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The top Republican in the Kansas Senate wants to revise the law aimed at eliminating the state sales tax on groceries... a company that makes computer chips will open a plant in Burlington... and lawmakers consider a plan to turn off the blinking red lights on wind turbines. Those stories and more... here.

A reporter was dismissed after state officials complained — the latest instance of political pressure on the station from Gov. Jim Justice's administration and some state legislators.

Kansas lawmakers consider making changes to mail ballots and ballot drop boxes... and the state is giving out $1,000 grants to families as a way to help make up for student learning delays caused by the pandemic. Those stories and more can be found here.

Check out the latest area headlines from the Associated Press, as curated here by KPR news staffers.

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!

Hundreds of students in Olathe are being tested for TB... the attorney general of Kansas wants to end a lawsuit over public school funding... Missouri strikes a deal for the Grain Belt Express... and state and federal officials try to hammer out a deal to bring more water to an important wildlife refuge in south-central Kansas. Those headlines and more, inside.

Kansas House Passes Bill for Fixing Pension System ShortfallTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ The Kansas House has approved a bill to use revenues from state-owned casinos to help close a long-term funding shortfall facing the state pension system for teachers and government workers. The measure, approved Tuesday on a 92-33 vote, also would require public employees hired after 2013 to choose between two new pension plans. Neither would be a traditional plan guaranteeing benefits up front based on a worker's salary and years of experience, and one would be a 401(k)-style plan. The measure goes to the Senate, which is working on its own bill. The state pension system projects an $8.3 billion gap between anticipated revenues and retirement benefits promised through 2033. Supporters hope that over the next two decades, several billion dollars in casino revenues could go to the pension system.==================================== UPDATED: Kansas Senate Gives Preliminary Approval to Tax BillTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate has given first-round approval to a bill cutting taxes after rejecting proposals from Governor Sam Brownback for overhauling the individual income tax code. Senators advanced the bill on a voice vote Tuesday. A final vote, set for Wednesday, will determine whether the measure passes. The bill cuts both sales and income taxes. It's dramatically different from a plan outlined by the Republican governor. Brownback wanted to cut income tax rates but eliminate many deductions. The Senate voted 21-19 to keep a long list of deductions the governor had targeted. Brownback also wanted to keep the sales tax at 6.3 percent to offset income tax cuts. The bill would drop the tax to 5.7 percent in July 2013. But the Senate did endorse Brownback's plan to cut income taxes for many businesses.======================================Kansas House Gives Preliminary Approval to Redistricting Bill The Kansas House has given first-round approval to a congressional redistricting bill keeping the Kansas City area in a single district, rather than splitting it between two. House members advanced the measure on a voice vote Tuesday after substituting their favored plan for one drafted by House Speaker Mike O'Neal, a Hutchinson Republican. The House expects to take final action Wednesday. The measure would cut southeast Kansas in half, placing Pittsburg in the 4th District with Wichita, about 150 miles away. The O'Neal plan would have split the Kansas City area between two districts. It would have put much of Wyandotte County, with its urban Kansas City neighborhoods, into the 1st Congressional District of western and central Kansas, along with rural communities more than 400 miles away. ========================================Abortion Rights Activists Hit KS Governor's Facebook PageTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ Governor Sam Brownback has been getting some pointed feedback on his Facebook page about his stance on an extensive anti-abortion bill. Two Kansas abortion rights activists posted queries about their menstrual cycles on Brownback's page last week as a sarcastic way of protesting the Legislature's continued involvement in abortion. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Nicki Scheid, a member of the National Organization for Women's Wichita branch, and Lawrence activist Jennifer Weishaar say they're concerned about a provision in the bill that limits legal action a woman can take against a doctor who identifies fetal abnormalities during her pregnancy but doesn't tell her. Their comments sparked other postings from around the country with occasionally graphic anatomy questions. Brownback's spokeswoman has declined comment on the Facebook postings.=================================KS Man Expected to Plead Guilty to Threatening President ObamaWICHITA, Kan. (AP) _ A Kansas man accused of threatening President Barack Obama is expected to plead guilty in the case. U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten on Tuesday scheduled a change-of-plea hearing March 29 for Michael Scott Ramsey. The Hutchinson man was indicted last July on charges of threatening to harm or kill the president in 2009 and again in 2011. Ramsey had been scheduled for an April 3 trial. Last month, the judge found him competent to stand trial following a psychological examination at a federal medical center.===================================== Study: Kansas Government Ranks Among Top 10 in TransparencyTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ Kansas ranks among the top 10 states in a study of government transparency, accountability and anti-corruption mechanisms. The state is one of 19 to receive an average grade of "C" in the State Integrity Investigation, conducted by the Washington-based Center for Public Integrity, Public Radio International and Global Integrity. The study found that states are doing a poor job delivering accountability and transparency to their residents. No state received an A from the months-long probe that looked at 330 "Corruption Risk Indicators" across 14 categories of government. Kansas scored a 75 in the study, ninth best in the nation, while Missouri also received a C grade with 72 points. New Jersey had the highest grade with a B-plus, while eight states received an F.