LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors will be able to use incriminating statements made by a Lawrence man charged in a deadly apartment shooting.

The Lawrence Journal World reports that Douglas County District Judge Paula Martin ruled Friday that the statements are admissible in court. Thirty-year-old Dustin D. Walker is charged with first-degree murder in the March killing of 39-year-old Patrick Roberts.

The probable cause statement says the shooting happened while Walker was attempting to commit aggravated burglary.

Walker is being held in Douglas County Jail on a $1 million bond. He will next appear in court on Oct. 27, when a date for his jury trial will be set.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wolf Creek nuclear power plant is asking federal regulators for more time to replace a faulty sensor unit that provides an early warning of reactor coolant leaks.

The Wichita Eagle reports that normally the plant would have 30 days to make the fix. But because the repair involves shutting down the plant, operators want to wait until a scheduled shutdown at the end of February.

An unscheduled two- to three-day shutdown would cost customers more than $1 million.

Problems began on Aug. 31 when the sensor unit began to fail, providing false indications of a leak. Records show the sensor quit altogether on Sept. 3 after operators reset it five times in three days.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation’s new forensic center is taking shape on the Washburn University campus in Topeka.

A “topping out” ceremony to place the final steel beam required for construction on part of the Forensic Science Center was held Wednesday. Exterior construction on the $55 million project is expected to be completed by December.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the science center is expected to open in October 2015.

The KBI currently uses a lab in the basement of an 86-year-old former junior high school, which has insufficient heating and air conditioning and doesn’t meet standards for a modern forensic laboratory.

Washburn will lease the land and finance the construction with bonds, and then allow the KBI to repay the bonds through rent payments over 20 or 30 years.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A group of Wyandotte County Democrats is supporting Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s re-election campaign.

Nearly two dozen people attended the announcement Friday at a new public library in Kansas City, Kansas.

Brownback is being challenged in his bid for a second term by Democrat Paul Davis, who has been endorsed more than 100 current and former Republican officials.

The pro-Brownback Democratic group is co-chaired by Nathan Barnes, a former commissioner of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. Barnes said he’s “impressed” with the governor, and he praised Brownback’s support of small businesses.

Speaking at the event, Brownback said he has plans for urban opportunity zones to help high-poverty areas. He said governing is “not about Democrats and Republicans. It’s about making things better for the people.”

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Officials in Lawrence are investigating the theft of two days’ worth of mail addressed to the Municipal Court.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports reports the mail was taken Tuesday and Wednesday from a secure post office box in the downtown post office.

Municipal Court administrator Vicki Stanwix urged anyone who had sent mail to the court to call and determine if their mailings were received. People who sent checks for parking tickets, speeding violations and other fines are also encouraged to watch their bank accounts.

Lawrence police and the U.S. Postal Service are investigating how the mail was taken from the court’s secure box. Stanwix said postal officials are taking additional steps to secure the court’s mail.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A suburban Kansas City woman has been awarded $250,000 in damages after a metro radio station falsely identified her as a porn star, and there was a chance she could get more.

The Kansas City Star reports Ashley Patton of Olathe, Kansas, sued the owner of 96.5 The Buzz radio station after one of its DJs identified her on an April 2012 morning show as a porn star.

She was added to a list of names the station posted on its website, which also had a link to the podcast of the show.

Both sides agreed that Patton was not and never had been involved in the pornography industry.

The federal jury that awarded her damages was deliberating Friday afternoon on how much to assess in punitive damages.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Sam Brownback and Secretary of State Kris Kobach have launched a new online Kansas Business Center to help owners of existing firms and people forming new ones.

The two officials had a news conference Friday to publicize the center’s new website.

They said the project took 18 months and required the cooperation of multiple agencies. The secretary of state’s office is where businesses file articles of incorporation and annual reports.

They said the site allows business owners a single point of access to state agencies and information about forming businesses and writing business plans.

Both officials are conservative Republicans locked in tough re-election races ahead of the Nov. 4 election. Brownback’s Democratic challenger is Kansas House Minority Leader Paul Davis, while Kobach faces former state Sen. Jean Schodorf.