UPDATE: Kansas Governor Sues in Dispute over In-Person Services
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’s Democratic governor has filed a lawsuit after a Republican-dominated panel of legislative leaders overturned her executive order banning religious and funeral services of more than 10 attendees during the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Laura Kelly said Thursday that “the last thing” she wants to do right now is get involved in a legal dispute, but the panel’s ruling Wednesday left her no choice because lives are potentially on the line. Kelly is asking the Kansas Supreme Court to expedite the case and hopes to have a ruling by Sunday, which is Easter, traditionally the most-attended church service of the year.
(–earlier reporting–)
Battle Between Religious Freedom and Public Health Continues in Topeka
MISSION, Kan. (AP) - A battle between religious freedom and public health continues in Topeka. Kansas lawmakers have overturned Governor Laura Kelly's executive order restricting the size of religious gatherings amid the coronavirus outbreak. The Republican-controlled Legislative Coordinating Council voted 5-2 yesterday (WED) to topple the governor's order that limited in-person religious services and funerals to 10 people or less. Lawmakers took that action after the state's top prosecutor, Attorney General Derek Schmidt, said the governor's new order restricting the size of religious gatherings likely violates the state constitution.
Kansas Governor at Odds with Legislative Leaders over Ban on Religious Gatherings
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR / KNS) - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s administration is scrambling to keep - intact - a statewide ban on large public gatherings. On Wednesday, legislative leaders rescinded the governor's 10-person limit on religious gatherings. While that political battle gets sorted out, the state's health director, Dr. Lee Norman, is still advising Kansans to stay home and away from large public gatherings, even religious services, like Easter. Norman warned that more than 160 people in Kansas have already contracted COVID-19 in group settings, and 12 of those people have died. Republicans say people should still avoid large groups to prevent the spread of coronavirus. But the president of the Kansas Senate, Republican Susan Wagle, of Wichita, said the governor's ban on large religious gatherings just before Easter went too far. Governor Laura Kelly says this latest move by Republicans is a political attack that will cause confusion and could help the virus spread. Meanwhile, Attorney General Derek Schmidt argues that the vote by lawmakers on Wednesday only undid the 10-person limit for religious congregations and funerals, not other large public gatherings. In a news release Wednesday, the attorney general said no one would be arrested or prosecuted for violating the governor's ban on large public gatherings at religious services. As of Wednesday, Kansas had recorded more than 1,000 cases of COVID-19 and at least 38 deaths.
UPDATE: As of 11 am today (THUR), KDHE had recorded 1,106 cases of COVID-19 from 57 Kansas counties, along with 42 deaths.
View additional reporting from Kansas Public Radio and the Kansas News Service.
And from the Lawrence Journal-World.
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- KPR's Coronavirus Information and Resources Guide.
- What Kansans Need to Know About COVID-19 and Coronavirus, from the Kansas News Service
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ACLU Seeks Release of Kansas Inmates Vulnerable to COVID-19
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A civil rights group asked the Kansas Supreme Court to immediately release prisoners who have preexisting medical conditions that make them vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas filed on Thursday the class action petition on behalf of seven inmates housed at Lansing Correctional Facility, the Ellsworth Correctional Facility and the Topeka Correctional Facility. They are seeking an expedited hearing before the state's highest court on the request by the named plaintiffs and other inmates in a similar situation. The Kansas Department of Corrections says inmates and staff are especially at risk of infection and that officials have taken steps to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in corrections facilities.
(-Related-)
Spread of CV in Northeast Kansas Prison Prompts Calls to Release Inmates
As the coronavirus continues to spread inside a northeast Kansas prison, public defenders are calling for the release of many inmates at state prisons and county jails. Proponents say releasing inmates may be the only way to reduce transmission of the virus in such close quarters. Mark Hartman is the chief public defender in Garden City. He says a western Kansas judge has already allowed the release of about 20 prisoners from the Finney County jail over the past few weeks. Hartman says jails and prisons are risky places for the people who live and work inside the facilities, He also says there's the risk that the virus will spread beyond the prison walls and into the outside community. As of Wednesday afternoon, 11 workers and 12 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19 at the state prison in Lansing.
