Search results for

Russia is fighting to conquer the entire Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. To help civilians escape, the Ukrainian railway runs a free evacuation train out of the east. Here's what it's like.

To launch our road trip series Our Land, we travel across the country as Donald Trump takes office, and we meet freshly minted citizens at their naturalization ceremony in Kansas City, Mo.

Punxsutawney Phil predicts more winter ahead. Groundhogs may not have a great track record when it comes to weather forecasts, but experts say the tradition sheds light on our culture and environment.

Subscribers and star journalists have fled the Post in its first year under CEO and Publisher Will Lewis. Now staff have signed a petition asking owner Jeff Bezos to intervene.

Staffers began receiving termination notices this morning as part of a major restructuring at HHS. Some senior leadership are on their way out too.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen joined several top Kansas politicians Monday on a tour of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility.

Accounting Change to Shift KPERS Debt to Local GovernmentsTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — About $10 billion in projected pension debts will be moving from the state of Kansas to the balance sheets of local governments thanks to a change in national accounting standards. Alan Conroy, executive director of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System, told a legislative committee Tuesday about the Governmental Accounting Standards Board's changes, which take place next year. KPERS serves state employees as well as public workers from about 1,500 cities, counties, school districts and other local government units. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that starting next year, those entities will need to carry the KPERS debt as an unfunded liability on their own balance sheets, rather than the state carrying it all. Conroy's office is working on a breakdown for each government entity.=============== KS Governor to Give State of State Address January 15TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Governor Sam Brownback is scheduled to give his annual State of the State address January 15. Brownback announced Tuesday that he had accepted an invitation from House Speaker Ray Merrick to address a joint legislative session on that date in the House chamber. The speech will come two days after lawmakers open their 2014 session. The speech will give Brownback a chance to lay out his legislative agenda. It's scheduled for 6:30 pm and the governor's office says it will be televised live on multiple stations. The House speaker traditionally issues a formal invitation to the governor to speak in the chamber. For years, it's been scheduled in the evening to guarantee a bigger audience.=============== Kansas Joins Bidding for Boeing ContractTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is assembling an economic incentive package geared at landing a new Boeing contract to build the aviation giant's 777X commercial aircraft. Administration officials say Wednesday they can't divulge details of the Kansas package, citing a nondisclosure agreement signed with Boeing when talks began in recent weeks. Governor Sam Brownback has said that Kansas would make a run at landing the contract, which could result in between 7,000 and 10,000 new aviation jobs in the Wichita area. Unlike Missouri, where legislators are meeting to approve a financial package, Kansas is relying on existing economic incentive programs related to job training, workforce development and provisions that could allow the expensing of new equipment purchases over several years.=============== KS Senator Roberts Visits Washburn StudentsTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — U.S. Senator Pat Roberts is concluding a two-day, three-city tour of Kansas with a visit to Washburn University in Topeka. The Republican senator was scheduled Wednesday to tour the campus and spend about 45 minutes talking with student leaders. He was expected to discuss a variety of topics ranging from the recent changes in the Senate debate rules to the status of the new farm bill. Roberts has also been a strong critic of the implementation of the federal health care law. He has called for former Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius to resign as secretary of Health and Human Services over troubles with the government's health care website. Roberts made stops Tuesday in Wichita and Manhattan.