Here are recent headlines about the military in Kansas:Fort Riley ¢ 1st Infantry Division(Hutch News) Republicans take inspiration from Clinton’s visit: Kansas House budget committee agreed to add money to the state budget bill Friday for new judges in the Fort Riley area as the region readies for more population growth. The budget amendment, offered by Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Overland Park, added $414,478 for five new full-time judicial employees and two new magistrate judges – one in the judicial district of Dickinson, Geary, Marion and Morris counties and one in the district of Riley and Clay counties. And to address growth in his own part of the state, Yoder asked to add one more judge for Johnson County. The position would include two full-time support staff. But Yoder said his main concern was for the fort expansion.(Army Times) Troops amaze judges at cooking contest: Military cooks have impressed civilian judges in the first week of the Army Culinary competition at Fort Lee, Va., the chief organizer said Friday. “They’re amazed at what soldiers are doing in the mobile kitchen trailers,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Robert Sparks, the organizer, as he hurried from one site to another. More than 200 military chefs are whipping up their best recipes for the annual competition, which began March 5 and ends March 16 with the awards ceremony. Army teams are from Fort Bragg, N.C.; U.S. Army Europe; Hawaii; Korea; Fort Lewis, Wash.; Army Reserve, Fort Riley, Kan.; Fort Sill, Okla., and Fort Stewart, Ga.Kansas National Guard(Topeka Capital-Journal) House panel to discuss military death benefits: A House committee today will look at correcting a $250,000 inequality between benefits paid to the families of the seven Kansas Army National Guard troops killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. The beneficiaries of the first three guardsmen who died each received $750,000, while the last four – including the family of Staff Sgt. David Berry, who was killed just two weeks ago – got $500,000. “We’re trying to make sure we treat all our soldiers equally and honorably,” said Rep. Rocky Fund, R-Hoyt, one of the co-sponsors of the bill. The state originally paid a flat $250,000 to the families, and the federal government added $500,000. Because of concerns over costs if a large number of soldiers died in combat, however, state legislators decided in 2005 to pay premiums on a $250,000 life insurance plan for deployed soldiers instead of the lump sum.(NPR) David Berry, Soldier’s Medal Recipient, Killed in Iraq: Last month in Iraq, insurgents killed a Kansas man who was quiet and heroic publicly, but also known as a life-long jokester. Though National Guardsman David Berry was always reluctant to talk to strangers, he was plenty bold when it came time to rescue one. Four years ago, he pulled an unconscious man from a flaming pickup truck that was wrecked on a remote stretch of highway near Wichita. Berry won the Soldier’s Medal for saving the man’s life. Berry’s life was taken late one night last night near Bagdad. Col. Joe Wheeler, Kansas National Guard chief of staff, says the blast that killed Berry critically wounded several other guardsmen, including Berry’s life-long best friend.