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Kansas Secretary of State Says Redistricting Delay Could Result in Constitutional Crisis TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is warning lawmakers that a potential constitutional crisis is brewing because they haven't yet redrawn political districts. But Kobach said Monday that he's also wary of a new proposal to postpone the state's primary election until the last week of August if lawmakers don't set new political boundaries soon enough. Lawmakers reconvene Wednesday for a wrap-up session that could continue through early May. Legislators must redraw state House, state Senate and congressional districts to account for changes in the state's population during the past decade. Kobach said the Kansas Constitution doesn't allow the state Supreme Court to draw lines for lawmakers. He says the court can only review what legislators have done. But he said delaying the primary would hurt the democratic process.===============================Kansas A-G: Remapping Failure Could Bring Significant Legal CostsTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt has told Governor Sam Brownback and legislative leaders that failing to agree on a congressional redistricting plan could prove expensive for the state. Schmidt says in a letter that if there is no agreement, the state is likely to face litigation, and Kansas could be forced to pay the legal fees of anyone who sues. That happened in 1982, when legislators approved a U.S. House redistricting plan that was vetoed by then-Gov. John Carlin. Two groups of residents sued the state, and a panel of federal judges drew new lines. The state faced $27,000 in legal fees. The Associated Press obtained a copy Schmidt's letter Monday. It's dated Friday and urges quick action on redistricting after lawmakers reconvene this week following a long break.==============================KS Chief Justice Postpones Court Furloughs TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss is postponing two of the remaining four days of court employee furloughs based on assurances from lawmakers that they will approve a funding request. The furloughs were scheduled for alternate Fridays. The first one occurred April 13 and closed courts throughout Kansas. Nuss said Monday he'll postpone the furloughs scheduled for April 27 and May 11, based on discussions last week by the House Appropriations Committee. Those planned for May 25 and June 8 remained unchanged. Nuss ordered the furloughs after legislators failed to approve $1.4 million in supplemental funding to keep the courts operating through June 30. He says if the funding doesn't come through, he'll reschedule the postponed furloughs for later dates. ===============================Kansas Senate President Says Manhattan District Shift Could Endanger NBAF FundingWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A top Kansas lawmaker says funding for a federal bioterrorism lab in Manhattan, Kansas could be in trouble if the city is moved to a different congressional district. Kansas Senate President Steve Morris says a split between conservative Congressman Tim Huelskamp and Speaker of the House John Boehner could have an impact on that funding. Huelskamp represents the 1st Congressional District, and one proposal for redrawn districts would move Manhattan from the 2nd District into the 1st. The Wichita Eagle reports Morris told members of the Wichita Pachyderm Club on Friday that Boehner might not support funding the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility if it's in Huelskamp's district. Huelskamp's spokeswoman says he has met with Boehner and does think a change of district would hurt the NBAF's funding prospects.==================================== Kobach Says Status with Romney Camp Hasn't ChangedTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach says he remains an informal adviser to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Kobach told reporters Monday that his status with the Romney campaign is the same as it has been for months. He was addressing speculation that his role is changing as Romney, the expected GOP nominee, prepares for the general election campaign. Kobach's ties to Romney are drawing national attention because Kobach is a strong advocate of state and local laws aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration. Kobach helped draft tough laws in Alabama and Arizona. And Kobach confirmed in February that he was an unpaid adviser to Romney's campaign. Kobach said Monday that he emails close Romney aides from time to time to offer his views on immigration issues.================================Report: State Hospitals in Kansas Face Staffing CrisisTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Legislative staffers say an early retirement program launched last year by Governor Sam Brownback has resulted in major staffing problems at state hospitals. Legislative staffers told the Kansas House Appropriations Committee Friday that staffing is so tight at Larned State Hospital that the hospital could lose its federal accreditation. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the loss could cost the state $14.5 million in federal funds. The governor says more than 1,000 employees took advantage of the retirement program, which offered health insurance and one-time payment incentives to state workers. It is expected to save the state $34.5 million over two years. The report says low pay and long hours are making it difficult to recruit and retain workers at the hospitals.==================================Hawker Beechcraft Issues Layoff NoticesWICHITA, Kan. (AP) _ Aircraft maker Hawker Beechcraft says it has given 60-day layoff notices to about 350 workers at its plant in Wichita. Monday's letter from CEO Steve Miller and Chairman Bill Boisture tells employees that market conditions require adjusting production to ensure the company remains competitive. Hawker Beechcraft committed in 2010 to keeping its aircraft operations in Kansas for 10 years as part of a $45 million deal with state and local officials. The company agreed to maintain current aircraft lines and keep at least 4,000 jobs in Kansas until 2020. The company says even with the planned layoffs, it remains in compliance with the agreement.================================== Missing MO Man Found in RefrigeratorDE SOTO, Kan. (AP) _ A man reported missing in Missouri several months ago has been found dead inside a refrigerator in northeastern Kansas. The Johnson County Sheriff's Department says the refrigerator was abandoned in a field near the town of De Soto. Authorities announced Monday the body inside was that of 33-year-old Gregory Price, whose disappearance was reported early last year to police in Independence, Missouri. The sheriff's department says Price's last known whereabouts were in the De Soto area. A tip led deputies to the field where they found the refrigerator and the body late last week. The cause of death has not been determined.============================== Warm Weather Gives Boost to Kansas Parks BudgetTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Unseasonably warm weather for the first three months of the year has resulted in a big revenue increase for the state's parks department. Wildlife and Parks Department Secretary Robin Jennison says January through March was the most lucrative start to a year in recent memory for the department. Parks director Linda Lanterman says revenues went up in February, alone, from just over $78,000 in 2011 to more than $261,000 this year. But the Topeka Capital-Journal reports things could change if the warming trend continues through the summer.====================================Kansas Case Manager under Scrutiny The Kansas Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear a case brought by a woman who lost full custody of her child after a case manager recommended that custody be granted to the child's father. According to a report in the Topeka Capital-Journal, Karen Williams contends the March 2011 custody decision was based on confidential conversations between the judge and the case manager. Williams says she did not have a chance to respond to accusations made by the case manager, violating her right to due process. In Kansas, case managers are appointed by judges and are not required to be licensed. The Legislature is also considering a bill requiring specific qualifications for case managers. It would restrict the potential pool of judicial appointees to licensed psychologists, psychotherapists, counselors, therapists, social workers or lawyers. The appeals court is scheduled to hear the case May 15.==================================== Kansas Abortion Foes Struggle to Get Bills PassedTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Abortion opponents are struggling this year to push proposals through the Kansas Legislature. The agenda for lawmakers remains crowded with other big issues and even some anti-abortion legislators want to rest after a string of victories last year. A bill giving health care providers greater legal protections if they refuse to be involved in abortions has cleared the House, but it faces skepticism. A more sweeping measure designed to keep Kansas from subsidizing abortions even indirectly has stalled in the House. The contrast is sharp with last year. That's when lawmakers approved a series of measures that put the state at the front of a trend in which abortion foes capitalized on the election of sympathetic Republican governors like Kansas's Sam Brownback.=====================================KHP 75th Anniversary to Feature Retro Rides: All Hail the Return of the Crown Vic SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas drivers might have flashbacks this year if they are pulled over by certain Kansas Highway Patrol troopers. The patrol has issued 14 cars to troopers that look like those used by the patrol in 1989. They are blue and gray Crown Victorias with a single red light on top. The cars are being used to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the patrol. The Salina Journal reports they will stay in the patrol's fleet until they are retired at 49,000 miles. The patrol says the cars might look old, but they have all the modern technology in other highway patrol cars. The anniversary cars are among the last Crown Victorias the Highway Patrol will own, because Ford stopped making the cars in 2011.===============================KU Hospital to Redevelop Heart Transplant ProgramKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas Hospital has announced plans to redevelop its heart-transplant program, which closed in 1995. The hospital said Monday it has received a $1.5 million gift from William Reed, chairman of its department of cardiovascular disease, and his wife, Mary, to develop the program. The Kansas City Star reported that the hospital closed its heart-transplant program in 1995 after problems with the program were made public by the Star. From May 1994 to late March 1995, the hospital performed no transplants and turned away every donated heart. But it kept admitting patients and put others on waiting lists. In 1996, the hospital revamped its heart program and announced in 2000 that it was redeveloping the transplant program. But those plans were later put on hold.