KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A federal appeals court has again rejected a Kansas prison inmate’s bid to “co-habitate and procreate” with a woman whose mother the couple were convicted of killing.

The Kansas City Star reports 34-year-old Joshua Robertson sued state prison officials for refusing to allow him to have conjugal contact with 32-year-old Jennifer Self, a woman he describes as his common-law wife.

The pair are serving life sentences for killing Self’s mother in 2002.

Roberts claimed in his suit that his constitutional rights to freely practice his religious beliefs were being violated.

A federal judge and the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously dismissed the suit, finding that a prison inmate has no constitutional right to contact visitation.

The 10th Circuit on Thursday denied an additional appeal.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Two state agencies in Kansas are preparing to launch a new campaign aimed at increasing the collection of child support payments from unmarried or separated parents.

The Department of Labor and the Department for Children and Families are planning a joint Friday afternoon news conference to kick off the campaign.

Their announcement of the event says it will be an educational campaign but does not provide further details. The event will be at the Department for Children and Families state office in downtown Topeka.

Labor Secretary Lana Gordon and Children and Families Secretary Phyllis Gilmore are planning to participate in the event.

Child support is paid by non-custodial parents after a divorce or separation, or when parents never married and live separately.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man who killed a woman and her 4-year-old son has been returned to prison nearly 11 years after being released on parole for the 1980 slayings.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports 55-year-old Tony Hobbs was taken back into custody after violating conditions of his parole supervision last month. He’ll meet later with the Kansas Prisoner Review Board in an attempt to be released again.

Hobbs and Michael Simmons killed 28-year-old Karen Crook and her 4-year-old son Brandon Crook on Jan. 22, 1980, in their home.

They also tried to kill 7-year-old Travis Magner, Karen Crook’s son from a previous marriage, but he survived and walked to an area elementary school for help.

Hobbs was released on parole in September 2004. Simmons isn’t eligible for parole until 2020.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Federal regulators say brokerage firm Edward Jones has agreed to pay more than $20 million to settle claims it overcharged customers in new municipal bond sales.

The Securities and Exchange Commission said Thursday that $5.2 million of the settlement amount will be distributed to customers whom St. Louis-based Edward Jones overcharged. Edward Jones spokesman John Boul says 13,000 current and past customers will be compensated.

The SEC says the ex-chief of Edward Jones’ municipal bond underwriting desk, Stina Wishman, will pay $15,000 and be barred from working in securities for at least two years.

It’s the SEC’s first case against an underwriter for pricing-related fraud in the primary market for municipal securities.

Boul says Edward Jones cooperated with the SEC probe, and “we are pleased to have this matter resolved.”

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — Two activists prominent in Ferguson protests face felony charges related to a demonstration that briefly shut down Interstate 70 in St. Louis County.

Charges were filed Wednesday against 26-year-old Brittany Ferrell and 21-year-old Alexis Templeton for an alleged attack on an SUV driver who pushed past protesters. Neither woman has a listed attorney.

Demonstrators on Monday ventured onto I-70 during afternoon rush hour, forcing vehicles to stop. It was part of a day of protests related to the anniversary of Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson.

As a woman driving an SUV pushed past protesters, Templeton allegedly punched her through the open window. Ferrell is accused of kicking the vehicle, causing $5,000 in damage.

Both women were released from jail Wednesday and joined about 75 demonstrators there to support them.

NEW MADRID, Mo. (AP) — A southeast Missouri jail inmate has died after apparently hanging himself at the jail.

The Southeast Missourian reports that 31-year-old Gary Ray Corder Jr. died Tuesday. Scott County Coroner Scott Amick says Corder hanged himself at the county jail in New Madrid.

Corder was accused of taking a woman hostage at a motel in Miner, Missouri, on Aug. 3. He faced several charges — kidnapping, inflicting injury or terrorizing, armed criminal action and others. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for later this month.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Jeremy Farmer has resigned as mayor of Lawrence, two days after he resigned from his job as executive director at a food pantry. Farmer resigned his seat on the City Commission Wednesday, effective immediately. He had resigned Monday from Just Food, a nonprofit food pantry, after it was revealed that he had not paid about $50,000 in federal payroll taxes.

The remaining four city commissioners will meet Friday to accept the resignation and begin the search for a replacement.

The Lawrence mayor has no administrative duties but chairs commission meetings and signs certain documents that require a mayor’s signature.

Just Food officials say there’s no indication money was misappropriated from the nonprofit group. Farmer says it was an oversight that the taxes weren’t paid.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s former top senator has taken a new job with a St. Louis-based lobbying firm.

The Gate Way Group said Wednesday that former Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey will serve as its director of business development and oversee efforts to expand its government affairs work to other states and the federal government.

Dempsey, a Republican from St. Charles, resigned Friday after serving for about 15 years in the Missouri House and Senate. He had said only that he was returning to the private sector.

The Gate Way Group said Dempsey won’t lobby members of the Missouri Legislature but will help shape advocacy campaigns in other states.

The company’s various clients include conservative activist Rex Sinquefield, a retired investment executive who is Missouri’s largest political donor.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Firefighters are investigating the partial collapse of a five-story brick building in the Laclede’s Landing area of downtown St. Louis.

Part of the building gave way Wednesday. People were inside, but there were no reports of injuries. Fire officials say they believe everyone who was in the building is accounted for. The building houses restaurants, including the Drunken Fish. The cause of the collapse was not immediately known.

Bricks fell from all five stories of the southern face of the building. The collapse forced closure of a nearby MetroLink light rail station.

Laclede’s Landing is an area of offices, restaurants and bars along the Mississippi River, just north of the Gateway Arch.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Three central Missouri residents face charges accusing them of moving a body found earlier this week in a wooded area.

Court records show that 52-year-old Susan G. Nicolazzo, of Russellville, 28-year-old Levi Holder of Henley and 41-year-old Bobby Kirchner of Russellville were charged Wednesday.

Each is charged with one count each of abandonment of a corpse.

Authorities said Samantha Rhein’s body was found earlier this week in a wooded area southeast of Russellville. Autopsy results are pending. The probable cause statement says each suspect knew the victim was dead and helped move her body to another location.

The three defendants are being held in the Cole County Jail on $100,000 bond. Online court documents don’t list lawyers for any of the three people charged.