SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A coroner says an apparently homeless man whose body was found partially covered with snow in a wooded area north of Springfield likely died of the cold.

Greene County Medical Examiner Tom Van De Berg says the man had been dead a few days when some homeless people who were looking for a place to camp discovered his body Thursday behind a Waffle House restaurant.

De Berg says there was no sign of obvious injury or foul play. He says that given last week’s bitter cold, hypothermia appears to be a cause or contributing factor in the man’s death.

The man has been identified but his name wasn’t immediately released, pending notification of relatives.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A book by the daughter of the BTK serial killer about finding out that her father had killed 10 people in the Wichita area will be released Tuesday.

Kerri Rawson’s memoir, “A Serial Killer’s Daughter,” details the 40-year-old’s panicked descent into denial and depression after the 2005 arrest of her father, Dennis Rader.

His self-coined moniker was BTK, which stood for “bind, torture, kill.” The book being put out by Thomas Nelson Publishers also includes letters he sent her from jail.

Rawson, who now lives in Michigan, has said that she hopes her story helps others wade through their own emotional turmoil. In the book’s epilogue, Rawson talks about finally finding her own peace. She says she misses her father, “the one I mainly knew.”

NEWTON COUNTY — One person died in an accident just before 6:30p.m. Sunday in Newton County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Dodge Ram driven by John M. Johnson, 49, Stark City, was eastbound on MO. 86 five miles east of Neosho.

The pickup rear-ended a horse ridden by Keith Hopper, 49, Granby.  Hopper was transported to Freeman West Hospital where he died.

The accident remains under investigation.  Johnson was tested for alcohol as required by state law, according to the MSHP.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers have introduced at least six separate proposals since last month to restrict the use of cellphones while driving.

Missouri has seen the numbers of cellphone-related traffic crashes increase by 35 percent since 2014, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

There were almost 920 fatal crashes in Missouri last year, down slightly from about 930 fatalities last year, according to the department’s preliminary figures.

“When it comes to cellphones, nobody wants to be on the road with a driver constantly using their phone, but so many people find it acceptable to do themselves,” Nelson said. “We can do better.”

Republican Sen. Wayne Wallingford has introduced legislation to ban texting for all drivers, or face a $50 fine that would double in a work or school zone.

State law currently prohibits texting for drivers under the age of 21 and commercial motor vehicle drivers. Those who violate the texting and driving law could be fined $200 and have 2 points added to their driving record.

Most states have already banned texting and driving for all age groups. Sixteen states have banned hand-held phone use by all drivers, according to the National Council of State Legislatures.

But Missouri’s Republican-led has struggled to garner support for restrictions to cellphone use behind the wheel. Lawmakers have introduced eight separate proposals in the past two years to limit cellphone use while driving.

This legislative session, Reps. Nate Tate, Gretchen Bangert and Greg Razer have introduced bans on using cellphones while driving. Other proposals target cellphone bans in school zones.

By STEPHAN BISAHA

A hot job market and the increasing cost of tuition have slowed the growth in the number of Kansans earning a college education nearly to a halt. Educators are worried that will worsen shortages of high-skilled workers and impede prosperity long term. 

“It is concerning,” said Donna Ginther, an economist at the University of Kansas. “Having these types of degrees and certificates are very important for the future of economic growth in the state and the country.” 

Kansas’ public colleges and universities granted 40,856 undergraduate degrees and certificates last year, according to the latest progress report from the Kansas Board of Regents. That’s virtually the same as five years ago and well short of the state’s goals. 

Kansas is nine years into the 10-year “Foresight 2020” plan designed to increase the number of Kansans getting post-secondary education and to better align state college and university programs with economic needs. 

The Regents have found some success, particularly in technical education. 

An initiative started in 2012 greatly increased the number of Kansans earning college credit before they graduated from high school. More than 10,000 students participated last year. And many of those students have continued technical education programs after high school, contributing to the growth of technical colleges by more than a third from 2012 to 2017. 

Yet most of the state’s other colleges and universities have gone the other direction. 

The headcount at community colleges shrank by 12 percent between 2012 and 2017. State universities grew less than half of a percent, with many seeing declines. 

There are likely not enough students currently enrolled for the main objective in Foresight 2020 — more than 53,000 degrees and certificates earned by the end of this decade — to be achieved. 

Much of the declining enrollment at Kansas colleges and universities is among white students. Their enrollment numbers have dropped 12 percent since 2010, according to data in the Foresight 2020 progress report. Enrollment by Hispanic students has grown the most, by more than 42 percent. 

The progress report blames several factors outside of the Regents’ control, including the Kansas economy. The low unemployment rate means Kansans are able to find jobs without a college degree. 

In the early days of the recovery from the 2008 recession, college enrollment increased in Kansas as elsewhere. Unemployed Americans decided to go back to college instead of hunting for non-existent jobs. 

The reverse was true as the economy continued to improve. In 2013, enrollment in Kansas colleges plunged as the Kansas unemployment rate hit 5.3 percent. 

But while more Kansans are now employed, many remain shut out of high-skill, high-paying occupations that offer a pathway to the middle class. 

“A high school education is not going to cut for economic prosperity,” Ginther said. 

Ginther and others also worry that high-skill industries such as aerospace manufacturing that Kansas is trying to foster will experience increasing workforce shortages without more Kansans completing a college education. 

Rising tuition has also driven students away from Kansas schools. 

Students have born more of the cost of their education at public universities as the state repeatedly cut over the past decade. 

Higher tuition could be an outsized barrier for poorer students. The number of Pell Grant recipients at Kansas universities, students receiving grant money for college from the federal government, has been declining since 2015. 

Studies have shown a link between increasing tuition and decreasing enrollment, though there are disputes over the size of the effect. What’s indisputable is the massive leap in cost colleges have seen over the years. At Kansas State University, the sticker price for a semester has increased 57 percent over the last ten years. 

“When I started at K-State in the late ‘60s I paid out-of-state tuition and was able to work my way through the university with summer jobs and employment through the school year,” said Pat Bosco, the vice president for student life at Kansas State University. “That’s no longer the case now.” 

Stephan Bisaha reports on education for the Kansas News Service.  Follow him on @SteveBisaha.

SHAWNEE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after a traffic stop.

On Friday, a police officer observed Dominique Anderson 27 of Topeka leaving the Law Enforcement Center, according to Lt. Aaron Jones.

The officer recognized Anderson and knew he was wanted for a felony criminal damage domestic case which occurred January 20.

Anderson left the property in a vehicle which was stopped at 4th and SW Jackson in Topeka. Police took him into custody without incident.

A search of the vehicle revealed a small amount of marijuana, other suspected narcotics, drug paraphernalia and a stolen Taurus 9mm handgun. Anderson has at least one prior felony conviction leading to a charge of Criminal Use of a Firearm, according to Jones.

He was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections under suspicion of felony Criminal Damage (Domestic), Criminal use of a Firearm, and narcotic related charges.

This is the 6th case in 2019 with a charge involving a felon in possession of a firearm reported by the Topeka Police Department.

ALLEN COUNTY — Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver De’Anthony Thomas is out on bail after a weekend arrest, according to a report by the Allen County Sheriff’s Department.

De’Anthony M. Thomas, 26, Lee’s Summit, Missouri, was booked Saturday into the Allen County Jail on suspicion of Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

He was no longer in custody Sunday, according to online jail records.

The Chiefs selected Thomas from the University of Oregon in the 2014 NFL Draft. He played in  five games in the 2018-19 season before a leg injury in practice ended his season.

The Chiefs had not released a statement on the arrest late Sunday afternoon.