SALINE COUNTY —The Rolling Hills Zoo (RHZ) family is mourning the loss of Darius, their 18 year old Amur leopard.

According to a media release from the zoo, Darius has been treated for renal failure over the past year and while his kidney function was declining, it was within the last week that his blood work indicated he was in stage 4 kidney failure. 

Unfortunately kidney failure is relatively common in big cats as part of the aging process, as it is in domestic cats. While one can only “buy” a little more time with supportive care, chronic kidney failure is not reversible.

Once Darius became more lethargic and stopped eating, combined with the lab findings, it was decided that humanely euthanizing him was the kindest option available. Darius’ body has been transported to K-State for a necropsy.

Born at the Erie Zoo, Erie, Pa., on June 30, 2002, Darius moved to Roosevelt Park Zoo in Minot, N.D., in October 2003. Then in June 2011, due to the floods in Minot, Darius was transferred to the Tanganyika Wild Animal Park before coming to Rolling Hills Zoo in December 2011.

At RHZ, Darius was a master artist who loved to play with the keepers. Darius did take his time in warming up to the keepers though, but once they earned his trust they saw a very different side of him. Since he was also a bit camera shy and didn’t like to be watched when eating or getting enrichment, he made getting great photos that much more special.

“Being solitary by nature, it was always a highlight of my day when Darius would come over and lay down in front of me or roll over and show me his stomach and reach his paws out toward me,” said Head Keeper Devney Olson-Bowen. “Many saw what they thought was a grumpy old man, but I saw a very sweet and good natured handsome boy. I will miss him running up to meet me, and his calls out to the other animals in the park every day. He always let everyone know he was there. He will forever hold a very dear place in my heart, and I am a better keeper and a better person for having worked with him."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608523925714.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy Rolling Hills Zoo" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Rolling Hills Zoo</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —The Rolling Hills Zoo (RHZ) family is mourning the loss of Darius, their 18 year old Amur leopard.According to a media release from the zoo, Darius has been treated for renal failure over the past year and while his kidney function was declining, it was within the last week that his blood work indicated he was in stage 4 kidney failure. Unfortunately kidney failure is relatively common in big cats as part of the aging process, as it is in domestic cats. While one can only “buy” a little more time with supportive care, chronic kidney failure is not reversible.Once Darius became more lethargic and stopped eating, combined with the lab findings, it was decided that humanely euthanizing him was the kindest option available. Darius’ body has been transported to K-State for a necropsy.Born at the Erie Zoo, Erie, Pa., on June 30, 2002, Darius moved to Roosevelt Park Zoo in Minot, N.D., in October 2003. Then in June 2011, due to the floods in Minot, Darius was transferred to the Tanganyika Wild Animal Park before coming to Rolling Hills Zoo in December 2011.At RHZ, Darius was a master artist who loved to play with the keepers. Darius did take his time in warming up to the keepers though, but once they earned his trust they saw a very different side of him. Since he was also a bit camera shy and didn’t like to be watched when eating or getting enrichment, he made getting great photos that much more special.“Being solitary by nature, it was always a highlight of my day when Darius would come over and lay down in front of me or roll over and show me his stomach and reach his paws out toward me,” said Head Keeper Devney Olson-Bowen. “Many saw what they thought was a grumpy old man, but I saw a very sweet and good natured handsome boy. I will miss him running up to meet me, and his calls out to the other animals in the park every day. He always let everyone know he was there. He will forever hold a very dear place in my heart, and I am a better keeper and a better person for having worked with him."

Rolling Hills Zoo mourns loss of Amur leopard

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Authorities are still working to confirm the exact cause of a Saturday night fire at a home in Topeka.

Just after 7:30p.m. Saturday, crews&nbsp;responded to a fire at a home at 1406 SW Polk Street in Topeka, according to Fire Marshal Todd Harrison.&nbsp;

The fire had fully involved the two-story residence.&nbsp; Firefighters began a defensive fire attack and the blaze spread to one additional house directly to the south, 1408 SW Polk, causing significant damage.

A preliminary investigation from the State Fire Marshal indicates the cause of the fire as undetermined; cause is more likely than not related to a wood burning stove, according to Harrison.&nbsp; The occupants of the home escaped with no injures.

The estimated dollar loss on 1406 SW Polk was – $10,000.00; of which $5,000.00 is associated with structural loss and $5,000.00 is associated with content’s loss. The estimated dollar loss on 1408 SW Polk was – $15,000.00; of which $10,000.00 is associated with structural loss and $5,000.00 associated with content’s loss.

Working smoke detectors were not located within home at 1406 Polk, according to Harrison.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608489858732.png" alt="Saturday night fire photo courtesy WIBW-TV" />
 <figcaption>Saturday night fire photo courtesy WIBW-TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Authorities are still working to confirm the exact cause of a Saturday night fire at a home in Topeka.Just after 7:30p.m. Saturday, crews&nbsp;responded to a fire at a home at 1406 SW Polk Street in Topeka, according to Fire Marshal Todd Harrison.&nbsp;The fire had fully involved the two-story residence.&nbsp; Firefighters began a defensive fire attack and the blaze spread to one additional house directly to the south, 1408 SW Polk, causing significant damage.A preliminary investigation from the State Fire Marshal indicates the cause of the fire as undetermined; cause is more likely than not related to a wood burning stove, according to Harrison.&nbsp; The occupants of the home escaped with no injures.The estimated dollar loss on 1406 SW Polk was – $10,000.00; of which $5,000.00 is associated with structural loss and $5,000.00 is associated with content’s loss. The estimated dollar loss on 1408 SW Polk was – $15,000.00; of which $10,000.00 is associated with structural loss and $5,000.00 associated with content’s loss.Working smoke detectors were not located within home at 1406 Polk, according to Harrison.

Fire Marshal: Fire damages 2 Kansas homes

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects after a drug raid in Shawnee County.

On December 17, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office Drug Enforcement Task Force conducted a search warrant in the 300 block of SE Lake Street, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

Deputies seized seven long guns, including assault rifles during this investigation.

They arrested Mary Coleman, 65, of Topeka, on requested charges of possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia. They also arrested Torrello K. Cameron, 26, of Topeka, of requested charges for felon in possession of firearms and other narcotics violations. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608313562995.png" alt="Cameron photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Cameron photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects after a drug raid in Shawnee County.On December 17, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office Drug Enforcement Task Force conducted a search warrant in the 300 block of SE Lake Street, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.Deputies seized seven long guns, including assault rifles during this investigation.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608313519805.png" alt="Coleman-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Coleman-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>They arrested Mary Coleman, 65, of Topeka, on requested charges of possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia. They also arrested Torrello K. Cameron, 26, of Topeka, of requested charges for felon in possession of firearms and other narcotics violations.

Kan. woman jailed, assault rifles seized during drug bust

KANSAS CITY– A Fort Smith, Arkansas, man was charged in federal court Thursday with fentanyl trafficking after law enforcement officers found seven pounds of fentanyl in his backpack when he arrived at a Kansas City&nbsp; bus station, according to the United State's Attorney.

Daniel Bonilla, 26, was charged with possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City.

According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s federal criminal complaint, a police service dog indicated the presence of illegal drugs in the luggage stored underneath a bus at a local bus station on Wednesday, Dec. 16. When Bonilla picked up the luggage, a Kansas City police detective contacted him for questioning. Bonilla was acting suspiciously, the affidavit says, and a police service dog indicated the presence of illegal drugs in a backpack he was carrying. When a detective searched the backpack, he found three packages that contained a total of seven pounds of fentanyl.

The charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608245358476.png" alt="Photo courtesy WJTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy WJTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY– A Fort Smith, Arkansas, man was charged in federal court Thursday with fentanyl trafficking after law enforcement officers found seven pounds of fentanyl in his backpack when he arrived at a Kansas City&nbsp; bus station, according to the United State's Attorney.Daniel Bonilla, 26, was charged with possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City.According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s federal criminal complaint, a police service dog indicated the presence of illegal drugs in the luggage stored underneath a bus at a local bus station on Wednesday, Dec. 16. When Bonilla picked up the luggage, a Kansas City police detective contacted him for questioning. Bonilla was acting suspiciously, the affidavit says, and a police service dog indicated the presence of illegal drugs in a backpack he was carrying. When a detective searched the backpack, he found three packages that contained a total of seven pounds of fentanyl.The charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

Officers seized 7 pounds of fentanyl at KC bus station

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — One man died in a fire in south Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday.

Kansas City Fire Department Assistant Chief Jimmy Walker said firefighters were called to the home shortly before 9 a.m. Sunday. The fire in a south Kansas City neighborhood was in the 10400 block of Tullis Avenue.

