COVID-19 Caseload in Kansas Passes 260,000; Virus-Related Deaths Approach 3,600
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) reported Wednesday that there have been 263,412 cases of COVID-19, including 3,575 deaths, since the pandemic began. KDHE will release another update on coronavirus case numbers Friday.
- KPR's Coronavirus Information and Resources Guide
- What Kansans Need to Know About the Coronavirus
- Kansas COVID-19 Vaccination Information
- Kansas COVID-19 Vaccination Plan Overview
- NEW: Kansas COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard
==========
Kansas Expects Small Uptick in Vaccine Supply Amid Shortages
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The top health official in Kansas has told lawmakers that the state will likely see a only a small uptick in the immediate supply of the COVID-19 vaccine with the change in presidential administrations. Dr. Lee Norman, head of the state health department, said Tuesday the state will likely get a 1% or 2% increase in its vaccine supply in the short run. Health officials reported Wednesday that about 3.8% of the state’s population has gotten the vaccine to date. Kansas added another 3,590 COVID-19 cases Wednesday, pushing the state's tally to 263,412 since the start of the pandemic. It reported 50 more deaths, bringing the total to 3,575.
==========
Kansas Moves to Phase 2 of COVID-19 Vaccination Plan
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas is moving to its second phase of COVID-19 vaccinations, offering the shots to people over 65 and close-contact essential workers. Governor Laura Kelly issued a press release late today (WED) saying the state has given the shots to nearly 130,000 frontline health care workers and elderly Kansans. Nursing homes were among the first places to get the doses. The Kansas News Service reports the state will now begin delivering vaccinations to the next group. It covers about one million Kansans. But the next weekly supply of the vaccine for the state will include only about 45,000 doses. Kelly said local health departments will decide how to prioritize vaccinations with the limited supply.
==========
Topeka Mayor Diagnosed with COVID-19
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla was diagnosed with COVID-19 last week and will be out of the office while she recovers from her illness. The mayor said in a news release Tuesday that community spread in Topeka is high and her diagnosis proves that no matter how careful you are you can still get this virus. She says she came in contact with the virus through a family member who is an essential worker.
==========
Nurses in Kansas County Refuse to Give COVID-19 Vaccine
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Four nurses at a rural health department in Kansas are refusing to administer any COVID-19 vaccines, citing the fast development and production of the shots. The Kansas City Star reports that none of the Coffey County nurses, including the public health administrator, feel “comfortable” administering a vaccine that has gone through a speedy testing process with new technology. Studies involving tens of thousands of people found that the two vaccines that have been authorized for emergency use in the U.S. are nearly 95% effective at preventing COVID-19 illness. So far the vaccines have been given to more than 10 million people in the U.S.
==========
Kansas Hospitals Report Increased Availability of Hospital Beds
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — Kansas health officials say they're hopeful that hospitalizations will continue to slowly decline in the state. The number of COVID-19 cases in Kansas continues to grow but hospitals have not seen the spike in new cases they had feared after the holidays. Many of the state's largest hospitals now report being at critical capacity, meaning nearly all of their beds are occupied, but that's an improvement from a month ago when hospitals reported no room to accept transferred patients. Many Kansas hospitals also report staffing shortfalls, but even that situation has improved in recent weeks. Hospital administrators say that’s possibly because more healthcare workers have now been vaccinated.
==========
Kansas Lawmakers Moving Quickly on COVID-19 Legislation
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers have been moving quickly on legislation that would extend the state's COVID-19 emergency declaration before it expires on January 26. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the two temporary bills moving in the state Senate and House deal with COVID-19-related provisions and will have an effect on the coronavirus response. Both have had public hearings and passed out of committee in the first week of the session. The bills extend legislation passed last year outlining temporary changes in law in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Those include allowing establishments to offer to-go alcohol, expanding the use of telemedicine and adding flexibility in health care licensing.
==========
Kansas Anti-Abortion Measure Clears First Legislative Hurdle
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A proposed anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution has cleared its first hurdle in the Legislature as abortion opponents move quickly to try to get it on the ballot. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the measure on a voice vote Tuesday. A debate by the full Senate could come later this week. The proposed amendment would overturn a 2019 state Supreme Court ruling that access to abortion is a “fundamental” right under the state constitution. The House has a separate but identical proposal before a committee that could vote on it Thursday. Abortion opponents are moving quickly because they’re worried that the COVID-19 pandemic could cut the Legislature’s session short. Efforts to pass the measure last year ended when the Legislature shortened its session because of the pandemic.
