By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-07-21/what-it-took-for-this-coronavirus-patients-80-000-air-ambulance-charge-to-go-away">Kansas News Service</a>

OSWEGO, Kansas — A vicious bout of coronavirus hospitalized Anil Gharmalkar in April.

The
 41-year-old got severely ill, quickly. His besieged lungs fought for 
enough oxygen to survive. His local hospital in rural southeast Kansas 
put him on a ventilator and rushed him by helicopter to the University 
of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, where he eventually pulled 
through. (You can hear him talk about his battle with the illness <a href="https://www.kcur.org/season-3/2020-07-20/s3-episode-3-anil-gharmalkar-jalon-evans-gharmalkar-and-tamarah-chancellor" target="_blank">here</a>.)

The
 helicopter company charged $80,000, and at first, Gharmalkar’s 
insurance wouldn’t pay. The difficulties he ran into resolving the 
matter hold lessons for anyone with COVID-19 medical bills.

A 
patchwork of laws and company policies mean you may well be shielded 
from any bills — but you might have to dig to figure out whether that 
applies to you and then push to assert your rights.

This 
story is part of our series, Bills of Health. Do you have a medical bill
 from Kansas that you want to share with a reporter? Email 
celia@kcur.org.

Gharmalkar and his wife, Jalon Evans-Gharmalkar, fretted for 
weeks about whether and how much they’d have to pay Air Methods for that
 chopper flight on their own if Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas didn’t 
pay up. He sought referrals for a lawyer and contacted a reporter.

“We didn't know — for lack of a better term — how ‘generous’ (Air Methods) were going to be if they thought we had assets.”

The
 family runs a small business with several semi-trucks, like the one 
that Gharmalkar was driving to deliver refrigerated meat across the 
Midwest and South when he came down with COVID-19.

The fear that 
they might need to shell out tens of thousands of dollars came when he 
was still struggling with after effects of the illness that lingered for
 months and landed him in the hospital three more times.

But that 
extra source of stress would have dissolved had either Air Methods or 
Blue Cross explained that the Gharmalkars couldn’t possibly be on the 
hook for the money.

That’s not the message they got as they made 
repeated calls trying to fix the situation. When they asked Air Methods 
what to expect, they didn’t get a clear answer. When they pleaded with 
Blue Cross, the insurer rejected their claim a second time.

“No one could say what’s going to happen and what you’re actually going to owe,” he said.

Ultimately, the Gharmalkars did not have to pay a dime toward the $80,000 charge.

A Blue Cross spokeswoman said the insurance company should have picked up the bill from the start.

“Once
 we looked into it further, did some more investigation, we did 
determine it was an emergency,” she said. “We also determined that it 
was COVID related.”

Here is how the Gharmalkar’s claim got 
resolved — after queries from the Kansas News Service — and some 
takeaway tips for anyone dealing with COVID-19 bills. And if you don’t 
find what you need here, also try our <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-05-26/expert-tip-sheet-for-pushing-back-against-your-medical-bills" target="_blank">Expert Tip Sheet For Pushing Back Against Your Medical Bills</a>.

A quick refresher on surprise bills

Air Methods is not 
in the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas network. That’s where things 
often get tricky for patients — for COVID-19 or anything else.

When
 you get health care from outside your insurance network, prices can be 
several times higher than normal. The doctor or hospital or ambulance 
company bills your insurer. The insurance company may find the price 
unreasonable and just pay part of it. Then you get billed for the rest.

That is commonly called a “<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/usc-brookings-schaeffer-on-health-policy/2019/08/01/what-is-surprise-billing/" target="_blank">surprise bill</a>,”
 and it’s separate from any charges for copay, coinsurance or 
deductibles. It’s usually legal, except in some parts of the country 
(not Kansas) that have started curbing the practice with state laws.

The
 Gharmalkars were grateful for the helicopter that whisked Anil to a 
major hospital in just under an hour. It may have saved his life. And 
they wanted Air Methods to get paid a fair price. But they also feared 
they’d soon face a hefty surprise bill if Blue Cross paid little or 
nothing.

Federal law may protect you against bills for COVID-19 treatment

Because of the pandemic, Congress gave the health care industry <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/cares-act-provider-relief-fund/index.html" target="_blank">emergency relief funds</a>. But it came with <a href="https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2020/05/01/the-provider-relief-fund-how-well-does-it-protect-patients-from-surprise-medical-bills-for-covid-19-related-services/" target="_blank">strings attached</a>. Companies that took the money — including Air Methods — can’t stick COVID-19 patients with surprise bills.

So
 ask your biller if they got a slice of the stimulus pie. If so, then 
you shouldn’t get a surprise bill. If you do, demand that they cancel 
it.

The federal government also has an <a href="https://data.cdc.gov/Administrative/HHS-Provider-Relief-Fund/kh8y-3es6/data" target="_blank">online list</a>
 of the recipients where you can check for specific doctors, hospitals, 
and more. But the complexity of business ownership and subsidiaries in 
health care means you might miss what you’re looking for.

Some companies have also made public promises not to bill COVID-19 patients.

Air
 Methods says it committed not to bill coronavirus patients even before 
it got federal relief money. Under no circumstances, its executive vice 
president for reimbursement said in an emailed statement, would Air 
Methods have billed the Gharmalkars for anything that Blue Cross didn’t 
pay.

The Gharmalkars would have loved to know that. But say they 
only got ambiguous assurances that the company hoped to get paid by Blue
 Cross, and not them.

And it’s hard to tell from the Air Methods 
website that a hard rule against surprise billing exists. Air Methods 
pointed the Kansas News Service to a sentence toward the bottom of <a href="https://www.airmethods.com/newsroom/blog/air-methods-blog/2020/04/09/during-covid-19-crisis-air-medical-services-are-crucial-component-to-timely-patient-care" target="_blank">a blog post</a> that says: “We will work closely with our patients to ensure their emergency air medical service is covered.”

The company’s webpage on COVID-19 billing doesn’t clarify that the company is legally barred from surprise billing patients.

How to tell if your health insurance should cover your COVID-19 treatment.

Likewise, your insurer may also have made commitments that protect you against COVID-19 bills.

Blue
 Cross announced in early April that it would cover COVID-19 treatment 
without any cost-sharing for patients with qualifying health plans. That
 didn’t stop the insurer from twice rejecting Air Method’s claim for 
transporting Gharmalkar.

Ask your insurer if it has a policy on 
COVID-19 services, and where you can read it. You may need to read up 
and then remind them what their own rules say. Pay attention to details 
including which types of health plans qualify for what, and for how 
long.

For example, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas plans qualify 
for full coverage of COVID-19 treatment without cost-sharing if they are
 what’s called “fully insured.” If you have a “self-funded” plan — often
 a large employer plan — the terms will vary by employer. Don’t know <a href="https://www.peoplekeep.com/blog/fully-insured-vs-self-insured-self-funded-health-plans" target="_blank">which category</a> you fall into? Call Blue Cross to check.

The following <a href="https://blog.bcbsks.com/2020/04/20/member-faqs/" target="_blank">is covered</a> for fully insured Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas plans:

You
 should also ask your insurer what “no cost-sharing” means in this 
context. A spokeswoman for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas said it 
means no copays, deductibles or surprise bills.

So how did Gharmalkar’s $80k charge get resolved?

Insurance
 statements started piling up soon after Gharmalkar’s hospitalization, 
alerting him to hundreds of thousands of dollars in charges for the 
life-saving care that got him through COVID-19.

To his relief, 
Blue Cross swiftly approved most of the claims. A few, he says, took a 
bit of work to clear up coding errors. The situation over his helicopter
 ride was the most difficult.

After Blue Cross rejected the bill 
the first time, Air Methods tried contacting the insurer on his behalf 
again to show the helicopter ride had been a medical emergency. But Blue
 Cross sent him another statement showing it wouldn’t pay anything 
toward the $80,000 bill.

Gharmalkar signed a federal medical privacy, or <a href="https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/formsandpubs/laws/hipaa/Pages/1.00WhatisHIPAA.aspx" target="_blank">HIPAA</a>,
 release form allowing the Kansas News Service to make inquiries on his 
behalf. He says his insurer swiftly circled back to him and said it was 
working on the claim.

Air Methods says it kept pushing, too, 
seeking to negotiate directly with Blue Cross. Ultimately the two 
parties agreed on a price: $23,339.

His win might help 
other people in Kansas. Air Methods says it approached Blue Cross Blue 
Shield of Kansas repeatedly in recent years to no avail, trying to 
strike a broader deal that would bring the helicopter company into the 
insurer’s network.

Blue Cross disputes that characterization. 
Regardless, both sides — one of the nation’s biggest medical helicopter 
providers and Kansas’ largest commercial health insurer — now say 
negotiations on a network deal are in the works.

Air Methods, 
which flew around 350 medical flights in Kansas last year, says talks 
only began in earnest in the middle of Gharmalkar’s case.

Bonus tip: There’s a state insurance department. And it can help you.

If
 you think you’re being asked to pay for coronavirus-related treatment 
in error, and you’ve tried to resolve the matter with your insurer, call
 your state insurance department.

“This is exactly the type of 
thing that they’re there for,” said Maanasa Kona, a professor at the 
Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University. “If an 
insurance company is giving you the runaround, you should be able to 
reach out to the department of insurance and ask them to step in to see 
what’s going on.”

