Trial dates have been set for the parents of two children found bound and blindfolded in a Walmart parking lot in eastern Kansas.

The Douglas County district attorney’s office says 52-year-old Adolfo Gomez will stand trial on Jan. 7. His wife, 44-year-old Deborah Gomez, is set for trial Feb. 4. The Gomezes, of Northlake, Ill., have pleaded not guilty to charges of child abuse and child endangerment.

They were arrested June 13 after Lawrence police found two children, ages 5 and 7, tied up outside the family’s vehicle. Three other older children were inside the SUV unrestrained.

The couple told police they were on their way to Arizona when their car broke down, and that they periodically restrained their children as part of their religion and to ward off demons.

U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo said he believes abortions should be allowed only when necessary to save the life of the mother, while his Democratic challenger Robert Tillman vows to back abortion rights.

Pompeo, who was swept into office in the November 2010 conservative tide that took the House, told The Associated Press that he would not support any other exception that would permit abortions, even in cases where the mother had been raped.

“I believe that that child however conceived is a life and I want very much for that life to continue to exist,” Pompeo said.

The conservative Republican said that he voted while in Congress to defund Planned Parenthood, which he called the “largest commercial provider of abortions in the United States.” Even though no federal money goes to fund abortions, Pompeo contended that the clinics use those federal resources to help pay for their facilities.

Republicans hold all four of Kansas’ congressional seats, but Democrats are contesting only two in the fall: the 2nd District held by Rep. Lynn Jenkins and the 4th District held by Pompeo. The two Democratic congressional candidates face long odds in trying to unseat Republican incumbents in the GOP-leaning state.

Pompeo faces an election challenge from Tillman, a retired court services officer and an ardent supporter of President Barack Obama who credits the president as his inspiration to seek public office.

“Republicans are not really serious about the abortion issue,” Tillman said. “They use it as a push-button issue to keep people riled up, keep them angry and keep them voting for the Republican Party.”

Wichita was the site of the 1991 “Summer of Mercy” protests, which included attempts to block Tiller’s clinic and led to more than 2,700 arrests.

Tillman said abortion rights was not a campaign issue for him, because it was resolved with Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling legalizing abortions.

But the divisive social issue has garnered renewed attention nationally in the presidential race. Obama supports access to abortion. GOP challenger Mitt Romney says Roe v. Wade ruling should be overturned, which would allow states to ban abortion.

The 4th District is also home to the state’s aviation industry, where companies such as Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft, Bombardier Learjet, Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems have struggled during the economic downturn. Hawker Beechcraft is in bankruptcy, and Boeing is leaving town when it closes its defense work next year.

Pompeo was elected in 2010 to his first term, beating state Rep. Raj Goyle by a 59-36 percent margin. Pompeo replaced GOP Rep. Todd Tiahrt, who decided not to seek re-election and lost the Republican U.S. Senate primary to Jerry Moran.

“I have perhaps, most importantly, done precisely what I told voters I would do when I ran almost exactly two years ago: we have pushed back on the size and scope of the federal government, not always successfully against Sen. (Harry) Reid and President Obama,” Pompeo said.

The candidates in the 4th District in Kansas mirror much of the campaign stances of their party’s nominee in the presidential race.

Pompeo has said he would vote to repeal Obamacare and supports Romney’s Medicare and tax plans which Pompeo believes will get the economy growing. He also opposes direct farm subsidies to farmers, but supports a self-sustaining crop insurance program. He wants to roll back government regulation.

Tillman said he supports Obama’s health care bill and would raise taxes on the top one percent of income earners. He also is supportive of immigration reform, particularly the DREAM Act that would give young immigrants a path to citizenship.

The last Democrat to hold the seat was Dan Glickman, who was elected in 1976 but lost to Republican Todd Tiahrt in 1994. Glickman later was appointed agriculture secretary by President Bill Clinton.

Riley County police say a Fort Riley soldier found dead at his off-post home accidentally overdosed on medication he was taking after surgery.

Officers were called to the Ogden home of 33-year-old Army Sgt. Duriel Powell the morning of Sept. 28 after a relative found him not breathing. Emergency responders said Powell was deceased by the time they arrived.