=====================================Lawyer: Afghanistan Killings Suspect Remembers LittleFORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) _ The lawyer for the Army staff sergeant accused of slaughtering 16 Afghan civilians said the soldier has a sketchy memory of the night of the massacre. Lawyer John Henry Browne said 38-year-old Robert Bales remembers some details from before and after the killings, but very little during the time the military believes he went on a rampage through two Afghan villages. Browne spoke with The Associated Press from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where Bales is being held. Bales, 38, has not been charged yet in the March 11 shootings, though charges could come this week. The killings sparked protests in Afghanistan, endangered relations between the two countries and threatened to upend American policy over the decade-old war. =====================================KU Band, Spirit Squad Members Rescue Trapped ManLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) _ University of Kansas students gave a man in Arkansas something to cheer about when they lifted a car off of him in a parking lot in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that members of the school's spirit squad and band were at a hotel, preparing to get on a bus Sunday for a women's NCAA Tournament game, when they saw a commotion in the parking lot. Four cheer squad members and five band members ran toward a Cadillac when they realized someone was pinned beneath it. The nine male students lifted the car, and the trapped man crawled out. Other than being disoriented and covered in grease, he appeared relatively unharmed. The group then got on their bus in plenty of time to watch the Jayhawks beat Nebraska 57-49.=====================================Heavy Rain Leads to SE Kansas Flash Flooding COFFEYVILLE, Kan. (AP) _ Heavy rain across southeast Kansas and southwest Missouri has sparked flash flooding in some low areas, but no damage or injuries have been reported. The National Weather Service issued flood warnings for Bourbon and Crawford counties in Kansas after up to 3 inches of rain hit the area. More rain is forecast today (TUE). The weather service said flooding was reported in low-lying areas, including along the Marmaton River in Fort Scott. The weather service said the Marmaton was below flood stage early Tuesday but could exceed flood stage later in the day. The river was expected to drop again Thursday when the rain subsides. Fort Scott police said a couple of bridges in Bourbon County were closed because of high water.===================================UPDATED: Judge Denies Gag Order in Military School LawsuitKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has refused to issue a gag order in a lawsuit accusing a Kansas military school of allowing older students to abuse younger ones in the name of discipline. Lawyers for St. John's Military School in Salina sought to bar the parties from talking publicly about the case. But U.S. District Judge John Lungstrum said Tuesday a trial is still more than a year away, so that pretrial publicity likely wouldn't taint the prospective jury pool. The lawsuit by parents of four former cadets contends the school allows and encourages abuse of younger students by older ones. St. John's has settled nine similar lawsuits since 2006. The school's lawyer says the motion for a gag order was an attempt to keep the case from being tried in the media.=====================================Former UN Ambassador to Speak in LawrenceLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) _ The former ambassador to the United Nations is scheduled to speak in Lawrence next month. John Bolton is scheduled to speak about threats to American security on April 4 at the Lied Center in Lawrence. Bolton is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he researches U.S. foreign and national security policy. He previously served as the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006. He also served previously in the U.S. State Department as undersecretary for arms control and international security.===================================== Officials Concerned about Lake Shawnee Water QualityTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ The Shawnee County Commission has voted to support an initiative aimed at improving the water quality at Lake Shawnee. The commissioners heard testimony from area health and environment officials who said Lake Shawnee has a water quality problem that could lead to limitations being placed on its use for recreation. County parks director Terry Bertels said tests show the lake consistently exceeds EPA standards for nutrients and pollutants. The commission then voted to express support for an initiative being undertaken to improve the lake's water quality. Bertels said the initiative is being financed by a $20,000 grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency. He said partners in the water quality initiative will develop a management plan targeted at improving the lake's water quality.=====================================Overland Park to Impose Arboretum Entry FeesOVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) _ The Overland Park City Council has voted to impose an admission fee at the city's Arboretum and Botanical Gardens in order to recoup some operating costs. The Kansas City Star reports that the council voted 7-5 Monday to charge adults $5 and children $3. Children age 2 and under will be free. The fees take effect next year. The arboretum will remain free to all visitors on Wednesdays and on two weekends per year. It will also be free for members of the private Friends of the Arboretum group. Revenue from the fees is expected to cover about one quarter of what it costs the city to operate the arboretum.=====================================K-State Women Eliminated from Tournament by No.1 Seed UConnBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) _ The eighth-seeded Kansas State University Wildcats were eliminated from the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament by the University of Connecticut last (MON) night, by a score of 72 to 26. K-State (20-14) had been trying to reach the tournament's third round for the first time since 2002. But the Wildcats were no match for the Huskies, being held to an NCAA tournament record low for points. Brittany Chambers scored 11 points to lead the Wildcats, who went 11 minutes in the first half without a point. UConn's Bria Hartley scored 13 of her 16 points in the first half. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis added 15 points and Kiah Stokes scored a career-high 13. It's the 19th straight season that UConn has made it to the round of 16. =====================================5 Disciplined in NCAA Tournament Racial Taunting Incident Targeting K-State PlayerHATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — The University of Southern Mississippi has disciplined five members of its pep band who heckled Kansas State guard Angel Rodriguez during last week's NCAA Tournament game. The university issued an apology last Thursday to Rodriguez, who said he did hear the chants of "Where's your green card?" during the Wildcats' 70-64 second-round victory in the NCAA tournament. He said USM's athletic director and "personnel from their school" came to the team hotel to apologize. On Tuesday, USM president Martha Saunders announced in a news release five students have had their pep band scholarships revoked, have been removed from the band and will be required to complete a two-hour cultural sensitivity training course this week. The students have not been identified.