UPDATE: Kansas COVID-19 Caseload Exceeds 216,000; Deaths Top 2,500
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - The Kansas Department of Health reports today (MON) there have been 216,062 cases of COVID-19, including 2,548 deaths since the pandemic began. Health officials also say there have also been 6,568 hospitalizations resulting from 101,283 cases. The Wichita and Kansas City areas have been hardest hit during the pandemic. So far, Sedgwick and Johnson counties have recorded more coronavirus cases than any other county in Kansas, each with about 38,000. KDHE provides regular updates on case numbers and deaths every Monday, Wednesday and Friday but did not release figures last Friday due to the Christmas holiday. The next update is expected Wednesday.
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Governor: Kansas Should Drop Local Control of COVID-19 Rules
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Governor Laura Kelly says Kansas should stop giving local officials the final say over the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic because experience has shown “a patchwork approach” does not work. Kelly made the comments last week during an Associated Press interview. The governor and her top public health administrator argued that Kansas is now controlling the spread of COVID-19, despite high case numbers. The Republican-controlled Legislature already has committed to considering changes in emergency management laws after opening its annual 90-day session on January 11. Top Republican lawmakers earlier this year forced Kelly to accept local control over mask rules and restrictions on businesses.
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Kansas Governor to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine Wednesday
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Laura Kelly plans to get a COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday as part of a larger program to give shots to selected Kansas officials so that state government can continue to operate during the pandemic. The governor confirmed her plans Monday as nursing home workers and residents began receiving vaccinations. The state’s vaccine distribution plan calls for providing shots first to front-line health care workers, nursing home workers and nursing home residents. But the Democratic governor said last week that Kansas also was looking at giving shots to people in state agencies, the Republican-controlled Legislature and the state court system. Kelly said: “I will get vaccinated on Wednesday.”
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Missouri Hit Record for COVID-19 Hospitalizations on Christmas Day
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri set a new record for patients hospitalized with COVID-19 on Christmas Day as the pandemic surges. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that there were 2,862 patients hospitalized statewide, eclipsing the previous record of 2,851 on Nov. 18. Hospitalizations have remained high in the past month. Meanwhile, data posted Saturday on the state health department website shows the seven-day average for new cases is 2,213 each day. With the virus present at such elevated levels, county officials are urging caution.
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Missouri Reports 1,451 New Virus Cases, 3 COVID-19 Deaths
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri reported 1,451 new virus cases and three deaths Sunday as the average number of cases reported each day continued to decline. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases declined to 2,415 on Sunday. That is significantly lower than the peak rolling average of 4,723 that was set on November 20, and the number of new cases reported each day has generally been declining since then. The state said 382,094 cases and 5,312 deaths have now been linked to the virus. Statewide, at least 2,696 people were hospitalized with COVID-19. That is down slightly from the record of 2,862 that was set two days earlier.
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Kansas Officials Still Working Through Details of Who Gets Vaccinated When
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is working through the details of exactly who will be eligible for coronavirus vaccines in exactly what order as it concentrates on giving shots mostly to health care workers this month. Governor Laura Kelly told leaders of the Legislature last week that the vaccines have gone mostly to health care workers. That group also includes employees in state prisons. She said vaccines could go "almost exclusively" to health care workers into mid-January but also suggested some doses already have made it to nursing homes. Kelly told The Topeka Capital-Journal that prison inmates are to get vaccinated before the general public because they're in "congregate" housing.
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Winter Storm Will Bring Snow and Rain to Kansas This Week
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — Winter weather advisories will take effect Monday night and Tuesday for eastern Kansas. Most areas will receive snow Monday night. That will turn to sleet and freezing rain before turning back into snow on Wednesday. Some areas of southeast Kansas will only get rain. The main hazard from this storm is dangerous travel conditions. Roads could be slick from freezing rain or snow.
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Kansas Embarking on First Study of Housing Needs in Decades
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Laura Kelly says Kansas is embarking on its first assessment of housing needs across the state in nearly three decades and expects to have a report by the end of next year. Kelly announced Monday that the state has hired RDG Planning & Design to develop initiatives to guide the state’s housing development efforts. The planning and design firm is based in Omaha, Nebraska, but has worked in Kansas communities including Chanute, DeSoto, Dodge City, Scott City and Dickinson County. Kelly’s office said Kansas has not done a significant housing study since the 1990s and the state has a shortage of data on existing housing and projected needs.
