THE LATEST KSMK NEWS:

it's Wed, July 1, looking at a high today of 88 degrees with mostly sunny skies, I’m Andrew Latham, and this is a 3-minute look at your news on St. Marys Station, 98.3

The St. Marys City Commission conducted a three and one-half hour budget work session the evening of June 30th at city hall. City department heads appeared and answered questions about their budget requests. In recognition of the country’s economic problems, the city manager reduced the amount of revenue to be obtained from sales taxes.  As it now stands, the budget calls for net expenditures of $5.4 million, a 15% increase in net expenditures over last year. The budget will require the levying of $509 thousand in property taxes, an increase of about 3.2%.

An arbitrator says Nebraska should only have to pay Kansas $10,000 for overusing Republican River water in 2005 and 2006.  Kansas had originally sought about $72 million. In recent months, it lowered the figure to $9 million after the arbitrator said the state could only seek damages for what it suffered, not payment for what Nebraska gained.

Home sales continued their modest upward swing in May, according to a closely watched industry report that rose for the fourth straight month for the first time in nearly 5 years. The Pending Home Sales Index, reported Wednesday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), rose 0.1% during the month. The index was up 6.7% compared with May 2008. It was the first four-month run up in the pending sales measure since October 2004

The tomb of St. Paul may indeed contain the remains of the Apostle of the Gentiles, Benedict XVI affirmed in his homily at the closing of the Year of St. Paul.  The Pope presided at first vespers this week for the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, which marked the conclusion of the Pauline Year. The celebration took place at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, where it has traditionally been believed St. Paul was buried. "An authentic scientific analysis" conducted on the sarcophagus conserved in the basilica, the Holy Father said, "seems to confirm the unanimous and uncontested tradition that these are the mortal remains of the Apostle Paul.  A tiny hole was drilled into the sarcophagus -- which over many centuries had never been opened -- in order to insert a special probe, which revealed traces of costly purple colored linen fabric, laminated with pure gold and a blue fabric with linen filaments," Benedict XVI explained.  "Grains of red incense and protein and chalk substances were also discovered," he continued. "There were also tiny bone fragments, which were sent for carbon-14 testing by experts who were unaware of their origin. These were discovered to belong to a person who had lived between the first and second centuries."

For much of the day Tuesday, it was unclear whether Kansas basketball recruits Xavier and C.J. Henry would end up in KU uniforms. But a late-night report said that Xavier would honor his commitment to the Jayhawks. “I’m goin to kansas and that’s final,” Xavier Henry wrote via text message to Cory Anderson of radio station KCSP (610 AM).

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 88.
Tonight: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 62.
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89.
Independence Day: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 87.