Legal experts say a South Dakota beef processor that is suing ABC News for defamation faces a steep climb for a victory in court.

Beef Products Inc. sued ABC News, Inc. for defamation Thursday over its coverage of a meat product that critics dub “pink slime.” The company alleges that the network created an inaccurate impression that the product is unsafe.

The lawsuit seeks damages under South Dakota’s defamation law, as well as a 1994 state law that allows businesses to sue anyone who knowingly spreads false information about a food product. A company lawyer says BPI will seek $1.2 billion in damages.

Drake University law professor Neil Hamilton says BPI may struggle to convince a jury that the news stories were defamatory or that harm was intended.

Nebraska State Sen. Brenda Council has apologized for misusing more than $60,000 in campaign donations at casinos and filing false reports to conceal it.

Attorney General Jon Bruning says Council agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor charges of filing false campaign reports that omit the casino withdrawals and cash deposits.

In a statement, Council says she “made an error in judgment,” and that she takes “full responsibility.” She says she’s receiving professional treatment for a gambling addiction and will not “give up or quit fighting for the issues.”

Her opponent, Ernie Chambers, a longtime foe of casino gambling in Nebraska, says he hopes people will see that if the addiction can bring down somebody with education, intelligence and a successful political career, it can do it to anybody.

The Kansas State Fair is entering its final weekend.

Country star Billy Currington will take the stage Saturday night for the final grandstand musical performance. And Sunday’s grandstand entertainment is a truck and tractor pull.

Weekend fairgoers also will be treated to an exotic animal petting zoo, milking demonstrations, pig races, horse shows, a chainsaw woodcarver and juggling performances.

This year saw admission prices increase for the first time in four years, with a regular adult ticket going from $8 to $10. Fair officials have said expenses have increased.

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.)this week met with Loren Wade in his Senate office in Washington, D.C., and congratulated Loren on his recent recognition as the National Outstanding Oldest Worker for 2012 by Experience Works. Mr. Wade, 100, has worked at the Winfield Walmart for more than 30 years.

“Loren Wade’s dedication and work ethic represent the values that have made our country great. It is crucial that we, as a nation, continue to honor individuals like Loren, those who put in the hard work and make the individual effort,” Sen. Moran said. “It is a great pleasure to meet Mr. Wade and help celebrate his truly impressive achievement.”

The Kansas Star Casino near Mulvane is continuing to easily exceed revenue projections.

The Kansas Lottery said Wednesday that entering September, the casino generated $129.5 million since it opened in mid-December 2011. It has been averaging more than $15 million a month. The lottery owns and operates the casino’s games.

The Wichita Eagle reports if that pace continues, the casino will bring in more than $180 million this year. In 2010, consultants predicted the casino would generate $159.1 million in 2012.

The revenue numbers are expected to increase when the Kansas Star’s permanent casino opens early next year. It will include more slot machines, gaming tables, and food services. The permanent casino is scheduled to open in January, but casino officials say it could open sooner.

UPDATE: 

The State Objections Board heard arguments Thursday on a claim from a Manhattan resident that President Obama is not eligible to be president because his father was from Kenya. The resident, Joe Montgomery, also questions whether President Obama has a valid birth certificate.

The president released a copy of his long-form birth certificate last year, and Hawaii officials have verified his citizenship repeatedly.

But the Kansas board — made up of the secretary of state, attorney general and lieutenant governor — said Thursday it wants certified documents from Hawaii and two other states where similar questions about President Obama’s citizenship have been raised.

The board plans to meet again Monday and may rule then.

ORIGINAL:  A Kansas board is preparing to settle challenges to spots on the November ballot for President Barack Obama and a former lawmaker seeking to return to the Legislature.

The State Objections Board is made up of the secretary of state, attorney general and lieutenant governor. Other items on its agenda Thursday include disputes over presidential candidate listings for the Reform and Americans Elect parties.

Manhattan resident Joe Montgomery objected to Obama’s listing as the Democratic nominee for president, claiming Obama is not a U.S. citizen.

A tea party group’s president has questioned whether former Kansas House member Tom Sawyer lives at the Wichita address he listed on his filing papers. Sawyer is the Democratic nominee in the 95th House District, and says he has owned the home for two decades.

A government ethics office says Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius violated a federal law that restricts political activity by government officials.

In a report Wednesday, the federal Office of Special Counsel said off-the-cuff remarks by Sebelius during a Feb. 25 speech to a gay rights group in North Carolina violated the Hatch Act.

Sebelius called for President Barack Obama’s re-election and endorsed a Democratic candidate for governor.

In a formal response, Sebelius said that any violation was “technical and minor” and was corrected after her official trip was reclassified as political, and the government was repaid for her travel.

Since Sebelius is a Cabinet official, the ethics office referred the case to the White House for “appropriate action.”