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Kansas lawmakers have added more money to the budget for state universities. They've also approved pay raises for state workers. Government employees would either get a 2.5 percent or 5 percent pay hike.

These area headlines are curated by KPR news staffers, including J. Schafer, Laura Lorson, Kaye McIntyre, and Tom Parkinson. Our headlines are generally posted by 10 am weekdays, 11 am weekends. This news summary is made possible by KPR listener-members. Become one today!

A fight over Kansas tax policy could start as soon as next week.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (File Photo by Stephen Koranda)TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Kansas must remain on the November ballot even though he wants to withdraw against incumbent Republican Senator Pat Roberts. Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach said Thursday Democrat Chad Taylor did not comply with state law in withdrawing from the race. He says Taylor didn't formally declare that he would be unable to serve if elected. On Wednesday, Taylor withdrew from the race without explanation, raising questions about whether he quit to give independent candidate Greg Orman a better shot at defeating three-term conservative Roberts, who has struggled to solidify re-election in a predominantly Republican state. The Kansas race suddenly emerged as a wild card in the national fight for control of the U.S. Senate. Republicans need a net gain of six seats to control the chamber. Observers say Republican incumbent Robert’s chances of winning in Kansas improve if a Democratic name is on the ballot. But Secretary of State Kobach says politics played no part in his decision and says his office researched the law thoroughly before issuing the ruling. "We wanted to make sure that we looked for all case law. We also wanted to look at past examples of people who have filed such requests. We did all of the above, looked at the past practices of this office and made as thorough review of the law as we could. We also wanted to involve the attorney general's office. The attorney general is in complete agreement."Chad Taylor said in a statement Thursday that he was assured by a top Kobach aide that a letter he sent to the secretary of state's office was sufficient for withdrawing. Taylor says he will fight to have his name removed from the ballot but Kobach said Taylor's only recourse would be to file a lawsuit.

A 34-year-old black man whose family was homeless at times during his childhood in Kansas City will become the city's 55th mayor.

Here's the latest Kansas and regional news from the Associated Press, compiled by KPR staff.

Here's the latest Kansas and regional news from the Associated Press, compiled by KPR staff.

Brownback Signs "Hard 50" LawTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Sam Brownback has signed legislation revising the Kansas law allowing convicted murderers to be sentenced to at least 50 years in prison. Lawmakers approved the measure this week during a two-day special session. Brownback signed it yesterday (FRI) and delivered it to the secretary of state's office. The law will take effect September 12th when it is printed in the Kansas register.=====Man Charged in Shooting DeputyEL DORADO, Kan. (AP) — A man captured after a four-day search across southern Kansas has been charged with attempted capital murder in the shooting of a Butler County sheriff's deputy. Forty-one-year-old Jan Tracy Kilbourne made a first appearance yesterday afternoon (FRI) in Butler County District Court. The Wichita Eagle reports his court-appointed lawyer did not object when the state requested he be held on $1 million bond.=====Kansas Lawmaker DiesTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The House speaker's office says southeast Kansas Rep. Ed Bideau has died at his home in Chanute. Rachel Whitten, spokeswoman for House Speaker Ray Merrick, says the 62-year-old Bideau died Thursday and is believed to have suffered a heart attack. She says an official cause of death hasn't been determined. Information about funeral services was not available yesterday (FRI).=====Wheat Crop Better than 2012WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Newly released sampling data from 51 Kansas counties show slightly more of this year's wheat graded as top quality. The National Agricultural Statistics Service said yesterday (FRI) in its annual wheat quality report that 85 percent of the samples graded as Number One wheat, compared with 83 percent last year.

(Image courtesy of Eric Melin)Take a moment to listen back to KPR's interview with the newly-crowned World Air Guitar Champion for 2013, Eric "Mean" Melin! This interview aired prior to Eric's trip out to California to compete in the U.S. Air Guitar Championships on August 17. Now, he's the World Champion...and KPR couldn't be prouder. Congratulations, Eric! ******************************************************************************Nearly everyone who's ever heard a rock song with a blistering guitar solo has probably -- at some point -- pretended to play along. The tradition of playing "air guitar" is practically a teenage rite of passage. But did you know that air guitar has become a competitive event? Film critic and musician Eric Melin (muh-LEEN) of Lawrence won a regional semifinal air guitar competition in July. He dropped by KPR before heading out to the U.S. Air Guitar Championships in Los Angeles to talk with Laura Lorson about the art of air guitar performance, and how organized air guitar competitions got started.That's Eric Melin of Lawrence, who reviews films for the website Scene-Stealers.com. He was speaking with KPR's Laura Lorson. This conversation took place before Melin came in second at the U.S. Air Guitar Championships in Los Angeles. Despite the second-place finish, he decided to take a chance, and competed for a "dark horse" spot so he could compete at the World Championships. His dream came true...Melin took the top honor at the World Air Guitar Championships in Oulu, Finland, on August 23rd. For more information on the 2013 U.S. Air Guitar Championships, visit www.usairguitar.com. For more information on the World Air Guitar Championships, visit http://www.airguitarworldchampionships.com/. To see our original posting of this interview on August 16, and to hear a longer version of the conversation, click here.

Drug legalization advocates and former prosecutors are watching the Justice Department to see how it shifts emphasis on marijuana prosecutions. Attorney General Sessions takes a hard line on the drug.