Kansas Reports over 38,000 COVID-19 Cases, 426 Deaths
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP/KPR) - State health officials say 38,401 coronavirus cases, including 426 deaths, have been identified in Kansas since the pandemic began. COVID-19 cases have now been reported in all 105 Kansas counties. The latest numbers from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment were released today (MON). An updated list of coronavirus cases in Kansas will be released online Wednesday.
(–Related–)
Kansas No Longer Has COVID-19-Free Counties as Cases Top 38,000
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas no longer has any counties free of reported coronavirus cases after another weekend surge pushed its total number for the pandemic past 38,000. The state Department of Health and Environment said Monday that Kansas saw another 1,545 confirmed and probable cases since Friday, an increase of 4.2%. The total since the pandemic began is 38,401. The health department said all 105 of the state’s counties have had a confirmed or probable case. Rawlins and Wallace counties in western Kansas had remained the only two without a reported case for more than a month before the department said Monday that they had one case each.
====================
More than 500 Infected with COVID-19 in Kansas Jail Outbreak
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The number of inmates who have tested positive for COVID-19 at a jail in Wichita has grown to more than 500. The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office has conducted mass testing its inmates at the urging of state health officials. KAKE-TV reports that as of Friday, 523 inmates had tested positive and 747 negative. None have required hospitalization. Inmates with no symptoms are considered recovered 10 days post-test. Myers estimated that around 400 inmates would be considered recovered by the end of the weekend.
====================
University of Kansas Begins Classes Amid COVID-19 Concerns
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas started classes Monday amid concern about how the coronavirus pandemic will disrupt the fall semester. The university is requiring every student, faculty and staff member who plans to be on campus to be tested for the virus. Last week, results from people who arrived on campus early found 89 people had tested positive for COVID-19. Of those, 87 were students, with a majority from fraternities and sororities, which allowed members to move back early. Over the weekend, Chancellor Douglas Girod issued a cease and desist order against two fraternities after social media posts showed large groups gathered outside the groups' homes without masks or social distancing.
====================
Kansas Sees Schools Moving Online, Crowd Size Reductions
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Two large Kansas school districts moved classes online for middle and high-schoolers while public health officials in Topeka imposed stricter crowd size limits to stem the spread of the coronavirus. The Wichita school district, the state's biggest with more than 50,000 students, will give the parents of elementary students the option of taking classes in person or online. And Blue Valley, with 22,000 students, announced Friday that elementary students can return to class in a hybrid model in which they will attend classes part of the week and learn from home the rest. But older students in both districts will begin the year with online instruction only.
====================
Computers, Tablets in Short Supply in Wichita School District
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Wichita school district has only received two-thirds of the computers and tablets it has ordered to equip students for distance learning because of worldwide supply chain problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Until the supply and demand problem clears up, the district is prioritizing its distribution of the 8,000 devices it has received out of an order of 24,000. Children learning at home who don't have computers or internet access are getting first call on the machines that are in hand, said Superintendent Alicia Thompson. She said there will be enough equipment on hand for all students in need, The Wichita Eagle reports.
====================
UPDATE: Recovery Effort Called Off for 11-Year-Old Girl Who Drowned in Kansas River
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KMBC) - Police in Kansas City, Kansas, say a recovery effort has been called off for an 11-year-old girl who drowned in the Kansas River Saturday. Her body has not been located. The drowning happened in the area of I-435 and Woodend Road, around 3:30 pm Saturday. Police say a family was playing near a sand bar in the Kansas River when a beach ball was hit into a part of the river with a fast-moving current and undertow. An 11-year-old girl went into the water the retrieve the ball and was sucked under. Police say an adult and two juveniles went into the water to help the girl, but they ended up needing to be rescued themselves. As of 10:00 pm Saturday, the victim had not been located, and police said the search had turned into a recovery mission. On Sunday, the search resumed around 10:00 am. KMBC TV reports fire department rescue boat teams searched the Kansas River from Kaw Point to the Kansas River Dam, or the last known point of contact. After five hours, the search was called off.