===============================Parts of 2 Lawrence Streets to Honor Don Fambrough LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Sections of two streets in Lawrence will be renamed to honor former Kansas football coach and player Don Fambrough. The city of Lawrence and the University of Kansas will rename the two streets at a ceremony before the spring football game Saturday. The ceremony will be at the current intersection of 11th and Maine Streets. The city will rename a section of 11th Street "Fambrough Drive." The university also will rename a stretch of Maine Street behind the Memorial Stadium press box "Fambrough Way." The two streets will intersect. Fambrough died in September at the age of 88. He had two four-year stints as Kansas football coach in the 1970s and 1980s.**editor's note: The main Kansas Public Radio studios are located at 1120 W. 11th Street in Lawrence. The street name change will NOT affect KPR's mailing address.================================== Work Moving Quickly on Topeka Zoo's Rain ForestTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Tropical Rain Forest building at the Topeka Zoo is on track to reopen next month after a renovation that will make it lighter, brighter and wetter. WIBW-TV reports the $1.2 million project that began in November is running ahead of schedule. Officials were aiming for a Memorial Day opening but now say visitors could be welcomed inside by mid-May. The centerpiece of the work is replacement of the acrylic lenses that make up the geodesic dome. The Rain Forest was built in the 1970s, and the roof had become opaque over the years. Nearly 100 animals live in the building, including sloths, bats and tortoises. To give visitors a real feel for the tropical forest, the renovated building has new piping that will produce an occasional light rain. =============================== Filmmaker Focuses on Oklahoma's Dust Bowl EraOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns is turning his lens toward the Oklahoma Panhandle for a new four-hour documentary on the Dust Bowl and its impact on the region. Burns interviewed dozens of survivors, many of them in the Panhandle region of Oklahoma, for the documentary that is scheduled to air this fall on PBS. The film also covers the effect on nearby parts of Texas, Colorado, New Mexico and Kansas. In an interview with The Associated Press, Burns describes the Dust Bowl as the "greatest manmade disaster in the nation's history." The two-part series also includes a treasure trove of never-before-seen photographs and homemade films documenting the time in the early 1930s when a combination of drought and high winds pulled up thousands of tons of over-farmed prairie in the Southern Plains.=====================================American Royal Rodeo DownsizingKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The American Royal Rodeo will be a smaller event this year, and it will not return to the Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City. American Royal officials say the rodeo will move to Hale Arena in Kansas City's West Bottoms, rather than to its longtime home at Kemper Arena. The event also will not include any performances from main headliners such as last year's concert by Reba McEntire, but instead will focus on Kansas City and regional bands. American Royal President Bob Petersen says several factors, including scheduling conflicts with the Sprint Center and the rodeo calendar, prompted the changes. The Kansas City Star reports the rodeo is planned for September 27-29, which will make Kansas City the last major stop on the rodeo circuit before the national rodeo finals in Las Vegas.=============================== 80-Foot Plate of Nachos Sets New World RecordLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Lawrence has gained a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records after serving up a two-ton plate of nachos served at the Kansas Relays. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the 80-foot nacho plate was finished by noon Saturday and weighed in at 4,689 pounds. That easily beat the former record of 3,999 pounds set in October 2011 at a restaurant in Massachusetts. But breaking the record wasn't an easy task at all, especially after a cooler went out Saturday morning and 2,000 pounds of food spoiled. Organizers worked with local suppliers to replace the bad food, and about 70 percent of the feast was consumed. Kansas Relays ticket-holders paid a $1 donation or canned food item for their servings, with the proceeds going to the Lawrence Interdenominational Nutrition Kitchen.============================== Thieves Strike "Cowboy Church" in HaysvilleHAYSVILLE, Kan. (AP) — The pastor of a small Kansas church that serves cowboys and cowgirls says he's forgiven the thieves who caused thousands of dollars of damage at the church over the weekend. The thieves destroyed air conditioners at the Prairie Trail Cowboy Church in Haysville, just south of Wichita. They got away with only about 40 dollars worth of aluminum. KWCH reports church members found the damage as they arrived for services Sunday. A member of the congregation saw a truck near the church's air conditioner on Saturday afternoon but assumed it was a repairman. Pastor Chris Bray is offering forgiveness to the thieves. He says the church is ready to help anyone who is so desperate and obviously needs help.===============================KC to Begin Enforcement of Illegal Signs PolicyKansas City residents and businesses are being warned to remove any signs they've posted in public rights-of-way or on utility poles. A new ordinance that imposes fines for illegally placing the signs takes effect Monday. The fine for the first offense is $20, with subsequent fines ranging from $20 to $1,000 per sign. Kansas City crews and volunteers did a sweep last week, collecting 4,300 illegally-placed signs, which were destroyed. The Kansas City Star reports the signs have been prohibited on public rights-of-way since 1967, but the city has not had a way to enforce the ban. City officials say they'll concentrate on groups that place multiple signs and leave them up for days or weeks. ============================= ND Official: Proposals Cut Need for Keystone XLWILLISTON, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota official says several pipelines that have been proposed could diminish the importance of the Keystone XL pipeline for his state's booming oil patch. Public Service Commissioner Kevin Cramer says the six proposed pipeline projects make the Keystone XL project less important to North Dakota in moving its oil to Gulf Coast and other U.S. refineries. However, Cramer tells the Dickinson (North Dakota) Press that the Keystone XL Pipeline is still important for national security and energy security. TransCanada Corporation's Keystone XL would move Canadian oil to Texas, but has been held up because it needs State Department approval to cross the U.S.-Canadian border. It also would transport oil from North Dakota and Montana across South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. Justin Kringstad, director of the North Dakota Pipeline Authority, says the Keystone XL pipeline is unique because it has commitments from shippers. ============================= State Job Fair Moves to Dodge City DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Department of Commerce says about 70 companies — and possibly more — are planning to take part in the agency's fourth annual statewide job fair. The event takes place Tuesday from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. at United Wireless Arena in Dodge City. The first hour is reserved for members of the military and their families. The Dodge City Daily Globe reports the Commerce Department chose Dodge City to make sure that residents in the southwestern part of the state have a chance at a job fair. The previous events were held at Fort Riley and in Salina and Overland Park. Commerce Department officials say at least 50 people were hired at last year's fair. The agency advises job-seekers to bring a resume and dress for potential interviews.

Review of Kansas Governor's Dinner Meetings ContinuingTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A spokesman says a northeast Kansas prosecutor's investigation into private meetings of Republican legislators with Governor Sam Brownback won't be finished until the end of the month. Lee McGowan, chief of staff to Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor, said Tuesday that staff still must interview a few lawmakers and members of the governor's staff. McGowan said interviews won't be completed until the Legislature returns from a break April 25. Brownback, a Republican, had seven meetings in January with GOP members of 13 legislative committees. Taylor, a Democrat, began his investigation in February. Brownback spokeswoman Sherriene Jones-Sontag says the governor is confident the gatherings didn't violate the Kansas Open Meetings Act. Many lawmakers who attended the events said they were social gatherings, not business meetings.======================================Computer Issue Downs Kansas Driver's License SystemTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The state of Kansas hasn't been able to issue driver's licenses or non-driver identification cards for several hours because of a computer problem. The state Division of Vehicles said Tuesday that a problem with a vendor's server took down the license-issuing system at all 111 offices statewide. The division said the vendor expected to replace a part in its server by mid-afternoon. The division is in the midst of a $40 million computer upgrade. The offices are issuing paper slips extending licenses or ID cards for 15 days. Spokeswoman Jeannine Koranda says that's standard when people come into an office late in the day and too many people still need assistance at closing time. About 3,000 people visit driver's license offices each Tuesday. It's typically a busy day because the offices are closed Monday.=========================================Dream Season Falls Short for Gritty JayhawksNEW ORLEANS (AP) — The University of Kansas Jayhawks came up short in the national title game. The season, though, was quite fulfilling. A team of overachievers that many thought would have a hard time making the NCAA tournament played its way to college basketball's grandest stage. The Jayhawks simply ran into a team stocked with NBA talent that was too talented, too athletic, and in general, too good. Their loss to Kentucky on Monday night was a disappointing end to a terrific season. Kansas rattled off its eighth consecutive Big 12 title despite the long odds, and then walked a tightrope through the NCAA tournament all the way to the Final Four in New Orleans. The road finally ended for KU, but many folks are already looking ahead to next season, when the expectations will be as high as ever.