AP Top Kansas News at 5:45 a.m. CDT

Friday, July 3, 2009

Lab slated for Kansas still needs fed. permission

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Kansas state officials have agreed to give the Homeland Security Department land for a national lab to research deadly germs, but the Justice Department noted Thursday that the agency still needs permission and money from Congress to build the facility.

The Homeland Security Department has said it hopes to award a contract in September for the massive lab where foot-and-mouth and other diseases will be studied. The Kansas Board of Regents approved an agreement last week to give up to 48.4 acres to the department. The agreement says the land would be given under a deed that requires it be returned if not used for the lab.

However, Justice Department attorney Arlene Groner said at a Thursday court hearing that Congress has not authorized the lab or provided money for it.

The court hearing came in a lawsuit filed by the Texas Bio and Agro-Defense Consortium against the Homeland Security Department. The suit alleges the Kansas site was improperly chosen.

Federal Court Claims Judge Mary Ellen Coster Williams questioned whether the lawsuit was filed too soon because the lab might never materialize. She indicated she might dismiss the suit without a decision because "there's a whole lot of contingencies that could wipe out Kansas" as the site for the lab.

Groner assured the judge that the Homeland Security Department's choice of Manhattan, Kan., for the lab is final and argued the decision could not be reviewed by any court.

------ Army using Wiki to update field manuals

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Authors of Army doctrine and field manuals are launching a pilot project to collect reaction from soldiers and officers on a Wiki site.

The goal is to make the manuals living, breathing documents and not let them become stale. It's also a chance for soldiers and officers who have suggestions for improving the Army's tactics, techniques and procedures to weigh in on the revision process.

Clint Anker, director of the Army's Combined Arms Directorate at Fort Leavenworth, says the 90-day pilot program will take comments regarding seven manuals. Eventually, there could be as many as 250 manuals online available for comment.

Commanders have been saying that the Army isn't staying up to speed with what's happening in the field, Anker said, something Gen. Martin Dempsey, head of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command, recognized and led to authorizing the pilot program earlier this spring.

"We hope that they take ownership of this," Anker said.

Anker said it will be interesting to see how many soldiers participate in the program and how the comments are received.

------ Kan. governor cuts school aid amid budget changes

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Gov. Mark Parkinson imposed another round of spending cuts Thursday to keep Kansas' budget balanced, trimming aid to public schools and higher education funding.

A few of the $160 million in adjustments announced by the Democratic governor will require approval from the Republican-controlled Legislature when it reconvenes in January. But most -- including education reductions -- take effect immediately under a state law that allows the governor to make cuts to head off a budget shortfall.

Some prominent Republican lawmakers questioned whether Parkinson went far enough, but one GOP leader described the governor's actions as prudent.

A deficit loomed on the second day of the state's 2010 fiscal year because tax collections for the just-ended fiscal year were $126 million short of expectations. The state already sought to cope by delaying tax refunds and payments to school districts from June into July.

But paying the delayed bills -- and others due in coming weeks -- also will require internal borrowing. Parkinson plans to ask legislative leaders Monday for permission to transfer $700 million from various funds into the state's main bank account to forestall cash crunches in coming months.

He didn't rule out the possibility that the state's revenues will continue to fall below expectations, requiring even more budget cuts -- or even consideration of tax increases next year.

------ YRC, Teamsters end abbreviated week of talks

NEW YORK (AP) -- Trucking company YRC Worldwide Inc. and officials from the Teamsters union have ended their first week of talks, so far unable to reach a deal on more employee concessions that would help the trucker stave off a bankruptcy protection filing that could be looming.

The nearly 40,000 unionized employees of YRC, which runs trucks under names including Yellow and Roadway -- already agreed to take a 10 percent cut in pay earlier this year to hold up the company's battered finances. In exchange for the pay cut, workers got a 15 percent stake in the company.

But the company is asking for more cuts as shipping declines in the weak economy and YRC is forced to make tough decisions to maintain its cash and hold off creditors.

The trucking industry has been hit hard by a sharp falloff in demand as consumers bought less and manufacturing lines slowed. YRC was hit particularly hard, losing customers when it merged its Yellow and Roadway unit operations. The company complained publicly about its hefty pension obligations and sold some of its real estate to pay off debts.

In May, media reports said that YRC would ask for $1 billion in aid from the federal TARP bailout fund, officially known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program. But later the company said it would not apply for a federal bailout, but wanted to spur a conversation with lawmakers about the company's pension liabilities.

A deal with the Teamsters in January included a "snapback" provision that will kill the agreement if the company files for bankruptcy or there is "a material change in ownership." It was not immediately clear if the union will ask for a clause like that in the latest agreement.

------ Audit finds 2 Lottery workers made big overtime

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- A state audit has found that two Kansas Lottery employees made a total of $36,000 in overtime pay in one year.

That was one of several findings in a state audit published Wednesday. Auditors found an executive secretary and administrative specialist at the Topeka lottery office had more than 700 hours of overtime in one year.

Ed Van Petten, executive director of Kansas Lottery, says the high overtime was caused in part by computer software problems, which he says have been fixed.

The audit found the state paid $13.1 million in overtime pay in the 2007-2008 fiscal year.

The Kansas Department of Transportation paid the most overtime during that time -- $4.2 million for the 185,000 hours of extra duty.

------ Nominations for 8 Wonders of Kansas Customs sought

INMAN, Kan. (AP) -- Nominations are being sought for the "8 Wonders of Kansas Customs."

It's the latest contest by the Kansas Sampler Foundation, an organization that educates people about the state.

The group is calling on the public to submit their ideas for what is "uniquely Kansas."

The nominees must be publicly accessible and something that can be seen in a certain place. Annual events are out, but nominees can include events that take place at least once a week for at least 40 weeks a year.

Entries can be things that are known as the world's or state's largest, oldest or first.