BOSTON (AP) — A glass bottle released by a Massachusetts oceanographer in 1956 has been found off Nova Scotia.

The bottle was among thousands dumped in the Atlantic Ocean between 1956 and 1972 as part of a program by Woods Hole oceanographer Dean Bumpus to study surface and bottom currents.

About 10 percent of the 300,000 drift bottles have been found over the years. The latest find was made by a biologist who is studying grey seals. Warren Joyce found the bottle in January in a pile of debris on Sable Island.

Joyce said it was like “finding treasure.” He returned the bottle to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod, including the location data sought by Bumpus.

His reward will be exactly what Bumpus promised in 1956 to anyone who returned a bottle: a 50-cent piece.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has issued an order shielding disclosure of the government’s evidence against a man accused of plotting a suicide bomb attack at a Kansas airport.

U.S. District Judge Monti Belot on Friday granted the prosecution’s request in the case of Terry Loewen, a 58-year-old avionics technician facing terror-related charges for the alleged plan to attack Mid-Continent Airport in Wichita.

The order covers unclassified materials and information declassified to prosecute the case. It allows Loewen to have access only in the presence of his attorney, who must retain possession of evidence.

It also prohibits the government or defense from disseminating evidence to the media, and forbids disclosure of undercover agents’ identities.

Belot further ordered the return of government materials and destruction of defense notes once the case ends.

 

11:30 a.m. UPDATE   TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas House committee has delayed a vote on gun-rights legislation so members have more time to consider changes that include provisions punishing possession of a firearm under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

The House Federal and State Affairs Committee reviewed proposed changes Friday and plans to take the bill up again next week.

The bill would void existing local gun ordinances throughout Kansas. It would ensure that the open carrying of firearms is allowed statewide and bar cities and counties from regulating gun and ammunition sales.

State Rep. and Derby Republican Jim Howell proposed additional language designed to clarify that it’s illegal to possess a firearm while drunk or under the influence of drugs.

But supporters of the bill also wanted to protect a person’s right to self-defense.

 

 

5:29 a.m. TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas House committee is preparing to vote on legislation stripping cities and counties of any power to regulate guns or block the open carrying of firearms.

The House Federal and State Affairs Committee is expected to approve the measure Friday and send it to the full chamber for debate. National and state gun-rights groups are pushing it.

The bill would void existing local gun ordinances throughout Kansas. It would ensure that the open carrying of firearms is allowed statewide and bar cities and counties from regulating gun and ammunition sales.

The measure would also bar counties and cities from using tax revenue to administer gun buyback programs, and prohibit local governments from regulating knives.

Local government groups oppose the bill, saying city and county officials know their communities best.

 

10:30 a.m. UPDATE AUGUSTA, Kan. (AP) — Police say a double shooting in the southeast Kansas town of Augusta is believed to be a murder-suicide.

Two people were found dead in a home Thursday evening after a 12-year-old boy called police to report shots fired in the house.

Tyler Brewer, director of public safety in Augusta, says the boy had locked himself in a bedroom when he heard his mother scream. A dispatcher talked the boy into crawling out a bedroom window to safety.

Brewer identified the dead as 45-year-old Gary Weaver and 31-year-old Erin Weaver. He says the couple had no previous history of domestic violence.

The boy was placed with his father, who does not live in Butler County.

 

6:30 a.m. AUGUSTA, Kan. (AP) — Two people are dead in a shooting in a southeast Kansas town.

Police say the bodies were found late Thursday at a home in Augusta. The names of the victims have not been released.

Augusta Police Chief Tyler Brewer tells KWCH-TV that officers are not looking for any suspects. He says he will release more information Friday.