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Headlines for Thursday, March 4, 2021

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Kansas Advances Unemployment Bill; Staffing Surge Promised

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican lawmakers are moving forward with legislation to overhaul Kansas’s troubled unemployment system. The House approved the measure Thursday on an 87-36 vote, sending it to the Senate. The vote came after Democratic Governor Laura Kelly announced plans to more than double the number of staff who help the jobless, and to make them available on weekends. The House bill was drafted by Republican members and would give the GOP-controlled Legislature more oversight of the modernization of the Department of Labor’s unemployment system. It would also require upgrades to be completed by the end of 2022. The department says that deadline is unrealistic.

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Kansas to Vaccinate Meatpacking Plant Workers; Rules Upset Counties

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Laura Kelly says Kansas plans to give thousands of meatpacking plant workers their first COVID-19 vaccines by the end of next week. Her announcement Thursday came as at least a few counties pushed back against state inoculation rules that carry the threat of having doses withheld for not complying. The vaccinations for meatpacking workers began Thursday afternoon, and Kelly said the state plans to administer the first of two doses to more than 12,000 of them. Meanwhile, within the past week, Sedgwick and Riley counties have been at odds with the state over moving to vaccinating people younger than age 65 with chronic medical conditions.

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Kansas Legislature Mulls State of Emergency Laws; Counties Limited on Vaccinations

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican legislators are bargaining over what power Kansas governors and other officials should have during future public health emergencies as at least a few counties are chafing against state rules for distributing COVID-19 vaccines.  The House approved a bill Thursday on an 81-40 vote to require the governor to confer with the attorney general and get legislative leaders’ approval before issuing executive orders during a state of emergency. The measure went to the Senate, which has its own bill. Lawmakers from both chambers began talks over their differences. Meanwhile, officials in Sedgwick and Riley counties pushed this week against state rules preventing them from vaccinating people under 65.

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Kansas House Passes Bill to Lower Concealed Carry Age to 18

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A bill to lower the legal age to carry concealed firearms in Kansas from 21 to 18 has won final passage in the Kansas House. The bill’s support came mostly from Republicans, who say that those under 21 are eligible to vote and serve in the military. People as young as 18 can already openly carry firearms in Kansas. The legislation would require those under 21 to complete a background check and undergo safety training to carry concealed firearms, which is currently required for those 21 and older. The state House approved the bill Thursday on a 85-38 vote, sending it to the Senate.

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Kansas House Backs Giving Students College and Wage Data

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas House has unanimously passed a bill that would require the Kansas State Department of Education to send students starting in the seventh grade information about college costs and the average wages for graduates with various degrees. The legislation passed by the House on Thursday would also require the department to distribute employment and wage information for those with technical educations and those in each branch of the military. The Kansas Board of Regents already publishes data on undergraduate degree programs on its website. The board expressed support for the bill in written testimony.  The bill now goes to the Senate.

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Growing Number of Kansans Receive Vaccine

TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) _  More than 14% of Kansans have now received the COVID vaccine.  By the end of this week, Governor Laura Kelly says all K through 12 teachers will have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Later this week, the state will receive 23,000 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, along with about 130,000 doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. There have been 800 new cases of the coronavirus since Monday. The number of new cases in the state has dropped steadily over the past two months.

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'Falling Through Cracks': Vaccine Bypasses Some Older Adults

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Thousands of older Americans are spending hours online or enlisting their grandchildren's help to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine. They are the fortunate ones. An untold number of older people are getting left behind in the desperate dash for shots because they are too frail, overwhelmed, isolated or poor to navigate a system that favors healthier individuals with more resources. The urgency of reaching this vulnerable population is growing as more and more Americans in other age groups become eligible. Nonprofits, churches and health care outreach workers are scrambling to to reach older people who are falling through the cracks before the nation’s focus moves on and the competition for vaccines stiffens.

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Demand for Vaccine Overwhelms Phone Lines at Southeast Kansas Clinic

PITTSBURG, Kan.  (KNS)_  A Kansas clinic that received thousands of COVID vaccine doses is getting so many calls that the clinic’s 1-800 number was cut off Wednesday.  The Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas serves several rural counties and it’s part of a new federal program to distribute coronavirus vaccinations in poor and remote communities. The clinic, in Pittsburg, got 4,400 doses this week. Anyone who falls in the second phase of the Kansas rollout can book an appointment. That includes people over the age of 65, teachers, grocery store workers and people working at other jobs that put them at risk. Starting today (Thursday) the clinic will begin administering thousands of doses a week. The clinic has vaccine sites in eight counties.