Walker said the person who died in the fire was an older man, but his name and age were not immediately released.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608500352623.png" alt="Crews on the scene of Sunday's fatal fire -Photo courtesy KCFD" />
 <figcaption>Crews on the scene of Sunday's fatal fire -Photo courtesy KCFD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — One man died in a fire in south Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday.Kansas City Fire Department Assistant Chief Jimmy Walker said firefighters were called to the home shortly before 9 a.m. Sunday. The fire in a south Kansas City neighborhood was in the 10400 block of Tullis Avenue.Walker said the person who died in the fire was an older man, but his name and age were not immediately released.

Man dies in Kansas City house fire 

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly and Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz announced Thursday that KDOT and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have finalized an agreement to establish the Kansas Supersonic Transportation Corridor (SSTC) for use in testing non-military aircraft that fly faster than the speed of sound (“mach” speed), according to a media release from the KDOT.

“To be able to deliver this new opportunity for our country is yet another example of Kansas cementing its reputation as a national leader in the aviation industry,”&nbsp;Governor Kelly said.&nbsp;“This high-altitude flight corridor gives Kansas a strategic advantage in attracting companies involved in the development of supersonic aircraft, and will play a significant role in our state’s ability to encourage economic development as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

KDOT Secretary Lorenz, who chairs the Aviation Committee for AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials), commended the collaborative efforts resulting in Kansas securing the SSTC. She acknowledged Kansas Senator Jerry Moran’s involvement in the process in coordination with the FAA, NASA, the Air Route Traffic Control Center and the National Institute of Aviation Research at Wichita State University.

Senator Moran said industry forecasts show a market for as many as 300 sophisticated supersonic aircraft over a 10-year period, representing as much as $40 billion in revenue and requiring a “deep bench of skilled manufacturing talent.”

“This year marks 73 years since Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, and with this supersonic flight corridor Kansas will have a unique role in the next generation of supersonic transportation,”&nbsp;Senator Moran said.

The Kansas SSTC is a 770-nautical-mile racetrack-shaped corridor at or above an altitude of 39,000 feet. The FAA’s Kansas City Air Route Traffic Control Center assessed this route to protect the safety and efficiency of the National Airspace system. This corridor is entirely in federal airspace above Kansas, running the length of the state, just north of the Kansas-Oklahoma border. The route will support sustained flight up to Mach 3 and is within reach of numerous airports equipped to provide fuel, ground and technical support.&nbsp;

Bob Brock, KDOT Director of Aviation, said the SSTC gives innovators like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Aerion, Spike and Boom Aerospace the airspace necessary to test aircraft designs that reduce the impact of sound on nearby communities. Brock said the Kansas supersonic corridor also offers logistical advantages by being the first and only such commercial supersonic flight test route in the nation’s interior.

“I’m really excited about quiet supersonic technology and its ability to be transformative for flight and our economy,”&nbsp;said Jim Bridenstine, Administrator of NASA.&nbsp;

Bridenstine said NASA is working with industry to build supersonic aircraft with “low-boom” or “no boom” flight characteristics.&nbsp;

To provide safety margins for these operations, the KDOT Division of Aviation, FAA Central Region, Air Route Traffic Control Center and Lemasters Group Consulting wrote new procedures for operators. Aircraft will only enter the SSTC at specific points and will be required to clear flight routes prior to takeoff. The SSTC is located in generally low-volume airspace, which will minimize any effect on existing flight routes and airports.

KDOT has partnered with Wichita State University’s National Institute of Aviation Research (NIAR) to collect noise data and live telemetry from the aircraft that will be used by both the FAA and aircraft manufacturers to evaluate performance.

“We help manufacturers refine aircraft designs every day and flight tests are one of our core strengths,” said Dr. John Tomblin, WSU Senior Vice President for Industry and Defense Programs and NIAR Executive Director.&nbsp;“This partnership with KDOT provides a sophisticated and cost-effective flight test capability within reach of every major aircraft manufacturer in the country.”

The FAA recently proposed a new rule that modernizes the procedure for requesting special flight authorizations to operate at supersonic speeds over the United States. Kansas state officials are hopeful data from the Kansas corridor will help policymakers and the FAA make informed rulings on issues that will drive the future of the aviation industry.

Kansas has consistently served in a leadership role for the aviation industry. Research efforts such as these may shape the future of air travel in ways that both reduce impact on the environment and facilitate global travel in a far more efficient and affordable manner

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608240633013.png" alt="SSTC photo courtesy office of Kansas Governor" />
 <figcaption>SSTC photo courtesy office of Kansas Governor</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly and Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz announced Thursday that KDOT and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have finalized an agreement to establish the Kansas Supersonic Transportation Corridor (SSTC) for use in testing non-military aircraft that fly faster than the speed of sound (“mach” speed), according to a media release from the KDOT.“To be able to deliver this new opportunity for our country is yet another example of Kansas cementing its reputation as a national leader in the aviation industry,”&nbsp;Governor Kelly said.&nbsp;“This high-altitude flight corridor gives Kansas a strategic advantage in attracting companies involved in the development of supersonic aircraft, and will play a significant role in our state’s ability to encourage economic development as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.”KDOT Secretary Lorenz, who chairs the Aviation Committee for AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials), commended the collaborative efforts resulting in Kansas securing the SSTC. She acknowledged Kansas Senator Jerry Moran’s involvement in the process in coordination with the FAA, NASA, the Air Route Traffic Control Center and the National Institute of Aviation Research at Wichita State University.Senator Moran said industry forecasts show a market for as many as 300 sophisticated supersonic aircraft over a 10-year period, representing as much as $40 billion in revenue and requiring a “deep bench of skilled manufacturing talent.”“This year marks 73 years since Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, and with this supersonic flight corridor Kansas will have a unique role in the next generation of supersonic transportation,”&nbsp;Senator Moran said.The Kansas SSTC is a 770-nautical-mile racetrack-shaped corridor at or above an altitude of 39,000 feet. The FAA’s Kansas City Air Route Traffic Control Center assessed this route to protect the safety and efficiency of the National Airspace system. This corridor is entirely in federal airspace above Kansas, running the length of the state, just north of the Kansas-Oklahoma border. The route will support sustained flight up to Mach 3 and is within reach of numerous airports equipped to provide fuel, ground and technical support.&nbsp;Bob Brock, KDOT Director of Aviation, said the SSTC gives innovators like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Aerion, Spike and Boom Aerospace the airspace necessary to test aircraft designs that reduce the impact of sound on nearby communities. Brock said the Kansas supersonic corridor also offers logistical advantages by being the first and only such commercial supersonic flight test route in the nation’s interior.Lowering the boom“I’m really excited about quiet supersonic technology and its ability to be transformative for flight and our economy,”&nbsp;said Jim Bridenstine, Administrator of NASA.&nbsp;Bridenstine said NASA is working with industry to build supersonic aircraft with “low-boom” or “no boom” flight characteristics.&nbsp;To provide safety margins for these operations, the KDOT Division of Aviation, FAA Central Region, Air Route Traffic Control Center and Lemasters Group Consulting wrote new procedures for operators. Aircraft will only enter the SSTC at specific points and will be required to clear flight routes prior to takeoff. The SSTC is located in generally low-volume airspace, which will minimize any effect on existing flight routes and airports.KDOT has partnered with Wichita State University’s National Institute of Aviation Research (NIAR) to collect noise data and live telemetry from the aircraft that will be used by both the FAA and aircraft manufacturers to evaluate performance.“We help manufacturers refine aircraft designs every day and flight tests are one of our core strengths,” said Dr. John Tomblin, WSU Senior Vice President for Industry and Defense Programs and NIAR Executive Director.&nbsp;“This partnership with KDOT provides a sophisticated and cost-effective flight test capability within reach of every major aircraft manufacturer in the country.”The FAA recently proposed a new rule that modernizes the procedure for requesting special flight authorizations to operate at supersonic speeds over the United States. Kansas state officials are hopeful data from the Kansas corridor will help policymakers and the FAA make informed rulings on issues that will drive the future of the aviation industry.Kansas has consistently served in a leadership role for the aviation industry. Research efforts such as these may shape the future of air travel in ways that both reduce impact on the environment and facilitate global travel in a far more efficient and affordable manner

Supersonic test flights coming to Kansas 

OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. (AP) — Initial shipments of the second COVID-19 vaccine authorized in the U.S. left a distribution center Sunday, a desperately needed boost as the nation works to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control.

The trucks left the factory in the Memphis area with the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health. The much-needed shots are expected to be given starting Monday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-michael-pence-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-0689620e4207b39cfbbf301f02b6b843">just three days</a>&nbsp;after the Food and Drug Administration authorized their emergency rollout.

Later Sunday, an expert committee will debate who should be next in line for early doses of the Moderna vaccine and a similar one from Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech. Pfizer’s shots&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-united-states-d4525c56fd2606f1c0dae46ac3c96405">were first shipped out</a>&nbsp;a week ago and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-health-workers-coronavirus-vaccine-56df745388a9fc12ae93c6f9a0d0e81f">started being used&nbsp;</a>the next day, kicking off the nation’s biggest vaccination drive.