================================== Kansas Man Gets Federal Prison for Bath Salts Possession in NebraskaLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Kansas man has been sentenced to nearly eight years in federal prison for possessing bath salts in Nebraska before they were specifically outlawed by state and federal law. Steve Sullivan of Lawrence was arrested after a traffic stop in Otoe County in 2010. The Lincoln Journal Star says prosecutors argued bath salts violated a federal law that prohibited possessing substances with intent to deliver that were similar to the chemical structure of an illegal, controlled substance and had a similar effect as the drug they mimicked. Sullivan was convicted in December. During sentencing last week, Sullivan's defense attorney told the judge that Sullivan thought he was complying with the law. The judge says while it was an "unusual case," he sentenced Sullivan to prison.==================================Chiefs General Manager Says Team Made Overtures to Manning KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs were in contact with Peyton Manning from the start, but general manager Scott Pioli said the former Indianapolis Colts quarterback had formulated a list of likely destinations early on. Manning wound up agreeing to a $96 million, five-year deal with Denver. Pioli said during a conference call with Tuesday that Manning was "up front about what he was doing, some of the visits he wanted to take, and we initially weren't a part of that." Matt Cassel is expected to return as the Chiefs' starting quarterback next season. Kansas City recently signed former Denver backup Brady Quinn to provide depth. Pioli refused to get into details about his conversations with Manning and his agent, but he did say that Cassel was aware that discussions had taken place.===================================Ex-NFL Player: Shooting Suspect Was Good TeammateJACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) _ A former NFL player who played high school football with an Army sergeant suspected of slaughtering 16 Afghan villagers says the killings have caused him great concern for his former teammate. In a statement Tuesday, Marc Edwards calls Robert Bales "one of my oldest and best friends." Edwards and Bales played on the same high school football team in the early 1990s in a Cincinnati suburb. Edwards went on to play professionally for several teams, including the 2001 Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. Now living in Jacksonville, Edwards says Bales "personified sportsmanship and the highest degree of unselfish team values." Bales and Edwards briefly collaborated in business in 2000 to 2001. A spokeswoman for Edwards says the business failed but it didn't affect their friendship. Bales is being held at Fort Leavenworth.=================================Elijah Johnson Emerges at the Right Time as KU Star LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) _ On a team of stars such as Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor, it's Elijah Johnson who has emerged as the unsung savior for number 2 seed Kansas. Johnson struggled with his shot for much of the season, but he's found it at the most opportune time. He hit a key 3-pointer and came up with several sparkling defensive plays Sunday night, allowing the Jayhawks to squeak past Purdue in the NCAA tournament. Johnson finished with 18 points. The same player who was shut out by Florida International this season has given the Jayhawks a reliable scoring threat to complement their other stars. Coach Bill Self expects that to be critical on Friday night, when Kansas plays number 11 seed North Carolina State in the Midwest Regional semifinals in St. Louis.================================Eisenhower Memorial Designer Open to ChangesWASHINGTON (AP) _ Famed architect Frank Gehry says he is open to design changes in a planned Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial in Washington to try to answer objections from Ike's family. A letter from Gehry was introduced as testimony in a House subcommittee hearing Tuesday. Susan Eisenhower, the 34th president's granddaughter, told the panel her family wants the memorial to be redesigned. A hearing in Congress could pressure memorial planners to make changes. But the panel does not have a direct role in approving the design. Final approval of Gehry's concept from a commission that approves architecture in the nation's capital has been delayed amid ongoing objections from the family. The family wants the project to focus more on Ike's accomplishments and less on his rural Kansas roots.=====================================KU Women's Basketball Team Preparing to Meet Delaware in NCAA Tourney 2nd RoundLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The 11th-seeded University of Kansas Jayhawks are preparing to take on the third seed, Delaware, in a second-round NCAA women's basketball tournament game tonight (TUE). The Jayhawks (20-12) advanced with a 57-49 win over Nebraska. Now, they'll face a team that's the home for a budding basketball celebrity: Elena Delle Donne. The 6-foot-5 Delle Donne scored 39 points in the Blue Hens' NCAA tournament opener, leading Delaware to a 73-42 win over Arkansas-Little Rock. She was trending on Twitter by the time the game was finished, and she was tweeted by Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant on Monday morning. The Jayhawks have already had to face another star player this season in Baylor center Brittney Griner. They lost both of their matchups against the Lady Bears, and will have another difficult chore against Delle Donne, who is the nation's leading scorer. =====================================Royals Pitcher Soria to Have Sore Elbow CheckedKansas City Royals closer Joakim Soria will have his sore right elbow checked by Dr. Lewis Yokum in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Soria left Sunday's game after retiring only one of five batters he faced and said after the outing that his elbow felt "really bad." Royals spokesman Mike Swanson said Monday the team believes Soria has some damage in his area of his ulnar collateral ligament. Soria had Tommy John surgery on his elbow in 2003. He has been one of the best relievers in the American League since his rookie season of 2007, but his performance fell off last year. His ERA jumped to 4.03 and he had 28 saves, but lost the closer's job at times. =====================================Kansas House Passes $14B Budget TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ The Kansas House has approved a $14.1 billion state budget that cuts overall spending by about $600 million, or 4 percent. House members voted 87-36 on the bill containing the spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The measure now moves to the Senate, which is working out details of its version of the budget for the fiscal year starting July 1. The House legislation also contains a provision to prohibit state employees from being involved in abortions. The House added $29 million to help K-12 public schools grapple with high student enrollment. The bill also retains a ban by the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services to deny food stamp benefits to some U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants.

