TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — If Democrat Carl Brewer were Kansas governor, lawmakers might be discussing legalizing marijuana to raise extra money for public schools as they struggle to agree on a plan for satisfying a state Supreme Court mandate on education funding.

Some major candidates for governor, like Brewer, believe the state must boost its annual spending on schools by several hundred million dollars, phasing in such an increase in spending. Several aren’t outlining specific proposals, and conservative Republican Kris Kobach said this week that the court’s demand for more money is “unwarranted.”

The Supreme Court ruled in October that the more than $4 billion a year that the state spends on aid to its 286 local school districts isn’t sufficient under the state constitution.

The court didn’t set a specific spending target but hinted in its decision that it might have to rise by $650 million a year. Republican leaders commissioned a cost study by two out-of-state consultants, only to be stunned when it said improving public schools might cost as much as $2 billion more a year.

Donors, interest groups and political activists are watching the nine major hopefuls ahead of the June 1 candidate filing deadline. Education funding is the biggest financial issue facing the state before the Aug. 7 primary election.

The major Republican candidates are Gov. Jeff Colyer, Kobach, Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer and former state Sen. Jim Barnett, a Topeka physician.

The major Democratic candidates are Brewer, the former Wichita mayor; state Sen. Laura Kelly, of Topeka; former state Agriculture Secretary Joshua Svaty; and Kansas House Minority Leader Jim Ward, of Wichita.

Kansas City-area businessman Greg Orman has launched potentially the most serious independent campaign for governor in more than 80 years. He said the next governor would face “a different set of challenges” and Orman expects the Legislature to “do its job” by satisfying the Supreme Court.

Colyer, elevated from lieutenant governor when former GOP Gov. Sam Brownback resigned to take an ambassador’s post, told lawmakers soon after he took office that their plan must end education funding lawsuits and should avoid increasing taxes. Spokesman Kendall Marr pointed to those comments when asked about Colyer’s proposals now.

Selzer’s campaign said he would respond to school funding questions next week.

Brewer and Barnett were the only major candidates to suggest specific revenue-raising measures in statements or interviews with The Associated Press. Barnett pointed to a proposal before lawmakers to impose the state’s sales tax on internet purchases, which by one estimate would raise $93 million a year. He said a roughly $600 million increase could be phased in over three years.

Brewer said the recent GOP-commissioned study makes a funding increase of roughly $600 million appear “reasonable.”

“We need to look at all avenues in increasing the state’s revenue, including legalizing marijuana for medical and recreation use and reducing tax exemptions,” Brewer said in an email statement.

Kelly said increasing education funding by between $100 million and $200 million each of the next three years could satisfy the court. Svaty suggested phasing in an increase of “several hundred million dollars.”

Ward said with state revenues exceeding expectations for the past eight months, it’s premature to talk about raising taxes. Kelly also hopes revenue growth can supply extra dollars for schools for at least several years. Svaty said if lawmakers need to discuss raising revenues later, they should take a broad look at the entire tax system first.

Meanwhile, Kobach promised this week that he would govern with “full-throttle conservatism” if elected, cutting both spending and taxes. He rejected the GOP-commissioned study on public school costs and while he stopped short of saying lawmakers should defy the court, he said the state constitution gives them “sole decision-making” power on taxes and spending.

“Hopefully, the Legislature will do what’s right for the taxpayers of Kansas,” he said. “I think the massive hikes that the report called for and that the Supreme Court called for are unwarranted.”

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — An armed man who threatened law enforcement officers during an eight-hour Lawrence standoff has been ordered to write letters of apology to three officers and undergo alcoholism treatment.

David Rainbolt, 49,  faces two years in prison if he fails at probation. The sentencing Wednesday comes one month after he pleaded no contest to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and criminal threat.

The standoff started in October after police responded to a report of gunshots being fired at Rainbolt’s home. Police say the shooter called police, and then made threats to harm officers and residents in the area. Police evacuated houses in the area and blocked off surrounding streets.

Rainbolt had been hospitalized at the state’s psychiatric facility in Osawatomie before being booked into jail.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – A man who is fighting deportation from Kansas to his native Bangladesh acknowledges he made mistakes years ago while trying to stay in the U.S. and hopes immigration officials will let him remain in the country he calls home.

Syed Ahmed Jamal spoke to The Kansas City Star during a party Wednesday in Lawrence, where supporters celebrated his release from a Missouri jail pending a review of his case.

Jamal was arrested by immigration officials on Jan. 24 at his Lawrence home for overstaying his visa. He was being flown back to Bangladesh last month when an immigration panel granted a temporary stay. He was released from jail Tuesday.