Public health experts say the shots — and others in the pipeline — are the only way to stop a virus that has been spreading wildly. Nationwide, more than 219,000 people per day on average test positive for the virus, which has killed at least 314,000 in the U.S. and upwards of 1.7 million worldwide.

The Pfizer and Moderna shots shipped so far and going out over the next few weeks are nearly all going to health care workers and residents of long-term care homes, based on the advice of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

That panel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-next-in-line-0020fe73d46c7e1edef12fd6573ef49b">meets Sunday</a>&nbsp;to debate who should get the doses available after those early shots are given.

There won’t be enough shots for the general population until spring, so doses will be rationed at least for the next several months.

The panel members are leaning toward putting “essential workers” next in line, because people like bus drivers, grocery store clerks and others are the ones getting infected most often. But other experts say people 65 and older should be next, along with people with certain medical conditions, because those are the Americans who are dying at the highest rates.

The expert panel’s advice is almost always endorsed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No matter what the CDC says, there will be differences from state to state, because their health departments have different ideas about who should be closer to the front of the line.

Both the new Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech shot require two doses several weeks apart. The second dose must be from the same company as the first. Both vaccines appeared safe and strongly protective in large, still unfinished studies.

OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. (AP) — Workers on Sunday began packaging shipments of the second COVID-19 vaccine authorized in the U.S., a desperately needed boost to efforts to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control.

Employees at a factory in the Memphis area were boxing up the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health. The much-needed shots are expected to be given starting Monday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-michael-pence-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-0689620e4207b39cfbbf301f02b6b843">just three days</a>&nbsp;after the Food and Drug Administration authorized their emergency rollout.

Public health experts say the shots — and others in the pipeline — are the only way to stop a virus that has been spreading wildly. Nationwide, more than 219,000 people per day on average test positive for the virus, which has killed more than 314,000 in the U.S. and nearly 1.7 million worldwide.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608469304954.png" alt="Workers at McKesson Vaccine Distribution Center in Olive Branch, Mississippi, pack doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine into boxes early Sunday -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Workers at McKesson Vaccine Distribution Center in Olive Branch, Mississippi, pack doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine into boxes early Sunday -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. (AP) — Initial shipments of the second COVID-19 vaccine authorized in the U.S. left a distribution center Sunday, a desperately needed boost as the nation works to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control.The trucks left the factory in the Memphis area with the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health. The much-needed shots are expected to be given starting Monday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-michael-pence-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-0689620e4207b39cfbbf301f02b6b843">just three days</a>&nbsp;after the Food and Drug Administration authorized their emergency rollout.Later Sunday, an expert committee will debate who should be next in line for early doses of the Moderna vaccine and a similar one from Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech. Pfizer’s shots&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-united-states-d4525c56fd2606f1c0dae46ac3c96405">were first shipped out</a>&nbsp;a week ago and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-health-workers-coronavirus-vaccine-56df745388a9fc12ae93c6f9a0d0e81f">started being used&nbsp;</a>the next day, kicking off the nation’s biggest vaccination drive.Public health experts say the shots — and others in the pipeline — are the only way to stop a virus that has been spreading wildly. Nationwide, more than 219,000 people per day on average test positive for the virus, which has killed at least 314,000 in the U.S. and upwards of 1.7 million worldwide.The Pfizer and Moderna shots shipped so far and going out over the next few weeks are nearly all going to health care workers and residents of long-term care homes, based on the advice of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.That panel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-next-in-line-0020fe73d46c7e1edef12fd6573ef49b">meets Sunday</a>&nbsp;to debate who should get the doses available after those early shots are given.There won’t be enough shots for the general population until spring, so doses will be rationed at least for the next several months.The panel members are leaning toward putting “essential workers” next in line, because people like bus drivers, grocery store clerks and others are the ones getting infected most often. But other experts say people 65 and older should be next, along with people with certain medical conditions, because those are the Americans who are dying at the highest rates.The expert panel’s advice is almost always endorsed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No matter what the CDC says, there will be differences from state to state, because their health departments have different ideas about who should be closer to the front of the line.Both the new Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech shot require two doses several weeks apart. The second dose must be from the same company as the first. Both vaccines appeared safe and strongly protective in large, still unfinished studies.---------OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. (AP) — Workers on Sunday began packaging shipments of the second COVID-19 vaccine authorized in the U.S., a desperately needed boost to efforts to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control.Employees at a factory in the Memphis area were boxing up the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health. The much-needed shots are expected to be given starting Monday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-michael-pence-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-0689620e4207b39cfbbf301f02b6b843">just three days</a>&nbsp;after the Food and Drug Administration authorized their emergency rollout.Later Sunday, an expert committee will debate who should be next in line for early doses of the Moderna vaccine and a similar one from Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech. Pfizer’s shots&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-united-states-d4525c56fd2606f1c0dae46ac3c96405">were first shipped out</a>&nbsp;a week ago and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-health-workers-coronavirus-vaccine-56df745388a9fc12ae93c6f9a0d0e81f">started being used&nbsp;</a>the next day, kicking off the nation’s biggest vaccination drive.Public health experts say the shots — and others in the pipeline — are the only way to stop a virus that has been spreading wildly. Nationwide, more than 219,000 people per day on average test positive for the virus, which has killed more than 314,000 in the U.S. and nearly 1.7 million worldwide.The Pfizer and Moderna shots shipped so far and going out over the next few weeks are nearly all going to health care workers and residents of long-term care homes, based on the advice of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.That panel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-next-in-line-0020fe73d46c7e1edef12fd6573ef49b">meets Sunday</a>&nbsp;to debate who should get the doses available after those early shots are given.There won’t be enough shots for the general population until spring, so doses will be rationed at least for the next several months.The panel members are leaning toward putting “essential workers” next in line, because people like bus drivers, grocery store clerks and others are the ones getting infected most often. But other experts say people 65 and older should be next, along with people with certain medical conditions, because those are the Americans who are dying at the highest rates.The expert panel’s advice is almost always endorsed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No matter what the CDC says, there will be differences from state to state, because their health departments have different ideas about who should be closer to the front of the line.Both the new Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech shot require two doses several weeks apart. The second dose must be from the same company as the first. Both vaccines appeared safe and strongly protective in large, still unfinished studies.

2nd COVID-19 vaccine authorized in US ships out

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Ryan Bowser looked somber as he sat in his cramped Oregon apartment, worried whether he, his pregnant girlfriend and her 10-year-old daughter would have a roof over their heads in the new year. It may well depend on state lawmakers.

The family is three months behind on the $1,165 in rent they pay for their two-bedroom unit in the college town of Corvallis. Bowser, a custodian at Oregon State University, took eight weeks off because he was sick and couldn’t afford child care.

They’re among thousands hoping Oregon extends an eviction moratorium until July 1 in a special legislative session next week. The proposal also would create a $200 million fund mainly to compensate landlords. If passed, it would go further than a one-month extension of a federal eviction moratorium expected in a coronavirus relief package nearing consensus in Congress.

“We are forced to make decisions between which bills to pay — rent, car or groceries,” said Bowser, adding that they may have to sleep in their car, stay on friends’ couches or move to another state to crash with distant relatives. “We don’t know if we will have a home next year.”

The plight of Bowser and other renters on the edge foreshadows a national crisis that’s expected to grow next year, with states and cities that granted renters a reprieve amid the coronavirus-battered economy now wrestling with what comes next. While states like Oregon and California are trying to pass much longer moratoriums, some don’t have more protections in the works.

“This has the potential of being the biggest housing crisis of our lifetime,” said David Dworkin, president and CEO of the National Housing Conference, a nonprofit dedicated to affordable housing for all Americans.

About one-third of U.S. households say they’re behind on rent or mortgage payments and likely to face eviction or foreclosure in the next two months, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.census.gov/data-tools/demo/hhp/#/?measures=EVR" target="_blank">data</a>&nbsp;collected by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Eyes are on congressional leaders who are closing in on a massive COVID-19 relief package, including an extension of the federal eviction moratorium until February and $25 billion in rental assistance as well as a new round of stimulus checks, bonus unemployment benefits and many other efforts to deliver aid.

Eviction moratoriums instituted by 44 states beginning in March have mostly expired. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the federal moratorium in September that broadly prevents evictions through the end of 2020. The nationwide directive was seen as the best hope to prevent more than 23 million renters from being displaced.

Now, some states want to extend eviction bans further than the federal government. Lawmakers in heavily Democratic California are proposing their moratorium last until 2022, as long as renters pay at least 25% of their rent and attest to financial hardship.

And a six-month extension is the top issue for the Democratic-led Oregon Legislature in a special session Monday. Its one of 15 states where eviction moratoriums are now in place through year’s end, according to the Eviction Lab at Princeton University.

