Wire
Celtics beat Pistons 88-79
BOSTON (AP) -- The Boston Celtics think they might be reaping the dividends of a couple of grueling series early in the NBA playoffs. The Celtics started fast Tuesday night against the sluggish Pistons and won 88-79 to take a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals against a team that waited six days for the series to begin. "Whenever you play so many games in the playoffs, you learn a lot about yourselves," said Paul Pierce, who had 22 poi...
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Owner: Rams aren't moving
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- One of the new owners of the Rams says he has been approached by "several people" about selling the team and there is "every intention" of keeping the NFL franchise in St. Louis. Chip Rosenbloom issued a statement Tuesday, denying a report by Yahoo Sports that the team was on the market and being shopped for up to $900 million, with a sale raising the possibility of a return to Los Angeles. The story quoted former 49ers owne...
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Panel delays casino application vote
TOPEKA (AP) -- After two days of listening to 11 developers pitch their competing casino projects, the Kansas Lottery Commission postponed voting until next week on the which contracts to endorse because signed agreements haven't been reached. At the urging of the Lottery staff, the commission said Tuesday it would meet May 27 -- the deadline for signing contracts with those wanting to manage the state-owned and state-operated casinos in Wyan...
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NEW YORK (AP) -- Spot nonferrous metal prices today
NEW YORK (AP) -- Spot nonferrous metal prices today. Aluminum -$1.350 per lb., London Metal Exch. today. Copper -$3.8480 Cathode full plate, U.S. destinations. Copper $3.7905 N.Y. Merc spot Tue. Lead - $2110.00 metric ton, London Metal Exch. Zinc - $1.0438 per lb., delivered. Gold - $923.00 Handy & Harman (only daily quote). Gold - $919.50 troy oz., NY Merc spot Mon. Silver - $17.900 Handy & Harman (only daily quote). Silver - $17.671 troy oz...
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Merck pays state $1.2 million in settlement share
TOPEKA (AP) -- Kansas is receiving $1.2 million from a multistate settlement with the manufacturer of the painkiller Vioxx, and the attorney general's office plans to use the money for consumer protection programs. Attorney General Steve Six announced Tuesday that his office had filed a judgment in Shawnee County District Court to claim the state's share. Kansas, 28 other states and the District of Columbia had been investigating Merck & Co. ...
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Mennonite church opens doors for Hispanic faithful
NEWTON (AP) -- The two-story white house at 510 S.E. Second in Newton looks like any other family home on the block, but a different kind family has made this house a home -- a religious family. A new Hispanic Mennonite church has been planted in Newton and is meeting in the house, which is owned by the First Mennonite Church, which is located across the block. The church is the only Mennonite service in Spanish offered in the state, accordin...
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Evidence analyst determined to find truth
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Whether searching for the truth or standing up for what she believes to be right, Jenny Smith does not back down. In her work at the Highway Patrol crime lab as a trace evidence analyst, Smith said she is "determined to get at the truth of it, so some good can come from it, some resolution for somebody." And in her community service with historic preservation organizations, Smith analyzes the situation and promo...
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NFL owners opt out of labor agreement
ATLANTA (AP) -- The NFL owners voted unanimously today to end their agreement with the players' union in 2011, two years before the deal was to expire. The league, however, emphasized that it will keep negotiating with the NFL Players Association and said games will be played "without threat of interruption for at least the next three seasons." The owners had until Nov. 8 to opt out of the agreement, a provision written into the deal when it ...
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Defense claims feds took over Kansas medical board
WICHITA (AP) -- Prosecutors "commandeered" the Kansas Board of Healing Arts, improperly asserting federal authority over the regulation of medicine in their prosecution of a Kansas doctor charged with illegally prescribing narcotic painkillers, his defense attorneys said. Court documents filed in the criminal case against Dr. Stephen Schneider and his wife, Linda, contend their prosecution is an abuse of the federal criminal process and an af...
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Boyda now supports GI Bill reform
TOPEKA (AP) -- A former Marine with two tours in Iraq and one to Liberia is hoping the Senate follows the House's lead on reforming the GI Bill. Dan Parker, who spent five years in the Marines, is now attending the University of Kansas on the GI Bill. He said Monday that the additional funding proposed in a bill passed by the House last week would encourage more veterans to go to college and complete their degrees. He said the Senate should p...