==========
Kansas Closes Buildings Around Statehouse During Inauguration Due to Security Concerns
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — State office buildings near the Statehouse are closed to the public and the Legislature has curtailed its meetings due to security concerns ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration in Washington, D.C. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly’s decision to close office buildings today (WED) comes after she last week restricted access to the Statehouse and increased its security through this week. The top leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature also say their chambers will have no major business during those two days, and many committees postponed meetings to limit the number of people in the Statehouse.
==========
Kansas GOP Senator Roger Marshall Criticizes Trial for President Trump as Divisive
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Republican Senator Roger Marshall opposes an impeachment trial for President Donald Trump after Trump leaves office. He argued Tuesday that a trial would further divide the nation. Marshall said in a statement that he would attend President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration Wednesday. He also said that leaders must ensure “the levers of government are fully operational.” Fellow Kansas Republican Senator Jerry Moran has not made a statement on a Senate trial. The House’s impeachment article charges Trump with “incitement of insurrection” over a deadly January 6 riot in which a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol. Marshall condemned the violence but still opposed certifying Arizona’s and Pennsylvania’s electoral votes for Biden.
==========
Kansas Crop Artist's Unity Work Part of Biden Inauguration
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Lawrence artist known for large, intricate crop art had his work featured in a virtual celebration of Joe Biden's inauguration. Stan Herd was asked by the inauguration team to contribute to a “Parade Across America” video that was shown Wednesday during the inauguration. Herd and a crew charred the phrase “America United” into a former hay field outside Lawrence. They finished Sunday. The large, block text covers about one acre of land belonging to one of Herd’s supporters. The team cut the words with weed trimmers and then used a butane torch to burn the interior part of the letters.
==========
KC Mayor to Chiefs Fans: Celebrate with COVID-19 in Mind
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is a big fan of the Chiefs, but he can't help but worry after watching news coverage of fans celebrating close together following the team's 22-17 NFL playoff game win over Cleveland. Now, with the Chiefs hosting Buffalo in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, Lucas is urging fans to keep COVID-19 preventative measures in mind as they gather to watch. The city will touch base with entertainment districts to make sure crowds next weekend don't leave "a lot of people sick around the Super Bowl." Lucas says the same measures will be in place on February 7 if the Chiefs advance to the Super Bowl.
==========
Lawrence Agrees to Return Sacred Prayer Rock to Kaw Nation
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The Lawrence City Council has unanimously approved a measure to return to a Native American tribe a prayer rock that was transformed into a monument honoring Kansas settlers. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the council voted 5-0 Tuesday to return the rock to the Kaw Nation. Before the Kaw people were forcibly moved from Kansas to what is now Oklahoma in 1873, they held ceremonies and gatherings before the 23-ton boulder known as the “Big Red Rock.” As Lawrence prepared for its 75th anniversary in 1929, the rock was moved to a park in town. Last month, the tribe sent a letter to the city seeking the rock's return.
==========
Kansas City Payday Lender Pleads Guilty to Bankruptcy Fraud
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ The co-owner of a one-time Kansas City payday lending company has pleaded guilty to a bankruptcy fraud count related to his 2015 personal bankruptcy, in which prosecutors say he hid more than $1 million in assets. The Kansas City Star reports that 53-year-old Del Kimball pleaded guilty Tuesday and faces up to five years in prison when he's sentenced on June 2. Federal officials have accused Kimball of concealing assets, bank accounts and income from his bankruptcy disclosures. Those included the sale of a warehouse for nearly $1 million, the sale of three cars for more than $120,000, eight wristwatches worth more than $29,000 and a painting by Rollings Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood.
==========
Kansas Coach Who Survived Lung Transplant Dies of Virus
COFFEYVILLE, Kan. (AP) _ A Kansas football coach who survived and even resumed coaching following a double-lung transplant three years ago has died of COVID-19 complications. The Wichita Eagle reports that 50-year-old Aaron Flores, of Coffeyville, died last week following a battle with the virus. Flores was the student affairs director at Coffeyville Community College. He had also been the head football coach of the school's Red Ravens football team until a progressive lung disease required him to undergo the lung transplant in 2018. He and three other members of his immediate family were diagnosed with the virus in mid-December, and Flores was flown to the Omaha, Nebraska, hospital where he had received the transplant to be treated. He died there Friday.
==========
KBI: Man Found Dead in Arcadia Killed in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says a man whose body was found in Arcadia, Kansas, was killed in Kansas City, Missouri. Crawford County authorities found the body on January 13 at the home of 37-year-old Nicholas Adam Carrillo. Deputies went to the property after receiving a tip that a body was there. Carrillo fled when the body was discovered. He was arrested Friday. The KBI announced Tuesday the victim was reported missing to Kansas City, Missouri, police and investigators believe he was killed there. They have not released the victim's identity.
