JOHN HANNA, AP Political Writer

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A same-sex couple received a license Friday in Johnson County and got married but it’s not clear whether Kansas will recognize the marriage.

Attorney General Derek Schmidt is asking the state Supreme Court to immediately block all such licenses from being granted. He says a judge in Johnson County exceeded his authority in ordering clerks and other judges to approve marriage applications from gay couples. The Kansas Constitution bans gay marriage.

Schmidt says his goal is to “freeze the status quo in place until the legal dispute can be properly resolved.”

Johnson County Court Clerk Sandra McCurdy won’t identify the couple but says they married shortly after receiving the license.

A gay couple whose application for a marriage license in Riley County was accepted Thursday learned Friday that a judge had denied it.

WELDON SPRING, Mo. (AP) — Thousands of venomous brown recluse spiders forced a suburban St. Louis family from their nearly half-million-dollar home.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Brian and Susan Trost bought the Weldon Spring home in 2007 for $450,000 and discovered the spiders soon after moving in. Susan Trost says the spiders were everywhere, including one she had to dodge as it fell from the ceiling and washed down the drain as she was showering.

The Trosts sued the home’s former owners and their insurance company in 2008 and were awarded more than $472,000 in a 2011 civil trial, but they never collected.

The former owners declared bankruptcy and the insurance company refused to pay. The Trosts eventually abandoned the home, which overlooks a country club golf course and now is in foreclosure.

JOHN HANNA, AP Political Writer

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A court office in Kansas’ most populous county has issued a marriage license to a gay couple, believed to be the first such license in the state.

Liz Dickinson, a member of the gay-rights group Equality Kansas, said she was at the county courthouse Friday when the couple received their license. The Johnson County District Court clerk’s office confirmed that a license was issued but declined to identify the couple.

That came two days after district court Chief Judge Kevin Moriarty directed clerks and other judges to begin issuing licenses to same-sex couples — even though the Kansas Constitution bans gay marriage under a provision voters approved in 2005.

Moriarty acted after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear appeals from five other states seeking to preserve their gay-marriage bans.

DETROIT (AP) — Mitsubishi is recalling nearly 166,000 older small cars and SUVs in the U.S. because the engines can stall unexpectedly.

The recall covers the Lancer and Lancer Evolution from the 2008 to 2011 model years, as well as the Lancer Sportback from 2009 to 2011. Also affected are the Outlander small SUV from 2008 to 2011 and the Outlander Sport from the 2011 model year. All the cars have the company’s 4B1 engine.

The company says in documents posted by safety regulators that pulleys can experience unusual wear and damage the drive belt. The belt can detach and the battery won’t be charged, and that can cause stalling. The problem can also disable power steering.

Dealers will replace worn belts and pulleys at no cost to owners.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas judge has denied a marriage license for a same-sex couple who said their application had been accepted with open arms a day earlier.

KMAN-AM reports Darcie Bonhenblust and her partner, Joleen Hickman, found out Friday morning their application had been denied.

The two say the Riley County clerk told them Thursday when they filed their application there was a three-day waiting period and they could come back Tuesday to pick up their license.

But on Friday morning they received an order from Judge Meryl Wilson denying the license. Bohnenblust called the rejection disheartening but says she anticipates it eventually will come through.

Johnson County on Friday issued what is believed to be the state’s first marriage license to a same-sex couple.

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MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A second Kansas county has begun accepting marriage license applications from same-sex couples.

The Manhattan Mercury reports Darci Bohnenblust and Joleen Hickman had considered getting married in New York but changed those plans after an Oklahoma ban on gay marriage was overturned by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals — which also includes Kansas.

The couple, who have been together for 19 years, say they turned in their application on Thursday at the Riley County clerk’s office and were welcomed with open arms. The state has a three-day waiting period for marriage licenses, and Bohnenblust says the clerk told them to come back Tuesday to pick up their license.

Johnson County accepted the first same-sex marriage application on Tuesday and planned to issue the license on Friday.

JESSICA GRESKO, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s largest flight attendants union says it wants airline passengers to return to stowing cellphones and other electronics during takeoffs and landings, but the union’s arguments didn’t seem to fly in a Washington courtroom.

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JESSICA GRESKO, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s largest flight attendants union is arguing that aviation officials flew in the face of a federal law last year when they cleared passengers to use small electronic devices during take-offs and landings.

NIANGUA, Mo. (AP) — A southwest Missouri man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the beating, branding and rape of a woman.

The Springfield News-Leader reports 21-year-old David Lowery was sentenced this week. He pleaded guilty in August to forcible rape and first-degree assault causing serious physical injury.

Authorities say the group beat the victim and held her down while Lowery raped her. They say she was then branded on the leg with a wire clothes hanger. Prosecutors say she is between 17 and 25 years old.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Lottery says it expects to save about $700,000 a year with a vendor contract finalized amid criticism that the agency is funneling too little money to education.

The Lottery Commission on Thursday approved a seven-year contract with Rhode Island-based GTECH Corp. to provide computer gaming systems and related services.
The governor’s budget office has been examining why the lottery had record sales in the latest budget year but transferred less money to schools.

GTECH’s fees are paid as a percentage of sales. The new contract reduces its cut to about 4.2 percent from the 4.4 percent in its previous contract.
The lottery estimates GTECH will get about $16.1 million annually, down from $16.8 million previously. That could mean about $4.9 million in savings over seven years.