Kansas Governor, Challenger Set for More DebatesWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Governor Sam Brownback and his challenger Paul Davis will meet for back-to-back debates this week in Wichita amid a close race as the election nears. The two candidates will face off for a televised debate Monday at the KWCH studios in Wichita, followed on Tuesday by another debate before the Kansas Association of Broadcasters meeting. Recent independent polling shows the race has tightened in Brownback's favor. Davis is wooing moderate Republicans and unaffiliated voters worried about tax cuts enacted at Brownback's urging. The cuts dropped the state's top personal income tax rate by 26 percent and exempted the owners of 191,000 businesses from income taxes altogether. Brownback contends the reductions are boosting the economy, but the Legislature's nonpartisan research staff predicts a $260 million budget shortfall by July 2016.===============================Romney to Campaign for Kansas Senator Pat RobertsOVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney plans to campaign for Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts in suburban Kansas City next week, the latest national figure working to save the embattled three-term incumbent. Romney is to headline a rally with Roberts next Monday at the Prairie Fire shopping and residential complex in Overland Park. In a statement, Romney calls Roberts "a conservative champion for Kansas." The former Massachusetts governor has also endorsed Senate nominees in battlegrounds such as Colorado, Iowa and Louisiana. Romney in recent weeks has stepped back into the limelight, acting as a national GOP leader in a party searching for one. Roberts is facing independent candidate Greg Orman, an Olathe businessman, in what has become a surprisingly competitive race in GOP-heavy Kansas.===============================Court Sets Hearing in Kansas Gay Marriage LawsuitKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) -- A federal judge has set a hearing this week to hear arguments over whether he should order Kansas to allow same-sex marriages. U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree has scheduled a hearing for Friday at the federal courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas. At issue is the request by the American Civil Liberties Union for a temporary injunction that would bring Kansas into line with a binding 10th Circuit Court of Appeals precedent set in other cases. The ACLU argues gay couples should not be prevented from marrying, while government officials have vowed to defend the state's constitutional prohibition against gay marriages. The ACLU contends that a federal ruling specific to Kansas law would aid the state Supreme Court in a separate case.===============================Top Republicans Make Gay Marriage Issue in KansasTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Senator Pat Roberts and Governor Sam Brownback are raising gay marriage as an issue to help paint their challengers as too liberal for GOP-leaning Kansas in the final weeks of tough re-election races. Both publicly declared their continued support for the state constitution's gay-marriage ban after U.S. Supreme Court decisions earlier this month suggested it isn't likely to withstand a legal challenge. Roberts' campaign sent a mailing last week to 300,000 voters, criticizing independent candidate Greg Orman. Orman has said government should not prohibit same-sex couples from getting married. Brownback raised the issue without prompting last week during an interview with The Associated Press about his race with Democratic challenger Paul Davis. Davis voted as a legislator against proposals to add the gay-marriage ban to the state constitution.==============================Brownback Calls for Steps to Prepare for Ebola VirusTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has ordered the creation of a special team to respond quickly to any suspected Ebola cases in the state. The governor's office also wants to come up with $4 million that could be used in an emergency and is calling on the federal government to provide an emergency cleanup team and federal disposal of Ebola-related waste. Brownback says in a news release he also has ordered the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to develop a plan for the state that includes stronger rules on protective gear and isolation than those required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kansas has had no confirmed cases of Ebola.===============================Injuries Reported in School Bus CollisionLEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. (AP) — Police say 13 people have been taken to hospitals following an accident involving a school bus in suburban Kansas City. The bus was taking a girls' volleyball team from the Raymore-Peculiar School District to a tournament at Lee's Summit West High School late Monday afternoon. Raymore-Peculiar district athletic director Tom Kruse tells The Kansas City Star that the injuries are believed to be minor. The accident happened around 4:45 pm near the Lee's Summit school. Police said the bus collided with a flatbed truck while making a U-turn. The flatbed truck hit the bus on the left rear side. The two drivers were not hurt.===============================Police: Kansas Man Threatens Cafe Workers with BatARKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A south Kansas man has been arrested after police say he threated employees at a cafe with a softball bat. The Wichita Eagle reports the 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of two counts of aggravated assault and battery. Arkansas City police say he was arrested Saturday night after an incident at Daisy Mae's Cafe. It's unclear if he has been charged. Restaurant employees say he threatened them following a complaint about a call-in order. They say he swung at one of the workers and missed. Another employee says the man punched him in the head. The man's identity hasn't been released.===============================Man Pleads to Lesser Charge in Olathe DeathOLATHE, Kan. (AP) — An Olathe man has pleaded no contest to an involuntary manslaughter charge in the death of his brother's estranged girlfriend. Thirty-year-old Samuel L. Moore originally was charged with first-degree murder in the 2011 death of 25-year-old Laura Coltrane in Olathe but he pleaded to the lesser charge Monday. He will be sentenced December 29. The Kansas City Star reports that Moore's brother, 33-year-old Derek Deon Owens, is serving a 74-year prison sentence after he was convicted of strangling and beating Coltrane in her apartment. He also found guilty of rape, aggravated criminal sodomy and violation of a protection order. Coltrane was a radiologic technologist from Humboldt, Kansas.==============================Oklahoma Guard: No Injuries After Midair CollisionMOLINE, Kan. (AP) — The Oklahoma Air National Guard says two of its fighter jets collided over southeast Kansas during a training exercise, with one ejecting from one of the aircraft. The Oklahoma Guard's Col. Max Moss said neither pilot was seriously injured in the midair collision Monday afternoon. Moss said one of the F-16's returned safely to its base in Tulsa while the second crashed and burned in a field in southern Kansas. Moss said the pilot of the crashed plane was taken to McConnell Air Force Base hospital in Wichita for evaluation, but is not believed to be seriously injured. He said the collision occurred during a training exercise northeast of the Elk County town of Moline.===============================Sheriff: Kansas ATV Driver Killed in CrashTURON, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a central Kansas man has died after his ATV was struck from behind by a SUV. The Reno County Sheriff's Office says the man was hit Saturday afternoon after pulling onto the shoulder. He was pinned under his ATV and pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities say the SUV driver left the scene but has since been identified. They say the driver is cooperating with officials. No charges have been reported. Authorities haven't identified either driver.