TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Federal data shows that political and special interest groups spent nearly $17 million in Kansas starting in September in the nationally watched race between Republican Sen. Pat Roberts and his independent challenger.

Online records of the Federal Election Commission show the three-term GOP incumbent benefited more from the outside spending than independent candidate Greg Orman. Roberts won re-election.

Groups spent nearly $10 million on activities supporting Roberts or opposing Orman. They spent about $6.8 million supporting Orman or opposing Roberts.

This year’s election was the first time Kansas saw significant spending.

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down limits on such spending in January 2010, but such groups reported almost none during the competitive Republican primary won that year by Jerry Moran, who had an easy general election race.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The White House on Friday emphasized its commitment to defusing continued tensions over the Ferguson police shooting.

The White House said President Barack Obama spoke Friday with Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and Justice Department officials who stepped in after Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, who is white, shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black.

In St. Louis, the department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services met with top commanders from Ferguson, the city of St. Louis, St. Louis County and the Missouri Highway Patrol at a two-day session that concluded Friday. It focused on how unintentional bias affects police work.

The voluntary reform effort is separate from a federal civil rights investigation into the Ferguson police shooting and a broader federal inquiry into the department’s policing methods.

CLAY CENTER, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say an 83-year-old man was killed in a hit-and-run accident in northeast Kansas after getting out of his car to check on an injured deer.

Clay County Sheriff Chuck Dunn says Joe Knitter, of Clay Center, died in the accident early Friday on U.S. 24.

Dunn says Knitter’s wife was driving their car and struck the deer. Knitter got out to check on the animal and was hit by another vehicle as he was returning to his car.

KSNT-TV reports  authorities located the other driver Friday afternoon with help from a broken mirror recovered at the scene. Dunn says the woman told investigators she didn’t stop because she thought she had also hit a deer.

No charges were filed Friday

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CLAY CENTER, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say an 83-year-old man was killed in a hit-and-run accident in northeast Kansas after he got out of the vehicle to check on an injured deer.

Clay County Sheriff Chuck Dunn says Joe Knitter, of Clay Center, died in the accident early Friday on U.S. 24.

Dunn says Knitter’s wife hit a deer. He got out to check on the animal and was hit by another vehicle as he was returning to his car. Knitter died at the scene.

The Clay Center Dispatch reports law enforcement officials recovered a mirror from the other vehicle and hope to use it to determine what type of car hit Knitter. Anyone with information is asked to call Clay County Sheriff’s office.

JOHN HANNA, Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas plans to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to preserve its gay-marriage ban while a legal challenge from two lesbian couples is considered by lower federal courts.

Attorney General Derek Schmidt said Friday that he’ll act before a federal judge’s injunction barring the state from enforcing its ban takes effect Tuesday.

Schmidt announced his plans after the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver refused to stay the injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree earlier this week. Crabtree delayed his injunction to allow the state to appeal.

Schmidt said he has a duty to exhaust all the state’s options because the state constitution bans gay marriage. Voters approved the constitutional provision in 2005.

He said his request would go to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Missouri Department of Labor

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – The Missouri Department of Labor announces the state minimum wage rate for 2015 has been established, according to state law, at $7.65, effective January 1.

All businesses are required to pay at minimum, the $7.65 hourly rate, except retail and service businesses whose annual gross sales are less than $500,000. Per state law, the minimum wage rate is calculated once a year and may increase or decrease based on the cost of living as measured by the previous year’s Consumer Price Index. Missouri law does not allow the state’s minimum wage rate to be lower than the federal minimum wage rate.

Compensation for tipped employees must also total at least $7.65 per hour. Employers are required to pay tipped employees at least 50 percent of the minimum wage, or the amount necessary to bring the employee’s total compensation to a minimum of $7.65 per hour.

A printable version of the updated poster is available for businesses at www.labor.mo.gov/posters.

To learn more about minimum wage, visit www.labor.mo.gov/DLSMinimumWage.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — An 88-year-old Missouri man accused of stabbing his wife to death is jailed on $1 million cash bond after spending a week in a hospital with self-inflicted wounds.

Donald Rowland, of Columbia, is charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of 86-year-old Betty Rowland on Oct. 31. Donald Rowland did not have a lawyer Friday.

An adult daughter called police after going to the couple’s home and finding them together in bed, both with stab wounds. Betty Rowland was pronounced dead at the scene.

Donald was released from a hospital Thursday and booked into the Boone County Jail.
Police say Rowland told officers he killed his wife and tried to take his own life because he didn’t want them to be a burden on their family.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Same-sex marriages have begun in the Kansas City area after a federal judge ruled that Missouri’s ban on gay marriage violates the U.S. Constitution.

A retired judge performed a marriage ceremony Friday for John Kenny Rodricks and Robert Gann at the Jackson County courthouse following a ruling earlier in the day by U.S. District Judge Ortrie R. Smith.

Smith’s ruling came days after a state judge in St. Louis also invalidated Missouri’s gay marriage ban.

Marriage licenses now are being issued to same-sex couples in both the Kansas City and St. Louis areas. But other officials across the state aren’t following suit.

Smith wrote that he was delaying the effect of his decision during an appeal, but officials in Jackson County decided to issue the licenses anyway.

LANSING- One person was injured in an accident just before 1 p.m. on Friday in Leavenworth County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Ford Explorer driven by Smith, Catherine M. Smith, 27, Leavenworth, was northbound on U.S. 73 at Marxen Road south of Lansing.

The driver didn’t see a northbound 2009 Toyota Sienna driven by Maureen Batista, 38, Basehor, come to a stop.

The Ford rear-ended the Toyota. A 2010 Chevy Cobalt driven by Bradley J. Hamilton, 19, Leavenworth, swerved to avoid a collision and struck the right rear of the Ford.

Batista was transported to Overland Park Regional Medical Center.
Smith was possibly injured but not transported. Hamilton was not injured.

The KHP reported all were properly restrained at the time of the accident.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A group of 1,500 Kansas City-area youth from low-income families will be paired with a summer job next year through a new state program.

During a visit to a Kansas City career center Friday, Gov. Jay Nixon announced the Missouri Office of Community Engagement will spend the next several months connecting employers with young people.

About $4.5 million from existing federal grants will help pay $8-an-hour wages for up to 30 hours a week.

The money is from federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families funds, which Nixon says has unused money because of improving economic conditions and job growth.

Nixon last month announced a similar program to connect 2,000 St. Louis-area youths with summer jobs.

VALLEY FALLS (AP) — Jefferson County officials say a 58-year-old man died after apparently falling into a grain bin.

Sheriff Jeffrey Herrig says emergency crews were called Thursday afternoon to the farm of Mike Miller about 8 miles west of Valley Falls.

WIBW reports that Herrig says Miller fell into a grain bin and died before crews could rescue him.

Details of how Miller fell were not immediately available.