In Kansas, you can call the department’s consumer hotline (800-432-2484), send <a href="mailto:kid.webcomplaints@ks.gov" target="_blank">an email</a> or fill out this <a href="https://sbs.naic.org/solar-web/pages/public/onlineComplaintForm/onlineComplaintForm.jsf?state=KS&amp;dswid=-8725" target="_blank">online complaint form</a>.

Last
 week, the department issued a consumer alert reminding people that 
insurers must cover COVID-19 testing without patient cost-sharing if the
 test was for diagnostic purposes. That’s related to <a href="https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/five-things-to-know-about-the-cost-of-covid-19-testing-and-treatment/" target="_blank">another recent federal law</a>.

But
 understanding the wrinkles of that law can be tricky, so Kansas 
Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt suggests calling her agency if 
you’re worried you were wrongly charged, and haven’t had luck asking 
your insurer about it.

“We really want people to give us a call 
and let us help them weed through this,” she said. “It’s more 
complicated than what meets the eye.”

Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health and education for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/Celia_LJ" target="_blank">@celia_LJ</a> or email her at celia@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595366052827.png" alt="Anil Gharmalkar came down with COVID-19 in rural southeast Kansas. When he kept getting worse, his local hospital intubated him and sent him by helicopter to Kansas City in hopes of saving his life. Celia Llopis-Jepsen / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Anil Gharmalkar came down with COVID-19 in rural southeast Kansas. When he kept getting worse, his local hospital intubated him and sent him by helicopter to Kansas City in hopes of saving his life. Celia Llopis-Jepsen / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-07-21/what-it-took-for-this-coronavirus-patients-80-000-air-ambulance-charge-to-go-away">Kansas News Service</a>OSWEGO, Kansas — A vicious bout of coronavirus hospitalized Anil Gharmalkar in April.The
 41-year-old got severely ill, quickly. His besieged lungs fought for 
enough oxygen to survive. His local hospital in rural southeast Kansas 
put him on a ventilator and rushed him by helicopter to the University 
of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, where he eventually pulled 
through. (You can hear him talk about his battle with the illness <a href="https://www.kcur.org/season-3/2020-07-20/s3-episode-3-anil-gharmalkar-jalon-evans-gharmalkar-and-tamarah-chancellor" target="_blank">here</a>.)The
 helicopter company charged $80,000, and at first, Gharmalkar’s 
insurance wouldn’t pay. The difficulties he ran into resolving the 
matter hold lessons for anyone with COVID-19 medical bills.A 
patchwork of laws and company policies mean you may well be shielded 
from any bills — but you might have to dig to figure out whether that 
applies to you and then push to assert your rights.<h2>This 
story is part of our series, Bills of Health. Do you have a medical bill
 from Kansas that you want to share with a reporter? Email 
celia@kcur.org.</h2>Gharmalkar and his wife, Jalon Evans-Gharmalkar, fretted for 
weeks about whether and how much they’d have to pay Air Methods for that
 chopper flight on their own if Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas didn’t 
pay up. He sought referrals for a lawyer and contacted a reporter.“We didn't know — for lack of a better term — how ‘generous’ (Air Methods) were going to be if they thought we had assets.”The
 family runs a small business with several semi-trucks, like the one 
that Gharmalkar was driving to deliver refrigerated meat across the 
Midwest and South when he came down with COVID-19.The fear that 
they might need to shell out tens of thousands of dollars came when he 
was still struggling with after effects of the illness that lingered for
 months and landed him in the hospital three more times.But that 
extra source of stress would have dissolved had either Air Methods or 
Blue Cross explained that the Gharmalkars couldn’t possibly be on the 
hook for the money.That’s not the message they got as they made 
repeated calls trying to fix the situation. When they asked Air Methods 
what to expect, they didn’t get a clear answer. When they pleaded with 
Blue Cross, the insurer rejected their claim a second time.“No one could say what’s going to happen and what you’re actually going to owe,” he said.Ultimately, the Gharmalkars did not have to pay a dime toward the $80,000 charge.A Blue Cross spokeswoman said the insurance company should have picked up the bill from the start.“Once
 we looked into it further, did some more investigation, we did 
determine it was an emergency,” she said. “We also determined that it 
was COVID related.”Here is how the Gharmalkar’s claim got 
resolved — after queries from the Kansas News Service — and some 
takeaway tips for anyone dealing with COVID-19 bills. And if you don’t 
find what you need here, also try our <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-05-26/expert-tip-sheet-for-pushing-back-against-your-medical-bills" target="_blank">Expert Tip Sheet For Pushing Back Against Your Medical Bills</a>.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595366123182.png" alt="The Gharmalkar family sit in their Oswego home, three months after Anil's fight with COVID-19." />
 <figcaption>The Gharmalkar family sit in their Oswego home, three months after Anil's fight with COVID-19.</figcaption>
 </figure>A quick refresher on surprise billsAir Methods is not 
in the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas network. That’s where things 
often get tricky for patients — for COVID-19 or anything else.When
 you get health care from outside your insurance network, prices can be 
several times higher than normal. The doctor or hospital or ambulance 
company bills your insurer. The insurance company may find the price 
unreasonable and just pay part of it. Then you get billed for the rest.That is commonly called a “<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/usc-brookings-schaeffer-on-health-policy/2019/08/01/what-is-surprise-billing/" target="_blank">surprise bill</a>,”
 and it’s separate from any charges for copay, coinsurance or 
deductibles. It’s usually legal, except in some parts of the country 
(not Kansas) that have started curbing the practice with state laws.The
 Gharmalkars were grateful for the helicopter that whisked Anil to a 
major hospital in just under an hour. It may have saved his life. And 
they wanted Air Methods to get paid a fair price. But they also feared 
they’d soon face a hefty surprise bill if Blue Cross paid little or 
nothing.Federal law may protect you against bills for COVID-19 treatmentBecause of the pandemic, Congress gave the health care industry <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/cares-act-provider-relief-fund/index.html" target="_blank">emergency relief funds</a>. But it came with <a href="https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2020/05/01/the-provider-relief-fund-how-well-does-it-protect-patients-from-surprise-medical-bills-for-covid-19-related-services/" target="_blank">strings attached</a>. Companies that took the money — including Air Methods — can’t stick COVID-19 patients with surprise bills.So
 ask your biller if they got a slice of the stimulus pie. If so, then 
you shouldn’t get a surprise bill. If you do, demand that they cancel 
it.The federal government also has an <a href="https://data.cdc.gov/Administrative/HHS-Provider-Relief-Fund/kh8y-3es6/data" target="_blank">online list</a>
 of the recipients where you can check for specific doctors, hospitals, 
and more. But the complexity of business ownership and subsidiaries in 
health care means you might miss what you’re looking for.Some companies have also made public promises not to bill COVID-19 patients.Air
 Methods says it committed not to bill coronavirus patients even before 
it got federal relief money. Under no circumstances, its executive vice 
president for reimbursement said in an emailed statement, would Air 
Methods have billed the Gharmalkars for anything that Blue Cross didn’t 
pay.The Gharmalkars would have loved to know that. But say they 
only got ambiguous assurances that the company hoped to get paid by Blue
 Cross, and not them.And it’s hard to tell from the Air Methods 
website that a hard rule against surprise billing exists. Air Methods 
pointed the Kansas News Service to a sentence toward the bottom of <a href="https://www.airmethods.com/newsroom/blog/air-methods-blog/2020/04/09/during-covid-19-crisis-air-medical-services-are-crucial-component-to-timely-patient-care" target="_blank">a blog post</a> that says: “We will work closely with our patients to ensure their emergency air medical service is covered.”The company’s webpage on COVID-19 billing doesn’t clarify that the company is legally barred from surprise billing patients.How to tell if your health insurance should cover your COVID-19 treatment.Likewise, your insurer may also have made commitments that protect you against COVID-19 bills.Blue
 Cross announced in early April that it would cover COVID-19 treatment 
without any cost-sharing for patients with qualifying health plans. That
 didn’t stop the insurer from twice rejecting Air Method’s claim for 
transporting Gharmalkar.Ask your insurer if it has a policy on 
COVID-19 services, and where you can read it. You may need to read up 
and then remind them what their own rules say. Pay attention to details 
including which types of health plans qualify for what, and for how 
long.For example, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas plans qualify 
for full coverage of COVID-19 treatment without cost-sharing if they are
 what’s called “fully insured.” If you have a “self-funded” plan — often
 a large employer plan — the terms will vary by employer. Don’t know <a href="https://www.peoplekeep.com/blog/fully-insured-vs-self-insured-self-funded-health-plans" target="_blank">which category</a> you fall into? Call Blue Cross to check.The following <a href="https://blog.bcbsks.com/2020/04/20/member-faqs/" target="_blank">is covered</a> for fully insured Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas plans:<ul>
 <li>COVID-19
 treatment until the end of this year, whether at a doctor’s office, 
urgent care facility, emergency room or as a telehealth patient or 
hospital inpatient.</li><li>Also until the end of this year: Medically 
necessary diagnostic tests related to COVID-19 and the related 
telehealth or physical visit to the doctor's office, urgent care or 
emergency room. If you got, say, a flu test, and it led to the doctor 
ordering a COVID-19 test, too, then the flu test would also be covered.</li><li>COVID-19 antibody testing “for the duration of the declared public health pandemic.”</li>
 </ul>You
 should also ask your insurer what “no cost-sharing” means in this 
context. A spokeswoman for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas said it 
means no copays, deductibles or surprise bills.So how did Gharmalkar’s $80k charge get resolved?Insurance
 statements started piling up soon after Gharmalkar’s hospitalization, 
alerting him to hundreds of thousands of dollars in charges for the 
life-saving care that got him through COVID-19.To his relief, 
Blue Cross swiftly approved most of the claims. A few, he says, took a 
bit of work to clear up coding errors. The situation over his helicopter
 ride was the most difficult.After Blue Cross rejected the bill 
the first time, Air Methods tried contacting the insurer on his behalf 
again to show the helicopter ride had been a medical emergency. But Blue
 Cross sent him another statement showing it wouldn’t pay anything 
toward the $80,000 bill.Gharmalkar signed a federal medical privacy, or <a href="https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/formsandpubs/laws/hipaa/Pages/1.00WhatisHIPAA.aspx" target="_blank">HIPAA</a>,
 release form allowing the Kansas News Service to make inquiries on his 
behalf. He says his insurer swiftly circled back to him and said it was 
working on the claim.Air Methods says it kept pushing, too, 
seeking to negotiate directly with Blue Cross. Ultimately the two 
parties agreed on a price: $23,339.His win might help 
other people in Kansas. Air Methods says it approached Blue Cross Blue 
Shield of Kansas repeatedly in recent years to no avail, trying to 
strike a broader deal that would bring the helicopter company into the 
insurer’s network.Blue Cross disputes that characterization. 
Regardless, both sides — one of the nation’s biggest medical helicopter 
providers and Kansas’ largest commercial health insurer — now say 
negotiations on a network deal are in the works.Air Methods, 
which flew around 350 medical flights in Kansas last year, says talks 
only began in earnest in the middle of Gharmalkar’s case.Bonus tip: There’s a state insurance department. And it can help you.If
 you think you’re being asked to pay for coronavirus-related treatment 
in error, and you’ve tried to resolve the matter with your insurer, call
 your state insurance department.“This is exactly the type of 
thing that they’re there for,” said Maanasa Kona, a professor at the 
Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University. “If an 
insurance company is giving you the runaround, you should be able to 
reach out to the department of insurance and ask them to step in to see 
what’s going on.”In Kansas, you can call the department’s consumer hotline (800-432-2484), send <a href="mailto:kid.webcomplaints@ks.gov" target="_blank">an email</a> or fill out this <a href="https://sbs.naic.org/solar-web/pages/public/onlineComplaintForm/onlineComplaintForm.jsf?state=KS&amp;dswid=-8725" target="_blank">online complaint form</a>.Last
 week, the department issued a consumer alert reminding people that 
insurers must cover COVID-19 testing without patient cost-sharing if the
 test was for diagnostic purposes. That’s related to <a href="https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/five-things-to-know-about-the-cost-of-covid-19-testing-and-treatment/" target="_blank">another recent federal law</a>.But
 understanding the wrinkles of that law can be tricky, so Kansas 
Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt suggests calling her agency if 
you’re worried you were wrongly charged, and haven’t had luck asking 
your insurer about it.“We really want people to give us a call 
and let us help them weed through this,” she said. “It’s more 
complicated than what meets the eye.”Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health and education for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/Celia_LJ" target="_blank">@celia_LJ</a> or email her at celia@kcur.org.

