WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Federal court records show that a Catholic priest charged with stealing nearly $151,000 from two small parishes to fund his gambling has negotiated a diversion agreement.

The agreement filed Wednesday would delay Thomas Leland’s prosecution for 18 months and result in the dismissal of the case if it’s approved and he adheres to its terms. The Wichita Eagle reports that Leland is accused of taking unauthorized reimbursements, salary advances and overpayments and too much money for conducting church services while he was the parish priest at St. Francis in St. Paul and at St. Ambrose in Erie.

Diocesan spokeswoman Amy Pavlacka has said Leland was removed from his position after coming forward in March 2014. His attorney didn’t immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — No one was injured when a roller coaster at an Oklahoma City amusement park stalled out and stranded eight people, including seven children.  See video here.

Oklahoma City Fire Department District Chief Benny Fulkerson says firefighters walked the stranded riders down a catwalk to safety Wednesday afternoon after the Frontier City ride became stuck.

The riders, which included children ages 7 to 15, were stranded on the coaster for about an hour Wednesday.

Fulkerson says the Silver Bullet roller coaster at Frontier City “just didn’t make it over a hill” and became stuck.

Fulkerson says power to the ride was shut off and the cars were chained to the rail before the stranded riders were escorted down one at a time.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a warning that’s sure to disappoint many who enjoy sneaking a taste of cookie dough, the federal Food and Drug Administration says people shouldn’t eat raw dough or batter of any kind due to an ongoing outbreak of illnesses related to a strain of E. coli bacteria found in some batches of flour. See additional details here.

The FDA says some of those who got sick ate or handled raw dough that contained flour made at a General Mills plant in Kansas City, Missouri.

General Mills has voluntarily recalled 10 million pounds of flour sold under the Gold Medal, Gold Medal Wondra and Signature Kitchen brands.

The agency also warns against using dough for play clay or homemade ornaments.

The CDC is advising restaurants not to give kids raw dough to play with while waiting for meals.

TOPEKA, KAN. – A Mexican man was indicted Wednesday on charges that he was stopped in Shawnee County with 34 pounds of methamphetamine in his car, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.

Luis Manuel Mojarro-Lopez, 33, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. An affidavit filed in the case alleges that on June 18 the defendant was driving a 2007 Ford Mustang when a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper pulled him over for running a stop sign on the I-70 eastbound exit ramp at Wanamaker.

A search of the vehicle turned up 34 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a false compartment behind the rear seat. Investigators learned Mojarro-Lopez was being paid $2,000 to drive the vehicle from Los Angeles to Kansas City, Kan. He was told to call his contact for further directions after he arrived in Kansas City, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million. The Kansas Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Skip Jacobs is prosecuting.

 

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 63-year-old man has died in Wichita after being trapped under a running lawn mower.

Lt. Chris McAuliffe of the Wichita Police Department tells The Wichita Eagle that family members found the man in the backyard of his home around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday.

Responding firefighters had to turn off the running mower when they arrived. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

McAuliffe says the man owned a lawn care business and was repairing the mower when it somehow fell on top of him. Police are calling the incident an accident.

No other details have been released.

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. (AP) — The Latest on reports of an active shooter at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington (all times local):

10:35 a.m.

A law enforcement official says no active shooter was found at a military post outside Washington.

The law enforcement official was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Joint Base Andrews had been placed on lockdown Thursday morning after an active shooter was reported. The base is home to Air Force One and is about 20 miles from Washington.

An active shooter exercise had also been planned at the base, but officials said the situation became “real world.”

The situation unfolded at a medical facility on the post. Joint Base Andrews issued a tweet telling all personnel at the base in Washington’s Maryland suburbs to shelter in place.

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson says there is an “unfolding situation” at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland but is providing no further details.

 

Due to the serious nature of this report, the base is reacting to ensure the safety of all personnel.

— Joint Base Andrews (@JBA_NAFW) June 30, 2016

 

The base tweeted Thursday it is on lockdown due to a report of an active shooter. Joint Base Andrews is home to Air Force One.

The tweet instructs all personnel at the base in Washington’s Maryland suburbs to shelter in place and says more information will be released as it comes.

Johnson is testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee. He says he may have to take a break from the hearing as the situation at Andrews develops.

 

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JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. (AP) — Joint Base Andrews tweets that the base is on lockdown due to a report of an active shooter.

 

JBA is currently on lockdown due to a report of an active shooter. All personnel are directed to shelter in place. More info as it comes.

— Joint Base Andrews (@JBA_NAFW) June 30, 2016

The tweet sent Thursday morning instructs all personnel at the base in Washington’s Maryland suburbs to shelter in place and says more information will be released as it comes.