“The consequences of not acting before the expiration of the eviction moratorium would be catastrophic,” said Rep. Julie Fahey, a Democrat from the city of Eugene who helped write the proposal.

A main sticking point is that for landlords to receive back rent through a proposed compensation fund, they must forgo 20% of past-due payments. A Republican leader called it “dramatically unfair.”

“It’s not right to tell (landlords) that they have to pay to get support when the government is the one who asked them to share this responsibility and bear this burden to keep renters housed, which they have done that,” said Rep. Christine Drazan, leader of the House Republican Caucus.

Democratic Senate President Peter Courtney said there will be “some concerns, but I am convinced that we will pass something.”

While moratoriums have helped people stay in their homes during the pandemic, experts warn that extending them isn’t a long-term solution.

“This is just kicking the can down the road, because it doesn’t actually pay the rent,” Dworkin said. “If a tenant cannot afford to pay three months of rent or one month of rent, then they are not going to be able to pay nine or 12 months of rent — and they are eventually going to get evicted unless we pay their rent.”

He suggests states fund efforts that cover both rent and back payments for landlords. Through October, the National Low Income Housing Coalition estimated states and cities have set aside over $4 billion for rental assistance — far less than what they say is needed.

Like Oregon, Hawaii, Nebraska and New Jersey are among those offering payments to landlords for missed rent.

But with states’ tax revenue shrinking during the pandemic and recession, expensive efforts to combat the eviction crisis are further straining resources.

“States are under severe stress themselves financially,” Dworkin said. “In many ways, the states are being put in the situation of robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

Bowser said delays by lawmakers, locally and nationally, have crippled his family.

“All (lawmakers) have to do right now in this situation is the bare minimum to keep people in their homes,” Bowser said.

He and his girlfriend, Taylor Wood, have closely followed updates on possible extensions to state and federal moratoriums as they debate which bills to pay that month and which necessities to sacrifice. They’re desperately developing a plan for what to do if they find an eviction notice tacked to their door in the new year.

“It’s frustrating, and I know we are not the only people in this situation — there are thousands like us,” Wood said. “I just keep thinking, ‘Well, (lawmakers) won’t just let us go homeless ... right?’”

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Ryan Bowser looked somber as he sat in his cramped Oregon apartment, worried whether he, his pregnant girlfriend and her 10-year-old daughter would have a roof over their heads in the new year. It may well depend on state lawmakers.The family is three months behind on the $1,165 in rent they pay for their two-bedroom unit in the college town of Corvallis. Bowser, a custodian at Oregon State University, took eight weeks off because he was sick and couldn’t afford child care.They’re among thousands hoping Oregon extends an eviction moratorium until July 1 in a special legislative session next week. The proposal also would create a $200 million fund mainly to compensate landlords. If passed, it would go further than a one-month extension of a federal eviction moratorium expected in a coronavirus relief package nearing consensus in Congress.“We are forced to make decisions between which bills to pay — rent, car or groceries,” said Bowser, adding that they may have to sleep in their car, stay on friends’ couches or move to another state to crash with distant relatives. “We don’t know if we will have a home next year.”The plight of Bowser and other renters on the edge foreshadows a national crisis that’s expected to grow next year, with states and cities that granted renters a reprieve amid the coronavirus-battered economy now wrestling with what comes next. While states like Oregon and California are trying to pass much longer moratoriums, some don’t have more protections in the works.“This has the potential of being the biggest housing crisis of our lifetime,” said David Dworkin, president and CEO of the National Housing Conference, a nonprofit dedicated to affordable housing for all Americans.About one-third of U.S. households say they’re behind on rent or mortgage payments and likely to face eviction or foreclosure in the next two months, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.census.gov/data-tools/demo/hhp/#/?measures=EVR" target="_blank">data</a>&nbsp;collected by the U.S. Census Bureau.Eyes are on congressional leaders who are closing in on a massive COVID-19 relief package, including an extension of the federal eviction moratorium until February and $25 billion in rental assistance as well as a new round of stimulus checks, bonus unemployment benefits and many other efforts to deliver aid.Eviction moratoriums instituted by 44 states beginning in March have mostly expired. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the federal moratorium in September that broadly prevents evictions through the end of 2020. The nationwide directive was seen as the best hope to prevent more than 23 million renters from being displaced.Now, some states want to extend eviction bans further than the federal government. Lawmakers in heavily Democratic California are proposing their moratorium last until 2022, as long as renters pay at least 25% of their rent and attest to financial hardship.And a six-month extension is the top issue for the Democratic-led Oregon Legislature in a special session Monday. Its one of 15 states where eviction moratoriums are now in place through year’s end, according to the Eviction Lab at Princeton University.“The consequences of not acting before the expiration of the eviction moratorium would be catastrophic,” said Rep. Julie Fahey, a Democrat from the city of Eugene who helped write the proposal.A main sticking point is that for landlords to receive back rent through a proposed compensation fund, they must forgo 20% of past-due payments. A Republican leader called it “dramatically unfair.”“It’s not right to tell (landlords) that they have to pay to get support when the government is the one who asked them to share this responsibility and bear this burden to keep renters housed, which they have done that,” said Rep. Christine Drazan, leader of the House Republican Caucus.Democratic Senate President Peter Courtney said there will be “some concerns, but I am convinced that we will pass something.”While moratoriums have helped people stay in their homes during the pandemic, experts warn that extending them isn’t a long-term solution.“This is just kicking the can down the road, because it doesn’t actually pay the rent,” Dworkin said. “If a tenant cannot afford to pay three months of rent or one month of rent, then they are not going to be able to pay nine or 12 months of rent — and they are eventually going to get evicted unless we pay their rent.”He suggests states fund efforts that cover both rent and back payments for landlords. Through October, the National Low Income Housing Coalition estimated states and cities have set aside over $4 billion for rental assistance — far less than what they say is needed.Like Oregon, Hawaii, Nebraska and New Jersey are among those offering payments to landlords for missed rent.But with states’ tax revenue shrinking during the pandemic and recession, expensive efforts to combat the eviction crisis are further straining resources.“States are under severe stress themselves financially,” Dworkin said. “In many ways, the states are being put in the situation of robbing Peter to pay Paul.”Bowser said delays by lawmakers, locally and nationally, have crippled his family.“All (lawmakers) have to do right now in this situation is the bare minimum to keep people in their homes,” Bowser said.He and his girlfriend, Taylor Wood, have closely followed updates on possible extensions to state and federal moratoriums as they debate which bills to pay that month and which necessities to sacrifice. They’re desperately developing a plan for what to do if they find an eviction notice tacked to their door in the new year.“It’s frustrating, and I know we are not the only people in this situation — there are thousands like us,” Wood said. “I just keep thinking, ‘Well, (lawmakers) won’t just let us go homeless ... right?’”___

States grapple with next steps on evictions as crisis grows

By PEGGY LOWE <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-12-17/hard-working-fierce-mother-of-nine-from-kansas-city-kansas-didnt-play">Kansas News Service</a>

Iola Mae Herviey loved her nine children with such a fierce protectiveness her kids felt sorry for anyone who got in their way.

Herviey
 was strict, determined to make them into good kids. Her youngest, 
Darryll Fortune, had heard all the stories, of course. But something 
dawned on him about three-quarters into the April funeral for “Moma,” as
 he and 20 others watched her Zoom service from their respective homes, 
spread around the country.

“Wait a minute! Why is everybody 
talking about my Moma whooping ass?” he said. “I mean, everybody talked 
about her spanking and cussing folks out and it's like, wait! And we 
just all bust up laughing.”

“They said, ‘Well, your Moma didn't play.”

Iola
 Mae (Robinson) Herviey graduated from high school during World War II 
and raised nine children in Kansas City, Kansas, on her wages as a 
domestic worker. A life-long Christian, she buried four sons, three 
husbands and two siblings. She smoked unfiltered Pall Malls for years, 
telling her kids to eat their greens and drink water and they’d be fine.
 She never even had a surgery until she was in her mid-80s.

“It took corona to take her out,” Fortune said.

Herviey
 died April 5 at Providence Medical Center after contracting the 
coronavirus at Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation, the Kansas City, 
Kansas, facility where 36 others died, the most of any nursing home in 
the state. She was 93 years old.

Like many in Kansas City, 
Kansas, Herviey was part of a family who had moved north from Arkansas 
during the Great Migration, the decades after Reconstruction when 
millions were lured away from racist Southern life in hopes of good jobs
 in northern cities. She was born in 1926 and grew up in a proud 
African-American community, attending Sumner High School, the 
then-segregated all-Black school, Class of 1944.

Visiting his 
mother at Riverbend, Fortune said he would walk down the halls and see 
nameplates on the doors of folks he remembered as a superintendent or a 
teacher at a school, local business people, names that stood for 
something in a town everyone called KCK.

There “was a whole community there of people who grew up in Kansas City, Kansas,” Fortune said. “And
 because they were… didn't have great economics or, poor, I'll put it 
that way, Riverbend and other similar places was their only option.”