=============================== Kansas City Royals Get Paul Ryan's "Endorsement"OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan isn't just endorsing politicians now. The 2012 GOP nominee for vice president is throwing his support behind the Kansas City Royals. Ryan was in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park last Friday to stump for Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts in the three-term incumbent's tight re-election race against independent Greg Orman. During the campaign stop, Ryan joked that he was "going to endorse the Royals" as well. The Royals are headed to the World Series after winning a record eight straight games in the postseason. Ryan said that with the Milwaukee Brewers defeated, he was "happy for the Royals."=============================== Explosive Device Found Near Hutchinson BarHUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — Hutchinson police are investigating after officers found a homemade explosive device behind a bar. Sergeant Eric Buller says officers went to Gold Diggers bar after receiving a report of an explosion Sunday afternoon. He says the bar was evacuated as police and fire officials tried to determine what happened. The Hutchinson News reports that investigators determined the explosion occurred in a fenced-in area behind the bar that has a seating area and a fire pit. Buller says officers later found a device that included a couple of pipes welded to a metal base. Gunpowder had been poured and on the device and then ignited. Officers dismantled the device. No injuries were reported.=============================== Professor Fights KU over Harassment Case, PoliciesLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Nearly four years after he was found guilty of sexual harassment, a University of Kansas professor continues to fight the university in court. Those involved in the case of 85-year-old Zamir Bavel say part of the problem is the confusing and contradictory policies used by the university in such incidents. Bavel contends the university violated his rights by denying him a hearing before he was found guilty. He also denies the allegations that he groped a female student. Bavel lost a lawsuit in Douglas County Court and is now waiting for the Kansas Court of Appeals to consider his appeal. The Lawrence Journal-World reportsthat court documents in Bavel's case mention at least four sets of rules governing multiple university bodies, offices and administrators.=============================== New Attempt to Reduce Wichita Marijuana PenaltiesWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A second attempt to reduce marijuana penalties in Wichita has begun. The Marijuana Reform Initiative held a meeting Sunday to begin a new petition drive to get the issue on the April ballot. The first effort came up a few dozen names short of the number needed to present the issue to voters in November. Under the new petition, anyone 21 and older who possesses 32 grams of marijuana or less would be fined $50 for a first infraction. KAKE-TV reports that petitioners need to gather a little more the 2,800 signatures by February 19 to make the April ballot. If the effort is successful, the city council would need to officially change the city's ordinance.=============================== Kansas City Police Investigate Death of 6-Year-OldKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City police are vowing to find the person or persons responsible for the shooting death of a 6-year-old girl while she was at a convenience store with her dad. Hundreds of people turned out Sunday evening to remember Angel Hooper and call for justice in her shooting. The girl died Friday evening after being shot at a south Kansas City convenience store. Angel and her father stopped at the store for bubblegum when someone in a passing car shot at them. Major Karl Oakman, commander of the police department's South Patrol Division, said Angel has "all the power of the Kansas City Police Department behind her." The Kansas City Star reports that Angel's mother, Charity Guinn, said she is confident officers will make an arrest.==============================Kansas Teenager Sentenced for Death of FatherOLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A northeast Kansas teenager will spend five years and four months in a juvenile facility for killing his father during a custody exchange. The Kansas City Star reports that the Bonner Springs youth was sentenced in Johnson County on Monday, which was his 16th birthday. He pleaded guilty earlier to second-degree murder. The fatal shooting occurred in July 2013 outside a Shawnee business where the boy's mother and stepfather had arranged to turn him over to his 46-year-old father. The mother and stepfather were inside when the teen walked to his father's car and fired several times with a handgun. The teen told police and mental health professionals that he had suffered years of emotional, physical and sexual abuse by his father. He was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.===============================Kansas Man Killed by Freight TrainMcPHERSON, Kan. (AP) — A central Kansas man is dead after being struck by a Union Pacific freight train over the weekend. The McPherson County sheriff's office t old HutchPost.com that the body of 36-year-old Joshua Miller was discovered around 2 am Sunday by the crew of a westbound train. Authorities say Miller had been struck by an eastbound train while walking near the tracks just outside the city of McPherson. Miller was a resident of McPherson. The sheriff's office was still investigating the accident Monday while waiting for information from Union Pacific.===============================Kansas Anthropology Researchers Waiting for Test ResultsLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Researchers are waiting to hear if evidence found at a Pottawatomie County site this summer can be tied to the founding populations of the Americas. Rolfe Mandel, a University of Kansas anthropology professor, tells the Topeka Capital-Journal that if sediments at the site are determined to be more than 13,500 years old, it would open the door for the earliest evidence of the Clovis people inhabiting the Central Great Plains. They wandered across America following animal herds. Mandel leads the excavation of the Coffey site that's a part of the university's Odyssey Project. Mandel says he's waiting for the results of a dating method to reveal the age of deposits that contained the artifacts found at the site. Items found in July include a tool called a hafted drill.===============================Salina Tech Works to Start Trucking InstituteSALINA, Kan. (AP) — The Salina Area Technical College is working to start a professional trucking program because demand for drivers is strong. The Salina Journal reports that the program was discussed last week during a meeting with needy employers. Vice president of instruction Pedro Leite says the technical school is looking for seed money. The hope is have the program up and running by next spring. Fort Scott Community College in southeast Kansas offers the only truck driving school in Kansas that's affiliated with the Board of Regents. Salina Tech will be the second, and much of the necessary equipment has been donated by local industry players. Great Plains Trucking and Apac-Kansas Shears Division have each supplied a truck. Apac and Schwan's Global Supply added trailers.=============================== WU Receives $1.4M Gift for Athletic ScholarshipsTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Washburn University has received a $1.4 million donation for athletic scholarships. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the money comes from the estate of Dorothy Reichart. Her late husband, Jerry Reichart, was a standout lineman on the WU football team, earning all-conference honors in 1949. He was inducted into the Washburn Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987. About 20 years ago, the Jerry W. Reichart Athletic Scholarship Fund was created. With the latest gift, the fund now totals nearly $2 million. Dorothy Reichart's sister, Nancy Erwin, was on hand Saturday at Washburn for the check presentation. She said her sister and brother-in-law loved Washburn and sports. Washburn University Foundation president JuliAnn Mazachek said the gift "creates a meaningful, lasting legacy" for the couple.