WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s office issued written instructions Wednesday to county elections officials telling them to immediately take steps to implement a federal court ruling that struck down the state’s proof-of-citizenship voter registration law.

The state’s two-page directive instructs election officials not to ask for citizenship documentation of any voter registration applicant. If an applicant voluntarily provides it, they were instructed to scan the document and keep it with the registration record where it would be used only for tracking purposes.

For those residents whose registration record was previously suspended or cancelled due to lack of proof of citizenship, their status would be changed to active and they would receive a notice informing them of their status and the polling place for the upcoming primary election.

U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson issued a 118-page ruling at nearly 5 p.m. Monday finding that the Kansas law violated the constitutional right to vote. Elections Director Bryan Caskey said he held a conference call at 11 a.m. the following morning with the county officials.

“The first thing that I said was we are going to comply with the entirety of the court’s ruling. However, it is going to take a little bit to issue written instructions. Don’t change anything until we issue our written instructions so you know exactly what to change,” Caskey said.

Some counties did not wait for guidance from Kobach’s office before deciding to stop enforcing the state’s proof of citizenship law in the wake of Robinson’s ruling, said Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew.

“In my mind, if we continued to apply the law then we are applying an unconstitutional law,” Shew said.

The instructions say the state is appealing the ruling, and that if an appeal is successful any person who has not provided evidence of citizenship may need to have their status reviewed.

Dale Ho, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Voting Rights Project, said the guidance that Kobach’s office sent out have some “compliance problems” with Robinson’s ruling, but they do not appear to be emergency issues and can be addressed with the court via a status report in a few weeks.

Kobach, a conservative Republican seeking his party’s nomination for governor, was vice chairman of President Donald Trump’s now-disbanded commission on election fraud.

The court in its ruling noted Kobach’s “well-documented history” of avoiding its orders and providing “confusing notices and information” on the state’s website. Robinson ordered the parties to file a joint status report 30 days before the Kansas primary election to verify compliance with her orders and determine whether any additional steps may be necessary so “effective relief for covered voters is not denied or otherwise undermined” by Kobach.

GEARY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on drug charges.

Late Tuesday, deputies stopped a vehicle on Interstate 70 at the Manhattan exit for a defective tail light, according to the Geary County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies arrested Mariel Fjer, Mission, Kansas and Sophia Poplin, Independence, Missouri on suspicion of Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Fjer is also accused of suspicion of Driving While Suspended and for the Defective Tail Light.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas woman has been convicted of participating in the grisly deaths of two men and a woman in Topeka.

Kora Liles, 32, Topeka was found guilty Wednesday of 11 counts, including three counts of first-degree murder.

She was one of five people charged in the March 2017 deaths of 19-year-old Matthew Leavitt; 38-year-old Nicole Fisher; and 20-year-old Luke Davis. The victims were strangled or smothered to death with trash bags in a Topeka basement. Police say the violence stemmed from an unproven rape allegation against Leavitt.

Prosecutors said Liles orchestrated the killings, while defense attorneys argued the victims were killed by other defendants.

Liles will be sentenced Sept. 5.

Joseph Krahn, who prosecutors say killed the three victims, is serving three consecutive life terms. The other three defendants are awaiting trial.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have a suspect in custody.

Just after 7p.m. Tuesday, police responded to report of a shooting in 2600 Block of East 21st in Wichita, according to Lt. Todd Ojile.

Police located a victim, identified as 30-year-old Lafian Berryman of Wichita in a vehicle in the parking lot. He was transported to a local hospital where he died, according to Ojile.

Shortly after police arrived at the scene, a 30-year-old suspect arrived back on the scene and informed officers he was involved in the shooting, according to Ojile. Police interviewed the suspect and other witnesses.

Investigators learned the suspect and a woman were sitting in a truck when Berryman and another woman arrived in a car. There was possibly a physical altercation and an argument in the car between Berryman and the woman, according to Ojile. They exited the vehicle and Berryman began to yell at the suspect who was still in truck.

During the verbal argument, the suspect pulled a gun. Berryman backed away from the truck and the suspect shot him one time. The suspect drove from the scene, called 911 and later returned where he was taken into custody. According to Sedgwick County booking report Leon A. Dukes, 30, is being held in the Sedgwick County Jail on one count of 2nd-degree murder, according to Ojile.

The suspect and Berryman did not know each other. The woman in Berryman’s vehicle had a previous relationship with the suspect, according to Ojile.

SALINE COUNTY —A 47-year-old man was indicted in federal court Tuesday in Wichita for being in the United States after having been deported, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.

Leonel Delgado-Jaquez, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported (count one) , one count of misusing a Social Security number (count two), one count of using false information to obtain a driver’s license (count three) and one count of aggravated identity theft (count four). He was found June 18, 2018, in Saline County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces up to two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on count one, up to five years and a fine up to $250,000 on count two, up to 15 years and a fine up to $250,000 on court three, and a mandatory two years (consecutive) on count four. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated.

By BRIAN GRIMMETT

A blossoming trade war between the United States and China could have a big impact on Kansas farmers and businesses.

President Donald Trump has made good on his threat to slap an additional 25 percent tariff on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods. In turn, Chinese officials have committed to retaliatory tariffs in the same amount. But while U.S. tariffs are focused on tech products, Chinese tariffs will likely focus on agricultural goods.

That big of a tariff will likely diminish any profit a farmer makes by selling to China, keeping them from being able to sell in that market.

“And if they’re selling globally right now and then they can no longer do so, in turn they’re going to have to downsize or just take some losses,” said Holli Schletzbaun of Kansas Global Trade Services.

Kansas exported more than $100 million worth of agricultural products to China last year; it’s one of the state’s largest export markets overall.

Schletzbaun says a decrease in sales to China could also result in an excess of product left in America, adding futher downward pressure to prices.

The Trump administration says the tariffs are meant to punish China for what it calls unfair trade practices that have hurt U.S. companies.

Brian Grimmett reports on the environment and energy the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @briangrimmett. 

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. (AP) — Junction City police are asking the public for help in identifying a deceased woman whose body was found about a month ago.

The body was found May 28 between two buildings in Junction City.

Capt. Trish Giordano says in a news release Wednesday that the body’s condition made it difficult to provide specific characteristics to the public.

She says the KBI provided usable fingerprints and a DNA profile. A forensic anthropologist says the woman apparently was white, with brown hair, aged between 40 to 60, and about 5-feet-10.

She was wearing a large blue/green tank top and blue/green shorts, with size 10 flip-flops.

Investigators say the woman is not Ashley Meiss, a former Army military police officer who hasn’t been seen since she left her Ogden home May 17.

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GEARY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a death after finding a body in Junction City.

Police reported discovering the a body of a white female Monday afternoon in between two buildings in the area of 140 East 2nd Street in Junction City, according to Police Captain Trish Giordano.

The woman was between 5-foot-8 or 9 inches tall, according to Giordano.

The body was transported to the Shawnee County Coroner’s Office in Topeka.

Police have not determined the cause or time of death and there is no estimate as to the age of the deceased.

She was wearing shorts that were dark in color and “Pali Hawaii” flip flops identical photo.

At this time police are still unable to positively identify this subject and are asking for the public’s assistance.

If anyone has information on the identity of this female contact the JCPD at 785-762-5912, their TIPS line at 785-762-8477 or leave a webtip at Gearycrimestoppers.com. You can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.