Kansas Prison System Sees 1st Coronavirus Cases in 3 Workers at Lansing Facility
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Three Kansas prison workers have contracted the coronavirus in the first cases reported in the state's prison system. The Department of Corrections announced Tuesday night in a news release that the three employees at the Lansing Correctional Facility are recovering at home. Residents who had close contact with the workers have been moved to medical isolation where they will be monitored for symptoms. Meanwhile, health care providers in Kansas are facing financial strains. Topeka-based Stormont Vail Health CEO Robert Kenagy said in a statement Tuesday that cuts in wages are necessary so all staff can continue getting paid.
The Kansas News Service maintains this resource about the pandemic: Updated Regularly: What Kansans Need to Know About COVID-19 and Coronavirus
KPR's Coronavirus Information and Resources Guide.
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Kansas Governor Creates Easier Path for Unemployment Benefits
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is taking steps to address what she described as hundreds of thousands of calls to the state labor office by making it easier for Kansans to receive unemployment benefits amid the coronavirus outbreak. Kelly announced that Kansas would temporarily waive the one-week waiting period for people to receive the unemployment benefits and waive the requirement that they seek employment. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said they had confirmed 428 COVID-19 cases Tuesday, up from 369 a day earlier. Johnson County reported a third death from the virus, pushing the state's total to 10.
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COVID-19 Yet to Hit Kansas Budget; March Taxes $8.6 Million Short
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic has yet to fully hit the Kansas state budget. Tax collections fell only $8.6 million short of expectations in March. The state Department of Revenue reported Wednesday that tax collections last month were $523.4 million when the state projected collections of $532 million. The shortfall was 1.6%. The lower-than-expected revenues can be attributed largely to insurance companies paying the state tax on their premiums early. State officials expect job losses and a decrease in economic activity to cut into state revenues starting next month. Gov. Laura Kelly issued a statewide stay-at-home order in that is effect until April 19.
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As Coronavirus Moves into Rural Kansas; Small Town Hospitals Struggle to Prepare
NEODESHA, Kan. (KNS) — In Kansas, coronavirus has mostly shown up in cities and suburbs. But now, infections are creeping into rural parts of the state, areas with less medical equipment and older health care workers. Celia Llopis-Jepsen, of the Kansas News Service, recently interviewed a physician in the small town of Neodesha, who's anxious about the spread of this fast-moving virus into his part of the state. ( Get more on this story.)
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Kansas Man Allegedly Threatened to Give Girl Coronavirus
SCOTT CITY, Kan. (AP) — A western Kansas man is jailed after he allegedly coughed on an 11-year-old girl and told her he was going to give her the coronavirus. Scott County police 31-year-old Chance Archie Seamans, of Scott City, is being held in the county jail on possible charges of terrorism and criminal threat. Chief David Post says police were called to a Dollar General store in Scott City Tuesday night after a man allegedly told the girl he was going to give her the virus and then coughed in her face. No further details were released.
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Wichita Officials Seek to Restrict Abortion Amid Outbreak
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Officials in the Wichita-area took what is likely to be an unsuccessful step toward halting abortions amid the coronavirus outbreak as the Kansas prison system reported its first cases in three workers. Sedgwick County commissioners voted Wednesday to approve a recommendation to restrict abortion clinics to only essential medical procedures during the coronavirus pandemic, a move designed to stop abortions at the Trust Women Wichita Clinic. State officials are expected to shoot down the proposal. The Kansas Supreme Court last year declared access to abortion a "fundamental" right under the state constitution, and Gov. Laura Kelly said Tuesday that women's reproductive centers are considered essential.
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Number of Missouri COVID-19 Cases Jumps by Nearly 300
O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Missouri has jumped by nearly 300, even as calls for a statewide stay-at-home mandate increased. The state health department said Tuesday that 15 people have died and 1,327 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed. That is a 28.7% increase from the 1,031 confirmed cases on Monday. Governor Republican Mike Parson has banned gatherings of more than 10 people but said Tuesday that he's not yet ready to issue a statewide stay-at-home order, as requested by several health care organizations and Democratic politicians. Nearly two dozen other states have required people to stay at home except in exceptional circumstances.
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Woman Struck, Killed While Walking Dog in Northeast Kansas
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a driver has struck and killed a 61-year-old woman as she was walking a dog in suburban Kansas City. Police in Olathe, Kansas, say the crash happened just before noon Tuesday. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Her name has not been released. Police say the dog also was injured and was taken to an animal hospital for treatment. The driver wasn't injured and remained on scene. The crash remains under investigation.
