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

Friday, October 16, 2009

Kansas St faces Texas A&M from embarrassing loss

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) -- A week after surrendering 66 points and more than 700 yards to Texas Tech, another high-scoring team from Texas is just about the last thing Kansas State wants to see.

There is, however, no getting around it. Texas A&M will be in Manhattan on Saturday night, averaging 513 yards and 37 points per game.

The fact the Aggies (3-2, 0-1 Big 12) are fresh off a disappointing 36-31 loss to a nationally ranked Oklahoma State is no comfort to the Wildcats (3-3, 1-1). For one thing, the similarities between Texas A&M and Texas Tech are obvious.

"Both defenses get to the ball and on offense they have a quarterback who can run and throw the ball," said running back Keithen Valentine. "If we can do everything that we can do, then we will be all right."

The shellshocked Kansas State defense was overwhelmed by Texas Tech's prodigious offense. In 17-plus seasons, no Bill Snyder-coach Kansas State team had ever surrendered more than 64 points.

But Texas Tech's first-time starter at quarterback, Steven Sheffield, threw for 490 yards and seven TDs, completing passes to 10 different receivers.

------ Okla. St. looks to build on '08 win over Missouri

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -- During the past year, Oklahoma State's football program has become more nationally prominent than at any time since the late 1980s, when Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders were in the Cowboys' backfield.

No. 16 Oklahoma State (4-1, 1-0 Big 12) has become a fixture in the rankings -- making a foray into the top 10 last year and starting at No. 9 this year -- appeared on the covers of national magazines and played in a handful of marquee games.

The added attention started after the Cowboys upset then-No. 3 Missouri 28-23 last Oct. 11 in Columbia, Mo.

Missouri (4-1, 0-1) is making the return trip to Stillwater for a game Saturday.

Last year against Oklahoma State, "we got knocked down and we didn't get up the right way," Missouri linebacker Sean Weatherspoon said. "We just got knocked down this past week and it's our job to respond. As captains, we've got to make sure the team is over that and hopefully we can pick it up a little better than we did last year."

Oklahoma State entered last year's game at 5-0 but, as coach Mike Gundy noted, without a marquee win to validate the program's rise. Then the Cowboys intercepted Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel three times in the second half and slowed down the Tigers' vaunted spread offense.

------ Kan. lawmaker's anti-Obama 'RedNeck Rap' off Web

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- A video featuring a Kansas legislator criticizing President Barack Obama's policies while wearing a hat describing opossum as "the other dark meat" was removed Thursday from YouTube, where the lawmaker had posted it last month.

Republican Rep. Bill Otto said he didn't remove the video, titled "RedNeck Rap," and didn't know why it had been taken down. Google Inc., YouTube's owner, could offer no explanation.

Otto said criticism of the video was unfounded. He said the hat's saying, which he repeats at the end of the short video, refers to redneck stereotypes, not Obama.

The White House declined to comment Thursday, but Kansas Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, a Topeka Democrat, called the video "disturbing." He said it's logical to see the reference as being to the first black president's race.

In the video, Otto pauses after criticizing Obama and his policies, repeats the saying on the cap and adds, "A little greasy, but hey."

"It's a reference to rednecks," Otto said during a telephone interview from his home in LeRoy, a small town about 75 miles south of Topeka. "It's like 'The Beverly Hillbillies,' eating opossum bellies, grits and pigs' feet."

------ Kan. offers $230M package for soccer complex

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Kansas officials are offering incentives worth nearly $230 million in hopes of luring a corporate office complex and major league soccer stadium to Kansas City.

Kansas Commerce Secretary Dave Kerr disclosed the proposal Thursday. He said it had been forwarded to Wyandotte County officials as the state negotiates with medical software maker Cerner Corp. and the owners of the Kansas City Wizards.

Cerner spokeswoman Kelli Christman declined comment. Rob Heineman, president of OnGoal LLC, which owns the Wizards, did not return a telephone message Thursday evening.

OnGoal and Cerner are proposing a $414 million development near NASCAR's Kansas Speedway. The project includes an office complex for 4,500 Cerner employees, an 18,500-seat stadium for the Wizards and two dozen soccer fields for amateur teams.

