WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A recently released industry report shows general aviation aircraft deliveries and billings rose overall last year, but the market was mixed depending on the aircraft type.

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association released a report this week showing that deliveries of piston airplanes, turboprops and large business jets rose last year, while deliveries of small and midsize jets fell for a third straight year.

The Wichita Eagle reported that the trend played out in Wichita. Cessna Aircraft and Bombardier Learjet recorded lower deliveries last year, while shipments at Beechcraft rose.

Manufacturers worldwide delivered 2,256 airplanes last year, up 4 percent from 2,164 in 2012.

Billings rose from $18.9 billion in 2012 to $23.4 billion last year, a 24 percent increase.

GARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas Republican’s proposal to track the citizenship status of public schoolchildren worries administrators in one of the state’s most diverse districts.

The bill by House Republican Allan Rothlisberg would require children enrolling in a public school for the first time to present proof of lawful presence in the United States. Districts then would submit annual reports on how many children enrolled without providing such proof.

Rothlisberg tells The Garden City Telegram he wants to know how much Kansas is spending on students who are in the country without legal permission.

Twenty percent of the population in the western Kansas community of Garden City is foreign-born. Administrators say even asking about citizenship would damage the trust and welcoming environment they’ve built with parents and students.

This week the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued strong support for Congressman Tim Huelskamp’s constitutional amendment defining marriage as only between a man and woman.

Representative Tim Huelskamp introduced the Marriage Protection Amendment (HJ Res. 51) last year, and recently took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to speak on the values of marriage between one man and one woman. Rep. Huelskamp praises Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, Chairman of the Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, for the strong, clear support on behalf of the USCCB for traditional marriage and the Marriage Protection Amendment:

“I am truly grateful for this endorsement of our Marriage Protection Amendment by Archbishop Cordileone and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Likewise, I am proud of their unwavering commitment to strong families and marriage between one man and one woman. With the support of strong institutions like the USCCB, we continue to secure support in Congress and around the nation for this critical Amendment.

“Further, we must continue to fight against an Administration and unelected activist federal judges who refuse to respect marriage and the will of the people and their elected representatives to make laws protecting marriage. President Obama, his Attorney General Eric Holder, and elite liberal judges have made it clear – they are at war against religious liberty, against constitutional principles, and against traditional marriage. The Marriage Protection Amendment is the ultimate defense against their attacks.”

Fred Gough, Hutch Post

Hutchinson Fireman responded to a structure fire in the 300 block of West 25th, around 7:20 p.m. Friday.

When fire crews arrived, they found a light smoke coming from the attic. They were able to knock the fire down in about 25-minutes, with the fire causing damage to a back wall, a window and into the attic of the home.

There were three people inside at the time the fire started, including an adult female and two kids. They escaped uninjured. Fireman were also able to rescue their cats.

Damage is estimated at around 30-thousand dollars. The cause of fire appears to be unattended cooking. It appears hot coals fell from a grill starting the grass on fire and moving it to the residence.

The fire department urges people to be extremely careful with the dry conditions we are experiencing. Small fires can turn out to be very costly if not watched carefully.

By Phil Cauthon
KHI News Service
TOPEKA — A bill that would add restrictions for the application counselors who help people enroll in health coverage through the new federal marketplace in Kansas has been scheduled for a hearing Tuesday in the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee.
Senate Bill 362 would require Kansas’ health insurance “navigators” to be certified by the attorney general’s office after undergoing a criminal background check and credit check. The navigators would be finger printed and required to pay initial and annual fees to do their work.

The bill also would forbid navigators from offering “advice about which health insurance plan is better or worse for a particular individual or employer.”

The bill was introduced by Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook, a Republican from Shawnee and chair of the health committee. She has been one of the Legislature’s more vocal and persistent opponents of the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare.
She said the bill was spurred by national news reports in October that a navigator in Kansas had an outstanding bench warrant.

“It was discovered that there was a navigator in Kansas who had a warrant out for her arrest. Shortly after that, I sent out a press release saying I would be working on a bill,” Pilcher-Cook said.

Rosilyn Wells, an outreach worker at the Heartland Community Health Center in Lawrence, was issued the bench warrant by a Shawnee County District Court for failure to pay more than $5,000 in medical debts.

Pilcher-Cook’s proposal is similar to one recently blocked by a federal court in Missouri.

Tim Jost, a national expert on the Affordable Care Act, wrote in his blog that the Jan. 23 Missouri ruling was a “major victory for the ACA.”
Pilcher-Cook said she thought her bill could survive a legal challenge.

“Our Kansas bill is significantly different than the Missouri law,” she said.

The fiscal note attached to the bill by legislative researchers reported that defending the bill — should it be passed into law — could cost the state as much as $75,000.

Jay Angoff — a former regional director for the U.S. Health and Human Services Department now in private practice with the Washington D.C.-based law firm of Mehri and Skalet — was part of the legal team that successfully challenged the Missouri law.

“What’s unusual and I think unprecedented about the Kansas bill is that, unlike all the other states’ bills, it would give the attorney general — not the commissioner of insurance — the authority to regulate and penalize navigators,” Angoff said.

MARY CLARE JALONICK, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — One person has died and three newborns have become ill in an outbreak of listeria linked to Hispanic-style cheese.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says hardworking Americans deserve a vote in Congress on a minimum raise hike.

In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama says six states have already raised their minimum wage and more are considering it. Obama says he’s taken action, too, by raising wages for federal contractors.

He says now it’s up to Congress to finish the job by passing legislation raising the federal minimum to $10.10 per hour.

Obama is praising retailer The Gap for deciding to pay its employees higher wages. He says the move will benefit about 65,000 workers and help the economy.

In the Republican address, Rep. Tom Cotton of Arkansas says Obama’s policies spend too much and concentrate power in Washington. He says Republicans want to repair the damage Obama has inflicted.