====================================Officials to Determine New State Revenue ForecastsKansas officials and university economists will meet next week to issue new forecasts of state revenue through June 2013. The forecasting team includes legislative researchers, members of the governor's budget staff, Revenue Department officials and economists from three universities. The April 13 meeting will include a review of economic trends. The forecasters will then issue revised revenue projections for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, and the 2013 fiscal year, which starts July 1. The most recent forecast was issued in November and showed Kansas collecting $6.2 billion in revenues in both fiscal years. But tax collections are already running $72 million ahead of the forecast so far this year.======================================= Democrat Mike Slattery Won't Seek Re-Election to Kansas HouseTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The only Democrat from Johnson County in either chamber of the Kansas Legislature has decided against seeking re-election. Mike Slattery, of Mission, says he's giving up his House seat because he plans to go to graduate school to study business management and law. Slattery is a construction projects manager and has served in the House since 2009. Johnson County is the state's most populous county. Seven of the 40 state senators and 22 of the 125 House members represent part of the northeastern Kansas county. Slattery is the son of Jim Slattery, a Democrat who served in both the Kansas Legislature and the U.S. House. The Kansas House minority leader's office says Mike Slattery hasn't decided which university he'll attend but has been accepted at Georgetown, in Washington, D.C.=====================================Replacement Named for Carlin at Kansas Bioscience Authority Governor Sam Brownback has appointed a replacement for former Democratic Governor John Carlin on the Kansas Bioscience Authority. Manhattan resident Lee Borck will replace Carlin, whose term expired in mid-March. Borck is chairman of the Beef Marketing Group Cooperative and Innovative Livestock Services, a farming and cattle-feeding company. Brownback and some fellow conservative Republicans in the Legislature have criticized the authority's operations. Carlin has defended the agency and said he hadn't expected to be reappointed. Carlin was governor from 1979 to 1987 and had served on the Bioscience Authority since July 2006.========================================= Hawker Beechcraft Struggling with Debt, LossesWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita-based Hawker Beechcraft has told federal regulators it anticipates reporting losses of nearly $482 million for 2011 when it files its annual report later this month. The firm also said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it expects its report on April 16 to include an explanatory statement from its independent accounting firm expressing "substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern." Hawker Beechcraft said in a statement Monday that the notice reflects the company's financial position as of December 31. It said it is working closely with its lenders toward a recapitalization that would better position the company for the future. CEO Steve Miller said the company is trying to restructure debt taken on in 2007 when the company was acquired.=====================================Manhattan Man Dead Following Standoff Riley County police say a 22-year-old Manhattan man is dead after a standoff with police. According to police, Derrick Outten shot himself after a standoff at a Manhattan apartment complex that lasted several hours yesterday (MON). The standoff began when Outten's wife called police to say her husband was in the apartment with a handgun and threatening to harm himself. She was not in the apartment. The tenants of the apartment complex were evacuated during the ensuing standoff. When officers could not establish contact with Outten, tear gas was shot into the apartment. Police say a shot was heard shortly after that and officers found Outten's body inside the apartment.====================================Hutchinson Hospital Lays Off Dozens HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — Hutchinson Regional Medical Center has laid off 55 employees, effective immediately. Hospital officials announced Monday that 44 full-time and 11 part-time employees were laid off. The hospital also eliminated the equivalent of 45.3 full-time positions through attrition since January. Hospital president Kevin Miller says the combined job reductions will save the hospital between $3 million to $4 million this fiscal year. He says that savings, combined with other expense reductions, could reverse a $5.5 million operating loss the hospital reported in the fiscal year that ended last June. The Hutchinson News reports that the hospital's interim head of human relations said Monday's layoffs hit 16 departments. Nurses on patient floors generally were not affected, although a few were laid off in the surgical department.======================================== Still No Word on Mega Millions Winner from KansasTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas officials still haven't heard from anyone claiming to hold a Mega Millions ticket for a share of a $656 million jackpot. Kansas Lottery spokeswoman Cara Sloan-Ramos said Tuesday the winner may wait weeks to come forward. Kansas law allows up to a year to claim a lottery prize. The ticket was for Friday's drawing in the multistate game, and state lottery officials have said only that it was purchased at a store in northeast Kansas. Winning tickets also were sold in Illinois and Maryland, making the Kansas ticket holder's share about $218 million. Sloan-Ramos said the ticket holder is likely seeking lots of advice and considering whether to take advantage of a Kansas law allowing winners to remain anonymous.===================================== Garden City High School Students Get iPadsGARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) — Students at Garden City High School will each get their own iPad to use at school and take home, starting next school year. The district's board of education approved a measure Monday to provide the iPads to each student. Darren Dennis, the district's assistant superintendent for learning services, said the iPads will be useful for a new type of testing, as school districts move to Common Core Standards for state testing. Technology administrators announced Monday night that the initiative's cost will be lower than previously reported because the district will use the iPad 2, instead of the latest version of the iPad. The Garden City Telegram reports that will save about $170,000 off the original cost estimated of about $1.04 million.=======================================UPDATE: 2 Still Critical after Kansas Crash That Killed 5KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — At least two people remain in critical condition Tuesday after a recreational vehicle crashed in northeast Kansas, killing five family members from Minnesota. The accident on Sunday injured 13 people. The crash happened as the family returned from an annual motocross vacation in Texas. Their Freightliner cab and Haulmark trailer broke through a guardrail on Interstate 35 outside Williamsburg, Kansas, and plunged into a ravine. The injured ranged in age from 2 to 30 and were taken to various hospitals. Several had been released by Tuesday. The critically injured include a 17-year-old and an 8-year-old boy, who are being treated at two Kansas City-area hospitals. The National Transportation Safety Board also said Tuesday it will be looking into licensing issues involved in the crash.=======================================No Move to Change Minnesota License Restrictions after Fatal KS CrashST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Key Minnesota lawmakers say they have no plans to pursue changes to the state's driver's license restrictions after a fatal RV accident involving a Minnesota family. Five people were killed in the crash Sunday in Kansas involving a converted RV. The RV was being driven by a 17-year-old who wouldn't have been allowed to drive it if it was a commercial vehicle because of its heavy weight and number of passengers. The teen was legally allowed to drive the vehicle since it was an RV in private use. House Public Safety Chairman Tony Cornish called the accident a rarity. He said RV drivers are usually older and experienced. He said he didn't want to have a kneejerk reaction. His Senate counterpart, Republican Warren Limmer, said it would be a mistake to rush a legal change.======================================= UPDATE: Scientist Says DNA from Kansas Teen Found in Accused Man's SUVGREAT BEND, Kan. (AP) — A forensic scientist has testified that DNA from a 14-year-old Great Bend girl was found in the vehicle of the man accused in her death. James Newman of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation took the stand for the state Tuesday in the trial of 38-year-old Adam Longoria. Newman testified about testing body fluids found in the driver's side floor mat of Longoria's vehicle. He said the test showed a mixture of DNA from both Longoria and Alicia DeBolt. Longoria is being tried on a charge of capital murder in Alicia's August 2010 death. Newman said a tiny amount of DNA from an unknown male was found in a sample taken from the dead girl's mouth. But he said that sample may have been contaminated. He returns to the stand Wednesday for cross-examination.===================================== Oil to Be Sought on State-Owned Wichita LandWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The state of Kansas will join with private companies and the city of Wichita in searching for oil in Sedgwick County. The Wichita Eagle reported Tuesday the Kansas revenue department will open bids this month for five-year oil and gas lease rights on state-owned land along the Arkansas River. The 125-acre site is the second drawing attention from mineral explorers along the Arkansas in Sedgwick County. County recorder of deeds Bill Meek tells The Eagle the number of mineral leases recorded in his office has been surging. Meek says there's been more filing of lease-related documents in the past year than in the past decade.===================================State Budget Delays Could Mean Possible Hiring Lag at State Parks The top tourism official in Kansas says state parks may have to delay hiring some seasonal workers because lawmakers didn't pass budget legislation last week. Robin Jennison says parks may have to cut back on things such as mowing the grass... but he doubts visitors will notice much.=================================== South-Central Kansas Lawmakers to Host Public ForumWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — State lawmakers from south-central Kansas will hold their final public forum of the 2012 session later this month. The gathering is scheduled April 21 from 9 am to 11 am at Wichita State University's Metroplex. Members of the House and Senate will take comments and questions from the public. The Legislature ended its regular session last Friday with several major issues unresolved, including a new state budget. Lawmakers are taking a break before returning to Topeka on April 25 for the annual wrap-up session.