Kansas State gets patent for type of stem cells

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) -- Kansas State University has been issued a patent for a type of stem cells obtained from a substance in the umbilical cord.

And the good news for the researchers is that the procedure isn't controversial.

The university says in a news release that the patent addresses procedures to isolate, culture and bank stem cells from something called Wharton's jelly. It's a substance in the umbilical cord that cushions blood cells.

Professor of animal sciences and industry Duane Davis says that conservatively the jelly contains well over a million stem cells.

Kansas State researchers have explored numerous uses for the stem cells, including using them to repair the nervous system.

Another professor, Deryl Troyer, says they are "an excellent weapon" in cancer therapy.

------ Panel to hear Kansas casino plans

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Three companies hoping to develop a state-owned casino south of Wichita are going before the Kansas Lottery Commission to outline their proposals.

The commission was scheduled to hear presentations Wednesday afternoon from Peninsula Gaming Partners, Global Gaming Kansas and Harrah's Sumner Investment Co.

The applicants are seeking the contract to build and manage a state-owned casino in Sumner County, in the south-central part of Kansas.

After hearing the proposals, the Lottery Commission will make a decision to forward them to a review board that will award a management contract to the winning project.

Kansas has one casino in operation in Dodge City with a second under construction near Kansas Speedway in Wyandotte County.

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------ Hermine's remnants head north after storm weakens

RAYMONDVILLE, Texas (AP) -- It's power spent, what was left of Tropical Storm Hermine was making its way north Wednesday, having drenched parts of northeastern Mexico and south Texas before weakening.

Remnants of the storm that was downgraded to a tropical depression Tuesday night could spread as far north as Oklahoma and Kansas in the coming days.

The storm brought winds gusting to about 70 mph and downpours to Texas but left only minor scrapes in the storm-weary Rio Grande Valley, which is proving resilient this hurricane season after taking a third tropical system on the chin.

The storm struck the flood-prone valley just after the cleanup finished from Hurricane Alex at the start of the summer and an unnamed tropical depression in July. Only last week had Hidalgo County on the U.S.-Mexico border stowed its last water pump.

But Hermine's remnants were expected to cover more of the U.S. than Alex, which swiped Texas in June as a Category 1 storm before plunging southwest and breaking up over Mexico.

"This is going to be much more of a memorable storm than Alex," National Weather Service meteorologist Joseph Tomaselli said.

------ Kansas man charged with murdering burned teen

GREAT BEND, Kan. (AP) -- A 36-year-old factory worker who spent much of his adult life in prison was charged Tuesday with sexually assaulting and murdering a 14-year-old girl whose badly burned body was found behind gravel piles at the asphalt plant where he worked.

Adam Joseph Longoria was charged with capital murder, criminal sodomy, vehicular theft and vehicular burglary and in the August death of Alicia DeBolt. He could be sentenced to death if convicted of the murder charge, but prosecutors said they hadn't decided whether to seek such a sentence.

During Tuesday's hearing in Barton County Court, Longoria stood with his fists leaning on the table in front of him and stared frequently at Alicia's family. Asked by the judge if he understood the charges, Longoria looked away from the judge and said, "Yeah."

Alicia, who would have been a freshman at Great Bend High School this year, disappeared after leaving home on Aug. 21 to go to a party. Her family reported her missing the next day, leading to an intense search until her body was found Aug. 24 behind gravel piles at an asphalt plant in the city where Longoria, also known as "Rocco," worked. The city is home to about 15,000 people and in the middle of the state.

Authorities on Tuesday again refused to say how Alicia was killed, and State Attorney General Steve Six said this was because of the high-profile nature of the case. He described some of the chatter on Internet message boards about the girl's killing "horrific" and misleading.

Six said he doesn't anticipate charging anybody else in Alicia's slaying.

------ Association to study how Kansas schools are funded

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- School board leaders in Kansas said Tuesday they've started studying how the state doles out education money amid growing talk of changing the formula for distributing billions of dollars to public schools.

