A Reno County jury found a 28-year-old Wichita man guilty of using his sister as a shield during a standoff with police last year.

Deron McCoy Jr. was found guilty Thursday of 12 of the 18 charges. He was arrested after a five-hour standoff on March 22, 2011, a Hutchinson hotel. The standoff began after McCoy’s ex-girlfriend came to pick up their child.

Prosecutors say when emergency responders entered the room, McCoy was holding his sister and 7-month-old daughter as human shields. They were not hurt and McCoy eventually surrendered.

The Hutchinson News reports the jury acquitted McCoy of a charge of kidnapping involving his infant daughter but found him guilty of aggravated endangerment of a child.

McCoy’s attorney, Alice Osburn, indicated McCoy will appeal.

Workers at the General Motors Fairfax plant in Kansas City, Kan., voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike.

The vote on Thursday does not mean the workers will go on strike. It gives those bargaining for the union the authority to call for a strike if negotiations break down.

KSHB-TV reports that more than 90% of those who voted approved authorizing the strike. Workers said the main point of contention is the possible loss of seniority rights.

The vote was called after workers rejected a new local union contract. The plant has more than 4,000 workers.

Fairfax manufactures the Chevy Malibu, which was the company’s second-best selling car in the U.S. last year.

The Environmental Protection Agency plans to partner with Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence to encourage Native American students to pursue careers in environmental fields.

The EPA’s regional office in Kansas City, Kansas said in a release Thursday that the agency wants to increase Haskell’s awareness of federal opportunities and help students create an environmentally conscious campus. The plan also includes student opportunities in employment, volunteer programs and research.

An official announcement of the partnership is planned for Wednesday at Haskell, a land grant university with about 1,000 students.

Kansas is asking the federal government to waive some rules so the state can overhaul its Medicaid program.

Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration submitted a request Thursday to a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that covers health care for poor families, the disabled and some elderly citizens.

Brownback plans to turn management of the state’s $2.9 billion program to three private insurance companies, having contractors handle services for the elderly and disabled for the first time.

But the state needs the federal agency to waive some rules to cover all participants through contractors and build financial incentives into those contracts.

The new contracts would be awarded this year and start Jan. 1, 2013.

The state transportation department says questions about funding have derailed plans to expand passenger rail service in Kansas.

Dennis Slimmer, chief of planning for the Kansas Department of Transportation, on Wednesday told a Senate committee the department would not do any further work on the proposal unless the Legislature could find some funding for it.

KDOT was studying extending the route Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer, which runs between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City. Proposals included adding a stop in Newton or extending the route to Kansas City, Mo.

The department estimated the cost of improvements needed for the Newton route would be $87.5 million. The Kansas City route would cost about $245.5 million.

by Randy Picking ~ Salina Post

For the second time in two nights, vandals have caused damage at a Salina Church.

Between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, someone damaged windows at the 1st Baptist Church at 843 Lewis.

Police believe the damage was done with a blunt instrument or kicked the windows. The damage estimate for the latest vandalism is $3,000.

Witnesses have seen male teenagers in the area of the church, and on one occasion one was carrying a baseball bat.

If you have any information that may lead to the arrest of who is responsible for the vandalism, contact Crime Stoppers.

The new Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway will hold a pre-opening test of its operations next week for state regulators.

The state-owned casino is scheduled to open February 3. It overlooks a turn at the NASCAR track in Kansas City, Kansas.

Guests at Monday’s nine-hour demonstration will be invited to gamble, with the revenues going to two charities. The run-through is required by the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission to ensure that the casino has adequate internal financial controls and that it’s ready for the customers.

Hollywood Casino plans to donate proceeds from the demonstration to Sunflower House, which works to protect children from physical and sexual abuse, and to a foundation that supports public schools in Kansas City, Kansas.

Abortion rights advocates say an anti-abortion proposal pending in the Kansas House would limit women’s access to birth control.

But a key supporter of the measure says those worries are exaggerated. Rep. Steve Brunk, a Bel Aire Republican, says it only ensures that medical professionals who oppose abortion can’t be demoted or fired for refusing to participate in terminating pregnancies, including with medication.

