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Top Morning News 4.22.13

Kansas guns becoming immune to federal regulation; Brownback visiting universities with a funding push; June trial date set in Koch cyberattack case; Roberts poised to become oldest Kansas U.S. Senator.

Starting Thursday, Kansas Guns Are Immune To Federal Regulation

A new law taking effect this week in Kansas says the Federal government can't regulate guns that are manufactured, sold, and kept only in Kansas.

Lawmakers approved the measure by wide margins, and Gov. Brownback signed it into law last week. It takes effect Thursday.

There's already a debate over whether the new state law will hold up in federal court. However, without a legal confrontation between state and federal officials, federal courts would have nothing to settle.

The law remains mostly symbolic for now.

Brownback Visiting Universities With A Funding Push

Gov. Brownback is starting a tour of state universities this week to pitch his funding proposal to lawmakers.

Brownback is pushing for mostly level funding for colleges and universities with some targeted increases, but legislators are considering cuts.

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June Trial Date Set In Koch Cyberattack Case

A federal judge has scheduled a summer trial for the Wisconsin man accused of joining a cyberattack on Koch Industries in Wichita.

Erick J. Rosol, 37,  will go to trial June 25 in U.S. District Court in Wichita.

Rosol was indicted on one count each of damaging a computer and conspiracy to damage a computer.

Prosecutors say the computer hacking group Anonymous asked conspirators to send a high volume of repeated requests to Koch's website in 2001. The high number of requests crashed the Koch's website.

Rosol is also accused of sending a code that damaged a computer at Koch. Defense lawyer Kurt Kerns says his client is innocent. Kerns says nothing was hacked and no information was lost.

Roberts Poised To Become Oldest Kansas U.S. Senator

Pat Roberts is poised to become the oldest Kansan ever to serve in the U.S. Senate if he makes it through re-election next year.

Roberts has served continuously in Washington for more than 32 years. He turned 77 on Saturday.

So far, he hasn't drawn a Democratic or Republican challenger for the next election. The oldest Kansan to serve in the U.S. Senate is Topeka Republican Arthur Capper, who retired in January 1949 at the age of 83.

If Roberts is re-elected, he would be 84 when his term ended in January 2021. More than half of Senate members are age 60 or older.

When she's not out making lattes in her mobile coffee bus Sunflower Espresso, Kate Hutchens is a fill-in host for KMUW. She has worked in broadcast journalism at KFDI, Oregon Public Broadcasting, and at KMUW as Morning Edition host, which she did until March 2017.