Virus patient fights to make $80K air ambulance charge go away

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump came prepared.

As he took the podium&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/bfb8402551605ff40d8a16efbd827b92">Tuesday</a>&nbsp;to give a briefing room update on the coronavirus for the first time in months, the president was asked an obvious question: If wearing a mask is “patriotic,” as he tweeted this week, why didn’t he wear one more frequently?

“Well, I do actually do it when I need. I mean, I carry the mask,” Trump responded. He reached into his suit jacket pocket and produced his for the cameras: navy blue, with a presidential seal.

“I have no problem with the masks. I view it this way: Anything that potentially can help, and that certainly can potentially help, is a good thing. I have no problem. I carry it, I wear it ... and I’ll continue,” he added.

The comments were a dramatic about-face for a president who, for months, resisted wearing a face covering in public and complained privately he thought it would make him look weak and would focus attention on the public health crisis rather than the economic recovery.

Even as top public health officials, who initially had advised the public not to wear masks, became convinced that face coverings could effectively halt the spread of the virus and begged the public to embrace them, Trump resisted. He mocked Democratic rival Joe Biden for wearing one, asked reporters to remove them and entertained the idea that people might be wearing them to spite him.

“I just don’t want to wear one myself,” he said in April. “I don’t know, somehow sitting in the Oval Office behind that beautiful Resolute Desk — the great Resolute Desk — I think wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens, I don’t know. Somehow, I don’t see it for myself. I just don’t. Maybe I’ll change my mind.”

By Tuesday, as coronavirus cases continue to rise across much of the nation, Trump finally came around, saying, “I’m getting used to the mask.”

“I will use it gladly, no problem with it,” he said, urging those watching to follow his lead.

“When you can, use the mask. If you’re close to each other, if you’re in a group, I would put it on,” he said.

But that pronouncement was too little, too late for some public health officials, who have blamed the mixed messaging and Trump’s personal actions for politicizing mask-wearing and fueling a partisan social divide.

“I think it would have been enormous impact if he had done it from Day One,” said Lawrence Gostin, a public health expert at Georgetown University. He worried that Trump’s words would have only marginal impact in moving Americans who aren’t consistently wearing masks in public to do so.

If, from the beginning, “you had consistent messages at the federal, state and local level, if everyone had been on the same page all along on the importance of masks, we’d be in a different situation,” Gostin said.

And Trump still declined to wear a mask at the briefing — noting that he and the reporters who cover him are frequently tested. And he was seen without one Monday evening at the Trump hotel in Washington, where he attended a fundraiser and ate dinner.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, an occasional informal Trump adviser, had urged the president to wear a mask to the briefing, saying during an appearance on “Fox and Friends” Tuesday, “That’s what’s going to convince people that he’s serious about this.”

Trump tweeted a photo of himself in a face mask Monday, calling it an act of patriotism. He wore one for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/7651589ac439646e5cf873d021f1f4b6">first time in public</a>&nbsp;earlier this month during a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595414351557.png" alt="President Trump pulled his face mask from his suit pocket in response to a reporter's question during Tuesday's Coronavirus Task Force briefing-image courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>President Trump pulled his face mask from his suit pocket in response to a reporter's question during Tuesday's Coronavirus Task Force briefing-image courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump came prepared.As he took the podium&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/bfb8402551605ff40d8a16efbd827b92">Tuesday</a>&nbsp;to give a briefing room update on the coronavirus for the first time in months, the president was asked an obvious question: If wearing a mask is “patriotic,” as he tweeted this week, why didn’t he wear one more frequently?“Well, I do actually do it when I need. I mean, I carry the mask,” Trump responded. He reached into his suit jacket pocket and produced his for the cameras: navy blue, with a presidential seal.“I have no problem with the masks. I view it this way: Anything that potentially can help, and that certainly can potentially help, is a good thing. I have no problem. I carry it, I wear it ... and I’ll continue,” he added.The comments were a dramatic about-face for a president who, for months, resisted wearing a face covering in public and complained privately he thought it would make him look weak and would focus attention on the public health crisis rather than the economic recovery.Even as top public health officials, who initially had advised the public not to wear masks, became convinced that face coverings could effectively halt the spread of the virus and begged the public to embrace them, Trump resisted. He mocked Democratic rival Joe Biden for wearing one, asked reporters to remove them and entertained the idea that people might be wearing them to spite him.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595366343118.png" alt="White House image" />
 <figcaption>White House image</figcaption>
 </figure>“I just don’t want to wear one myself,” he said in April. “I don’t know, somehow sitting in the Oval Office behind that beautiful Resolute Desk — the great Resolute Desk — I think wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens, I don’t know. Somehow, I don’t see it for myself. I just don’t. Maybe I’ll change my mind.”By Tuesday, as coronavirus cases continue to rise across much of the nation, Trump finally came around, saying, “I’m getting used to the mask.”“I will use it gladly, no problem with it,” he said, urging those watching to follow his lead.“When you can, use the mask. If you’re close to each other, if you’re in a group, I would put it on,” he said.But that pronouncement was too little, too late for some public health officials, who have blamed the mixed messaging and Trump’s personal actions for politicizing mask-wearing and fueling a partisan social divide.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595366561351.png" alt="White House image" />
 <figcaption>White House image</figcaption>
 </figure>“I think it would have been enormous impact if he had done it from Day One,” said Lawrence Gostin, a public health expert at Georgetown University. He worried that Trump’s words would have only marginal impact in moving Americans who aren’t consistently wearing masks in public to do so.If, from the beginning, “you had consistent messages at the federal, state and local level, if everyone had been on the same page all along on the importance of masks, we’d be in a different situation,” Gostin said.And Trump still declined to wear a mask at the briefing — noting that he and the reporters who cover him are frequently tested. And he was seen without one Monday evening at the Trump hotel in Washington, where he attended a fundraiser and ate dinner.Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, an occasional informal Trump adviser, had urged the president to wear a mask to the briefing, saying during an appearance on “Fox and Friends” Tuesday, “That’s what’s going to convince people that he’s serious about this.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We are United in our effort to defeat the Invisible China Virus, and many people say that it is Patriotic to wear a face mask when you can’t socially distance. There is nobody more Patriotic than me, your favorite President! <a href="https://t.co/iQOd1whktN">pic.twitter.com/iQOd1whktN</a>&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1285299379746811915?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Trump tweeted a photo of himself in a face mask Monday, calling it an act of patriotism. He wore one for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/7651589ac439646e5cf873d021f1f4b6">first time in public</a>&nbsp;earlier this month during a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Trump embraces masks in an about-face

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas man has been charged with second-degree murder after a confrontation at a gas station that started when the suspect looked at the victim in a strange way, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Isaac Knighten, 40, Kansas City, Kansas, was also charged with endangering the welfare of a child, unlawful possession of a firearm and two counts of armed criminal action in the death of Jayvon McCray, 28, on Sunday at a gas station in Kansas City, Missouri, the Jackson County Prosecutor's office announced Tuesday.

