TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the opening day of the Kansas Legislature’s annual session (all times local):

9:45 a.m.

A Republican leader in the Kansas House says he expects GOP Gov. Sam Brownback to propose one-time fiscal moves to avoid big cuts in the current budget.

Dighton Republican and House Majority Leader Don Hineman said Monday that options for balancing the current budget are limited but does not expect Brownback to propose big spending cuts.

Lawmakers were opening their annual session Monday. The state faces a projected shortfall of $342 million when the current fiscal year ends June 30.

The state could delay contributions to public employee pensions. Lawmakers also have talked about liquidating a state investment fund.

Hineman declined to be specific about what he expects from Brownback.

Brownback also wouldn’t provide details in a brief interview Monday. He plans to release budget proposals Wednesday.

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12:27 a.m.

The Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature expects to kick off its debate over ending an income tax break championed by GOP Gov. Sam Brownback shortly after lawmakers open their annual session.

The House Taxation Committee plans to meet Monday afternoon, less than two hours after both chambers convened for what traditionally has been a day long on ceremony and speeches and short on substantial business.

But Chairman Steven Johnson, an Assaria Republican, said he wants the House panel to begin working quickly on revenue-raising proposals.

Lawmakers must close a projected $342 million shortfall in the current budget and gaps in funding for existing programs totaling nearly $1.1 billion through June 2019. Kansas has struggled to balance its budget since GOP legislators slashed personal income taxes in 2012 and 2013 at Brownback’s urging in what many voters now see as a failed economic stimulus effort.

DICKINSON COUNTY -Law enforcement authorities in Dickinson County are investigating a reported explosive device found over the weekend.

Just after 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Herington police and sheriff’s deputies responded after a citizen called to report a suspicions device seen under a bridge near Vane Road and Highway 4 just outside Herington, according to Dickinson County Sheriff Gareth Hoffman.

Officials contacted the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team from Fort Riley. They checked the device, moved it and detonated it.

“We have no leads and are not 100 per cent sure what it was,” said Hoffman.

The team from Fort Riley is still working to learn more about what it was and who might have been responsible.

SEDGWICK COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Sedgwick County are investigating a weekend fire at an elementary school.

Fire crews responded to the fire Saturday at the playground at Adams Elementary School in the 1000 Block of North Oliver in Wichita.

PLAYGROUND FIRE | 1002 N Oliver St | Adams Elementary | CP says someone set the playground equip on fire | SQ14 has fire showing |

— WichitaFire.org (@wichitafireorg) January 7, 2017

There were no injuries. The playground equipment was destroyed.

Police asked the public for help to identify anyone who might be responsible for the fire.

 

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is firing back at Meryl Streep, who made the Republican a big topic of her speech accepting a lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes.

Without mentioning Trump by name, Streep on Sunday night called out the Republican’s “performance” on the campaign trail in which he flailed his arms and appeared to mock a disabled New York Times reporter. She said Trump’s actions “kind of broke my heart.”

In a series of tweets Monday morning, Trump called Streep “one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood” and a “Hillary flunky who lost big.” He also says he wasn’t mocking the reporter, but instead was showing him “groveling” about changing a story he had written.

 

Meryl Streep, one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood, doesn’t know me but attacked last night at the Golden Globes. She is a…..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2017

Hillary flunky who lost big. For the 100th time, I never “mocked” a disabled reporter (would never do that) but simply showed him…….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2017

“groveling” when he totally changed a 16 year old story that he had written in order to make me look bad. Just more very dishonest media!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2017

 

Streep’s remarks drew a backlash from some conservatives, even from Trump critic Meghan McCain, who tweeted that Streep’s speech was “why Trump won.”

ENGLEWOOD, CO -Law enforcement officials in Colorado canceled an Amber Alert for two boys who police believe may have been kidnapped by their mother.

The brothers, Johnny, 8, and Joseph, 12, were found safe.

Their biological mother, Rebecca Dinapoli,  38, is in custody. She is being held on requested kidnapping and other charges, according to police.

Officers, working on a tip Sunday night, found Dinapoli and her two boys, 12 and 8-years-old, in a neighborhood on the south side of the Denver suburb of Englewood.

According to the Englewood Police Department, 8-year-old Johnny Dinapoli and big brother Joseph Dinapoli, 12, went outside around 5:30 Sunday morning to get something from the car. When their grandpa went to the door to check on the kids, he said he saw their mother backing out of the driveway.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A former Haskell Indian Nations University student originally charged with raping a fellow student will serve 60 days in county jail and two years of probation after a plea deal that drew strong objections from the victim and her family.

Jared Wheeler was sentenced Friday after pleading no contest in November to aggravated battery. He originally faced two counts of rape and one count of aggravated battery. A trial last summer ended in a mistrial.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports the woman told the judge Friday that she believes Wheeler should have faced more charges.

Wheeler told the court that the case motivated him to make positive changes.