====================
Missouri Highway Patrol: Body of 5-Year-Old Girl Recovered from Longview Lake
LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. (WDAF) — The body of a 5-year-old girl who drowned at Longview Lake Saturday has been recovered, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. FOX4 News reports several law enforcement agencies searched for the girl Saturday evening after they say she went swimming in the lake and did not resurface. Officials say the child was not wearing a life jacket when she fell off a flotation device. The highway patrol reported just before 10:30 pm that they had recovered the girl’s body. The child’s name has not been released. Authorities continue to investigate the incident.
====================
Panel Nixes Residency Complaint in Sedgwick County Race
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A panel assessed a radio talk show host $175 for filing what it determined was a baseless challenge to the residency of a Sedgwick County Commission candidate. The Wichita Eagle reports the panel unanimously ruled Monday that candidate Sarah Lopez lives in the 2nd District and can stay on the ballot challenging incumbent Michael O’Donnell. It quickly rejected the complaint against Lopez by KNSS radio host John Whitmer and slapped him with the bill for the time it took to investigate it. Whitmer is a former paid campaign worker for O’Donnell.
====================
Kansas Teenage Candidate Who Admitted to Using Revenge Porn Drops Out of Race
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A 19-year-old Kansas House candidate, who had been disowned by some Democrats for his incendiary social media posts and because he abused girls online when he was 14, says he's dropping out of the race. Aaron Coleman said on Twitter Sunday that he's abandoning his campaign. Earlier this month, he narrowly defeated veteran Representative Stan Frownfelter in the Democratic primary in their Kansas City, Kansas district. Heather Scanlon, chief of staff to House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer of Wichita, said there was a "sense of relief" that Coleman was ending his campaign. Local Democratic party officials will choose Coleman's replacement.
====================
GOP Candidate for Neosho County Commission Killed in Crash
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Republican candidate running against a Neosho County commissioner was killed after his motorcycle was hit by a car. The Kansas Highway Patrol says Christopher D. Ellis, 31, died from injuries sustained when a 79-year-old Parsons woman driving a Buick Regal crossed into the lane in which he was riding and struck him Sunday afternoon about three miles north of Erie. Ellis was driving a 2009 Harley Davidson north on highway U-59 and the Buick was southbound. The Wichita Eagle reports Ellis was running against incumbent David Orr for the Neosho County Commission seat. The Buick's driver was hospitalized with possible minor injuries.
====================
Kansas Man Accused of Growing Poppy Plants for Heroin
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A 43-year-old man has been charged with growing thousands of poppy plants near his north-central Kansas home in order to manufacture heroin. U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said in a news release that Matthew Pfeiffer, of Morganville, was indicted Monday on three drug-related charges. The indictment alleges that law enforcement officers seized more than 4,000 poppy plants during a search of Pfeiffer's home in Clay County in June. The poppies were a type of plant from which heroin may be derived.
====================
2 People Shot, 1 Person Killed in Kansas City, Missouri
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — One person was killed and another person was injured in a shooting in Kansas City, Missouri, early Sunday morning. Kansas City Police said the victims were brought to a hospital around 3:30 am in a private car by two or three other people. The people in the vehicle told police they were driving in a neighborhood several blocks west of the Kansas City Zoo when the two people were shot. Officers went to the area where the shooting happened and identified a residence that may have been involved in the shooting. Police said a person of interest was taken into custody Sunday, but no arrests were reported immediately.
====================
Police: 18-Year-Old Shot, Killed in Kansas City, Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say an 18-year-old was shot and killed in Kansas City, Kansas. Police said in a news release that officers responded around 1:40 am Saturday. The victim had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. Police haven’t released his name or any details about what led up to the shooting. No suspect was immediately taken into custody.
