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The controversial issue of the death penalty may determine whether voters retain four Kansas Supreme Court justices in the November election.

A Look at Kansas News Headlines from the Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate Judiciary Committee's chairman says he'll push again next year for changes aimed at expediting appeals in capital punishment cases. Independence Republican Jeff King says the cases of capital murder defendants Jonathan and Reginald Carr show that the state's system for handling death penalty cases is broken. The senator pushed unsuccessfully earlier this year for legislation to shorten the appeals process. The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday overturned the Carrs' death sentences for a crime spree that ended with the shooting of four people in December 2000 in a Wichita field. King noted that the Carrs were convicted and sentenced to die in 2002 and said it shouldn't have taken so long for the high court to rule. He also disagreed with Friday's ruling.

Q: John F. Kennedy profiled eight U.S. Senators in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Profiles in Courage. One of the senators was from Kansas. Can you name him?President A...

Prosecutors are filing federal charges against two Topeka men accused of armed robbery. Police say Derick Renee Crawford and Travis Jeremy Coffman held up a Topeka Red Robin restaurant in August. U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom says federal officials are working with the Topeka Police Department to crack down on violent crime. Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor says pursuit of the longer possible prison terms connected with federal charges are designed to issue a warning to other criminals.The two men could face several decades in prison if convicted on all charges.

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!

Catherine Serou, a 34-year-old U.S. citizen, is found dead a few days after she was feared abducted. A suspect in her killing, a man in his early 40s with past convictions, has been arrested.

Prosecutors acknowledge they built their case against Somali-born U.S. citizen Mohamed Osman Mohamud partly with secret surveillance information — an admission that could delay his sentencing.

Governor Sam Brownback during a ceremony annoucing the special session. Joining him were law enforcement officials including the attorney general and Wyandotte County district attorney. (Photo by Stephen Koranda)Governor Sam Brownback this week called a special session of the Kansas Legislature for early next month. The purpose is to re-write the state’s so-called Hard 50 sentencing law, which allows judges to sentence convicted murderers to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 50 years. The U.S. Supreme Court recently invalidated sentencing laws like the one in Kansas. The state attorney general discovered the problem and requested the governor call the special session. KPR’s Stephen Koranda reports on some of the issues surrounding the session, which starts September 3 rd.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7c2990000 ====================(VERSION TWO)Governor Sam Brownback is taking steps to keep lawmakers on track during a special legislative session next month. While the special session is called for a specific reason, legislators could try to bring up additional bills. The session was called to fix the so-called Hard 50 sentencing law. A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidated sentencing laws like the one in Kansas. Brownback has set both a starting and ending time for the special session, and he’s contacted legislators about keeping the session to only the topic at hand.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7c2990001The session starts September 3. It’s scheduled to last for three days.

When Staff Sgt. Raymond Girouard faces court martial next week for charges of murdering three Iraqi detainees, he'll have the support of Sweetwater, Tenn. Girouard says he was following orders, and folks in his hometown believe him. They've raised more than $20,000 to hire a civilian attorney for him.