A police officer says a child whose brother and sister were found bound and blindfolded in a Walmart parking lot in Kansas told him the family believed her younger siblings and their Illinois home had been possessed by demons.

The children were discovered tied up and with duct tape over their eyes outside the store in Lawrence in June. Their parents, 44-year-old Deborah Gomez and 52-year-old Adolfo Gomez Jr., are charged with two counts of child abuse and five counts of aggravated child endangerment.

Police officer Hayden Fowler testified Tuesday that an older daughter said the family was going to try to cast the demons from her 5-year-old brother and 7-year-old sister.

Fowler told a preliminary hearing the girl did not explain how they would do that.

Former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline is asking that a state Court of Appeals judge be removed from hearing an ethics case against him.

Kline says in a court motion that Judge Karen Arnold-Burger should be removed from hearing the case because she contributed to a legal newsletter that contained demeaning information about Kline.

Seven judges are reviewing a complaint that alleges Kline and former subordinates misled other officials in an effort to investigate abortion providers. The state Board for Discipline of Attorneys recommended Kline lose his law license in Kansas.

Kline has strongly disputed the allegations.

His attorney, Tom Condit, told The Topeka Capital-Journal the motion regarding Arnold-Burger was filed Friday after Kline discovered the judge contributed what he called dishonest information to Kansas judges through the newsletter.

Hutchinson voters in November might face ballot issues that would either repeal gay rights or broaden them.

In June, the Hutchinson City Council added protections against discrimination in housing and employment for gay, lesbian and bisexual people.

After the vote, opponents began gathering signatures on petitions to require a November vote to repeal that ordinance. On Tuesday, the Kansas Equality Coalition announced it would gather signatures on a ballot question asking voters to approve wider protections for gays, lesbians and bisexuals.

The KEC, which has about 170 Hutchinson members, will need 327 valid signatures to get the question on the ballot.

Opponents led by the Kansas Family Policy Council say they already have more than 327 signatures needed to get their question on the ballot.

Two people have died in an accident on a north-central Kansas highway.

The Highway Patrol says the man and woman were in an SUV that went off southbound U.S. 81 in Cloud County around 1 p.m. Monday. The vehicle crossed another road and rolled over in a ditch.

The victims are identified as the 72-year-old driver, Margaret Hawkins, and her 73-year-old passenger, Frederick Hawkins, both of Belleville. Officers said neither was wearing a seat belt.

A Salina priest who was facing a misdemeanor charge of sexual battery pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of misdemeanor battery, Friday.

Rev. Allen K. Scheer, a priest at Sacred Heart Cathedral, was accused of inappropriately touching an adult male “with the intent to arouse or satisfy sexual desires” on April 12 according to police.

Bishop Edward Weisenburger of the Catholic Diocese of Salina released a statement on the diocese’s website,

“Approximately three months ago Reverend Allen Scheer was charged with a misdemeanor crime of sexual battery.  Earlier today Father Scheer pled no contest to the lesser crime of misdemeanor battery.   It grieves me to learn that Father Scheer may have undertaken an activity that was illegal as well as inconsistent with our faith.  However, I appreciate his acceptance of responsibility.

It is my hope that the Church can be a source of healing for anyone who may have been harmed by this incident.  Father Scheer will be provided emotional and spiritual assistance.  Father Scheer’s possible return to ministry will be determined in time following evaluation by healthcare professionals and Diocesan leadership.

Without minimizing the importance of the issues it is significant to recall that our Church found its origins among men who each, in his own way, betrayed the Lord.  And yet, with repentance and God’s grace, we sinners continue to be made into saints.  In that spirit I ask the prayers of all that this act of justice may be balanced with forgiveness, healing, and renewal.”

Police say a 27-year-old man fired at least one shot inside a Burlington Coat Factory in Wichita after a store employee confronted him over his suspicious behavior.

No injuries were reported.

But employees and customers fled the store in fear Monday after a security guard alerted them that a shooter was in the store.

Police Capt. Hassan Ramzah says the suspect suffered minor injuries while resisting arrest and has been taken to a Wichita hospital. Police did not fire any shots.

Authorities recovered the shooter’s handgun.

Ramzah says the suspect fired a round at a loss prevention officer after the employee became suspicious of his behavior and confronted him.

A dispute between Kansas and Nebraska over use of water from the Republican River is heading back to court – in New England.

The trial begins Monday in federal court in Portland, Maine. A special master appointed by the U.S. Supreme Court will take evidence and recommend a resolution.

Kansas officials allege Nebraska is violating a 2003 settlement over use of water in the Republican River basin. The state claims Nebraska exceeded its allotment by more than 78,000 acre-feet of water from 2005 through 2006.

Kansas asked the U.S. Supreme Court in 2010 to reopen the case and enforce the settlement. The court agreed to reopen the case last year and appointed a special master.

An oil boom that started two years ago in southern Kansas has given a boost to landowners and local governments with an infusion of cash for lease payments.

But the Wichita Eagle reports that is having a negative impact for some who don’t have a stake in the oil industry because of rising housing costs.

Largely out-of-state oil companies have drilled hundreds of horizontal wells in places like Sumner, Harper, Barber and Comanche counties, delivering an enormous shot of cash in lease payments.

The Kansas Department of Revenue says total assessed value of Harper County land rose 33 percent between January 2010 and January 2012. Barber County’s assessed value went up 34 percent and Comanche County’s rose 27 percent during the same period.

Kansas gambling regulators say an increasingly popular fund-raising activity is illegal in the state because gambling provisions don’t include charitable exceptions.

Racing and Gaming Commission spokesman Bill Miskell told The Garden City Telegram that poker runs and charitable poker tournaments are not allowed in Kansas.

That prompted the newspaper to cancel a Texas Hold ‘Em tournament next week that would have helped fund its Newspaper in Education Program.

Several poker runs – in which motorcycle riders pay an entry fee and drive to various locations to pick up playing cards – have taken place in Garden City this summer and in previous years.

Miskell says it’s up to the local county attorney to prosecute violators. Finney County attorney John Wheeler that’s not high on his priority list.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says a 2-year-old, southwest Kansas boy was killed after running in front of a truck.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Konnor Wilkerson of Plains ran into the middle of the street in Plains, a town of about 1,200 residents in Meade County, just after 7 p.m. Friday.

Konnor was struck by a 2001 Ford pickup truck driven by 59-year-old John Lawrence of Florence, Colo.

The patrol says Konnor was pronounced dead at the scene. No additional details of the crash were available.

The Kansas Department of Transportation is considering laying off 40 employees from its headquarters in Topeka.

Transportation Secretary Mike King on Friday announced the proposed the layoffs of the headquarters staff to the Kansas Department of Administration.

King says the layoffs would make the department more efficient.

King is not planning additional layoffs at this time, but they are a possibility in the future.

King did not announce when the layoffs might happen and the potential savings to the state. He says the changes won’t negatively affect the state’s 10-year transportation plan.

About 800 of the transportation department’s 2,800 work in the Topeka headquarters.