TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Laura Kelly on Tuesday named the Kansas Department of Labor's deputy secretary as its top administrator as she works to find another, permanent leader for an agency that struggled for months to process a surge in claims from workers left unemployed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Acting Secretary Brett Flachsbarth became the third person to lead the Department of Labor in less than seven months. Kelly's first labor secretary, Delia Garcia, resign in June amid problems with the system for distributing unemployment benefits. Her replacement, Acting Secretary Ryan Wright was...