FINNEY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug charges.

On Friday, the Garden City/Finney County Drug Task Force culminated a month-long investigation into the distribution of methamphetamine from with the service of a search warrant at a residence in the 900 Block of West Olive in Garden City, according to a media release.

During the search of the residence officers located numerous items of evidence to include suspected methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and firearms.

Police arrested 40-year-old Alberto Gonzalez. He is being held in the Finney County Jail and could face the possible charges of Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Cocaine, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Possession of Proceeds from the Sale of Controlled Substances.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A man’s body has been found at the site of a house fire in Wichita

KWCH-TV reports the fire happened about 10:15 a.m. Tuesday. Crews responding to the scene were initially not sure whether the man who lived there was still inside.

Wichita Fire Chief Ron Blackwell says authorities have not identified the victim and they haven’t confirmed who owns the home.

Neighbors say a man in his 60’s lived in the home with a dog. Blackwell says the body of a large-breed dog was found in the home with the dead man.

Firefighters initially had to back out of the burning home because there was too much clutter inside for them to get around safely.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas health officials have reported a confirmed case of measles in Butler County.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Butler County Health Department said in a joint news release Tuesday that a number of county health departments will be notifying all identified contacts.

Staff will evaluate immunization status and ask about any possible symptoms among people exposed.

Measles is highly contagious and is spread through the air by breathing, coughing or sneezing.

Health officials say symptoms typically begin one to two weeks after exposure to an infected person. They include fever, blotchy skin rash, cough, runny nose and watery eyes.

KDHE Secretary Susan Mosier says the best way to prevent measles is vaccination.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police say a body found in the Arkansas River had a gunshot wound.

Police responding to a call Monday evening that someone may be submerged discovered the man had been shot.

The victim is a male in his 40s. His name has not been released.

Sgt. Mike Linnehan of the Wichita Police Department says police are still investigating the incident.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Two federal lawsuits alleging violations of civil rights have been filed against Valley Falls Police Chief Bronson Campbell.

The Topeka Capital Journal reported on Monday that the lawsuit filed by Jamie Petitt alleges Campbell has harassed her and the council has backed his actions.

A second lawsuit filed by Clayton Conser alleges his rights were violated in June 2015 when Campbell used a stun gun him.

Campbell told the newspaper he couldn’t comment on pending litigation, but said he doesn’t think he’s ever used excessive force.

Valley Falls Mayor Charles Stutesman says the police chief has his support and the support of the council.

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN

Lawyers for Kansas and for dozens of school districts suing it filed briefs Friday at the Kansas Supreme Court, in what could be the final leg of a seven-year legal battle over school finance.

The state argues legislation passed early this month ratchets up annual state aid to schools by nearly $300 million over the next two years, and that should be enough to end the Gannon v. Kansas case once and for all.

Download the state’s brief.

The plaintiffs, meanwhile, lay out a case for increasing funding by another $600 million on top of that. If that argument succeeds, it could prompt a special legislative session to appropriate more money — and hammer out the details of how to pay for it.

Download the plaintiff’s brief.

Each side has one week to submit reply briefs picking apart each other’s claims. Oral arguments are scheduled for July 18.

In their brief, the state’s lawyers homed in on the Legislature’s decision to increase funds targeted at helping students who struggle academically. They also pointed to extra financial support for early childhood education and all-day kindergarten.

“This substantial new funding benefits underperforming subgroups directly,” the brief says, and argues the extra dollars for kindergarten further free up existing budgetary resources that school districts had been diverting to cover kindergarten expenses.

Instead, schools can now spend those resources on initiatives for struggling students, the lawyers said.

Providing schools with the means to address Kansas’ persistent achievement gap was a key task for lawmakers, identified by the Kansas Supreme Court in a March ruling.

The justices wrote then that one-quarter of Kansas public school students were falling short of basic math and reading skills, and they noted the disproportionate effect for Hispanic and African-American children and students from low-income families.

The March decision was the latest in a string of court rulings that have largely sided with plaintiffs’ claims that Kansas is neither putting enough money into education nor distributing it in such a way that children with disadvantaged backgrounds have educational opportunities on a par with those who attend schools in wealthier areas.

