LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Douglas County judge has found a Lawrence man guilty of drug and alcohol-related charges after an accident that caused an 18-year-old University of Kansas student to have both his legs amputated.

After a bench trial last week, 24-year-old Julian M. Kuszmaul was found guilty of second-offense DUI, refusing to submit to alcohol or drug testing and possession of marijuana.

Kuszmaul struck 18-year-old Colby Liston, who is now 20, in August 2012 on a Lawrence street. Liston was pinned between Kuszmaul’s vehicle and another car. He later had to have his legs amputated.

6NewsLawrence reports (http://bit.ly/1DRkdyi ) Kuszmaul’s blood-alcohol level was 0.25 at the time of the accident.

Each of Kuszmaul’s convictions is a misdemeanor. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 22.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Jackson County teenager has pleaded guilty to severely beating an infant.

WIBW-TV reports 18-year-old Koylen McKinney pleaded guilty Thursday to aggravated battery, abuse of a child and aggravated endangerment of a child.

McKinney was arrested in April after medics found the 7-month-old boy unresponsive at a Holton apartment complex. The infant was in a medically induced coma following the attack. He was later released from the hospital.

McKinney was 17 years old at the time of the incident but was tried as an adult. His relationship with the boy is unclear. He faces more than 14 years in prison when he is sentenced.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A new report by the Kansas University Center for Banking Excellence has determined that the state of banking in Kansas is greatly improved and the industry positioned to thrive despite new regulatory standards.

The Lawrence Journal-World  reports the research examines the current financial condition of commercial banks, trends over the past decade and the industry’s recovery from the financial crisis.

Robert DeYoung, the report’s author, says conditions for banks in the coming years will feel more like normal. His forecast calls for gradual growth in lending and profitability as banks continue their traditional focus on helping local businesses and households meet their financial needs.

MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The two men assigned to a one-year spaceflight say their upcoming mission will allow the world to push deeper into space.

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko will rocket into orbit from Kazakhstan in March. They will spend a year aboard the International Space Station.

At a news conference Thursday at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, Kelly and Kornienko said they anticipate many scientific gains from their mission. They say scientists need to know more about the prolonged effects of space on humans, before astronauts embark on Mars expeditions lasting three years, round trip.

Kelly and Kornienko have been training for this mission for two years. It will set a U.S. space endurance record. The world record, already claimed by Russia, is 14 months for a single flight.

BY STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — IRS Commissioner John Koskinen says budget cuts just enacted by Congress could delay tax refunds next year.

At a news conference Thursday, Koskinen said taxpayer services will be hurt, and fewer agents will be auditing returns. He said about half the people who call the agency for assistance won’t be able to get through to a person.

Congress cut the IRS budget by $346 million for the budget year that ends in September 2015. The $10.9 billion budget is $1.2 billion less than the agency received in 2010.

The cuts come as the IRS is starting to play a bigger role in implementing President Barack Obama’s health law. For the first time, taxpayers will have to report on their tax returns whether they have health insurance.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government is now interpreting federal law to explicitly prohibit workplace discrimination against transgender individuals.

That means the Justice Department will be able to bring claims on behalf of people who say they’ve been fired by a public employer based on gender identity.

In defending lawsuits, the federal government also will no longer take the position that the Civil Rights Act does not protect against workplace discrimination on the basis of gender status.

The memo released Thursday is part of a broader Obama administration effort to afford workplace protection for transgender employees. In July, President Barack Obama ordered employment protection for gay and transgender employees who work for the U.S. government or for companies holding federal contracts.