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Headlines for Friday, August 27, 2021

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Kansas Governor Orders Flags be Flown at Half-Staff to Honor Americans Killed in Kabul Terrorist Attack

TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) _ Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has directed flags throughout the state be lowered to half-staff effective immediately until sunset on August 30, 2021, to honor and pay respect to U.S. service members and other victims killed in the terrorist attack in Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday. Kelly’s order follows a proclamation by President Joe Biden to lower flags on all federal government buildings. “My father was career Army, and I know firsthand the sacrifices those in our military and their loved ones make for our country," Governor Kelly said. "My thoughts are with the families of the victims of Thursday's tragic attack in Kabul."

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ICU Beds Almost Full at Hospitals in the Kansas City Area

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Intensive care units are nearly full across the Kansas City area, creating challenges for hospitals battling to keep up with the high number of COVID-19 patients. The Kansas City Star reports that 215 ICU beds in the region were in use last week — the most since the onset of the pandemic — and that number has grown almost every day since. As of Wednesday, 224 people were hospitalized in ICUs. The data tracked by the Mid-America Regional Council, a regional planning agency, includes hospitals in Jackson and Clay counties in Missouri and Wyandotte and Johnson counties in Kansas.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services maintains a searchable online database of the number of beds available at individual hospitals nationwide. A link to this site is also available in the KPR Coronavirus Information and Resources Guide for easy access.  

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Kansas Agency Faces Pressure to Speed Aid, Prevent Evictions

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A state agency is trying to process hundreds of applications for coronavirus relief funds from Kansas renters facing eviction and their landlords. The Kansas Housing Resources Corporation's push comes after it spent weeks this spring hiring more than 100 new employees to handle applications. It is handling the bulk of the emergency rental assistance in Kansas, and most of its dollars haven’t yet been distributed. Executive director Ryan Vincent said the agency is now finishing about 500 applications a week. The agency has distributed $31.9 million. That's 17% of the $188 million first installment of emergency aid. One tenants' advocate says the money is not going out quickly enough.

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Most Kansas Students Must Mask Up; COVID Closes 1 District

MISSION, Kan. (AP) _ More than half of Kansas students are now required to wear masks in school as the delta variant rages, leading to widespread quarantines and forcing one district to call off classes because of a COVID-19 outbreak. An Associated Press analysis found that 30 of the state's 50 largest districts have mask mandates in place, with most passed in the last month. Those 30 districts educate a combined 262,585 of the state's 476,435 public schoolchildren. Several other smaller districts also have mandated masks as well, including Atchison and Wamego. Most of the mandates require masks for all students. A handful, though, only require masks for students who are too young to be vaccinated. 

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Study: Vaccination Efforts Struggle to Reach Minority Communities in Kansas

TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS/KPR)  _ Local leaders are renewing their efforts to encourage Kansans to get a COVID-19 vaccination as the delta variant continues to surge. More than half of Kansans still have not gotten the shots and a new study indicates that vaccination campaigns are struggling to reach people in poor and minority communities The report, from Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, says the best thing local health officials can do is meet people where they are. That could mean having a mobile vaccine clinic at a church or community center. The study also recommends recruiting trusted local residents, such as religious leaders to find ways to tailor the vaccine message. In immigrant communities, the study says, it could also mean not asking to see an identification card before giving the shot.

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Kansas Hospitals Seek Traveling Nurses Amid COVID Surge

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ Kansas hospitals are clamoring for traveling nurses as the number of COVID-19 patients rises to levels last seen in January. The state had 407 open travel nurse positions as of Monday, according to data from Aya Healthcare, a leading travel nursing agency. The Kansas City Star reports that advertised positions in Kansas and Missouri top $5,600 a week. The Kansas Hospital Association has floated several options to address demand, including additional funding to offset the cost to retain and recruit staff. The director of the Kansas State Nurses Association said nurses are making three times more traveling than they could in a regular job. 

