Ransomware Attack Affects Emergency Room at St. Francis Hospital in Topeka
TOPEKA, Kan. (Topeka Capital-Journal) — The emergency room at Topeka's University of Kansas Health System-St. Francis has been affected by a recent ransomware attack upon one of its owners, Ardent Health Services. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that St. Francis was among an unspecified number of hospitals where emergency rooms were placed on "divert status" Friday as a precaution. When a hospital invokes divert status, it directs incoming ambulances to other facilities, in this case, Topeka's other major hospital, Stormont-Vail. Ardent, which owns St. Francis in partnership with the University of Kansas Health System, has suspended all user access to its information technology applications. (Read more.)
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Ransomware Attack Prompts Multistate Hospital Chain to Divert Some Emergency Room Patients Elsewhere
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A ransomware attack has prompted a health care chain that operates 30 hospitals in six states to divert patients from some of its emergency rooms to other hospitals while postponing certain elective procedures.
Ardent Health Services said it took its network offline after the Nov. 23 cyberattack, adding in a statement that it suspended user access to information technology applications such as software used to document patient care.
By Tuesday afternoon, more than half of Ardent's 25 emergency rooms had resumed accepting some patients by ambulance or by fully lifting their “divert" status, Ardent spokesperson Will Roberts said. Divert status means hospitals have asked ambulances to take people needing emergency care to other nearby facilities. Roberts said hospitals nationwide have at times used divert status during flu season, COVID-19 surges, natural disasters and large trauma events.
The company said it could not yet confirm the extent of any compromised patient health or financial information. It reported the issue to law enforcement and retained third-party forensic and threat intelligence advisers, while working with cybersecurity specialists to restore IT functions as quickly as possible. There was no immediate timeline for resolving the problems.
Based in the Nashville, Tennessee, suburb of Brentwood, Ardent owns and operates 30 hospitals and more than 200 care sites with upwards of 1,400 aligned providers in Oklahoma, Texas, New Jersey, New Mexico, Idaho and Kansas.
Ardent said each hospital is still providing medical screenings and stabilizing care to patients arriving at emergency rooms.
In Amarillo, Texas, William Spell said he and his mother have had flu-like symptoms for days but couldn't make a doctor's appointment through an online patient portal because of the cyberattack.
“We are trying to figure out other options as to what to do next,” said Spell, 34.
BSA Health System – the Ardent umbrella provider for Spell’s clinic and other facilities in the city – said it was working to restore its patient portal and system for video doctors’ visits. Spell said his doctor’s office could not tell him how long the outage might last and recommended trying an urgent care clinic.
“That’s just something we cannot do because urgent cares charge a lot of money just to walk through the door and be seen by a doctor,” Spell said. “There’s no way we can afford that.”
Ardent says it is still seeing patients in its clinics and is contacting them if rescheduling is necessary.
Several hospitals in Albuquerque, New Mexico, within Ardent's Lovelace Health System have continued to divert some patients needing emergency care to other hospitals, Lovelace spokesperson Whitney Marquez said. They also rescheduled elective and other non-urgent surgeries.
In Topeka, Kansas, a hospital spokesperson confirmed the attack put the University of Kansas Health System-St. Francis on divert status. Meanwhile, the city’s other hospital, Stormont Vail, said it increased weekend staffing after patient volume began growing Friday.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Ransomware criminals do not usually admit to an attack unless the victim refuses to pay.
“The attack against Ardent Health is both egregious and quickly becoming the norm,” said analyst Allan Liska at the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.
While some groups won’t attack hospitals, “they are greatly outnumbered by those who will and with the number of ransomware groups growing every day, the percentage who won’t attack hospitals is constantly decreasing,” Liska said.
Even when health care providers don't pay, ransomware groups can sell patient data, Liska added.
The attacks also take a toll on hospitals around those that were targeted, said Dr. Christian Dameff, co-director of the Center for Healthcare Cybersecurity at the University of California, San Diego.
He described being in a “cyber blast radius” two years ago while working as an emergency room physician at a hospital near one that was attacked. He said patients waited longer for care and for beds if they needed to be admitted.