The Kansas Association of School Boards said in a statement that it appointed a committee made up of board members and superintendents to look at education funding. The funding consumes more than 50 percent of the state budget, which totals $13.7 billion this fiscal year. The group held its first meeting last week.

The discussions are taking place against the backdrop of an expected lawsuit against Kansas officials by a coalition of more than 70 school districts over funding issues. The coalition, Schools for Fair Funding, said in June it would file the lawsuit in October.

The Republican nominee for governor, state Sen. Sam Brownback, also has drummed up debate by suggesting that the finance formula be rewritten to reflect current education needs and to avert further legal challenges.

The last significant school finance formula revision happened in the early 1990s. Faced with litigation from mid-sized school districts, legislators scrapped the formula that put the funding burden on local districts and shifted it to the state.

But in 2006, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that the system was out of whack and needed fixed. Legislators responded by increasing school funding by $1 billion over four years.

------ Kan. health officials prep for upcoming flu season

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- As the cold and flu season approaches, the top health official in Kansas is urging all residents to get a flu shot to fight off another outbreak of the H1N1 virus.

Dr. Jason Eberhart-Phillips, state health officer for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said the agency is following federal recommendations by urging all Kansas residents to get vaccinated, not just those with chronic or diminished health conditions.

"The guidance has been expanding every year," Eberhart-Phillips said. "There's going to be enough, so protect yourself, protect the ones around you."

KDHE is also making a push to get all health care workers vaccinated to help prevent the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, from spreading. Eberhart-Phillips said a new study shows that despite 12,000 deaths in the U.S. related to H1N1, only 37 percent of the nation's health care professionals said they got the vaccination.

He said the new KDHE campaign also will encourage residents to ask their physicians and nurses if they got a flu shot.

"It's a little edgy," Eberhart-Phillips said. "This is a critical patient-safety issue, a matter that goes to the heart of every health care professional's obligation to do no harm."

------ Embattled Kansas AD Perkins retires

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -- Embattled Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins retired 12 months early Tuesday, following a year of controversy and embarrassment for both himself and the school.

Perkins, 65, said in June that he would retire in September 2011. Instead, he and chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little announced he was leaving immediately and didn't make themselves available to reporters to explain why.

"There is no question that Kansas athletics has benefited from Lew Perkins' leadership," said Gray-Little. "One need only look at the academic success of our student-athletes, at KU's trophy cases and at our state-of-the art athletic facilities to see those benefits. I appreciate his service and understand his decision."

Senior associate athletics director Sean Lester, who came in with Perkins in 2003, was named interim athletic director. A spokesman, Jack Martin, told The Associated Press the chancellor hoped to have a replacement by the middle of the spring semester and would appoint a five- or six-person search committee.

"I am grateful that Chancellor (Robert) Hemenway allowed Gwen and me to come to Lawrence to be part of the great university," Perkins said in the statement. "We love this community. We consider it home. This decision will give us a chance to stay involved in the community in different ways. It will also allow me to explore other professional opportunities."

Leaving a year ahead of schedule will not cost Perkins any money. The school said he will still get the approximately $2 million package he would have received by staying until September 2011.

------ Fort Campbell officer killed in Afghanistan

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) -- An officer with an explosive ordnance disposal unit from Fort Campbell has died from wounds suffered when his unit was attacked with indirect fire in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

The military said 35-year-old Capt. Jason T. McMahon, of Mulvane, Kan., died Sunday in Bagram. He was an ordnance officer commanding the 744th Explosive Ordnance Company, 184th Ordnance Battalion, 52nd Ordnance Group.

He joined the Army in November 1996, gained his commission in 2006 and arrived at Fort Campbell in September 2008.

McMahon is survived by his wife, Jennifer L. McMahon, and his daughters, Trinity B., McKenzie J., and Azlyn J. McMahon, all of Dover, Tenn.; father, Ronald McMahon; and mother, Sherry McMahon, both of Mulvane, Kan.