UPDATE: Lawmakers Overturn Religious Worship Size Limits in Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Lawmakers have overturned Gov. Laura Kelly’s executive order restricting the size of religious gatherings amid the coronavirus outbreak after the state’s top prosecutor said it likely violates the state constitution. The Legislative Coordinating Council voted 5-2 Wednesday to topple the order that limited in-person religious services and funerals to 10 people. The move came after Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican, said that while the order was “sound public-health advice that Kansans should follow,” he was discouraging law enforcement agencies and prosecutors statewide from attempting to enforce the requirements. With Easter approaching, Kelly, a Democrat, issued the order Tuesday because of three outbreaks that had been connected to religious gatherings.
(–additional information and reporting on this issue–)
Kansas AG Says Religious Restrictions Not Enforceable
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’s top prosecutor says a new executive order from Gov. Laura Kelly restricting the size of religious gatherings amid the coronavirus outbreak likely violates the state constitution. Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican, said in a news release Wednesday that limiting religious services and funerals to 10 people is “sound public-health advice that Kansans should follow” but discouraged law enforcement agencies and prosecutors statewide from attempting to enforce the requirements. With Easter approaching, Kelly, a Democrat, issued the order Tuesday because of three outbreaks that had been connected to religious gatherings.
Kansas Governor's New Order Limits Religious Services, Funerals to 10 People or Less
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has extended her 10-person limit on public gatherings to include church services and funerals. Kelly said new data showing where the coronavirus is spreading in Kansas prompted the order. The governor's order takes effect today (WED). It limits public gatherings for religious services and funerals to no more than 10 people. The governor says she issued the order now to prevent churches from holding Easter services that could trigger new clusters of coronavirus cases.
(AP version)
Kansas Limits Size of Church Services Heading into Easter
MISSION, Kan. (AP) _ Kansas Governor Laura Kelly says religious services and funerals will now be limited to 10 people. Kelly issued the order yesterday (TUE), after state officials identified three coronavirus clusters related to church gatherings. The governor's initial statewide stay-at-home order allowed for religious gatherings as long as social distancing was maintained. Her new order takes effect today (WED), just days before Easter.
- KPR's Coronavirus Information and Resources Guide.
- What Kansans Need to Know About COVID-19 and Coronavirus
Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 in Kansas Hits 900
TOPEKA, Kan. (KDHE/KPR) -- As of Tuesday, there were 900 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Kansas, along with 27 deaths. Cases have been reported in 57 of Kansas's 105 counties. In 223 of the 694 cases identified so far, (32.1%) people have been hospitalized. More information and the latest COVID-19 case count is updated here.
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UPDATE: 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.
(–earlier reporting–)
4 Die from Coronavirus at Kansas Rehabilitation Facility
MISSION, Kan. (AP) - A rehabilitation facility in Kansas City, Kansas, has reported four deaths from the virus. It's one of a few group living facilities in the state dealing with an outbreak of coronavirus. Health officials say the people who died at the Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation Center were among 37 who were sickened there. Four were staff members. The rest were patients. Meanwhile, three staff members and a resident at the Parsons State Hospital and Training Center for people with intellectual disabilities have tested positive. And at the Life Care Center of Burlington, 41 residents and one staff member have tested positive.
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Kansas Looks at Releasing Some Inmates Due to Pandemic
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 yesterday (TUE) 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. The governor 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 Response Varied Among Kansas Farmers Markets
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (The Kansas City Star) — Officials in one Kansas City suburb have postponed their popular farmer’s market amid concerns about the coronavirus, while another in Wichita is set to open Saturday. Like grocery stores, farmers markets have been described in stay-at-home orders as “essential businesses” that can continue to operate. But city officials in Overland Park, Kansas announced the markets’ postponed opening on Tuesday 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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Kansas Postal Employee Sentenced for Stealing Gift Cards
TOPEKA, Kan. (The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle) — A woman who ran a Kansas town's post office was sentenced to probation for stealing gift cards from the mail. Stacy Vasko was sentenced Tuesday to three years of probation for a misdemeanor count of obstructing mail. She was also ordered to pay $200 in restitution. Vasko intially was charged last summer with two counts of mail theft by a postal employee. She was living in Salina 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 office.