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Kansas Governor Urges Nurses to Renew Licenses

TOPEKA, Kan.  (KPR)  _ Governor Kelly is urging Kansas nurses to renew their licenses before Saturday’s deadline. The State Board of Nursing says some nurses have been working under the professional licensing waivers issued under the COVID-19 disaster declaration but those emergency waivers are ending. Kelly says the state needs nurses more than ever. Because of the surge in delta variant COVID cases, many nurses have been working long overtime hours and have been on-call around the clock. Kelly is pleading with unvaccinated Kansans to get their shots now to help relieve the overwhelming strain on doctors, nurses and the state's hospital system.

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Health Officials Release Report on COVID Risk in All Kansas Counties

TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) _ Kansas health officials are now ranking the state’s counties according to their COVID-19 risk. The report from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is aimed at helping local leaders stop the spread of COVID-19 by tracking three key measures: vaccination rate, test rate and number of cases. The top-ranking counties are a mix of more urban areas like Johnson and Douglas counties, and some rural counties that have succeeded in getting people vaccinated and making plenty of tests available. Sedgwick, Shawnee and Wyandotte counties are in the top 20. At the bottom of the rankings are mostly rural counties in southeast and western Kansas with high rates of COVID-19 transmission and low vaccination rates.

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New Missouri Sites Announced for Infusion Treatments

UNDATED (AP) - Missouri is opening antibody treatment centers in several counties in the hopes that they’ll keep some high-risk patients with COVID-19 from dying or becoming critically ill. Monoclonal antibody infusion treatment will be available for 30 days at sites in Jackson, Pettis, Scott, Butler and Jefferson counties. Two more sites will be added later in the St. Louis area. The state is spending $15 million on the centers and believes they could treat up to 4,000 people over the next month. Governor Mike Parson said in a statement that the goal is “that these infusion centers will help relieve hospital strain and health care worker fatigue as we move forward with our efforts to get more Missourians vaccinated.”

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Kansas Schools Prioritize Mental Health for Pandemic Aid

BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — Education officials overseeing the more than $1.1 billion in federal pandemic aid for Kansas schools say districts are spending much of the money to meet the mental health needs of students and staff. Districts also are hiring "intervention specialists" who can work one-on-one or in small groups to fill in learning gaps. They're also spending to upgrade curriculum. Since March 2020, the federal government has provided $190 billion in pandemic aid to the nation's schools, which is more than four times what the U.S. Education Department spends on K-12 schools in a typical year. In Kansas, the aid averages nearly $2,400 per student. ( Read more.)

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Man Pleads Guilty to Shooting Kansas City Taxi Driver

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 20-year-old Kansas City man has admitted shooting a zTrip driver 26 times during a robbery. Derron Nevels pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to robbery and discharging a firearm during a violent crime. Prosecutors said the driver picked Nevels up on December 4, 2018 and when they arrived at the destination, another person approached the vehicle while Nevels held a gun to the driver's head and demanded cash. When the driver and Nevels fought over the gun, the second person hit the driver and Nevels fired several shots at close range. The driver survived. Two women have pleaded guilty to helping Nevels after the robbery.

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Man Sentenced After Gunfight with Hutchinson Police

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — A Hutchinson man who fired several rounds at Hutchinson police during a lengthy standoff has been sentenced to about 54 years in prison. Brendan Jones was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to eight counts of attempted first-degree murder and other charges. Prosecutors said the June 2019 standoff began after Jones shot and wounded another man. After five hours, he said he would surrender but then fired several times at officers from inside and outside the house. Police returned fire and Jones was hit eight times, including some graze wounds. No officers were injured.

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Kansas Supreme Court Ruling: City Conviction Requires Sex Offender Registration

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has ruled that a man's municipal conviction for sexual battery requires him to register as a sex offender. Today's (FRI) 5-2 decision comes in the case of Asnake H. Adem, who was convicted in 2018 of sexual battery in violation of the Shawnee municipal code. At issue was whether the Legislature intended the Kansas Offender Registration Act to apply to those prosecuted under city ordinances. The Supreme Court ruled that Adem did need to register,  finding that the Shawnee ordinance is identical to the state statute. According to the ruling the conviction stems from an incident that occurred when he was driving a taxi late at night with a female passenger and repeatedly tried to embrace her.

