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Scientists in the Midwest and Great Plains were poised to start research to cut U.S. reliance on fertilizer imports, keep biofuel farming cost-competitive and tackle a potent greenhouse gas.

Here are the headlines for our area, as compiled by KPR news staffers. Our weekday headlines are generally posted by 10 a.m. and updated throughout the day. Our weekend summary is typically posted by 1 p.m. Feel free to browse our ad-free news summary. And when you're done, feel free to make a pledge to KPR. Thanks for your support.

Critics say the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan emboldened the Russian leader, but former U.S. officials say past U.S. responses to Russian incursions were a bigger problem.

For years Catholic health plans have been arranging for independent insurance firms to provide contraceptive coverage to their enrollees.

President Biden is expected to highlight his push to cap junk fees in his State of the Union address, for a second year in a row. It's a theme he plans to take on the campaign trail.

Morgan Wallen's I'm the Problem continues to dominate the charts, while long-ago chart queen Connie Francis is gathering momentum for a song from 1962.

RaMell Ross' adaptation of Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is an ambitious, immersive experience.

As The Life of a Showgirl's numbers dwindle, some fresh voices liven up the song and album charts this week.

Democrats May Face Another Fight in Kansas Senate RaceTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The Republican serving as Kansas' top elections official won't give up on forcing Democrats to field a U.S. Senate candidate, even if the state Supreme Court orders the current nominee's removal from the ballot. Secretary of State Kris Kobach said Tuesday that state law requires Democratic leaders to pick a new candidate if Chad Taylor is removed from the ballot. Taylor stopped campaigning but Kobach refused to remove him from the November 4 ballot. Taylor took his case to the Supreme Court which heard arguments Tuesday. Some Democrats pushed Taylor to leave the race against three-term Republican Senator Pat Roberts, seeing independent candidate Greg Orman as stronger. Kobach said Tuesday that state law requires parties to fill candidate vacancies, and he's ready to return to the Supreme Court if necessary.==============================Feds Allow Kansas to Withhold Test DataTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Federal education officials have granted a request from Kansas to not release assessment test results that experts say are invalid because of technical problems and cyberattacks. Only generalized information about how Kansas students did on certain test items will be made public. The decision means parents, teachers and administrators won't be able to see how specific students, schools or districts performed in math and reading assessments. Kansas State Board of Education chairwoman Jana Shaver says there were so many problems it was not feasible or fair to release the data. The Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation at the University of Kansas department administers the tests. It says problems affected up to one-third of this year's math tests and two-thirds of the English tests.==============================KS School Task Force Leader Recommends ChangesTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The head of a school efficiency task force is recommending several changes, including incentives for Kansas school districts to consolidate and potential restrictions on teacher bargaining rights. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Wichita businessman Sam Williams mailed his recommendations to the members of the task force last week. The panel's vice chairman, Jim Hinson, superintendent of Shawnee Mission district, said the recommendations are only a draft and the entire commission has not considered them. He says he personally has questions on several of the proposals. Hinson said commission members will discuss the draft at meetings later this week. that commission must submit a report to the Legislature by January 9.==============================Former Candidate for Governor Will Run for Mayor in WichitaWICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A Wichita business owner who sought this year's Republican nomination for Kansas governor now says she intends to run for Wichita mayor. Jennifer Winn says her supporters have encouraged her to enter the race next spring. Current Mayor Carl Brewer is barred by term limits from seeking re-election. Winn lost the August GOP primary to Governor Sam Brownback. But she drew more than 94,000 votes - about 37 percent of the total - in a showing that surprised many observers. Winn is a Wichita native and the owner of a property management company. She has said that legalizing and taxing marijuana would help state revenue and allow other taxes to be lowered. ==============================Republican Praeger Favors Democrat for Insurance Commissioner TOPEKA — The trend of Kansas Republicans crossing party lines to support Democrats running against GOP conservatives now has reached the insurance commissioner’s race. Republican incumbent Sandy Praeger, who’s not running for re-election after three terms, endorsed Democrat Dennis Anderson at a campaign event in Topeka on Tuesday. Praeger, a moderate Republican who bucked the party line in supporting the federal health reform law, is among more than 100 current and former GOP office holders who have endorsed Paul Davis, the Democrat challenging Republican Governor Sam Brownback. Praeger said she is supporting Anderson in large part because he favors expanding Medicaid eligibility to more poor adults and because he opposes creation of a multi-state compact to transfer control of federal health care programs to member states.