====================
Kansas City Police Officer Indicted on Felony Assault Charge
LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — A grand jury has indicted a Kansas City police sergeant on a felony assault charge after he allegedly kneed a 15-year-old on the back and head as the teenager repeatedly said “I can't breathe.” Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced Friday that Sgt. Matthew Neal faces a felony third-degree assault charge. An affidavit from the grand jury said in November 2019 the juvenile and another male with him were kneeling, handcuffed and cooperating when Neal put his knee on the back of the teenager's head and forced his face into the cement. No charges were filed against the juvenile.
===================
Business Survey Provided Reopening Advice to Missouri's Governor
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Governor Mike Parson received advice from business leaders as he was considering reopening plans following a coronavirus shutdown. Email records provided to The Associated Press under the state Sunshine Law show the Associated Industries of Missouri provided the results of a business survey to Parson's top staff on April 21. It showed about two-thirds of respondents reported a significant decline in business. Though some urged a gradual approach, more pleaded with Parson to reopen the economy as soon as possible. The governor announced on April 27 that all businesses could reopen May 4, as long as they followed social distancing guidelines. Confirmed COVID-19 cases have surged this summer.
====================
Kansas Offers Counties Drop-Off Boxes for Mail-In Ballots
BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Secretary of State's office has offered each of the state's 105 counties up to two ballot drop-off boxes for the November general election amid a pandemic that has upended how people cast their votes. It will not be until early next week before state officials have a final count of how many boxes it will need to purchase. Responses to the offer so far have been varied. Some counties have said they already have enough drop-off boxes and didn't need any more, while others wanted one or two drop boxes. The state is using federal CARES Act funding to pay for them.
====================
St. Joseph Man Dead After Gunfire During Attempt to Flee
ALBANY, Mo. (AP) — A 35-year-old St. Joseph man died after shots were exchanged with a sheriff's deputy during a chase in northwest Missouri. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says Shiloh Smith died late Thursday after a vehicle pursuit in Gentry and DeKalb counties. The pursuit began with traffic violations and ended when Smith's car crashed in DeKalb County. Patrol spokesman Sgt. Jake Angle says Smith died from injuries not related to the crash. He would not say if the death was the result of gunfire exchanged between Smith and a Gentry County sheriff's deputy during the pursuit.
====================
Kansas Commission Adds LGBT Nondiscrimination Protections
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas commission that enforces the state's nondiscrimination laws will begin hearing claims from people who allege they are being mistreated because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The Kansas Human Rights Commission says the decision is in response to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that a landmark civil rights law protects gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination in employment. But the commission expanded the ruling beyond employment cases, offering protections for people alleging discrimination in housing and public accommodations, such as retail stores and educational institutions.
====================
Body Found in Storage Container Positively Identified as Missing Overland Park Mom
WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. (KPR) - Authorities say the body of a woman found dead inside a car parked inside a storage container in a rural Arkansas field has now been identified as that of a missing Overland Park woman; her death has been ruled a suicide. Marilane Carter disappeared a little more than two weeks ago in the Memphis area while she was driving from her home in Kansas to seek mental health counseling in Alabama, where she had previously lived. Memphis-area media reported that the Arkansas State Medical Examiners Office ruled Carter’s death a suicide and that she died from asphyxiation from carbon monoxide. Carter’s uncle, who was in the area helping to search for her, found her SUV inside a shipping container off a gravel road near Interstate 55. Investigators have said the vehicle’s ignition switch was in the run position when the car was located. “Information gathered from family members concerning her mental and emotional state during her final communications along with facts gathered from the scene have led investigators to believe that Marilane Carter drove the vehicle into the container and in doing so caused her demise,” Crittendon County Sheriff’s Office Chief Todd Grooms said.
====================
Kansas Hunting Guide Admits Violating Migratory Bird Act
WICHITA, Kan. (KPR) – Federal authorities say a Kansas guide will lose his hunting privileges for three years because he violated the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. According to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister, 33-year-old Bryan Boxberger, of Stafford, pleaded guilty in federal court in Wichita to violating the act. In his plea, Boxberger admitted he acted as a waterfowl guide to a party of 13 hunters in Barton County. With Boxberger’s assistance, the hunters killed 31 white-fronted geese, violating a daily bag limit of two per person. Boxberger was sentenced to three years on probation, during which he is prohibited from hunting and fishing or acting as a guide. In addition, he was ordered to pay a $2,500 fine directed to the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund and $10,000 in restitution directed to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism-Law Enforcement Division Restitution Fund.