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2-State Human Trafficking Operation Rescues 47 Victims

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt says a 12-state law enforcement operation rescued 47 victims of human trafficking and led to the arrest of more than 100 people. Schmitt said most of the arrests were made Thursday night into Friday morning. The effort, called Operation United Front, used undercover officers who arranged to meet potential human trafficking victims or who posed as victims to identify a buyer or trafficker. In Missouri, two arrests were made and four victims were rescued at a Kansas City business. The operation was conducted in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. 

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Wyandotte County Police Investigate Several Violent Crimes

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Wyandotte County authorities say a man's shooting death at a park might be part of a series of violent crimes. Five people were taken into custody after the shooting death of 30-year-old Skylar Needham at a Wyandotte County park on August 15. Sheriff Don Ash said on Thursday the five are believed to be part of a group that has committed violent crimes in several cities on both sides of the state line. Three of the suspects were released and the other two remain in custody. Needham was found shot to death after his car crashed at the park. Ash said investigators have found no apparent link between Needham and the suspects.

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Kansas Governor Directs State Agencies to Resume Remote Work

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Laura Kelly has directed Kansas state employees to resume working remotely if possible because of the more contagious COVID-19 delta variant. Kelly’s announcement Wednesday came after two months of steadily rising numbers of new COVID-19 cases that have stressed hospitals and led some public schools to require masks indoors. Kelly’s directive applies to state agencies under her control; employees must resume remote work by September 3 and continue at least through October 4. A memo from Kelly's administration secretary said any employee who was able to work remotely earlier should do it again. Many state employees spent more than a year working remotely and normal operations resumed in June. (View the text of the order at governor.kansas.gov.)

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Kansas School Leaders Say State Law Limits Remote Learning

WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) _ Some Kansas school leaders say a new state law is limiting students’ options for attending class remotely, even during COVID-19 quarantines. Legislators passed a measure last year to urge schools to conduct only in-person classes. It cuts funding to the school for any student who logs more than 40 hours of remote learning per school year. There are exceptions for illnesses or emergencies with a special waiver. Wichita school board member Ernestine Krehbiel says some families want a longer-term remote option, but state lawmakers tied their hands. “I try to explain to parents that it wasn’t our choice. We’re not the ones making the decision.” Wichita is the state’s largest school district. School officials say says more than 1,600 Wichita students have been quarantined since school started on August 12.

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Kansas Marriage License Database Office Going Offline in September

TOPEKA, Kan.  (KPR)  _ The Kansas Office of Vital Statistics will be taking its marriage license data base offline for a week in September. State officials are urging people planning to get married next month to get a marriage license now. The database will be offline between September 8th and September 13th.  The office usually advises couples to fill out an application at least two weeks before they plan to marry. That means couples should register by August 31st in order to receive their license in time. (Kansas residents can apply for marriage licenses at kscourts.org/marriage.)

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KU Shows Strong Interest in Vaccine Mandates, but Contends State Law Prohibits Them

LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) - University of Kansas officials say they're interested in a vaccine mandate for students returning to campus, but don’t look for one to be implemented any time soon.  A KU spokeswoman said the university still believes Kansas law precludes state universities from implementing vaccine mandates, and the recent FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine does nothing to change that status.  “KU would strongly consider a vaccine mandate if it were an option,” KU spokeswoman Erinn Barcomb-Peterson told the Lawrence Journal-World. “But it is not an option at this point given state law.”  KU for weeks has been saying state law limits its ability to mandate that students and staff receive vaccinations or provide proof of vaccination. However, some faculty members and others have questioned whether the state laws in question actually apply to KU and other state universities.  KU on Tuesday, however, showed no signs of reconsidering its legal analysis of the vaccine mandates. Some universities across the country began implementing a vaccine mandate after the FDA gave the Pfizer vaccine full approval, removing its emergency status label.  KU is strongly encouraging students to get vaccinated. Earlier this month it announced a program offering about $235,000 in incentives — including drawings for free tuition and other prizes — for students who voluntarily provide proof of vaccination. ( Read more.)

