TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas transportation officials have designated 487 miles of state roads to become part of a national bicycle route.  The Kansas route starts near Girard and ends near Tribune after winding through the Flint Hills and the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. It includes portions of U.S. 54, Kansas 19 and Kansas 96.

The roads will become part of the U.S. Bicycle Route 76, which supporters hope will eventually stretch from Virginia to Oregon.

The route totals 2,013 miles from Virginia through Kansas. Officials said the Kansas route was added after Missouri, and Kansas cities and counties support the designation.

Kansas Transportation Secretary Mike King said in a news release that the route could help tourism by attracting bicyclists from across the country to Kansas.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Legislative leaders say ConAgra Foods’ decision to move its headquarters from Omaha to Chicago while cutting 1,000 jobs in Nebraska isn’t likely to spur major changes in the state’s tax policies.  The impending move of the company’s headquarters after nearly a century dealt a blow to the state.

The move also prompted new calls for tax reform during the 2016 session to help Nebraska compete with other states.  But key lawmakers say they plan to continue their focus on property taxes, noting that the company’s move was less about taxes and incentives than the need to consolidate its operations to remain competitive.

Senator Heath Mello of Omaha says the company’s departure serves as a wake-up call that state and local officials need to do a better job following industry trends.

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. (AP) — Pulaski County authorities say a deer hunter found a cache of explosives along a trail in the Mark Twain National Forest.

Sheriff Ron Long says in a news release the hunter found the explosives Saturday on a jeep trail where he normally camps and called 911.  A bomb disposal unit from Fort Leonard Wood responded to the scene along with sheriff’s deputies and Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers.

Long says the explosives were detonated at the site because they were too volatile to move. A small fire after the detonation was extinguished without further damage.

Police described the explosives as something that could not be bought for recreational use.

GREAT BEND, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say 11 people were sent to the hospital after a collision in Great Bend was caused by a 17-year-old girl who tried to kill a spider.

The Hutchinson News reports the teenager was driving along U.S Route 56 Sunday when she noticed a spider on her lap.

The Kansas Highway Patrol crash report says she let go of the steering wheel to swat at it and her vehicle crossed the center lane, colliding with a car before bouncing off and striking a second car.

The report says four people in the first car and six people in the second vehicle were transported to Great Bend Regional Hospital for treatment. The 17-year-old girl was also taken to the hospital.  (correct)

Police say debris from the second collision struck and damaged another car, but the driver and his passenger weren’t injured.

(Note: earlier reports from the AP were incorrect)

SCHUYLER, Neb. (AP) — A bank employee in eastern Nebraska has been accused of stealing more than $150,000 at her job through falsified loans over a nearly five-year period.

Court records show 37-year-old Diana Sanchez, of Schuyler, is charged with nine felony counts of theft by unlawful taking. She is scheduled to make an appearance Tuesday in Colfax County Court.

Records do not list an attorney for Sanchez, who was arrested October 1st. She was released from a detention facility after posting bond.

Sanchez recently worked as a residential mortgage lender at a Pinnacle Bank branch.  She is accused of accessing customer information to create and process loan checks ranging from about $5,000 to $30,000. Court documents say she cashed the checks at the bank and pocketed the money.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Fire officials say fires set at five St. Louis-area churches in little more than a week are all suspicious and likely are connected.

The fifth fire was reported early Saturday at the New Life Missionary Baptist Church in northwest St. Louis. It damaged the front door and vinyl facade of the one-story frame church.

Fire Capt. Garon Mosby says all five of the fires have suspicious origins. Local and federal arson detectives are investigating the fires.

The first fire, on October 8th, caused similar damage to Bethel Nondenominational Church in Jennings, about a half-mile from Saturday’s fire.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the three other fires, also apparently set at front doors, occurred at churches within a few blocks of each other.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. (AP) — A jury has convicted a southeast Missouri coroner of theft.

Herbert Miller, Perry County coroner since 1995, was charged in 2014 with theft and financial exploitation of the elderly.

The Southeast Missourian reports testimony in the trial began Wednesday, and wrapped up Thursday evening, with the jury finding Miller guilty on both charges.

He was accused of taking advantage of an elderly woman when he wrote thousands of dollars in checks from her account.

Miller testified he was unaware of the responsibilities of serving as someone’s power of attorney or trustee and said the checks made to “cash” were used to purchase items for the victim and so she could have cash on hand.

Sentencing is set for Dec. 11.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Music, food, children’s activities and fireworks will all be part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Gateway Arch.

CityArchRiver Foundation and Great Rivers Greenway say a full day of events for “Arch 50 Fest” will mark a half-century of St. Louis’ monument to westward expansion. Events start at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 24 at Kiener Plaza in downtown St. Louis. The Arch grounds themselves are closed as part of a multi-million dollar renovation project.

The Arch is one of the most popular tourist attractions in St. Louis since Oct. 28, 1965, when the final piece of the monument was put into place.

GOLDEN CITY, Mo. (AP) — Prosecutors have dismissed a statutory rape charge against a southwest Missouri man charged in the death of a 12-year-old girl.

The Joplin Globe reports that 36-year-old Bobby Bourne Jr., of Lockwood, remains charged with first-degree murder and child kidnapping in the 2013 death of Adriaunna Horton of Golden City. Prosecutors say she was kidnapped from a park and killed on a farm near Golden City.

Prosecutors dropped the rape charge Thursday near the end of a two-day hearing in Barton County on pretrial motions.

Kevin Zoellner, the assistant attorney general trying the case with Barton County Prosecutor Steven Kaderly, told the judge an autopsy discovered no serological evidence of rape.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A state agency has fined Kansas Gas Service $7,000 over problems with locating underground gas lines.

The Kansas Corporation Commission originally approved $14,000 in penalties related to incidents in the Kansas City area, but cut the amount in half after KGS sought reconsideration.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports gas utilities must provide accurate information about where lines are within two days because of dangers if a line is struck and natural gas is released. KCC staff reported finding 149 instances of noncompliance related to KGS in the past two years.

The utility attributes the problems to an unusually high number of requests to locate gas lines in Johnson and Wyandotte counties, and said work laying fiber-optic cables drove that increase. KGS also says it’s made changes to address the problem.