KEN THOMAS, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — If Hillary Rodham Clinton seeks the White House again, her message on the economy could be an important barometer as she courts fellow Democrats.

Members of her party are watching closely how the former secretary of state outlines steps to address income inequality and economic anxieties for middle-class families. Some members of the party’s liberal wing remain wary of Clinton’s ties to Wall Street, six-figure speaking fees and protective bubble.

Clinton is widely expected to announce a presidential campaign next year and remains the prohibitive favorite to succeed President Barack Obama as the party’s nominee in 2016.

But if she runs, how she navigates a party animated by economic populism, an approach represented by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, could represent one of her biggest hurdles next year.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has reversed the murder convictions of a Salina man accused of killing of one man during a burglary and another man after an argument.

The Salina Journal reported that the justices ruled this past week that four of Willie Jerome Smith-Parker’s 10 allegations of error had merit.

Smith-Parker was convicted in October 2010 in Salina of first-degree murder in the death of 24-year-old Alfred Mack Jr. and second-degree murder in the death of 22-year-old Justin Letourneau.

One issue Smith-Parker raised was with how a juror was replaced with an alternative after deliberations commenced. The court ruled that the jurors should have been instructed to restart their deliberations after the replacement was made.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A 120-year-old tradition has found new life in Lawrence.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that a group called the Lawrence Creates Makerspace put on an event Friday called the Winter Chautauqua. Organizers said a chautauqua is traditionally an informal community meeting meant to entertain and educate those in attendance. The event is made up of different acts about five minutes in length.

Throughout the evening, participants read stories, recited poems, sang songs, danced and played instruments. One performer clucked her poem like a chicken, later providing the audience with a translation of the barnyard noises.

PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities say a Missouri man is in custody after 90 pounds of marijuana were found during a traffic stop in northern Arizona.

The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office says 42-year-old Nate Shaffer has been arrested for possession of marijuana for sale and transportation of marijuana for sale.

Authorities say a drug-sniffing dog indicated there was drugs or contraband in the trunk.

Deputies found a duffel bag with prepackaged marijuana bricks worth at least $50,000.

Shaffer admitted to authorities he had been paid several thousand dollars to transport the marijuana from Northern California to Texas.

Shaffer is being held on $25,000 bond.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Columbia officials have talked to the FBI after a hacker attack shut down the city’s website.
Deputy city manager Tony St. Romaine says an online post said the group Anonymous was taking credit for the attack, which started Wednesday. But he told the Columbia Tribune that he can’t be certain the loosely organized network of activist hackers is to blame.
The online post in the Counter Current News said Columbia’s website was targeted after the hackers learned of a video of a February 2010 SWAT team raid of a man’s home. The SWAT team found a misdemeanor amount of marijuana and shot two dogs in the home, killing one.
Release of the video sparked outrage and spurred changes in police policies and procedures.

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — A protester who advocated for peaceful demonstrations in Ferguson has been charged with setting fire to a convenience store in a neighboring suburb.

A St. Louis County jail official said 19-year-old Joshua Williams was being held Saturday on $30,000 bond on charges that included arson.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch  reports media outlets and store surveillance captured images of a man trying to set a pile of wood on fire early Wednesday outside a QuikTrip in Berkeley. Charges filed Saturday said Williams confessed in a videotaped interview.

Berkeley police shot and killed a man late Tuesday at a gas station near the QuikTrip, and a large crowd gathered to protest.

Williams was frequently quoted and photographed protesting Michael Brown’s death.

It wasn’t immediately known if Williams had an attorney.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican says the Turk who shot and wounded John Paul II in 1981 has laid flowers on the saint’s tomb in St. Peter’s Basilica.

A Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Ciro Benedettini, said the surprise visit Saturday by Mehmet Ali Agca lasted a few minutes. As with other flowers left by visitors to the tomb, the white blossoms were later removed by basilica workers.

John Paul visited the incarcerated Agca in 1983 and later intervened with Italian authorities to gain Agca’s release in 2000 from the Italian prison where he was serving a life sentence for the assassination attempt in St. Peter’s Square. Agca then served a sentence in Turkey in another case and is now free. Benedettini said there are no legal matters pending against Agca in the Vatican.

JONATHAN LEMIRE, Associated Press
MIKE BALSAMO, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds of officers standing outside the church where a funeral is being held for a New York City policeman killed in an ambush shooting have turned their backs on the mayor as he spoke during the service.

The reaction Saturday follows comments from police union officials who said Mayor Bill de Blasio contributed to a climate of mistrust toward police amid anti-police protests.

Inside the church at Officer Rafael Ramos’ funeral, mourners gave de Blasio polite applause before and after his speech.

The mayor said hearts citywide were aching after the shootings that left Ramos and his partner dead.

The police union president and others turned their backs on the mayor in a sign of disrespect at the hospital after the Dec. 20 shooting. Lynch blamed de Blasio then for the officers’ deaths and said he had blood on his hands.