KANSAS CITY, Kan.

Fatal Easter Sunday fire deemed to be accidental

An Easter Sunday fire that killed two brothers and the family’s pet dog was accidental, fire officials announced Wednesday.

The Kansas City, Kan., Fire Department said investigators do not know exactly how the fire started, but they determined it was not deliberately set.

Christopher Wayne Hilst, 13, and Gary Michael Cassidy, 10, died in the blaze in the early-morning hours of March 31. Officials have said they were alone in the southeast Kansas City, Kan., home and sleeping in separate bedrooms.

Fire officials found no working smoke detector in the home. The fire caused about $35,000 in damages.

TOPEKA

Outdated land law officially repealed

As of July 1, Kansas will no longer have a decades-old law on its books discriminating against Asians.

Gov. Bill Graves has signed a bill that repeals a law that bars Asian immigrants from inheriting property.

The statute was passed in 1925 and originally prevented Asian immigrants from owning property in the state. It was changed in 1933 to bar them from inheriting property.

The law contained the phrase “aliens ineligible for citizenship,” which was taken directly from federal naturalization laws. At the time the law was written, Asians were ineligible for U.S. citizenship.

California passed the first alien land law in 1913. Immigrants who violated the laws faced imprisonment, fines and seizure of their property.

Most states did away with the laws between 1940 and 1960.

KANSAS CITY, Kan.

Indictment handed up against former officer

A former Kansas City, Kan., police officer was indicted Wednesday for allegedly using excessive force while he was on duty almost a year ago.

Jay Stewart, 34, is charged in federal court with one count of deprivation of rights. The indictment alleges Stewart used unreasonable force that resulted in someone being hurt on June 16, 2001. The U.S. Attorney’s Office would not provide additional details about the incident.

If convicted, Stewart faces up to 10 years in prison without parole.