WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Textron Aviation has announced more layoffs.

The Wichita Eagle reports that the layoffs occurred Thursday. But the company isn’t providing details about how many people were let go from the company, which has three campuses in Wichita.

Textron manufactures business jets as well as turboprop airplanes and also operates a plant in Independence. Company spokeswoman Rosa Lee Argotsinger said Textron’s streamlining with “workforce reductions in order to improve our overall operating efficiency.”

Textron Aviation doesn’t routinely disclose how many Wichita employees it has, but said last December it had about 9,000 employees in Kansas.

The company also announced an unknown number of layoffs in October.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Police say a woman died after she was struck by a vehicle as she tried to cross a street in Topeka.

Police Lt. Shane Hilton told The Topeka Capital-Journal the woman was crossing near Wanamaker and Huntoon Saturday evening when she was struck by the vehicle.

Hilton says she was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The woman’s identity hasn’t been released.

No other details were immediately available.

KDWPT

PRATT – The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) will auction surplus buffalo at the Maxwell Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday, November 16, 2016, beginning at 11 a.m. The auction is open to the public, and lunch and concessions will be available. Those interested in bidding are encouraged to arrive early to receive a bidder number.

The Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, 6 miles north of Canton in McPherson County, is managed to preserve the area’s prairie heritage and maintains herds of buffalo and elk, both native to Kansas grasslands. The primary public use on the 2,500-acre refuge is wildlife viewing. The habitat can support only a certain number of animals, so each fall, surplus buffalo are sold at a public auction. This year, 48 buffalo will be auctioned, including five cows, six yearling heifers, five heifer calves, six yearling bulls, 11 two-year-old bulls, five bull calves, and five cow/calf pairs.

Buffalo over 1-year-old will be brucellosis and tuberculosis tested and accompanied by a health certificate. Heifer calves will be vaccinated for brucellosis and certificates issued. Prices paid per animal can range from several hundred dollars to several thousand, depending on market demand, condition, sex and age of the animal.

Cash and personal checks (if accompanied by a notarized authorization letter from the issuing bank) will be accepted. KDWPT reserves the right to reject any or all bids. Buyers must pick up the bison the day of the sale or make arrangements with the refuge manager prior to the sale. Animals become the buyer’s responsibility upon settlement on sale day. Load-out assistance is available until dusk the day of the sale. Stock racks and trailers should be covered or lined because bison transport best in dark conditions.

The sale will be outside and will take place rain or shine, so attendees are encouraged to dress accordingly. For more information, contact Maxwell Wildlife Refuge manager Cliff Peterson at (620) 628-4592, or KDWPT’s Region 4 Office in Wichita at (316) 683-8069.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Voters in two more Kansas counties have signed off on allowing sales of liquor by the drink, leaving just eight of the state’s 105 counties with such a provision.

The Wichita Eagle reports that residents of Clark and Stafford counties approved the measures Tuesday. Clark County’s approval was by a 635-333 vote. Stafford County’s ballot measure passed 1,304-535.

In 2,200-resident Clark County, passage of liquor by the drink was touted for its economic development potential.

Kelly McCarty is a part of the local development-minded Ashland 2020 committee. She says changing the law “was a small step to help the community,” and “every little bit helps.”

The Kansas Department of Revenue says the eight counties still without liquor-by-the-drink provisions are Clay, Gray, Haskell, Jewell, Meade, Sheridan, Stanton and Wallace.

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say an inmate has turned himself in after walking away from a minimum-security federal prison camp in Leavenworth.

The U.S. Bureau of Prisons said in a release Sunday that 41-year-old Timothy Taylor turned himself in late Saturday night, and is back in the Bureau of Prisons’ custody. The department did not provide details about how or where Taylor surrendered.

Taylor was found missing from the Federal Prison Camp at Leavenworth late Friday night. The department says Taylor was serving a 10-year sentence on a drug charge out of the western federal district of Missouri.

There were no details about how Taylor managed to leave the Leavenworth site, which has about 400 male inmates.

TOPEKA -The new Kansas Unmanned Aerial Systems program conducted test flights over the past week to find ways to use drones for bridge and tower inspections.

“The first week of testing was fantastic,” said Merrill Atwater, Director of Aviation for the state of Kansas.

Most of the testing was completed in the Junction City area. “A number of teams came out and we learned a lot,” said Atwater.

“We know this will save the taxpayers money and is a much safer way for our employees to do this work,”  he said.

KDOT is working with KSU-Polytechnic as part of the learning process.

This is the first of several cooperative efforts KDOT is leading to employ new UAS technologies that increase public safety.

“It’s important we keep safety and personal privacy our top priorities for this program,” said KDOT’s UAS Director Bob Brock.

“KDOT inspectors working directly with UAS operators is an exciting first step that we will follow with many more flight tests to ensure we meet the stringent requirements associated with bridge inspection.

“We also believe UAS is an industry that creates new jobs to help Kansas graduates stay in Kansas, so we are working with universities and other state agencies to investigate additional opportunities for engagement that will be announced in the coming months,” he said.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — An explosion and fire has destroyed a historic Kansas City church.

The Kansas City Star reports that fire crews were called to the Evangelic Center Church in downtown Kansas City early Sunday morning. The fire department says the church was unoccupied when the fire broke out, and no injuries have been reported.

Partial collapse at structure fire 1000 block of Truman pic.twitter.com/jnvjNfPm0X

— KCFD (@KCMOFireDept) November 13, 2016

Kansas City Battalion Chief James Garrett said there had been an explosion and a partial building collapse at the church. He says authorities also closed nearby roads while crews battled the fire, which created a plume of smoke that was visible from miles away.

The fire department says firefighters haven’t yet determined the cause of the explosion and fire.

The church opened in 1904 for Masonic functions as the Scottish Rite Temple.