LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Lawrence school officials worry that their district will be forced to pay back nearly $672,000 in aid from the state by the end of June under a new school funding law.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports Superintendent Rick Doll said Monday that the district might impose a hiring freeze for non-teaching jobs. He also said the district may have fewer teachers and larger classes in some schools in the fall.

The new law replaced the state’s former per-student aid formula with grants for districts. It cut $51 million from the amount of aid school districts had expected to receive for the current school year.

The Lawrence district already has received more in aid than the new law provides.

However, legislators are considering not requiring districts to repay the state.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt says new federal regulations threaten home health care services in Kansas.

Schmidt asked a federal appeals court on Monday to affirm a lower court ruling that blocked new U.S. Department of Labor regulations. In a court brief, Schmidt argued the federal agency overstepped its authority by s requiring overtime pay for home health care workers and reducing the services they can provide.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports eight other attorneys general joined Schmidt in the court brief.

The attorneys general argue Congress specifically exempted home health care workers from federal overtime rules. They also argue new rules on the types of services home health care workers may provide undermine the government’s desire to allow senior citizens to receive care in their homes.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A man whose son was shot and killed by a police officer in Wisconsin is supporting a Missouri measure to require external investigations into police-involved deaths.

Michael Bell told a House committee Tuesday that independent reviews would be welcomed by good officers and police departments.

Bell successfully pushed a similar measure in Wisconsin that passed last year. Bell says an internal investigation into his son’s death cleared the officer in two days.

Republican Rep. Shamed Dogan says the aftermath of the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a Ferguson officer exposed mistrust in law enforcement. He says the legislation is a way to restore that trust.

The committee did not take action on the bill.

Dogan says he thinks it has a better chance than some Ferguson-related bills.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Lightning-packing spring storms pummeled the St. Louis region with inches of rainfall and two-inch hail, causing flash flooding that turned streets and yards into makeshift ponds of standing water.

National Weather Service meteorologist Laura Kanofsky says Tuesday morning’s severe weather produced reports of more than 3 inches of rainfall near Augusta, west of St. Louis.

Kanofsky says areas of flash flooding were common throughout St. Louis County before the band of severe weather crept out of the region before noon.

There were no immediate reports of weather-related injuries.

KMOV-TV reported that a lightning strike caused a Mississippi River traffic signal on the Eads Bridge linking Missouri and Illinois to malfunction. Crews notified the Coast Guard to inform any barge traffic of that issue.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City police are trying to stop a stunt where people jump backward onto an object to mimic someone laying in a coffin from spreading in the city after an incident occurred last weekend on the Country Club Plaza.

The Kansas City Star reports that two juveniles were arrested Saturday after allegedly damaging three parked vehicles while participating in the act known as “put ’em in a coffin,” which has become popular on social media.

Victims of the alleged incident have told police they do not wish to prosecute.

According to Capt. Tye Grant, the weekend incident was the first time the stunt has occurred in Kansas City.

Videos of similar incidents that have been posted on social media show people jumping on store displays, landscaping and unsuspecting individuals.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Burger King is paying the expenses and providing gifts for the wedding of an Illinois couple with an interesting connection to the fast food restaurant chain. Joel Burger and Ashley King accepted the company’s proposal Monday.

The State Journal-Register reports that the couple has been known as Burger-King since they were in the fifth grade together, in New Berlin near Springfield.

The couple announced their engagement this spring with a photo next to the sign at a local Burger King restaurant. Although a woman’s name usually comes first in an engagement announcement, they decided to flip their names.

A Burger King spokesman says the company felt an overwhelming urge to help the happy couple celebrate their upcoming marriage.

The Burger-King nuptials will be held July 17 in nearby Jacksonville.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has signed legislation making Kansas the first state to ban a common second-trimester abortion procedure that critics describe as dismembering a fetus.

Brownback signed the measure Tuesday in a private ceremony at the governor’s residence. A photo posted by his office on Twitter shows him flanked by anti-abortion leaders and large photos of fetuses.

The new law, which takes effect July 1, bans the dilation and evacuation procedure, and redefines the method as “dismemberment abortion.”

The method is commonly used in second-trimester abortions nationwide and in about 9 percent of the abortions in Kansas. Abortion-rights supporters say the method is sometimes the safest for a woman terminating her pregnancy.

The National Right to Life Committee drafted the measure. Similar measures are being considered in other states.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri Republican lawmaker is trying to tax marijuana and illegal drugs.  A proposal to require a tax stamp for drugs advanced in the Legislature last week.

A vote of approval from a second House panel is needed before the bill can go before the full chamber for debate.

The National Conference of State Legislatures reports at least 20 other states now tax drugs.

For example, Nebraska taxes marijuana at $100 an ounce. Dealers face additional fees if caught selling without a tax stamp.

Last year, the NCSL reported Nebraska has collected at least $544,588 in fines since adopting the tax in 1991.

Missourians could anonymously purchase tax stamps under Republican Rep. Shawn Rhoads’ proposal. The bill would not legalize possession of marijuana or other drugs.

CLINTON, Mo. (AP) — A 2.6 magnitude earthquake has shaken part of west-central Missouri.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake struck just before 12:30 p.m. Saturday one-mile southeast of Clinton.

The Clinton Fire Department says people as far as Montrose felt the rumble.

Officials have not reported any damage or injuries.

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) — The Joplin School District is suing a contractor who did electrical work on its new high school.

The district alleges that Lenexa, Kansas-based P1 Group Inc. did defective work and overcharged the district. The lawsuit alleges the company and district agreed on payment of $8.7 million. But the district says the company began asking for more compensation, ending with a claim that it was entitled to another $7 million. The district says it is not obligated to pay the extra costs because the company did the work without seeking proper approval.

The Joplin Globe reports P1 Group officials did not respond to requests for comment.

The district is seeking in excess of $75,000 and a finding that the district is not liable for the extra claims.