TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A national gun control group argues in a federal lawsuit that a Kansas law challenging federal authority to regulate guns is unconstitutional and endangers public safety.

The Washington-based Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence filed the lawsuit Wednesday against a 2013 law declaring that the federal government has no authority to regulate guns manufactured, sold and kept only in Kansas.

The law also makes it a felony for any U.S. government employee to attempt to enforce federal regulations for Kansas-only firearms, ammunition or accessories.

The lawsuit says gun regulations fall under the power of Congress to regulate interstate commerce and the state is improperly trying to nullify federal law. It says the effects of not regulating some guns could be far-reaching.

Gov. Sam Brownback has promised to defend the law.

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – Parents could gain a way to compare the quality of child-care providers under legislation signed by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon.

The bill signed Wednesday requires the state to develop a “system of quality indicators” so people can know whether child-care centers are meeting certain criteria.

The website will track whether child-care providers are licensed, meet health and safety standards, use curriculum and comply with staff training requirements.

The bill also requires the state to run a hotline for parent complaints about child-care providers.

The provisions take effect in October 2015.

Nixon said they are necessary for Missouri to continue to receive more than $100 million annually in federal funding to help offset child-care costs for lower-income individuals.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A survey of colleges and universities finds that many schools have gone years without investigating a sexual assault.

About 40 percent of respondents reported not having conducted a sexual assault investigation in the past five years. That includes 6 percent of the nation’s largest public institutions.

The survey was conducted by the office of Sen. Claire McCaskill. The Missouri Democrat says federal law requires investigations when an incident is reported, and the number is alarmingly low.

The survey also finds that only about a quarter of respondents said there are written protocols between campus and local law enforcement on handling sexual assault cases.

McCaskill and other senators are considering legislation to address the issue.

Read the entire report HERE.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities are trying to determine the cause of death of a man whose body was found along Kansas Highway 10 near Lawrence.

Lawrence police say the man’s body was found about 6 a.m. Wednesday by a man on his way to work. It was found near an industrial area called Venture Park.

Sgt. Trent McKinley says the man is in his 30s. He says no obvious signs of trauma were found on the body.

The Kansas Department of Transportation closed one lane of the highway after the body was found but it reopened about 10:45 a.m.

No other information was immediately available.

————————-

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — One westbound lane of Kansas 10 near Lawrence is expected to be closed for several hours after a man’s body was found on the side of the highway.

Lawrence police say the man’s body was found Wednesday morning by a man on his way to work. It was found near an industrial area called Venture Park.

The Kansas Department of Transportation estimates the closed lane could reopen around noon Wednesday.

No other information was immediately available.

By KHI News Service
July 8, 2014

STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government says it made about $100 billion in payments last year to people who may not have been entitled to receive them.

Tax credits went to families that didn’t qualify, unemployment benefits went to people who had jobs and medical payments were made for treatments that might not have been necessary.

Congressional investigators say the figure could be even higher.

The Obama administration has reduced the amount of improper payments since they peaked in 2010. Still, estimates from federal agencies show that some are wasting big money at a time when Congress is squeezing their budgets.

The improper payments include overpayments, underpayments, payments to the wrong recipient and payments made without proper documentation.

A House Oversight subcommittee is holding a hearing on the issue Wednesday afternoon.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Early riders on the world’s tallest water slide say the Kansas City, Kansas, attraction is as scary as it looks, but they couldn’t wait to go down it again.

Among those getting a sneak peak at Verruckt at Schlitterbahn Waterpark on Wednesday was Kansas City Mayor Mark Holland, whose security detail anxiously waited while he took a second trip down the slide before being whisked away to another appointment.

The 17-story, 168-foot-tall water slide is scheduled to open to the public on Thursday, six weeks later than initially anticipated. The ride was reconfigured after early tests included sandbag-filled rafts flying off the slide and crashing to the ground.

Verruckt, which means “insane” in German, was certified as the world’s tallest water slide in April by Guinness World Records.

ALAN SUDERMAN, Associated Press
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — The Obama administration is unveiling a 2014 drug control policy with a focus on promoting drug treatment programs, as well as stemming heroin use and prescription painkillers abuse.

PLATTE CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Park Hill School District says a data security breach might have compromised personal information of 10,210 current and former employees and students.

The suburban Kansas City district announced Tuesday that the information included Social Security numbers, student records, personnel information and employee evaluations.

The district said a worker downloaded records from a work computer onto a hard drive. The worker, who left the district shortly afterward, connected the hard drive to a home network, making the data accessible online.

The Kansas City Star reports the district didn’t learn about the breach until April 1 and access to the records was removed on April 5.