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Eatery Owners, Managers in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma Charged in Federal Immigration Case

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Federal prosecutors in Missouri have charged more than a dozen restaurant owners and managers in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma, accusing them of a racketeering scheme to hire and employ immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. The Kansas City Star reports that the indictment unsealed Wednesday charges the owners and managers with various counts ranging from fraud and conspiracy to money laundering and illegal use of social security numbers. The indictment involves 45 Mexican restaurants across several states that received employment services from Specialty Foods Distribution, a Joplin-based company, and another affiliate. Prosecutors say that over the course of nearly 20 years, the company helped staff the restaurants with people not eligible to work in the U.S.

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Police Arrest Inmate in Central Kansas Jail Death

GREAT BEND, Kan. (AP) — Police have arrested an inmate in a central Kansas jail suspected of causing the death of another inmate last month. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says it arrested 27-year-old Jose Guadalupe Villegas, of Great Bend, on suspicion of second-degree murder in the July death of 46-year-old Scott Deines, also of Great Bend. Villegas was already in the Barton County jail serving a sentence on an unrelated firearms conviction when he was arrested. Investigators say Villegas injured Deines during a fight at the jail on July 22, and jail staff found Deines unresponsive in his cell three days later. An autopsy showed Deines died of blunt force trauma to his head.

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Woman Involved in Fatal Kansas City Crash Says She Was Fleeing Gunfire

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police in Kansas City say a woman involved in a fatal crash told investigators she had been fleeing gunfire when she ran a red light and crashed into another car. The crash happened on the morning of August 3 at an eastern Kansas City intersection. Police say the woman was driving east on Truman Road when she ran a red light and slammed into a northbound car. Police say the 80-year-old driver of the northbound car was taken to a hospital and died there Monday from his injuries. His name has not been released. Police said the woman involved in the crash told officers she fled when someone started shooting at her.

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Kansas Man Dies in Death Valley National Park, Second Hiker to Die Within Days

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — A Kansas man has died in the California desert.  Death Valley National Park rangers are reminding visitors to limit stressful activities during summer heat after another hiker died along the same trail within days. Authorities say 52-year-old Blake Chaplin, of Leawood, was found dead August 21 along the Golden Canyon Trail. The temperature on August 21 was 109 degrees, below the normal high of 115, but still requiring precautions. On August 18, 60-year-old Lawrence Stanback, of San Francisco, died of suspected heat stroke. The park urges summer visitors to limit hiking to the relatively cooler morning hours, drink plenty of water, eat salty snacks and stay close to air conditioning.

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Man Faces 12 Felonies After Shooting at Missouri Officers

OZARK, Mo. (AP) — A 33-year-old man accused of shooting at law enforcement officers during a long standoff in southwest Missouri has been charged with 12 felonies. Jenson Wayne Faught is charged with multiple counts of first-degree assault and armed criminal action after the confrontation Tuesday south of Ozark. Christian County sheriff's deputies went to the area after a man reported someone had tried to steal his truck. Prosecutors say Faught hid inside a shed and fired several shots from multiple guns at officers. A Christian County deputy was hit by shrapnel but was not seriously injured. Faught surrendered after several hours when chemical agents were fired into the shed.

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Report: Most Federal Election Security Money Remains Unspent

UNDATED (AP) - A federal report finds that in the run up to the 2020 presidential election, U.S. states and territories had spent less than a third of the $805 million Congress had provided to shore up security for state and local election systems. A state-by-state snapshot released last month by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission shows they had spent a little more than $255 million allocated under the Help America Vote Act. Officials say many states were focused on the coronavirus pandemic last year and received much of the money too late to use before the 2020 election.

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Wichita City Employees Get a New Minimum Hourly Wage of $15

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Wichita City Council raised the minimum hourly wage to $15 for full-time city employees as part of the city new $670 million budget. This week's vote comes as the city plans to begin filling several positions that were kept vacant to save money. Officials had predicted the city would face a $10 million to $11 million shortfall because of the coronavirus pandemic. But Wichita will receive $70 million in federal COVID-19 funds and unexpected increases in sales tax revenue. City officials plan to start filling 139 civilian positions, and add seven police officers. Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple said the the current minimum wage is between $12 and $13 per hour.

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These area headlines are curated by KPR news staffers, including J. Schafer, Laura Lorson, Kaye McIntyre and Tom Parkinson. Our headlines are generally posted by 10 am weekdays. This news summary is made possible by KPR listener-members. Become one today!