====================
Operation Legend Puts Focus on Violent Crime, Not Politics
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — President Donald Trump and his attorney general have touted Operation Legend as a much-needed answer to spiking crime. Trump claims it's caused, at least in part, by the police reform movement and protests that have swept across the U.S. since George Floyd’s death in May. Trump also claims he’s countering rising crime in cities run by Democrats. But to the 300 federal investigators deployed to nine cities, and the local law enforcement getting help, Operation Legend isn’t about politics. It’s about reducing crime, working to solve outstanding cases and prioritizing the arrest of violent criminals.
====================
2020 Kansas City Renaissance Festival Canceled Due to Pandemic
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) – The 2020 Kansas City Renaissance Festival has been cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Organizers made the announcement in a statement released Friday: "We understand the impact of this decision on so many wonderful artisans, performers, participants, volunteers, and countless families seeking a place to celebrate and enjoy a touch of normalcy that our yearly festival tradition brings.” Kansas City's Ren-Fest is set to return September 4, 2021 for its 44th Anniversary. Tickets purchased for this year's event will be honored in 2021.
====================
Community Blood Center of Kansas City in Need of Blood Donors
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR ) — Blood supplies are running low in eastern Kansas and western Missouri. Officials with the Community Blood Center (CBC) are calling on community members to make appointments to visit donor centers. Officials say COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the process of donating blood. Before the pandemic, mobile blood drives hosted by high schools, colleges, businesses and other organizations made up about 70% of the region’s incoming blood supply, but the number of mobile drives has dropped by two-thirds this year as these groups can no longer host them. CBC officials say the start of a new school year presents new and unprecedented challenges. Blood donations typically drop off during the summer and the return to school usually helps make up the difference and stabilize the blood supply. In the past, school and college drives have collected 4,000 blood donations during each school year. “We’ve always relied on the fall to provide a boost in blood donations from high school and college blood drives that are large and well-attended, but we know that’s not happening this time,” said Kim Peck, Senior Executive Director of Community Blood Center. Peck says blood from volunteer donors is needed every two seconds to help meet the daily transfusion needs of cancer and surgery patients, accident and burn victims, newborns and mothers delivering babies, AIDS and sickle cell anemia patients, and many more. The Community Blood Center of Greater Kansas City serves hospitals in the Kansas City metropolitan area, as well as eastern Kansas and western Missouri. To make an appointment to donate blood, click here.
====================
Royals Sign Multiyear TV Deal to Remain with FOX Sports KC
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals and Sinclair Broadcast Group have signed a multiyear agreement beginning with the current season to televise games on FOX Sports Kansas City. The number of years and financial terms were not disclosed. The regional sports network is midway through its 13th season as the exclusive TV home of the Royals, and its 21st overall. It already was planning to broadcast 59 of the 60 scheduled games during the pandemic-shortened season under what amounted to a handshake agreement.
====================
Chiefs Encouraging Fans Who Show up to Keep Their Masks on
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Every time Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes looked into the stands on Saturday, they saw Chiefs fans wearing masks. There were plenty of videos making the rounds on social media afterward that showed many were not. It was the first chance for Kansas City fans to glimpse the Super Bowl champions after an offseason scuttled by the coronavirus pandemic. The Chiefs were forced to move training camp from the fan-friendly Missouri Western State University to their locked-down home base just across the parking lot from Arrowhead Stadium. A similar practice is set for this Saturday.
====================
KPR's daily headlines are generally posted by 10 am weekdays and updated throughout the day. KPR's weekend summary is usually published by 1 pm Saturdays and Sundays.