Kansas

Kansas is launching an effort to increase the number of children adopted through the state system.     Social and Rehabilitation Services Secretary Rob Siedlecki says his agency is starting a $300,000 marketing campaign to find adoptive homes for 420 children who don't have other prospects, such as adoption by relatives. The funds for the campaign announced Monday come from a federal program. Siedlecki says the effort will focus on who are 8 years old and older, who may belong to a minority group, have a disability or belong to a sibling group that wants to stay together.

(SALINA, Kan.) They're moves designed to make Kansas roads safer; this legislative session lawmakers passed both a ban on texting and driving and a primary seat belt law. As far as being able to follow the laws, a new study shows it shouldn't be a problem for Kansas drivers. 28-million people are expected to be on the roads across the country for Memorial Day weekend. With all that driving, bad drivers get noticed; and it's always a matter of opinion which state has the worst drivers.

It's on path to become a multi-billion dollar business and Kansas could be at the center of it all. You probably know them as drones and think of military and police use.  FactFinder 12 learned there's a whole other side to unmanned aircraft technology. “People think of unmanned aircraft and they think of drones. When they think of drones they think of predators, and when they think predators, they think bombs,” said Mark Blanks, with K-State Salina's Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

Summer vacation will have to wait for state lawmakers.  The 2012 session was supposed to end Friday, but legislators are heading back to Topeka for a showdown on redrawing legislative boundaries. Changes in the maps can help or hamper the re-election prospects of every legislator.  They're required to do it every ten years as the state's population shifts. The House approved new districts in February, but the Senate, which is controlled by the more moderate Republicans, has rejected the plan claiming it favors conservatives.

In the past two weeks, kansas storms have damaged homes and businesses with strong winds. But those winds are also displacing and injuring Mississippi Kites. The Kites hatch late in the year, so a lot of young birds are just learning to fly. In just ten days the Eagle Valley Raptor Center, Near Cheney has taken in 31 of these birds after they were blown from their nests or injured. "We try to put them back up in the nest if possible, that's always the first choice, but in the event they cannot, then we will take them in," explains Ken Lockwood, Program Director for the center.

Alberto Valdez opened a Mexican restaurant eight months ago. Besides homemade Mexican food; "Just like my grandmother used to make," Valdez said. His specialty is the tortilla. "We make them right here ourselves. There are no preservatives in them and they are really good with cheese," he said. He moved his family to Wichita from Chicago to open the business. "I like Wichita. It's calm, people are nice here, less stress," he said.

A trail camera in Stafford County catches a rare site, a mountain lion. The image was captured by one of Kurt Keesling's cameras on October 31st just after 4am east of St. John. He checked the camera a couple of weeks later and found the animal. Keesling tells Eyewitness News that a wildlife biologist came out to the site and confirmed that it was a mountain lion. He says he has been putting up these trail cameras for about five years and has never captured anything like this before.

With severe weather season right around the corner, the National Weather Service is helping keep you safe. There are storm spotter meetings scheduled in February, March, and April across the state.  To find out when there's a meeting near your community, check out the links below. Sedgwick County Schedule South Central Kansas Schedule Northwest Kansas Schedule Southwest Kansas Schedule  

Flags across Kansas will fly at half-staff Thursday in honor of three Kansas soldiers killed in Afghanistan.  The three army reservists were based out of Olathe. Sergeant Alexander J. Bennett, Specialist Spencer C. Duncan and Hays native Chief Warrant Officer Two Bryan Nichols. They were among thirty servicemembers who died in last August's Chinook helicopter crash. They will be honored for their sacrifice in a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Thursday. Flags were also flown at half-staff on Wednesday in honor of Private First Class Clyde Miller who died on May 24 in Afghanistan.

Travis Releford scored 19 points and No. 6 Kansas hit a scorching 13 of its first 18 3-point attempts, rolling to an 89-57 victory over American University on Saturday night.     Kansas (11-1) took command with a 21-4 spree in the opening minutes and wound up with six players scoring at least nine points against the outmanned Eagles (4-9). Releford was 7 for 8 from the floor, including 5 of 6 3-pointers. Elijah Johnson had 12 points and was 4 for 5 from behind the arc as the Jayhawks finished with 15-for-24 3-point shooting.