Knighten was with his girlfriend and five young children when the two men exchanged words after Knighten looked at McCray in a strange way, according to McCray's girlfriend.

The argument continued inside the store and several people tried to intervene. Both men were armed, according to court records.

One of the men who tried to intervene was holding Knighten's 3-year-old son during the argument. The other children fled on foot to a relative's home.

Knighten said he shot McCray when it seemed like McCray was reaching for his gun, according to court records. He said he had never seen McCray before the confrontation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595412891902.png" alt="Knighten photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Knighten photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas man has been charged with second-degree murder after a confrontation at a gas station that started when the suspect looked at the victim in a strange way, prosecutors said Tuesday.Isaac Knighten, 40, Kansas City, Kansas, was also charged with endangering the welfare of a child, unlawful possession of a firearm and two counts of armed criminal action in the death of Jayvon McCray, 28, on Sunday at a gas station in Kansas City, Missouri, the Jackson County Prosecutor's office announced Tuesday.Knighten was with his girlfriend and five young children when the two men exchanged words after Knighten looked at McCray in a strange way, according to McCray's girlfriend.The argument continued inside the store and several people tried to intervene. Both men were armed, according to court records.One of the men who tried to intervene was holding Knighten's 3-year-old son during the argument. The other children fled on foot to a relative's home.Knighten said he shot McCray when it seemed like McCray was reaching for his gun, according to court records. He said he had never seen McCray before the confrontation.

Kansas man charged in fatal shooting near children

RENO COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 9:30p.m. Tuesday in Reno County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2002 Jeep Liberty driven by Gary N. Lane, 52, Hutchinson, was southbound&nbsp;on Van Buren.

&nbsp;The Jeep traveled off&nbsp; the east side of the road through a grassy field and crossed 2nd Avenue

The Jeep struck a building at 635 W 2nd Avenue and caught on fire.

Lane was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to the Sedgwick Forensic Center. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595390344978.jpeg" alt="First responders on the scene of the fatal crash and fire Tuesday" />
 <figcaption>First responders on the scene of the fatal crash and fire Tuesday</figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 9:30p.m. Tuesday in Reno County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2002 Jeep Liberty driven by Gary N. Lane, 52, Hutchinson, was southbound&nbsp;on Van Buren.&nbsp;The Jeep traveled off&nbsp; the east side of the road through a grassy field and crossed 2nd AvenueThe Jeep struck a building at 635 W 2nd Avenue and caught on fire.Lane was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to the Sedgwick Forensic Center. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Kansas man dies after Jeep crash and fire

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two shootings and have a suspect in custody.

The first shooting occurred in the early hours of June 23 at the Afton Motel in the 800 Block of South Broadway in Wichita, according to&nbsp; Police Captain Jason Stephens.

At the scene, officers located three victims including a 26-year-old man, a 25-year-old woman and a 60-year-old man who sustained non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, according to Stephens.&nbsp; They were transported to a local hospital for treatment. Each reported to police they heard gunshots and when they came out of their motel rooms they were shot by an unknown suspect.

At 2:30a.m. on June 27, police responded to a report of a shooting at Lincoln and Broadway in Wichita. At the scene, officers learned that a 32-year-old man was wounded by gunfire while he and a woman were in the parking lot at the El Farol Rojo Club, 1030 South Broad in Wichita, according to Stephens.

Through the investigation, police were able to develop 31-year-old Isaac Pile as a suspect. Officers presented their case to the District Attorney's office, obtained a warrant and arrested him on Monday afternoon at a business at Kellogg and Greenwich.&nbsp;

Pile is being held on four counts of aggravated battery, <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20023871">according to online jail records.&nbsp;</a>&nbsp; Police also want to talk to a man who was riding a bicycle near the shooting who is a possible witness in the case.&nbsp; Investigators have not learned of any previous connection between the suspect and Pile.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595350658900.png" alt="Pile photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Pile photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two shootings and have a suspect in custody.The first shooting occurred in the early hours of June 23 at the Afton Motel in the 800 Block of South Broadway in Wichita, according to&nbsp; Police Captain Jason Stephens.At the scene, officers located three victims including a 26-year-old man, a 25-year-old woman and a 60-year-old man who sustained non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, according to Stephens.&nbsp; They were transported to a local hospital for treatment. Each reported to police they heard gunshots and when they came out of their motel rooms they were shot by an unknown suspect.At 2:30a.m. on June 27, police responded to a report of a shooting at Lincoln and Broadway in Wichita. At the scene, officers learned that a 32-year-old man was wounded by gunfire while he and a woman were in the parking lot at the El Farol Rojo Club, 1030 South Broad in Wichita, according to Stephens.Through the investigation, police were able to develop 31-year-old Isaac Pile as a suspect. Officers presented their case to the District Attorney's office, obtained a warrant and arrested him on Monday afternoon at a business at Kellogg and Greenwich.&nbsp;Pile is being held on four counts of aggravated battery, <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20023871">according to online jail records.&nbsp;</a>&nbsp; Police also want to talk to a man who was riding a bicycle near the shooting who is a possible witness in the case.&nbsp; Investigators have not learned of any previous connection between the suspect and Pile.

Police track down Kansas suspect wanted for shooting 4 in June

KANSAS CITY (AP) — The top federal prosecutor in Kansas City said any federal agents involved in an operation to reduce violent crime in the area will be clearly identifiable when making arrests, unlike what has been seen in Portland, Oregon.

Timothy Garrison, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, said in a written statement Monday that a new federal effort called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/3b4f3352e5cc564187765acfc5fb12e6">Operation LeGend</a>&nbsp;in Kansas City is in response to record violent crime numbers, not local protests, the Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article244352212.html">reported</a>.

“These agents won’t be patrolling the streets,” he said. “They won’t replace or usurp the authority of local officers.”

His statement comes amid nationwide protests against excessive police force following the death of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/DeathofGeorgeFloyd">George Floyd</a>&nbsp;in Minneapolis. In Portland, the actions of federal officers outside the U.S. courthouse —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/597b63c1ddf52ef57a5eccfaa67b8a94">hailed by President Donald Trump</a>, but done without local consent — have resulted in clashes between protesters and camouflaged, unidentified agents.

Operation LeGend — named after 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was fatally shot while sleeping in a Kansas City apartment late last month — was announced on July 8 at the White House. Attorney General William Barr said he would send within the following weeks federal law enforcement officers into Kansas City to quell a “surge of violent crime."

“When they are making arrests or executing warrants, these federal agents will be clearly identified by their agency’s visible badges or insignia,” Garrison said. “The only people federal agents will be removing from the street are those they arrest in the course of their investigations of violent crimes.”

Garrison has said that the additional 225 federal agents from the FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will join 400 agents already working and living in the Kansas City area.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595354920053.png" alt="Operation Legend named for LeGend Taliferro, a four-year-old boy who was shot and killed on June 29th in Kansas City- photo U.S. Justice Dept." />
 <figcaption>Operation Legend named for LeGend Taliferro, a four-year-old boy who was shot and killed on June 29th in Kansas City- photo U.S. Justice Dept.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — The top federal prosecutor in Kansas City said any federal agents involved in an operation to reduce violent crime in the area will be clearly identifiable when making arrests, unlike what has been seen in Portland, Oregon.Timothy Garrison, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, said in a written statement Monday that a new federal effort called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/3b4f3352e5cc564187765acfc5fb12e6">Operation LeGend</a>&nbsp;in Kansas City is in response to record violent crime numbers, not local protests, the Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article244352212.html">reported</a>.“These agents won’t be patrolling the streets,” he said. “They won’t replace or usurp the authority of local officers.”His statement comes amid nationwide protests against excessive police force following the death of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/DeathofGeorgeFloyd">George Floyd</a>&nbsp;in Minneapolis. In Portland, the actions of federal officers outside the U.S. courthouse —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/597b63c1ddf52ef57a5eccfaa67b8a94">hailed by President Donald Trump</a>, but done without local consent — have resulted in clashes between protesters and camouflaged, unidentified agents.Operation LeGend — named after 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was fatally shot while sleeping in a Kansas City apartment late last month — was announced on July 8 at the White House. Attorney General William Barr said he would send within the following weeks federal law enforcement officers into Kansas City to quell a “surge of violent crime."“When they are making arrests or executing warrants, these federal agents will be clearly identified by their agency’s visible badges or insignia,” Garrison said. “The only people federal agents will be removing from the street are those they arrest in the course of their investigations of violent crimes.”Garrison has said that the additional 225 federal agents from the FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will join 400 agents already working and living in the Kansas City area.

