WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A new report says employment growth in Kansas has been lagging behind the rest of the nation.

Wichita State University’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research updated on Monday employment forecast. It shows that while employment grew by 2.1 percent nationally in the last 12 months, in Kansas it grew by just 1.1 percent.

The center’s updated employment also anticipates Kansas employers will add 18,868 jobs this year.

That represents a job growth of 1.4 percent this year in Kansas with a fraction of a percent growth in Wichita.

The updated 2015 forecast anticipates service sectors in the state will have the most growth, led by the professional and business sectors and the leisure and hospitality industry.

Federal and state government jobs are expected to decline.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s Republican-controlled Legislature has used overwhelming numbers to push through cuts to the state social safety net despite Democratic opposition.

GOP lawmakers this session succeeded in reducing the number of weeks in available jobless and welfare benefits. Supporters say that could spur Missourians to be more self-sufficient and more quickly find work.

Republicans also say a right-to-work measure that passed last week could encourage businesses to open in the state and might mean more jobs.

But Democrats have slammed those bills as hurting low-income families and the middle class.

Democratic Sen. Jamilah Nasheed of St. Louis described work by the GOP this legislative session as an “all-out attack on the poor.”

Efforts by Democrats this session to expand eligibility for Medicaid health care for low-income adults also failed.

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. (AP) — A specialty dog food company is voluntarily recalling a frozen product distributed in four states over fears of possible salmonella contamination.

The Food & Drug Administration said last week that California-based OC Raw Dog has recalled its Turkey & Produce Raw Frozen Canine Formulation.

The recalled formulations were packaged into 6½-pound Doggie Dozen Patties and 5-pound Bulk Bags with sell-by dates of Oct. 8.

The products were distributed in Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri and Pennsylvania. The food is sold through independent pet specialty retailers.

No illnesses have been reported. The FDA says pets with salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea, fever and vomiting.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is banning the federal government from providing some military-style equipment to local police.

The announcement is a surprise coming nine months after police in full body armor with armored trucks dispelled last summer’s racially charged protests in Ferguson, Missouri. The White House suggested last year that Obama would maintain programs that provide the equipment because of their broader contribution to public safety.

But an interagency group found “substantial risk of misusing or overusing” items like tracked armored vehicles, high-powered firearms and camouflage. The task force also created new controls for a longer list of weapons and gear the federal government provides to police.

The announcements come as Obama is visiting Camden, New Jersey, one of the country’s most violent and poorest cities.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City is considering a proposal to allow the sale of locally produced beer and liquor at a farmers market in the wake of successful sales of Missouri wine.

The Star reports the proposal will be considered by the Kansas City Council’s Public Safety Committee on Wednesday.

The ordinance would allow distilled spirits or malt beverage manufacturers with a Missouri retail liquor-by-the-drink license to apply for a caterer’s permit to sell their products at the City Market farmers market.

In July, a permit was approved by the council that lets famers and producers sell their wines by the bottle at the City Market. The Missouri Wine and Grape Board had previously offered free samples at the market.

Fahrmeier Farms and Vineyards in Lexington began selling wine every weekend under the new program last year.

WEST PLAINS, Mo. (AP) — A former Missouri high school principal has been convicted of taking a college placement test for a former student.

The Daily American Republic reports that Ronald McCutchen entered an Alford plea this month to a misdemeanor identity theft charge. Through the plea, the former Doniphan High School principal didn’t admit guilt but conceded that prosecutors had enough evidence to gain a conviction.

A Howell County judge sentenced the 54-year-old Park Hills man to two years’ unsupervised probation. McCutchen also surrendered his teaching certificate.

Court records say a student told a school resource officer that McCutchen took the test for him last year so he could get a better score. The student earned scholarship money because of his score, but said he felt guilty and didn’t attend Three Rivers.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — State lawmakers across the country are increasingly saying “no” to cities and counties seeking to impose local restrictions on businesses.

In the past five years, roughly a dozen states have enacted laws barring local governments from requiring businesses to provide paid sick leave to employees. And the number of states banning local minimum wages has grown to 15.

The state pre-emption laws affect issues both big and small, such as local restrictions on oil drilling and seed planting. Some states have banned local bans on plastic bags, restaurant meal toys and sugary drinks.

In each case, states have stepped in after city officials somewhere proposed local policies that business leaders didn’t like. Businesses have warned that a potential patchwork of local regulations could be bad for the economy.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A spring storm that swept across Missouri churned up at least one tornado and is causing flooding along several rivers.

National Weather Service meteorologist Pamela Murray says western Missouri received from half an inch to 6 inches of rain late Saturday and early Sunday. The Fishing River overran its banks northeast of Kansas City, forcing evacuations in the small town of Mosby.

Stretches of the Missouri, Grand and Platte rivers are among those in flood stage. The flooding is mostly minor.

Murray says a tornado touched down east of Kansas City near the town of Sibley. A National Weather Service crew is evaluating damage that includes a destroyed camper.

Murray says a crew also is trying to determine whether a tornado is responsible for toppled trees near Clinton.

HOUSTON (AP) — Blue Bell Creameries says it will lay off more than a third of its workforce following a series of listeria illnesses linked to its ice cream that prompted a total product recall.

The Texas company, whose production plants remain closed, released a statement Friday saying 750 full-time employees and 700 part-time workers are losing their jobs. That represents about 37 percent of the company’s 3,900 employees.

Blue Bell says another 1,400 workers will be furloughed, and employees essential to the ongoing clean-up and repair efforts will continue working but have their pay reduced.

The layoffs come after the company signed agreements on Thursday with health officials in Texas and Oklahoma detailing steps the company will follow to resume production.