Lawyers for the school districts hope the justices will agree with them yet again and find the state has fallen short of the mark this time, too.

It cites recommendations from the Kansas State Board of Education calling for a nearly $900 million increase in state aid over a two-year period.

The new law “wholly ignores the estimates of several expert bodies as to what it actually costs to provide Kansas schoolchildren with a constitutional education,” the brief says.

The state board’s recommendation also included more state aid per pupil, plus higher increases for special education and teacher mentoring and training programs than those included in the new law.

Lawyers also pointed backward in time to make their argument. A decade ago, the Legislature agreed to a basic funding level of $4,492 per student, to take effect in fiscal 2010. The plan fell by the wayside after the 2008 financial crisis sparked steep budget reductions and sweeping 2012 tax cuts ate into state revenues.

“Now, seven years later, the State is only providing a base of $4,006 per student,” the brief says, adding that $4,492, adjusted for inflation, would be $5,035 today.

The state, however, argues that its appropriations for K-12 in the new law are based on an analysis of spending levels at 41 schools districts with notable academic achievement relative to their demographic characteristics. Additionally, the new law provides for future increases by tying funding to inflation rates.

These decisions are “eminently rational,” the state’s lawyers wrote, and help demonstrate that the law complies with the Kansas Constitution.

Article 6 of the Constitution tasks the Legislature with making “suitable provision” for education.

The state also rejects the plaintiffs’ allegations that state aid is distributed unfairly and puts children in poorer school districts at a disadvantage. Lawyers argued the new law includes sufficient measures to bolster the resources of poorer districts.

Celia Llopis-Jepsen is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of  kcur.org, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics. You can reach her on Twitter @Celia_LJ.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man has been ordered jailed on $1 million bond on charges that he abducted and killed his estranged wife.

A Shawnee County judge set the bond Monday for 38-year-old Pedro Enriquez during the man’s brief court appearance on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated battery.

Enriquez is to appear in court next on Thursday, and it was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

Enriquez is accused of abducting 33-year-old Viviana Vazquez on June 7 from a Topeka home, where their 10-year-old son says he saw Enriquez drag her outside by the hair. Viviana Vazquez’s body was found the next day.

Enriquez was arrested Friday in Jefferson County.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Douglas County sheriff’s found a body inside a burning vehicle just northeast of Lawrence.

Sgt. Kristen Channel says the deputy discovered the vehicle on fire shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday. It had apparently left the roadway and struck an unoccupied farm truck.

The Lawrence Journal-World reported Monday that authorities have not yet confirmed the identity of the body or determined what caused the vehicle to leave the roadway.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal appeals court is refusing to revive a former Kansas attorney general’s lawsuit against the state Supreme Court over its indefinite suspension of his state law license.

A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver ruled Monday against ex-Attorney General Phill Kline.

The anti-abortion Republican was disciplined over allegations of misconduct arising from investigations of abortion providers as attorney general from 2003 through 2006 and Johnson County district attorney in 2007 and 2008.

Kline has strongly denied wrongdoing.

A federal judge dismissed Kline’s case last year and said lower federal courts can’t take up the case because only the U.S. Supreme Court can review state supreme court decisions.

The federal appeals panel agreed.

The nation’s highest court refused in 2014 to consider Kline’s case.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas says it collected $72 million more in taxes than anticipated in June.

The Department of Revenue reported Monday that the state took in $609 million in taxes last month. That’s 13.5 percent more than the official projection of $537 million.

It was the last month of the state’s 2017 fiscal year. Tax collections for the 12-month period exceeded $5.8 billion. Through May, tax collections had been in line with estimates.

Revenue Secretary Sam Williams said unemployment is low and wages appear to have grown.

Lawmakers had expected to end the 2017 fiscal year with cash reserves of $50 million after they approved internal borrowing and some other moves to close a projected budget shortfall.

Legislators increased income taxes to help balance the budget for fiscal 2018 and 2019.