U.S. Attorney: Federal agents will be identifiable in KC crime sweep

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Retiring Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts declared his support Tuesday for Rep. Roger Marshall as his replacement.

Roberts’ endorsement came in a string of tweets in which he praised Marshall without mentioning polarizing conservative Kris Kobach. Roberts, the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, touted Marshall’s service on its House counterpart and said Marshall’s experience as a doctor will be helpful during the coronavirus pandemic.

Marshall, an obstetrician, represents the same sprawling western and central Kansas district that Roberts did before being elected to the Senate in 1996. Marshall won the seat in 2016.

Roberts’ backing is another sign of the Republican establishment’s increasing solidarity behind Marshall ahead of the state’s Aug. 4 primary election. He also has endorsements from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Kansans for Life, the state’s most influential anti-abortion group.

Many Republicans worry that Roberts’ normally safe seat would be in play if Kobach were the nominee. Republicans haven’t lost a Senate race in Kansas since 1932.

Kobach, a former Kansas secretary of state, is nationally known for pushing tough immigration policies. He alienated independent and moderate GOP voters in losing the governor’s race in 2018 to Democrat Laura Kelly.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Retiring Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts declared his support Tuesday for Rep. Roger Marshall as his replacement.Roberts’ endorsement came in a string of tweets in which he praised Marshall without mentioning polarizing conservative Kris Kobach. Roberts, the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, touted Marshall’s service on its House counterpart and said Marshall’s experience as a doctor will be helpful during the coronavirus pandemic.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I couldn&#39;t be more honored to accept this endorsement as I seek to fill this seat, &amp; I accept the responsibility that comes with it. <a href="https://twitter.com/PatRoberts?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PatRoberts</a> has been an advisor, sounding board, &amp; friend. He’s a patriot, a fellow veteran, &amp; a giant of Kansas, especially Kansas ag. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kssen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kssen</a> <a href="https://t.co/cuAJsJPVw1">https://t.co/cuAJsJPVw1</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1285673011102851072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Marshall, an obstetrician, represents the same sprawling western and central Kansas district that Roberts did before being elected to the Senate in 1996. Marshall won the seat in 2016.Roberts’ backing is another sign of the Republican establishment’s increasing solidarity behind Marshall ahead of the state’s Aug. 4 primary election. He also has endorsements from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Kansans for Life, the state’s most influential anti-abortion group.Many Republicans worry that Roberts’ normally safe seat would be in play if Kobach were the nominee. Republicans haven’t lost a Senate race in Kansas since 1932.Kobach, a former Kansas secretary of state, is nationally known for pushing tough immigration policies. He alienated independent and moderate GOP voters in losing the governor’s race in 2018 to Democrat Laura Kelly.

Retiring Kansas Sen. Roberts endorses Rep. Marshall for seat

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — David Tobias, director of operations for the Kansas State Fair, has been named the agency’s interim general manager.

The Kansas State Fair Board unanimously approved Tobias’ promotion at a special board meeting Tuesday. The decision comes following the July 14 resignation of Robin Jennison. Jennison had held the job since September 2018.

Tobias joined the Fair in 2011 and has held several positions during his tenure. As the operations director, he oversaw operations and human resources, plus spent time working with the maintenance team on long-term strategic initiatives.

The Fair Board chose Tobias to help guide the staff through a transitional time, which includes the cancelation of the September fair and the lack of anticipated revenue.

“As this pandemic has been rough on all Kansans and fellow fairs, we are continuing with plans for a special livestock event in September as the youth of Kansas look forward to showcasing what they have been working hard on all year,” Tobias said. “The Kansas State Fair will continue to seek out revenue-generating options during the non-fair period to bring back the Kansas State Fair in 2021.”

Tobias grew up on a farm near Lyons. He has a bachelor of crop sciences degree from Fort Hays State University. He and his wife have two children.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595343899179.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — David Tobias, director of operations for the Kansas State Fair, has been named the agency’s interim general manager.The Kansas State Fair Board unanimously approved Tobias’ promotion at a special board meeting Tuesday. The decision comes following the July 14 resignation of Robin Jennison. Jennison had held the job since September 2018.Tobias joined the Fair in 2011 and has held several positions during his tenure. As the operations director, he oversaw operations and human resources, plus spent time working with the maintenance team on long-term strategic initiatives.The Fair Board chose Tobias to help guide the staff through a transitional time, which includes the cancelation of the September fair and the lack of anticipated revenue.“As this pandemic has been rough on all Kansans and fellow fairs, we are continuing with plans for a special livestock event in September as the youth of Kansas look forward to showcasing what they have been working hard on all year,” Tobias said. “The Kansas State Fair will continue to seek out revenue-generating options during the non-fair period to bring back the Kansas State Fair in 2021.”Tobias grew up on a farm near Lyons. He has a bachelor of crop sciences degree from Fort Hays State University. He and his wife have two children.

Kansas State Fair board names interim general manager

By JIM MCLEAN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-07-20/democrats-want-to-face-kobach-in-senate-race-but-a-gop-group-is-spending-millions-to-stop-him">Kansas News Service</a>

TOPEKA — Kris Kobach, a lightning rod throughout his 
political career, finds himself at the center of a Republican primary 
battle for the U.S. Senate. That includes independent groups spending 
millions on ads for and against him.

One of those efforts comes 
from Democrats, who think a primary win for Kobach gives their party the
 best chance to take over the seat for the first time since the Great 
Depression. They’re boosting the former Kansas secretary of state as the
 race’s one true conservative while attacking his chief competitor, U.S.
 Rep. Roger Marshall, as a “phony” and a “fake.”

The gambit has Marshall, a retired doctor and two-term congressman from western Kansas, crying foul.

“Democrats
 think Kansas Republicans are stupid,” Marshall said in a guest 
editorial in Sunday’s Topeka Capital-Journal. “It’s a bunch of smug 
Washington elites thinking they can sneak one past you.” 

It 
worked in 2012 when Democrats intervened in Missouri’s Republican U.S. 
Senate primary to help Todd Aiken. Running from the party’s right wing, 
Aiken won the nomination. But controversial statements about abortion 
cost him in the general election, which he lost to incumbent Democrat 
Claire McCaskill.

“All the signs are there, it’s almost the same 
ad they ran for Todd Aiken in 2012,” said Eric Pahls, Marshall’s 
campaign manager.

The Sunflower State PAC, a recently formed group
 with ties to a Democratic media firm in Virginia, is orchestrating the 
anti-Marshall campaign. Its treasurer is the same Lawrence attorney who 
once served as treasurer of former Kansas Democratic Gov. Kathleen 
Sebelius’ PAC, the Bluestem Fund.

Meanwhile, another new group with ties to U.S. Senate Majority Leader
 Mitch McConnell is spearheading an ad offensive against Kobach. The 
Plains PAC is spending $3 million to convince Republican primary voters 
that Kobach’s loss to Democrat Laura Kelly in<a href="https://www.sos.ks.gov/elections/18elec/2018_General_Election_Official_Votes_Cast.pdf" target="_blank"> the 2018 governor’s race</a> and “ties to toxic white nationalists” would make him a risky nominee.

The charge connecting Kobach to white nationalists stems from a<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article236355618.html" target="_blank"> 2019 story by the Kansas City Star,</a>
 which reported that his gubernatorial campaign had paid $500 to Joe 
Suber, an Olathe man who had regularly posted on a white nationalist 
website.

A spokesman for Kobach said the campaign “immediately 
severed ties” with the independent contractor when the posts were 
discovered.

Both of the recently formed groups are super PACS that
 can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money. Federal election rules 
require them to disclose their donors, but that information often isn’t 
made public until after the elections in which the money is spent.

Kobach led the race early, but <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/497865-poll-marshall-takes-lead-over-kobach-in-kansas-senate-primary" target="_blank">recent polls have Marshall ahead</a>.

The
 proxy battles being waged by the competing PACS suggest that Kobach is 
still within striking distance of Marshall, said David Kensinger, a 
longtime Republican strategist who ran campaigns for former Kansas 
governor and U.S. senator Sam Brownback.

“With a fractured primary
 field, it’s mathematically possible for him (Kobach) to eke out the 
narrowest of pluralities as he did in 2018,” Kensinger said.

Kobach’s<a href="https://www.sos.ks.gov/elections/18elec/PrimaryElectionOfficialResults.pdf" target="_blank"> win over Gov. Jeff Colyer in 2018</a> was the narrowest in Republican gubernatorial primary history.

<a href="https://www.sos.ks.gov/elections/elections_upcoming_candidate.aspx" target="_blank">Eleven candidates</a> are running for the GOP senate nomination. But only four appear to have the money or visibility to be competitive.

Dave Lindstrom and Bob Hamilton are potential wild cards.

<a href="https://www.lindstromforsenate.com/" target="_blank">Lindstrom</a> is a former player for the Kansas City Chiefs who served on the Johnson County Commission from 2003 to 2013.

Hamilton
 is the founder of a prosperous Kansas City area plumbing company who’s 
spending millions to bankroll his self-described “outsider” campaign.

In
 a television ad that’s airing frequently in the closing weeks of the 
campaign, Hamilton aligns himself with President Trump and says career 
politicians like Kobach and Marshall can’t help shake-up the 
establishment because “they are the establishment.”