What is particularly problematic is when a targeted hospital provides specialized care, including for trauma and stroke patients. If they are lucky, another suitable hospital is nearby. “But in certain areas, especially rural and critical access areas, you can have a prolonged transport time because of diversions,” said Dameff, who described the issue in a paper earlier this year in JAMA.
A recent global study by the cybersecurity firm Sophos found nearly two-thirds of health care organizations were hit by ransomware attacks in the year ending in March, double the rate from two years earlier but dipping slightly from 2022.
Increasingly, ransomware gangs steal data before activating data-scrambling malware that paralyzes networks. The threat of making stolen data public is used to extort payments. That data can also be sold online. Sophos found data theft occurred in one in three ransomware attacks on health care organizations.
Analyst Brett Callow at the cybersecurity firm Emsisoft said 25 U.S. health care systems with 290 hospitals were hit last year while this year the number is 36 with 128 hospitals. Not all hospitals within the systems may have been impacted, and not all equally, he said.
"The fact that nobody appears to have yet died is partly due to luck,” Callow added.
Most ransomware syndicates are run by Russian speakers based in former Soviet states, beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement, though some “affiliates” who do the grunt work of infecting targets and negotiating ransoms live in the West.
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Kansas Courts Hope to Restore Online Systems by End of Year
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – The Kansas judicial branch plans to restore most online court systems by the end of the year following a foreign cyberattack. The Kansas News Service reports that officials disconnected online Kansas court services more than six weeks ago after what they say was a sophisticated foreign cyberattack. That attack disrupted court operations in nearly every Kansas county. Officials now have a plan for bringing the systems back online but say it’ll take several weeks. Kansas Supreme Court justices say hackers stole court data and potentially confidential case records, threatening to post it to the dark web. They say they’re consulting with cybersecurity experts and will notify impacted Kansans.
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Kansas Unveiled a New Blue and Gold License Plate. People Hated It and Now It's Back to the Drawing Board
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has had enough problems with some outsiders seeing it as flyover country, so perhaps it didn't need a new license plate that many people saw as ugly and drab.
Democratic Governor Laura Kelly announced Tuesday that in response to criticism of a new navy blue and deep gold plate, she had slammed the brakes on its production — only six days after her office unveiled the design. Facing a threat that the Republican-controlled Legislature would intervene, she promised an eventual public vote on several possible designs.
The now-disfavored design, mostly gold with a navy strip across the top, navy numbers and no art. It was a sharp break with the current plate, which is pale blue with navy letters and numbers and features an embossed representation of the state seal, mostly in white. Those plates have deteriorated over the years, and many are difficult for law enforcement to read, according to the state Department of Revenue, which issues them.
Starting in March, motorists would have been required to buy a new plate for 50 cents when they renewed a vehicle's annual registration. To avoid using the new plate, they would have had to opt for a specialized one and pay an additional $45.
Kelly initially praised the new design as promoting the state's optimism. The bottom featured the first half of the state motto, “To the stars,” in navy blue script.
The second half of the motto is, “through difficulties,” perhaps an apt description of the opposition she would immediately face after introducing the plate, despite her administration's professed good intentions.
Kris Kobach, the state's Republican attorney general, tweeted that the design closely resembled a New York plate known as “Empire Gold." A driver quoted by Fox4 television in Kansas City was reminded of the black and gold colors of the University of Missouri, once the arch-nemesis of the University of Kansas in a tame version of the states' border fighting before and during the Civil War.
With legislators set to reconvene in January, Republicans were prepared to mandate a pause and public comment. Lawmakers earlier this year authorized spending up to $9.8 million on producing new plates, and tapping leftover federal coronavirus pandemic relief dollars to cover much of the cost.
Even a Democratic legislator responded to the new design by tweeting, “Absolutely not.” The Kansas Reflector's opinion editor deemed it “ugly as sin” in a column under a headline calling it “slapdash and dull."
And dull isn't good for a state long associated in the popular mind with the drab-looking, black and white parts of the classic movie, “The Wizard of Oz,” its sometimes spectacular prairie vistas notwithstanding.