=================================== Military Hall of Fame Inducting 3 HonoreesFORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — Military officers from three countries will be at Fort Leavenworth on Thursday to be inducted into a hall of fame on the northeast Kansas post. The officers are from Turkey, Moldova and the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago. The International Hall of Fame is located at the Command and General Staff College and has 245 members from 69 countries. The honorees are graduates of the command college who have achieved their nation's highest military rank or held a top position in an international military organization. The hall of fame was established in 1973.===================================Great Bend Man Sentenced in Teen Girl's Death A Great Bend man was sentenced to five years in prison in the death of a girl he injected with morphine last July. Thirty-one-year-old Joseph Jeffrey Rykiel was sentenced Monday for the death of 15-year-old Jessica Shearer of Garden City. Rykiel entered an Alford plea in February to involuntary manslaughter. The Garden City Telegram reports that Shearer was reported missing from the Barton County Youth Care Home three days before her death. She was found dead last July 4th in a basement room Rykiel was renting in Great Bend. Barton County Attorney Doug Matthews says Rykiel used a morphine prescription for one of the home's occupants to inject Shearer at least twice. She died from an overdose.====================================Sentencing Date Set for Man Who Threatened President Obama A Kansas man who admitted threatening President Barack Obama faces two years in prison at his sentencing. A notice filed in U.S. District Court lists a June 18 sentencing for Michael Ramsey. The Hutchinson man pleaded guilty last week to writing a letter in 2009 threatening to kill the president. A charge related to a second threatening letter sent last year was dropped under a deal with prosecutors. A psychological exam found no evidence Ramsey suffered from any disorder that made him unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of his action.=========================================Comeback Magic Eludes Jayhawks in NCAA Championship Finals NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Kansas Jayhawks couldn't come all the way back this time. The gritty team that had walked a tightrope all the way to the national championship game finally stumbled against the powerful University of Kentucky. An 18-point deficit against a team full of future NBA draft picks was too much for the Jayhawks, who fell 67-59 on Monday night. KU had rallied from big early deficits against Purdue and North Carolina State in the NCAA tournament, giving some folks the feeling that things were meant to be this season. That premonition gained support when the Jayhawks dug themselves out of a 13-point hole against Ohio State in the national semifinals, setting up a showdown with the team that had been predicted as the eventual national champions by many analysts for most of the season.**this story has been updated. Please see above.=======================================Woman in Fatal Weekend Crash Upgraded to Stable ConditionA woman from Jordan, Minnesota, has been upgraded to stable condition at Overland Park Regional Medical Center. She and her family were involved in a weekend motor home crash in Kansas that killed five people and injured 13 others. While 46-year-old Pauline Kerber is now listed as being in stable condition... her 17-year-old son, Adam, remains in critical condition. Authorities say Adam was driving the RV when the accident happened.**this story has been updated. Please see above. ======================================Witness Says Kansas Murder Suspect Asked Him to LieGREAT BEND, Kan. (AP) — A witness has testified that the man charged with killing a 14-year-old cheerleader asked him to lie about the suspect's whereabouts the night the victim disappeared. Adam Longoria's capital murder trial entered its fourth day of testimony Tuesday in Barton County court. The 38-year-old Great Bend man is charged in the 2010 death of Alicia DeBolt. Her charred body was found at the asphalt plant where Longoria worked. KWCH-TV reports that Emmanuel Ferrell testified that Longoria asked him to lie and tell investigators they were at a bar at the time DeBolt was seen getting into an SUV matching the description of one Longoria was driving. Harold Riddle, a chemist with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, also testified that gym shoes Longoria wore that night tested positive for gasoline.**this story has been updated. Please see above.

Plan Would Fund Kansas Capitol CenterTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A new proposal from Kansas Governor Sam Brownback's administration would use bonds and transportation funds to help finance a new visitor center and other work at the Statehouse. The proposal, outlined by Budget Director Steve Anderson in a memo to Brownback and legislative leaders, would use $7 million in transportation funds and $5.4 million in bonds. The visitor center would be the last part of a 12-year renovation of the Statehouse interior so far projected to cost $320 million. The transportation money would cover work on the grounds. The Associated Press obtained a copy of Anderson's memo from a legislative source Friday. Governor Brownback and legislative leaders plan to meet Monday to consider authorizing the bonds. Legislative leaders have said previously they expected private dollars to fund the visitor center.====================Kansas Governor Modifies Order Related to Drought TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Sam Brownback has revised an executive order making it easier for drought-stricken livestock producers to get hay to their animals. Thursday's order replaces one Brownback issued in late July waiving some rules for trucks on Kansas roads. The order suspends requirements for registration and fuel tax permits from the state Revenue Department. It also suspends several regulations of the Kansas Corporation Commission. Brownback says the goal is to make it easier to deliver hay to livestock in places where drought has damaged or destroyed pastures and silage crops. Brownback also announced that Marshall County has been declared a federal natural disaster area, bringing all 105 Kansas counties under federal designation.=====================Judge Nixes Bonuses for Top Hawker Beechcraft ExecsWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A bankruptcy judge has nixed a proposal to give eight top Hawker Beechcraft executives up to $5.3 million in bonuses. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Stuart Bernstein handed down on Friday his finding that the bonus plan sets the bar too low to qualify as anything other than a retention program for insiders. Bernstein said nothing in his opinion is meant to denigrate their efforts or minimize their contributions to the success of the bankruptcy case. But he ruled the plan does not meet legal standards setting challenging goals for such bonuses. The judge said he rejected the plan because executives would likely earn bonus pay merely by remaining at their jobs. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers had opposed it, as did the U.S. Justice Department's bankruptcy watchdog agency.=====================Hawker Beechcraft Union Approves Pension ChangesWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Machinists at Hawker Beechcraft in Wichita have voted to freeze their pension plan amid fears of losing it during the aircraft maker's bankruptcy restructuring. Union officials say 97 percent of members voting Friday supported a proposal that retains pensions for hourly employees and retirees while freezing future accruals starting December 31. It also creates a new retirement income savings plan and retains a 401(k) plan. Union spokesman Frank Larkin says negotiations are especially complicated when one party is in bankruptcy. He says the company has assured the union that if the changes were ratified, the plan would become part of any sales agreement. The bankruptcy court must still approve the contract changes.===================== Kansas Slaughterhouse Settles Class-Action LawsuitWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A class-action lawsuit by workers at a south-central Kansas slaughterhouse has been settled in mediation. No details of the settlement in the case against Creekstone Farms Premium Beef are included in a notice filed Thursday in court. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of an estimated 700 workers at the Arkansas City (ar-KAN'-zuhs) City packing plant over so-called "gang time" compensation. The practice pays employees only when product is moving, plus 10 minutes for putting on and removing protective gear. The workers also claimed the company wasn't paying for all the time they worked. Creekstone contended it paid employees for all time worked, including overtime. The litigation had been granted conditional class-action status in February.======================Kansas Justices Overturn Conviction in Sheriff DeathTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has overturned the capital murder conviction and ordered a new trial for the man sentenced to death for killing a Greenwood County sheriff in 2005. The unanimous ruling on Friday sends back the case of Scott Cheever, who was convicted in October 2007 for the shooting death of Sheriff Matt Samuels when the officer was serving a warrant at a rural home where meth was made. The justices ruled that Cheever's constitutional rights were violated when a psychiatrist disclosed Cheever's psychological records during the trial without his consent. The testimony was based on Cheever's evaluations when the case was in federal court before it was remanded to state court. Cheever's conviction for manufacturing of methamphetamines and criminal possession of a firearm were upheld.===========================19 West Nile Virus Cases, 1 Death Reported in KansasTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas health officials have received their first report of a death from West Nile virus. In a report Friday, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment says the state has had 19 probably or confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne virus this year. KDHE did not provide details on the fatal case. Spokeswoman Miranda Steele says officials can't recall any other West Nile deaths in Kansas since the virus was first reported in the state in 1999. Twelve of this year's cases were cases reported in Sedgwick County, with the rest throughout the state. West Nile virus causes only mild illness in most people, but it can become serious, with permanent neruological effects. =============================Fake Kansas Bail Bondsman Scams FamilyKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A sheriff's office in Wyandotte County is looking for a man pretending to be a bail bondsman. Authorities say the man took $1,500 last month from a family trying to bond a relative out of the county jail. The theft took place on July 26 at the Wyandotte County Courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas. Officials say the victims of the scam believed the man was a legitimate bail bondsman and gave him the cash. A surveillance photo released Friday shows an adult white male who was wearing a collared shirt and metal-rimmed sunglasses.