Ex-judge under investigation in Kansas pleads guiltyWICHITA, Kan. — A former judge in Kansas has pleaded guilty to reduced charges after being accused of participating in a conspiracy to arrange payday loans for 17 court employees.KAKE-TV reports 63-year-old Michael Howell pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor counts Thursday. He’s scheduled to be sentenced to probation March 28. The former Haskell County District judge was arrested in April.The Kansas attorney general’s office said the charges stem from pay raises that Howell proposed during a June