The supervisor is Margaret Stafford, followed at 1 p.m. by Dana Fields. They can be reached in the Kansas City bureau at 800-852-4844 or 816-421-4844. AP stories, along with photos that accompany them, can be obtained from http://www.apexchange.com. Reruns are available from the Service Desk (800-838-4616) or through the Kansas City bureau.
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STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
TOPEKA — State Board of Education candidates acknowledge they can’t escape questions about how Kansas public schools should teach evolution. Educators expect the board to consider new science standards next year. Kansas is working with 25 other states and the National Research Council on proposed common guidelines, and a draft made public in May described evolution as a well-founded, core scientific concept. By Political Writer John Hanna.
AP Photos RPJH101, RPJH102.
WICHITA-GUNS
WICHITA — A group of Wichita city officials and business owners is hoping to reverse a city ordinance that lets people openly carry firearms without a permit. The law went into effect Thursday after city officials determined Wichita’s ordinance prohibiting open display of a loaded firearm conflicted with state law. The City Council approved the new measure earlier this month after Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said the city couldn’t ban open carry. Council members say the 2007 state gun law tied their hands.
SHERIFF’S ELECTION-JUDGE
AUGUSTA — A Kansas judge has caused a stir by doing something millions of people do every day — “liking” a post on a Facebook page. Butler County District Judge Jan Satterfield was among a few dozen people who clicked the “like” button several weeks ago on a Facebook post by the campaign of Sheriff Kelly Herzet. The post read, “Soooooo . I was thinking that we could get to 200 likes by 6/18. That’s only 88 more. Wouldn’t that be cool?”
KANSAS-DRY WETLANDS
WICHITA — Two of Kansas’ premier wetlands are in danger of drying up, and wildlife officials say that could be devastating for waterfowl hunters and wildlife watchers down the road. On the bright side, managers at Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge say the dry conditions give them access to the areas they don’t usually have when water is plentiful.
MISSOURI RIVER-RESERVES
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The same reservoirs in northern states that were blamed for last year’s flooding on the Missouri River are now giving the river a boost during a severe drought. With the help of water from reservoirs in North Dakota and Montana, the Missouri River hasn’t lost its depth beyond a one-foot drop in some places downstream from Kansas City. The Mississippi River on the east side of the state, and waterways in Kansas and Nebraska, aren’t so fortunate.
ALSO:
— WALMART THREATS — Three Walmart stores in Kansas were temporarily closed after someone phoned in bomb threats, two days after at least eight false threats were called in to stores in Missouri.
— HUTCHINSON-WIND DAMAGE — Western Energy says at least 500 homes in Hutchinson were without power after an apparent microburst from a storm that dropped about an inch of rain in some areas.
— UTILITY WORKER-THREAT — A suburban Kansas City man could face criminal charges after using a baseball bat to threaten a utility worker who was preparing to cut off his electricity.
The AP-Kansas City
