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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!

Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, recently said he is against the death penalty. Now a legal effort is racing to get requests for clemency to Edwards before he leaves office.

Six-year-old Etan Patz disappeared while walking to a school bus stop in 1979. The publicity of the case led to a societal shift and greater coordination among law enforcement.

A group of former prosecutors from both political parties wants limits on federal prison sentences for juveniles convicted of homicide. They say most young people have the ability to change.

A computer support technician convicted of possessing ricin to use as a weapon wants the Supreme Court to hear his appeal. He says prosecutors denied him due process by failing to disclose evidence.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt speaking to a House committee before the vote. Schmidt proposed the bill that House members passed. (Photo by Stephen Koranda)The Kansas House has unanimously passed a proposed fix for the state’s Hard 50 sentencing law. The law allows judges to sentence certain convicted murderers to at least 50 years in prison before the possibility for parole. The House's proposed revision would change the process so that juries also play a part in doling out Hard 50 sentences. Representative Lance Kinzer, a Republican from Olathe, said the fix will help preserve the intent of legislators who originally passed the bill.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7c3ea0000A recent U.S. Supreme court case raised questions about the constitutionality of the state’s old Hard 50 law. During the debate, Representative Jim Ward, a Wichita Democrat, attempted to attach an amendment aimed at fixing a problem with many voter registration forms. A law requires people registering to vote for the first time in Kansas to provide citizenship documents. Ward’s amendment would have allowed them to instead sign a legal document saying they are a citizen.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7c3ea0001Ward’s amendment was rejected on the grounds that it wasn’t connected to the original topic of the bill. The Kansas Senate will take up the Hard 50 bill later today (WED).

The latest news from Associated Press

Majors is on trial for assault and harassment in a domestic violence incident involving a former girlfriend. If convicted, he faces up to a year in prison.

In a civil lawsuit this spring, the actor's former girlfriend alleged a "pattern of pervasive domestic abuse" in addition to defamation. Her legal team said the suit has been settled.

Civil rights lawyers say many migrant detainees in Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz" are being barred from meeting regularly with attorneys and are being held in dangerous conditions.