Salina ? The newest members of the Kansas Highway Patrol are completing their training and graduating from the state’s academy.

Gov. Mark Parkinson planned to attend Thursday’s graduation ceremony for 20 troopers at Kansas Highway Patrol Training Academy in Salina. It’s the first class to graduate from the center since 2008.

The new graduates have undergone five months of training and will be stationed across Kansas.

Budget cuts forced Kansas to halt the training of new officers in December 2008.

Last year, the state was awarded federal funds to fight crime in rural areas of the nation. Kansas used the money to resume training of new officers.