Kansas City Metro Urged to Follow Safe COVID Practices
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Health officials in Kansas City and three surrounding counties are urging residents to follow safe practices as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations increase in the region. Leaders in Kansas City and Jackson County, Missouri, and in Wyandotte and Johnson counties in Kansas issued a letter Friday saying front line workers are being overwhelmed by increasing coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, which are higher than when the pandemic began in March and April. They warned that if residents don't social distance, wear masks and limit social gatherings more business closings and stronger restrictions are inevitable. The Kansas City Star reports that the the KC metro area recorded more than 400 COVID-19 cases for the fourth day in a row.
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Shawnee Man Charged after Overland Park Protest
OVERLAND PARK, Kan (AP) — A 26-year-old Shawnee man is charged with battery of a law enforcement officer during a protest against racism and police violence in Overland Park. Darrien Richmond was charged yesterday (SAT) and was released on $2,500 bail. Overland Park spokesman Sean Reilly said Richmond caused scrapes and bruises on an officer's hands during the protest. Reilly did not have details about how the officer was injured. Organizers of the protest say Richmond was running to protect his wife when he was arrested. Richmond was one of four people arrested after a protest involving about 30 people. The other three were charged in municipal court and released.
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Former Kansas Senate President Dick Bond Dies
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Richard Bond, a Republican former president of the Kansas Senate, has died. Bond, of Overland Park, died Thursday at the age of 84. He served 14 years in the Kansas Legislature before retiring in 2001. He was president of the Kansas Senate during the last four years of his tenure. Bond was instrumental in securing the financing for a $40 million renovation project at the Kansas Capitol building. In later years, Bond sometimes broke with the GOP as it became more conservative, and endorsed Democrat Laura Kelly's bid for governor in 2018.
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KU to Play SIU Salukis in Football Season Opener
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - The University of Kansas added Southern Illinois to open its football season in just over a month. The announcement comes after New Hampshire backed out of the September 5th game against KU when the Colonial Athletic Conference suspended fall sports due to COVID-19. The Jayhawks and SIU Salukis will play on August 29th at Memorial Stadium. Whether the game actually takes place has yet to be determined. The Salukis play in the Missouri Valley Conference, where the college presidents are expected to address their football season in the upcoming week.
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KC Chiefs Lineman First Player to Opt Out of NFL; Mahomes "Comfortable"
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes acknowledges there is "some risk" in returning to the team facility for training camp. Mahomes told a group of reporters yesterday (SAT) that he is comfortable with the protocols established by the NFL and its players' union to ensure a safe environment leading up to the season. That follows Friday's announcement by Chiefs' offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif that he would opt out of the upcoming NFL season. He is the first player to take advantage of the NFL's opt-out option, saying he'll put his medical degree to work fighting COVID-19.