“I’ve heard you loud and clear," Kelly said in a statement issued Tuesday by her office. “Elected officials should be responsive to their constituents.”
(Read more on this story from the Kansas News Service.)
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Salina Police: Teen Girl Suspected of Trying to Kill Parents
SALINA, Kan. (KSNW) — Police in Salina say a bedroom surveillance camera recorded a 13-year-old girl attempting to kill her sleeping parents early Saturday. KSNW TV reports that police were called to the home just before 2:30 am. The parents told police they were asleep when their daughter entered their bedroom with a pillow and a large butcher knife. Police say the daughter allegedly put the pillow over the father’s head, trying to smother him. However, he woke up, so the girl hid in a closet and the father fell back to sleep. Police allege that the daughter then tried to smother the father again but this time, he woke up, realized what was happening and checked the surveillance footage. Investigators say the camera showed what happened and the girl allegedly admitted that she went into the room intending to kill her parents. She was arrested her on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder and is being held in the juvenile detention facility in Junction City.
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Kansas Teen Dies by Suicide in Foster Home
UNDATED (KC Beacon) – A 15-year-old foster child died of suicide in Kansas last month. The Kansas City Beacon reports that the child’s death comes as mental health treatment for foster kids lags behind court-mandated goals. The child died in a foster home. The foster parents called for help once they found the teenager's body, but paramedics couldn’t save him. That child was at a KVC Kansas foster home, but every agency in the state struggles to get kids into appropriate treatment. A lawsuit settlement found that 70% of foster kids statewide had their mental and behavioral health needs met. That’s below the 85% requirement. KVC couldn’t comment on the individual case but says KVC Health Systems provided treatment to over 4,000 children in 2022.
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Kansas Medicaid Provider Agrees to Cover Doula Services
UNDATED (KNS) — The number of severe complications occurring during labor and delivery has increased for Kansas moms. Now, one of the state’s Medicaid contractors is covering doula services as a way to help. Jancie Ingram is a doula in Blue Springs, Missouri. She says a doula can be very helpful for women who are having problems with labor and delivery. Generally, doulas are present before and after a person gives birth. “So, you're kind of like a counselor," she said. "You're a therapist, sometimes you may need to be their mother if they're young.” The Medicaid provider United Healthcare has agreed to cover doula services in Kansas. (Read more.)
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Overland Park Police Chase Ends in Injury Crash
0VERLAND PARK, Mo. (KC Star) — A police chase in Overland Park ended with a crash that injured three people. Officers were dispatched around 4:30 Monday afternoon to a report of shoplifting at a store near Antioch Road at 160th Street. The Kansas City Star reports that police chased a vehicle with three female suspects inside. The pursuit ended at the intersection of Blue Valley Parkway and 119th Street when the suspect’s vehicle ran a red light and struck another vehicle. Two of the women in the suspect vehicle were taken to the hospital in serious condition. The driver of the other car was also taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The third shoplifting suspect was taken into custody.
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KHP Releases Thanksgiving Holiday Activity Report
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — The Kansas Highway Patrol assisted more than 1,000 motorists, issued hundreds of citations and responded to one fatal crash during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The patrol has released its Thanksgiving Weekend Holiday Activity Report that covers activity between last Wednesday evening through midnight Sunday. KSNT reports that state troopers assisted 1,117 motorists during that time. The patrol reported fewer DUI arrests and fatalities than last year.
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KU Med Participates in Creation of National Health Database
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KNS) — The University of Kansas Medical Center is joining three other Midwestern medical schools in a national research program called "All of Us." The goal is to create a database to better understand risk factors associated with various health issues. "All of Us" is an initiative by the National Institutes of Health. The program aims to collect long-term health data from more than 1 million Americans to create a giant database for clinicians and scholars. Dr. Matthias Salathe is head of research at the KU Med Center. He says the massive database will store anonymous data that includes bio samples, like blood and saliva. Researchers can study the data to identify risk factors for diseases. “The ultimate goal would be that we understand early on whether people have risks for diseases that then can be prevented," he said. Dr. Salathe says the database will hold information on people who are generally left out of medical research, like minority groups or people living in rural areas.