=============================Judge Denies Lower Bond in Topeka SlayingTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Shawnee County judge refused to lower the $1 million bond for a suspect in a Topeka slaying whose first murder trial ended in a hung jury. An attorney for 18-year-old Daquan D. Wilkins of Topeka argued Thursday that Wilkins's bond should be lowered because he was not directly involved in the shooting death of 40-year-old Natalie Gibson. Wilkins also was charged with aggravated battery in the shooting of Gibson's partner, Lori Allison. The two women were shot as they arrived at their home in July 2011. Wilkins was one of nine people charged in the shootings. District Judge David Debenham declined to lower the bond after prosecutors said Wilkins was a danger to the community. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Wilkins's second trial is scheduled to begin November 5.===========================Leavenworth Man Dies After Moped Hit by CarLEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A 61-year-old Leavenworth man died when the moped he was riding was hit by a car. Leavenworth police say the accident happened early Friday near the entrance of a Home Depot store in Leavenworth. The man's identity has not been released and police continue to investigate the crash.=========================DA: Wichita Police Justified in Fatal ShootingWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A prosecutor says Wichita police were justified in last year's shooting death of a robbery suspect at a Dollar General store. Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston released her report Friday on the killing of 27-year-old DeJuan Colbert. Three officers responded to a robbery in progress at the store the night of October 30, 2011. The officers reported seeing three men armed with knives and wearing bandanas. Foulston's report says Colbert raised a steak knife and charged at the officers. All three officers opened fire. An autopsy found Colbert was shot 15 times. Foulston says Colbert's actions posed a "deadly and imminent threat" to police and civilians in the store. The other two suspects were arrested without incident. ===========================Salina Ordinance Opponents Get Petition CertifiedSALINA, Kan. (AP) — The Saline County Clerk says opponents of a Salina ordinance prohibiting discrimination because of sexual orientation and gender identity gathered enough signatures to have the issue reconsidered. Saline County Clerk Don Merriman on Thursday certified that the opponents collected more than the number of signatures required to have the issue returned to the city commission. An ordinance protecting people from discrimination in housing, public accommodations and employment based on sexual orientation and gender identity went into effect June 4. The Salina Journal reports the petition will go before the city commission in the next 20 days. If commissioners reject it, the repeal effort will go before voters in the next 90 days.=====================Hutchinson Voters to Face Conflicting PetitionsHUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — Hutchinson voters are likely to face dueling questions on whether to repeal or expand a law that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. The Reno County Clerk's office has certified that petitions submitted last week by opponents and supporters of the ordinance each had sufficient valid signatures. One petition seeks to repeal an ordinance passed by the city council in June. Supporters want to expand the limited protections included in the ordinance. Hutchinson City Manager John Deardoff says the City Council will consider the petitions September 4. The council can either adopt the conflicting changes or agree to put the issue to a public vote within another 90 days. The Hutchinson Daily News reports the timeline would allow the issue to be on the November general election ballot.====================== Fire in SE Kansas Scorches More Than 3 Square MilesFREDONIA, Kan. (AP) — One of the biggest grass fires to hit Kansas in the current spell of dry, windy weather has burned more than three square miles in the southeast. Wilson County Emergency Manager Terry Lyons says the agency was alerted around 2:30 pm Thursday to hay bales and a field on fire south of Fredonia. Firefighters from several departments responded. The flames spread north over more than 1,900 acres before the fire was mostly contained around 6:30 pm. Some areas were expected to burn at least into Friday. Firefighters were able to protect houses, but several outbuildings were destroyed and pipelines from the many oil and gas wells in the area were damaged. Authorities said at least two firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire wasn't immediately known.====================== Suspicious Item Empties Dodge City LibraryDODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 51-year-old man has been arrested after comments he made led to the evacuation of Dodge City's public library. Authorities emptied the library Thursday morning after staff members heard the man making alarming statements. A bomb squad was called in to inspect a suspicious package he left behind. KWCH-TV reports officers determined the package did not contain anything hazardous. The man was questioned and later arrested on suspicion of making an aggravated criminal threat. Authorities said library employees called police after hearing the man talking on a pay phone and making a reference to an explosive device going off in 15 minutes. Nearby streets were closed to traffic during the investigation.==========================NM Man Arrested in Vast Child Porn Network Linked to KS ManALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico man has been charged in a massive child porn investigation that started in Massachusetts and has led to 46 arrests in seven countries. Sixty-seven-year-old Richard Dates of Grants, New Mexico, made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque on Friday. The reporter and copy editor for the Cibola Beacon newspaper told the judge he is on Social Security and cannot afford to pay for an attorney. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday for a preliminary hearing and a bail hearing. In documents filed in federal court Friday, authorities said searches of computers owned by a Massachusetts man and a Kansas man arrested earlier this year showed Dates had chatted online with the men and received photos of children engaged in sexual acts.======================== DA Exposes Obstacle to Kansas Meetings ComplaintsTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An investigation into Republican Governor Sam Brownback's private dinners with lawmakers has exposed a problem that could prevent future open meetings complaints against the Kansas Legislature. A report from Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor notes the Kansas Open Meetings Act requires government bodies to give notice of their meetings only to people or organizations requesting it in advance. If people don't ask, they can't complain about not being notified. The Topeka Capital-Journal reported Thursday that the Legislature does not have a way to file requests to be notified of meetings that occur during its annual 90-day session. Brownback had seven private dinners for members of 13 legislative committees in January at Cedar Crest, his official residence. Taylor concluded legislators committed technical violations of the open meetings law.====================== Wichita Anti-Fluoride Group Seeks Debate WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita group opposed to adding fluoride to city water is challenging fluoride supporters to a televised debate ahead of a November vote. The Wichita Eagle reportsthe group Pure Water for Wichita issued the challenge to Wichitans for Healthy Teeth. The debate is proposed for October 17, about three weeks before the election. Pure Water spokeswoman Ann Garvey says she's hoping for an open and frank discussion about fluoride. A spokesman for Wichitans for Healthy Teeth said it had not yet received the challenge. The Wichita City Council this week decided to put the question on the city's November ballot. Proponents of fluoridation believe it helps prevent tooth decay. Opponents contend fluoride can cause health problems, and forcing citizens to use it is a violation of individual freedoms.====================== Jamaican Immigrant Convicted in Sham MarriageWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal jury has convicted a Jamaican woman of entering into a "sham marriage" with a Kansas soldier so she could get legal immigration status. Twenty-eight-year-old Shannakay Hunter count get up to five years imprisonment on each count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, marriage fraud and lying to the government. The current New York resident is likely to get far less under sentencing guidelines. The government contends her 2010 marriage to former Fort Riley soldier Joshua Priest was a fake arrangement to give her a green card and him $1,500 in extra monthly benefits for married soldiers. Priest has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and wire fraud in a deal with the government for leniency in exchange for his testimony against Hunter.=====================Construction Blamed for Fire at KU FraternityLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Investigators in Lawrence say construction work touched off a fire at a fraternity house near the University of Kansas campus. No injuries were reported from the fire Wednesday afternoon at the Sigma Chi Fraternity, which is home to 82 students. The Lawrence Journal-World reports investigators concluded Thursday the fire was accidental and started with construction work being done on the building's exterior. The first sign was smoke coming from the roof. Damage is estimated at more than $150,000. Fraternity members were allowed to return to the house Wednesday night, although four of them had to move out of damaged rooms.=======================KU Linebacker Shelby Leaves Football ProgramLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — University of Kansas linebacker Jon Shelby has left the program for what coach Charlie Weis described as personal reasons. Shelby was a late addition to Weis's first recruiting class at Kansas. He had spent the past two seasons at Nassau Community College in New York, helping lead the Lions to 19-2 record. Shelby made 82 tackles in 21 games. Weis also said in a statement that defensive tackle Ty McKinney plans to finish his requirements at Trinity Valley Community College in Texas on September 7. That would allow him to report to KU in time to enroll for the fall semester. Weis said that once McKinney's academic situation is in order, he'll get up to speed with the Jayhawks. KU opens the season September 1 against South Dakota State.

