TOM KRISHER, AP Auto Writer

DETROIT (AP) — U.S. safety regulators are threatening fines and legal action against Takata Corp. for failing to admit that its driver’s-side air bag inflators are defective and should be recalled nationwide.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration sent a letter to the company Wednesday detailing the threats, which include a public hearing and possible court action.

Takata of Japan has refused demands for the national recall, saying that a recall limited to high-humidity states is sufficient. But the agency says two inflators have ruptured in cars outside the high-humidity zone, injuring drivers by spewing metal fragments.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx says Takata must act quickly or the agency will use all of its authority and resources to get the national recall done.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Record high cattle prices and plentiful feed supplies are making life a lot easier for cattle producers as another winter nears.

It has been a good year out in farm country as the long drought eased somewhat with summer rains. Fall crops have been good, and hay prices have come down some

Market analyst Kevin Good of CattleFax tracks the industry. He says that for 15 of 17 years, the size of the nation’s cattle herd has shrunk. Producers are now rebuilding.

He says ranchers aren’t “gouging” consumers and that people need to understand that it has been “a long haul” for the cattle producer.

Calf prices are running 40 percent higher this year. Prices for fed cattle are up 23 percent, while retail beef prices are up 14 percent.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback says he is “looking at everything” to fill a projected $279 million budget deficit for this fiscal year, including the possibility of tweaking the state’s income tax policy.

The Wichita Eagle  reports the governor spoke briefly to reporters Tuesday while leaving a meeting of the State Finance Council. He said he wasn’t aware before this month’s election that the state would hit a budget shortfall this fiscal year, which ends in June.

On top of this year’s projected deficit, the state faces an estimated $436 million hole for the next fiscal year.

The state’s nonpartisan Legislative Research Department considers Brownback’s income tax policies the primary cause of the state’s deficit.

The governor didn’t say when he would unveil a plan to plug the budget hole.

OTTAWA, Kan. (AP) — Lawyers have argued whether statements made by a Kansas man accused in the shooting deaths of four people, including an 18-month-old girl, can be used against him in an upcoming murder trial.

Kyle Flack has been charged with murder and rape after two men, a woman and her daughter were found slain near Ottawa last year. The 28-year-old, who appeared in court Tuesday, has pleaded not guilty.

Franklin County prosecutors are seeking to execute Flack for the deaths of 21-year-old Kaylie Bailey and her daughter, Lana-Leigh Bailey. He faces 50 years in prison without parole in the deaths of Bailey’s boyfriend, 30-year-old Andrew Stout, and his 31-year-old roommate, Steven White.

It wasn’t clear when the judge would rule on motions argued on Tuesday.

Flack’s next court date is in February.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Four directors will retire from the Kansas Insurance Department on Dec. 5.

The retirements announced Tuesday come as Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger prepares to leave office in January. Department spokesman Bob Hanson says the retirements were all planned.

The Topeka Capital Journal reports directors Marlyn Burch, life division; Neil Woerman, information technology; Steve O’Neil, consumer assistance; and Ted Clark, anti-fraud, will retire. The department has 11 directors.

Burch has worked for the department for 53 years, beginning in 1961.

O’Neil joined the department in 1987, while Woerman and Clark joined the department in 2003.

The department will wait to fill the positions until Ken Selzer becomes commissioner in January.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Topeka man pleaded guilty in the death of the mother of his child at their home.

Trevor William Adkins entered the plea Tuesday to intentional second-degree murder of 22-year-old Lacie Atchison.

Atchison was originally charged with premeditated first-degree murder after Atchison’s body was found at the top of a wheelchair ramp outside their home in September. Officers went to the home when neighbors reported seeing a naked man fighting with another man in the neighborhood.

Adkins also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of battery of a neighbor.

As part of the plea, a charge of endangering a child was dismissed. The couple’s young daughter was inside the home but was not hurt.

JUSTIN PRITCHARD, Associated Press

Traveling by plane, train or automobile can be a headache. Mixing in Thanksgiving can make it a throbbing migraine. Technology provides some pain relief in the form of apps to let you know which roads are clogged, what gate your flight leaves from and whether trains are running on time.

The American Automobile Association forecasts that the Wednesday through Sunday period will see more than 46 million Americans travel at least 50 miles from home — the most Thanksgiving road warriors since 2007. About nine in 10 are expected to drive — or be driven — with about 3.6 million flying.

Here are some ways to make the journey a bit less taxing.

PLANES

FlightAware tracks not only your flight’s status but also any delays or cancellations, even gate changes. Set it up for a specific trip and it will send alerts so you don’t have to keep checking for changes.

Seats matter, especially if you’re traveling with kids. The ExpertFlyer app has a feature called “seat alert,” which informs you when a seat you want to snag becomes available.

If you have the pleasure of a connecting flight, consider FlightBoard. Every five minutes, it updates with the latest from airport departure boards at over 3,000 airports worldwide. If you’re picking up at the airport, it’s one way to find out whether the flight will land on time.

Or, if you want to keep it simple, get the app of the airline you’re flying. That will typically let you do things such as get a boarding pass or — gulp — rebook your flight.

TRAINS

While Amtrak has an app that lets you make or change reservations and check the status of your train, local and regional public transit doesn’t have the same range of resources as air travel.

At least 70 percent of larger transit agencies have apps that offer real-time travel information, according to Darnell Grisby, director of policy development and research at the American Public Transportation Association. As for using your phone to buy and manage tickets — that’s not as common an option, but some agencies offer it.

AUTOMOBILES

Traffic apps are a familiar friend for many commuters. Some, such as Sigalert, offer color-coded highway maps — red for “jammed up,” yellow for “slow,” green for “full speed ahead.” Sometimes the data that inform the maps are just outdated enough that they can lead a driver onto a freeway that may have been traffic-free five minutes ago, but now has a building bottleneck.

The popular app Waze tries to solve that problem by asking drivers to report traffic and other problems, which the app then shares with other users.

AND JUST IN CASE

Should everything go sideways, and you’re suddenly stranded, Priceline and Hotel Tonight can help you find a room nearby.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Sam Brownback and top legislative leaders agreed to delay a vote on issuing bonds needed for the proposed agro-defense plant in Manhattan.

The State Finance Council decided Monday to postpone issuing $231 million in bonds for the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility.

Republican Senate President Susan Wagle, of Wichita, told the council final action on the bonds could occur in December. She wants the state’s investment in NBAF to be legally capped at $307 million.

The $1.2 billion federal laboratory at Kansas State University is planned for research on dangerous animal-borne illnesses.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports  the state initially agreed to invest $105 million and about three-fourths of that bonding authority has been used.