State officials say the venture could bring 9,000 jobs to Kansas, and this week some legislators began pressuring Gov. Mark Parkinson's administration to close a deal.

"Of course, I am also obligated to be a responsible steward of tax dollars, especially in these challenging economic times," Kerr said in a statement. "The financial proposal we're presenting is aggressive, yet responsible."

------ Senate hopefuls in Kansas report on fundraising

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- In the race to replace Sam Brownback in the U.S. Senate, Rep. Jerry Moran widened the campaign funding gap between himself and fellow Kansas Republican Rep. Todd Tiahrt, according to documents filed Thursday with federal election officials.

Moran reported to the Federal Election Commission that he has more than $3.4 million in cash on hand, up from $3.1 million at the end of July. Tiahrt began and ended the reporting period with about $1.4 million available.

For the period through the end of September, Moran's campaign said he raised more than $520,000, while spending a little more than $181,000. Tiahrt reported raising more than $341,000, and spending $353,500.

The U.S. Senate race is considered the marquee race in Kansas, pitting the two longtime Republican congressmen in a primary to succeed Brownback, who kept a promise to step down after serving two terms in the Senate. He is running for governor.

Moran's campaign spokesman, Aaron Trost, said the report suggests momentum building for Moran less than a year from the primary.

"This strong fundraising report, coupled with Jerry's wide lead in the polls and key endorsements, make Jerry the clear front-runner in this race and give his campaign unshakable momentum in the months ahead," Trost said.

------ Re-sentencing in Kan. servitude case set Oct. 27

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) -- A nurse convicted of defrauding and abusing the mentally ill residents of the Kansas home she ran with her husband returns to a federal courtroom Oct. 27 for re-sentencing.

Linda Kaufman and her husband were convicted in November 2006 of enslaving the home's residents, forcing them to work naked and perform sex acts while billing the government and their families for the "therapy."

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld their convictions, but sent her case back to the district court in Wichita for re-sentencing. A three-judge appeals panel ruled U.S. District Judge Monti Belot should reconsider factors that could lengthen her seven-year prison sentence.

Her social worker husband, Arlan, was sentenced to 30 years after a federal jury found him guilty of 31 charges. His wife was convicted of 30 counts.

According to testimony at their trial in Wichita, the Kaufmans controlled every aspect of the lives of the mentally ill people they cared for, including deciding where they could sleep, what they ate and who could wear clothes. There was testimony about residents being forced to masturbate, fondle each other and shave each others' genitals while being videotaped.

Belot told attorneys in a letter Thursday that he intends to follow federal advisory guidelines at the Oct. 27 hearing. The government intends to have two witnesses testify.

------ Jackson: Too much turnover talk for Rams

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Steven Jackson said St. Louis Rams coaches preach turnover avoidance so much that it might be causing more errors.

The winless Rams had three turnovers inside the Vikings 10 and had a fourth returned for a touchdown in last week's 38-10 loss to Minnesota. St. Louis (0-5) has committed 10 turnovers the last three games and is near the bottom of the NFL with a minus-7 turnover differential headed into Sunday's game at Jacksonville.

"I think it's one of those things that we on the field have become so conscious of and so uptight about it, that it's backfired on us," Jackson said Thursday.

Jackson took responsibility for one of the fumbles last week when he missed connections on a handoff from Kyle Boller, and has two lost fumbles thus far. So this week his strategy has been one of under-emphasis.

"I'm going to go back to my regular routine of just playing loose and being myself and being a playmaker," Jackson said. "I've never had a fumbling problem, knock on wood, and I don't think it'll be a problem."

The Rams have scored 34 points all season, lowest in the NFL. They made a lot of progress last week with a season-high 400 yards in total offense, only to be undone by the mistakes.

------ House passes bill with NBAF funding

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A bill allocating $32 million for a new biothreat lab to be constructed in Kansas wins House approval.

By a vote Thursday of 307-114, the bill goes to the Senate.

The money was included in a homeland security appropriations bill. Of the amount, $27 million would be spent on design and planning for the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility to be constructed in Manhattan, Kan. The remaining $5 million will be used for construction of the lab, but only after additional safety studies are complete.