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Kansas Lawmakers Mull Governor's Power, Closing Businesses

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Conservative Republican lawmakers argue that Kansas shouldn’t be able to shut down businesses during an emergency like the coronavirus pandemic. Their comments Wednesday came as the GOP-controlled Legislature considered how far to go in restricting a governor’s power in future emergencies. The Kansas House gave first-round approval on a voice vote to a bill that would require governors to confer with the state’s attorney general and get legislative leaders’ approval before issuing executive orders during a state of emergency. Some conservative Republicans wanted to go farther and ban business closures or even restrictions but acknowledged that Democratic Governor Laura Kelly would never sign such legislation.

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Kansas Senate Approves Bill Requiring In-Person K-12 Classes

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate has approved a proposal from its top Republican to require all of the state's public school districts to offer in-person classes to all students by March 26. Senate President Ty Masterson is pushing the measure with the number of new COVID-19 cases lower than they have been in months. Masterson and other Republicans argue that many students don't fare well academically or emotionally with online learning and need to get back into classrooms. The Senate's 26-12 vote Wednesday sends the measure to the House. Some Democrats argued that the bill was an attack on local control of public K-12 schools.

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Kansas House Gives Initial Approval to Civics Test for Graduation

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A bill that would require high school students to pass a civics test to graduate has won first-round approval in the Kansas House. Lawmakers voted Wednesday to advance the bill despite opposition from the Kansas State Board of Education, which has said the bill encroaches on its constitutional authority to set graduation requirements. The legislation would require students to pass one or more tests consisting of 60 questions from the U.S. citizenship test. Supporters say the move would give students basic civics knowledge to become engaged citizens. The bill faces a final House vote before going to the Senate.

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Kansas Lawmakers Approve Plan to Help Cities with Huge Energy Costs

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators have quickly created a low-interest loan program for cities to help them cover a spike in costs associated with providing heat and electricity to residents during last month’s intense cold snap. The state Senate approved the program by a vote of 37-1 on Wednesday to allow the state to loan out $100 million of its idle funds immediately to cities that have community owned electric and natural gas utilities. Its vote came hours after the House passed the measure, 124-0. Subzero temperatures led to a big spike in demand for natural gas, and other problems, such as freezing equipment, made gas hard to obtain, cause prices to jump.

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Kansas Lawmakers Move to Protect Businesses

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers moved Tuesday to extend protections for businesses from lawsuits over COVID-19, while a prominent critic of Democratic Governor Laura Kelly said the state's vaccine distribution has improved in recent weeks. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would give businesses an extra year of protection, until March 31, 2022, from lawsuits from customers or employees who contract COVID-19 if those businesses were "in substantial compliance" with public health orders. The measure goes next to the Senate. Meanwhile, Senate President Ty Masterson said lawmakers are getting fewer complaints about access to vaccines now than a few weeks ago, but, "You can only go up from the bottom."

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Watkins Agrees to Diversion Program to Avoid Trial on Voter Fraud Charges

TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Former one-term congressman Steve Watkins has agreed to a diversion program to avoid a trial on voter fraud charges. The case against the Topeka Republican stems from him using a UPS storefront as his address on a voter registration form. He then voted in the wrong city council district in 2019 and told a police investigator that he didn’t cast a ballot in that election. In the agreement struck with the Shawnee County District Attorney’s office, Watkins agrees to the facts he’s charged with and avoids prosecution if he doesn’t commit a crime or carry a weapon for six months. The charges were filed against Watkins shortly before he lost the Republican primary in his race for re-election last year to Jake LaTurner. LaTurner now holds that congressional seat.

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Suspicious Device Removed from Pittsburg State Campus

PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — Police say a suspicious device found near the Pittsburg State University campus contained a small amount of “incendiary components.” Police were notified Wednesday after the device was found on a block adjacent to the campus. The Kansas State Highway Patrol’s Hazardous Device Unit removed the device from campus Thursday evening. Pieces of it will be taken to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation’s Forensic Laboratories for further examination. Police said no suspects have been developed in the case and the investigation is continuing.

