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State officials worry about fuel scams
By The Associated Press TOPEKA -- The state has stepped up its oversight of gas pumps because two officials worry that high prices could tempt merchants to dilute their fuel or tamper with pump meters. Attorney General Steve Six and Agriculture Secretary Adrian Polansky said Monday that consumers should be vigilant. They promised during a news conference that they will aggressively investigate complaints. The Department of Agriculture inspect...
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Hall inducts Statler Brothers
STAUNTON, Va. (AP) -- Brothers Harold and Don Reid of the country and gospel group the Statler Brothers are coming clean about which career award meant the most. "This one has knocked us on our behinds," Don Reid told The Associated Press about the group's induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. "The Hall of Fame is the capper to a career that we are proud of." Harold Reid says the honor, to be bestowed Sunday in Nashville, makes their...
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Plains storms kill two OMAHA, Neb
Plains storms kill two OMAHA, Neb. -- Severe storms with strong winds swept through the Plains on Friday, forcing swimmers practicing for U.S. Olympic trials in Omaha to flee pools and run for cover, killing two people in Iowa, and knocking out power to thousands. Officials at the Qwest Center near downtown Omaha closed the building to examine it after superstar swimmer Michael Phelps and hundreds of other athletes were herded into hallways b...
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Zheng upsets No. 1 Ivanovic at Wimbledon
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- They're still counting casualties back home, and so when Zheng Jie completed the biggest victory of her career Friday at Wimbledon, she resisted any temptation to leap or squeal or pump her fist or collapse to the grass in glee. Instead she merely cracked a slight smile, hoping her family, friends and fans in China could do the same. The 133rd-ranked Zheng beat new No. 1 Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 6-4. It was the latest i...
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Judge gives ailing doctor no reprieve
WICHITA (AP) -- A federal judge was unmoved by pleas Friday to delay the imprisonment of a hospitalized Oklahoma doctor who was convicted in an Internet pharmacy case of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute prescription drugs. U.S. District Judge Wesley Brown denied Dr. Wilbur Hilst's request for a second medical extension of his prison reporting date, now scheduled for Monday. The 76-year-old retired Oklahoma doctor was hospitalized after a p...
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Justices censure district judge TOPEKA -- The Kansas Supreme Court public censured a Sedgwick County district judge on Friday for losing her temper during a 2004 trial
Justices censure district judge TOPEKA -- The Kansas Supreme Court public censured a Sedgwick County district judge on Friday for losing her temper during a 2004 trial. The justices censured Judge Rebecca L. Pilshaw, following the recommendation of the state's Commission on Judicial Qualifications. They noted that the purpose of judicial discipline was to maintain the "honor and dignity of the judiciary." According to Friday's ruling: One pro...
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Concert honors Mandela LONDON -- Will Smith charmed the crowd, Amy Winehouse wowed them just by showing up -- but Nelson Mandela proved to be the biggest star of all at a concert Friday in honor of the South African statesman's 90th birthday
Concert honors Mandela LONDON -- Will Smith charmed the crowd, Amy Winehouse wowed them just by showing up -- but Nelson Mandela proved to be the biggest star of all at a concert Friday in honor of the South African statesman's 90th birthday. Acts including Queen, Razorlight, Leona Lewis and a host of African stars joined more than 40,000 music fans for the outdoor show in London's Hyde Park, hosted by movie star Smith and held to mark Mandel...
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Ridin'theStormOut
EDINA, Minn. (AP) -- Angela Park was atop the leaderboard, and Lorena Ochoa was on the golf course trying to change her fortunes when the crack of thunder chased thousands of fans to the exit gates Friday afternoon at the U.S. Women's Open. Just like last year. Park gave herself another chance at the biggest event in women's golf, combining a smooth putting stroke with one of the prettiest swings on the LPGA Tour for a 6-under 67 and the club...
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Roddick, Sharapova bounced
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- It's not often that a professional tennis player will admit he choked. Andy Roddick, though, pulled no punches after his early exit from Wimbledon. "Any chance I got I pretty much choked it," the two-time finalist said after blowing all eight break-point chances in a 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (4) loss to Janko Tipsarevic in the second round. "That's tough to deal with. It's not an easy thing to say but it's pretty much...
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Rose,Beasleygo1-2 indraft that includesstunningdeals
NEW YORK (AP) -- Minutes after the NBA draft started, Derrick Rose learned he was headed home. Long after it ended, O.J. Mayo and Kevin Love were on the move. A night that began with the expected pick ended with a stunning trade, which had two top-five selections changing teams as part of an eight-player deal between Minnesota and Memphis. The Timberwolves dealt the rights to Mayo, the No. 3 pick, to the Grizzlies for Love, taken two spots la...