Jamal says he made a mistake in 2006, when he waited too long to switch from a work visa to a student visa.

WELLINGTON, Kan. (AP) — A small-town Kansas woman is gaining national attention for her rainbow hair art. 

Ursula Goff has more than 102,000 followers on Instagram who get to see photos of hairstyles she made that include dyed polka dots, mosaic designs and painted eyes. She was recently featured on the Rachael Ray Show with a segment about her hairstyles.

“The rainbow hair trend has been flooding our social media feeds for quite some time now — but one extremely popular hairstylist from Kansas named Ursula Goff … has truly taken the phenomenon to another level,” Cristina Corvina wrote for the show.

Goff has been styling hair for more than a dozen years, but didn’t start gaining social media attention until about three years ago. She the reactions to her art weren’t always positive in rural Kansas.

“As time goes by, I get more positive feedback than anything,” Goff said. “There’s always people who don’t like it or it’s not their thing, but they aren’t my market, so it’s no big deal.”

She finds her inspiration from “almost everything,” and embraces what some consider weird or crazy.

“It’s fun and lucrative,” Goff said. “I get almost complete creative control, it’s just challenging enough, and it’s given me fantastic travel, exposure and income opportunities. Obviously that not only benefits me and my career, but my family also, and they are ultimately who I answer to and who motivates me.”

Despite the national attention, Goff said she has no plans to leave the small town of Wellington anytime soon.

CHICAGO (AP) — The mayors of Chicago and Overland Park, Kansas, have made a friendly wager on the outcome of the NCAA Elite Eight basketball tournament game between Loyola-Chicago and Kansas State.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he’ll send Overland Park Mayor Carl Gerlach Chicago-style pizza from Loyola student favorite J.B. Alberto’s Pizza. Gerlach says he’ll send Emanuel ribs from Kansas City-style barbecue restaurant Q39. The losing mayor also will make a donation to a charity of the winning mayor’s choice.

Emanuel has chosen Chicago’s Becoming A Man youth mentoring program. Gerlach has picked Overland Park’s Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead.

9th seed Kansas State takes on 11th seed Loyola-Chicago at 5:09 p.m. CT on Saturday in Atlanta.

HOISINGTON, Kan. (AP) — A man has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend’s 2-year-old daughter in central Kansas.

Barton County authorities say 25-year-old Chaz Stephens was also charged Friday with child abuse, possession of methamphetamine and possession of paraphernalia. He remains jailed on $1 million bond.

The body of Iviona Lewis was found Wednesday morning northwest of Hoisington.

The child was last seen Sunday night at her home in Hosington but was not reported missing until Tuesday afternoon.

Hoisington Police Chief Kenton Doze said the girl’s mother was visiting her brother in Great Bend, and the delay in reporting Iviona’s disappearance was caused by confusion over who was supposed to be caring for her.

Stephens’ next court appearance was scheduled for April 5.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands are gathering in Washington Saturday for a protest that organizers claim will be a defining moment in the long-simmering national debate over gun-control legislation.

There is also a March for our Lives Protest in Wichita Saturday. Demonstrators were meeting at Park Elementary, 1025 Main Street in Wichita, Saturday morning, according to organization’s facebook page.  They planned to march to the Sedgwick County Historical Courthouse.

In Washington, organizers of the March for Our Lives rally hoped to draw 500,000 protesters; that would match last year’s women’s march and make this one of the largest Washington protests since the Vietnam era. It would also bolster claims that the nation is ready to enact sweeping changes to its gun control laws. More than 800 marches are planned in cities across America and dozens of locations overseas to be held at roughly the same time.

Washington is generally nonchalant about protests, but Saturday’s gathering has prompted more attention and speculation than usual. Washington officials say they are prepared to handle the crowds — more prepared than they were for the women’s march, which far exceeded the organizers’ official predictions of 300,000.

The protesters, many of them high school students, claim that the youth leadership of this initiative is what will set it apart from previous attempts to enact stronger gun-control legislation.

In the wake of the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the students have tapped into a powerful current of pro-gun control sentiment that has been building for years. They have also partnered with well-funded liberal groups such as Everytown for Gun Safety, the gun control advocacy group founded by former New York mayor and billionaire Michael Bloomberg.

Polls indicate that public opinion nationwide may indeed be shifting on an issue that has simmered for generations, and through dozens of mass shootings. A new poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, found that 69 percent of Americans think gun laws in the United States should be tightened. That’s up from 61 percent who said the same in October of 2016 and 55 percent when the AP first asked the question in October of 2013. Overall, 90 percent of Democrats, 50 percent of Republicans and 54 percent of gun owners now favor stricter gun control laws.

