WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled that Kansas and Arizona residents can register to vote using a federal form without providing proof of citizenship.

Most residents in the two states register using a separate state form requiring them to show a birth certificate, a U.S. passport or naturalization papers. Kansas and Arizona had asked the U.S. government to also impose that same requirement on voters who register using the simpler federal form, which only requires a sworn statement.

But the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found Friday that the states have no authority to demand the federal government apply the citizenship proof requirements to the federal form.

The ruling effectively gives potential voters a simpler way to register without providing citizenship documentation in order to vote in federal races.

JOHN HANNA, Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas plans to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to preserve its gay-marriage ban while a legal challenge from two lesbian couples is considered by lower federal courts.

Attorney General Derek Schmidt said Friday that he’ll act before a federal judge’s injunction barring the state from enforcing its ban takes effect Tuesday.

Schmidt announced his plans after the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver refused to stay the injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree earlier this week. Crabtree delayed his injunction to allow the state to appeal.

Schmidt said he has a duty to exhaust all the state’s options because the state constitution bans gay marriage. Voters approved the constitutional provision in 2005.

He said his request would go to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Federal data shows that political and special interest groups spent nearly $17 million in Kansas starting in September in the nationally watched race between Republican Sen. Pat Roberts and his independent challenger.

Online records of the Federal Election Commission show the three-term GOP incumbent benefited more from the outside spending than independent candidate Greg Orman. Roberts won re-election.

Groups spent nearly $10 million on activities supporting Roberts or opposing Orman. They spent about $6.8 million supporting Orman or opposing Roberts.

This year’s election was the first time Kansas saw significant spending.

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down limits on such spending in January 2010, but such groups reported almost none during the competitive Republican primary won that year by Jerry Moran, who had an easy general election race.

NEWTON- A woman was injured in an accident just before 2:30 p.m. on Friday in Harvey County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1998 Ford passenger car driven by Phyllis Smith, 63, Perkins, OK., was southbound on Interstate135 just south of U.S. 50

The vehicle changed lanes and the driver lost control. The vehicle left the roadway to the left, struck a retainer wall and entered the median.

Smith was transported to Newton Medical Center.

The KHP reported she was not wearing a seat belt.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Same-sex marriages have begun in the Kansas City area after a federal judge ruled that Missouri’s ban on gay marriage violates the U.S. Constitution.

A retired judge performed a marriage ceremony Friday for John Kenny Rodricks and Robert Gann at the Jackson County courthouse following a ruling earlier in the day by U.S. District Judge Ortrie R. Smith.

Smith’s ruling came days after a state judge in St. Louis also invalidated Missouri’s gay marriage ban.

Marriage licenses now are being issued to same-sex couples in both the Kansas City and St. Louis areas. But other officials across the state aren’t following suit.

Smith wrote that he was delaying the effect of his decision during an appeal, but officials in Jackson County decided to issue the licenses anyway.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas prosecutor says he’s not ready to determine if a Wichita police officer was justified in the fatal shooting of an unarmed man in April 2012.

Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett read a statement about the status of the investigation at a news conference Friday but did not take questions.

Twenty-four-year-old Troy Lanning II was running from a stolen vehicle when he was shot six times by Wichita Police Officer Randy Williamson. Williamson’s lawyer has said the officer saw Lanning reach into a bag and feared he had a gun.

Bennett said forensic evidence examined so far has not been conclusive. He also noted that the officer’s recent plea to a separate case of filing a false report has complicated the Lanning death investigation.

Williamson is no longer with the department.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal appeals court has cleared the way for gay marriages to start in Kansas next week.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver on Friday denied a request from the state to block an order from a lower-court judge preventing Kansas from enforcing its ban on gay marriage.

U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree put on hold the order he issued this week until 5 p.m. Tuesday to give Kansas time to appeal. The state did, asking the appeals court to issue a stay to keep the gay-marriage ban in place until the appeals judges resolved the case.

But the 10th Circuit refused.

It ruled in a federal lawsuit by two lesbian couples who were denied marriage licenses.

A separate gay-marriage case is before the Kansas Supreme Court.

 LANSING- A Kansas woman was injured in an accident just before 1 p.m. on Friday in Leavenworth County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Ford Explorer driven by Smith, Catherine M. Smith, 27, Leavenworth, was northbound on U.S. 73 at Marxen Road south of Lansing.

The driver didn’t see a northbound 2009 Toyota Sienna driven by Maureen Batista, 38, Basehor, come to a stop.

The Ford rear-ended the Toyota. A 2010 Chevy Cobalt driven by Bradley J. Hamilton, 19, Leavenworth, swerved to avoid a collision and struck the right rear of the Ford.

Batista was transported to Overland Park Regional Medical Center.
Smith was possibly injured but not transported. Hamilton was not injured.

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

SALINA, Kan. (AP) — A jury in central Kansas has found a Wichita man guilty of involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence for a crash that killed a passenger in his car.

The Salina Journal reports  38-year-old Joseph D. Chavez II was convicted Thursday in Saline County District Court. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 9.

The accident happened in June 2012 on Interstate 135 near Bridgeport. Authorities said Chavez lost control of his car, which rolled several times. Thirty-eight-year-old Eddie John Sawyer Groff, also of Wichita, was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene.

Besides the manslaughter charge, the jury also convicted Chavez of driving with a suspended license, driving too fast for conditions and having an open container of alcohol.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is authorizing the U.S. military to deploy up to 1,500 more troops to Iraq as part of the mission to combat the Islamic State group.

Obama is also asking Congress for more than $5 billion to help fund the fight.

The White House says the troops won’t serve in a combat role, but will train, advise and assist Iraqi military and Kurdish forces fighting IS.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest says Obama has also authorized the additional personnel to operate at Iraqi military facilities outside Baghdad and Erbil. Until now, U.S. troops have been operating a joint operation center setup with Iraqi forces there.

The announcement is part of a $5.6 billion funding request to Congress and came just after Obama met with congressional leaders Friday.