More candidates are competing for the Republican nomination this year because incumbent U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts<a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/01/04/682217789/kansas-republican-sen-pat-roberts-wont-seek-re-election-in-2020" target="_blank"> is retiring after nearly 40 years in Congress.</a>

Roberts’ retirement, Trump’s sinking poll numbers and other factors are threatening the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate.

Democrats are hoping to take control by flipping GOP held seats in swing states like Colorado, Maine and Arizona.

If
 in addition to those races Republicans “start blowing states like 
Kansas, Alabama or South Carolina,” Kensinger said, “the math becomes 
almost impossible.”

Establishment Republicans have been lining up 
behind Marshall for months. Several groups with outsized influence in 
GOP circles are also backing him. They include the Kansas Farm Bureau, 
Kansans for Life and the U.S Chamber of Commerce.

The New York Times has reported that President Trump, who endorsed Kobach in 2018 bid for governor,<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/02/us/politics/trump-2020-campaign-problems.html" target="_blank"> is also now working behind the scenes to help Marshall.</a>

Kensigner
 is among those who believe Marshall would give Republicans their best 
chance of holding the seat. He said Kobach’s loss in the governor’s race
 and his failed bid to upset Democratic then-U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore in 
2004 provide “real-world evidence” that Kobach “could be the first 
Republican to lose a Senate race in Kansas in over 80 years.”

Kobach rejects that analysis, pointing to the two statewide races he won for secretary of state.

“There’s
 no doubt that I’ll be able to win in the general election,” he said. 
“But that’s the only argument they’ve got, so they keep saying it over 
and over again.”

The winner of the GOP primary will face presumptive Democratic nominee Barbara Bollier in the November general election.

Bollier
 is a state senator from Johnson County who left the Republican Party in
 2018. Without a primary fight, she’s been busy raising money,<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/506245-bollier-raises-37-million-in-second-quarter-in-kansas-senate-race" target="_blank"> raking in $3.7 million in contributions</a>
 in the most recent reporting period. That’s the largest amount ever 
raised in a single quarter by a Kansas candidate for any office.

Jim
 McLean is the senior correspondent for the Kansas News Service is a 
collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public 
Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their 
connection to public policy. You can reach him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/jmcleanks" target="_blank">@jmcleanks</a> or email jim@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595281679598.png" alt="Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Kris Kobach speaking at a debate earlier this year with rival Bob Hamilton looking on. Jim McLean / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Kris Kobach speaking at a debate earlier this year with rival Bob Hamilton looking on. Jim McLean / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By JIM MCLEAN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-07-20/democrats-want-to-face-kobach-in-senate-race-but-a-gop-group-is-spending-millions-to-stop-him">Kansas News Service</a>TOPEKA — Kris Kobach, a lightning rod throughout his 
political career, finds himself at the center of a Republican primary 
battle for the U.S. Senate. That includes independent groups spending 
millions on ads for and against him.One of those efforts comes 
from Democrats, who think a primary win for Kobach gives their party the
 best chance to take over the seat for the first time since the Great 
Depression. They’re boosting the former Kansas secretary of state as the
 race’s one true conservative while attacking his chief competitor, U.S.
 Rep. Roger Marshall, as a “phony” and a “fake.”The gambit has Marshall, a retired doctor and two-term congressman from western Kansas, crying foul.“Democrats
 think Kansas Republicans are stupid,” Marshall said in a guest 
editorial in Sunday’s Topeka Capital-Journal. “It’s a bunch of smug 
Washington elites thinking they can sneak one past you.” It 
worked in 2012 when Democrats intervened in Missouri’s Republican U.S. 
Senate primary to help Todd Aiken. Running from the party’s right wing, 
Aiken won the nomination. But controversial statements about abortion 
cost him in the general election, which he lost to incumbent Democrat 
Claire McCaskill.“All the signs are there, it’s almost the same 
ad they ran for Todd Aiken in 2012,” said Eric Pahls, Marshall’s 
campaign manager.The Sunflower State PAC, a recently formed group
 with ties to a Democratic media firm in Virginia, is orchestrating the 
anti-Marshall campaign. Its treasurer is the same Lawrence attorney who 
once served as treasurer of former Kansas Democratic Gov. Kathleen 
Sebelius’ PAC, the Bluestem Fund.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595281853153.png" alt="Anti-Marshall ad / screen shot" />
 <figcaption>Anti-Marshall ad / screen shot</figcaption>
 </figure>Meanwhile, another new group with ties to U.S. Senate Majority Leader
 Mitch McConnell is spearheading an ad offensive against Kobach. The 
Plains PAC is spending $3 million to convince Republican primary voters 
that Kobach’s loss to Democrat Laura Kelly in<a href="https://www.sos.ks.gov/elections/18elec/2018_General_Election_Official_Votes_Cast.pdf" target="_blank"> the 2018 governor’s race</a> and “ties to toxic white nationalists” would make him a risky nominee.The charge connecting Kobach to white nationalists stems from a<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article236355618.html" target="_blank"> 2019 story by the Kansas City Star,</a>
 which reported that his gubernatorial campaign had paid $500 to Joe 
Suber, an Olathe man who had regularly posted on a white nationalist 
website.A spokesman for Kobach said the campaign “immediately 
severed ties” with the independent contractor when the posts were 
discovered.Both of the recently formed groups are super PACS that
 can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money. Federal election rules 
require them to disclose their donors, but that information often isn’t 
made public until after the elections in which the money is spent.<h2>Still up for grabs</h2>Kobach led the race early, but <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/497865-poll-marshall-takes-lead-over-kobach-in-kansas-senate-primary" target="_blank">recent polls have Marshall ahead</a>.The
 proxy battles being waged by the competing PACS suggest that Kobach is 
still within striking distance of Marshall, said David Kensinger, a 
longtime Republican strategist who ran campaigns for former Kansas 
governor and U.S. senator Sam Brownback.“With a fractured primary
 field, it’s mathematically possible for him (Kobach) to eke out the 
narrowest of pluralities as he did in 2018,” Kensinger said.Kobach’s<a href="https://www.sos.ks.gov/elections/18elec/PrimaryElectionOfficialResults.pdf" target="_blank"> win over Gov. Jeff Colyer in 2018</a> was the narrowest in Republican gubernatorial primary history.<a href="https://www.sos.ks.gov/elections/elections_upcoming_candidate.aspx" target="_blank">Eleven candidates</a> are running for the GOP senate nomination. But only four appear to have the money or visibility to be competitive.Dave Lindstrom and Bob Hamilton are potential wild cards.<a href="https://www.lindstromforsenate.com/" target="_blank">Lindstrom</a> is a former player for the Kansas City Chiefs who served on the Johnson County Commission from 2003 to 2013.Hamilton
 is the founder of a prosperous Kansas City area plumbing company who’s 
spending millions to bankroll his self-described “outsider” campaign.In
 a television ad that’s airing frequently in the closing weeks of the 
campaign, Hamilton aligns himself with President Trump and says career 
politicians like Kobach and Marshall can’t help shake-up the 
establishment because “they are the establishment.”Part of a bigger battleMore candidates are competing for the Republican nomination this year because incumbent U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts<a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/01/04/682217789/kansas-republican-sen-pat-roberts-wont-seek-re-election-in-2020" target="_blank"> is retiring after nearly 40 years in Congress.</a>Roberts’ retirement, Trump’s sinking poll numbers and other factors are threatening the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate.Democrats are hoping to take control by flipping GOP held seats in swing states like Colorado, Maine and Arizona.If
 in addition to those races Republicans “start blowing states like 
Kansas, Alabama or South Carolina,” Kensinger said, “the math becomes 
almost impossible.”Establishment Republicans have been lining up 
behind Marshall for months. Several groups with outsized influence in 
GOP circles are also backing him. They include the Kansas Farm Bureau, 
Kansans for Life and the U.S Chamber of Commerce.The New York Times has reported that President Trump, who endorsed Kobach in 2018 bid for governor,<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/02/us/politics/trump-2020-campaign-problems.html" target="_blank"> is also now working behind the scenes to help Marshall.</a>Kensigner
 is among those who believe Marshall would give Republicans their best 
chance of holding the seat. He said Kobach’s loss in the governor’s race
 and his failed bid to upset Democratic then-U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore in 
2004 provide “real-world evidence” that Kobach “could be the first 
Republican to lose a Senate race in Kansas in over 80 years.”Kobach rejects that analysis, pointing to the two statewide races he won for secretary of state.“There’s
 no doubt that I’ll be able to win in the general election,” he said. 
“But that’s the only argument they’ve got, so they keep saying it over 
and over again.”The winner of the GOP primary will face presumptive Democratic nominee Barbara Bollier in the November general election.Bollier
 is a state senator from Johnson County who left the Republican Party in
 2018. Without a primary fight, she’s been busy raising money,<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/506245-bollier-raises-37-million-in-second-quarter-in-kansas-senate-race" target="_blank"> raking in $3.7 million in contributions</a>
 in the most recent reporting period. That’s the largest amount ever 
raised in a single quarter by a Kansas candidate for any office.Jim
 McLean is the senior correspondent for the Kansas News Service is a 
collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public 
Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their 
connection to public policy. You can reach him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/jmcleanks" target="_blank">@jmcleanks</a> or email jim@kcur.org.