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Kansas Senate to Have New Committees, Including Ethics Panel
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate will have two new committees, including one focusing on ethics and government transparency issues. Incoming Senate President Ty Masterson’s appointments of new committee leaders for 2021 reflect turnover in the Republican supermajority’s top leadership. Masterson, incoming Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop and Vice President-elect Rick Wilborn are giving up committee chairmanships. Republicans will lead all committees, but nine of the 14 chairs will be new. Masterson created a new Transparency and Ethics Committee instead of having the Local Government Committee handle those issues. Masterson also created separate Insurance and Financial Institutions committees, rather than having a single panel.
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Kansas House Creates New Water, Redistricting Committees
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A newly created Kansas House committee will focus on water issues, and the chamber’s Republican leaders have taken their first step toward redrawing the state’s political boundaries. House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., said in a statement that one goal of the chamber’s Republicans is “protecting our state’s agricultural roots for the long haul.” The Water Committee will be led by Republican Rep. Ron Highland of Wamego. The state constitution requires a redrawing of Kansas’ political boundaries once every 10 years based on the federal census, and that’s due to happen in 2022. House GOP leaders appointed a 12-member Redistricting Committee led by Republican Rep. Chris Croft of Overland Park.
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Wichita Police Identify Man Killed in Saturday Accident
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police have identified the victim of a fatal weekend accident. Police said Monday that 27-year-old Derrick Pruett of Wichita died in the wreck Saturday night. Officers called to the scene found a 2004 GMC Envoy overturned. Pruett was pinned inside the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities say Pruett had lost control of the vehicle and struck the median and a utility pole, causing it to overturn. Police say speed was believed to be a factor in the accident.
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Small Plane Crashes in Kansas City Area; Pilot Hurt
WALDRON, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say a pilot was hurt when a small plane crashed in the Kansas City area. The Platte County Sheriff’s Office says the crash happened just after noon Saturday as the single-engine plane was landing at Noah’s Ark Airport in Waldron. The pilot was the only person aboard and suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries. Authorities are investigating what caused the crash. Federal investigators have been called to the scene.
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Judge Delays Execution of Only Woman on U.S. Death Row
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge said the Justice Department unlawfully rescheduled the execution of the only woman on federal death row. This potentially sets up the Trump administration to schedule the execution after Joe Biden takes office. U.S. District Court Judge Randolph Moss also vacated an order from the director of the Bureau of Prisons that had set Lisa Montgomery’s execution date for January 12. Montgomery had been scheduled to be put to death this month, but Moss delayed the execution after her attorneys contracted COVID-19. He prohibited her execution before the end of the year and ruled Wednesday the bureau was also prohibited from rescheduling the date while the injunction was in place.
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Oldest VFW Post in Kansas at Risk of Closing
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - The oldest Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Kansas needs help. KWCH TV reports that VFW post 112 is at risk of shutting down its facility in Wichita. Like many nonprofits, the post, which has been open since 1920, is struggling this year due to the pandemic. Commander Martin Garcia said because of shutdowns in the community, they haven’t been able to raise funds like they normally would. Garcia says since October, the post started offering free mental health clinics for veterans and first responders -- so shutting down right now would really affect them. “That’s the main thing that the post is here for; to help us build that sense of community, and for me I can’t think of anybody better than to lead that effort than veterans. We invested in our country but the mission doesn’t just stop once we get out of the military it continues on,” Garcia said. A GoFundMe account has been established to help raise funds for the post.
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New Survey Shows Many Kansas Families Are Struggling with Mental Health Issues
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — A new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation indicates that almost 20 percent of Kansas adults with children reported feeling depressed or hopeless during the COVID-19 pandemic. About 15 percent of adults who live with children said they didn’t have health insurance. A similar percentage didn’t always have enough food or had little or no confidence they could pay their rent or mortgage on time. Clay Wirestone, of the nonprofit Kansas Action for Children, says food banks in the state have seen an unprecedented rise in demand. “There’s no question that the strain and the stress on families has been increasing throughout the year,” Wirestone said. Across the country, Black, Latino and multiracial families were more likely to say they had these concerns. The survey was conducted in September and October.
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Wife of Ex-Mayor Granted Diversion in Faked Ticket Case
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The wife of a former Kansas mayor who resigned abruptly before the couple was charged with making fake tickets to attend a zoo fundraiser has been granted diversion in the case. The Wichita Eagle reports that Elizabeth Blubaugh has to pay $945 in restitution to the Sedgwick County Zoo plus other fees, attend and complete a theft education program and perform 40 hours of community service as the part of the agreement. Her husband, Jamey Blubaugh, is scheduled for a bench trial next month. He resigned in August as the mayor of Goddard, a suburb of Wichita, citing conflicts with the city administrators. The misdemeanor counterfeiting charges were filed against the couple two days later. ( Read more.)