Herviey
 was such a hard-worker her son would fight anyone who said otherwise. 
Her first job as a teenager was at the Monarch Egg Plant. She spent the 
next decades as a “day keeper,” Fortune said, cleaning house and raising
 children for two prominent families, including the Cosentino’s, who own
 grocery store chains in Kansas City.

At her service, the Saturday
 before Easter Sunday, as Herviey lay in a casket of her favorite pink 
color, her children remembered the woman they called Moma. She was 
old-school: tough and tender, strict and selfless – all from a 
three-bedroom home in the projects.

“I watched this lady raise 
nine kids – eight boys, one girl -- on the income she had getting paid 
daily. Not weekly, not bi-weekly, not monthly. Daily. Scrubbing people’s
 toilets,” said her son, Rene Andre Fortune.

“I had no idea what 
domestic work was until I was almost grown. When I found out what she 
was doing, it humbled me so much as a person to find out what my mother 
was doing to put clothes on our backs, to put food on the table. To 
provide the right thing and the right way.”

When the kids were done with their chores around the house, Moma had 
to inspect the job before they were allowed to go out and play. But 
weekends? Weekends were great at Moma’s house, with Friday night 
starting out with a dinner of fish, white bread and spaghetti. Then 
friends and family came over to play cards, drink Hamm’s beer and dance 
to Motown records. On Saturday morning, the treat was donuts from the 
Cake Box Bakery, and Sunday was always church.

Herviey
 was a great cook with an infectious laugh, said the Rev. Ronald King, 
Herviey’s nephew and pastor of Mason Memorial Methodist Church in Kansas
 City, Kansas. She was friendly, he said, but didn’t mind telling anyone
 if they were wrong, they were wrong.

“She also had a profound 
belief in karma, or whatever it is the world deals you back when you 
don’t do what you’re supposed to do and you don’t listen to the wisdom 
of the ages,” King said.

“I remember once she told (sons) Reggie 
and Jerry not to do something,” King said. “And then they thought they 
was grown and they went ahead and started to do it anyway and Auntie 
looked at me and said, ‘You see, Ronnie, that boy don’t believe fat 
meat’s greasy.”

Another son, Ricky Herviey, remembered one of his 
mother’s friends bugging him at their home when he was about 
15-years-old. She sent her son out of the house, but Ricky Herviey 
listened from outside.

“I could hear her going off on the lady and
 it wasn’t pretty,” he said. "Mom was very nice in her own way, but when
 you start messing with her kids, it was a whole different ball game.”

After
 her kids were raised and she retired, Herviey loved to travel, visiting
 family in California and taking the occasional cruise. When she wanted 
to work again, she got a volunteer job at Grant Elementary School as a 
grandparent helper, but her discipline was too strong for the school 
district, Darryll Fortune said.

“She wouldn't say she got fired, 
but she got fired,” Fortune said with a laugh. “She was telling the 
kids, ‘Hey boy, get over here. You can't do that now, sit your ass 
down.’ (Administrators said,) ‘Miss Fortune, you can't talk to the kids 
that way.’ And she said, ‘What? That's the problem. Now the parents just
 let them run around here.’”

She also scoffed at the term “single mother.”

“Her
 thing was, ‘What the hell does that mean?” Fortune said. “’You're a 
mom, you know, whether there there's a man in your life or not, and once
 your baby comes out of you, you're a mom.’”

Darryll Fortune said 
he often asked his Moma why her family moved up from Arkansas, and she 
would say, “Oh, hell, boy. Why are you even asking me about that?” She 
simply said that her family wanted a better life, he said.

Which is what she wanted for her kids, too.

“She'd
 say, you know, I only had a high school education, but you all should 
do better. Go to the military or go to college, but do better than I 
did,” Fortune recalled.

Her kids wondered why Moma didn’t want a better house or cars or a 401K, but she told them she was happy.

“Her response is: I got my kids. I got my health,” Fortune said. “I got my family.”

Iola
 Mae Herviey left behind a large family. In addition to her nine 
children and two nephews, she has dozens of grandchildren, great 
grandchildren and several great-great grandchildren.

Peggy Lowe is a veteran investigative reporter based at KCUR, NPR’s member station in Kansas City. She also serves as a correspondent for Marketplace, public media’s national business show.&nbsp;Kansas News Service's Celia Llopis-Jepsen contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608309355018.png" alt="Iola Mae Herviey poses with the youngest of her children, Darryll Fortune, believed to be five-years-old in this photograph. Courtesy image" />
 <figcaption>Iola Mae Herviey poses with the youngest of her children, Darryll Fortune, believed to be five-years-old in this photograph. Courtesy image</figcaption>
 </figure>By PEGGY LOWE <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-12-17/hard-working-fierce-mother-of-nine-from-kansas-city-kansas-didnt-play">Kansas News Service</a>Iola Mae Herviey loved her nine children with such a fierce protectiveness her kids felt sorry for anyone who got in their way.Herviey
 was strict, determined to make them into good kids. Her youngest, 
Darryll Fortune, had heard all the stories, of course. But something 
dawned on him about three-quarters into the April funeral for “Moma,” as
 he and 20 others watched her Zoom service from their respective homes, 
spread around the country.“Wait a minute! Why is everybody 
talking about my Moma whooping ass?” he said. “I mean, everybody talked 
about her spanking and cussing folks out and it's like, wait! And we 
just all bust up laughing.”“They said, ‘Well, your Moma didn't play.”Iola
 Mae (Robinson) Herviey graduated from high school during World War II 
and raised nine children in Kansas City, Kansas, on her wages as a 
domestic worker. A life-long Christian, she buried four sons, three 
husbands and two siblings. She smoked unfiltered Pall Malls for years, 
telling her kids to eat their greens and drink water and they’d be fine.
 She never even had a surgery until she was in her mid-80s.“It took corona to take her out,” Fortune said.Herviey
 died April 5 at Providence Medical Center after contracting the 
coronavirus at Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation, the Kansas City, 
Kansas, facility where 36 others died, the most of any nursing home in 
the state. She was 93 years old.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608309448376.png" alt="Iola Mae Herviey's casket rests beneath a monitor prior to her funeral, which was conducted via Zoom." />
 <figcaption>Iola Mae Herviey's casket rests beneath a monitor prior to her funeral, which was conducted via Zoom.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Part of the Great Migration</h2>Like many in Kansas City, 
Kansas, Herviey was part of a family who had moved north from Arkansas 
during the Great Migration, the decades after Reconstruction when 
millions were lured away from racist Southern life in hopes of good jobs
 in northern cities. She was born in 1926 and grew up in a proud 
African-American community, attending Sumner High School, the 
then-segregated all-Black school, Class of 1944.Visiting his 
mother at Riverbend, Fortune said he would walk down the halls and see 
nameplates on the doors of folks he remembered as a superintendent or a 
teacher at a school, local business people, names that stood for 
something in a town everyone called KCK.There “was a whole community there of people who grew up in Kansas City, Kansas,” Fortune said. “And
 because they were… didn't have great economics or, poor, I'll put it 
that way, Riverbend and other similar places was their only option.”<h2>Hard-working, on a daily wage</h2>Herviey
 was such a hard-worker her son would fight anyone who said otherwise. 
Her first job as a teenager was at the Monarch Egg Plant. She spent the 
next decades as a “day keeper,” Fortune said, cleaning house and raising
 children for two prominent families, including the Cosentino’s, who own
 grocery store chains in Kansas City.At her service, the Saturday
 before Easter Sunday, as Herviey lay in a casket of her favorite pink 
color, her children remembered the woman they called Moma. She was 
old-school: tough and tender, strict and selfless – all from a 
three-bedroom home in the projects.“I watched this lady raise 
nine kids – eight boys, one girl -- on the income she had getting paid 
daily. Not weekly, not bi-weekly, not monthly. Daily. Scrubbing people’s
 toilets,” said her son, Rene Andre Fortune.“I had no idea what 
domestic work was until I was almost grown. When I found out what she 
was doing, it humbled me so much as a person to find out what my mother 
was doing to put clothes on our backs, to put food on the table. To 
provide the right thing and the right way.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608309480003.png" alt="Kansas City, Kansas native Iola Mae Herviey poses in 2010 with her sons, Donald, Jerry, Darryll and Rene. In all, Herviey had nine children, eight boys and one girl." />
 <figcaption>Kansas City, Kansas native Iola Mae Herviey poses in 2010 with her sons, Donald, Jerry, Darryll and Rene. In all, Herviey had nine children, eight boys and one girl.</figcaption>
 </figure>When the kids were done with their chores around the house, Moma had 
to inspect the job before they were allowed to go out and play. But 
weekends? Weekends were great at Moma’s house, with Friday night 
starting out with a dinner of fish, white bread and spaghetti. Then 
friends and family came over to play cards, drink Hamm’s beer and dance 
to Motown records. On Saturday morning, the treat was donuts from the 
Cake Box Bakery, and Sunday was always church.<h2>If you were wrong, she told you so</h2>Herviey
 was a great cook with an infectious laugh, said the Rev. Ronald King, 
Herviey’s nephew and pastor of Mason Memorial Methodist Church in Kansas
 City, Kansas. She was friendly, he said, but didn’t mind telling anyone
 if they were wrong, they were wrong.“She also had a profound 
belief in karma, or whatever it is the world deals you back when you 
don’t do what you’re supposed to do and you don’t listen to the wisdom 
of the ages,” King said.“I remember once she told (sons) Reggie 
and Jerry not to do something,” King said. “And then they thought they 
was grown and they went ahead and started to do it anyway and Auntie 
looked at me and said, ‘You see, Ronnie, that boy don’t believe fat 
meat’s greasy.”Another son, Ricky Herviey, remembered one of his 
mother’s friends bugging him at their home when he was about 
15-years-old. She sent her son out of the house, but Ricky Herviey 
listened from outside.“I could hear her going off on the lady and
 it wasn’t pretty,” he said. "Mom was very nice in her own way, but when
 you start messing with her kids, it was a whole different ball game.”<h2>Don’t call her a single mom</h2>After
 her kids were raised and she retired, Herviey loved to travel, visiting
 family in California and taking the occasional cruise. When she wanted 
to work again, she got a volunteer job at Grant Elementary School as a 
grandparent helper, but her discipline was too strong for the school 
district, Darryll Fortune said.“She wouldn't say she got fired, 
but she got fired,” Fortune said with a laugh. “She was telling the 
kids, ‘Hey boy, get over here. You can't do that now, sit your ass 
down.’ (Administrators said,) ‘Miss Fortune, you can't talk to the kids 
that way.’ And she said, ‘What? That's the problem. Now the parents just
 let them run around here.’”She also scoffed at the term “single mother.”“Her
 thing was, ‘What the hell does that mean?” Fortune said. “’You're a 
mom, you know, whether there there's a man in your life or not, and once
 your baby comes out of you, you're a mom.’”Darryll Fortune said 
he often asked his Moma why her family moved up from Arkansas, and she 
would say, “Oh, hell, boy. Why are you even asking me about that?” She 
simply said that her family wanted a better life, he said.Which is what she wanted for her kids, too.“She'd
 say, you know, I only had a high school education, but you all should 
do better. Go to the military or go to college, but do better than I 
did,” Fortune recalled.Her kids wondered why Moma didn’t want a better house or cars or a 401K, but she told them she was happy.“Her response is: I got my kids. I got my health,” Fortune said. “I got my family.”Iola
 Mae Herviey left behind a large family. In addition to her nine 
children and two nephews, she has dozens of grandchildren, great 
grandchildren and several great-great grandchildren.Peggy Lowe is a veteran investigative reporter based at KCUR, NPR’s member station in Kansas City. She also serves as a correspondent for Marketplace, public media’s national business show.&nbsp;Kansas News Service's Celia Llopis-Jepsen contributed to this report.