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Lansing Prison Inmate Dies over the Weekend
LANSING, Kan. (KPR) — An inmate has died at the Lansing Correctional Facility (LCF). The Kansas Department of Corrections says 29-year-old Darionce Terrell Charles-Lott died Saturday night. He was found unresponsive in his cell with no pulse. The cause of death is pending further investigation and the results of an independent autopsy. Charles-Lott was serving more than 10 years in prison for an aggravated battery conviction in Wyandotte County.
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Kansas Launches Program to Support Prisoners After Release
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — A Kansas initiative is working to fill vacant jobs in the state while also helping people released from prison find employment. About 360 people have participated in the program and more than 70% have secured a job. The joint program from the Kansas commerce and corrections departments provides support like occupational training and transportation to work. The program also follows up with participants for a year after they find a job to help them keep on track. Assistant Secretary of Commerce Mike Beene says the program’s goal is to reduce repeat offenders. But he says it also helps fill jobs amid low unemployment rates in Kansas. “The primary goal of it is to help our employers across the state find talent, keep folks here and grow our economy," he said. The state aims to provide support for 120 former inmates annually.
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Chiefs Receiver Ross Reaches Diversion Agreement in Domestic Violence Incident
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) — Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross and Johnson County prosecutors have reached a diversion agreement in a criminal case from last month. KSHB TV reports that a judge approved the agreement which covers two charges, felony criminal damage and misdemeanor domestic battery. On October 23, Ross was involved in an altercation with his girlfriend at an apartment in Shawnee. Ross was arrested and booked into jail. He was quickly released on bond. The criminal case has sidelined Ross since nearly the beginning of the case. He remains on the NFL Commissioner’s Exempt List which prevents him from participating in practice or attending team games. It’s not clear how the diversion agreement will affect his status in the league.
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Mystery Dog Illness Reported in Colorado
UNDATED (KNS) – An unknown respiratory illness is spreading among dogs in the U.S., including reported cases in Colorado. Susan Nelson, a professor at the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, says although no cases have been reported in Kansas, dog owners should be on the lookout, especially if their dog is having trouble breathing or develops a cough.
“Things that should make an owner be a little more alarmed is if they’re so lethargic they’re not wanting to eat. Maybe the respiratory rate is going up more than what it normally is, especially when they’re resting,” Nelson advised.
Nelson says the illness can develop into pneumonia, which could be deadly. She says veterinarians are still working to learn more, but the illness cannot be spread to humans or other species of animals.
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Kansas Duck Hunter Rescued from Freezing Conditions
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) — Kansas wildlife officials rescued a duck hunter over the holiday weekend after the hunter went into hypothermic shock. Game wardens with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks say that on Sunday evening, emergency crews were called to the Marais des Cygnes Wildlife Area following a 911 call. When first responders arrived, they were told a duck hunter had been suffering from hypothermia and had gone into shock. WIBW TV reports that game wardens were able to get the freezing duck hunter out of the cold and into a local hospital for treatment. Officials have not released the hunter’s name or any further information about the incident.
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Many States Allow Schools to Operate with Little Oversight
UNDATED (AP) — Students left America's public schools in staggering numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many families switched to homeschooling. Some turned to private schools, and others who fell off the radar during pandemic school closures never enrolled anywhere else at all. The Associated Press has published a story exploring a category of off-the-grid schooling that has gained popularity in Louisiana: Schools that are allowed to operate without state approval as long as they don't accept public funding. There are laws in many other states that allow anyone to educate children from multiple families with similarly lax oversight. The arrangements raise questions about what kind of education kids are getting — and whether they're getting one at all.
There are at least 17 states where families are allowed to open a private school or a satellite of a private school as a form of homeschooling, according to the Home School Legal Defense Association. Typically, these schools are allowed under laws governing private schools or religious schools. The level of oversight and regulation varies widely. The states on the HSLDA's list include Kansas and Nebraska.