===============Topeka Homicide Scene BurglarizedTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Topeka police have arrested two men suspected of burglarizing a home where three people were found shot to death on Sunday. WIBW-AM reports that investigators had released the home as a crime scene late Tuesday. Police responded to a report of a burglary in progress at the house at 4:30 am Wednesday and found two people in the backyard with items taken from inside. The suspects are 23 and 29 years old and live in Topeka. Police Captain Scott Conklin could not say if there was any connection to the homicides. Police are still investigating the deaths of 34-year-old Tamesha Lee, 43-year-old Eric Avery and 56-year-old Marvin Louis Woods. Their bodies were found after Avery's 45-year-old sister, Carla Jean Avery, was found wounded outside a restaurant. She died Tuesday.===============KS Atty General Mulls Seeking Death Penalty for 4 KillingsOSWEGO, Kan. (AP) — An assistant Kansas attorney general says there's no decision yet on whether the state will seek the death penalty for a man accused of killing a Parsons woman and her three children. But Assistant Attorney General Amy Hanley declined to comment further Wednesday about the prosecution of 22-year-old David Cornell Bennett Jr., of Cherryvale. The alternative to a death sentence in a capital case is life in prison without parole. Bennett is charged with capital murder, rape and criminal threats in the deaths of 29-year-old Cami Umbarger and her children, ages 4, 6 and 9. Their bodies were found Nov. 25 in their southeast Kansas home. Bennett returned to Labette County District Court on Wednesday and listened quietly a judge read the charges during a 10-minute hearing.===============Man Flees KC Police in Stolen FedEx TruckPRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. (AP) — Police have recovered a stolen FedEx delivery truck after a low-speed pursuit that wound through Kansas City, Missouri, and ended just over the state line in Prairie Village, Kansas. KMBC-TV reports the truck was stolen around 8:45 am Wednesday outside a Kansas City gas station, where the FedEx driver had left the keys inside while paying for fuel. Police began pursuing the truck in eastern Kansas City at mid-afternoon. News helicopters followed the chase as police stayed well behind the truck, whose driver frequently signaled to change lanes or turn corners. An officer with a gun drawn opened the truck's door at an intersection, but the vehicle hopped a curb and drove off. Officers finally disabled the truck with stop sticks and took the driver into custody without incident.===============Feud at Atchison Company Ends; CEO OustedATCHISON, Kan. (AP) — A battle for control of MGP Ingredients in Atchison apparently has ended, with an agreement to oust the CEO and drop all lawsuits. The company announced Tuesday that CEO Tim Newkirk will leave, with two other executives serving as co-CEO until Newkirk's replacement can be found. MGP's board of directors has been battling for most of the year with descendants of the company's founders, the Cray family. Six board members and Newkirk had proposed trying to sell at least part of the company. Two other board members, Cloud Cray Jr. and Karen Seaberg, opposed that plan. The deal also requires both sides to drop lawsuits and limits potential sales or purchases of corporate assets. And a long-delayed shareholders meeting will be held December 17.=============== State Plans to Build 2 Cell Blocks at El DoradoEL DORADO, Kan. (AP) — State prison officials say they want to build two new cell blocks, with a total of 512 new beds, at the El Dorado Correctional Facility. If the Legislature agrees to fund the project, the El Dorado facility would become the largest prison in the state. Corrections spokesman Jeremy Barclay said the department hopes to open the first cell block on Jan. 1, 2017, with the second opening 18 months later. The Wichita Eagle reports the project would cost an estimated $24.3 million, with annual operating cost of $8.3 million. Barclay says if lawmakers refuse to approve the bonds for the project, the state will have to start housing inmates in other states or consider leasing space in county jails.===============Arrowhead Stadium Parking Lot Death Ruled a HomicideKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A medical examiner has determined the death of a Missouri man in an Arrowhead Stadium parking lot during a Kansas City Chiefs game was a homicide. The Jackson County (Missouri) medical examiner announced his ruling Wednesday. But Kansas City police say the cause of 30-year-old Kyle Van Winkle's death Sunday has not been determined. Van Winkle was found unconscious at 5:20 p.m. Police spokesman Darin Snapp says detectives have been treating the case as a homicide from the beginning, so the investigation won't change. Van Winkle had gone to Sunday's game in a vehicle similar to the Jeep in which he was found by the owner. Police say he was involved in a fight, but it's not clear whether that contributed to his death.