DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa agency that advocates for the elderly and people with disabilities has halted nearly all nursing home visits because of budget cuts.

The Des Moines Register reports that the Iowa Long-Term Care Ombudsman’s office has eliminated in-state travel after losing a quarter of its nearly $2 million budget this fiscal year. In-state travel can cost up to $85,000 annually.

Data from the office says staff visited more than 5,000 care facilities in the 2015-16 fiscal year.

Lori Smetanka is the executive director of the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care in Washington, D.C. She says it will be difficult to thoroughly investigate complaints without facility visits.

Interim Long-Term Care Ombudsman Cindy Pederson says staff is using telephones and other technology to connect with residents.

NEW YORK (AP) — Sears continued to struggle in its second quarter with declining sales amid heightened competition from the likes of Walmart to Amazon. It now says it will close even more stores.

The Hoffman Estates, Illinois retailer, which operates Sears and Kmart stores, has been trying to cut costs by closing stores, including 180 this year and already had plans to cut another 150 stores. It now plans to shutter an additional 28 Kmart stores.

Sears Holding said in a statement: “The retail environment remained challenging.”

The company reported Thursday that its second-quarter loss narrowed to $251 million, or $2.34 per share. Losses, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to $1.16 per share.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Jurors have rejected a former employee’s claim that religious discrimination was key factor in her firing from Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s office.

The jurors sided Thursday with the office and chief Kobach deputy Eric Rucker in former employee Courtney Canfield’s federal lawsuit. The secretary of state’s office had argued that performance issues led to Canfield’s firing in November 2013 after 9½ months.

Canfield learned of her firing through her grandmother, who was a friend of Rucker. The grandmother testified that Rucker told her that Canfield’s lack of regular church attendance was a reason for her firing.

Rucker testified church attendance was not a factor. He said the subject came up only when Canfield’s grandmother mentioned it in telling him that Canfield’s life was a mess.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The University of Missouri in Columbia next year will offer scholarships for low-income students to cover the full cost of their tuition.

Spokeswoman Liz McCune said Thursday that the grants will be available in fall 2018 for Missouri residents who are Pell Grant eligible. The university will cover any gap between the cost of their tuition and fees and what is covered by other scholarships.

McCune said the school will cover the full gap in college costs for qualified students in the Honors College, including room and board.

McCune said the university estimates more than 3,500 students could benefit. That’s more than 10 percent of the student population.

The grants are expected to cost the university about $5 million.

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say three people have been killed in a crash in the Kansas City suburb of Olathe.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — There’s a new website aimed at providing sexual harassment resources to interns following past allegations of misconduct at Missouri’s Capitol.

Advocacy groups on Wednesday announced the website, which has information on students’ rights, preparing for internships and how to identify harassment.

The Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence and Partners In Prevention created the site following allegations that former Democratic state Sen. Paul LeVota sexually harassed interns, which he repeatedly denied. He resigned in 2015.

Former Republican House Speaker John Diehl also stepped down in 2015 after admitting to sending sexually suggestive texts to an intern.

House members and staff now must attend annual sexual-harassment training.

Current Republican House Speaker Todd Richardson says the website will help ensure there’s a safe environment at the Capitol and other Missouri workplaces.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gov. Eric Greitens announced appointments to several boards and commissions, including three new members of the Coordinating Board of Higher Education.

The new members of the coordinating board announced Wednesday are Carl Bolm, the founder and owner of Investa Management; Bobby Robertson, CEO of Omnigo Software and chairman of the board of HEALTHCAREFirst, a healthware software technology company; and Shawn Saale, an attorney with Saale & Bailey, who specializes in estate law, business succession planning and charitable giving.

The governor also appointed Claudia Onate Greim and Doug Russell to the State Board of Education. Onate Greim is a compliance counsel for Lockton Companies. Russell is president of Durham Company.

And Greitens appointed Daniel Finney III, the principal attorney at Daniel Finney III law firm, to the Missouri Gaming Commission.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas City, Kansas, woman whose speeding car hit a group of teenagers, killing one, has been sentenced to five years and four months in prison.

The Kansas City Star reports that 41-year-old Tamika Pledger was sentenced Wednesday for involuntary manslaughter in the January 2015 death of 16-year-old Tierra Smith.

The victim was with a group of teenagers in Kansas City, Kansas, involved in a confrontation when Pledger’s car hit them while going more than 30 mph in a 20 mph speed zone.

Pledger contended her car’s brakes didn’t work properly. She said she was responding to a call from a teenage relative that other girls were bothering her.

Pledger was also found guilty of three counts of aggravated battery for injuring three other teens.