MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas National Guard armory in Manhattan is gaining 15 full-time and 163 part-time jobs with the creation of a new brigade.

An activation ceremony is scheduled Sunday at the city’s Frank Anneberg Park for the new 130th Field Artillery Brigade.

The 130th Field Artillery Brigade Headquarters will provide command and control to subordinate field artillery units, including the 1st Battalion, 161st Field Artillery in Hutchinson and the 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery in Hiawatha.

Officials say activation of the new brigade means about 400 Kansas National Guard members will now work at the Manhattan armory, most of them part-time for monthly drills and annual training.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors have announced plans to seek the death penalty against a man charged with killing his adoptive parents with the help of his biological mother and two friends.

KSNW-TV reports that the Sedgwick County district attorney made the announcement Wednesday after Anthony Bluml pleaded not guilty. He is charged with capital murder in the Nov. 15 shootings of Roger and Melissa Bluml outside the couple’s rural Valley Center home.

Melissa Bluml died the next day, while her husband died about five weeks later.

The defense lawyer requested a separate sentencing from Bluml’s co-defendants. One co-defendant agreed earlier this month to testify against Bluml, his biological mother and a friend of Bluml in exchange for facing a reduced charge.

The trial date is set for Nov. 17.

ROXANA HEGEMAN, Associated Press

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts says the most important issue for Kansas voters in his re-election race is helping fellow Republicans win a Senate majority.

Kansas Attorney General

TOPEKA – A Florida company will pay more than $21,000 in fines and penalties for violating the Kansas Consumer Protection Act and the Kansas Credit Services Organization Act, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced today.

 Cypress Law Group Inc, doing business as The Cypress Law Group, P.L. of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, agreed to a consent judgment ordering them to pay $21,500 in investigative fees and civil penalties.  In addition, the firm must pay $5,400 in restitution to two Kansas consumers.  The investigation stemmed from a consumer complaint regarding fees paid to the firm for assistance in requesting a loan modification from a mortgage servicer.  It was determined that the Cypress Law Group was advertising and providing debt management services to Kansas consumers without a license and charging grossly inflated prices for similar services that were readily obtainable by licensed credit services organizations.

 Judge Rebecca Crotty approved the judgment in Shawnee County District Court.

 “Companies doing business in Kansas must respect Kansas laws,” Schmidt said.  “We continue to vigorously pursue violations of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act and the Kansas Credit Services Organization Act.”

 Kansans who believe they may have been the victim of a scam should contact the attorney general’s office by calling (800) 432-2310 or online atwww.InYourCornerKansas.org .

By KHI NEWS SERVICE

LAWRENCE — The Affordable Care Act will be the focus of this year’s Kansas Economic Policy Conference at the University of Kansas.

The conference, titled “The Affordable Care Act in Kansas: Impacts on People, Business and Providers,” begins at 8 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Kansas Union and is scheduled to adjourn at 2:15 p.m.

The morning keynote speakers are Arthur Daemmrich, associate professor of history and philosophy of medicine at the KU School of Medicine, and Scott Brunner, senior analyst and strategy team leader at the Kansas Health Institute, which is a nonpartisan policy and research organization that also houses the editorially independent KHI News Service.

Daemmrich will speak on the “U.S. Health System in an International Context” and Brunner will speak on “The State of Health Care and Health Insurance in Kansas.”

The luncheon keynote will feature Andy Allison, former director of Arkansas Medicaid; Rep. Dave Crum, Kansas House assistant majority leader; and Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger.

Conference registration is $55. For more information, see a full agenda and online registration page.

For Kansans who can’t make the trip to Lawrence, the conference will be broadcast live to a satellite location in Ulysses.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Republican Catherine Hanaway has received a $750,000 contribution toward her 2016 gubernatorial campaign from mega-donor Rex Sinquefield.

The contribution was reported on the Missouri Ethics Commission website Wednesday, the same day that candidates were to file reports detailing their finances through the end of September.

Sinquefield is an investment firm founder who is Missouri’s most prolific individual political donor. His causes include income tax cuts and efforts to revamp public education with school-choice programs and limits on teacher tenure.

Hanaway is the only declared Republican candidate for governor, although State Auditor Tom Schweich could enter the race sometime after his November re-election bid.

Democratic Attorney General Chris Koster also is running for governor in 2016.

CARROLLTON, Mo. (AP) — A central Missouri man has been found guilty of setting his wife on fire and burning down their house.

KMIZ-TV reports Willard Hunt, of Higbee, was convicted Tuesday night of arson, assault and armed criminal action. The trial was held in Carroll County, where it was moved from Randolph County because of extensive coverage of the June 2013 fire.

The wife was severely burned over 40 percent of her body. Hunt was apprehended two days later in rural Randolph County, where he’ll be sentenced on Dec. 10.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s unemployment rate held steady in September while the state gained about 8,100 jobs.

Figures released Wednesday by the state Department of Economic Development show the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.3 percent last month — the same rate as August and about the same rate as one year ago.

Missouri’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment grew by 8,100 jobs during September.

The civilian labor force of more than 3 million people grew by over 15,000 during September. The labor force counts people with jobs and those who are on unemployment but looking for work.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 15 year old accused of killing his mother and sister and attempting to kill his father made a first appearance in District Court where he will be tried as an adult.

Sam Vonachen, who was a 14 years old at the time of the alleged crimes, has been charged by the state with four counts of first-degree murder, however two of the four counts are alternate counts to the other two. Other charges include attempted first-degree murder and aggravated arson.

It was on Sept. 26, 2013, when he allegedly poured gas throughout the family house at 4 East 19, then lit it. The blaze killed his mother, Karla Jo, and his sister, Audrey. The teen’s father was able to escape the fire.

Assistant District Attorney Steve Maxwell actually read the complaint to the teen and Judge Trish Rose told him that five of the six charges are off-grid felonies with a sentence of life with no chance of parole for 25 years. He was assigned the Regional Public Defender’s Office to represent him in the case and Judge Rose left the bond at $1,000,000.

The case was moved to adult court after Judge Patty Macke-Dick issued a written opinion that he should be tried as an adult.

The murder case will now be placed on a waiver-status docket on Nov. 12 in front of Judge Joe McCarville.

NEW YORK (AP) — Want to take a run for the border but wind up in Bangkok?

Taco Bell is testing a new menu that promises just that, looking to tap into the cult following for the red Thai hot sauce known as Sriracha.

The Mexican-themed chain said the menu is being tested in the Kansas City area. The selections appear to be menu standards like nachos and tacos, except with the hot sauce commonly used in Thai cuisine mixed in.

The test is the latest sign that Americans are embracing spicier flavors, with Subway also rolling out a sandwich with the chile-garlic-flavored sauce last year.

Taco Bell, which is owned by Yum Brands Inc., has been on a strong run since rolling out its Dorito-flavored tacos in 2012.