===============Man Convicted of Trying to Run Over KHP TrooperLEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A McLouth man will be sentenced December 18 for trying to run over a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper. The Kansas City Star reported Tuesday that 33-year-old Kevin Reed was found guilty of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer in Leavenworth County. The Leavenworth County prosecutor says the trooper tried to stop a car on May 22 for a traffic violation but the driver drove away. The trooper found the vehicle behind a barn with Reed at the wheel. When the trooper ordered him at gunpoint to get out of the car, Reed drove toward him. The trooper fired four shots but Reed continued driving. He eventually abandoned the car and was later found hiding in a barn. The trooper was not seriously injured.===============Careless Smoking Blamed for Deadly Wichita BlazeWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita fire officials say careless smoking caused a blaze that killed four people last week. Captain Stuart Bevis said Wednesday that the November 26 fire started in an upholstered chair in the living room of a double-wide mobile home. Several adults had smoked in that area beforehand. Bevis says a combination of wood paneling and combustible ceiling tiles contributed to the blaze spreading rapidly. The fire killed 21-year-old Amanda Nichols; her 1-year-old son, Isaaca; 27-year-old Camaron McGowan, and his 2-year-old son, K'dyn McGowan. The home's smoke alarms apparently weren't working. And Bevis said it was fortunate that three other people in the mobile home managed to escape with their lives. Those three, a firefighter and a neighbor who helped sustained minor injuries.===============Riley County Searching for 2 Missing Since 1981MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — The Riley County police department says it is still looking for two people who have been missing since 1981. Police say Stevie Hammerle and Joseph Grashner have been missing since they left a party in Manhattan on August 22nd, 1981. WIBW reports that Hammerle and Grashner were last seen leaving the party with two other people. Anyone with information in the case is asked to call (785) 537-2112, ext. 3077, or may leave anonymous tips with the Manhattan-Riley County Crime Stoppers at (785) 539-7777 or 1-(800)-222-TIPS. Web tips can be left at www.RileyCountyPolice.org. A reward of up to $1,000 is offered by Crime Stoppers.===============Topless Shopper Chases Peeper Through Kansas StoreLENEXA, Kan. (AP) — Police say an accused peeping Tom faces a misdemeanor charge after a topless woman chased him through a northeast Kansas department store. The Kansas City Star reports that 35-year-old Jeremy F. Bradley, 35, of Raytown, was charged Tuesday in Lenexa Municipal Court with breach of privacy. His home phone number is disconnected. Police say the woman was trying on bras Monday afternoon in the dressing room of a Kohl's store when she saw a hand holding a cell phone under the partition. Master Police Officer Dan Friesen says the woman "definitely got the attention of other shoppers" when she ran after the man. Although the man made it out of the store, Lenexa police were able to arrest a suspect several blocks away. Friesen says witnesses later identified him.===============FAA Seeks $304,000 Fine Against Great Lakes Airlines for Hays IncidentCHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration is seeking a $304,000 fine against Great Lakes Airlines for alleged improper use of de-icing fluid. The FAA says 19 flights out of Hays, Kansas in January 2011, were out of compliance with federal regulations. The problem had to do with the temperature of the de-icing fluid. The fluid was too hot — more than 180 degrees. The Great Lakes de-icing manual states that de-icing fluid heated to more than 180 degrees can damage aircraft. The fluid is sprayed onto planes to remove ice prior to takeoff. A spokeswoman for Cheyenne-based Great Lakes did not immediately return a message Wednesday seeking comment. The Casper Star-Tribune reports that Great Lakes averages 12 flights daily from Cheyenne to Sheridan, Denver, Billings, Phoenix, Los Angeles and elsewhere.===============Children's Mercy Renames Main Campus After BenefactorKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Children's Mercy Hospital said Wednesday that it has renamed its main campus after the late Adele Hall, who was one of the hospital's main benefactors. The hospital's official name will now be Children's Mercy, Adele Hall Campus. In over 50 years of service, Hall was a volunteer, trustee and board chairman at the hospital before she died on January 26. The Hall family and the Hall Family Foundation have given tens of millions of dollars to the hospital. Her husband, Donald Hall, chairman of Hallmark Cards, says in a statement that Children's Mercy was always one of his wife's top priorities.