TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate has rejected a proposal that would overhaul how the state taxes cars, pickups and SUVs.

Senators voted 27-5 on Wednesday to strip the proposal from a plan for raising taxes to close a projected $406 million budget shortfall for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

The proposal was included in the plan by the Senate tax committee at the urging of Chairman and Wichita Republican Les Donovan. He is a car dealer.

The proposal lowers the property taxes collect annually on vehicles by changing how they’re valued. Critics said the proposal would reduce revenues for local governments.

The state also collects its 6.15 percent sales tax each time a vehicle is sold. Donovan contends the property tax decreases would encourage extra sales, boosting revenues.

JUNCTION CITY -Sixty Fort Riley Soldiers spent time Wednesday morning fishing at Milford Lake with participants in the upcoming Cabela’s National Team Walleye Championships at the reservoir.

They departed the Milford Marina at 7 a.m., returning about 11 a.m.

The tournament featuring 185 2-person teams, runs Thursday through Saturday. They will be competing for more than $274,000 in prize money.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s office is looking at perhaps furloughing state workers if the Legislature does not pass a balanced budget in the coming weeks.

Brownback’s spokeswoman, Sara Belfry, said Wednesday his office is working to determine when it would have to inform state workers they would be furloughed if a budget is not passed on time.

Legislative researchers say that the state is legally obligated to approve a budget by June 7, but salary payments would not necessarily be disrupted if it comes later in the month.

Kansas faces a $406 million budget shortfall for the fiscal year beginning July 1, and lawmakers have not agreed on a means to fill it.

The Legislature already is in overtime on its 90-day session. Wednesday was its 97th day.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate has approved a proposal from its top Democrat to decrease the state’s sales tax on food to 5.7 percent from 6.15 percent.

Senate Minority Leader and Topeka Democrat Anthony Hensley offered the proposal Wednesday during a debate on a plan for raising taxes to close a projected $406 million budget shortfall for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

The Senate approved Hensley’s amendment 27-10 before continuing debate on the plan.

The plan was advanced by Republicans and would increase the sales tax on most items to 6.5 percent from 6.15 percent.

Critics say the move would hurt poor families, so GOP senators proposed dropping the rate on food to 6 percent.

Hensley’s deeper cut saves consumers an additional $27 million in the next fiscal year.

ROBERT BURNS, AP National Security Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says it inadvertently shipped live anthrax spores to as many as nine laboratories and is investigating how that happened.

The labs were supposed to receive dead — or inactivated — anthrax samples for research use.

Spokesman Col. Steve Warren says the Pentagon is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to retrieve the samples.

He says the government has confirmed one shipment contained live spores and suspects eight others did, too. Warren says the government believes there are no risks to the public.

The live spores were shipped from Dugway Proving Ground in Utah — a Defense Department facility — to government and commercial labs in Texas, Maryland, Wisconsin, Delaware, New Jersey, Tennessee, New York, California and Virginia.

Contact with anthrax spores can cause severe illness.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) – Nearly seven years after Manhattan, Kansas, was chosen as the site for a national research center focusing on deadly animal diseases, federal and state officials were helping break ground Wednesday on the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility.

The price tag for the plant on the Kansas State University campus initially was estimated to be $451 million when it was awarded to Manhattan in late 2008. It has since ballooned to $1.2 billion, which federal officials have attributed to changes in the lab’s design to mitigate the possibility of a release of deadly pathogen.

The center also weathered a financial crisis in which opponents called for funding to be cut after a federal report questioned the wisdom of constructing such a laboratory in Tornado Alley.

GARDEN CITY – Law enforcement authorities in Finney County are investigating report of an attempted kidnapping.

In a media release Wednesday, officials say that just after 12:30 p.m. on Friday, officers were dispatched to a call of suspicious activity at the Goodwill store, 2005 E Schulman Avenue.

The investigation revealed an unknown Hispanic male wearing a blue bandana, black hat, green plaid shirt, and blue jeans entered the store and purchased a Television. A store employee helped the suspect take the TV outside.

The suspect began making inappropriate conversation with the store employee as they walked towards the suspect’s vehicle. When they arrived at the suspect’s gray older model minivan, the suspect opened the side door to place the TV inside.

The victim put the TV in the van and when he did the suspect pushed the victim into the van from behind and shut the door.

The victim was able to open the door and escape back into the store without any resistance from the suspect.

The victim did not report the incident until approximately 30 minutes later when the suspect reentered the store and approached the victim again trying to converse with him.

The victim then became scared and told the suspect to leave the store and the police were called.

This is an ongoing investigation. No suspects’ have been identified at this time. The Garden City Police Department is requesting assistance from the community, if they have any information related to this incident they should call the Garden City Police Department (620) 276-1300, Crime Stoppers (620) 275-7807, or text your tip to Garden City PD, text GCTIP and your tip to Tip411 (847411).

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate has started a debate over a bill raising taxes to close a projected budget shortfall by rejecting a conservative Republican member’s attempt to kill the measure.

Senators on Wednesday voted 25-13 against a move by GOP Sen. Dennis Pyle of Hiawatha to kill a measure to raise $496 million during the fiscal year that begins July 1.

The bill would increase sales, tobacco and gasoline taxes. It also would suspend for two years a 2012 policy that exempted the profits of 281,000 business owners and farmers from income taxes.

The state’s budget problems arose after lawmakers cut personal income taxes in 2012 and 2013 to stimulate the economy.

Pyle said the state should cut spending. Other Republicans said senators should debate tax issues fully.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The owners of a Lawrence pet store are vowing to rebuild it following a fire that killed an undisclosed number of animals and injured dozens more.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that fire department officials say they have yet to determine a cause in the Monday fire, which remains under investigation.

Co-owner Sherry Emerson said in a statement posted on the business’ website that the blaze broke out in the store’s backroom, likely near the electrical panels. She said she would “not be announcing a death toll any time soon.”

While many fish, reptiles and arachnids survived the fire, Emerson said a number of mammals and birds died from the fumes. Snakes that died were removed from the store and will be buried.

Great Bend Post

GREAT BEND – Roger Marshall made it official on Tuesday. He is running for congress.

In front of the Barton County Courthouse, Marshall announced that he would challenge incumbent Republican Congressman Tim Huelskamp to represent the “Big First District.”

Marshall said he has issues with Huelskamp’s style in representing the district.

RELATED: Marshall scheduled to be in Hays on Wednesday.

Huelskamp, a third term congressman, has become one of the most outspoken Tea Party Republicans in Congress and an opponent of House Speaker John Boehner.

Boehner removed Huelskamp from the House Agriculture Committee in 2013, the first time a representative from western Kansas had not served on the panel in a century.

Marshall said that ideologically he and Huelskamp have similar conservative Republican stances but that he would approach Congress with a different mindset.

He said that as a physician – he has been a practicing OB/Gyn in Great Bend since 1991 – he has developed skill sets that could translate into politics.

The 54-year old physician begins the challenge to unseat Huelskamp with the Republican primary election over 14 months away.