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Ex-Kansas City Councilwoman to Run for Lieutenant Governor in Missouri
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Former Kansas City Council woman Alissia Canady is running as a Democrat for Missouri lieutenant governor and former failed Republican auditor candidate Saundra McDowell is running for governor. Canady filed paperwork Monday. McDowell filed Tuesday. In Missouri, the lieutenant governor runs on a separate ticket from the governor. Tuesday marked the last day candidates could file to run in the upcoming Aug. 4 primary. Elections for Missouri governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer and attorney general are slated for November 3.
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School Food Prep Worker in Topeka Tests Positive for the Coronavirus
TONGANOXIE, Kan. (AP) — An eastern Kansas school district is suspending its grab-and-go sack lunch program for a week after a worker with the district's drive-thu program tested positive for the coronavirus. The Tonganoxie school district said in a statement that it is placing staff members who came in contact with the fellow worker in a 14-day quarantine. The district said it also is following all infection control protocols, including thoroughly sanitizing the meal preparation area before and after meal preparations. District officials say that the person did not come in direct contact with students or families and was only involved with meal preparations.
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Mom and 8-Year-Old Daughter Shot and Killed in Wichita Home
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities investigating the shooting deaths of an 8-year-old girl and her mother in their Wichita home said Tuesday they looking for the woman's boyfriend. Police found the bodies of 24-year-old Mickayla Sorell and her daughter, Natalia Lopez, on Monday while responding to a welfare check. Investigators said they believe the shooting occurred Saturday evening. Police said their investigation has developed information that Sorrell's 25-year-old boyfriend, Daniel Lopez, may have been involved in the shooting.
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Ex-Chief of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Trump Rule Could Kill Billions of Birds
BUTTE, Mont. (AP) — The Trump administration is moving to scale back criminal enforcement of a century-old law protecting most American wild bird species. The former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told AP billions of birds could die if the government doesn't hold companies liable for accidental bird deaths. On the edge of a former open pit copper mine in Montana, sirens and the pop of propane cannons are meant to keep geese, swans and ducks from landing on a lake of toxic water. Montana Resources says it will keep up efforts to scare birds away after thousands landed and later died in 2016.
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U.S. Army Corps: Some Levees Damaged in 2019 Still Vulnerable
O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — With flood concerns already high in the Midwest, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is warning that many levees on the Missouri and Kansas rivers that were damaged during last year's devastating floods remain vulnerable to high water. The National Weather Service has said Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri and eastern North Dakota and South Dakota face an above-average flood risk this spring, due largely to soil saturation to the north. Record flooding in 2019 damaged several levees, many of which have yet to be repaired. The Corps says "challenging weather conditions and higher flows" continue, delaying the ability to fully assess damage.
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Survey Suggests Pandemic Draining Vigor from Midwest Economy
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A survey of supply managers in a nine-state region of the Midwest and Plains is showing more signs of the coronavirus pandemic's disruptive economic impact. A report released today (MON) says the Mid-American Business Conditions index sank in March to 46.7 — its lowest reading since September 2016. The survey's confidence index plunged to a record low of 14.5. The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth. A score below that suggests decline. The survey covers Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
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Seminary President's Resignation Followed 'Ethical Lapse'
SHAWNEE, Kan. (The Kansas City Star) — Officials with the the Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Shawnee say the school's longtime president resigned last month because of an “ethical lapse.” The school issued a statement this week but did not provide further details on the resignation of the Rev. Molly Marshall. She resigned March 1 after being school president since 2004. The seminary's headquarters are in Shawnee and it has nine other locations across the country serving 500 students. The Rev. Pamela Durso, president of the Baptist Women in Ministry, will become the seminary's new president on June 1.
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KU's Azubuike Among Finalists for Wooden Award
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award as the nation's top college basketball player are Udoka Azubuike of Kansas, Luka Garza of Iowa, Markus Howard of Marquette, Myles Powell of Seton Hall and Obi Toppin of Dayton. The 44th annual award will be presented April 7 during ESPN's “SportsCenter” broadcast at 5 p.m. EDT. The scheduled presentation on April 10 at the College Basketball Awards in Los Angeles was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Voting took place from March 16 to March 23 but couldn't include performances during the NCAA Tournament, which was canceled.
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