(AP version)
Kansas Officials Review Inmates for Possible Early Release
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Officials are making plans to free some Kansas prison inmates who are close to finishing their sentences amid the coronavirus outbreak. Governor Laura Kelly said at a news conference this week that "hopefully we will be able to move quite a few of those folks back into their community." Priority will be given to inmates with "viable plans," such as a place to live or a job. She offered no specific numbers and noted that the state will coordinate with local officials so that there will be "no surprises."
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Coronavirus Deaths at Rehabilitation Facility Grow to 6
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The number dead after a coronavirus outbreak at a Kansas City, Kansas, rehabilitation facility has grown to six with another 50 patients and staff testing positive. Health officials with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County said Wednesday that seven of the sickened residents of Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation are hospitalized. Wyandotte County’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Greiner, blamed the high number of cases on “a confluence of bad circumstances,” including a lag in testing results. KCUR reports that Greiner also said Tuesday that the close interactions required at a rehab facility helped fuel the spread.
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Inmates Out of Cells Destroying Property at Lansing Prison
LANSING, Kan. (WDAF-TV) — State prison officials say inmates in one cell house at the Lansing Correctional Facility are out of their cells and destroying property. Prison spokesman Randy Bowman said the riot started about 3 p.m. Thursday when several inmates got out of their cells. He says none of the inmates, who are all in cell house C, escaped. Three hours later, about 20 prisoners were still destroying property but many had returned to their cells. Staff members escaped the cell house safely. Bowman said it's unclear what started the incident. He says prison officials are monitoring the inmates with video and on-site. No injuries have been reported.
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Tornado or Virus? Pandemic Means Tough Sheltering Decisions During Severe Spring Weather
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Each day brings the United States closer to peak severe weather season, and Tornado Alley residents are faced with a question: Is it better to take on a twister outside a community shelter or to face the possibility of contracting the new coronavirus inside one? Tornado-prone states including Alabama and Kansas are recommending that people go into shelters if dangerous weather is approaching. Hundreds of people filled shelters in the Tennessee Valley during a weather threat last month. But some say they'd rather take their chances with a twister than COVID-19. The dilemma could get worse if the virus is still a threat when hurricane season starts June 1.
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Man Shot to Death in Overland Park; Suspect Sought
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) _ Police in suburban Kansas City are searching for a suspect after finding a man shot to death in Overland Park overnight. Police say officers were called around 9 p.m. Wednesday to an area near the Johnson County Central Resource Library for reports of a shooting. Arriving officers found a 19-year-old man dead in a parking lot near the library. Police have not yet released the victim's name. Police had not reported any arrests in the shooting by Thursday morning, but say investigators have a description of a car suspected in the crime.
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Topeka Police Make Arrests in Man's Shooting Death
Police have announced several arrests in the shooting death last week of a 28-year-old man in central Topeka. Police say 22-year-old James Boatwright and 26-year-old Davontra Alston were arrested Wednesday after officers served search warrants in the case. They have been charged with first-degree murder in the Saturday night shooting death of D'Angelo Payne. A third man, 21-year-old Jeffrey Walters, was arrested on suspicion of weapon and drug counts in the case. Police have said officers were called Saturday night to the scene of a crash and found Payne dead of gunshot wounds at the scene.
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Missouri Police Investigate Attempted Murder-Suicide in Lee's Summit
LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. (AP) - Police in suburban Kansas City say a double shooting outside a Lee's Summit home that left one man dead appears to have been an attempted murder-suicide. Police say the shooting happened Wednesday afternoon in the front yard of the home and left a woman injured and a man dead. An initial investigation shows the man shot the woman, then shot himself. Police say the woman's injuries appear to be minor. The names of the man and woman have not yet been released. Police say investigators have been interviewing witnesses to determine what led up to the shooting.
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Man Charged in Hit-and-Run Homicide at Kansas City Park
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Jackson County authorities have charged a 36-year-old man with stabbing and then intentionally running over another man at a Kansas City park. Police say 41-year-old Felipe Carillo, of Kansas City, was killed Monday at the city's Blue Valley Park. On Wednesday, prosecutors charged Corey Darden with first-degree murder and three other counts. Investigators say Darden decided to steal Carillo's Jeep and confronted the victim while he was inside the vehicle. Carillo ran from the scene after he was stabbed. Court documents say Darden intentionally ran him down with the Jeep. Darden was arrested after he crashed the Jeep and got into the car of a person who stopped to help.
