WELLSTON, Mo. (AP) — The police chief of a St. Louis suburb released all the city jail’s inmates because his department didn’t have the money to feed them.

Wellston Police Chief G. Thomas Walker said he released five people being held on misdemeanors on Wednesday.

He says the city isn’t providing money for inmates’ meals and officers who were buying food for the inmates have not been reimbursed.

Walker says he has no control over the police budget, and claimed Mayor Linda Whitfield is interfering with his department’s operations.

Walker says misdemeanor prisoners who don’t post bail quickly might have to be released. Those held on felonies will go to the county jail.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is urging swimmers and boaters to be careful after a spate of drowning deaths.

So far this year, there have been seven water-related fatalities at the district’s Kansas lakes — the most in these lakes in more than 20 years.

The corps says alcohol was a contributing factor in five of the seven drownings.

Those deaths are among 74 in the past nine years in the 18 lakes the corps manages in its Kansas City district, which includes parts of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. The corps urged boaters to wear life jackets, noting that only one of the 74 victims was wearing a life jacket.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita woman whose young daughter was fatally burned in a fire while home alone with her sisters has been charged with child endangerment.

A judge set bail Tuesday for Ruthie Lee Bell at $100,000. Her next court date is Aug. 6.

Investigators say Bell left three daughters — ages 4, 6 and 7 — home alone on July 11. The 6-year-old, Jakara Dickson, set her clothes on fire while playing with a lighter and died three days later from her burns.

The other girls were treated for smoke inhalation.

Bell’s lawyer, Pat Mitchell, said after Tuesday’s brief court appearance that the death was a “horrible accident” that left Bell devastated.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Federal regulators will provide another update on the efforts to repair the troubled Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant.

The power plant, about 20 miles north of Omaha, has been offline for 27 months.

Fort Calhoun initially shut down for routine maintenance, but significant flooding in 2011, a small fire and a series of safety violations forced it to remain closed.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokeswoman Lara Uselding says Fort Calhoun is making progress, but the Omaha Public Power District still has to address 15 items on the restart checklist.

Regulators must sign off before the plant can restart.

The meeting will be held from 6-9 p.m. on Wednesday at the Ramada Plaza Hotel near 72nd Street and Interstate 80 in Omaha.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — A storm carrying large hail and winds up to 80 mph damaged roofs, broke windows and downed trees in parts of south-central Kansas. No serious injuries were reported.

Reno County was hit hardest Tuesday evening, with serious damage reported in Pretty Prairie and Hutchinson. Pretty Prairie Fire Chief Rick Graber says the storm tore roofs off of buildings throughout the town.

Officers blocked access to the town to allow property owners to begin making repairs.

In Hutchinson, hail 4 inches in diameter shattered skylights at a Wal-Mart, broke windows and damaged cars at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center and tore down trees across the city.

Power lines were downed throughout the county. As of 6 a.m., Westar reported fewer than 500 customers were still without power.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — The city council has given first-round approval for toughening Sioux City’s odor ordinance.

The first of three council votes occurred at Monday’s meeting.

Two more council votes are needed to put the changes into effect.  They are part of an effort to reduce odors from private companies and the city’s sewer facilities.

The changes would require the city to investigate if there are seven complaints within a 30-day period. Currently, the requirement calls for at least 10 complaints in a six-hour period.

An Odor Control Committee also could review compliance plans and recommend enforcement action.

Failure to deal with problems could result in initial penalties of $750 and up to $1,000 for each subsequent offense

OSAWATOMIE, Kan. (AP) — An eastern Kansas man plans to pay off his house, buy a swing set and make some investments with the $1 million he won in the latest Powerball drawing.

The Kansas Lottery says 43-year-old Nelson Worley, of Osawatomie, matched the first five numbers but not the Powerball number in Saturday night’s drawing.

The jackpot was $141 million, but Worley says he’s not complaining about winning just $1 million.

Worley runs a stucco contracting business in Osawatomie. He and his wife have five children and one grandchild between them.

It’s the second recent stroke of luck for Worley, who nearly died about 18 months ago when he went into cardiac arrest at a go-cart track in Olathe (oh-LAY’-thuh). A good Samaritan whose name he never learned provided CPR until first responders arrived.