Salina Post

SALINA — A north Salina convenience store was held up late Wednesday night at gunpoint.

Salina Police Capt. Mike Sweeney said two suspects walked into the Pump Mart, 1118 N. Ninth, just before midnight, displayed guns to the clerk and demanded cash.

The clerk gave the pair an undisclosed amount of money and they also took cigarettes. They left the store on foot and a witness observed the suspects get into a red Honda Civic near the intersection of Eighth and Antrim and drive away.

The suspects are described as white males, 6-foot tall, slender build. Both were wearing black hooded sweatshirts and had their faces covered.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A new report says more Kansas residents than the federal government had anticipated selected health insurance coverage through an online marketplace.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported Thursday that 57,000 Kansas residents signed up for coverage through April 19. HHS had predicted before the marketplace opened in October that 53,000 Kansas residents would find insurance.

Republicans critical of the federal health overhaul control Kansas state government and kept the state from setting up its own marketplace or partnering with HHS.

Sign-ups had been running behind expectations through February, following the marketplace’s rocky rollout. But the HHS figures indicate that nearly 28,000 people obtained coverage starting in March.

But the HHS report did not say how many of those 57,000 people had paid premiums.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department has taken the unprecedented step of releasing the names of the 55 colleges and universities currently facing a Title IX sexual abuse investigation.

The release comes two days after a White House task force promised greater government transparency on sexual assault in higher education.

The agency previously would confirm such an investigation when asked, but students and others were often unaware of them.

Title IX prohibits gender discrimination at schools that receive federal funds. It is the same law that guarantees girls equal access to sports, but it also regulates institutions’ handling of sexual violence and increasingly is being used by victims who say their school failed to protect them.

 TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A tentative deal has been struck on lingering issues in the Kansas budget, moving legislators closer to concluding the 2014 session despite a spate of bad economic news.

House and Senate negotiators finished work on the budget Thursday, including giving a pay raise for nearly 38,000 state employees and new officers at the Topeka Correctional Facility. The timing of a vote on the budget was uncertain.

On Wednesday, the state Department of Revenue reported that tax collections for the month totaled $92 million less than expected. Officials cited changes in the federal tax code on capital gains and other income.

Also on Wednesday, Moody’s Investor Services downgraded the state’s bond rating on concerns about long-term pension obligations and further reduction of state ending balances necessary to cover expenses.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Moody’s Investor Services is reducing the bond rating for the state of Kansas over concerns about the state’s sluggish economic recovery compared with other states and issues with long-term financial obligations.

The service announced Wednesday that the rating was cut from Aa1 to Aa2. The decision was made the same day Kansas officials announced April revenue collections were $92 million less than previous forecasts.

Moody’s cites the 2012 enactment of income tax cuts and the effect on state revenues as a factor in the downgrade, as well as long-term pension obligations and use of one-time sources of revenue to cover operations.

Moody’s says the rating could be upgraded if the state rebuilds its reserve balances and takes steps to address the pension obligations.

Kansas Attorney General’s Office

TOPEKA–Kansans safely disposed of nearly 6 tons of unused medicines during last weekend’s National Drug Take-Back Day, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said today.

Kansas law enforcement officers collected 11,687 pounds of medicines at 117 locations throughout the state during last Saturday’s event, according to a report from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency. Law enforcement agencies turn the drugs they collect over to the DEA, who safely destroys the medications.

“Kansans recognized the importance of safely removing these unused drugs from medicine cabinets, where they could be accidentally or intentionally misused,” Schmidt said. “These medicines are now out of harm’s way and on their way to safe destruction.”

The total was the most that has been collected on a drug take-back day, surpassing the previous record of 10,193 pounds collected at last April’s event. Since the semi-annual event began in 2010, Kansans have safely destroyed 56,214 pounds of medications.

Unused prescriptions can be turned in year-round at many local law enforcement locations. Kansans should contact their local sheriff’s office or police department for more information.

GREAT BEND, Kan. (AP) — Barton Community College plans to rebuild a dining hall at Camp Aldrich that was an important gathering spot before it was destroyed by fire in April.

The college trustees voted Wednesday to work with the college’s insurance company to replace the facility. The college hopes to have the hall reopened by April of next year.

The Great Bend Tribune reports trustees knew the camp was important to area residents but said they were surprised by the worried response they received after fire destroyed the hall April 12.

Dean of Administration Mark Dean says the new dining hall will have to meet state and federal guidelines, meaning the rustic look from its original timber construction likely will not be replicated because it will have to be non-combustible.