Hard-working, fierce mother of nine was one of first virus deaths in KCK

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man pleaded guilty today to armed bank robbery, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

&nbsp;Kenya Breakfield, 22, Olathe, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery and one count of discharging a firearm during the robbery. In his plea, Breakfield admitted that on Oct. 21, 2018, he and a co-defendant robbed Wells Fargo Bank at 2000 W. 103rd&nbsp;Street in Leawood, Kan.

&nbsp;Both men were wearing masks of the comic book character Venom and carrying handguns. During the robbery, one of the robbers said, “Happy holidays!” and fired a round from his handgun into the ceiling.

In March 2019, police arrested Breakfield after identifying the getaway car. Co-defendant&nbsp;Michael Shiferaw, 22, Olathe, Kan., is awaiting trial.

Sentencing is set for March 18, 2021. Breakfield could face a penalty of up to 25 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the robbery charge, and not less than 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the other count.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608237271487.png" alt="Breakfield -photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Breakfield -photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man pleaded guilty today to armed bank robbery, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.&nbsp;Kenya Breakfield, 22, Olathe, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery and one count of discharging a firearm during the robbery. In his plea, Breakfield admitted that on Oct. 21, 2018, he and a co-defendant robbed Wells Fargo Bank at 2000 W. 103rd&nbsp;Street in Leawood, Kan.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608237620776.png" alt="Security camera image of suspects during the bank robbery in Roeland Park -photo FBI Kansas City" />
 <figcaption>Security camera image of suspects during the bank robbery in Roeland Park -photo FBI Kansas City</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;Both men were wearing masks of the comic book character Venom and carrying handguns. During the robbery, one of the robbers said, “Happy holidays!” and fired a round from his handgun into the ceiling.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608237525262.png" alt="Shiferaw " />
 <figcaption>Shiferaw </figcaption>
 </figure>In March 2019, police arrested Breakfield after identifying the getaway car. Co-defendant&nbsp;Michael Shiferaw, 22, Olathe, Kan., is awaiting trial.Sentencing is set for March 18, 2021. Breakfield could face a penalty of up to 25 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the robbery charge, and not less than 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the other count.

Kan. bank robber wore venom mask, yelled 'happy holidays'

TOPEKA–&nbsp;A Hutchinson Correctional Facility resident who died Friday, Dec. 18 had tested positive for COVID-19. This is the third COVID-19 related resident death at HCF, and the twelfth resident death related to COVID-19 for the Kansas Department of Corrections, according to a media release from KDOC.

The resident tested positive for the virus on Oct. 23 and was transferred to the hospital on Nov. 23.&nbsp; He was a 62-year old white male with underlying medical concerns that contributed to his condition.

The resident was serving a 154-month sentence for convictions of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. He had been imprisoned with the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) since March 2013.

The Hutchinson Correctional Facility is Kansas’ second-oldest prison and houses 1,884 men.&nbsp;

TOPEKA–&nbsp;A Hutchinson Correctional Facility resident who died Friday, Dec. 18 had tested positive for COVID-19. This is the third COVID-19 related resident death at HCF, and the twelfth resident death related to COVID-19 for the Kansas Department of Corrections, according to a media release from KDOC.The resident tested positive for the virus on Oct. 23 and was transferred to the hospital on Nov. 23.&nbsp; He was a 62-year old white male with underlying medical concerns that contributed to his condition.The resident was serving a 154-month sentence for convictions of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. He had been imprisoned with the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) since March 2013.The Hutchinson Correctional Facility is Kansas’ second-oldest prison and houses 1,884 men.&nbsp;

12th Kan. inmate dies after positive COVID-19 test

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Multiple earthquakes rattled Wichita on over the weekend, with the largest at 12:47p.m. measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

It was centered near 13th and Greenwich where around a dozen tremblers had been reported since Thanksgiving Day.&nbsp;

That makes the trembler the largest on record in the city in the last five years, although its still is considered relatively small. The threshold for damage usually starts at 4.0. 

The USGS reported at least six other quakes happened Saturday and another early Sunday in Wichita including a 3.4 magnitude quake centered near Bellaire just before 1p.m. Saturday.&nbsp;

SEDGWICK COUNTY —The U.S. Geological Survey says a series of earthquakes rattled Wichita on Saturday morning and early afternoon.

The first quake, just after 11:30a.m., was centered northeast of Eastborough and measured a magnitude 2.6, according to the USGS. Three additional quakes were also centered in Eastborough including a temblors that measured 2.7, 3.5 just before 1p.m. and 2.5 quake at 1:18p.m., according to the U.S.

In addition, the USGS reported a 3.4 magnitude quake centered near Bellaire just before 1p.m.&nbsp;

The region has experienced ten or more earthquakes of 2.0 magnitude or more since Thanksgiving Day including a 2.8 magnitude quake December 14 and a 3.3 quake Dec. 3.&nbsp; No damage or injuries were reported.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608404080191.png" alt="Location of the Saturday morning 2.6 magnitude earthquake in Wichita -USGS image" />
 <figcaption>Location of the Saturday morning 2.6 magnitude earthquake in Wichita -USGS image</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — Multiple earthquakes rattled Wichita on over the weekend, with the largest at 12:47p.m. measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.It was centered near 13th and Greenwich where around a dozen tremblers had been reported since Thanksgiving Day.&nbsp;That makes the trembler the largest on record in the city in the last five years, although its still is considered relatively small. The threshold for damage usually starts at 4.0. The USGS reported at least six other quakes happened Saturday and another early Sunday in Wichita including a 3.4 magnitude quake centered near Bellaire just before 1p.m. Saturday.&nbsp;--------SEDGWICK COUNTY —The U.S. Geological Survey says a series of earthquakes rattled Wichita on Saturday morning and early afternoon.The first quake, just after 11:30a.m., was centered northeast of Eastborough and measured a magnitude 2.6, according to the USGS. Three additional quakes were also centered in Eastborough including a temblors that measured 2.7, 3.5 just before 1p.m. and 2.5 quake at 1:18p.m., according to the U.S.In addition, the USGS reported a 3.4 magnitude quake centered near Bellaire just before 1p.m.&nbsp;The region has experienced ten or more earthquakes of 2.0 magnitude or more since Thanksgiving Day including a 2.8 magnitude quake December 14 and a 3.3 quake Dec. 3.&nbsp; No damage or injuries were reported.&nbsp;--------

USGS: Small earthquakes continue in Wichita 

LYON COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 11:30a.m. Saturday in Lyon County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Jeep Cherokee driven by Dorene Kay Metzger, 77, Gridley, Kansas, was northbound on Kansas 130 one half mile southeast of Neosha Rapids.

