DODGE CITY- A Kansas woman was injured in an accident just before 9:30 Tuesday morning in Ford County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 International semi driven by Jason Alan Pearce, 46, Dodge City, was eastbound on U.S. 50 three miles east of Dodge City.

The truck failed to yield while making a left turn onto 113 road and was hit by a 1996 Chrysler Concorde driven by Erin D. Trent, 42, Dodge City.

Trent was transported to Western Plains Medical Center.  Pearce was not injured.

The KHP reported both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican candidates for Kansas secretary of state are embroiled in a bitter campaign in which the incumbent is questioning his challenger’s GOP credentials while himself being called a partisan hack.

The Kansas City Star reports incumbent Kris Kobach has gained prominence for his fight against illegal immigration and his challenge of the federal government over gun regulations.

Challenger Scott Morgan says Kobach has turned the secretary of state’s office into a circus in pursuit of his own political agenda while drumming up media attention.

Morgan concedes he’s not as far to the right as Kobach, but adds that none of Kobach’s pet issues should relate to the secretary of state’s office.

The winner of the Aug. 5 primary will face Democrat Jean Schodorf in the general election.

SALINA – For the second time in three months a Salina man is arrested on a charge of sexual battery.

Raskibhai Mody, 60, is alleged to have touched the breast of a 29-year-old woman on Sunday at the Pump Mart at 1118 N. 9^th Street. The incident happened while he was talking to the woman. She reported it to police on Monday.

He was booked into the Saline County Jail and released Monday afternoon after posting bond.

In April Mody was arrested after allegedly grabbing the buttocks and breast of a 17-year-old girl at the Pump Mart.

The girl went into the convenience store to pre-pay for gas. She told police she was assaulted after putting money on the counter and she could not find anyone in the store.

She said Mody came up from behind her, grabbed her, and asked if she would perform a sex act.

The girl took her money off of the counter, left the business, and notified police.

SALINA – An armed robber escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash from a north Salina convenience store early Tuesday morning.

Salina Police Captain Mike Sweeney said around 12:20 a.m., the suspect walked into the Casey’s at 500 N. Ohio, displayed a silver handgun, and demanded money. He left the store in an unknown direction.

The suspect is described as a white male in his late teens or early twenties. He is between 5’6 and 5’10 in height, slim build. He was wearing a gray hoodie with green lettering, yellow or gold cargo pants, black and white tennis shoes, and had a blue bandana covering his face. He was also carrying a camouflage bag.

JOSH BOAK, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — A study by the Urban Institute shows that more than 35 percent of Americans have debts and unpaid bills that have been reported to collection agencies.

These consumers fall behind on credit cards or hospital bills. Their mortgages, auto loans or student debt pile up, unpaid. Even past-due gym membership fees or cellphone contracts can end up with a collection agency, potentially hurting credit scores and job prospects.

The study by the Washington-based think tank released Tuesday points to a disturbing trend: The share of Americans in collections has remained relatively constant, even as the country as a whole has whittled down the size of its credit card debt since the official end of the Great Recession in the middle of 2009.

GARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) — School officials in southwest Kansas say a recent conference trip to Florida that cost taxpayers more than $100,000 was necessary to become a model school district.

KWCH-TV reports 61 teachers and administrators with the Garden City School District attended the conference in June, although only 20 initially were scheduled to go.

School district spokesman Roy Cessna says an improved budget allowed the district to send a teacher from every grade level from each school to the conference.

He says the conference will help the district meet its five-year goal to become a model school district and was funded with a combination of budgeted school funds and federal and state grants.

COFFEYVILLE, Kan. (AP) — A Texas company says four workers at a southeast Kansas oil refinery were burned in an early morning fire in its isomerization unit.

CVR Refining says the fire at its Coffeyville refinery was reported at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday and extinguished by 1:18 a.m. The company says initial reports indicate there was no impact to the surrounding community.

CVR isn’t naming the employees who were hurt and transported to an area hospital, but says it is providing assistance to the workers and their families.

The company is based in Sugar Land, Texas. Its Coffeyville refinery has a rated capacity of 115,000 barrels per day.

COFFEYVILLE (AP) — A Texas company says four workers at a southeast Kansas oil refinery were burned in an early morning fire in its isomerization unit.

CVR Refining says the fire at its Coffeyville refinery was reported at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday and extinguished by 1:18 a.m. The company says initial reports indicate there was no impact to the surrounding community.

CVR isn’t naming the employees who were hurt and transported to an area hospital, but says it is providing assistance to the workers and their families.

The company is based in Sugar Land, Texas. Its Coffeyville refinery has a rated capacity of 115,000 barrels per day.