Riley County Police Lt. Josh Kyle told WIBW-TV Powell was taking medication while recovering from unspecified surgery. Foul play was not suspected, but an autopsy was performed to determine the cause of death.

Officials with the 1st Infantry Division said Powell was a field artillery radar operator. He was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team.

The Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission has dismissed a complaint against a conservative Democratic House member.

The commission concluded Wednesday that Rep. Jan Pauls of Hutchinson didn’t intend to violate the law when she failed to list a rental property she owns on annual financial disclosure forms.

Pauls filed a new form with the secretary of state’s office in July after questions were raised. She said she and her husband lost money on the duplex they rented out.

The complaint against Pauls was filed by the chairman of a Kansas Democratic Party caucus that advocates for gays and lesbians.

Gay rights supporters have targeted Pauls because of her strong backing of legislation that critics say would nullify local anti-discrimination ordinances helping gays and lesbians.

A new trial date has been scheduled for a 31-year-old western Kansas man who’s charged with trying to kill his three children.

Irineo Garcia of Liberal has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted first-degree murder. He’s scheduled to stand trial Feb. 11 in Seward County District Court.

A psychological evaluation delayed Garcia’s trial, which initially was scheduled for last February.

He’s accused of trying to kill his three children, then ages 5, 6 and 7, in 2010. Prosecutors say he also tried to kill himself. The children and Garcia were found injured at their home after his estranged wife notified police.

Officers found him bleeding outside the home and the children inside. They have all recovered from their injuries.

Mistrial declared after Kan. jury sees wrong DVD
A judge in northeastern Kansas has declared a mistrial in an attempted murder case because jurors saw improper evidence.

Jefferson County District Judge Gary Nafziger ordered the mistrial Wednesday in the attempted murder trial of 62-year-old John Hayworth Jr. of Valley Falls. Hayworth is charged in the December shooting of 58-year-old William Schoonover, also of Valley Falls.

The trial, which opened Monday, was declared a mistrial after jurors watched a DVD containing footage that should have been redacted. Jefferson County Attorney Jason Belveal says a redacted copy had been made, but the jury was inadvertently shown the incorrect version.

The judge set a Jan. 24 court date to reschedule the trial.

Students at a northeast Kansas high school are waging a protest against a new federal law regulating what they eat for lunch.

Some Abilene High School students are boycotting the cafeteria to protest the law, which requires them to eat more fruits and vegetables. The students also say they aren’t getting enough to eat due to the small portions.

Students are being encouraged to bring their own lunch to school or to use the school snack bar this week.

Nancy Curtis, food service supervisor at the school, said the cafeteria served about 175 students Monday, down from an average of about 380.

She says the cafeteria isn’t losing money because workers are able to freeze most of the leftover food and there’s more revenue from the snack bar.

The case against a Kansas man charged in a deadly crash in Nebraska has been passed on to the Dawson County District Court for trial.

22-year-old Destry Swartz, of Coats, Kan., is charged with vehicular homicide, operating a vehicle to avoid arrest and driving under the influence in the Oct. 8 death of 68-year-old Ruben Maravilla-Cortes, of Lexington.

Authorities say Swartz was being chased by a state trooper for running a stop sign when he ran red light at an intersection and hit Maravilla-Cortes’ vehicle.

Swartz waived his preliminary hearing in county court on Monday. He remains in the Dawson County jail on $500,000 bond.

By Fred Gough ~ Hutch Post

A 24-year-old Parsons man will spend life in prison after being convicted of a child sex crime in April, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said Tuesday.

Nicholas Coree Joplin was sentenced to life in the Kansas Department of Corrections Tuesday by Labette County District Judge Robert J. Fleming. The case was prosecuted under Jessica’s Law, meaning Joplin will not be eligible for parole for at least 25-years. A jury convicted Joplin in April on a single count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. The crime occurred in 2010.

The charge stemmed from an investigation by the Parsons Police Department. Assistant Attorneys General Kevin O’Connor and Amanda Voth of Schmidt’s office prosecuted the case, assisted by Labette County Attorney Hillary McKinney.