In Louisiana, at least, the unapproved schools represent one of two options the state offers for homeschooling. Parents who want their child to receive a state-recognized high school diploma can apply for the official home study program. They must submit documentation such as test scores or copies of the student's work to show their child has received 180 days of schooling at the same quality as a public school's. Alternately, families can set up their own private school without asking for state approval. There are no requirements to prove a child is getting an education.
The unapproved school featured in the story by the AP and The Advocate, a partner news outlet in Louisiana, has been using the system to grant diplomas for a fee, with no classes required. There have been abuse scandals at others, too.
There are bad actors also in public schools, but for unapproved schools in Louisiana, there is no agency with responsibility for overseeing such schools and keeping them accountable.
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QB Will Howard, Who Led K-State to Big 12 Title Last Season, Among Those Entering Transfer Portal
UNDATED (AP) – Kansas State quarterback Will Howard, who led the Wildcats to the Big 12 title last season and another bowl game this season, joined Wildcats running back Treshaun Ward among a rush of players into college football's transfer portal Monday.
Most teams wrapped up regular seasons this past weekend, leading some to declare their intent to transfer. Howard and Ward are among those who are graduate transfers, meaning they could enter the portal and become immediately eligible, while players who have yet to graduate must wait until Dec. 4 to make their announcements official.
Howard emerged as the Wildcats' starter last year after injuries to Adrian Martinez, and he led them to an upset of eventual national runner-up TCU in the Big 12 title game. Howard was the clearcut starter entering this season, though he was pushed at times by freshman Avery Johnson, and threw for 2,643 yards with 24 touchdown passes and eight interceptions.
Howard, who will have one year of eligibility left, had tears in his eyes as he walked off the field after his final game at Kansas State on Saturday. He accounted for two touchdowns in a 42-35 loss to Iowa State in a game played in heavy snow.
In a social media post, Howard thanked Kansas State coach Chris Klieman, his teammates and the Wildcats' fanbase before concluding: "I'm looking forward to this next chapter in my life and in the possibilities that lie ahead."
His departure means that Johnson, one of the nation's best dual-threat quarterbacks coming out of high school, will likely start for the Wildcats (8-4, 6-3 Big 12) in their bowl game. Johnson threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns but may be even more dangerous on the ground — he took over for Howard against Texas Tech and ran for five TDs in a 38-21 victory.
Ward, who arrived at Kansas State from Florida State, is transferring again after ceding playing time to D.J. Giddens throughout the season. He ran for 643 yards and five touchdowns while adding two touchdown receptions.
Another veteran QB hitting the portal Monday was Mississippi State's Will Rogers, who threw for 12,315 yards in four seasons with the Bulldogs; three of those seasons came while he was running the late coach Mike Leach's Air Raid offense.
Rogers posted on social media before a season-ending loss to Ole Miss in the Battle for the Golden Egg that he would transfer.
Notre Dame wide receiver and running back Chris Tyree, along with offensive lineman Zeke Correll, also entered the portal. Each of them have played at least 40 games for the Fighting Irish.
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Purdue Back at No. 1 in AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll; KU Drops to No. 5
UNDATED (AP) – Purdue is back at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll after its run to the Maui Invitational title. The Boilermakers beat three teams ranked among the top 11. They replace preseason No. 1 Kansas, which dropped to fifth after losing to Marquette in Maui. Arizona climbed to second, Marquette is third and UConn is fourth. Villanova, BYU and Colorado State jumped into the top 20 while Colorado, Arkansas and USC were among those that dropped out of the poll.
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Defending Champ UConn Ready for Allen Fieldhouse and Showdown with KU
UNDATED (AP) — Defending national champion UConn is preparing to visit Allen Fieldhouse for a top-five showdown with Kansas. The fourth-ranked Huskies have looked good during an unbeaten start, including wins over Indiana and No. 16 Texas to win the Saatva Empire Classic. The fifth-ranked Jayhawks, who fell from No. 1 after a loss to fourth-ranked Marquette at the Maui Invitational, bounced back to beat No. 10 Tennessee in the third-place game of the holiday tournament.