===============================Kansas Gets $3.8M Federal Conservation GrantWICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas will receive $3.8 million in conservation funding to help landowners protect key farmlands, grasslands and wetlands. The grant was announced Tuesday by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. It's part of $328 million the U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing nationwide for conservation easements. The USDA's Kansas conservationist, Eric Banks, said conservation easements will help farmers protect valuable farmland from development, restore lands best suited for grazing and return wetlands to their natural conditions. The 2014 farm bill created the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. About 18 projects in Kansas were chosen to restore 4,800 acres.==============================Ex-Bondsman Convicted in HutchinsonHUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) - A former bail bondsman has been convicted of six counts for coercing women he bailed out of jail to have sex with him. A Reno County jury on Tuesday convicted 66-year-old Dwight Jurgens on six of nine counts in a human trafficking case. He was found guilty on two counts of aggravated human trafficking, two counts of rape and two counts of attempted aggravated human trafficking. He was acquitted of criminal sodomy and two counts of aggravated human trafficking. Sentencing was scheduled for October 24. Prosecutors alleged Jurgens told four women he would revoke their bonds if they didn't have sex with him. The crimes occurred while Jurgens was a bonding agent for TNT Bonding. Defense attorney Dam Kepfield said he anticipates that the verdict will be appealed.==============================Eisenhower Memorial Panel Considers Gehry DesignWASHINGTON (AP) - A federal commission working to build a memorial honoring President Dwight D. Eisenhower near the National Mall is considering whether to move forward with architect Frank Gehry's design after years of controversy over the project. Earlier in September, Gehry's team presented a revised design in response to objections from critics and Eisenhower's family. Now the Eisenhower Memorial Commission is scheduled to meet Wednesday for the first time in more than a year to consider the changes. Gehry's Los Angeles-based team has eliminated metal tapestries on the sides of the proposed memorial park, along with some columns. One stainless steel tapestry would remain as a backdrop, depicting the Kansas landscape of Ike's boyhood home. But in a letter Monday, Eisenhower's family says the revised design still does not address their concerns.==============================Petitioners Work to Repeal Roeland Park Discrimination BanROELAND PARK, Kan. (AP) - The Johnson County legal department says a petition to repeal Roeland Park's anti-discrimination ordinance can move forward. The county has approved the ballot language that will appear if enough support is garnered. The City Council must repeal the ordinance or place it on a citywide ballot if 472 registered voters sign the petition. An attorney representing a former councilwoman who submitted the petition says the decision should be made by the voters, not the council. The city became the second in the state to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity last month. The measure passed after the mayor broke a 4-4 tie by the council. The law prohibits discrimination in employment, housing and public service. Lawrence has a similar ordinance.==============================KU Joins Group Aiming to Boost Graduation RatesLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - The University of Kansas is joining 10 other major institutions in an initiative to increase graduation rates for low-income and first-generation college students. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the University Innovation Alliance will develop what the group calls a "playbook" on how to help such students complete their degrees. Kansas chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little says the initiative will allow university leaders to share and adapt ideas that have proven to help students from all backgrounds. The group said studies show students from wealthy families are seven times more likely than low-income students to earn college degrees. All of the participating universities have large numbers of low-income and first-generation students and have developed programs to help them succeed.==============================Dole Resuming Kansas Homecoming TourDODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) - Former U.S. Senator Bob Dole returns to Kansas next week for the latest of several planned trips to his home state this year. The 91-year-old Russell native lives in Washington, D.C., and is making the homecoming tour to greet longtime friends and supporters throughout the state. Next week's trip is Dole's eighth of the year and will take him to southwest Kansas. The tour begins the evening of September 22 in Dodge City, with stops in Kinsley, Greensburg, Ashland, Meade and Liberal the following day. On September 24, Dole will visit Hugoton, Elkhart, Johnson City and Ulysses. He plans to conclude the tour September 25 with stops in Satanta and Cimarron.