A second tweet from the base says the incident is ongoing at the Malcolm Grow Medical Facility and first responders are on the scene. It instructs everyone to continue to shelter in place, a precaution meant to keep people safe while remaining indoors.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A judge says residents of Kansas, Georgia and Alabama will have to prove they are U.S. citizens when registering to vote for federal elections using a national form.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon sided Wednesday with a U.S. elections official who changed the proof-of-citizenship requirements on the form at the request of the three states without public notice. Residents of other states need only to swear that they are citizens, not show proof.

The judge refused to issue the temporary injunction sought by a coalition of voting rights groups to overturn the unilateral move by Brian Newby, the executive director of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

The groups argue the requirements hurt their ability to conduct voter registration drives and deprive eligible voters of the right to vote in federal elections.

MCPHERSON COUNTY – A Kansas teen was injured in an accident just before 6p.m. on Wednesday in McPherson County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Ford Focus driven by Mary Wasinger, 19, Hillsboro, was traveling on U.S. 56 two miles east of Canton

The Ford rear-ended a 2002 Dodge Dakota driven by Matthew Rauch, 25, Canton, that was slowing down to turn north on 29th Avenue. The collision caused the pickup to roll.

Wasinger was transported to the hospital in Hillsboro.

Rauch and a passenger were not injured. The drivers and a 5-month-old in the Ford were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A lawsuit alleging that administrators at the University of Kansas allowed the Student Senate to illegally slash the student newspaper’s funding has been dismissed after the reductions were reversed.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that both parties stated the case had been resolved to “their satisfaction” in a document filed Monday in federal court. The suit alleged that the cut was based on dissatisfaction with the newspaper’s Senate coverage. But the school argued in court filings it was because the paper was printing less frequently.

University spokesman Andy Hyland says the administration is “pleased that we’ve been able to bring these two student organizations together to agree to terms that both groups find acceptable.”

Patrick Doran, the attorney representing the Kansan, declined to discuss the suit with The Associated Press.

MATTHEW PERRONE, AP Health Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials want to know whether hand sanitizers used by millions of Americans work as well as manufacturers claim — and whether there are any health risks to their growing use.

The Food and Drug Administration is asking for new studies on how the antiseptic gels and sprays fight germs and get absorbed into the body, with a particular focus on children and pregnant women. The proposal is part of an ongoing effort to review decades-old chemicals that have never had a comprehensive federal review.

Agency officials stressed that the review “does not mean the FDA believes these products are ineffective or unsafe.”

Hand sanitizers have become nearly ubiquitous over the last 20 years, offered in workplaces, schools, restaurants and other public spaces to reduce the spread of germs.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A woman accused of giving her former boyfriend guns used in a shooting at a Kansas lawn equipment factory plans to mount a battered woman’s syndrome defense at her August trial.

The attorney for Sarah Jo Hopkins filed notice Wednesday saying he plans to introduce expert evidence related to her mental state. The defense is also seeking to suppress her statements.

The 28-year-old Newton woman has pleaded not guilty to transferring weapons to a prohibited person.

Prosecutors say she gave Cedric Ford an AK-47-type semi-automatic rifle and a .40-caliber handgun that he used in the Feb. 25 attack at Excel Industries in Hesston. Four people, including Ford, were killed and 14 others were injured.

Hopkins has told investigators that she gave him the guns because he had threatened her.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal lawsuit claims that Shawnee County sheriff’s deputies arrested a deaf woman after having trouble communicating with her and the jail didn’t provide an accessible phone.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Carolyn Hans claims Shawnee County and the sheriff’s office failed to provide her services required under federal law during her encounter with law enforcement. The suit also contends that the sheriff’s office refused to allow her to file a police report using an accessibility service, instead telling her she needed to hire an interpreter.

The lawsuit indicates Hans likely seeks upwards of $75,000.

County counselor Rich Eckert says the county is aware of the lawsuit, but declined to comment on it. The sheriff’s office general counsel, Matthew Boddington, said he hadn’t heard of the suit.

TOPEKA — Kansas Transportation Secretary Mike King is resigning effective July 15 and says he plans to return to private business.

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s office announced King’s departure Wednesday and said former state Rep. Richard Carlson of St. Marys will serve as interim secretary until a permanent replacement is named.

While leading the agency, the state moved millions of dollars from KDOT to the general fund to help close budget deficits.

King had worked in the construction industry for more than three decades and was owner of a McPherson company when Brownback named him transportation secretary in March 2012.

King has run a department with about 2,500 employees and an annual budget of well over $1 billion. Since 2013, he’s also overseen daily operations for the 236-mile Kansas Turnpike.

But also during his tenure, the state has repeatedly diverted highway funds to other parts of state government to balance its budget.

-The AP contributed to this report.