. Legislators voted 96-27 on Thursday to name the tylosaurus and the pteranodon (TEAR-un-don) as the official fossils. The creatures join the western meadowlark, ornate box turtle and bison as official state animals and reptiles. The tylosaurus was a large sea creature that hunted the ocean that covered Kansas more than 80 million years ago. While it patrolled the waters, the pteranodon roamed the skies. Fossils have been found in the chalk hills in western Kansas. Examples of the tylosaurus are on display at museums in Hays and Lawrence. Supporters say the designation boosts the state's tradition of being a paleontology treasure trove.==============================KS GOP Senators Defend Closed Caucus MeetingsDemocrats in the Kansas Senate have put forth a proposal that would require all legislative party caucus meetings to be open to the public. But Republican senators have rejected the measure. The GOP-dominated Senate voted 30-8 yesterday (WED) against the proposal from Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, of Topeka. Only one Republican, Carolyn McGinn of Sedgwick, supported his measure. The Kansas Open Meetings Act generally requires government meetings to be open to the public. But it has an exception for the Legislature, so that Republicans and Democrats in each chamber can close their daily caucus meetings. The meetings are rarely closed, though Senate Republicans have done so at least twice over the past decade. Hensley said all caucus meetings should be open. ==============================KS Bill Offers Convicted Vets Mental TreatmentTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ Some military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress who are convicted of low-level crimes could be ordered by Kansas courts to receive treatment as a condition of their sentence. A bill advancing Wednesday in the Kansas House would allow veterans who meet strict criteria to receive treatment for their mental illness, provided the sentence for their crime doesn't require time in prison. The bill's aimed at helping veterans who are coping with PTSD and other mental illness as a result of their combat service. The treatment would be ordered at the time of the court conviction or before sentencing to veterans who have received a general or honorable military discharge. Supporters say the measure is a first step in helping veterans address their mental health needs and seek proper treatment. ==============================KBI: Amber Alert for Texas Girl MisdirectedTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says an Amber alert issued earlier this week was a mistake. The alert suggested that a teenager missing from Texas might be in the Kansas City area, but that was an error caused by miscalculating the location of her cellphone ping. The alert was sent around 9:30 Tuesday night. But the KBI says it appears the ping was read wrong and there's no evidence the girl's phone was ever in the area. Velazquez has since been found safe in Lubbock, Texas. A 28-year-old construction worker has been taken into custody. No word yet on whether he's been charged.=============================Two KS Schools Selected for "Innovative Status"TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ The Concordia and McPherson school districts have been granted "innovative status," freeing them from state laws as they pursue certain education goals. They will be allowed to operate similar to charter schools but are still accountable to local boards of education and the State Board of Education. Eight Kansas districts applied for the status to Governor Sam Brownback, and the chairs of the House and Senate education committees.==============================KU to Start Construction on New DormsLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) _ The University of Kansas is ready to begin construction of two five-story halls that will house 350 students. Groundbreaking for the $47.8 million project is scheduled for next Wednesday. The new residence halls will include two- and four-person suites. Construction is expected to be completed by July 2015, with the first students moving in that August. The nearly 50-year-old McCollum Hall will be torn down in the summer of 2015. Beginning in September, students will be able to sign up online to live in the new halls.==============================KS Woman Guilty of Stealing from Gov't ProgramsKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) _ A Kansas woman has pleaded guilty to defrauding federal need-based programs out of more than $43,000. Fifty-seven-year-old Wanda Herdman of Kansas City admitted yesterday that she stole from the Supplemental Security Income, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance and Medicaid programs. In her plea, Herman said she didn't report her spouse's Department of Veterans Affairs income.==============================10-year-old Springfield girl laid to rest SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) _ A flag-waving crowd gathered outside the funeral of a 10-year-old Springfield girl who was abducted and killed last week, chanting her name and wearing her favorite colors of pink and purple. The funeral for Hailey Owens was held yesterday (WED) at Ridgecrest Baptist Church. The fourth-grader was killed February 18th after being abducted in her own neighborhood. Forty-five-year-old Craig Michael Wood is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and armed criminal action in her death. The middle-school football coach is being held without bond in Greene County Jail. The Springfield News-Leader reports that about 100 people formed a human wall outside the church's entrance.==============================KS House Seeks to Expand Rural Economic ZonesTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ Kansas House members are preparing to approve a bill that would add four southern counties to a program that seeks to boost population and economic development in rural areas. The House will vote Thursday on a bill that would add Cherokee, Labette, Montgomery and Sumner counties to the existing list of 73 counties currently eligible for designation as rural opportunity zones. Legislators created the program to boost rural growth in 2011, primarily in counties that had seen double-digit population declines during the last federal census period. The program offers income tax exemptions for new residents moving to those counties, as well as the repayment of a portion of outstanding college loans with participation by county governments. Program supporters say the incentives have been helpful in attracting residents and business activity.==============================Two Charged in Wichita Shooting WICHITA, Kan. (AP) _ Two men have been charged in the fatal shooting death of a Wichita concrete company worker. The Wichita Eagle reports 40-year-old Deon Hale, and 33-year-old Donnie Lalonde are charged with first-degree premeditated murder in the death last week of of Efren Villarreal-Alvarado, a 44-year-old employee of Santana Concrete. Hale and Lalonde also each face a count of aggravated robbery in connection with the death. It's unclear if the defendants have lawyers. Co-workers found Villarreal-Alvarado alive with a gunshot wound to his chest when they arrived at the concrete company Friday morning. He was in his truck in the business's parking lot. Bond for each man was set at $1.5 million in the case. They are due back in court March 12th. ============================== Plan Would Raise Kansas Limits on Lawsuit Damages TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ The Kansas Senate has given first-round approval to a bill increasing the state's limits on some damages in lawsuits but makes other changes in evidence rules. The Senate's voice vote Wednesday advanced the bill to a final vote Thursday, when approval would send the measure to the House. The bill is partly a response to a 2012 Kansas Supreme Court ruling in a medical malpractice lawsuit. The court upheld the state's $250,000 limit on non-economic damages such as pain and suffering in personal injury lawsuits. But the court also suggested that the limit might not remain constitutional because of inflation. The bill would boost the cap to $300,000 in July and $350,000 in July 2022. The increase is tied to changes in evidence rules sought by business groups. ==============================

Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab runs for governor... a murder-suicide in Kansas City claims the lives of a father and two children... a new federal program aims to improve maternal health in Kansas... and giant snow drifts trap a woman inside her Brown County home. Details, inside. (This commercial-free, daily news summary is generally posted by 10 am Monday through Friday.)

The party is increasing efforts to help Kansans understand voting rules.

Calling North Korea's missile tests a provocative act, President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pledge that the United States will rely on six-party talks to deal with the issue. Over the past 24 hours, Pyongyang has gotten the world's attention, as North Korea launched up to seven missiles.