==============================Feds Seek Forfeiture of Jet in KS Pot BustWICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Federal prosecutors are seeking the forfeiture of a business jet after the pilot was arrested in July at a Kansas airport and accused of possessing more than 50 kilograms of marijuana with the intent to sell it. U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom says 58-year-old Kenneth Weaver of Denver also is accused of conspiracy and interstate travel in furtherance of drug trafficking. Prosecutors say Weaver was arrested on July 11 after agents executed a search warrant on the plane at the airport in Iola and seized a load of marijuana. The superseding indictment seeks the forfeiture of a 1979 Israel Aircraft Industries jet, a 2007 Bentley Continental GT-C automobile and more than $450,000 in cash seized August 8 in Sylmar, California. ==============================Joplin Tornado Aid Worker Sentenced for FraudSPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) - A woman who worked for a southwest Missouri disaster relief agency has been sentenced to prison for a fraud scheme following the deadly Joplin tornado. The U.S. attorney's office says Herlana Latham, of Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced Tuesday to 14 months in federal prison and ordered to pay about $6,700 in restitution. She pleaded guilty earlier this year to wire fraud. Latham formerly lived in Joplin and worked for a nonprofit organization that distributed aid to landlords who rented housing to people displaced by the May 2011 tornado. She was accused of verifying false landlord applications. Co-defendants Christopher Smith and John Williams, both also of Memphis, pleaded guilty previously in the scheme. Williams was sentenced to eight months in prison and Smith to three years of probation.==============================Reno County Developing Comprehensive Bicycle PlanHUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) - Reno County is taking early steps to develop a comprehensive route for bicycle riders in the county. The first step came Tuesday, when county commissioners agreed to install four bike-route advisory signs on Old Kansas 61. That reversed a vote last week, when commissioners voted against the signs. The Hutchinson News reports the approval came after bicycling supporters agreed to pay the estimated $690 cost of installing the signs. Commission Chairman James Schlickau recommended that the county form a group of interested people to discuss and propose a comprehensive bike route for the county. Commissioners also were told that a committee with members from Hutchinson, South Hutchinson, Haven, Colwich and Wichita is working to develop a bicycle route from Hutchinson to Wichita, though the plan is "in its infancy."==============================Port of Kansas City to Reopen for Barge TrafficKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - The port of Kansas City's barge-shipping terminal will reopen after being closed since 2007. The Port Authority of Kansas City said Tuesday it is partnering with Kaw Valley Companies of Kansas City, Kansas, to operate the Woodswether Terminal. It will initially employ five to seven people. Port Authority vice president Marissa Cleaver Wamble says the partners hope to have the terminal open for barge traffic before this year's shipping season ends in early December. The city-owned terminal can store about 750,000 tons. It closed seven years ago because low water levels on the Missouri River reduced barge traffic. Wamble says about $6 million in upgrades is needed to also reopen the port to rail traffic.==============================Another Kansas Man Electrocuted by Power LinePRATT, Kan. (AP) - Pratt County officials say a worker has died after coming into contact with a 7,200-volt power line. The sheriff's office says he died Tuesday while using a bucket truck near the line in Pratt. The man was taken to the Pratt Regional Medical Center where he later died. His identity has not been released. The sheriff's office is investigating. It's the second electrocution death in Kansas in two days. A 34-year-old man was killed Monday when a boom on a truck touched an overhead power line in Arkansas City.==============================Topeka Police Chase Ends With ArrestTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Shawnee County authorities have arrested a man who they say led officers on a chase through two counties using a stolen vehicle. Sheriff's Lt. Danny Lotridge says on Tuesday a Silver Lake officer spotted the 54-year-old man walking at a park. There was an outstanding warrant for his arrest. Lotridge says the man stole a Jeep Grand Cherokee when he saw the officer and fled. The pursuit ended in Jefferson County after authorities popped the vehicle's tires. Deputies say they broke out two windows and threatened to send in a police dog before the man surrendered. He was taken to an area hospital with unknown injuries that deputies say are unrelated to the chase. Authorities say he faces charges of motor vehicle theft, fleeing and various traffic violations.==============================Businessman Considers Making Lyons Golf Course PublicLYONS, Kan. (AP) - A Rice County businessman is considering buying a nine-hole private golf course in Lyons and making it public. Gene Zaid, founder of JACAM Chemicals, said discussions about the Town and Country Club are in its preliminary stages. He has asked the Lyons City Council for breaks on city water rights for irrigation at the club. Any deal on the course would not involve the chemical company. The Hutchinson News reports that the Lyons City Council will take up a formal resolution on the water rate request next week. The 40-acre private course is a 2,902-yard, par-35 course, with an appraised value of $174,540.==============================Royals Fall to White Sox in 4-Hour Long GameKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis both gave up runs for the first time in nearly three months as the Kansas City Royals' bullpen dropped Tuesday night's game in a 7-5 loss to the Chicago White Sox. The rare bullpen failure prevented Kansas City from gaining ground on AL Central leader Detroit, which lost at Minnesota. The game at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City lasted more than four hours, the longest 9-inning game in Royals franchise history.