The so-called “conscience protection” bill was introduced Tuesday. It expands a law preventing medical personnel from being forced to participate in abortions.

The bill would extend the protection to medical professionals who don’t want to participate in prescribing or administering drugs or devices they believe could end a pregnancy.

Planned Parenthood said the bill is broad enough to cover birth control. Brunk said it’s narrowly drafted.

Police and school officials in Riley County are cautioning parents about potential dangers from over-the-counter medicines after four Manhattan High School students got sick on cold remedies.

WIBW-TV reports that two 15-year-olds and two 16-year-olds needed treatment Tuesday for what authorities called accidental overdoses of the cold medications. Riley County police say the four were trying to get high but instead became ill from the mixture of drugs.

Officials would not identify the students or the medicines they ingested. One student was taken by paramedics to a regional health center. The other three were taken by their parents to various locations for treatment.

A spokeswoman for the Manhattan-Ogden school district said the four weren’t in school Wednesday.

Some Kansas legislators want to review a policy from Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration that has reduced or denied food stamp benefits to hundreds of U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants.

The lawmakers said Wednesday they worry that the state is punishing children, rather than illegal immigrants.

Brownback spokeswoman Sherriene Jones-Sontag said the governor has asked the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services to update him on the policy, which took effect Oct. 1. But she said he’s not looking to change it.

SRS changed how household incomes are calculated for eligibility purposes. Spokeswoman Angela de Rocha said previous SRS policy led to more generous benefits to families if one or more members were illegal immigrants.

Several lawmakers said they believe SRS can find a more creative solution.

In a measles outbreak that began this month in Garden City, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and Finney County Health Department have identified six cases to date. KDHE urges people who are ill or exhibiting measles-like symptoms to stay at home unless they are seeking medical attention.

On Jan. 10, KDHE was notified of two cases of measles. Both cases were within the same family household and had recent international travel. The onset date of rash was Jan. 3 and Jan. 5. The two initial cases were seen by the emergency department before being admitted to the hospital. Four additional cases – two within the same family household and two outside the family household – have subsequently occurred. To date, all cases have been epidemiologically linked by documented contact.

Finney County Health Department and KDHE are working to identify contacts among the general public and health care personnel. With an average incubation period of 10 to 14 days, secondary cases are now appearing outside the initial family.

Measles is a respiratory disease caused by a virus. It causes fever, runny nose, tiredness, cough and a blotchy rash all over the body. Measles is spread through the air by breathing, coughing or sneezing. It is so contagious that any person who is exposed to it and is not immune will probably get the disease. Measles can be spread to others from four days before to four days after the rash appears.

“If you are ill with fever, stay home except to see a healthcare provider. If you need to seek healthcare, call ahead so appropriate measures can be taken to protect other patients and staff. In some cases, measles can result in secondary illnesses, such as bronchitis, pneumonia and encephalitis,” said Robert Moser, M.D., KDHE Secretary and State Health Officer.

Two doses of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine – the first dose at 12-15 months and the second at 4-6 years – are routinely recommended for all children. Though the second dose of MMR may be given earlier in some circumstances, KDHE is not recommending any changes to the routine schedule at this time. All persons born during or after 1957 should have documentation of at least one MMR or other evidence of immunity. Certain groups of adults may be at increased risk for exposure to measles. Adults attending colleges or other post high school educational institutions, working in medical facilities, or traveling internationally should be assessed to ensure they are properly immunized.

The KDHE EPI Hotline is available for those with questions about potential disease outbreaks at 877-427-7317.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City says strong farm income in Midwest and Western states improved agricultural banks’ balance sheets but reduced demand for new loans.

The Fed released a new report on agricultural credit conditions on Wednesday

The Fed said bank profits in the region improved in the third quarter of 2011 because many borrowers paid down some of their farm debts. Many farmers also used proceeds from last fall’s high crop prices to pay operating costs, so demand for operating loans fell.

The 10th Federal Reserve District in Kansas City covers Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Colorado, northern New Mexico and western Missouri.