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If convicted of the six charges against him, the 21-year-old Air National guardsman could face up to 10 years in prison for each charge.

The rotunda of the Kansas Capitol (Photo credit: Flickr user Franklin B. Thompson {kansasexplorer3128}) TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Sam Brownback has called a special session of the Kansas Legislature for September 3 to rewrite the state's "Hard 50" criminal sentencing law. Brownback made the announcement Friday, two days after Attorney General Derek Schmidt requested a special session. Schmidt's request had bipartisan support from prosecutors and legislators. The law allows judges to sentence some convicted murderers to life in prison, with no chance for parole for 50 years. A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision raised questions about the law's constitutionality. The high court ruled last month in a Virginia case that juries must consider whether the facts in a case trigger mandatory minimum sentences. In Kansas, judges weigh the evidence. Schmidt says revising the Kansas law as quickly as possible will protect public safety.

U.S. Supreme Court (Flickr Photo via Mark Fischer)WICHITA, Kan (AP) - A U.S. Supreme Court decision that found juries should have the final say on facts triggering mandatory minimum sentences could impact "hard 50" cases now on appeal in Kansas. Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett also told The Wichita Eagle that the ruling could also change the way prosecutors deal with first-degree murder cases in the future. Among them is them the first-degree murder appeal from Scott Roeder for killing abortion provider George Tiller in 2009. The ruling has already prompted the Kansas Attorney General's Office to drop plans to seek a hard 50 sentence against Brett Seacat. He was convicted last month of killing his wife and setting their Kingman home on fire in 2011.

Photo from sxc.huThe Lawrence fire chief is asking residents of apartments in the city to keep their eyes open for suspicious activity following a series of arson-related fires. Around 20 fires in south central Lawrence have been set in recent months, and they appear related. Fire Chief Mark Bradford says all have been set at multi-family dwellings and apartment buildings. He’s asking apartment managers and residents to take steps to help prevent fires.Bradford says residents should make sure they have escape plans and working smoke alarms. The ATF has increased a reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. The award had been $5,000, but last week it was increased to $7,500. Any tips can be reported to the Lawrence Police Department or the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Department.

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Kansas Senate hearings begin tomorrow (TUE) on Governor Sam Brownback’s nominee for the state Court of Appeals. Brownback chose his office’s top attorney, Caleb Stegall, to fill the seat on the second-highest court in Kansas. This is the first appointment under a new system in which the governor chooses nominees for the Kansas Court of Appeals, who then must be confirmed by the state Senate. Republican Jeff King of Independence chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. He told KPR last month that the proceedings will begin with a quick refresher on the new selection process.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7c3d90000 The special session was called to fix the state’s Hard 50 sentencing law for convicted murderers. That law was called into question after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling. But the state Constitution requires appointments to be considered during the special session, as well.

Here's a look at today's news headlines as compiled by the Associated Press.

The Kansas Supreme Court (Photo credit: kscourts.org)TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ Republican Governor Sam Brownback is endorsing an effort to persuade Kansas voters to remove two justices from the state Supreme Court. Brownback said during a news conference Thursday that he's voting against retaining Justices Lee Johnson and Eric Rosen in the November 4 election. The governor has criticized the court for its July ruling that overturned the death sentences of brothers Jonathan and Reginald Carr, convicted of killing five people in Wichita in December 2000. Members of the victims' families formed a group to work to remove the justices. Brownback would fill vacancies on the seven-member court. Johnson and Rosen were appointed by former Democratic Governor Kathleen Sebelius. Governors appoint justices after a commission names three finalists. Voters decide every six years whether a justice is retained on the bench.

Governor Sam Brownback during his Kansas State Fair debate with Paul Davis (Photo credit: Charlie Riedel/The Associated Press)WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Sam Brownback is seeking more power to appoint Kansas Supreme Court justices and is using a Wichita murder case to make it a campaign issue. The Republican incumbent addressed the topic Tuesday during his fourth and final debate with Democratic challenger Paul Davis. Davis said Brownback was "exploiting" the case of brothers Reginald and Jonathan Carr, whose death sentences for a quadruple homicide were vacated by the state Supreme Court in July. Brownback's campaign released a new ad on Tuesday focusing on judicial philosophy. During the debate, he repeatedly assailed the Supreme Court as "liberal" while contending Davis wants to appoint liberal justices. The Carr brothers were convicted of killing four people execution-style in a Wichita soccer field in December 2000.

Some of the marijuana connected to Marshall Dion's case (Photo Credit: myfoxboston.com)BOSTON (AP) — A 2013 traffic stop in Junction City, Kansas, led police to Massachusetts and Arizona, where they found $15 million in cash, nearly 400 pounds of marijuana and ledgers they say detail drug deals going back to 1992. The driver, Marshall Dion, is now facing federal marijuana trafficking charges in Boston. The 79-year-old has had trouble with the law for decades. In 1985, Dion crashed a single-engine plane in Kenosha County, Wisconsin. The government seized nearly $112,000 in cash from the crash site after a judge found the money was likely drug proceeds. In 1989, he was convicted of trafficking charges after Boston police found more than 100 pounds of marijuana in his car. Dion's lawyer is arguing that the 2013 traffic stop was illegal and all the evidence seized should be thrown out.