KS Gov Prepares to Deliver State of the State AddressTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Governor Sam Brownback is preparing to give the annual State of the State address and outline his legislative agenda. The speech Wednesday evening will be to a joint House-Senate session in the House chamber. It also will be broadcast live on public television. Brownback has already proposed phasing in full state funding for public schools' all-day kindergarten classes at a cost of $16 million the first year. He's also outlined a $9 million initiative aimed at boosting fourth-graders' scores on standardized reading tests. The Republican governor is expected to tout the massive personal income tax cuts that Kansas enacted at his urging. The Democratic response to the address will be given by House Minority Paul Davis, of Lawrence, who's challenging Brownback's re-election this year.===============KS Senate Panel Examining Crime MeasuresTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Top prosecutors are urging a Kansas Senate committee to take a harder stance on certain murder sentences, including increasing the penalty for premeditated first-degree murder to a mandatory 50 years to life in prison. The proposed changes heard Wednesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee continued debates held in September when legislators met in special session to rewrite the state's "Hard 50" prison term. Legislators are considering other changes, such as making the minimum 50 years to life in prison the presumptive sentence. Currently the sentence is 25 years to life and prosecutors must convince juries to impose a 50-year minimum. The committee also heard testimony on changing the sentence for attempted capital murder to life without parole eligibility for 25 years, an increase from the current 12-year term.===============KS Teen Accused of Planning School ShootingTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Topeka teenager is charged with four felonies in what the Shawnee County District Attorney calls a planned school shooting. The 17-year-old was charged Wednesday with four counts of soliciting first-degree murder. District Attorney Chad Taylor says the teen was planning to shoot two administrators at Topeka West High School, a Topeka police officer and a school police officer working at the high school. Taylor did not release his name. Taylor says the teenager was arrested Tuesday evening outside Topeka. He has a detention hearing scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. Taylor wouldn't release many details about the alleged plan but said the threat was viable and the situation developed in mid-December. The defendant is being charged as a juvenile but Taylor says he'll seek to have him tried as an adult.===============Health Officials: Influenza Widespread in KansasWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas health officials say the state is seeing a high number of influenza cases, with three deaths directly attributed to flu since September 1. The state Department of Health and Environment reported Tuesday that 5 percent of visits to clinic sites it monitors were due to influenza-like illness. The agency says flu or pneumonia contributed to 510 deaths during the current season, which began September 1. The season has seen the re-emergence of the A/H1N1 strain as the dominating virus. The same strain caused a pandemic in 2009, hitting children and young adults especially hard. Health officials are encouraging everyone six months and older to get vaccinated. KDHE Secretary Robert Moser has asked businesses to consider recommending their employees get vaccinated and encourage them to stay home when ill.=============== KS Persuades US to Redeem Abandoned Savings BondsWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The federal government has agreed to redeem almost $862,000 in abandoned U.S. savings bonds held by Kansas after a 14-year battle waged by the state's treasurers. Current Treasurer Ron Estes says he's hoping the government will redeem about $151 million more. The Wichita Eagle reports the 1,447 redeemed bonds include some that date back to World War I. They were recovered from abandoned safe-deposit boxes once rented by Kansas residents. It's the first time the federal government has agreed to cash out abandoned bonds. The state doesn't get to spend the money, but it's allowed to invest it and keep the interest and earnings. Estes says the state's unclaimed property fund now is at $260 million and generates $7 million to $8 million a year for the state budget.===============KS Board Recommends Individual Study PlansTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas State Board of Education is "strongly recommending" that the state's schools develop individual plans of study for every high school student. However, the board declined Tuesday to require schools to form the plans. Board members noted many school districts don't have enough counselors to develop so many plans, known as ISPs. ISPs are usually based on a career interest surveys that students complete in the eighth grade. The students then select classes in high school to meet their career interests. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that a Department of Education survey found about 88 percent of school districts give students the chance to develop an ISP, but only about half prepare the plans for all high school students.=============== Fire Damages 3 Businesses, Lodge in OskaloosaOSKALOOSA, Kan. (AP) — A fire in the northeast Kansas town of Oskaloosa damaged three businesses and a Masonic Lodge but no injuries were reported. The fire Monday night extensively damaged a cafe and realty office and did minor smoke damage to a bank branch. Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Herrig says the Masonic Lodge about the cafe also was damaged. The cause of the fire is still under investigation but Herrig said it apparently started in the basement of the cafe. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that no damage estimates were available Tuesday.===============Northeast Kansas Man Missing Since December 31ATCHISON, Kan. (AP) — Police in northeast Kansas are asking the public's help in finding a 70-year-old man missing since December 31. Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson told KAIR-FM on Wednesday that his department has received several leads since a Silver Alert for Garry Clyde Sandy was issued January 10. Wilson said there was a possible sighting of Sandy's gold-colored 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck early Saturday in Newton, about 160 miles southwest of Atchison. Investigators are following that lead, among others, while also watching for any financial transactions. Sandy is described as 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 200 pounds, with thinning brown hair. Police said he always wears a Kansas City Chiefs ball cap and jacket and is known to frequent casinos. He has a heart condition and is diabetic.===============Wichita Man Suspected of Impersonating DeputyWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities in Sedgwick County say a Wichita man suspected of impersonating a deputy was arrested after calling 911 to say his pickup truck had been stolen. KAKE-TV reports that the incident began around 1 am Wednesday when a man driving a pickup truck with a siren and red-and-blue lights stopped another driver, who was a security guard. The two men got out of their vehicles and asked each other for identification. The security guard became suspicious and drove away with the phony deputy in pursuit. Real deputies chased the impersonator's pickup at speeds up to 110 mph before he lost them. He later called 911 saying his truck had been stolen and he was lost in a field, where officers found him and took him into custody.===============Dodge City Police Arrest 6 in Illegal Liquor SalesDODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — Dodge City police arrested six people for allegedly selling liquor from their homes. Police Chief Craig Mellecker says the four women and two men were arrested Sunday for sales in four separate homes. He says they were selling alcohol after hours and on days when alcohol sales are illegal, as well as selling to minors. Mellecker says investigators found single cans of alcohol, 12-packs, 30-packs and two bottles of tequila, along with $2,711 in cash. The six people face multiple counts of furnishing alcohol to a minor, evasion of liquor tax, selling alcohol with no license and nuisances of place and property. Two also are charged with child endangerment and contributing to a child's misconduct after they allegedly allowed their minor child to sell alcohol for them.=============== KU Medical Center Wins $10M in Research GrantsKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas Medical Center has received $10 million in federal research grants. Medical center officials announced Tuesday the grants will be used to research smoking cessation and chronic pain treatment, as well as funding a network to share patient data among research centers. The Kansas City Star reports that the projects are funded through the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. That's an independent nonprofit organization authorized by the Affordable Care Act that receives federal funding.===============Alaska Hires KU Group for Education AssessmentsFAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — Alaska education officials have hired a new group to create English language arts and math assessments. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports the state announced it's leaving Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, and has hired Assessment and Achievement Institute. Alaska has been a member of the consortium since April. But it decided to go with a company that will tailor assessments based on new state standards, which vary from Common Core Standards used by the consortium. The state sought proposals from vendors, and chose Assessment and Achievement Institute, an organization with the University of Kansas. The five-year contract will cost Alaska about $5 million annually. The state has previously worked with another University of Kansas group, DLM Consortium, to create a new alternate assessment for students with severe cognitive disabilities.