==========
New Lawsuit Brought Against Corps of Engineers over Missouri River Flooding
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The federal government faces a second lawsuit over flooding along the Missouri River after it was ordered last month to pay some landowners for damages. R. Dan Boulware, of the Polsinelli law firm, filed the new class-action lawsuit on behalf of 60 plaintiffs who experienced damages during flooding in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013 and 2014. The St. Joseph News-Press reports that Boulware successfully argued in the earlier case that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers knowingly flooded some farmland when it made changes to protect endangered species. Boulware currently is waiting for the class-action lawsuit to be certified. If that occurs, there could be additional plaintiffs added to the case. He estimates that the current claim of damages exceeds $50 million.
==========
Woman Who Drowned in Texas in 1966 Identified as Kansan
PECOS, Texas. (AP) — Police in west Texas say a woman who drowned in a pool there in 1966 has been identified as a Salina, Kansas, native. Police in Pecos, Texas, announced Tuesday that the drowning victim was 17-year-old Jolaine Hemmy. She drowned on July 5, 1966, at the Ropers Motel in Pecos, where she was staying with a man. Police said the man, who has not been identified, was in the couple's motel room when Hemmy died. He left with their belongings as emergency responders were trying to revive her. Police reopened the cold case last year and exhumed the body. Pecos police say Hemmy's death remains under investigation.
==========
Audubon Sues over Water Rights at Quivira Wildlife Refuge
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Audubon of Kansas has sued over water rights at a wildlife refuge in central Kansas. The federal lawsuit filed Friday by the environmental group against the U.S. Department of the Interior and various federal and state officials alleges they have failed to protect the senior water rights belonging to the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. The lawsuit contends the 22,135-acre refuge provides sanctuary to a wide variety of waterfowl, shorebirds and other wetland species. Quivira has suffered from a water shortage because of groundwater pumping upstream in the Rattlesnake Creek basin by irrigators, who the Audubon contends have lesser water rights than the refuge.
==========
Anonymous Couple Pledges $3.5 Million to Wichita State
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — An anonymous couple from Kansas has pledged a $3.5 million estate gift to the Wichita State Foundation. The university announced Tuesday that the money will be used to endow a scholarship fund for students who show financial need. Students who have financial need, have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average and hold part-time jobs will be eligible for scholarships that will pay up to half of the cost of their tuition. A preference will be given to students from Kansas. At current tuition rates, the money would provide half-tuition awards for about 35 students annually.
==========
Man Killed in Crash During Police Chase in Bonner Springs
BONNER SPRINGS, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Highway Patrol says one man died and a woman was injured during a police pursuit in Bonner Springs. The chase began early Wednesday after officers responded to a report of a driver speeding in a Bonner Springs neighborhood. Police said the driver reached speeds up to 114 mph in a 45 mph zone before losing control of the vehicle. The car spun and hit a sign and tree before coming to a stop. The driver, 22-year-old Juan Carlos Marquez, of Bonner Springs, died at a hospital. An 18-year-old woman was critically injured. The Kansas Highway Patrol is investigating.
==========
Kansas County Court Clerk Sentenced in Misuse of Funds
LIBERAL, Kan. (AP) — A former southwest Kansas county court clerk was sentenced to a year of probation for keeping traffic court payments for herself. Fifty-seven-year-old Sonia Johnson was sentenced Tuesday for misuse of public funds. She pleaded no contest in August. Johnson was the court clerk in Seward County. The Kansas Attorney General's Office said Johnson kept more than $8,000 in voided traffic court payments. She returned most of the funds but left the court about $3,000 short. Johnson was also ordered to pay $2,962 in restitution and a $2,500 fine. She would serve six months in jail if she violates her probation.
==========
Sporting KC Signs 2 Teens Among 3 Homegrown Players
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Sporting Kansas City has signed homegrown players Grayson Barber, Ozzie Cisneros and Brooks Thompson as the Major League Soccer club continues to get younger by developing players from within its system. The 18-year-old Thompson, along with the 20-year-old Barber and 16-year-old Cisneros, help to form the backbone of a major youth movement by Sporting KC. The average age of their roster is 25 years old.
==========
Kansas State Wildcats Lose to Oklahoma
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - De'Vion Harmon scored 16 points, Elijah Harkless had eight points, 13 rebounds, six assists and three steals and Oklahoma beat Kansas State 76-50, handing the Wildcats their fifth-straight loss. Oklahoma closed the first half on a 15-2 run - with nine points by Harmon - for a 32-24 lead. Harmon and Harkless made 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions as Oklahoma took its first double-digit lead during a 14-4 spurt to open the second half. Alondes Williams added 13 points and Kur Kuath had 12 points and five blocks for Oklahoma. DaJuan Gordon scored 13 points for Kansas State.
==========
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.