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New opportunities for future medical assistants
SALINA (AP) -- When Melissa Franklin graduates from Salina Area Technical School's new medical assistant program in a few weeks, she'll have the mix of skills that will allow her to shift between, say, starting an IV, and handling the filing and billing. Or, as program director Jane Peterson puts it, "they learn both clinical and clerical." "I've always been interested in the medical field, and this is a growing need," said Franklin, who said...
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Kansas superdelegate gives support to Obama
TOPEKA (AP) -- Kansas Democratic Party Chairman Larry Gates on Monday endorsed Barack Obama's bid for the party's presidential nomination. Gates, one of Kansas' superdelegates to the Democratic National Convention, said he was backing Obama for his ability to win in Republican-dominated states and "his positive campaign." Obama defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton in February's Kansas caucuses. "Senator Obama inspired record numbers of voters to t...
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Hopes to auction Bob's collectibles
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A foot-high cowboy hat from the movie "Paleface." An autographed photo of Lucille Ball with some teeth blackened out. A money clip from Jack Benny. These were a few of Bob Hope's favorite things. Nearly 800 items of Hope history, from foolishness to fine art, will be sold to fans and dealers alike at a mid-October charity auction in Los Angeles commissioned by the family of the famed comedian, who died in 2003 at age 100. ...
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City OKs coyote trapping LEAWOOD -- A Kansas City suburb has unanimously approved a measure that legalizes coyote trapping
City OKs coyote trapping LEAWOOD -- A Kansas City suburb has unanimously approved a measure that legalizes coyote trapping. The vote Monday night was a response to coyote attacks on pets in Leawood. The ordinance allows the city to trap coyotes on public property only and requires homeowners' associations to obtain permits to trap the animals on private land. The National Humane Society objected to trapping as inhumane and ineffective, and su...
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Netflix introduces its new TV box
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Preparing for the eventual extinction of its DVD-by-mail rental service, Netflix Inc. today is introducing its first solution for subscribers who want entertainment delivered directly to their television sets with just a few clicks on a remote control. The breakthrough comes in the form of 5-inch-by-5-inch device tailored for a year-old service that uses high-speed Internet connections to stream more than 10,000 movies...
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Construction blast injures 14 SAN DIEGO -- Leaking natural gas caused an explosion that injured 14 construction workers and damaged four floors of an unfinished 30-story hotel, authorities said today
Construction blast injures 14 SAN DIEGO -- Leaking natural gas caused an explosion that injured 14 construction workers and damaged four floors of an unfinished 30-story hotel, authorities said today. The blast at the bayside Hilton Monday afternoon was an apparent accident, caused by a gas leak in a fifth-floor utility room, said San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesman Maurice Luque. Investigators had not determined what ignited the gas. "We're ...
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New project teaches Sedalia Middle School students about the great outdoors
SEDALIA, Mo. (AP) -- What kinds of insects live in the wetlands? Are they the same as the ones living in the prairie? Does temperature affect their numbers? Students in Patti Hegger's science classes at Sedalia Middle School answered those questions and more inside and outside the classroom, and the results of their long-term science project have garnered interest from teachers and groups around the country. Hegger started the outdoor project...
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Golden retriever is doing well after intense physical therapy sessions
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) -- Molly the golden retriever doesn't want to balance the Milk Bone dog treat on her nose. She'd rather eat it. "Wait, wait, wait," Molly's owner, Deb Wenzel, coaxes her 7-year-old furry companion. And Molly, all golden fur so soft you just want to sink your hand into it and pet her forever, truly tries to wait. She sits as asked, her tail sweeping across the floor in front of the carpeted stairs that lead to the second-s...
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Spurs hold off Hornets, advance to West finals
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A title defense endures for the playoff-savvy San Antonio Spurs. Manu Ginobili scored 26 points, hitting four free throws in the final minute Monday night, sending the Spurs to the Western Conference finals with a 91-82 victory over the New Orleans Hornets in Game 7 of their second-round series. Tony Parker added 17 points, including a crucial jumper in the final minute, as the Spurs held off a late rally to become the fir...
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U.N. keeps pressure on Myanmar YANGON, Myanmar -- The U
U.N. keeps pressure on Myanmar YANGON, Myanmar -- The U.N.'s top humanitarian official made fresh pleas to Myanmar's military government today to allow in more foreign aid for cyclone survivors, as the country began three days of mourning for the 134,000 dead and missing. Flags at government offices, schools and large hotels in Myanmar were lowered to half-staff. But shops were open as usual and many people in Yangon said they had little idea...
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