TOPEKA (AP) — Starting next year, Kansas will no longer have the nation’s lowest minimum wage.

LAWRENCE (AP) — A mishap in a dental office has raised questions about the inspections of medical gas systems by private contractors.

GREENSBURG (AP) — The effort to rebuild tornado-ravaged Greensburg as a “green” community will include a wind farm that could power the entire south-central Kansas town.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kathleen Sebelius won Senate committee approval as health secretary over Republican opposition Tuesday, putting her on track for a final Senate vote in coming days.

WICHITA (AP) — Lawyers are debating whether a Kansas Supreme Court ruling that led to a convicted murderer getting off death row could undermine three other death penalty cases.

MCCUNE (AP) — Kevin Schenker and his wife, Cherie Thomas-Schenker, bought their farm on April Fools’ Day 2008.

WICHITA (AP) — A magistrate judge in Wichita has determined there’s enough evidence for prosecutors to charge a Dodge City woman with threatening an Arizona federal prosecutor.

EMPORIA (AP) — A re-count has confirmed that an Emporia smoking ban ordinance has passed.

John Hanna

Erica Werner

COFFEYVILLE (AP) — Police are looking for suspects in the drive-by shooting death of a man in Coffeyville.

Roxana Hegeman

John Hanna

SALINA (AP) — With a tougher smoking ban slate to go into effect next month, local business owners depending on smokers to frequent their establishments continue to worry.

Bob Johnson

Bob Johnson

HUTCHINSON (AP) — Even before New York financier Bernard Madoff went to jail last week for operating a $65 billion Ponzi scheme, he had affected the lives of Kansas inmates.

WICHITA (AP) — Two 10-year-old gorillas at the Sedgwick County Zoo passed their heart exams with flying colors.

TOPEKA (AP) — A Senate committee has endorsed Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ plan to use federal stimulus dollars to prevent cuts in aid to public schools.

Roxana Hegeman

WICHITA (AP) — She remembers when everyone around her spoke the language of the Wichita.

TOPEKA (AP) — A Senate committee wants to give the inspector general for the Medicaid program a new home to improve oversight of the program, but members couldn’t agree Thursday on where it should be.

Christopher S. Rugaber

John Milburn

TOPEKA (AP) — The Kansas Department of Labor reports that the state’s unemployment rate in January was the worst in more than 25 years.

Oliver Schmale

WICHITA (AP) — Kansas drilling rigs that once could not punch holes fast enough when oil prices hit record highs less than a year ago are now sitting idle, their crews laid off. Tax revenues in oil-rich counties are plummeting. Marginal wells are shutting down.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. fighter pilot lost nearly 20 years ago in the Persian Gulf War will continue to be listed as missing in action, the Navy announced Tuesday, although the Pentagon no longer suspects that he was captured by Iraqi forces.

TOPEKA (AP) — As Gov. Kathleen Sebelius waits to become U.S. secretary of health and human services, some Kansas officials are debating whether state oversight of its Medicaid program is strong enough.

TOPEKA (AP) — The chief executive officer of the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will become the Kansas Republican Party’s new executive director.

Umbarger

HAYS (AP) — Authorities are investigating reports of at least five cattle being shot in Ellis County in western Kansas, including three that have died.

WICHITA (AP) — A company suing Kansas over its rejection of two coal-fired plants is asking a federal judge to allow it to take a deposition from Gov. Kathleen Sebelius before she is confirmed as health and human services secretary.

SALINA (AP) — Police are looking for a thief who stole a badge and other items from the car of an assistant Saline County attorney.

Philadelphia-based company purchased property with hopes of landing new munitions contract

John Hanna

Bill Draper

Local legislators supportive

LE LOUP (AP) — Eric Harris loved to drive the countryside when it was raining.

Judge refuses to throw out abortion case

TOPEKA (AP) — Gov. Kathleen Sebelius says an energy bill before the House is dead on arrival if it reaches her desk.

LAWRENCE (AP) — Birds — mostly robins by the thousands — are making a daily evening trek to extreme western Lawrence where they roost in cedar trees for the night.

John Milburn

ESBON (AP) — The state has shut down a northern Kansas treatment center for troubled adolescents after inspectors found emergency exit doors locked on three occasions.

WICHITA (AP) — Attorneys for abortion doctor George Tiller claim patient files and other abortion documents were mailed to former prosecutor Phill Kline’s new address in Lynchburg, Va.

TOPEKA (AP) — Attorney General Steve Six says the idea of abolishing the Kansas death penalty because it would save the state money is flawed.

TOPEKA (AP) — Democratic Sen. Chris Steineger says he’s thinking about running for governor next year.

TOPEKA (AP) — Sen. Chris Steineger wants to cut the size of the Legislature by 45 people, but he doesn’t have much support among colleagues.

WINFIELD (AP) — A jury deciding the fate of a Kansas man convicted of killing a 19-year-old student will resume deliberations Tuesday.

Top Republicans refused to borrow millions from other state accounts to cover bills