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Planned Parenthood Drops Kansas Funding ChallengeWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri has dropped its legal challenge to a Kansas law that stripped two of its Kansas clinics of federal money for family planning.The organization filed a stipulation of dismissal Friday in U.S. District Court in Kansas.An appeals court ruled in March that Kansas could strip clinics in Wichita and Hays of the funds while Planned Parenthood pressed its lawsuit contesting a state law it calls retaliation for its advocacy of abortion rights.Friday's filing ends the litigation.Kansas is among several states that have sought to defund Planned Parenthood. The federal family planning money targets low-income people seeking reproductive services such as birth control, pregnancy testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. The funds cannot be used for abortions.=========Western KS Group Plans Gun RangeDODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — A gun club's proposal to build a shooting range in western Kansas is gaining support. The Santa Fe Trail Gun Club is in the process of planning a shooting range near a landfill in Ford County. The Dodge City Daily Globe reports it would be the first shooting range in the county.=========KC Power and Light District Fires Back With SuitKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The owner of the Kansas City Power and Light District has filed a defamation lawsuit against attorneys who claimed in an earlier lawsuit that the district discriminated against minority customers. The Kansas City Star reports Cordish Companies and two related entities filed a defamation suit this week against two attorneys who filed the earlier lawsuit on behalf of Glen Cusimano.========Chiefs Grab Phillip Gaines With Third-Round PickKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs selected defensive back Phillip Gaines from Rice in the third round of the NFL draft Friday night, helping a pass defense that was shredded by Indianapolis in the playoffs.Kansas City was in need of safety help after losing starter Kendrick Lewis in free agency. It is possible that Gaines could ultimately make the switch to that position.The Chiefs did not have a second-round pick after sending it to San Francisco in the deal that netted them quarterback Alex Smith. That made it a long night for general manager John Dorsey and coach Andy Reid, who had to wait until the 87th overall pick before nabbing a player.Kansas City selected pass rusher Dee Ford in the first round Thursday night.

Featuring both old and new characters, Dexter: Resurrection has multiple murder investigations going on at once. The narrative is as interwoven and complex as a DNA strand — but somehow it all works.

Convicted Doctor Found Guilty of Firearm, Drug ChargesWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A former south-central Kansas doctor already serving time on supervised release for a drug conviction has been found guilty of federal firearm and drug charges. A Sedgwick County jury on Thursday found 57-year-old Lawrence Simons of Wichita guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and unlawful possession of controlled substances.==========School Bus Driver Charged in CrashDOUGLASS, Kan. (AP) — A southern Kansas school bus driver has been charged with endangering a child and reckless driving after his bus carrying 10 children slid off a road and into a rain-swollen creek. KAKE-TV reports 64-year-old Morris Peterson was charged yesterday (FRI) in Butler County for the October 31st incident in which he and the students had to be rescued by emergency responders. Three children suffered minor injuries.==========Fort Scott Man Sentenced in Murder, Arson CaseFORT SCOTT, Kan. (AP) — A 26-year-old southeast Kansas man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his wife, injuring his son and burning the family's home down near Fort Scott. Brent Bollinger of Fort Scott was convicted in September of first-degree murder, aggravated arson and aggravated child endangerment.==========Kansas Lottery Director Steps DownTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A longtime figure in state government who was appointed as executive director of the Kansas Lottery less than a year ago says he is stepping down from the job in January. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Dennis Taylor is leaving to join a U.S. consulting firm providing technical assistance and training to local governments in Eastern Europe. Taylor also will teach part time at Washburn University in Topeka.

At first glance, poet Tess Taylor was skeptical of Brenda Hillman's 17-year, four-book series of poems on the elements. But Taylor fell for the strange and spiraling verses in Seasonal Works with Letters on Fire, which was longlisted for the National Book Award. "I commend you to this lively, defiant, blazing book," she says.

Ordained Episcopal priest Barbara Brown Taylor says that teaching the different religions of the world changed her students' understanding of faith — as well as her own.

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

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - A legal dispute over the lack of a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Kansas could upend a key contest in the fight for control of the Senate. The national spotlight is on three-term Republican Senator Pat Roberts and independent challenger Greg Orman. But a case being heard Monday by a three-judge panel in Shawnee County District Court centers on whether state law requires Democrats to pick a new candidate after Chad Taylor withdrew earlier this month. Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has asked the court to render a decision by October 1. But regardless of the court's decision, the losing side is expected to appeal the case. University of Kansas Law Lecturer Mark Johnson says that would further delay the printing of ballots for the November election. "We're going to end up with a lot of ballots that are defective and will have to be excluded and that may well be a violation of federal law." Johnson says a federal violation would likely trigger a Justice Department lawsuit against the state.

Take a look at area news headlines from the Associated Press, as compiled by KPR staffers.

Teyana Taylor stars as a mom trying to build a home for her son in an intimate Sundance Film Festival winner that's more surprising than it looks.

Teyana Taylor stars as a mom trying to build a home for her son in an intimate Sundance Film Festival winner that's more surprising than it looks.