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Thousands Furloughed at Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Thousands of Spirit AeroSystems employees in Wichita and other locations are being furloughed for three weeks without pay amid an outbreak of a novel coronavirus that has paralyzed air travel around the globe. Most managers and hourly employees at Spirit will be placed on 21-day unpaid leave starting today (WED). It's unclear exactly how many employees will be affected. The company employs around 18,000. The temporary layoffs apply to Spirit employees associated with the company's Boeing commercial program. It includes Spirit employees in San Antonio and in Tulsa and McAlester locations in Oklahoma.
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Hallmark Plant to start Furloughing Employees
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) - The Hallmark Cards plant in Lawrence will remain shuttered for at least three more weeks. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that many of the plant's furloughed employees - approximately 800 workers - will need to start filing for unemployment. Hallmark officials confirmed that its Lawrence production center would be closed until April 27. The company temporarily closed the greeting card plant on March 23 but now the facility will remain shut down for at least three more weeks. Find more details in today's (WED) edition of the LJW.
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Sunny & Hot Now but Snow Possible Sunday Night, Monday and Tuesday
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - Sunny, windy and hot weather expected across eastern Kansas today (WED), with a high of 86. But the weather will change dramatically over the next few days. It will soon turn colder and by Sunday night, parts of eastern Kansas we may even see snow. Meteorologist Kevin Skow, with the National Weather Service in Topeka, says a series of cold fronts will soon move in. Skow says widesread frost is expected Thursday night and Friday morning. Then, showers and thunderstorms may roll in this weekend (40% to 60% chance). Starting Sunday night and continuing into Monday and Tuesday, showers, storms and even snow are all possible.
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Kansas City Police Investigate Hit-and-Run as Homicide
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Kansas City police say investigators believe a pedestrian killed in a hit-and-run crash was intentionally run down. Police say the crash happened Monday afternoon in the city's Blue Valley Park. That's where officers responded to reports of a crash involving a man who was hit by a vehicle and who died at the scene. Police say the driver of the vehicle left the scene and abandoned the vehicle a short distance away. Police have not released the identities of the victim or the suspected driver.
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Remote Learning Technology Poses Challenges in Kansas, Where Many Still Prefer Paper
BUHLER, Kan. (KNS) - Public schools across Kansas are using online lessons to teach students remotely. But they're also relying on an older technology: paper. Schools are mailing learning packets or letting students pick them up. It’s mainly to help students who don't have internet access. But Cindy Couchman, with the Buhler Unified School District in central Kansas, says parents also like paper because it limits screen time and distractions common with online learning. In the Wichita Public Schools district, more than 8,000 parents have signed up for mailed paper packets.
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Kansas City Public Schools Suspend Meal Distribution Program After Worker Tests Positive for COVID-19
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Officials with Kansas City Public Schools have suspended the district's free meal distribution program for students. The action was taken after a food service worker helping with the program tested positive for COVID-19. Officials have given no timeline for when the free meal program might resume. Officials suggested families go to the Harvesters Community Food Network website to locate food pantries and mobile distribution sites. Most school districts in the area launched grab-and-go food pickup programs when the coronavirus pandemic closed schools. The idea was to help ensure children in at-risk homes were getting enough to eat. But several programs have been interrupted as the spread of the virus has grown, including those at Tonganoxie, Kansas, and Raytown.
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Missouri Lawmakers Return to Capitol to Pass Virus Spending Bill
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers have returned to the state Capitol to work on an emergency coronavirus funding bill. Lawmaker approval is needed for Republican Governor Mike Parson to spend what could amount to billions of dollars in federal funding for medical supplies, local governments, nursing homes and other aid. Exactly how much federal money the state will get is unclear. Parson’s administration asked for the authority to spend roughly $4.8 billion in federal dollars in response to the pandemic, but at least $1.8 billion of that hasn’t been promised by Congress. Lawmakers are taking social distancing precautions as they conduct business.
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Flood Risk Remains a Concern Along Eastern Missouri River
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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Entercom Radio Station in Kansas City Sued for Discrimination
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A former on-air personality is suing the parent company of Kansas City radio station KRBZ-FM for sex discriminiation and for retaliating when she complained. Afrentra Bandokoudis, former co-host of “Afrentra's BIg Fat Morning Buzz,” claims in the lawsuit against Entercom that she was paid less than male on-air personalities such as Johnny Dare and Lazlo even though her show outperformed theirs. Bandokoudis worked at the station, commonly called The Buzz, from 2002 until she was fired August 2018, except for two years at a Seattle radio station. Entercom did not return a message seeking comment.
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KPR's 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.