UPDATE: Appeals Court Won't Block Same-Sex Marriage in KSTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal appeals court has cleared the way for gay marriages to start in Kansas next week in a legal challenge to the state's ban from two lesbian couples. But the legal climate is complicated by a separate gay-marriage case before the Kansas Supreme Court. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver on Friday denied a request from Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt's office to put on hold a lower-court injunction preventing the state from enforcing anti-gay marriage laws, including a provision in the state constitution. The injunction is set to take effect 5 pm Tuesday. But the Kansas Supreme Court blocked marriage licenses for gay couples while it considers a separate case filed by Schmidt. The Kansas court's spokeswoman says its order remains in effect.==============================10th Circuit Court Nixes Kansas, Arizona Citizenship Proof RuleWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled that Kansas and Arizona residents can register to vote using a federal form without providing proof of citizenship. Most residents in the two states register using a separate state form requiring them to show a birth certificate, a U.S. passport or naturalization papers. Kansas and Arizona had asked the U.S. government to also impose that same requirement on voters who register using the simpler federal form, which only requires a sworn statement. But the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found Friday that the states have no authority to demand the federal government apply the citizenship proof requirements to the federal form. The ruling effectively gives potential voters a simpler way to register without providing citizenship documentation in order to vote in federal races.==============================Groups Spent Nearly $17M on Kansas Senate RaceTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Federal data shows that political and special interest groups spent nearly $17 million in Kansas starting in September in the nationally watched race between Republican Senator Pat Roberts and his independent challenger. Online records of the Federal Election Commission show the three-term GOP incumbent benefited more from the outside spending than independent candidate Greg Orman. Roberts won re-election. Groups spent nearly $10 million on activities supporting Roberts or opposing Orman. They spent about $6.8 million supporting Orman or opposing Roberts This year's election was the first time Kansas saw significant spending. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down limits on such spending in January 2010, but such groups reported almost none during the competitive Republican primary won that year by Jerry Moran, who had an easy general election race.==============================Federal Judge Tosses Missouri's Gay Marriage BanKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Officials in the Kansas City area say they will issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples following a federal court ruling striking down Missouri's ban on gay marriage. U.S. District Judge Ortrie R. Smith ruled Friday that Missouri's constitutional provision limiting marriage to only a man and woman violates the U.S. Constitution. Smith wrote that he was delaying the effect of his decision pending an appeal. But officials in Jackson County, Missouri...which is home to Kansas City...announced later Friday that they will begin granting marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. The federal court ruling comes days after a state judge in St. Louis also invalidated Missouri's gay marriage ban. Officials in St. Louis city and county already have begun issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.==============================Kansas Democrats Look for Reasons Behind Election LossesLAWRENCE, Kan. - Democratic Party activists and consultants are trying to determine why the party was so soundly defeated in Tuesday's election. The Lawrence Journal World quotes several Democratic consultants and bloggers who say the party did not spend enough time or money in the rural areas of central and western Kansas, concentrating its resources in urban areas and in the eastern part of the state. They also say Democratic candidates largely ignored the concerns of Hispanic and Latino voters in the southwestern part of the state.==============================Abortion Opponents Say Efforts Helped GOP in KansasTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Abortion opponents are claiming some credit for victories in Kansas by Republican U.S. Senator Pat Roberts and GOP Governor Sam Brownback. The anti-abortion group Kansans for Life says it sent about 640,000 mailings to households across during the general election campaign. Executive director Mary Kay Culp said the group also made about the same number of phone calls to get anti-abortion voters to the polls. Both independent Senate candidate Greg Orman and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Paul Davis support abortion rights. Their contests with Roberts and Brownback were close going into Tuesday's election. Abortion-rights supporters counter that the races did not turn on the abortion issue.===============================Kansas Judge Orders Affidavit Redacted, ReleasedLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Douglas County judge has agreed to release a redacted version of a previously sealed probable cause affidavit in an early test of a new state law. District Judge Sally Pokorny ruled last month that the affidavit in a rape case should be withheld but changed course this week. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that her ruling on Thursday comes under a new state law, which became effective in July, that allows judges to release some legal documents that had previously been withheld. In October, the newspaper cited the statute in filing a motion in October to challenge the ruling in withholding the affidavit. The newspaper has requested 10 affidavits to be released since July, including the rape case affidavit. Seven have been redacted and released, and three more are awaiting court action.==============================DA Says Probe of Police Shooting Remains OpenWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas prosecutor says he's not ready to determine if a Wichita police officer was justified in the fatal shooting of an unarmed man in April 2012. Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett read a statement about the status of the investigation at a news conference Friday but did not take questions. Twenty-four-year-old Troy Lanning II was running from a stolen vehicle when he was shot six times by Wichita Police Officer Randy Williamson. Williamson's lawyer has said the officer saw Lanning reach into a bag and feared he had a gun. Bennett said forensic evidence examined so far has not been conclusive. He also noted that the officer's recent plea to a separate case of filing a false report has complicated the Lanning death investigation. Williamson is no longer with the department.===============================Rural Kansas Man Dies in Grain Bin AccidentVALLEY FALLS, Kan. (AP) — Jefferson County officials say a 58-year-old man died after apparently falling into a grain bin. Sheriff Jeffrey Herrig says emergency crews were called Thursday afternoon to the farm of Mike Miller about eight miles west of Valley Falls. WIBW reportsthat Herrig says Miller fell into a grain bin and died before crews could rescue him. Details of how Miller fell were not immediately available. ============================== Elderly Kansas Man Killed in Hit-and-RunCLAY CENTER, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say an 83-year-old man was killed in a hit-and-run accident in northeast Kansas after he got out of the vehicle to check on an injured deer. Clay County Sheriff Chuck Dunn says Joe Knitter, of Clay Center, died in the accident early Friday on U.S. 24. Dunn says Knitter's wife hit a deer. He got out to check on the animal and was hit by another vehicle as he was returning to his car. Knitter died at the scene. The Clay Center Dispatch reports that law enforcement officials recovered a mirror from the other vehicle and hope to use it to determine what type of car hit Knitter. Anyone with information is asked to call the Clay County Sheriff's office.==============================SE Kansas District Gets Grant for Storm Safe RoomCHEROKEE, Kan. (AP) - Officials with the Southeast School District in Crawford and Cherokee counties are celebrating word that the district will receive a federal grant for a safe room. The district found out this week that it will get a $285,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to build the storm-safe room at the Southeast Elementary School in Weir. The school district must provide another $95,000. The Joplin Globe reports that the district, which serves several towns, has suffered severe damage from straight line winds twice in five years. It is in a high risk area for tornadoes. District spokesman Chris Wilson says the proposed 1,886-square-foot structure will have 8-inch concrete walls and miles of steel rebar. It also will be used as the school's music room.==============================Boeing Discussing Sale of Closed Wichita SiteWICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Boeing officials say they are discussing the sale of the company's land in south Wichita. The Wichita Eagle reports the airplane company declined to provide details of the potential sale but confirmed the negotiations are underway. The company also says it might have to move its Dreamlifter operations to Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport. Boeing shut down its Wichita site last summer and moved the work to Oklahoma City, San Antonio and the Seattle area. The company flies specially modified 747s to Wichita to pick up fuselage sections built by Spirit AeroSystems. The planes land at McConnell Air Force Base. Boeing says those operations might have to move to Mid-Continent Airport if the Wichita property is sold.===============================Thieves Steal $14,000 in Guns from Wichita StoreWICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Police are searching for two suspects who took nearly 30 weapons from a Wichita business. Surveillance images show the two men breaking display cases at Knapp Weaponry in Wichita early Tuesday and leaving with handguns and rifles. Owner Marlon Knapp says the guns were worth more than $14,000. Knapp says he is upset that the guns are now out in the community but he plans to upgrade his security and continue his business.==============================Guilty Plea Logged in Fatal Fall of ASU Student in MarchTEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — One of the men accused of alcohol-related violations in connection with the fatal fall of an Arizona State University student has pleaded guilty. Court documents show 20-year-old David Siegal pleaded guilty this week to one count of minor in possession of liquor with a second count dismissed. Siegal and 20-year-old Matthew Farberovh were indicted in the case along with a third man who had charges later dropped. Farberovh is facing charges of minor possession of liquor and failing to require identification. Naomi McClendon plunged 10 floors to her death March 30 from an apartment complex near ASU's campus. Tempe police say the 18-year-old woman from Manhattan, Kansas initially attended an "all-you-can-drink" party thrown by ASU fraternity members. Surveillance video showed her stumbling and intoxicated when she entered the residential building.