GOP group spending millions to stop Kobach Senate chances

SALINA —A Salina police officer was placed on administrative leave after he was involved in a one-vehicle accident early Sunday morning in north Salina.

Just after 3:30a.m. Sunday, a 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 driven by Officer Anthony Roman, 27, of Salina, who was off-duty at the time, was northbound on North Broadway Boulevard, according to&nbsp;Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.

An on-duty police officer observed the pickup traveling at a high rate of speed and failing to stop at the red light at the intersection of North Broadway Boulevard, North Ninth Street and Pacific Avenue.

The pickup struck the north curb of Pacific Avenue, a power pole, the south side of Del’s Automotive, 901 North Eighth Street, a fire hydrant, a stop sign and then rolled onto the driver's side and came to rest on North Eighth Street, according to Forrester.

The power pole sustained minimal damage. The automotive building had a wooden garage door broken and caved inward. The hydrant was slightly ajar from the base and water was leaking out. The stop sign was broken off and in the roadway.

Roman received a small cut to his left arm and refused treatment, according to Forrester.&nbsp; Police arressted Roman was arrested on requested charges that included DUI, Reckless driving Failure to stop at a traffic control signal and Improper driving on laned roadways.

He has been placed on administrative leave from the Salina Police Department, according to Forrester.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595182598802.jpeg" alt="Roman photo Saline County" />
 <figcaption>Roman photo Saline County</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINA —A Salina police officer was placed on administrative leave after he was involved in a one-vehicle accident early Sunday morning in north Salina.Just after 3:30a.m. Sunday, a 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 driven by Officer Anthony Roman, 27, of Salina, who was off-duty at the time, was northbound on North Broadway Boulevard, according to&nbsp;Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.An on-duty police officer observed the pickup traveling at a high rate of speed and failing to stop at the red light at the intersection of North Broadway Boulevard, North Ninth Street and Pacific Avenue.The pickup struck the north curb of Pacific Avenue, a power pole, the south side of Del’s Automotive, 901 North Eighth Street, a fire hydrant, a stop sign and then rolled onto the driver's side and came to rest on North Eighth Street, according to Forrester.The power pole sustained minimal damage. The automotive building had a wooden garage door broken and caved inward. The hydrant was slightly ajar from the base and water was leaking out. The stop sign was broken off and in the roadway.Roman received a small cut to his left arm and refused treatment, according to Forrester.&nbsp; Police arressted Roman was arrested on requested charges that included DUI, Reckless driving Failure to stop at a traffic control signal and Improper driving on laned roadways.He has been placed on administrative leave from the Salina Police Department, according to Forrester.

Kansas police officer placed on leave after alleged DUI crash

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is awarding the nation's highest civilian honor to Jim Ryun, a former Kansas congressmen who was the first high school runner to clock a mile in under 4 minutes. 

Trump is scheduled to honor the three-time Olympian with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House on Friday. The Wichita native entered the record books in 1964 at age 17 by becoming the first high school runner to break the 4-minute barrier in the mile with a time of 3 minutes, 59 seconds. 

He competed in three Olympic Games and later served in Congress.&nbsp; &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595003758174.png" alt="Image courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is awarding the nation's highest civilian honor to Jim Ryun, a former Kansas congressmen who was the first high school runner to clock a mile in under 4 minutes. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595244984595.png" alt="Jim Ryun-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Jim Ryun-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Trump is scheduled to honor the three-time Olympian with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House on Friday. The Wichita native entered the record books in 1964 at age 17 by becoming the first high school runner to break the 4-minute barrier in the mile with a time of 3 minutes, 59 seconds. He competed in three Olympic Games and later served in Congress.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Kansas legend Jim Ryun to receive Medal of Freedom

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Police in Kansas City, Kansas, say a hit-and-run crash involving three vehicles has left one driver dead and closed a bridge for hours. Police say the crash happened around 7:30 a.m. Monday on the 7th Street Trafficway bridge. 

Investigators say the crash happened when a speeding pickup truck cross the median and side-swiped car before crashing head-on with a white utility truck. Police say the male driver of the car died at the scene, while a passenger in the car and the utility truck diver were uninjured. Police say the driver of the pickup ran from the scene. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595338449354.png" alt="Scene of the hit and run crash Monday -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Scene of the hit and run crash Monday -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Police in Kansas City, Kansas, say a hit-and-run crash involving three vehicles has left one driver dead and closed a bridge for hours. Police say the crash happened around 7:30 a.m. Monday on the 7th Street Trafficway bridge. Investigators say the crash happened when a speeding pickup truck cross the median and side-swiped car before crashing head-on with a white utility truck. Police say the male driver of the car died at the scene, while a passenger in the car and the utility truck diver were uninjured. Police say the driver of the pickup ran from the scene. Police have not announced an arrest.

Hit-and-run involving 3 vehicles kills 1, closed Kansas bridge

By BRIAN GRIMMETT <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/kansas-governor-says-masks-are-non-negotiable-schools-and-pleads-delaying-classes">Kansas News Service</a>

WICHITA — Students,
 teachers and staff members at K-12 schools in Kansas will wear masks, 
use hand sanitizer once an hour, socially distance and have their 
temperatures taken daily. That’s according to <a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/EO-20-59-Signed.pdf">a new statewide mandate </a>from Gov. Laura Kelly, who says she does not need approval to institute the COVID-19 safety regulations.

She
 also plans to delay all instruction and extracurricular activities — 
including sports — until Sept. 8, after Labor Day. This <a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/EO-20-58-unsigned.pdf">second executive order</a> must be voted on by the state Board of Education, which will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Kelly
 said she is committed to protecting Kansans “regardless of the 
political pushback” that already has happened in some communities 
regarding delaying the 2020-21 school year.

“I’m asking each 
state Board of Education member to put politics aside and think about 
our children, their parents, their teachers and the survival of our Main
 Street businesses,” she said in a news conference Monday.

More 
than 300 Kansans have died from COVID-19, and the number of cases has 
spiked in the last month to almost 24,000 — with more than 2,600 since 
July 13 alone.

Last week, the Board of Education issued <a href="https://www.kcur.org/education/2020-07-14/expect-to-see-more-masks-and-occasional-closures-as-kansas-reopens-schools">a hefty document</a>
 full of recommendations on reopening schools safely, prioritizing 
in-person elementary-school education and noting that it’s likely 
teachers, staff, students and family may need to quarantine for 14 days 
when a school has a positive coronavirus case.

There are 
exceptions in Kelly’s order regarding safety protocols. Masks won’t be 
required during eating, “activities that cannot be safely conducted with
 a mask or other facial covering,” people with medical conditions and 
other reasons. Also, the order says that the six-foot social distancing 
guideline doesn’t apply during in-person instruction in classrooms when 
masks or other face coverings are being worn.

Brian Grimmett is a two-time Regional Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist covering energy and environment stories across the state of Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595338227926.png" alt=" A classroom at Jardine Elementary in Topeka in 2019. Chris Neal / For the Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> A classroom at Jardine Elementary in Topeka in 2019. Chris Neal / For the Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRIAN GRIMMETT <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/kansas-governor-says-masks-are-non-negotiable-schools-and-pleads-delaying-classes">Kansas News Service</a>WICHITA — Students,
 teachers and staff members at K-12 schools in Kansas will wear masks, 
use hand sanitizer once an hour, socially distance and have their 
temperatures taken daily. That’s according to <a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/EO-20-59-Signed.pdf">a new statewide mandate </a>from Gov. Laura Kelly, who says she does not need approval to institute the COVID-19 safety regulations.She
 also plans to delay all instruction and extracurricular activities — 
including sports — until Sept. 8, after Labor Day. This <a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/EO-20-58-unsigned.pdf">second executive order</a> must be voted on by the state Board of Education, which will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday.Kelly
 said she is committed to protecting Kansans “regardless of the 
political pushback” that already has happened in some communities 
regarding delaying the 2020-21 school year.“I’m asking each 
state Board of Education member to put politics aside and think about 
our children, their parents, their teachers and the survival of our Main
 Street businesses,” she said in a news conference Monday.More 
than 300 Kansans have died from COVID-19, and the number of cases has 
spiked in the last month to almost 24,000 — with more than 2,600 since 
July 13 alone.Last week, the Board of Education issued <a href="https://www.kcur.org/education/2020-07-14/expect-to-see-more-masks-and-occasional-closures-as-kansas-reopens-schools">a hefty document</a>
 full of recommendations on reopening schools safely, prioritizing 
in-person elementary-school education and noting that it’s likely 
teachers, staff, students and family may need to quarantine for 14 days 
when a school has a positive coronavirus case.There are 
exceptions in Kelly’s order regarding safety protocols. Masks won’t be 
required during eating, “activities that cannot be safely conducted with
 a mask or other facial covering,” people with medical conditions and 
other reasons. Also, the order says that the six-foot social distancing 
guideline doesn’t apply during in-person instruction in classrooms when 
masks or other face coverings are being worn.Brian Grimmett is a two-time Regional Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist covering energy and environment stories across the state of Kansas.

Kelly: Masks non-negotiable in schools, pleads for delaying classes

TOPEKA—Kansas law requires the state school board’s approval for Governor Kelly's <a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/EO-20-58-unsigned.pdf">proposed order to delay </a>&nbsp;the reopening of public and private elementary, middle and high schools for three weeks from mid-August until Sept. 9. It include athletics and all other extracurricular activities.