The Jeep crossed the center line and struck a 2011 Ford F150 driven by Stephen J. Skelton, 80, Hartford head-on.

Metzger was pronounced dead at the scene and she was transported to Charter Funeral Home. EMS transported Skelton to Wesley Medical Center. Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

LYON COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 11:30a.m. Saturday in Lyon County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Jeep Cherokee driven by Dorene Kay Metzger, 77, Gridley, Kansas, was northbound on Kansas 130 one half mile southeast of Neosha Rapids.The Jeep crossed the center line and struck a 2011 Ford F150 driven by Stephen J. Skelton, 80, Hartford head-on.Metzger was pronounced dead at the scene and she was transported to Charter Funeral Home. EMS transported Skelton to Wesley Medical Center. Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

Kan. woman dead, man hospitalized after head-on crash

WASHINGTON (AP)—Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Russia was “pretty clearly” behind the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-hacking-coronavirus-pandemic-russia-350ae2fb2e513772a4dc4b7360b8175c">grave cyberattack</a>&nbsp;against the United States, the first administration official to publicly tie the Kremlin to the widespread intrusion at a time when President Donald Trump has kept silent on the failure to protect government and private-sector computer networks.

It’s not clear exactly what the hackers were seeking, but experts say it could include nuclear secrets, blueprints for advanced weaponry, COVID-19 vaccine-related research and information for dossiers on key government and industry leaders.

“We’re still unpacking precisely what it is, and I’m sure some of it will remain classified,” Pompeo said in an interview late Friday with radio talk show host Mark Levin. “But suffice it to say there was a significant effort to use a piece of third-party software to essentially embed code inside of U.S. government systems and it now appears systems of private companies and companies and governments across the world as well. This was a very significant effort, and I think it’s the case that now we can say pretty clearly that it was the Russians that engaged in this activity.”

Russia has said it had “nothing to do” with the hacking.

Deputy White House press secretary Brian Morgenstern told reporters Friday that national security adviser Robert O’Brien has sometimes been leading multiple daily meetings with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the intelligence agencies, looking for ways to mitigate the hack.

He would not provide details, “but rest assured we have the best and brightest working hard on it each and every single day.”

The Democratic leaders of four House committees given classified briefings by the administration on the hack issued a statement complaining that they “were left with more questions than answers.”

“Administration officials were unwilling to share the full scope of the breach and identities of the victims,” they said.

Pompeo, in the interview with Levin, said Russia was on the list of “folks that want to undermine our way of life, our republic, our basic democratic principles. ... You see the news of the day with respect to their efforts in the cyberspace. We’ve seen this for an awfully long time, using asymmetric capabilities to try and put themselves in a place where they can impose costs on the United States.”

What makes this hacking campaign so extraordinary is its scale: 18,000 organizations were infected from March to June by malicious code that piggybacked on popular network-management software from an Austin, Texas, company called SolarWinds.

It’s going to take months to kick elite hackers out of the U.S. government networks they have been quietly rifling through since as far back as March.

Experts say there simply are not enough skilled threat-hunting teams to duly identify all the government and private-sector systems that may have been hacked. FireEye, the cybersecurity company that discovered the intrusion into U.S. agencies and was among the victims, has already tallied dozens of casualties. It’s racing to identify more.

Many federal workers — and others in the private sector — must presume that unclassified networks are teeming with spies. Agencies will be more inclined to conduct sensitive government business on Signal, WhatsApp and other encrypted smartphone apps.

“We should buckle up. This will be a long ride,” said Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder and former chief technical officer of the leading cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. “Cleanup is just phase one.”

The only way to be sure a network is clean is “to burn it down to the ground and rebuild it,” Schneier said.

Florida became the first state to acknowledge falling victim to a SolarWinds hack. Officials told The Associated Press that hackers apparently infiltrated the state’s health care administration agency and others.

SolarWinds’ customers include most Fortune 500 companies, and it’s U.S. government clients are rich with generals and spymasters.

If the hackers are indeed from Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence agency, as experts believe, their resistance may be tenacious. When they hacked the White House, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the State Department in 2014 and 2015 “it was a nightmare to get them out,” Alperovitch said.

The Pentagon has said it has so far not detected any intrusions from the SolarWinds campaign in any of its networks — classified or unclassified.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605036065360.png" alt="Former Kansas congressman now Secretary of State Mike Pompeo-photo courtesy U.S. Dept. of State" />
 <figcaption>Former Kansas congressman now Secretary of State Mike Pompeo-photo courtesy U.S. Dept. of State</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP)—Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Russia was “pretty clearly” behind the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-hacking-coronavirus-pandemic-russia-350ae2fb2e513772a4dc4b7360b8175c">grave cyberattack</a>&nbsp;against the United States, the first administration official to publicly tie the Kremlin to the widespread intrusion at a time when President Donald Trump has kept silent on the failure to protect government and private-sector computer networks.It’s not clear exactly what the hackers were seeking, but experts say it could include nuclear secrets, blueprints for advanced weaponry, COVID-19 vaccine-related research and information for dossiers on key government and industry leaders.“We’re still unpacking precisely what it is, and I’m sure some of it will remain classified,” Pompeo said in an interview late Friday with radio talk show host Mark Levin. “But suffice it to say there was a significant effort to use a piece of third-party software to essentially embed code inside of U.S. government systems and it now appears systems of private companies and companies and governments across the world as well. This was a very significant effort, and I think it’s the case that now we can say pretty clearly that it was the Russians that engaged in this activity.”Russia has said it had “nothing to do” with the hacking.Deputy White House press secretary Brian Morgenstern told reporters Friday that national security adviser Robert O’Brien has sometimes been leading multiple daily meetings with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the intelligence agencies, looking for ways to mitigate the hack.He would not provide details, “but rest assured we have the best and brightest working hard on it each and every single day.”The Democratic leaders of four House committees given classified briefings by the administration on the hack issued a statement complaining that they “were left with more questions than answers.”“Administration officials were unwilling to share the full scope of the breach and identities of the victims,” they said.Pompeo, in the interview with Levin, said Russia was on the list of “folks that want to undermine our way of life, our republic, our basic democratic principles. ... You see the news of the day with respect to their efforts in the cyberspace. We’ve seen this for an awfully long time, using asymmetric capabilities to try and put themselves in a place where they can impose costs on the United States.”What makes this hacking campaign so extraordinary is its scale: 18,000 organizations were infected from March to June by malicious code that piggybacked on popular network-management software from an Austin, Texas, company called SolarWinds.It’s going to take months to kick elite hackers out of the U.S. government networks they have been quietly rifling through since as far back as March.Experts say there simply are not enough skilled threat-hunting teams to duly identify all the government and private-sector systems that may have been hacked. FireEye, the cybersecurity company that discovered the intrusion into U.S. agencies and was among the victims, has already tallied dozens of casualties. It’s racing to identify more.Many federal workers — and others in the private sector — must presume that unclassified networks are teeming with spies. Agencies will be more inclined to conduct sensitive government business on Signal, WhatsApp and other encrypted smartphone apps.“We should buckle up. This will be a long ride,” said Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder and former chief technical officer of the leading cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. “Cleanup is just phase one.”The only way to be sure a network is clean is “to burn it down to the ground and rebuild it,” Schneier said.Florida became the first state to acknowledge falling victim to a SolarWinds hack. Officials told The Associated Press that hackers apparently infiltrated the state’s health care administration agency and others.SolarWinds’ customers include most Fortune 500 companies, and it’s U.S. government clients are rich with generals and spymasters.If the hackers are indeed from Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence agency, as experts believe, their resistance may be tenacious. When they hacked the White House, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the State Department in 2014 and 2015 “it was a nightmare to get them out,” Alperovitch said.The Pentagon has said it has so far not detected any intrusions from the SolarWinds campaign in any of its networks — classified or unclassified.___

Pompeo reveals who is behind massive cyberattack on US 

KANSAS CITY – An Ohio man was indicted by a federal grand jury this week for traveling to Kansas City in an attempt to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a 12-year-old child, according to the United State's Attorney.

