KIMBERLY HEFLING, Associated Press Writers
JULIE CARR SMYTH, Associated Press Writers

STOCKPORT, Ohio (AP) — New standardized tests based on the national Common Core standards are being introduced in U.S. schools.

The first students to take them are in Ohio beginning Tuesday.

The reading and math tests replace traditional spring standardized tests and most students will take them by computer or electronic tablet.

They were developed by two groups of states and will be given to about 12 million students in 29 states and the District of Columbia.

Some school administrators worry their schools will have Internet connectivity problems, but the tests have a paper option.

The Common Core standards, which arose from the federal No Child Left Behind law, have been adopted in more than 40 states and spell out what reading and math skills students should master in each grade.

MANHATTAN — Kansas State University’s first Landon Lecture of 2015 will be given by Steve Forbes, chairman and editor in chief of Forbes Media. Forbes will present his lecture at 7 p.m. Monday, March 9, in McCain Auditorium.

“We’re pleased to bring Steve Forbes to Kansas State University and the Landon Lecture Series,” said Jackie Hartman, the university’s chief of staff and director of community relations. “His career spans many interests and fields. As a successful businessman, he leads a company that offers a variety of well-known publications and businesses both in the U.S. and internationally. He also is a best-selling author and a former presidential candidate.”

The company’s flagship publication, Forbes, is the nation’s leading business magazine with a circulation of more than 900,000. Under Forbes’ leadership, the company has launched a variety of new publications and businesses, including ForbesLife, the dedicated luxury lifestyle and culture magazine; Forbes Europe; Forbes Asia; and Forbes licensee editions in more than 30 countries. The company also publishes a number of investment newsletters.

In addition, Forbes Media is active in the new media arena. Forbes.com is a leading business website that reaches well over 30 million unique visitors a month. Other Forbes websites include RealClearPolitics.com, RealClearMarkets.com, RealClearSports.com and RealClearWorld.com.

A four-time winner of the Crystal Owl Award, a prize formerly given by U.S. Steel Corp to the financial journalist whose economic forecasts for the coming year proved most accurate, Forbes is a widely respected economic prognosticator. He also is the author of several books, including his latest, “Money: How the Destruction of the Dollar Threatens the Global Economy — and What We Can Do About It,” co-authored by Elizabeth Ames and released in June 2014 by McGraw-Hill Professional. “Money” won the coveted Leonard E. Read Book Award.

In both 1996 and 2000, Forbes campaigned for the Republican nomination for president with a platform that included a flat tax, medical savings accounts, a new Social Security system, school choice, term limits and a strong national defense. He continues to promote this agenda.

Forbes also has served two presidents — Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush — as chairman of the bipartisan Board for International Broadcasting, where he oversaw the operations of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty.

Forbes, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from Princeton in 1970, serves on the boards of The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, the Heritage Foundation and The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. He is on the board of overseers of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and on the board of visitors for the School of Public Policy of Pepperdine University. He previously served on the board of trustees of Princeton University for 10 years.

HOPE YEN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats on a congressional oversight panel are stepping up their investigation into how well states are regulating the disposal of oil and gas waste, citing public concern about the potential environmental and health risks of hydraulic fracturing.

Rep. Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania is the lead Democrat on a House oversight subcommittee. He is pressing agencies in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia for answers on their level of enforcement and inspections. Republicans on the panel haven’t taken a position on the probe.

Of particular concern is making sure waterways are not contaminated by waste from fracking, which uses millions of gallons of high-pressure water mixed with sand and chemicals to break apart rocks rich in oil and gas.

Cartwright also wants to know how health complaints from local residents are handled.

CHRISTINE ARMARIO, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — While much of the attention in the ongoing measles outbreak has focused on student vaccination, less attention has been paid to another group in the nation’s classrooms: Teachers and staff members, who by and large are not required to be vaccinated.

When health officials learned a California high school employee had likely gotten sick with measles, 40 unvaccinated students were told not to come to class. So were 24 other teachers and staff members until they could prove they had been vaccinated or were immune.

In most states, there is no law dictating which vaccines teachers and school staff workers are required to get.

The issue has surfaced from time to time in state legislatures and is likely to be raised again in response to the latest outbreak.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Republicans and Democrats can agree on one thing — they want more campaign money.

Representatives of both parties’ leadership testified Monday in favor of a bill before the House Elections Committee that would at least double contribution limits to most state campaigns. For example, the bill would increase individual contribution limits to $4,000 from $2,000 for gubernatorial candidates and $2,500 from $1,000 for state senators.

Kansas Democratic Party Chairperson Joan Wagnon testified that the current limits, which have changed little since the 1970s, were unrealistically low.

Kansas Republican Party Executive Director Clay Barker told the committee that the drastic increase in spending on ads from outside groups has muddied campaign messages. He said voters want to hear more directly from the candidate’s campaigns.

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — The Great Mall of the Great Plains in Olathe will close in mid-to-late fall.

The owners of the 786,000-square-foot mall said in a statement Monday that economic realities such as the economic downturn and changing buying habits prompted the closing. The mall has struggled to remain profitable since it opened in 1997.

VanTrust, the asset manager for the property, says it tried to find potential uses for the existing property but the structure, maintenance costs and layout making it unlikely the current building will be preserved. The developer is working with the Olathe Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council to find the best use for the property.

LIBERAL- A Kansas man was injured in an accident just after 7:40 a.m. on Monday in Seward County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1998 Toyota Camry driven by Thoi H. To, 71, Wichita, was southbound on U.S. 83 in rural Seward County.

The vehicle slid on the ice and drove over the centerline into the pathway of a northbound semi.

After the head-on collision, the Toyota began to spin in a clockwise motion and hit the truck again.

To was transported to Southwest Medical Center.

The semi driver Cristiam R. Moreno, 37, Liberal, was not injured.

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

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A House panel reversed a decision made last week and decided to fully restore Gov. Sam Brownback’s request to use millions of dollars from the Kansas Department of Transportation to fill gaps in other state spending.

The governor wants to take $724 million from transportation projects. Last week, the House Transportation Budget Committee voted to reduce that amount by $280 million, allowing about $444 million to be transferred during fiscal years 2016 and 2017.

On Monday, during a quick meeting not held in a committee room, the panel restored the $280 million fund transfer.

Chairman Rep. J.R. Claeys, of Salina, said more study is needed to determine the impact of removing fund sweeps on the budget.

He said the quick meeting was necessary because he had to attend another meeting.