WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has asked a court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a national gun control group against a state law that challenges federal authority to regulate firearms.

The state contended in a court filing Monday in U.S. District Court that the Washington-based Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has no legal standing to challenge its law. The statute declares the federal government has no authority to regulate guns made, sold and kept only in Kansas, and allows felony charges against any federal employee who tries to enforce federal regulations for Kansas firearms and ammunition.

The attorney general’s office argues Kansas is enforcing the Second Amendment by punishing violations of the established rights of Kansans.

The Brady Center contends the law ignores regulations that protect public safety and help law enforcement.

Hays Post

Hays, Kan.- It has been a week since four men were stopped in rural Ellis County after allegedly shooting over 269 doves in one day. The legal limit is 15 doves per hunter.

The length of the case and release of details will hinge upon whether the hunters are charged in district court or will face more serious charges of violating federal laws regarding migratory birds.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism is in contact with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about possibly filing charges in federal court.

“If federal charges are filed, it will take considerable time,” said Capt. Dan Melson of KDPWT in Hays. “If it is decided to just charge them in Ellis County, it won’t take much time at all.

The state is not releasing the names and ages of the hunters until a decision on charges is made.

“The officer who had contact with the hunters that day will make the decision,” said Melson.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Press Association is searching for pictures of Kansas residents who died in Vietnam.

The pictures will become part of a national project called “Faces Never Forgotten.” They will be added to the Wall of Faces in a new education center at the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports  the KPA began searching for the photos several months ago. KPA executive director Doug Anstaett said this week that of 265 photographs of Kansans sought in the project, 42 have been submitted to the KPA as of last Wednesday.

A total of 627 Kansas service members were killed in the Vietnam War. When the project began, photographs for 362 Kansas servicemen already were in hand.

Deadline for submitting photos is Nov. 11.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Springfield city officials say the city will remove its long-dormant red-light cameras.

The city stopped using the cameras four years ago after a Missouri Supreme Court ruling that the city was mishandling tickets issued after red light violations.

Camera equipment will be removed from 11 city intersections in mid- to late-September. The process is expected to take no more than one business week.

The equipment to be removed includes cameras, lasers, poles and pole bases.

WASHINGTON, DC – Taking to the floor of the U.S. Senate, Senator Pat Roberts on Monday night defended the First Amendment against Democrat Majority Leader Harry Reid’s attempts to silence opposition. Senator Roberts is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration which has jurisdiction over federal election law.

“Our founding fathers knew that those in power would be inclined to retain it and, unless constrained, would use their power to punish those who would seek to challenge them or remove them from office,” Roberts said. “The First Amendment denies us that power. It explicitly prohibits this Congress from passing laws that restrict the speech of the American people. With this amendment, the majority wants to try to remove that prohibition. They want to grant themselves the power to control speech – to silence their opposition.”

The Senator made the remarks during the floor debate on S. J. Res. 19, which would amend the Constitution of the United States to allow the Congress to regulate free speech and activity in federal elections.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A couple plans to donate a 120-acre ranch and $2 million to the University of Kansas and the KU Endowment.

The university said in a news release Monday that the couple wants to remain anonymous.

The property in northeast Kansas includes native wildflowers and grasses, walnut trees and cottonwoods, and pioneer trails. The $2 million is intended to maintain and improve the land.

Ed Martinko, director the Kansas Biological Survey, said the gift will be used to preserve native plants and for research and education.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Baptist preacher who has been ticketed repeatedly for disturbing the peace in downtown Springfield has reached an agreement with city leaders that could lead to the charges being dropped.

The Springfield News-Leader reports Aaron Brummitt of Lighthouse Anabaptist Church agreed to a deferred prosecution deal on Monday. The majority of his eight charges will be deferred if he limits his street sermons.

The attorney says the agreement defers prosecution for one year, after which the tickets will be dismissed. Brummitt has agreed to time and place restrictions for his speeches.

GAINESVILLE (AP) – A southwest Missouri man is facing several charges after a traffic accident killed one girl and injured another.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says 12-year-old Alejandria Chambers died Monday afternoon in the accident in Gainesville. Another 12-year-old girl was hospitalized with serious injuries.

The patrol says the car the girls were in ran off a road, flipped several times and hit some trees.

The 22-year-old driver is facing charges of felony involuntary manslaughter, felony assault and driving while intoxicated. He was hospitalized with moderate injuries.

By Dave Ranney
KHI News Service

WICHITA — Later this month, breastfeeding advocates from across Kansas will gather here for a daylong summit on how best to encourage mothers to breastfeed their babies for at least six months.

“According to the CDC, only 15 percent of Kansas infants are breastfeeding exclusively at 6 months,” said Katie Ross, program officer with the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund (UMHMF). “That’s pretty low compared to a lot of other states.”

The Kansas Health Summit on Breastfeeding, a project of the UMHMF and the Kansas Health Foundation, is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, at the foundation’s conference center, 325 E. Douglas.

Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Dr. Robert Moser will open the forum with a statistical presentation, “Breastfeeding in Kansas – Barriers and Opportunities for Change,” that’s expected to highlight the public health benefits of breastfeeding.

He’ll be followed by Dr. Todd Wolynn, a pediatrician and chief executive of the National Breastfeeding Center in Pittsburgh, who will discuss local and state strategies to improve breastfeeding rates. Dozens of studies have shown that breastfed babies grow up healthier than those reared on formula or cow’s milk.

“Nationally, breastfeeding is becoming more and more of a public health issue rather than just a breastfeeding issue,” Ross said. “But there are barriers to breastfeeding, so what we’re wanting to do is identify those barriers and come up with strategies for eliminating them.”

Attendees will spend much of afternoon in small-group sessions focused on hospital policies and practices, quality initiatives, support programs, workplace supports and ways to use social media to promote breastfeeding.

Afterward, participants will put together three “key strategies” to increase the state’s breastfeeding rates over the next one to three years.

Wesley Medical Center will host a reception and panel discussion, “Moving Toward Baby-Friendly Maternity Care,” a reference to the Wichita hospital’s ongoing efforts to earn official designation from the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund. The discussion will begin around 5:15 p.m.

Ross said she expects about 200 people – a mix of doctors, nurses, program directors and health advocates – to attend the free sessions.

Registration information is available on the UMHMF website.

“There’s still time to register,” Ross said. “But we’re filling up fast.”