 |
Lineup for road projects under stimulus eyed
TOPEKA, KS -- A timetable hasn't been set - yet - for picking which highway projects the state will fund under the federal stimulus bill. Kansas will receive an estimated $350 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for highway projects, which officials said could create 10,000 to 11,000 new jobs in the state. "We are working to develop a list of projects that we will propose to the governor and the lieutenant governor, and we will work together in the election process," said Kansas Department of Transportation spokesman Stan Whitley. "Our recommendations for projects will be based on input gathered during local consultation meetings in 2006 and 2008 and safety, economic and roadway condition factors."
Smoking ban bill advances; Senate OK expected today
TOPEKA, KS -- A bill banning smoking in most public places in Kansas received first-round approval Monday night in the Senate after members rewrote it to exempt private clubs and gambling areas in casinos. This is the third year the Senate has dealt with the issue. If the bill passes today as expected by the Senate leadership, it will go to the House, where many members feel it's an issue best left to local governments to decide. "It's a partial victory. We didn't protect all Kansans, and that was my goal," said Sen. David Wysong, a Mission Republican who has been leading the fight for a statewide smoking ban.
Teen driving bill advances in House
TOPEKA, KS -- Teenage drivers would face new restrictions under a bill that passed out of a House committee Monday and could soon be debated on the chamber's floor. The House Transportation Committee endorsed a compromise proposal crafted by a subcommittee that seeks to institute a graduated driver's license system for teens in Kansas. The action comes at the same time that Kansas officials may be cutting off state aid for driver's education because of state government's $1 billion budget deficit this year.
AP Top U.S. News At 4:27 a.m. EST
Runaway Prius driver: Brakes were 'almost burned'
EL CAJON, Calif. (AP) -- Before he called 911, James Sikes says he reached down with his hand to loosen the "stuck" accelerator on his 2008 Toyota Prius, his other hand on the steering wheel. The pedal didn't move....
Calif. jury recommends death for serial killer
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) -- It was 2005 when Bruce Barcomb received the call he'd been awaiting for nearly three decades: Police had finally identified the man who raped and murdered his little sister in a remote canyon on a dark night in 1977....
Roberts: Scene at State of Union 'very troubling'
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts said Tuesday the scene at President Barack Obama's first State of the Union address was "very troubling" and that the annual speech to Congress has "degenerated into a political pep rally."...
AP Top Sports News At 4:11 a.m. EST
Alex Rodriguez 'at ease' with Canadian doctor
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Yankees star Alex Rodriguez said he is at ease with his ties to a Canadian sports doctor embroiled in cross-border investigations involving HGH and another drug, though he doesn't know when he'll talk to federal authorities about the case....
NASCAR puts Carl Edwards on probation for 3 races
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Sticking with its "boys, have at it" attitude, NASCAR won't force Carl Edwards to miss any races after he deliberately wrecked Brad Keselowski's car last weekend in Atlanta....
No. 12 Butler routs Wright St. 70-45
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- No. 12 Butler insists the real work is just beginning....