Purdue is back on top of the AP Top 25 this week, but the team it replaced will still be in the spotlight this week. Kansas, the preseason No. 1, will return from the loaded Maui Invitational and attempt to pick up another marquee win when the fifth-ranked Jayhawks play defending national champion and fourth-ranked UConn on Friday night in Allen Fieldhouse.
Rarely do top programs play each other on college campuses these days, opting instead for easy matchups against the likes of Eastern Illinois, which the Jayhawks played Tuesday night. The big-time showdowns have been increasingly pushed onto neutral floors in lucrative made-for-TV tournaments and events, such as the Maui Invitational, where the Jayhawks lost to fourth-ranked Marquette in the semifinals before rebounding to beat No. 10 Tennessee in the third-place game.
"Whenever you play a tournament, exempt tournament, everybody wants to go into it thinking 3-0. In this field, I guarantee you all the coaches were thinking 2-1's a good trip," said Kansas coach Bill Self, whose team also was tested on an a neutral floor when it beat No. 12 Kentucky in Chicago. "I don't think there's anybody's walking away saying 2-1 was not a success."
The revamped Huskies have been tested this season, too, picking up wins over Indiana and No. 16 Texas to win the Saatva Empire Classic in New York earlier this month. But the real tough stretch for coach Dan Hurley's team is just beginning.
UConn plays the Jayhawks on Friday night, then returns to Madison Square Garden on Dec. 5 to play No. 17 North Carolina in the Jimmy V Classic. After a breather against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the Huskies play No. 11 Gonzaga on Dec. 15 in the Continental Tire Tipoff, then begin a brutal race in the Big East — the league had four teams in the Top 25 this week.
ACC-SEC CHALLENGE
The marquee matchup in the showdown between the ACC and SEC was Tuesday night, when eighth-ranked Miami travels to No. 12 Kentucky, while No. 23 Alabama played Clemson. The event continues on Wednesday, when No. 11 Tennessee visits No. 17 North Carolina, No. 14 Texas A&M visits Virginia and seventh-ranked Duke heads to Arkansas, which dropped out of the Top 25 this week.
BIG EAST-BIG 12 BATTLE
Kansas and UConn take center stage in the event pitting arguably the premier leagues in college basketball this season. But the same night they play at the Phog, Big 12 newcomer and sixth-ranked Houston travels to Xavier for an intriguing matchup. No. 15 Creighton, which fell from the top 10 after its loss to Colorado State last week, visits Oklahoma State on Thursday night.
CONFERENCE PLAY
As leagues get bigger, conference play is beginning sooner. Top-ranked Purdue, fresh off three wins over top-11 teams in Maui, opens Big Ten play on Friday night at Northwestern, while No. 24 Illinois heads to Rutgers on Saturday. The ACC also gets going with Florida State visiting the Tar Heels and No. 7 Duke at Georgia Tech on Saturday.
MORE LAS VEGAS LIGHTS
What has fast become one of the most popular destinations for neutral-floor events has another one next weekend when No. 20 Colorado State plays Washington and No. 11 Gonzaga takes on USC in the Las Vegas Invitational. The Rams are coming off their first win over a top-10 team since 1984 when they beat Creighton for the Hall of Fame Classic title last week.
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Former Benedictine College QB Gets Head Coaching Job with Carolina Panthers
UNDATED (KPR) – Former Benedictine College quarterback Chris Tabor is now a head coach in the NFL. Chris Tabor led the Benedictine Ravens to the NAIA national semifinals in 1992. Afterwards, he began a winding road as a football coach. This week, Tabor was named the Carolina Panthers interim coach, where he’ll take over from Frank Reich, who was fired. The Panthers have lost ten out of their 11 games this season. Tabor was in his second year with the Panthers as a special teams coach before this week’s promotion. He went to Benton High School in St. Joseph, Missouri, before he and his three brothers played football at Benedictine College in Atchison.
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KU to Host 1st and 2nd Rounds of NCAA Volleyball Tournament
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) – The University of Kansas will be hosting the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena later this week. Yale will play fifth seed Penn State, and fourth-seeded KU will play Omaha on Thursday, November 30. The winners of these matches play each other on Friday, December 1. Tickets are available via ncaatickets.com.
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