TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers automatically are getting an 8.5 percent raise in their per diem allowance.

The Wichita Eagle reports the raise is because of a state law that increased lawmakers’ daily “subsistence payments” by more than 28 percent through the past seven years. The Legislature set it up in 2008 so members’ per diem rises with a federal allowance.

The per diem payments are the set amount lawmakers get to pay their living expenses each day they work in Topeka.

As of October 1st, the per diem amount is $140 a day, up from $129. The allowance payments are in addition to the state lawmakers’ base salary of $88.66 a day when they attend session and committee meetings.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Federal Reserve says farm income fell sharply during the third quarter in Midwestern and Western states, so farmers cut back on major purchases.

The U.S. Agriculture Department predicts farm income will fall 36 percent this year.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Mo., said Thursday agriculture bankers across the region are reviewing their loans to make sure farmers can make payments.

But at most banks fewer than 5 percent of loans had been placed on watch lists at the end of September.

About 65 percent of the bankers surveyed reported declining capital spending on farms. But only about 35 percent said farm capital spending was lower than last year.

The 10th Federal Reserve District covers Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Colorado, northern New Mexico and western Missouri.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Prosecutors have charged a third Missouri man with posting online threats to attack a college campus.

Nineteen-year-old Tyler Bradenberg, of St. Louis, was charged Thursday with a felony count of making a terrorist threat. An arrest warrant has been issued for him.

Authorities say Brandenberg posted “I’m gonna shoot up this school” on the anonymous messaging app Yik Yak on Wednesday. It was apparently aimed at the Missouri University of Science & Technology in Rolla, where he studied chemical engineering for a semester last fall.

A Rolla detective says Brandenberg admitted he posted the threat. An S&T spokeswoman says technology was used to try to make it appear the post was made from the Rolla campus, but it wasn’t.

The threats follow protests over the University of Missouri’s handling of racial issues that helped force two top officials to resign.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The University of Missouri’s governing board has appointed a recently retired black senior administrator from its flagship campus to be the university system’s interim president.

The Board of Curators named 68-year-old Michael Middleton on Thursday to lead the four-campus university system until a permanent replacement is found.

Middleton takes over from Tim Wolfe, who resigned Monday amid student-led protests over his administration’s handling of racial complaints. The Columbia campus’ chancellor, R. Bowen Loftin, also announced Monday he would be leaving his position at year’s end for a new role at the school.

Middleton retired as deputy chancellor of the Columbia campus in August and became a deputy chancellor emeritus. He has been working part-time to assist Loftin design a plan to increase inclusion and diversity on campus.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City area hospitals are denying cannabis oil recommendations for people with severe epilepsy even though the state of Missouri passed a law last year allowing the drug to be used for such issues.

No hospitals in the area will allow their doctors to write a recommendation for the medicine, also known as CBD oil.

The head of epilepsy and neurophysiology at Children’s Mercy Hospital, Dr. Ahmed Abdelmoity, cites problems with the medicine, such as no knowledge of a standardized strength for child doses, side effects from long-term use and reactions with other medications.

Children’s Mercy plans to start a study on the use of cannabis oil in epileptic patients next year, but it will not be widely recommended.

Doctors are allowed to write cannabis oil recommendations at the Comprehensive Epilepsy Care Center in St. Louis.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A report from the Kansas Association of School Boards shows that the state’s performance on national tests rose and fell with funding.

The group says student performance on national math and reading tests improved between 2003 and 2007 before leveling off until 2011, when it began to fall.

The board’s analysis, which was presented to lawmakers by association advocacy director and lobbyist Mark Tallman during a meeting, says the performance trend follows funding patterns. The report says auditors were more than 99 percent confident a relationship exists between spending and performance outcomes.

Kansas State Department of Education deputy commissioner Brad Neuenswander expressed concern over the direction of Kansas test scores, and said that the state is seeing the performance gap widening again between students who can pay for lunch and students who cannot.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Lawrence could face up to $6 million in costs to deal with the anticipated infestation of emerald ash borers.  Mark Hecker, assistant parks and recreation director, told department’s advisory board Tuesday that treatment, removal and disposal of the affected trees is estimated to cost as much as $6 million.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Hecker also urges the city to establish a plan to combat the infestation. He says emerald ash borers can devastate an entire population of ash trees, and have been confirmed north of Lawrence.

Hecker says a recent count shows about 3,000 ash trees in Lawrence parks and right-of-ways. He says keeping the trees alive will take continual treatment that could cost about $150 for every tree each year.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Lou Brock, a former base stealing champion, has had his left leg amputated below the knee due to an infection related to diabetes.

The Cardinals and a longtime friend, Dick Zitzmann, confirmed that the 76-year-old Brock had had the procedure done. Brock is undergoing therapy at an area hospital and will be fitted for a prosthetic leg. Zitzmann says the operation was done Oct. 27. Brock was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about 15 years ago.

Brock stole a National League-record 938 bases, including 118 in 1974. He had 3,023 hits, becoming a star after a celebrated trade from the Cubs in 1964 for pitcher Ernie Broglio. Brock batted .391 with four home runs and 10 steals in 21 World Series games.

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a 14-year-old boy has died after falling off a motorized skateboard inside his home in Beatrice, Nebraska. The accident occurred around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Beatrice Police say the youth was riding a motorized skateboard inside his home when he fell. Authorities say the teenager suffered seizures. A relative who was present performed CPR on the youth.

Paramedics took the boy to Beatrice Community Hospital, but he died on the way.

An autopsy was scheduled Thursday, as officials try to determine if the death was due to an accident, or a medical issue. A school crisis team and counselors were being made available to students, today in the Beatrice Public Schools.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A new study suggests there may be a way to help prevent the heart damage that many breast cancer patients suffer as a result of their treatment.

Radiation and some cancer medicines beat the disease but can harm women’s hearts. Patients now are sent to cardiologists for treatment after the damage has already occurred.

In a study in Norway, researchers tried to prevent the damage, by giving a drug already widely used to treat heart failure at the time women were having cancer treatment. The drug seemed to prevent heart decline but the effect was modest. A larger study is underway now to test this further.

The work was discussed Wednesday at an American Heart Association conference in Orlando.