Search results for

Caleb Stegall during the Senate committee hearing. (Photo by Stephen Koranda)Governor Sam Brownback's nominee for an open seat on the Kansas Court of Appeals is headed for a vote in the full Senate. A committee yesterday (TUE) endorsed the nominee after a public hearing. This is the first vacancy filled on the court under a new system where the governor chooses nominees, who then must be confirmed by the Kansas Senate. As KPR's Stephen Koranda reports, Brownback chose his office's top attorney, Caleb Stegall, for the seat on the state's second-highest court.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7c3e40000

state, tax, income, cut, kansas, brownback, budget, legislature, finances, assessment, passed, hensley, topeka, democrat, big, senate’s, top, session, anthony, economic

(Flickr Photo by Holley St. Germain)Two bills that would have cut back teachers’ bargaining rights have been shelved for this session. The top Democrat in the Kansas Senate believes opposition from union members forced the delay. Senator Anthony Hensley, from Topeka, is not only that chamber's minority leader, he’s also a teacher.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7bdc90000Overland Park Republican Marvin Kleeb (“cleb”) chairs the House Commerce Committee. He told the Associated Press that the break will give groups representing teachers, superintendents and school boards a chance to work out a compromise.

This is National Consumer Protection Week. Jeff Wagaman, the spokesperson for the Kansas Attorney General's office, says one of the activities being held in conjunction with the event is geared toward high school students. 00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa791430000The writers of the top 3 entries from around the state will each win 400 dollars. All entries are due next Monday, March 14th. More information can be found online at the Kansas Attorney General's website, www.ksag.org. National Consumer Protection Week is being observed with various activities in all fifty states.

Lawmakers are set to return to the Statehouse tomorrow (WED) to start wrapping up the 2011 legislative session. Anthony Hensley, of Topeka, is the top Democrat in the Senate. He believes one of the biggest issues lawmakers need to tackle is a deficit in the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System, or KPERS. Hensley says there are thousands of working and retired Kansans who rely on KPERS.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa795ae0000The system faces a multibillion dollar deficit over the coming decades. A Senate plan would have employers and workers paying more into KPERS. A House proposal would focus on moving workers out of the system, into 401(k)-style plans. A conference committee is working on a compromise between the two bills.

All three Division I men's basketball teams in Kansas have been sent to St. Louis to play in the NCAA tournament. Kansas earned a #2 seed and plays in the South regional. Top-seeded Wichita State and 9th-seeded Kansas State will play in the Midwest regional and could face eachother if they get past their first round opponents. KPR's Greg Echlin has more.

The shootings at Virginia Tech have prompted the postponement of a much anticipated Senate hearing with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The nation's top law enforcement official is under pressure to explain his role in the firing of eight U.S. attorneys.

The Olympic torch has reached the top of Mount Everest, the climax of a massive publicity campaign leading up the Olympic Games. China hopes the spectacle of the flame atop the world's highest mountain will erase the memory of ugly protests. But some activists say that by taking the flame up Everst, China is trying to show its dominance over Tibetans.

Check out the latest Kansas news headlines from the Associated Press, as compiled by KPR news staffers,

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