The board is scheduled to meet Wednesday morning.

<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdzVxatxVZRVD4reGstiLquGPmI7s84b_hI0yHgHOmKW_cbDQ/viewform">Click here </a>to contact the Kansas State <a href="https://www.ksde.org/Portals/0/Board/Documents/2019%20Board%20Contact%20Info%20Web%20etc%20rev.pdf">Board of Education </a>ahead of&nbsp; their Wednesday meeting.

During her press briefing on Monday, Kelly also issued <a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/EO-20-59-Signed.pdf">an order requiring masks </a>and daily temperature checks in the state’s K-12 schools.&nbsp;

The governor's coronavirus-inspired rules are stricter than guidelines adopted by the Republican-controlled State Board of Education.

Executive Order #20-59 does not require the state board's approval and it mandates face coverings for all students, faculty, staff, vendors, and other visitors to public or private K-12 school buildings or facilities.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Executive Order will mandate six feet social distancing, except for in-person instruction in classrooms when masks or other face coverings are worn.

The order will also require hand sanitizer in all classrooms, and that all students and faculty must sanitize their hands no less than once every hour.

Finally, all individuals entering must have their temperatures checked before entering the building.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595327875164.png" alt="Governor Laura Kelly wore a mask as she arrived for Monday's press briefing." />
 <figcaption>Governor Laura Kelly wore a mask as she arrived for Monday's press briefing.</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA—Kansas law requires the state school board’s approval for Governor Kelly's <a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/EO-20-58-unsigned.pdf">proposed order to delay </a>&nbsp;the reopening of public and private elementary, middle and high schools for three weeks from mid-August until Sept. 9. It include athletics and all other extracurricular activities.The board is scheduled to meet Wednesday morning.<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdzVxatxVZRVD4reGstiLquGPmI7s84b_hI0yHgHOmKW_cbDQ/viewform">Click here </a>to contact the Kansas State <a href="https://www.ksde.org/Portals/0/Board/Documents/2019%20Board%20Contact%20Info%20Web%20etc%20rev.pdf">Board of Education </a>ahead of&nbsp; their Wednesday meeting.During her press briefing on Monday, Kelly also issued <a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/EO-20-59-Signed.pdf">an order requiring masks </a>and daily temperature checks in the state’s K-12 schools.&nbsp;The governor's coronavirus-inspired rules are stricter than guidelines adopted by the Republican-controlled State Board of Education.Executive Order #20-59 does not require the state board's approval and it mandates face coverings for all students, faculty, staff, vendors, and other visitors to public or private K-12 school buildings or facilities.&nbsp;&nbsp;Exceptions will be made for:<ol>
 <li>Eating;</li><li>Activities that cannot be safely conducted with a mask or other face covering;</li><li>Children who are not students and are 5 years of age or under;</li><li>Persons with a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that prevents wearing a face covering;</li><li>Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing or communicating with a person who is deaf or hard of hearing, where the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication;</li><li>Persons for whom wearing a face covering would create a risk to the person related to their work.</li>
 </ol>The Executive Order will mandate six feet social distancing, except for in-person instruction in classrooms when masks or other face coverings are worn.The order will also require hand sanitizer in all classrooms, and that all students and faculty must sanitize their hands no less than once every hour.Finally, all individuals entering must have their temperatures checked before entering the building.

Kan. Board of Education needs input on governor's plan to delay school

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump acknowledged a “big flareup” of COVID-19 cases, but divisions between the White House and Senate Republicans and differences with Democrats posed fresh challenges for a new federal aid package with the U.S. crisis worsening and emergency relief about to expire.

Trump convened GOP leaders at the White House on Monday as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell prepared to roll out his $1 trillion package in days. But the administration criticized the legislation’s money for more virus testing and insisted on a full payroll tax repeal that could complicate quick passage. The timeline appeared to quickly shift.

“We’ve made a lot of progress,” Trump said as the meeting got underway.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595268522690.png" alt="President Trump during Monday's meeting in the Oval Office -White House image" />
 <figcaption>President Trump during Monday's meeting in the Oval Office -White House image</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump acknowledged a “big flareup” of COVID-19 cases, but divisions between the White House and Senate Republicans and differences with Democrats posed fresh challenges for a new federal aid package with the U.S. crisis worsening and emergency relief about to expire.Trump convened GOP leaders at the White House on Monday as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell prepared to roll out his $1 trillion package in days. But the administration criticized the legislation’s money for more virus testing and insisted on a full payroll tax repeal that could complicate quick passage. The timeline appeared to quickly shift.“We’ve made a lot of progress,” Trump said as the meeting got underway.But the president added, “Unfortunately, this is something that’s very tough.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595268489369.png" alt="President Trump met with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy Monday -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>President Trump met with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy Monday -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>Lawmakers returned to a Capitol still off-limits to tourists, another sign of the nation’s difficulty containing the coronavirus.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/92e4b9699100a5b02fa603508115809c">Rather than easing, the pandemic’s devastating cycle is churning</a>&nbsp;again, leaving Congress little choice but to engineer another costly rescue. Businesses are shutting down again, many schools will not fully reopen and jobs are disappearing, all while federal aid will expire in days.Without a successful federal strategy, lawmakers are trying to draft one.“We have to end this virus,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Monday on MSNBC.She said any attempt by the White House to block money for testing “goes beyond ignorance.”The political stakes are high for both parties before the November election, and even more so for the nation, which now has registered more coronavirus infections and a higher death count — 140,800 — than any other country.McConnell and House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy huddled with Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and acting chief of staff Mark Meadows.Mnuchin vowed passage by month’s end, as a $600 boost in jobless aid is set to expire, and said he expected a fresh $1 trillion jolt of business tax breaks and other aid would have a “big impact” on the struggling economy.On Capitol Hill, McConnell faces not just pressure from the White House but also splits within his ranks, which have chiseled away at his majority power and left him relying on Democrats for votes.Mnuchin and Meadows will meet privately Tuesday with Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.The package from McConnell, being crafted behind closed doors, is expected to include $75 billion to help schools reopen. It will likely replace an expiring $600 weekly unemployment benefits boost with a smaller amount. The cut in unemployment assistance is designed to ensure that jobless people do not receive a greater benefit than if they were working. Regular state benefits vary widely and the measure would peg the federal bonus payment to a percentage of the state benefit.McConnell’s package may also send a fresh round of direct $1,200 cash payments to Americans below a certain income level, likely $75,000, and create a sweeping five-year liability shield against coronavirus lawsuits.But the administration was panning the proposal’s $25 billion in new funds for virus testing and tracing and insisting on the payroll tax cut, Republicans said.At Monday’s White House meeting, Trump said he wants a full payroll tax repeal, said one Republican who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting. Trump then put economist Art Laffer on speakerphone. Laffer is part of a conservative group favoring the tax break. The GOP leaders indicated only a partial repeal would be included in the coming bill.Easing the payroll tax is dividing Trump’s party because it is used to finance Social Security and Medicare. The tax is already being deferred for employers under the previous virus relief package. Supporters say cutting it now for employees would put money in people’s pockets and stimulate the economy, but detractors warn it would do little for out-of-work Americans and add to the nation’s rising debt load. McConnell is straining to keep the bill’s total price tag at $1 trillion.GOP senators swiftly pushed back as the Republicans and the White House battled over priorities.GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas was among several Republicans saying he’s “not a fan” of a payroll tax holiday.Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, the chairman of the Health committee, said, “All roads to opening school, going back to work, opening child care lead through testing.”Economist Stephen Moore, who is part of the conservative group promoting the payroll tax cut, is also backing a health care provision to prevent surprise medical billing. Moore was not part of the meeting but said both were discussed at the White House.Trump insisted again Sunday that the virus would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/02b0c7bb496a21d9e09abb1d01cecf1a">“disappear,”&nbsp;</a>but the president’s view did not at all match projections from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/7ea9b97cabecae5c91595aab05dd7f6d">leading health professionals</a>&nbsp;straining to halt the alarming U.S. caseload and death toll.On a conference call with the nation’s governors Monday, Pence called the rising numbers in Sunbelt states “serious.”Schumer warned Monday his side will block any effort from McConnell that falls short, reviving a strategy from the last virus aid bill that forced Republicans to the negotiating table. This time, the House has approved Pelosi’s sweeping&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/55887a1d2b734020c8dae29004f087d6">$3 trillion effort</a>, giving Democrats momentum heading into negotiations.Joe Biden, the Democrats’ presumed presidential nominee,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/a8a5903bf4c651a2add77c643ddcdd2e">stated his own priorities</a>. The new package should “deliver a lifeline to those who need it most: working families and small businesses,” he said.Trump raised alarms on Capitol Hill when he suggested last month at a rally in Oklahoma that he wanted to slow virus testing. Testing is seen as the best way to track the virus to contain its spread. Another Republican familiar with the process said about half of the $25 billion previously approved remains unspent. Senate Democrats are investigating why the administration has left so much on the table.The proposed virus aid package would be the fifth, following the $2.2 trillion bill passed in March, the largest U.S. intervention of its kind. While many Republicans hoped the virus would ease and economy rebound, it’s become clear more aid is needed.Despite flickers of an economic upswing as states eased stay-at-home orders in May and June, the jobless rate remained at double digits, higher than it ever was in the last decade’s Great Recession, and a federal eviction moratorium on millions of rental units approved in the last bill is about to expire.___