A second man, Galen Satoe, is awaiting trial on two counts of rape and one count of aiding and abetting attempted rape.

LEAWOOD, Kan. (AP) — A suburban Kansas City woman has snared her own home improvement TV show, co-starring her father.

The Kansas City Star reports that the DIY Network has signed Tamara Day, of Leawood, Kansas, to star in “Bargain Mansions.” Twelve 30-minute episodes will begin airing in October.

Her father, Ward Schraeder, of Salina, will co-star. He’s a principal partner at Medical Development Management in Wichita.

Day and her father will renovate six homes over the first season. Day expects to be onsite seven days a week for the next nine months. Video crews will be taping two days a week. The mother of four says she is spending time with her husband and children “before the storm hits.”

Shooting is scheduled to start at the end of January.

MOUNDRIDGE, Kan. (AP) — A mother and son from California who died after falling through ice on a pond in Kansas have been identified as 44-year-old Polly Claassen and 8-year-old Trent Claassen.

Investigators say the woman and her son went through the ice Friday at William Pack Memorial Park in Moundridge.

The boy’s 43-yer-old father was also on the ice when it broke. He was treated and released.

Polly Claassen died at Newton Medical Center and Trent Claassen died at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita.

The Claassens were visiting from California when the tragedy occurred.

Relatives released a statement late Saturday thanking everyone who helped the Claassen family and the Moundridge community for its support.

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MOUNDRIDGE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a California mother and her 8-year-old son visiting Kansas relatives died after being pulled from an icy pond.

KAKE-TV reports that investigators have not publicly identified the victims of the drowning Friday afternoon at Pack Park in central Kansas’ Moundridge.

The woman’s 43-year-old husband managed to stay above the water and ice and was rescued. He was treated at a hospital.

Ron Blaylock, Moundridge’s fire chief, said rescue efforts were slowed by the fact his volunteer fire department didn’t have a boat and had to summon one from elsewhere.

Details of why the victims were on the pond were not immediately disclosed.

RENO COUNTY— One of the three people jailed on methamphetamine-related charges in 2016 was sentenced Friday in Reno County District Court.

Twenty-three-year-old Paige White of McPherson was given eight years for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, 11-months for possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to distribute, then two six month sentences for misdemeanor possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

The judge ran the sentences concurrent to each other for a total of eight years and Judge Chambers granted three years community corrections after she spends another 60-days in the Reno County jail.

Judge Chambers noted that the only reason he was granting the corrections is because both the state and the defense agreed to it.

He noted that White has been in trouble since she was young, having four juvenile adjudications before she was 11-years-old.

White was discharged from the Kansas Department of Corrections for a case in Reno County from 2012 where she was convicted for sale or distribution of drugs, possession of drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to manufacture or distribute.

She also has convictions in McPherson County for possession of drugs and felony obstruction
She was arrested in the latest case along with 31-year-old Allison Stroda of Enterprise, Kansas and 27-year-old Shawn Green.

SUMNER COUNTY — An earthquake shook south central Kansas on Sunday morning.

The quake recorded just after 8 a.m. measured a magnitude 2.9, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and was centered approximately 15 miles southeast of Caldwell.

There were no reports of damage early Sunday.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The owner of a Kansas City restaurant was sentenced in federal court Thursday for filing a false tax return as part of a scheme to avoid paying more than $566,000 in corporate taxes, according to Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

Roger Geisler, 68, of Lenexa, Kan., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple to two years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Geisler to pay $566,128 in restitution to the IRS.

Geisler has owned and operated two restaurants in Kansas City, Mo. – Domo Sushi bar and Grill in the Brookside area and Matsu Japanese Restaurant (from 1980 to 2010) in the Westport area.

On April 7, 2016, Geisler pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return. Geisler admitted that, for tax years 2007, 2008 and 2009, he signed and submitted corporate returns for his company, Lee’s Pacific Foods, that underreported his restaurants’ gross receipts. The total unreported income for those tax years totaled $2,297,013. As a result of Geisler’s omissions, the amount of tax due and owing totaled $402,860.

In addition to the 2007 to 2009 income taxes, Geisler admitted that he failed to report and pay over employment taxes from 2007 to 2010. A conservative calculation of employment tax due totals $163,268, bringing the total loss from the overall scheme to $566,128.

Geisler also admitted that he did not file individual tax returns for 2007 through 2010.

After Geisler was contacted by the IRS, his accountant asked him how he thought he would get away with not reporting business income and payroll taxes. Geisler responded “I thought I would be dead before they caught on.”

Geisler spent at least $156,988 in business funds on personal expenses, including a home in Lenexa and a 2004 Lexus SUV. Geisler admitted he has a large gambling problem and gambled extensively at area casinos. For example, he gambled $159,706 in 2007 (at Argosy and Isle of Capri.) In 2010, Geisler gambled $290,175 at the 7th Street Casino.