=============================== New KU Addition Inspires Architects-in-TrainingLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — An auditorium that was designed by architects-in-training at the University of Kansas has opened on the Lawrence campus. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the first lecture was conducted Friday at the Forum at Marvin Hall. The School of Architecture, Design and Planning is housed inside the hall, which previously didn't have an auditorium. Lecture classes took place across the campus. The privately funded addition was a project of Studio 804, a not-for-profit corporation and a design/build class. The auditorium features exterior walls that are made of glass, with a naturally ventilated facade using cedar louvers. The addition's new roof is supported by timber-frame trusses, as is used in the original building. At the back of the room is a green wall of live plants.===============================San Francisco Radio Stations Ban Hit Song 'Royals'SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The popular song "Royals" by New Zealand artist Lorde is getting caught up in the fervor over the upcoming World Series between the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals. Two San Francisco radio stations say they won't play the song during the duration of the World Series. KFOG and KOIT announced the bans last week as the Giants clinched the pennant and headed to the series. KOIT program director Brian Figula said in a statement that listeners called for the ban. Jim Richards, KFOG's program director, said they didn't want to play a song that repeatedly says "Royals" while rooting for the hometown team. Lorde has told VH1 that a photo of Kansas City Royals Hall of Famer George Brett signing autographs in his uniform helped inspire her song when she saw the word "Royals."==============================Rest or Rust? Royals, Giants Set for World SeriesKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Buster Posey and the San Francisco Giants zipped through the playoffs, Lorenzo Cain and the Kansas City Royals zoomed along. And then, they all got some time off. Almost an eternity, by October standards. When the World Series begins Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium, both teams will deal with a familiar issue this deep in the postseason: Does an extended layoff translate into rest or rust? The Royals went 8-0 in the playoffs, giving them five off days before James Shields starts in Game 1. The Giants went 8-2 and had four days to relax before Madison Bumgarner pitches the opener. The clubs held workouts, studied video and checked out scouting reports. But as several teams that stumbled in the World Series after long breaks discovered, nothing can duplicate playing a real game.==============================Yearwood, Santana to Perform at World SeriesNEW YORK (AP) — Trisha Yearwood and Carlos Santana are among the musicians set to perform the national anthem during the World Series. Major League Baseball says Yearwood will sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Game 1 on Tuesday when the San Francisco Giants play the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Santana will perform an instrumental rendition of the national anthem with his son before Game 4 on Saturday at the AT&T Park in San Francisco. Former "American Idol" winner Phillip Phillips will sing before Game 2 on Wednesday. Country quartet Little Big Town will sing before Game 3 on Friday. The games will air on Fox at 7 pm Central time.

$5M Bond Set for Suspect in Deaths of KS Mom, Children PARSONS, Kan. (AP) — The man suspected in the deaths of a southeast Kansas woman and her three children is being held on a $5 million bond. Labette County District Judge Robert Fleming signed an order Wednesday that gives prosecutors until December 10 to file charges against the 22-year-old man who was arrested late Tuesday. He was arrested late Tuesday in connection with the killing of 29-year-old Cami Umbarger and her children, ages 9, 6, and 4. It was unknown whether the man had an attorney. The Labette County Jail declined to make him available for comment. Cami Umbarger's cousin, Tara Umbarger of Fredonia, said Wednesday that her cousin met the suspect around the end of September and had gone out with him a couple of times. Tara Umbarger says the man had been stalking her cousin.===============Kansas Revenues Top Forecast for NovemberTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas revenue officials say growth in sales taxes helped the state collect slightly more in taxes than expected this month. Figures released Wednesday show the state collected $380 million in taxes and fees in November, topping the latest forecast by nearly $1 million. November collections of sale taxes were $1.1 million more than expected. Revenue Secretary Nick Jordan calls the numbers a sign that consumers and businesses have confidence in the economy to spend more of their money. The report also says overall tax collections in the fiscal year that began July 1 totaled nearly $2.2 billion taxes. That's roughly $230 million less than in the same period of the previous fiscal year, due to the state's reductions in income tax rates.===============Brownback Comments on Accelerated Holiday Shopping PushTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback says he understands why some retailers are holding Black Friday shopping hours on Thursday, but he doesn't like it. The governor told WIBW-AM on Wednesday he'd prefer that everyone observe Thanksgiving as a holiday. When stores open for shopping on Thursday, Brownback says, it takes workers away from their families. The shopping season is especially short this year because Thanksgiving is occurring on November 28 — one of the latest dates it can be observed. Meanwhile, Brownback issued a proclamation designating November 30 as "Small Business Saturday" in Kansas. The national "Small Business Saturday" campaign urges consumers to shop at businesses in their communities during what's usually the busiest shopping weekend of the year.===============KS Atty General Issues Opinion on Guns at Polling PlacesTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is offering guidance on how the state's concealed carry law applies to buildings used as polling places on election days. In an opinion issued Wednesday, Schmidt says voters with permits to carry concealed firearms must comply with regulations that applied to the specific location before an election. That means if voters are allowed to have a concealed weapon in a building before the election they will be allowed to carry concealed guns when voting. Secretary of State Kris Kobach requested the opinion, to clarify any ambiguity over how the law applied in non-governmental buildings during elections. Such buildings include property leased temporarily as polling places. Attorney general opinions aren't considered law but can be used as guidance until an issue is tested.===============Topeka Police Release Report on Fatal ShootingTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Topeka police have released a report on the fatal shooting of two Topeka police officers killed last year during an armed standoff with a 22-year-old man. The nine-page report released Tuesday includes a detailed timeline of the events leading up to the December 2012 fatal shootings of Corporal David Gogian and officer Jeff Atherly. David Tiscareno was killed about 12 hours after he shot Gogian and Atherly as they investigated reported drug activity at a central Topeka grocery store. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports while the report contains some new details, much of the information had been previously released. The report is available on the front page of the department's website until December 3.