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St Joseph News-Press to Drop 2 Days of Print Edition
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (St. Joseph News-Press/St. Joe, Missouri) — The St. Joseph News-Press plans to end delivery of print editions on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Newspaper officials say the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic is prompting the change. The newspaper announced in February that it planned to reduce print production sometime this year. But a sheep drop in advertising revenue caused by the pandemic is forcing the paper to make the changes earlier than planned. The newspaper will stop delivery of its Saturday print edition on April 18 and its Wednesday edition on May 6. It plans a larger Sunday edition beginning April 19.
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Second U.S. Study for COVID-19 Vaccine Uses Skin-Deep Shots
WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. researchers have opened another safety test of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine, this one using a skin-deep shot instead of the usual deeper jab. Inovio Pharmaceuticals launched the small study this week with volunteers in Kansas City, Missouri, and Philadelphia to see if its vaccine candidate is safe enough for crucial larger tests. Kansas City researchers say there's no shortage of volunteers. It's the second study underway in the U.S., and multiple potential vaccines are being developed in labs around the world. Experts say it likely will take more than a year for any vaccine to be widely available.
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What About Coronavirus and Kansas Farmer's Markets?
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) - What about Farmer's Markets in the Age of Coronavirus? Well, it depends on where you live. Officials in Overland Park have postponed their popular farmer's market amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. Meanwhile, in Wichita, another farmer's market is set to open this Saturday. Like grocery stores, farmer's markets have been described in stay-at-home orders as "essential businesses" that can continue to operate. But city officials in Overland Park decided to postpone the opening of its market under pressure from the public. Meanwhile, in Wichita, the Kansas-Grown Farmers Market Board decided to proceed with extra safeguards in place.
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Missouri Health Director Wants to Collect Racial Data on CV Cases
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The head of the Missouri health department says he's directing medical professionals to provide racial data about patients who become sick or die from the new coronavirus. Health director Randall Williams said Wednesday that about 40% of providers have not been supplying that information to the state. So far, no racial data has been posted on the state's website, though it does show cases by age. Numbers from elsewhere show that black Americans have died from the virus at a disproportionately high rate. Some black lawmakers raised concerns Wednesday about the lack of data from Missouri about how the coronavirus is affecting racial groups.
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NWS: Flooding Remains a Concern Along Missouri River, Affecting Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The National Weather Service says flooding remains a concern in several states along the Missouri River, even though the weather has been kind so far this spring. The agency says the flood risk is high in eastern South Dakota, eastern North Dakota, eastern Nebraska, western Iowa, eastern Kansas and Missouri because the soil remains wet. However, a lack of rain and the warm temperatures this spring have allowed snow to melt gradually across the Plains without increasing the risk. Officials have trimmed their forecast for how much water will flow down the Missouri River in 2020, but it is still expected to be a wet year.
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Central Kansas Postal Employee Gets Probation for Stealing Mail, Gift Cards
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - A woman who ran a small post office in central Kansas has been given probation for stealing gift cards from the mail. Stacy Vasko was sentenced this week to three years of probation for a misdemeanor count of obstructing mail. She was also ordered to pay $200 in restitution. Vasko was intially charged last summer with two counts of mail theft by a postal employee. She was living in Salina at the time and was the only employee in the Brookville post office when the thefts occurred. She was caught after a postal investigator determined Vasko had used a gift card taken from a birthday card that went through the Brookville post office.
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Wyandotte County Pays $50,000 to Inmate Beaten by Sergeant
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (The Kansas City Star) — Wyandotte County paid $50,000 to an inmate who was beaten by a sergeant. Sheriff Donald Ash said Thursday the sergeant, David Toland, was fired in February. Toland was accused punching the handcuffed prisoner and slamming his head against an elevator door while taking him from a drug search. Toland was charged in November with misdemeanor mistreatment of a confined person and aggravated battery. Another deputy, Marcus Johnson, was charged with misdemeanor mistreatment of a confined person and misdemeanor assault for another incident during the same search. Johnson was not fired and Ash would not say if he was disciplined. Their court cases are pending.
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