Critics of the lab are concerned about the risk of transferring research on foot-and-mouth disease from a facility at Plum Island, N.Y., to the mainland. Supporters say safety features of the lab will protect humans and livestock from exposure.

------ Holt expects emotional reunion when Jags host Rams

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Torry Holt expects to feel all sorts of emotions when he sees former teammates and coaches Sunday.

He won't rule out tears, either.

Holt, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection during his 10 seasons in St. Louis, will face his former team for the first time when the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3) host the Rams (0-5).

Bitterness? Showmanship? Maybe a little revenge?

Nope. Just handshakes, hugs and high-fives.

"I have a lot of feelings for that organization, for that team and for a lot of those guys that are on that squad," Holt said. "So whether I cry, I get charged up and run through a brick wall, or I fall down -- I don't know what it'll be -- but I'll ride the wave of the emotions."

------ Kansas State president promises audit response

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Kansas State University's new president promised Thursday that the university will spell out next month how it plans to deal with issues raised by a state audit disclosing questionable financial transactions.

President Kirk Schulz said Thursday he's already taken steps to restructure the athletic department's administration because of the audit. Those steps included greater oversight by the board of directors of the nonprofit corporation running athletic programs and having its legal business handled by the university's general counsel.

Schulz, who became president in June, the same month the audit was released, spoke to the Kansas Board of Regents, which oversees the higher education system. He said he's asked alumni and others to give him until June 2010 to restore their confidence that university officials are good fiscal stewards.

"We're trying to put in place checks and balances," he said.

The regents hoped for a full response this month but said they are pleased with Schulz's progress. They said Kansas State has become more transparent in its financial dealings.

"I have really been impressed with how you have handled this to this point," said regent Gary Sherrer, a former lieutenant governor from Overland Park.

------ Kansas home foreclosures up in third quarter

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The number of home foreclosure filings in Kansas rose 39.7 percent in the third quarter as the recession bested efforts to help struggling borrowers hold on to their homes.

A report released Thursday by Irvine, Calif.-based RealtyTrac shows 3,402 foreclosure filings in Kansas during the July-September period. That's a 47.1 percent rise from the same period a year ago.

Filings include default notices, auction-sale notices and bank repossessions.

One in every 358 housing units in Kansas received a foreclosure filing in the quarter. That rate is still well below the national average of one in every 136 households and ranked Kansas 31st nationally.

In September alone, RealtyTrac said foreclosure filings in Kansas rose 20.5 percent from August to 1,272. That was 22.4 percent higher than in September 2008.

Nationally, the number of filings last month fell 4 percent from August but was still the third-highest month since the RealtyTrac report started in early 2005.

------ Zebra mussels invade Lake Wilson

SALINA, Kan. (AP) -- Zebra mussels, small clams that crowd out other life forms and damage pipes, have been found in Lake Wilson.

Jason Goeckler, a specialist in aquatic nuisance species with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, says the finding is troubling because it means the mussels are now in the Saline River and threaten other lakes downstream.

Zebra mussels generally move between bodies of water attached to the hulls of boats, but fertilized eggs might be carried in bait buckets.

Tommie Berger, fisheries biologist at Wilson Lake, says the zebra mussels were discovered in Wilson Lake Oct. 6. They have now been found in seven state lakes.

------ Colleges offering video game courses

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Menacing, metallic and mega-gun brandishing, the cyber super soldier looms over Richard Fleming's desk.

Not exactly stereotypical for a professor's office at Johnson County Community College?

Well, as the "Gears of War" crowd might say: "Eat boot! Suck pavement! Get back into your hole!"

This professor under the "Halo 3" figure teaches video game development. So lock and load, zappers of Nazi zombies or the locust horde. All those hours wearing out your thumbs in front of "Halo" or "Gears" actually could mean a college degree and fast career path.

Before you drop your joystick, remember a degree in video-game design is math and science laden. Or it could involve serious art skills.

This year, 254 of the nation's colleges and universities in 37 states have such programs, up 27 percent over the year before.