But even with claims of historic social momentum on the issue of gun control, the AP poll also found that nearly half of Americans do not expect elected officials to take action. Among the questions facing march organizers and participants will be how to translate this one-day event, regardless of turnout, into meaningful legislative change.

One way is by channeling the current energy into mid-term congressional elections this fall. Students in Florida have focused on youth voter registration and there will be a registration booth at the Saturday rally.

By DAN MARGOLIES

Almost 1,000 veterans in Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois were denied care at non-VA facilities because their wait times were incorrectly reported, an audit released last week concludes.

The report, by the Office of Inspector General for the Veterans Health Administration, found that 18 percent of appointments for new patients at VA facilities in the three states had wait times longer than 30 days. The facilities’ own electronic scheduling systems, however, showed only 10 percent had wait times of more than 30 days.

The inaccurate wait-time data meant that veterans were not identified as eligible for treatment through the VA’s Choice program, which allows veterans who face wait times of more than 30 days, or have to travel more than 40 miles to a VA facility, to seek care at non-VA facilities.

Because wait times were not accurately measured, the inspector general report estimated that staff failed to offer 970 patients the option of receiving care through the Choice program.

The VA came under fire in 2014 amid disclosures that the VA Medical Center in Phoenix had falsified records to conceal long wait times. The scandal prompted a shakeup in the VA health system, including the resignation of Eric K. Shinseki, the secretary of Veterans Affairs. Since then, inspector general reports have found similar problems at other VA facilities across the country.

The new report looked at wait times in the VA region that includes VA facilities in Kansas City, St. Louis, Columbia and Poplar Bluff, Missouri; Wichita, Topeka and Leavenworth, Kansas; and Marion, Illinois. The region is known as VISN 15 (VISN stand for Veterans Integrated Service Network and encompasses VA medical centers and clinics in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana and Arkansas).

“The main thing that is most troubling to me is that the through lines and the themes that contributed to the problems we were seeing with wait times at so many of the facilities as far back as 2014 still seem to be in place,” said Charles Hughes, a policy analyst with the conservative-leaning Manhattan Institute who has written about VA wait times.

“I’m not talking about willful manipulation or anything in that vein, but just inconsistent enforcement of the processes that are supposed to be in place,” Hughes said. “Sometimes facility staff doesn’t quite understand what they’re supposed to be doing and the end result is more veterans are waiting longer than the data indicates. And in a lot of cases that can lead to them not getting timely care or being inappropriately not made eligible for the Choice program.”

Kevin T. Arnhold, a spokesman for VISN 15, said in an email that the facilities “appreciate the inspector general’s review and we welcome the oversight because we know it makes us better.”

“And while this report highlighted opportunities for improvement with respect to our wait times, it also validates VISN 15’s efforts to deliver timely health care to Veterans,” he said. “Nevertheless, we are taking this opportunity to redouble our efforts to provide timely, high-quality care to those who have worn the uniform.”

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, said in an email to KCUR that the report “clearly shows there’s more work that needs to be done to ensure wait times are being reported accurately, consults are being managed effectively, and veterans who are eligible for the Choice program are able to get the care they need within 30 days.”

Blunt last year co-sponsored legislation called the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, aimed at protecting whistleblowers while making it easier to fire employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Drew Pusateri, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, said via email that McCaskill was reviewing the inspector general report “but finds many aspects of the audit concerning and will be demanding additional information from the VA.”

The report follows a similar audit of another VA region last year, which also found facilities failing to maintain accurate data on wait times.

Neither report reviewed the quality of the health care provided at the facilities. Rather, they measured wait times for new patients and the accuracy of the facilities’ wait-time data.

The VA health system comprises 1,700 hospitals and clinics, making it the country’s largest integrated health care system.

The new inspector general report says that “VA data reliability continues to be a high-risk area.”

In addition to finding that 18 percent of appointments for new patients overall had wait times exceeding 30 days, the report also found that the wait times for 38 percent of new mental health or specialty care appointments were inaccurate. The report said the average wait time for the 18 percent cohort was 53 days.

“Staff continued to enter the wrong date in the scheduling system primarily because VISN 15 and facility management did not ensure staff consistently implemented VHA’s scheduling requirements,” the report stated.

“I think a lot of it is just kind of, I don’t want to say incompetence, but misunderstanding or mistakes or just poor performance,” Hughes, of the Manhattan Institute, said.

He added: “It is a little disheartening that we’re into 2018 now and still having a lot of these same issues.”

Dan Margolies is a senior reporter and editor for the Kansas News Service. You can reach him on Twitter @DanMargolies.