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2 Killed, 5 Hurt in Christmas Crash in Kansas City Suburb
LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say two people were killed and five others were injured in a multi-vehicle pileup on Christmas night in suburban Kansas City. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says the crash happened just after 11 pm when a car that 30-year-old Alexander Thirstrup was driving veered into oncoming traffic, hitting two sport utility vehicles. The patrol says Thirstrup and one of the SUV drivers, 27-year-old Dominic Robinson, were pronounced dead at the scene. A woman in Robinson's SUV was seriously injured, while a baby, 6-year-old and 10-year-old were taken to hospitals with minor injuries. The driver in the second SUV also sustained minor injuries.
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2 Killed in Kansas City, Kansas, by Fleeing Motorist
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a fleeing driver caused a crash that left two people dead. Police in Kansas City, Kansas, responded Friday afternoon after a stolen vehicle was spotted by its owner. Police tried to stop the stolen vehicle, but the driver took off, striking a police vehicle. Police took off in pursuit. The driver of the stolen vehicle then ran a stop sign and struck another vehicle, killing both people inside. Two suspects fled on foot, and one was taken into custody. The Kansas Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
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Kansas City, Kansas, Police Investigating Christmas Homicide
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Police in Kansas City, Kansas, are investigating a Christmas morning homicide. Officers responded to a report of a shooting in the area of the Fairfax Bluffs Apartments north of Kansas Highway 5 and south of the Quindaro Power Station Friday morning. They found a Hispanic male in his 30s with apparent gunshot wounds. He was taken to an area hospital, and later died. Police released no further details.
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Douglas County Prepares for Jury Trials at the Fairgrounds
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — One northeast Kansas county is moving jury trials to a building on its fairgrounds to allow for better social distancing amid the pandemic. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the plan is for jury trials in Douglas County to resume January 11 at the Flory Meeting Hall. The space is big enough that the 14 chairs of the jury box can be distanced from one another. Witnesses who testify will wear plastic face shields instead of masks so that jurors can see their faces, but so that there will still be protection from respiratory droplets.
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Kansas Governor to Propose Treatment Center for Prison Inmates
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly plans to propose creating a treatment center at the state's largest prison for inmates with substance abuse problems. Kelly said she plans to recommend adding a treatment center at the state prison in Lansing. Her proposal mirrors a recommendation from the Kansas Criminal Justice Reform Commission to use space in an existing prison for a 240-bed substance abuse treatment center. Last week, the governor said that inmates could be sentenced to the new center for intensive treatment, rather than being housed in other prison space.
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University of Kansas Archivist Plans Podcast on Black Kansas Churches
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An archivist at the University of Kansas plans to launch a four-part podcast next year focused on telling the current stories of Black churches in northeast Kansas. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Patricia Cecil developed the "Faith in the Free State" project and recently received a $10,000 grant from the nonprofit Humanities Kansas. She decided to focus on Black churches in the region after witnessing renewed racial justice activism over the summer and knowing how churches have adapted to new ways of gathering because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two podcast episodes would debut in early summer 2021 and two more in late summer or early fall 2021.
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Kansas City Chiefs Beat Atlanta Falcons 17-14, Clinch No. 1 Seed and First-Round Bye in AFC
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) - For the second time in three seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs have clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Sunday's narrow victory over the Atlanta Falcons 17-14 sealed the deal for the Chiefs who will now enjoy a first round bye and home field advantage in the playoffs. The importance of securing the top spot was heightened when the NFL added another team to the postseason, eliminating the bye week from the second seed. Last year, Kansas City was the No. 2 seed in the AFC en route to its first Super Bowl in 50 years but the team had an off week before the divisional round. In 2018, the Chiefs were able to claim the top spot in the AFC but lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game. With the top seed, the Chiefs will get an extra week to heal and prepare for their divisional round opponent.
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Travis Kelce Sets Single-Season Record for Receiving Yards by TE
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (ESPN) - Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce set an NFL record Sunday for the most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season. Kelce has racked up more than 1,400 yards so far this season. That's more than any other tight end in the history of the game. Kelce also became the first tight end in NFL history to amass 1,200 yards in consecutive seasons. Kansas City squeaked by the Atlanta Falcons 17-14 at Arrowhead Stadium Sunday afternoon. The victory give Kansas City the first seed in the AFC playoffs, putting the Chiefs in position to make another run for a Super Bowl championship.
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