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Mental Health Centers Strained Due to Pandemic-Related Emotional Struggles

HAYS, Kan. (KNS) _ Community mental health centers in Kansas say they’ve lost patients -- and money -- over the course of the pandemic. But federal aid funds have helped them stay afloat.  Many of the centers have been offering therapy mostly through video. Administrators at the High Plains Mental Health Center in northwest Kansas say an initial drop in patients eventually bounced back. They say it took longer for the emotional struggles of the pandemic to hit the northwest  part of the state. The center faced a loss of about half a million dollars at one point, but has mostly recovered.

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Mayor Asks FEMA for Mass Vaccination Sites in Kansas City

O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — The mayor of Missouri’s largest city has asked the federal government to make sure the state’s urban residents get better access to coronavirus vaccines. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas on Tuesday tweeted a copy of his two-page letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In it, he wrote that the federal government has plans to set up 18 mass vaccination sites around the country, but none of them are in Missouri. He asked that Kansas City be added to the list. The letter comes as some officials in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas contend the state is favoring rural areas in vaccine distribution, which Republican Governor Mike Parson and other state officials vehemently deny.

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Abortion Concerns Prompt Archdiocese Warning on Vaccine

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Catholic leaders in New Orleans and St. Louis are advising Catholics that the COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson is “morally compromised” because it's produced using cell lines developed from aborted fetuses. Archdiocese statements in each city say Catholics should choose coronavirus vaccines made by Moderna or Pfizer — if they are available. Johnson & Johnson stressed in a statement Tuesday that no fetal tissue is used in the vaccine itself.

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Kansas Crosses 295,000 COVID-19 Case Mark, Including 4,816 Deaths

TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — The  Kansas Department of Health and Environment(link is external) (KDHE) reported Wednesday that there have been 295,109 cases of COVID-19, including 4,816 deaths, since the start of the pandemic. That's an increase of 807 cases and 73 deaths since Monday. Johnson County has the highest number of recorded cases, with more than 54,500.  KDHE will provide another update Friday. 

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COVID Helpline Launched for Douglas County Residents

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - A new COVID helpline is now available for Douglas County residents.  The phone number - (785) 864-9000 - will be answered by trained staff who can help answer questions about vaccinations, testing, symptoms, local public health orders and other questions related to the coronavirus.  The helpline will be available from 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday, and from 8 am to noon on Saturday.  The University of Kansas has been using this phone number to help answer COVID-related questions since before the fall 2020 semester. Now, it has expanded the number of phone lines and employees available to answer calls with the help of various Douglas County agencies.  Those agencies include: Senior Resource Center for Douglas County, LMH Health and Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health.

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Doctors at KU Health System Report a Spike in Liver Disease Related to Pandemic Stress

KANSAS CITY, Kan.  (KNS)_  Doctors at the University of Kansas Health System say hospital admissions for alcohol-related liver disease is up nationally by nearly fifty percent as more people use alcohol to cope with the stress of the coronavirus pandemic.  Dr. Timothy Schmitt, KU’s director of transplantation, says the system is seeing a sharp increase in alcohol cirrhosis and transplants at the hospital. "Alcohol cirrhosis used to be a transplantable disease at age 50, but now we're seeing it in 40 year olds and 30 year olds" Schmitt said.  Early data suggest that patients with a liver transplant are able to recover from COVID-19.

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Lawsuit in Injury of Wichita Police Officer Set for Trial

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A lawsuit filed by the wife of a Wichita police officer who was injured when he was run over by a stolen car is scheduled to go to trial in August. Officer Brian Arterburn was critically injured in February 2017 when he was hit by the car while putting down stop sticks. Attorneys for his wife, Claudale Arterburn, said Wednesday several motions in the case were denied Feb. 23, clearing the way for the lawsuit to go to trial Aug. 9. The family is seeking $75 million plus punitive damages from  Eddy’s Chevrolet Cadillac and its owners, and the car's driver, Justin Terrazas.

