DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Agricultural interest in using unmanned drones to help monitor millions of acres of crops is growing.

The Des Moines Register reports that supporters believe using drones on farms makes sense because the operations are generally large and in rural areas.

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International predicts that 80 percent of the commercial use of drones will eventually be in agriculture.

Drones with infrared cameras and other sensors can help identify insect problems and watering issues early. They can also help assess crop yields and locate missing cattle.

Farmer Brent Johnson bought a drone last year to study how the topography of his 900-acre central Iowa farm affects yields.

He says using the drone helps him decide whether to replant an area or avoid it in the future.

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – Missouri Lottery officials say one Powerball ticket sold in Missouri matched all six numbers to win the $96.5 million jackpot.

The lottery said Sunday in a release that another ticket also matched five white-ball numbers to win $1 million in the drawing Saturday. The winning numbers Saturday were: 13, 28, 31, 55, 58, and the Powerball number was 15.

The Lottery says the Missouri winners have 180 days to claim their prizes.

The $96.5 million jackpot winner can get the jackpot prize in 30 graduated annuity payments or in one lump-sum payment. The $1 million winner gets a one-time cash payment.

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – It won’t be long before Missouri residents will once again have the chance to tour a former state prison.

The Jefferson City News-Tribune reports that tours in limited areas of the Missouri State Penitentiary are scheduled to resume April 21. Public tours were stopped last fall after high levels of mold were discovered.

The Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau announced that full walkthroughs of the facility would begin July 1.

Last year, the city agreed to split with the state the estimated $2 million in repair costs and mold remediation at the former prison.

The Missouri State Penitentiary opened in 1836 and was the oldest continually operating prison west of the Mississippi River when it shut down in 2004.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Researchers say bugs are developing resistance to the widely popular genetically engineered corn plants that make their own insecticide, so farmers may have to make changes.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that cases of rootworms eating roots of so-called Bt corn have been confirmed in Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota and Minnesota.

Iowa State University researchers say rootworms have developed resistance to two of the four genetic traits in corn plants that are engineered to kill rootworms.

Iowa State professor Aaron Gassmann says the problem isn’t widespread yet, but farmers and seed companies should consider changing their approaches to pest control.

In areas where Bt corn has failed to control rootworms, farmers turned to insecticides. The USDA says 76 percent of all corn planted last year was Bt corn.

LENEXA, Kan. (AP) — Light early morning snow caused slick conditions that led to a 22-vehicle highway accident in suburban Kansas.

The Kansas City Star reports eight people sustained minor injuries after 22 vehicles were involved in the accident on a ramp along Highway 69 and Interstate 35 early Sunday.

Dispatchers reported the icy ramp caused drivers to lose control.

Numerous other accidents also were reported in the Kansas City metropolitan area Sunday morning, most of them in southern Johnson County, due to the slick road conditions.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Corporation Commission is conducting energy audits at several rural grocery stores to determine how the stores can maximize efficiency.

Ryan Freed, director of the KCC’s energy division, says the audit information goes into recommendations about what energy improvements a store can make, and how long it would take them to pay off.

Freed told The Topeka Capital-Journal the stores getting the energy audits aren’t required to adopt any of the recommendations.

Mark Balocca, one of three owners of the Perry Lecompton Thriftway, says they applied to be one of the audited stores at the suggestion of their bank.

Balocca says the results will give them evidence to show their bank if investing in energy efficiency measures will pay off through lower utility bills.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration and its opponents are renewing the Supreme Court battle over President Barack Obama’s health care law.

This time, it’s a case that pits the religious rights of employers against the rights of women to the birth control of their choice.

Two years ago, the entire law survived the justices’ review by a single vote.

Now the court is hearing arguments Tuesday in a religion-based challenge from family-owned companies that object to covering certain contraceptives in their health plans as part of the law’s preventive care requirement.

Health plans must offer a range of services at no charge beyond employees’ insurance premiums. That includes all forms of birth control for women that have been approved by federal regulators.

Kansas City, Mo–One child is dead and another has been hospitalized following a Saturday evening accident in Kansas City.
Police say a nine year old died as a result of head injuries.

A 6 year old was transported to Children’s Mercy.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash. They say a van driver hit two children who were riding skateboards.
The driver, according to police, has been cooperating with the investigation.

More details will be reported as they become available.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri House Republican leaders are vowing to consider legislation known to supporters as “right to work” when lawmakers return from their weeklong break.

The bill that would prohibit labor contracts from requiring that all employees pay union fees was the first measure considered by a House committee this year and was named a top priority by the Republican speaker.

The House’s discussion on right to work could come as union members opposed to the legislation rally Wednesday at the state capitol.

MIAMI (AP) — With the promise of affordable health insurance under President Barack Obama’s law, many Americans with serious illnesses are finding relatively low monthly premiums and, in many cases, access to insurance for the first time.

But some have been shocked at how much their prescriptions are costing as insurers are creating complex drug tiers and in some cases charging co-insurance rates as high as 50 percent, leaving patients on the hook for thousands.

Avalere Health, a market research and consulting firm, estimates some consumers will pay 50 percent of the cost of their specialty drugs — that compares to about 30 percent in the private market.