=============== 2 KS Teachers Named as National Award FinalistsTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Two Kansas elementary school teachers are national finalists for a math and science award. The Kansas State Department of Education says the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is given annually to outstanding teachers from across the country. The Kansas finalists are Shawnee Mission school district science teacher Lindsay Constance and Wamego school district math teacher Cathy Wilbur. They'll get an invitation to Washington, D.C., for an awards ceremony and visit with members of Congress and President Barack Obama's administration. A panel of scientists, mathematicians and educators pick the winners following an initial selection process done at the state level. Each year the award alternates between educators teaching kindergarten through sixth grade and those teaching seventh through 12th grades.===============ND Senator: Time for Decision on Keystone Is NowWASHINGTON (AP) — North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp says the Obama administration should make a decision soon on the Keystone XL oil pipeline. And she says that decision should be to go ahead with the project. Heitkamp met Wednesday with Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird and Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. Gary Doer. The Canadian officials and Heitkamp agree that the Keystone pipeline would be of great benefit to the U.S. and Canada. Heitkamp, a Democrat, says the process has taken too long. Heitkamp says the project would provide jobs and allow the United States to get oil from a country that shares its interests. Environmental groups oppose the Canada-to-Texas pipeline as a major contributor to global warming. Backers say it would create jobs and boost North American energy independence.=============== TransCanada Could Consider Rail Terminal Deal If Keystone rejected TORONTO (AP) — The chief executive of TransCanada says that if the Obama administration doesn't approve the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, his company will look to build rail terminals in Alberta and Oklahoma. President Barack Obama is expected to decide early this year on Keystone, which is under review at the State Department. The pipeline would carry oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast. TransCanada CEO Russ Girling said Thursday pipelines are "by far a safer alternative" to oil trains but says if customers want him to build rail terminals he will. He's in discussions with oil and rail companies. Concerns have been raised about the increasing use of rail to transport oil throughout North America. In July, 47 people were killed in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, when an oil train derailed and exploded.===============Sprint Center Brings $1.47M to KC CoffersKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City received $1.47 million in revenue from events at the Sprint Center in 2013. The city has a revenue-sharing agreement with the Anschutz Entertainment Group, which manages the Sprint Center. Since the center opened in 2007, the city has earned $9.3 million from the agreement. The Kansas City Star reports that an industry trade publication, Pollstar, ranked the Sprint Center as the eighth-busiest arena in the country last year for live entertainment, which does not include sports events. The venues ahead of Kansas City were New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Nashville, Tennessee.=============== Airlines Warn Against High Costs at KC AirportKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Airline representatives are warning that a proposal to reconfigure Kansas City International Airport could lead to less service for passengers. A Southwest Airlines representative told a citizens task force Tuesday that airlines would not welcome changes that lead to substantially higher costs at the airport. Southwest executive vice president Ron Ricks said he was speaking for his airline, as well as Delta, United and American/US Air — the four major carriers at the airport. The task force is taking public comments on whether to change the airport's current structure of three separate terminals into one larger terminal. The Kansas City Star reports Ricks predicted that KCI will see only "incremental" passenger growth for the near future, with or without a new terminal.===============MO Girl Charged with Manslaughter in Teen's DeathPLATTE CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 17-year-old suburban Kansas City girl has been charged with manslaughter in the death of a 15-year-old who overdosed on a synthetic form of LSD she sold him. Platte County prosecutor Eric Zahnd said Wednesday that Krista Meeks of Riverside admitted selling the imitation "acid" on October 3 to two boys, ages 14 and 15. Both were taken to Children's Mercy Hospital the next day after taking the drug. The older boy died, and the autopsy report listed intoxication from a synthetic compound in the drug as the cause of death. Police searched a Kansas City, Kansas home where Meeks said she bought the drug and found roughly 1,800 units. A state public defender listed as her attorney in online court documents was not available Wednesday for comment.