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Wichita Police Seeking Suspect in Overnight Shooting Death

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police say a man died in an overnight shooting, and homicide detectives are searching for a suspect. Television station KAKE reports that the shooting happened shortly before 1 am Wednesday. Officers called to the home where the shooting was reported found a man in his 20s suffering from a gunshot wound. Police say the man died from his injuries on the way to the hospital. Police say several witnesses in the home told investigators the shooting happened during an argument. Police are still searching for a suspect and no arrests have been reported.

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Wichita Man Accused of Injuring Woman with Sword

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police say they arrested a man who attacked his girlfriend with a sword and stabbed her dog. Officer Charley Davidson said Wednesday that 41-year-old James Brown was arrested. Police began looking for Brown early Tuesday after officers found a 41-year-old woman suffering from severe cuts on her hand and back. She was hospitalized in serious condition. Davidson said in a news release that Brown and the woman began arguing. He allegedly hit the woman with the sword several times and stabbed the dog before leaving the scene. Investigators also discovered the woman was strangled in another incident.

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Man Who Injured Officer, Rammed Gate at Koch Estate Given Probation

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A man who prosecutors say injured a 42-year-old Wichita officer after intentionally ramming into a private security gate at a Koch family home has been sentenced to three years of probation. Aron James White was sentenced last week for injuring the officer in January 2019. The Kochs did not press charges for damage to the gate and surrounding property. Prosecutors say White drove into the gate after a security guard wouldn't let him through. He then crashed into a patrol car driven by officer Atlee Vogt, who suffered bruises and minor burns. White was arrested after running into a tree on the Kochs' property.

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Police ID Man Fatally Shot at Wichita Home and Announce Arrest

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) _ Police have identified a man who was fatally shot this week during a backyard gathering in northwest Wichita and have announced an arrest in the case. Police say 22-year-old Jacob Kalese died from his wounds after he was shot shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday. Officers called to the home found Kalese suffering from a gunshot wound, and police say he died on the way to the hospital. Several witnesses at the scene told investigators that Kalese was among those attending a gathering at the home when another man showed up, started an argument and fired several shots at Kalese. On Thursday, police identified the shooting suspect as 41-year-old Michael Swinney, who was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of first-degree murder.

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KCMO Police Explode Suspicious Package Near Federal Courthouse

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ Police in Kansas City, Missouri say they blew up a suspicious package found Wednesday near the federal courthouse in downtown Kansas City.  Police said the package was found and reported Wednesday afternoon, and investigators called the department's bomb squad shortly after 5:30 p.m. and evacuated the area. Police said in social media posts that the squad used a ``controlled detonation'' to disable the suspicious package around 7 p.m., causing a loud boom that could be heard throughout the downtown area. No one was injured. Police did not described the package or said why it was considered suspicious.

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Wichita Man Charged After Attack with Sword on Woman, Dog

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 41-year-old Wichita man who police say attacked his girlfriend and her dog with a sword is facing attempted second-degree murder charges. James Brown was also charged Thursday with cruelty to animals and aggravated domestic battery. Police say Brown's 41-year-old girlfriend suffered severe cuts to her hand and back when she was attacked with a 5- to 6-foot sword during an argument with Brown on Tuesday. Brown is also accused of stabbing her dog several times before fleeing. Police arrested him on Wednesday. The woman and the dog are both expected to make a full recovery.

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Missouri River Remains Low Heading into Spring Flood Season

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — This year is shaping up to be drier than normal throughout the Missouri River basin, and the risk of flooding is generally below normal throughout the region because conditions remain dry and snowpack levels are below average. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday that officials expect only about 84% of the normal amount of water will flow down the Missouri River this year. The Corps said it has increased the amount of water flowing out of Gavins Point Dam on the Nebraska-South Dakota border slightly, but the river remains at a low level heading into spring.

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Virtual Event to Mark Anniversary of Churchill's  'Iron Curtain' Speech

FULTON, Mo. (AP) _ A small mid-Missouri college is preparing to celebrate the 75th anniversary of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's ``Iron Curtain'' speech in which he warned of the former Soviet Union's expansion of communism, ushering in the era of the Cold War. Westminster's president invited Churchill to speak at the college in late 1945. On March 5, 1946, just months after World War II's end, Churchill arrived, accompanied by President Harry Truman, a native Missourian. COVID-19 restrictions are forcing the commemoration on Friday at Westminster College in Fulton to be virtual. Live-streamed events are free and open to the public.

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KPR' 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.