===============Thieves Hit Southeast KS Library TwiceCOLUMBUS, Kan. (AP) — Somebody in southeast Kansas doesn't understand the concept of borrowing from a public library. The Cherokee County News-Advocate reports burglars broke into the Columbus Public Library twice in the past week, making off with cash and computers. Columbus Police Department spokeswoman Ann Sharp says the first break-in occurred sometime between the library's closing the day before Thanksgiving and its reopening on Saturday. The burglars entered through a basement window and stole money and a computer. Library personnel returned to work again Monday to find that thieves had again broken in through the same window and stolen several more computers. Sharp says police have no suspects but are investigating leads.=============== Lawrence Library Gets $275K Matching GrantLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The Lawrence Public Library is getting a $275,000 matching grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the NEH will award the $275,000 grant in matching funds to the library for humanities programs. Kathleen Morgan, executive director of the Lawrence Public Library Foundation, says the NEH grant is contingent on the library's fundraising efforts over the next several years. Morgan says the grant gives the library five years to raise enough money to meet the full match. The NEH will meet 30 percent of all donations up until it has contributed $275,000. Morgan says the money will go toward a speakers' series, community reading programs and technology purchases that would enable the library to digitize local records and place them online.=============== Wichita State Investigating Alleged NCAA Rules Violations by Baseball TeamWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita State's athletics department says it's investigating improper clothing and apparel benefits to baseball players. The Wichita Eagle reports the university announced Tuesday that it has hired an Overland Park law firm that specializes in NCAA rules violations to help investigate. Wichita State says the violations came to light during the transition that followed the June 4 firing of longtime head baseball coach Gene Stephenson. He was replaced in mid-June by Arkansas assistant Todd Butler. No details of the violations or the number of Shocker players involved were disclosed in a brief statement issued by athletic director Eric Sexton. Sexton says officials believe the problem involves only the baseball program. He says the school is determined to ensure its compliance with the rules of the NCAA and the Missouri Valley Conference.=============== Dodge City Man to Be Tried in Death of 3-Year-OldDODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) _ A Dodge City man has been bound over for trial in the 2008 death of his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter. KWCH-TV reports that a Ford County judge ordered Brock Cunningham to be tried on charges of first-degree murder and child abuse. The death of Natalie Pickle was ruled a homicide, but Cunningham was not arrested until earlier this year. An autopsy showed the toddler died of blunt trauma to the head. Cunningham testified at his preliminary hearing Tuesday that Natalie was jumping on a bed at his home and fell off. And Cunningham's mother testified the girl had fallen down the stairs a day earlier at a motel where she worked. But doctors testified Natalie had severe brain injuries that were not consistent with a fall or minor trauma.=============== Plans for Wider Highway Endanger 'Points of Rock'DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — Historic preservationists are fighting a plan to widen U.S. 50 in western Kansas, which would require demolishing a longtime landmark near Dodge City. State transportation officials say the four-lane expansion from Dodge City to Cimarron would likely require leveling the "Points of Rock" monument, a steel sculpture of several horsemen sitting on top of a rock outcropping, with the words "Dodge City." The Hutchinson News reports the plans include a 60-foot-wide median between the old and new lanes of the highway, which would take down a big part of the hill where the sculpture stands. Transportation spokesman Kirk Hutchinson says state officials and preservationists have met to consider alternatives, but the options are limited. Preservationists say the monument is an important landmark along the Santa Fe Trail.=============== Woman Charged in 1990 Northwest MO SlayingSMITHVILLE, Mo. (AP) — Clay County (Missouri) authorities say a woman has been charged in the stabbing death of a Smithville man in 1990. Authorities announced Tuesday that Annette Davis of Kansas City was charged with second-degree murder in the slaying of 70-year-old Clifford McClanahan. She is being held on $500,000 bond. McClanahan was found dead in his Smithville home in August 1990. Sheriff Paul Vescovo, who originally investigated McClanahan's death, reopened the case in January. Investigators said handprints on McClanahan's bathroom sink were matched to Davis. Vescovo says Davis was never a suspect in the death until that evidence was found. Court documents say Davis told detectives McClanahan caught her smoking crack and slapped her, and she stabbed him and ran out of the house. It wasn't immediately clear if Davis has an attorney.