=============== KS Withdraws Subpoenas for Biz Records in Ottawa CaseOTTAWA, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors have withdrawn subpoenas for business records of an eastern Kansas man accused of killing three adults and a toddler. The subpoenas were mentioned at a status hearing in Franklin County District Court on Tuesday for 28-year-old Kyle T. Flack, who is jailed on $10 million bond on charges of capital murder, first-degree murder, rape and criminal possession of a firearm. He's accused of killing 30-year-old Andrew Adam Stout, 31-year-old Steven Eugene White, 21-year-old Kaylie Kathleen Bailey and Bailey's 18-month-old daughter, Lana-Leigh earlier this year. The Lawrence Journal World reports the state did not rule out making a similar request in the future. The state's attorney general's office is handling the prosecution.=============== KS Sheriff Seeks Concealed Carry Law ExemptionSALINA, Kan. (AP) — A central Kansas sheriff says he will seek a four-year exemption from a state law allowing concealed carry permit holders to bring guns into the law enforcement center, even if county officials don't agree. Saline County Sheriff Glen Kochanowski told county commissioners Tuesday that his office often deals with people who have anger issues when they come into the law enforcement center, so it's not wise to let them carry guns inside. The Salina Journal reports Saline County Commission chairman Randy Duncan disagreed, saying not everyone who gets mad is going to shoot someone. The Kansas Legislature passed a law last session requiring governmental entities to allow permit holders to carry their concealed guns in a building unless it is protected with metal detectors and guards.===============Identities Released on 4 Killed in Wichita FireWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita authorities have identified two adults and two young children killed in a mobile home fire. Fire Marshal Brad Crisp on Wednesday identified the four victims as 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. They were killed in the fire at the mobile home early Tuesday. Crisp says firefighters found all four in the same bedroom. Crisp says autopsies have been completed, but the cause of death and the cause of the fire had not been released. Three people in the mobile home escaped. Those three people, a firefighter and a neighbor who helped, sustained minor injuries.===============Body Found in Wyandotte County LakeKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Wyandotte County authorities are investigating after a man's body was recovered from Wyandotte County Lake. Officials said police received a call late Tuesday to report the body on the east edge of the 400-acre lake, about two miles from the park entrance. The victim was a white male about 58 years old. The Kansas City Star reports that officials were treating it as a crime scene.===============Kansas Court System Names New SpokeswomanTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court says a new spokeswoman has been named for the Kansas court system. The high court said in a release Wednesday that Lisa Taylor has been appointed public information director for the Kansas Judicial Branch. Taylor succeeds Ron Keefover, who retired in September after starting the court's public information office in 1981. Taylor is a former communications director for the Kansas Department of Agriculture and has also worked with the state Department of Revenue. The Kansas Judicial Branch includes district courts in each of the state's 105 counties, the Court of Appeals and a seven-member Supreme Court.===============KS Governor's Residence Ready for Holiday ToursTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas governor's official residence is being decked out in Christmas finery, and the public can get a glimpse when Cedar Crest opens for holiday tours next week. Governor Sam Brownback and his family were at Cedar Crest on Wednesday for the delivery of a Scotch pine Christmas tree by horse-drawn wagon. Also being delivered by wagon was a Douglas fir, to be displayed at Brownback's office in the Statehouse. The Kansas Tree Growers Association presents the Christmas trees to the governor each year. Beginning next week, Cedar Crest will be open for public tours each Monday afternoon and by appointment on Tuesdays through the holiday season.===============Presta Named New Kansas Lottery DirectorTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Former legislator and long-time business owner Terry Presta has been named the new executive director of the Kansas Lottery. Governor Sam Brownback announced Presta's appointment Wednesday. He replaces interim director Sherriene Jones-Sontag, who filled the post after the announcement that executive director Dennis Taylor was retiring. Presta served in the Kansas House from 1995 to 1999. He was the president and CEO of Overland Park-based Presto Convenience Stores until December 2010. Brownback cited Presta's business experience in making his selection for the position. Jones-Sontag will stay with the lottery as deputy director. Taylor had been handling special projects for the lottery in addition to serving as an interim director. He previously was secretary of the Department of Administration for Brownback.=============== Presale for Tickets to MLS Cup CompromisedKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Sporting Kansas City's MLS Cup presale for season-ticket members was apparently compromised. The Kansas City Star reports Real Salt Lake fans acquired the online code and bought up tickets during the Tuesday presale for the December 7 game, which will decide the MLS champion at Sporting Park. Real Salt Lake says the tickets bought by the leaked code will be cancelled. The visiting team is allotted 1,000 tickets, which will be distributed by Real Salt Lake. Tickets bought by Sporting KC season-ticket members using the compromised code also will be invalidated. Sporting KC officials confirm the presale went awry, but says the team will work with season-ticket holders who made legal pre-sale purchases to ensure they have game tickets. Tickets go on sale to the general public Monday.=============== Wichita Runway to Be Tested for DamageWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — An engineering firm is being brought in to determine if last week's wayward landing of giant Boeing cargo plane damaged the Wichita runway. The Wichita Eagle reports the city's Airport Authority is monitoring the condition of the runway at Jabara Airport after the Dreamlifter mistakenly landed at the airport last week. The Dreamlifter was supposed to land at McConnell Air Force Base. The modified 747 weighs about 600,000 pounds, or about 10 times the weight that Jabara's runway is designed to handle. Victor White, director of airports for the Wichita Airport Authority, says initial inspections show the aircraft did no damage to the runway, though some lights along the strip were broken. The airport is bringing in a runway specialty firm to test the runway for pavement damage. ===============KC-Area Comedian to Activate Plaza LightsKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Actor and comedian Rob Riggle will flip the switch that lights up Kansas City's Country Club Plaza on Thanksgiving night. The annual event attracts tens of thousands of people to the upscale shopping and dining district, where several blocks of buildings will be outlined in holiday lights through January 12. A local celebrity gets the honor each year of flipping the switch with help from a child chosen at random from the crowd. Riggle grew up in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park and graduated from Shawnee Mission East High School and the University of Kansas. Musical performances and fireworks will also be part of Thursday night's festivities.