===============================NTSB: Wichita Plane in Trouble Seconds After Take-OffWICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Investigators say the pilot of a small plane that crashed into a flight training building at a Wichita airport last week declared an emergency about a minute after taking off, saying he had "lost the left engine." The National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report Thursday that several witnesses reported the plane had its landing gear down before it hit the Flight Safety International building at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport. The pilot and three people in the building died. Six other people were injured, two of them seriously. The left wing separated after hitting the building just below the roof line. The nose struck the roof and the plane slid for about 20 to 30 feet before the tail section came over the top, followed by a large explosion===============================Death Penalty Still an Option in Sedgwick County Murder TrialWICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors say they might seek the death penalty against a woman accused with three others of killing a Kansas couple last year. The Wichita Eagle reports 36-year-old Kisha Schaberg was arraigned Wednesday in Sedgwick County District Court, where District Attorney Marc Bennett announced he wanted the option of seeking her execution if she's convicted. Schaberg, her son, 19-year-old Anthony Bluml, and two of his friends are charged with capital murder in the November 15, 2013, deaths of Anthony Bluml's adoptive parents. Roger and Melissa Bluml were shot in the head as they sat in their car outside their rural Valley Center home. One of the suspects has testified the shootings were part of a plot to gain life insurance, and because of resentment for the couple.===============================Oil Exploration Set for Arkansas CityARKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) _ Officials in a south-central Kansas community expect a petroleum company to begin drilling for oil on city land sometime soon. The Arkansas City Traveler reports the City Commission approved a conditional-use permit this week for exploration and extraction of oil on two parcels zoned for agricultural use. The permit will allow Gulf Exploration LLC to conduct vertical drilling only, for a proposed single well. Any wastewater produced by the drilling will have to be hauled to a disposal facility. A representative of Gulf Exploration says the drilling will take six days. The company's trucks are expected to begin arriving Monday. Arkansas City will be paid for use of the land and receive about 25 percent of any profits derived from the drilling.==============================Police: Wichita Man Critically Injured in ShootingWICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Police say a man has been shot and critically injured while walking in east Wichita. The man called 911 to report he had been shot Thursday evening. The man says he was walking to an apartment complex from a nearby business when he was shot once in the chest. Police say the man was critically wounded but was able to talk to officers. They think one or two rounds were shot. The man's identity hasn't been released but police say he is in his 20s. =============================== Bird Numbers Likely Up for Pheasant, Quail Seasons SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas wildlife official are predicting that bird populations will be 70 percent higher than a year ago when the state's quail and pheasant seasons open this weekend. But after the lowest pheasant and quail harvest in 75 years, Kansas Department of Wildlife small game specialist Jeff Prendergast says the numbers still will be pretty poor. Prendergast tells The Salina Journal that low bird numbers in recent years have discouraged some hunters, which is partly why there should be more birds when hunting season opens Saturday. Hunting season typically provides area hotels with brisk business for about three weeks. Beloit Super 8 general manager Janet Remus says her motel is lodging hunters from as far away as South Carolina and Kentucky. Quail and pheasant seasons run through January 31.===============================Salvador Perez Due for Even More Time Behind PlateNEW YORK (AP) — After making the most starts behind the plate of any big league catcher in a century, Salvador Perez wants more. The Kansas City Royals star was among 29 players on the roster announced Friday for the Major League Baseball all-star postseason tour of Japan. Game 7 of the World Series last week was Perez's 158th start at catcher during the regular season and postseason, the most since at least 1914, according to STATS. Perez topped the 156 starts made by the Chicago Cubs' Randy Hundley during the 1968 regular season. Also on the roster from the AL champion Royals are Game 7 starter Jeremy Guthrie; backup catcher Erik Kratz and shortstop Alcides Escobar. No members of the World Series champion San Francisco Giants are making the trip.==============================Chiefs Wide Receivers Still Searching for TDKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Perhaps it's just a fluke, but the Kansas city Chiefs are halfway through the season and no wide receiver has caught a touchdown pass yet. The previous time that happened was 2009, when the Cleveland Browns went their first nine games without a wide receiver catching a TD pass. Still, nobody on the Chiefs sideline appears to be worried about it, especially considering they're 5-3 and have won five of their past six games heading into Sunday's game at Buffalo. Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith pointed out that his running backs and tight ends have plenty of touchdown grabs, and it's only a matter of time until the wide receivers get involved.

Budget Issues Complicate Kansas School Funding FixTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans who control the Kansas Legislature are looking for ways to address a recent court ruling on school funding without busting the state budget. GOP leaders and members of the House and Senate budget committees said Thursday it's unlikely that lawmakers will increase the overall budget by the full $129 million needed to cover deficiencies in aid to poor school districts. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled last week that past reductions in such aid created unconstitutional gaps in funding between poor districts and wealthier ones. The court ordered lawmakers to fix the problems by July 1. Several key Republican legislators said they doubt the state can fully tap cash reserves to cover the costs. They said the alternatives include shifting education funds around or cutting other parts of the budget.===============Top Kansas Democrat Calls for School Funding BoostTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas House Democratic Leader Paul Davis says Republican Governor Sam Brownback and the GOP-controlled Legislature should immediately increase aid to poor school districts by $129 million. Davis said Thursday the increase should be the response to a recent Kansas Supreme Court ruling that past reductions in such aid created unconstitutional gaps in funding between poor districts and wealthier ones. Key Republican legislators said they're working to comply with the court's order to fix the problems by July 1 without busting the state budget. But Davis said lawmakers should simply add the money to the budget, rather than shifting funds from some other place. He said it's time for lawmakers to set things right. Davis is a Lawrence Democrat who's also hoping to unseat Brownback in this year's governor's race.===============KS Board of Education: All KS Public Schools Will Be Accredited This YearTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Problems with a new online system that administers assessment tests prompted the State Education Board to decide that all Kansas public schools will be accredited next year, without considering test results. Glitches were reported this week when several schools signed on to the system to begin administering math and reading assessment tests. The system, called KITE, was developed by the University of Kansas. The Lawrence Journal-World reports schools reported problems ranging from students not being able to get onto the system, or the system freezing and not allowing students to finish the tests. The system was designed to handle more complex test questions than the traditional true-false or multiple-choice questions. The tests are used to accredit schools and determine qualifications for federal education funding.===============Kansas Legislators Mull Live Broadcast BillTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Various political groups, colleagues and media associations are voicing support for a bill that would allow audio and video from the Kansas Statehouse to go live on the Internet. The Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee heard testimony Thursday from nearly a dozen witnesses in favor a two-year pilot program. The committee took no action on the bill, but members said they wanted to learn how nearly 40 other states stream daily events to the public. The proposal calls for installing three cameras in each of four committee rooms that are used frequently by budget, education and tax committees. The public would be able to go online to listen or watch committee action. The project would cost about $178,000 for the two years.===============House Panel Advances Opt-In Sex Education BillTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas House committee has advanced a bill requiring parents to give written permission for their children to receive sex education in public schools. The House Education Committee voted Thursday to add the policy to an unrelated bill, sending it to the full House for debate. Kansas now lets each local school board decide if parents must opt their children into or out of sex education. The bill would make it state law that districts must receive parental permission before students would receive materials on sexuality, diseases and related subject matter. Critics argued that schools are the only source for some children to receive proper information on sexuality.===============Obama Nominates US Marshal for KansasTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — President Barack Obama has nominated Topeka Police Chief Ronald Lee Miller to serve as U.S. Marshal for Kansas. The announcement was made Thursday in a news release from the White House. Obama says Miller has dedicated his career to protecting his fellow citizens. The president says Miller has displayed courage and persistence in the pursuit of justice. Miller has been Topeka's police chief since 2006. He joined the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department in 1972 as a patrol officer and became chief of that department in 2000. Miller has also served as a consultant for the Police Foundation and the civil rights division of the U.S. Justice Department.===============Brownback Names Acting Kansas Banking CommissionerTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has appointed a former Wichita bank executive to serve as the state's acting bank commissioner. Brownback announced the selection of Deryl Schuster on Wednesday. He succeeds Judi Stork, who has been acting bank commissioner since November and will return to her duties as deputy commissioner. Schuster served most recently as president and CEO of Midwest Community Bank. The commissioner works with the state Banking Board to regulate state-chartered banks and trust companies, savings and loan companies, mortgage businesses and other financial institutions.===============KU Unveils 10-Year Master Plan for Lawrence CampusTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — University of Kansas officials say the school's multi-million dollar 10-year master plan would expand academic and research programs and tie the Lawrence campus together. The university previewed the plan Wednesday for the Kansas Board of Regents, which unanimously approved the summary document. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the final plan will be released in the spring. That plan will include proposals and analysis on space, classroom use, land use and coordination with the Lawrence community. One proposal would be a complex that would include housing for upper-level and graduate students and retail space. Another would link Haworth Hall to the west campus. It would connect natural, physical and life sciences with engineering and pharmacy. Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little said officials are working to find the funding for the plan.=============== KU Student Senate Votes to Eliminate Athletics FeeLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas Student Senate has voted to eliminate a student fee that supports women's and non-revenue sports. Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little has the authority to reject the Wednesday's vote on the nearly 35-year-old fee. The fee costs students $25 each semester. Students have been paying the fee since the late 1970s to help the university comply with Title IX, which requires universities to support women's sports. The Lawrence Journal-World reports student senate leaders say Kansas Athletics Inc. has enough revenue to support women's sports without a subsidy from students. The fee raised $1.1 million last year, when the athletics department's had a total of $93.7 million in revenue. Gray-Little has refused to comment on whether she would veto or uphold the student senate's vote.===============Second Round of Suspicious Fires Hits NW KansasHAYS, Kan. (AP) — A northwest Kansas county has been hit with a second round of suspicious fires in less than a week, this one involving 10 fires in less than three hours. The Hays Daily News reports that an investigator from the State Fire Marshal's office was on the scene Thursday, looking at the evidence in Ellis County outside the Hays city limits. Ellis County Rural Fire Chief Richard Klaus said Wednesday evening's fires were being investigated as arson. All 10 were grass fires, although an old granary was also burned. On March 6, five fires broke out in five hours around Hays, burning trees, a horse trailer, a storage shed and a trailer used for storage. Klaus said investigators are also taking another look at a large grass fire on Tuesday.===============Kansas Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to FraudKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The owner of a northeast Kansas payroll services company has pleaded guilty to tax fraud charges that cost a client nearly $745,000. The U.S. Attorney's office says 52-year-old John Moore, of Lenexa, entered the pleas Wednesday to charges of wire fraud and filing a false tax return. Moore's company, Accent Payroll Services, was hired by Tytan International of Lenexa to pay its employees, file its employment tax returns, and withhold and pay its employment taxes to the IRS. Moore admitted transferring more than $2 million in employment tax withholdings from Tytan to his company's accounts, but paying the IRS only $1.3 million. Prosecutors said he hid the scheme from Tytan International by listing its address to the IRS as a post office box he controlled.=============== Topeka Groups Seek to Develop Brand for CityTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Groups that promote Topeka are trying to develop a brand for the capital city of Kansas. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the effort is beginning with a survey of what visitors, residents and former residents think about the city. Visit Topeka spokeswoman Shalyn Murphy said the groups hope to collect at least 1,000 responses. Visit Topeka is working with Downtown Topeka Inc. and the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce. People can take the survey online. The survey asks nine questions about where people spend their free time, where they take visitors, what makes the city unique, and how people could be persuaded to spend more time and money in Topeka. The survey also asks people to list the city's biggest assets. They also are asked to list negative attributes.===============Last of 4 Defendants Pleads in Topeka MurderTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The last of four defendants charged in the death of a 34-year-old Topeka woman has entered a guilty plea. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that 21-year-old Benjamin Anaya, of El Paso, Texas, pleaded guilty this week in Shawnee County court to conspiracy to commit felony first-degree murder. He was accused with three other people in the October 2012 death Ashley Alcala, who was shot once in the back of the head at her Topeka home. The other defendants have been sentenced in the case, including the victim's estranged husband, Manuel Alcala, who's serving life in prison. According to the plea agreement with Anaya, the Shawnee County District Attorney's Office dismissed a charge of premeditated first-degree murder and agreed to recommend that Anaya receive a 12-year sentence. Sentencing is March 28.===============Future of Lawrence Mural UncertainLAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Lawrence city commissioners say there's no feasible way to avoid demolishing a wall bearing a mural that some want to save. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the 2007 mural called "Pollinators" is part of a 2007 exhibition sponsored by the Spencer Museum of Art that honors seven black artists with Kansas ties. The mural is on the wall of a building at a site where a development group wants to build a new apartment building. A museum official told commissioners she would prefer to keep the existing wall and mural in place during the construction. But the developer says that's not feasible. The commissioners said Tuesday they agreed with the developer's assessment, but urged the development group to talk to experts about how the work could be moved or reproduced.=============== 2 Kansas Inmates Denied ParoleTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Prisoner Review Board has denied parole to two men serving prison sentences for murders in Topeka. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the parole board has denied parole for Jerome Edwards and Ramon Noriega Jr. Jeremy Barclay, spokesman for the Kansas Department of Corrections, said Wednesday the board will next consider parole for Edwards in September 2015 and for Noriega in March 2017. Edwards is a Lansing Correctional Facility inmate serving time for crimes linked to the 1996 slaying of Donald Smart who was fatally shot while being robbed. Noriega is an El Dorado Correctional Facility inmate convicted of murder in the 1995 slaying of Sidney Robinson. Barclay says they were denied parole for various reasons, including the serious nature of their crimes.=============== Student Hit by Truck at Elementary SchoolHAYSVILLE, Kan. (AP) — A Haysville kindergartner suffered serious injuries after he was hit by a pickup truck as he arrived for school. Sedgwick County authorities say the boy was hit and pinned by the truck early Thursday as he arrived for classes at Nelson Elementary School. KWCH-TV reports police said the boy was crossing the street with his mother at a crosswalk when he was hit and dragged about 30 yards. He suffered serious injuries to his legs and is hospitalized in Wichita. The mother was not hurt. Police say the driver, who is in his 80s, may not have seen a red light at the intersection because the sun was in his eyes.=============== Suspect in Stafford County Cattle Rustling Incidents CaughtST. JOHN, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a man suspected of stealing 23 cattle also apparently stashed a lot of stolen property in central Kansas. Stafford County Sheriff Jeff Parr says the man was arrested last week in the cattle theft from a county ranch. He says investigators on Monday found items such as a recreational vehicle camper, car trailers, a backhoe and other equipment in a pasture in the county. The suspect's name has not been released. The sheriff says he used to live in Great Bend but now has an Oklahoma address. The Hutchinson News reports the trail to the suspect began when Oklahoma authorities found some of the cattle and a stolen trailer near Cushing, along with other equipment. The man was arrested in Hays on an Oklahoma warrant.=============== Great Lakes Air to End Service to Great Bend EarlyGREAT BEND, Kan. (AP) — Great Bend will be without air service at the end of March, after Great Lakes Airlines notified the city this week that it plans to end service a month early. Airport Manager Martin Miller announced the news Thursday. The Cheyenne, Wyoming-based airline had been scheduled to end its service at the end of April. Great Lakes will continue its flights from Hays to Denver. The Great Bend Tribune reports the city is anticipating that SeaPort Airlines of Portland, Oregon will receive a contract to serve Great Bend under the federal Essential Air Service program, though that choice is not yet official.=============== Death of Man in Trash Pile Apparently AccidentalKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City police say the death of a man whose body was found at a recycling warehouse apparently was accidental. The man was identified as 36-year-old Seth Boyer of Olathe. The Kansas City Star reports Boyer's parents said Wednesday their son was mentally ill and homeless, and he sometimes slept in trash bins. Police believe Boyer was alive when the trash bin he was in was picked up early Tuesday. Workers found his body when the load was taken to the private recycling warehouse. Police say Boyer had some broken bones but his body showed no signs of foul play. Boyer graduated from Maranatha Christian Academy in Shawnee and had a degree in communications from Avila University, and worked as a production assistant at KSHB-TV for two years.=============== KC Tax Scheme Mastermind Sentenced to 13 YearsKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City man who masterminded what prosecutors call the largest federal false claims case ever prosecuted in Missouri has been sentenced to 13 years in federal prison and must repay the government more than $950,000. Gerald Poynter pleaded guilty in November to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. by filing fraudulent tax returns and one count of filing a fraudulent tax return. Prosecutors say the 48-year-old, also known as "Brother Jerry Love," admitted that conspirators prepared and filed 284 fraudulent tax returns from July 1, 2008, to September 21, 2011, seeking a total of $96 million in fraudulent refunds. The IRS mistakenly paid out $3.5 million in refunds on those claims but rejected the rest. Ten others also have pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme.===============Missouri Man Admits Defrauding Social SecurityKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A western Missouri man has admitted improperly receiving more than $109,000 in disability benefits while working at a Kansas equine training center. The U.S. Attorney's office says 39-year-old Michael Burt of Archie, Missouri pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing Social Security funds. Burt was approved for Social Security disability payments in 2002 after being deemed medically unable to work because of back disorders. But he admitted that he began working full-time in July 2004 at Two Bit Training in Overland Park, Kansas doing manual labor that included cleaning stalls and looking after the horses. The Social Security Administration was never told of his employment at the business, which trains horses and riders. Burt's plea agreement calls for him to pay full restitution. He also faces a possible prison sentence.===============Number 10-Ranked KU Beats Oklahoma State in OTKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Andrew Wiggins scored 30 points, Wayne Selden Jr. had 14 and No. 10 Kansas pulled away in the final seconds of overtime for a 77-70 victory over Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament. Naadir Tharpe made four foul shots in the extra session to seal the victory for the top-seeded Jayhawks (24-8), who will face fourth-seeded Iowa State in Friday night's semifinals. The No. 16 Cyclones, behind a big game from Melvin Ejim, beat No. 5 seed Kansas State 91-85. Phil Forte briefly gave the Cowboys a 70-68 lead with a 3-pointer a minute into overtime, but the Jayhawks scored the final seven points, all but two of them coming at the foul line. Le'Bryan Nash scored 19 points to lead the Cowboys (21-12). Forte added 16 points and Marcus Smart finished with 14, though he missed all three of his shots in the extra session.

Kansas appeals a state judge's ruling that blocks enforcement of abortion restrictions... despite a projected decrease in tax collections, lawmakers still have a big budget surplus... a new 24/7 child care center is coming to Lawrence... and a library in northeast Kansas removes some LGBTQ-themed books. These stories and more, inside. This ad-free news summary is made possible by KPR listener-members. Become one today.

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