Crops produced by Kansas farmers the past year were worth $2.8 billion, a 14 percent decline from 1982. The summer drought had a devastating effect.

The state was still trying to iron out the computer kinks that had caused many problems with payrolls for Kansas University faculty and staff members. The price tag for the mixups had been startling to legislators.

A fatal accident at the city water treatment plant near Clinton Lake on Jan. 21 had triggered an investigation into safety procedures there.