A pair of wild boars that were menacing hikers on the Katy Trail in central Missouri have been shot and killed.

The boars were spotted Monday on the trail in Rocheport. An agent with the Department of Conservation said the animals were charging at people and tore up the yard of a business.

The agent, Sean Ernst, said Tuesday he shot and killed the two boars, then searched a few miles of the trail for others but didn’t find any.

Conservation Department regional supervisor Tom Strother says Missouri doesn’t have a substantial wild boar population. It’s not known where the two on the trail came from, but Strother said someone could have let them out of a pen.

Missouri allows wild boars to be shot on sight.

A state Department of Education report shows that Kansas legislators have authorized school spending for the next two years that is more than $650 million below what is required by law.

The report was included as part of the State Board of Education’s June meeting agenda but discussion was omitted after additional time was devoted to academic standards.

Deputy Commissioner of Education Dale Dennis’ report shows the difference between what the state is required by law to spend on public schools and what was authorized for fiscal years 2014, which begins July 1, and again in 2015.

The figures have been known for some time and a district court has ordered legislators to make up the differences in spending. The Kansas Supreme Court is reviewing that order.

Emergency responders and utilities were racing to rescue stranded motorists and restore power after storms bearing high winds and heavy rain hit parts of eastern Missouri.

As many as 10 people were removed from their vehicles and more than two dozen vehicles were in the water in Cape Girardeau (juh-RAHR’-doh) on Monday afternoon. Ameren Missouri reported scattered power outages in southeastern Missouri.

In the St. Louis area, the storm dumped more than two inches of rain in 90 minutes Monday afternoon, causing flash floods that snarled rush-hour traffic. Drivers were urged to stay off the Eads Bridge over the Mississippi River because the deck was flooded.

More than 4,100 Ameren customers lost power in St. Louis County, with smaller outages reported in St. Louis City and St. Charles County.

Lawrence officials are taking aim at a bed bug problem that’s emerging at apartment complexes with new rules allowing the city to tell people how and when to exterminate the critters.

City code enforcement manager Brian Jiminez says bed bugs are becoming an issue at apartment complexes because of the large turnover in tenants. The tiny insects can cause health problems because they bite their victims and suck their blood, sometimes without being noticed.

The City Commission was expected to approve a new property maintenance code Tuesday. The code could require people to hire a licensed professional to deal with bed bug issues, rather than take care of the problem themselves.

Hutchinson police say a man lost part of his arm in an industrial accident at the Tyson Foods plant in Hutchinson.

Lt. John Moore says the man’s arm was caught in a conveyor belt and he was pulled in the machine on Monday afternoon. He lost his arm from about the elbow down.

The man was taken by medical helicopter to Via Christi’s St. Francis in Wichita.

The man’s identity has not been released.

Independence police are looking for the people who stole a 6-foot statue from the National Frontier Trails Museum during the weekend.

The Pioneer Woman statue was discovered missing from the museum on Monday.

Independence officials say the statue likely weighed more than 1,000 pounds.

A$5,000 reward is being offered for the return of the statue – intact. Another $1,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the case.

The statue was dedicated in March 1990. City Manager Robert Heacock said it cost the city $30,000 to $40,000.

“Pioneer Woman” carries a large bucket in her right hand and cradles an infant in her left arm. Most of the statue is in blue tint, with the bucket and the faces bronze.

A northwest Missouri will go to prison for a scheme that netted them about $800,000 in federal income tax refunds they didn’t deserve.

The U.S. Attorney’s office says Joshua and Kristen Simonson, both 35, were sentenced Monday – the husband to nearly 13 years, the wife to nearly six years.

The Oak Grove couple was convicted in December on 11 counts including conspiracy and money laundering.

Prosecutors said the Simonsons filed fraudulent returns for taxes they claimed were withheld on interest income they earned.

Joshua Simonson also was convicted of trying to conceal the money by moving it among various accounts. When the Internal Revenue Service began contacting the Simonsons, Joshua Simonson sent two fraudulent checks totaling more than $1 million to cover the funds.

(AP) – County elections officials in Kansas say they’re planning no immediate changes following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down Arizona’s proof-of-citizenship requirement for prospective voters.

But critics of a similar Kansas law said Monday that the high court ruling is a victory for them and for preserving voting rights.

The Kansas law took effect in January and applies to people registering to vote for the first time in Kansas. They must provide a birth certificate, passport or some other proof of citizenship.

The high court said the Arizona law conflicted with federal voting laws.

Johnson County Election Commissioner Brian Newby said he’s waiting for guidance from Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach before making any changes. Kobach did not immediately return telephone messages seeking comment.