===============Hepatitis C-Spreading Hospital Tech Faces Sentencing Next WeekCONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Prosecutors say a traveling hospital technician who infected patients with hepatitis C through tainted syringes created a "national public health crisis" and should spend 40 years in prison. Defense attorneys argue he should get 30 years instead, in part because of a drug addiction that clouded his judgment. David Kwiatkowski has admitted stealing painkillers and replacing them with saline-filled syringes tainted with his blood. He'll be sentenced Monday. Lawyers on both sides filed documents this week outlining their recommendations. Before being hired at New Hampshire's Exeter Hospital in 2011, Kwiatkowski worked in 18 hospitals. He was fired at least four times over drug allegations. Thirty-two patients were infected in New Hampshire, seven in Maryland, six in Kansas and one in Pennsylvania. Kwiatkowski also worked in Michigan, New York, Arizona and Georgia.===============2 KC Children Suffer Lead PoisoningKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City health officials say at least two area children have lead poisoning from a contaminated cosmetic product commonly used in Myanmar. The Kansas City Star reports that the product, which is called Thanakha, and is also spelled "thanaka" or "tanaka," is a yellowish paste made from tree bark that is worn on the face and arms to treat acne or as a sunscreen. The health department says the contaminated product found in Kansas City was in a silver-colored metal container with a cardboard cover featuring a woman wearing a pink dress. The label is printed in Burmese. The health department is urging anyone who's used the product to get their blood tested for lead.===============KU Prof: Save Money by Using Cash, Not CreditLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A University of Kansas researcher says Black Friday shoppers who want to save a little money should use cash instead of credit cards when making purchases. The Wichita Eagle reports assistant marketing professor Promothesh Chatterjee issued a statement Tuesday saying shoppers who use cash see their purchases much differently than those who use plastic. Chatterjee says his research shows that marketers may be influencing how much people spend and what they buy by encouraging them to use credit cards. He says people who use credit cards focus more on the benefits of a product, while those who pay with cash focus on its costs, including price, delivery time, warranty costs and installation fees. =============== Union Station Backs KC Museum Agreement KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Officials with Kansas City's Union Station have endorsed a plan that would shift management of the Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall to the city's parks department. The Kansas City Star reports that the agreement calls for the city to take over managing the museum's collection, most of which belongs to Union Station. The city would also manage the museum's longtime home located in northeast Kansas City. The approximately $1.4 million in annual tax revenue for the museum would be retained by the city, which would lease space at Union Station for $131,000 a year. The executive committee of Union Station's board voted unanimously in favor of the plan Tuesday. The City Council is expected to vote on the plan next week. ===============Ethanol's Rise Can Mean Loss of Hunting LandsSIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Since the government began requiring ethanol be added to gasoline, the states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska have lost 2.8 million acres of land set aside in the U.S. Conservation Reserve Program. Hunters, who are big business in that part of the country, say they have felt the loss of habitats for ducks, pheasants, grouse and other wildlife as native grasslands that provided shelter to the birds have been overtaken by corn and soy crops, the main feedstock used to produce ethanol. Pheasant harvests in the region have declined by 44 percent since 2006. The owner of a Nebraska hotel popular among hunters says, "Everything's against the pheasants right now."===============Plans for NW Kansas Wind Farm Move ForwardHAYS, Kan. (AP) — Plans for a 200-megawatt wind farm in northwest Kansas are moving forward with approval of three key agreements by the Ellis County Commission. The Hays Daily News reports the agreements approved Monday for Buckeye Wind Energy cover road maintenance, payment in lieu of taxes and decommissioning of the project. The company plans to build the wind farm on roughly 28,000 acres north of Interstate 70 between the cities of Hays and Ellis. The energy would be the equivalent of powering 104,000 homes. Proposals for wind farms in Ellis County have prompted opposition and lawsuits in the past. County Commissioner Swede Holmgren says he hopes that some residents have changed their minds.===============KCMO Red Light Camera Law in QuestionKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri appeals court panel has issued a ruling that raises questions about the constitutionality of Kansas City's red-light camera law. The Western District Missouri Court of Appeals on Tuesday reversed a decision by Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Dale Youngs, who had dismissed a lawsuit brought against Kansas City and American Traffic Solutions, which operates the red-light cameras for the city. The Kansas City Star reportsthe new ruling says Kansas City's ordinance allows a driver to run a traffic light without points being assessed to a license although state law requires that moving violations be assessed points. The Kansas City City Council says no further camera tickets will be issued until further notice, but police will step up patrols at the city's 17 red light camera intersections.===============Hate Crime Conference at UMKCKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A new U.S. Justice Department task force on hate crimes is holding a public conference in Kansas City. The Kansas City Star reports that the program will be held January 13 at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and seeks to expand community awareness of hate crimes. Michael Kaste, special agent in charge of the FBI's local office, said 67 hate crimes were reported in the Kansas City area last year. Most of those reports were for racially biased crimes. FBI statistics show that nearly 6,000 hate crimes were reported nationwide last year. Kaste says even though hate crime reports have remained relatively consistent over the years, any such crimes are "intolerable." The conference is free and open to the public.===============KU Headlines Atlantis Tournament FieldWith three games in three days coming up in the Bahamas, University of Kansas men's basketball coach Bill Self knows his team's depth will be tested. So will its star. Andrew Wiggins is averaging 16.8 points on nearly 59 percent shooting, one of the many reasons why the second-ranked Jayhawks have won all four of their games. Now the freshman will put his talent on display in the Bahamas, with No. 2 Kansas facing Wake Forest on Thursday in one of four first-day matchups at the Battle 4 Atlantis. Wiggins says he "can still be better," and Self says the same about his team. No. 23 Iowa is also in the field, along with Xavier, Villanova, USC, Tennessee and Texas-El Paso. Combined, the eight clubs have gone 33-4 so far this season.=============== Chiefs' Tamba Hali Plans to Play Sunday Against BroncosKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs pass rusher Tamba Hali plans to play in Sunday's matchup with the Denver Broncos despite spraining his right ankle in last weekend's loss to San Diego. The two-time Pro Bowl linebacker rolled over his right ankle in the first half of a 41-38 loss to the Chargers. He watched the second half from the training room with injured teammate Justin Houston, and said initially that he thought the injury might be serious. Hali, who has nine sacks on the season, went through a walk-through Wednesday and said that he wants to play against the Broncos. Both teams are 9-2 and tied atop the AFC West, though Denver has already beaten Kansas City once this season. Houston is almost certain to miss the game after dislocating his elbow.

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.