UPDATE: Kansas Senate Drafting New Tax Plan to Break ImpasseTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate is considering a new tax plan as its Republican leaders hope to end a deadlock with House GOP leaders on raising new revenue from the sales tax. Top Senate Republicans outlined a proposal Thursday to lower the sales tax on groceries to 4.95 percent but keep it at 6.3 percent on all other items. The Senate scheduled the debate after House Republicans rejected a plan to hold votes in both chambers on multiple tax proposals. Republican Governor Sam Brownback wants to cut income taxes further to follow up on massive reductions last year. Raising additional sales tax revenue would prevent budget shortfalls. The sales tax is scheduled by law to drop to 5.7 percent in July. House Republicans had proposed setting the tax at 6 percent.===============Kansas Lawmakers' Session Again Exceeds 90 DaysTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Legislature's annual session will go into overtime because of disagreements on tax issues among Republicans. Lawmakers were unable to wrap up business Thursday, the 90th day of their session. House Majority Leader Jene (jeen) Vickrey suggested that legislators might be meeting next week. Majority Republicans have been unable to agree on how much new sales tax revenue to raise to prevent budget shortfalls while enacting income tax cuts. GOP leaders had promised that this year's session would last only 80 days. The Kansas Constitution specifies 90-day sessions, but it also grants lawmakers the power to meet longer. Legislators have been in session more than 90 days for 32 of the past 40 years. The longest session was 107 days, in 2002. Last year's session spanned 99 days.===============Kansas Governor Urges Lawmakers to Conclude Tax DebateTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Sam Brownback is telling Kansas legislators that it's time for them to resolve their differences on tax issues and finish their work for the year. The Republican governor issued his statement Wednesday after negotiations between the House and Senate on adjusting the state sales tax hit a new snag. The legislative negotiators were unable to agree on canceling all or part of a sales tax decline scheduled for July. They planned to meet again Thursday. Brownback wants to keep the sales tax at 6.3 percent to raise revenue so that Kansas can follow the massive income-tax cuts approved last year with more income tax reductions. The governor said the Republican-controlled Legislature is positioning the state for economic growth. But he added, "It is time to wrap up the session."===============Brownback Vetoes Bill Expanding Kansas RafflesTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has vetoed legislation that would have allowed limited expansion of charity raffles. The Republican governor said Thursday he determined that the bill violated the Kansas Constitution's provisions on lotteries and gambling. Brownback says he supports the Legislature's intent to allow limited raffles, but he suggested that lawmakers should seek a constitutional amendment instead. The vetoed bill also had provisions amending a state law on DNA sampling and a sentencing rule for firearms violations. Brownback signed six bills Thursday, including one establishing "Celebrate Freedom Week" in public schools and amending a law on bullying in schools. The measure would also let school districts use certain unencumbered funds for certain general operating expenses.===============KS Legislature Approves Some Changes to Liquor LawsTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Legislature has approved a bill that makes several changes in alcohol laws. The bill allows alcohol tastings at events put on by nonprofit groups to support the arts. It also will permit hotels to distribute drink coupons for use on site or at certain licensed clubs, and allows the sale of 64-ounce pitchers of mixed drinks. The House approved the bill Wednesday, after the Senate approved it last week. It now goes to Governor Sam Brownback. Nonprofit groups and hotels who provide alcohol tastings or drink coupons will be required to pay the amount of tax the drinks would have accrued if sold. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the bill also requires that every administrative notice or fine must be settled within 90 days of issuance.===============Ammonia Leak at Kansas Tyson Foods Plant Sends 7 to HospitalEMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — Seven people have been released from an Emporia hospital after an ammonia leak at the city's Tyson Foods plant. KVOE-AM reports that emergency workers were sent to the plant Thursday morning. Officials said the level of ammonia that was leaking was well below what's considered lethal. Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson says the leak temporarily disrupted production in part of the processing plant before it was found and stopped. About six weeks ago, Tyson Foods agreed to pay a nearly $4 million civil penalty to settle alleged violations of the Clean Air Act, largely because of ammonia issues. And in April 2009, an accidental release left one person injured.=============== Fort Riley to Mark Memorial DayFORT RILEY, Kan. (AP) — Leaders of the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley will honor fallen soldiers during Memorial Day observances at the northeast Kansas post. Monday's event starts at 11:40 am It will include the laying of a wreath in honor of the soldiers buried at the cemetery near the main post complex. Major General Paul Funk, commander of the 1st Infantry Division, will be joined at the event by Command Sergeant Major Miguel Rivera, the senior enlisted soldier in the division and at Fort Riley. Military installations across the country, including Fort Riley, will have a 21-gun salute at noon, followed by playing the National Anthem and raising the flag to full staff. Fort Riley is home to about 18,000 soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division.=============== Kansas Teacher Arrested after Threats Toward SchoolMAIZE, Kan. (AP) — A teacher at a suburban Wichita high school was arrested after the district reported he had made criminal threats against the school. The 39-year-old teacher at Maize High School reportedly made the comments during a soccer game Tuesday night. The school's principal, Chris Botts, said in an email sent to school parents Wednesday the comments suggested possible violence toward the school. He says the school was searched and there was no indication the threat was valid. Sedgwick County jail records show the teacher was booked on charges of criminal threat and was held on $250,000 bond. Maize school administrators said the teacher has been placed on paid leave until the investigation is complete.===============Wichita Might Fine Residents over Excessive Water Use WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita residents and businesses might be required to pay a $1,000 fine a month if they use too much water. The city staff made that recommendation as part of a water conservation proposal unveiled Wednesday. The fine would be imposed on those who use 310 percent more than their average winter water usage. Public Works official Ben Nelson says surveys and meetings found that water rates and indoor and business water use were residents' top priorities, while outdoor use was the lowest priority. This recommendation will go before the Wichita City Council June 4. Wichita is working to respond to low water in Cheney Reservoir, which provides 64 percent of the city's water. Currently, the reservoir is forecast to go dry in mid-2015.===============NE Kansas Man Accused of Threatening PoliceKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas City, Kansas man has been indicted on charges of threatening the city's police chief and other law enforcement officers. Federal court records show 42-year-old John D. Hudson was arrested Thursday, one day after being indicted on four counts of retaliating against a witness. Prosecutors allege Hudson told someone in 2012 the police officers were "rats" who would be "eliminated" for giving information to FBI agents. The FBI at the time was investigating unspecified criminal civil rights violations. The indictment also accuses Hudson of saying in March 2013 that he would "start taking them out one by one." The threats allegedly referred to Police Chief Rick Armstrong, Captain Greg Lawson and other law enforcement officers. No one answered Hudson's phone Thursday, and court records do not list an attorney.===============Worker Exposed to Ammonia at Fertilizer Plant DiesPOCATELLO, Idaho (AP) — A man who was working for a subcontractor at a Simplot fertilizer plant near Pocatello, Idaho has died at a Utah hospital after being exposed to ammonia last weekend. University of Utah Hospital officials say 23-year-old Derrick E. Martinez of Garden City, Kansas died Wednesday. Martinez was found unconscious in a mobile testing trailer at the plant on Saturday. Martinez was taken to a Pocatello hospital and then flown to the Utah hospital. Exposure to high concentrations of ammonia in the air causes burning of the nose, throat and respiratory tract. Martinez worked for a Simplot subcontractor, Blick's Phosphate Conversion. Blick's spokesman Kenny Kalb says the cause of the man's exposure is still being investigated.=============== June Sentencing in Kansas for Dad Who Bound KidsLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A June sentencing date has been scheduled for a suburban Chicago man who was arrested after two of his children were found bound and blindfolded in a Wal-Mart parking lot in eastern Kansas. Fifty-three-year-old Adolfo Gomez and his wife, Deborah Gomez, of Northlake, Illinois, were arrested last June 13 in Lawrence. Police reported finding two of their children, ages 5 and 7, bound by their hands and feet in the store parking lot. Adolfo Gomez pleaded no contest to felony child abuse and child endangerment. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Gomez is scheduled to be sentenced June 19. A plea agreement between prosecutors and Gomez's previous attorney specified a 30-month prison sentence. Deborah Gomez was sentenced earlier to one year of probation after pleading no contest to child endangerment.===============Salina Resident Accused of LA Gang ActivitySALINA, Kan. (AP) — California authorities have arrested a 31-year-old Kansas resident who's accused of helping coordinate gang activities in Los Angeles. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Francis Hardiman was in Salina on Wednesday to arrest the woman. Hardiman told The Salina Journal the woman's accused of using cellphones and computers from her Salina home to help coordinate criminal activity of the Surenos street gang in Los Angeles and Mexican Mafia members in the Los Angeles County jail. The Los Angeles County prosecutor's office said Thursday formal charges hadn't been filed. Hardiman said it's not uncommon for a gang member in her position to be located far from the prison where gang members are housed. Salina police say she's being held in the Saline County jail pending extradition, which could take two weeks.===============Ex-Kansas Doctor Indicted on Firearm, Drug ChargesWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal grand jury has formally charged a former Kansas doctor with illegally having a handgun as a convicted felon. A three-count indictment handed down Wednesday charges Lawrence Simons with unlawful possession of a firearm, ammunition and controlled substances. Simons was arrested last week on a criminal complaint. Prosecutors say he gave a bondsman a gun as partial payment for bailing him out of jail last month in an unrelated criminal threat case. His attorney has declined to comment on the case. The 57-year-old Wichita doctor has a 2010 felony conviction for unlawfully distributing prescription drugs. He had surrendered his license to write prescriptions, and could not lawfully possess controlled substances. The indictment alleges prescription drugs were found at three storage units after Simons stopped making lease payments.=============== Testimony Starts in Trial of Ex-Kansas OfficerKINGMAN, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors say a former Kansas police instructor killed his wife because she was divorcing him, then burned down the couple's home in Kingman to hide evidence. But attorneys for Brett Seacat contend his wife, 34-year-old Vashti Seacat, was depressed and shot herself and set the fire in April 2011. Her husband and two young children escaped the fire. The attorneys outlined their differing scenarios during opening statements Wednesday in Seacat's trial for first-degree murder. The Hutchinson News reports that the statements were presented after a jury of five women and 10 men, including three alternates, was selected. A coroner couldn't determine whether Vashti Seacat's death was a homicide or suicide. Brett Seacat is a former instructor at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center in Reno County.=============== Meteorologists: Kansas Weekend Tornado Classified as an EF4DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — The National Weather Service says a tornado that traveled seven miles across rural western Kansas during the weekend was an EF4, with winds of 165 to 185 miles per hour. The report from the agency's Dodge City office follows a survey of the tornado's path Saturday night in Pawnee County. An EF4 is the second-strongest on the scale used to measure the strength of tornadoes. No injuries occurred, but one farmhouse lost most of its roof and some walls and four others sustained lesser damage as the tornado traveled from six miles southwest of Rozel to about one mile west of the small town. The Weather Service says the tornado then turned to the northwest and dissipated about three miles northwest of town. The tornado measured 1,100 yards across at its maximum width.===============Missouri Woman Indicted on Civil Rights ChargesKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A western Missouri woman has been charged with violating the civil rights of a black family by their home on fire. The U.S. Attorney's office says a federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment Thursday against 33-year-old Victoria Cheek-Herrera, of Independence. Prosecutors allege that Cheek-Herrera conspired with others, who were not named, to threaten and intimidate a black couple and their two children who were renting an Independence home in June 2008. Investigators said Cheek-Herrera and another person wrote the words "White Power" on the family's driveway, then set fire to their home with a Molotov cocktail. A phone number for Cheek-Herrera could not be found Thursday, and it wasn't clear if she had a lawyer.