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Town relies on sandbags WINFIELD, Mo
Town relies on sandbags WINFIELD, Mo. -- The levee was lost today at this eastern Missouri town, but emergency workers still hoped to save about 100 homes. The breach at about 5 a.m. at the Pin Oak levee at a spot just south of Winfield slowly began to flood about 3,000 acres. Army Corps of Engineers dam safety chief Travis Tutka said muskrat holes caused the breach. The break happened far enough away from the residential area that the water ...
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Olatheshootingleaves man dead OLATHE -- One man has been shot to death and another person is recovering from a gunshot wound after a disturbance in the parking lot of an Olathe apartment complex
Olatheshootingleaves man dead OLATHE -- One man has been shot to death and another person is recovering from a gunshot wound after a disturbance in the parking lot of an Olathe apartment complex. Police said officers arrived at the crime scene at 1:35 a.m. today to find a man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was treated there and rushed to a hospital where he later died. An officer located one of two cars that witnesses said left the scene,...
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N. Korea destroys reactor tower YONGBYON, North Korea -- North Korea destroyed the most visible symbol of its nuclear weapons program today, blasting apart the cooling tower at its main atomic reactor in a sign of its commitment to stop making plutonium for atomic bombs
N. Korea destroys reactor tower YONGBYON, North Korea -- North Korea destroyed the most visible symbol of its nuclear weapons program today, blasting apart the cooling tower at its main atomic reactor in a sign of its commitment to stop making plutonium for atomic bombs. An explosion at the base of the cylindrical structure sent the tower collapsing into debris and dust that billowed into blue skies at 5:10 p.m. local time as journalists a...
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Diocese stops gay pride service
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has told a liberal Roman Catholic church in Minneapolis that it can't hold its annual gay pride prayer service because the event goes against the teachings of the church. St. Joan of Arc Church has held the prayer service for several years in conjunction with the annual Twin Cities Pride Celebration. The archdiocese, however, suggested that the church hold a "peace" service with ...
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NEW YORK (AP) -- Spot nonferrous metal prices today
NEW YORK (AP) -- Spot nonferrous metal prices today. Aluminum -$1.4080 per lb., N.Y. Merc spot Thu. Copper -$3.8835 Cathode full plate, U.S. destinations. Copper $3.8235 N.Y. Merc spot Thu. Lead - $1800.00 metric ton, London Metal Exch. Zinc - $0.8849 per lb., delivered. Gold - $919.50 Handy & Harman (only daily quote). Gold - $913.10 troy oz., NY Merc spot Thu. Silver - $17.530 Handy & Harman (only daily quote). Silver - $1...
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Venus struggles to victory at Wimbledon
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- After a marathon first set, defending champion Venus Williams overcame another erratic performance this morning and pulled away to beat Britain's Anne Keothavong 7-5, 6-2 and reach the third round of Wimbledon. The first set alone lasted 1 hour, 9 minutes as Williams struggled to take command against a determined 92nd-ranked player who came into the tournament with only one win at Wimbledon in seven attempts. Wil...
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Rain threatens Missouri town WINFIELD, Mo
Rain threatens Missouri town WINFIELD, Mo. -- Severe thunderstorms rattled northern Missouri early today, threatening to add even more rain to the swollen Mississippi River and complicate efforts to keep the river from engulfing this community. Even before the latest storms, crews had long labored to strengthen the earthen levee at Winfield from dirt slides and spots where water soaks up through the sandy soil. Lincoln County authorities on W...
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Fab four set for draft
NEW YORK (AP) -- Go first, and go home to Chicago. Fall to No. 2, and land in the Miami backcourt alongside Dwyane Wade. Either one sounds good to Derrick Rose. "I'm in like a win-win situation," Rose said Wednesday. So are his hometown Bulls. Chicago has the No. 1 pick in today's NBA draft and can choose between Rose, the point guard from Memphis, and Michael Beasley, the power forward who put up huge numbers in his one season at Kansas Stat...
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Wal-Mart pulls 2009 convention from K.C.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is planning to move its annual national managers meeting from Kansas City, taking away the city's largest annual convention. The retail giant told city officials Tuesday that it was backing out of an informal promise to hold the meeting in Kansas City through 2012. Scheduled for two weeks in January, the meeting was expected to attract 8,000 people and generate almost $8 million in revenue for the...
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Man gets life sentence in death of teen
WICHITA (AP) -- A 51-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday to life without parole for killing a pregnant 14-year-old girl. A jury in May convicted Ted Burnett of aggravated kidnapping and capital murder in the strangulation of Chelsea Brooks in 2006. Brooks was nine months pregnant when the father of the baby allegedly paid Burnett $500 to have her killed. Brooks' family members, including her mother, father and sister, addressed the court Wed...
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