===============Senators Praise McConnell Tanker DecisionWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Senator Jerry Moran says the Air Force decision to base a new air refueling tanker at McConnell Air Force Base will help protect the base against any future military cutbacks or closures. The Kansas congressional delegation says McConnell will be the main operating site for the KC-46A, which will replace the KC-135. The Air Force will base 36 of the new aircraft at McConnell starting in 2016 and will spent $192 million on upgrades. McConnell was chosen over bases in North Dakota, Oklahoma and Washington. Republican Senator Pat Roberts says McConnell's makeover following the devastating tornado in 1991 gave it a solid platform and a "leg up" in the competition. He says it also fulfills an Air Force general's promise made after bombers were relocated to base in South Dakota.=============== 3 SW Kansas Children Found Safe 5 Miles from HomeLIBERAL, Kan. (AP) — Three young children who wandered five miles from their southwest Kansas farmhouse have been found safe after a frantic, 15-hour search. The High Plains Daily Leader reports authorities in Seward County were notified of the children's disappearance Tuesday evening. A citizen spotted them around 9:30 am Wednesday in Liberal and took them to a business. They were reported to be tired and hungry. A family member had been looking after the children — two girls, ages 3 and 5, and a 7-year-old boy — at their rural Seward County home Tuesday while other relatives went to Liberal on errands. Law enforcement officers and first responders from southwest Kansas and nearby Oklahoma searched for the children throughout the night, scouring fields on ATV's. Search dogs from Wichita and Hutchinson also took part.=============== Kansas City Plans Event to Mark World Trade WeekKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City business leaders will highlight the value of the region's exports at an international trade event. The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce says more than 200 people are expected to attend KC World Trade Day on Thursday at Richards-Gebaur Commerce Park. Kansas City Area Development Council president and CEO Bob Marcusse will discuss how the area is competing on a global scale. The afternoon's sessions will be focused on the region's logistics assets. ===============UPDATE: Still No Agreement on Kansas Tax Rates at KS LegislatureTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Senate negotiators have rejected the latest offer from House counterparts on a deal to adjust Kansas tax rates and end the annual session. The top two Republicans at the negotiating table expressed disappointment over where talks were headed. More meetings were likely later Thursday. Republican Governor Sam Brownback and most members of the GOP-dominated Legislature want to cut income taxes further following massive reductions last year. Brownback argues the state must raise additional sales tax revenue to prevent budget problems. The 6.3 percent sales tax is set by law to fall to 5.7 percent in July. GOP lawmakers can't agree on how much of the decrease to cancel. **This story has been updated. Please see above for latest information. ===============UPDATE: Kansas Senate GOP Leaders Push for Votes on TaxesTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans in the Kansas Senate are pushing for a flurry of votes on tax issues in hopes of breaking a deadlock with the House's GOP leaders. GOP senators proposed having each chamber vote Thursday on as many as three different plans for raising new sales tax revenues while reducing individual income tax rates. They floated the idea during negotiations with House members. Republican Governor Sam Brownback and most members of the GOP-dominated Legislature want to cut income taxes further following massive reductions last year. Brownback argues the state must raise additional sales tax revenue to prevent budget problems. The 6.3 percent sales tax is set by law to fall to 5.7 percent in July. GOP lawmakers can't agree on how much of the planned decrease to cancel. **This story has been updated. Please see above for latest information.

The chaos following the assassination of Pakistan's opposition leader Benazir Bhutto may mean the parliamentary elections she planned to contest will be postponed. Government officials are due to decide Tuesday whether to go ahead with the vote now scheduled for next week.

Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has joined former Green Party candidate Jill Stein in a campaign to demand recounts in three states.