Timothy M. Zukoski, 34, of Southington, Ohio, was charged in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. The indictment replaces a criminal complaint that was filed against Zukoski on Nov. 27, 2020.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Zukoski began communicating through Instagram on Oct. 21, 2020, with a person he believed to be 12 years old. In reality, the Instagram account had been set up by a Kansas City area woman for her daughter. The woman communicated with Zukoski under the identity of her daughter, the affidavit says, before contacting the FBI. An FBI undercover employee then began communicating with Zukoski through the Instagram account, assuming the identity of the 12-year-old girl. Zukoski began making arrangements to travel to the Kansas City area so that he could meet the child victim for sex.

Zukoski allegedly made plans with the FBI undercover employee to stay in Kansas City while the child victim’s mother was purportedly out of town over Thanksgiving weekend. Zukoski also suggested, the affidavit says, that the child victim could come live with him. When Zukoski arrived in Kansas City on Nov. 27, 2020, he was arrested. Investigators found numerous images of child pornography on his cell phone.

The indictment charges Zukoski with one count of attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, one count of traveling across state lines to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and one count of possessing child pornography.

KANSAS CITY – An Ohio man was indicted by a federal grand jury this week for traveling to Kansas City in an attempt to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a 12-year-old child, according to the United State's Attorney.Timothy M. Zukoski, 34, of Southington, Ohio, was charged in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. The indictment replaces a criminal complaint that was filed against Zukoski on Nov. 27, 2020.According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Zukoski began communicating through Instagram on Oct. 21, 2020, with a person he believed to be 12 years old. In reality, the Instagram account had been set up by a Kansas City area woman for her daughter. The woman communicated with Zukoski under the identity of her daughter, the affidavit says, before contacting the FBI. An FBI undercover employee then began communicating with Zukoski through the Instagram account, assuming the identity of the 12-year-old girl. Zukoski began making arrangements to travel to the Kansas City area so that he could meet the child victim for sex.Zukoski allegedly made plans with the FBI undercover employee to stay in Kansas City while the child victim’s mother was purportedly out of town over Thanksgiving weekend. Zukoski also suggested, the affidavit says, that the child victim could come live with him. When Zukoski arrived in Kansas City on Nov. 27, 2020, he was arrested. Investigators found numerous images of child pornography on his cell phone.The indictment charges Zukoski with one count of attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, one count of traveling across state lines to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and one count of possessing child pornography.&nbsp;

Indictment: Man traveled to KC to meet 12-year-old for sex

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) —Gov. Laura Kelly expressed little concern Friday over a smaller-than-expected second shipment of a coronavirus vaccine for Kansas, adding that she expects the state’s plan for distributing shots in coming months to boost an economy that has slowed recently.

<a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/BiWeeklyCall-12.18.20-1-2.mp4">Click here to listen&nbsp;</a> the governor's Friday conference call with county commissioners, emergency managers, public health officers, legislators, and other community leaders on COVID-19 and the vaccine.

Kelly said the reduction in the state’s second shipment of a vaccine made by Pfizer is “more of a smoothing process” by the federal government to make sure health care workers who received the first of two doses this week can get the second in January. At least a dozen states have reported that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-87da29dc29e51236b90c2be9b023ce0a">they will receive fewer doses</a>&nbsp;next week than anticipated.

The governor’s comments during a teleconference with local and state officials came as the state Department of Health and Environment reported that Kansas has surpassed 200,000 confirmed and probable coronavirus cases for the pandemic, or about one for every 15 of its 2.9 million residents. The state also reported total 2,341 COVID-19 deaths, adding 88 to the tally since Wednesday.

Kansas received its first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine this week, the first of two doses for 23,750 people, and it focused on distributing them to hospitals so that they could vaccinate health care workers at high-risk of coronavirus exposure. The state had anticipated receiving another 29,000 doses next week but now expects 39% fewer doses, or 17,550.

“I heard this morning that the reason that this is being done is that they needed to smooth out the quantity of deliveries, if they had delivered as many as they had proposed to deliver next week, then they were not going to have enough for people to get their second dose,” she said. “I think we’re OK on that.”

Michigan’s shipment will drop by about a quarter. In addition to Kansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire and Indiana also have been told to expect smaller shipments.

The governor celebrated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-topeka-coronavirus-pandemic-e53bbe038a6cfab0be1dde53e93d5e42">the relatively widespread distribution&nbsp;</a>of the first shipment, with at least a few doses going to hospitals in rural areas. Kelly said about 100 of the state’s 105 counties have received vaccines and the ones that haven’t either didn’t cite a need for it or weren’t prepared to give shots this week.

In northeast Kansas, Marshall County, with about 9,700 residents, had fewer than 100 cases at the beginning of November and now has almost 600, or one for every 16 residents. It went from having no reported COVID-19 deaths to 21 as the virus swept through nursing homes.

The county hospital on Thursday lined up its first group of employees to get shots in front of a Christmas tree in the lobby, said spokeswoman Ashley Kracht.

“Really this vaccine is a turning point emotionally as much as anything else,” she said. “I think all of our staff would probably say, ’We are doing our best to kind of keep keep our heads above water. We just feel like we are constantly treading water so this really gives us the ability to say, ‘We might float.’ Something better is coming.”

<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1533/COVID-19-Vaccination-Plan-for-Kansas-Version12-1142020?bidId=" target="_blank">Kansas’ plan</a>&nbsp;for distributing the vaccines calls for giving shots first to at-risk health care workers, nursing home workers and nursing home residents. Vaccines are supposed to start for all adults next spring.

“It should foster economic recovery,” Kelly said. “We can enter the new year with confidence that life will return to normal in a matter of months. We’re not there yet.”

Kelly herself does not plan to get vaccinated until “it is her turn,” spokeswoman Lauren Fitzgerald said. State legislators also are not getting special treatment.

“She will be vaccinated publicly to reinforce the safety and importance of getting vaccinated,” Fitzgerald said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press.

But the hope — and for some health care workers, joy — over the first vaccine’s arrival came amid bad news about the Kansas economy.

The state Department of Labor has reported a growing number of initial claims for unemployment benefits in recent weeks. More than 39,000 such claims were filed during the week ending Dec. 12, an increase of 95% over the second week of November’s roughly 20,000 claims and more than 20 times the number of claims filed during the second week of December 2019.

The Department of Labor said Friday that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose in November to 5.6%, up from 5% in October and compared with 3.1% for November 2019. The state’s pandemic-fueled unemployment rate peaked at 11.9% in April and had been dropping until November.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608072923749.png" alt="The first vaccine arrived in Kansas November 14 -photo courtesy office of Kansas Governor" />
 <figcaption>The first vaccine arrived in Kansas November 14 -photo courtesy office of Kansas Governor</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) —Gov. Laura Kelly expressed little concern Friday over a smaller-than-expected second shipment of a coronavirus vaccine for Kansas, adding that she expects the state’s plan for distributing shots in coming months to boost an economy that has slowed recently.<a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/BiWeeklyCall-12.18.20-1-2.mp4">Click here to listen&nbsp;</a> the governor's Friday conference call with county commissioners, emergency managers, public health officers, legislators, and other community leaders on COVID-19 and the vaccine.Kelly said the reduction in the state’s second shipment of a vaccine made by Pfizer is “more of a smoothing process” by the federal government to make sure health care workers who received the first of two doses this week can get the second in January. At least a dozen states have reported that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-87da29dc29e51236b90c2be9b023ce0a">they will receive fewer doses</a>&nbsp;next week than anticipated.The governor’s comments during a teleconference with local and state officials came as the state Department of Health and Environment reported that Kansas has surpassed 200,000 confirmed and probable coronavirus cases for the pandemic, or about one for every 15 of its 2.9 million residents. The state also reported total 2,341 COVID-19 deaths, adding 88 to the tally since Wednesday.Kansas received its first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine this week, the first of two doses for 23,750 people, and it focused on distributing them to hospitals so that they could vaccinate health care workers at high-risk of coronavirus exposure. The state had anticipated receiving another 29,000 doses next week but now expects 39% fewer doses, or 17,550.“I heard this morning that the reason that this is being done is that they needed to smooth out the quantity of deliveries, if they had delivered as many as they had proposed to deliver next week, then they were not going to have enough for people to get their second dose,” she said. “I think we’re OK on that.”Michigan’s shipment will drop by about a quarter. In addition to Kansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire and Indiana also have been told to expect smaller shipments.The governor celebrated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-topeka-coronavirus-pandemic-e53bbe038a6cfab0be1dde53e93d5e42">the relatively widespread distribution&nbsp;</a>of the first shipment, with at least a few doses going to hospitals in rural areas. Kelly said about 100 of the state’s 105 counties have received vaccines and the ones that haven’t either didn’t cite a need for it or weren’t prepared to give shots this week.In northeast Kansas, Marshall County, with about 9,700 residents, had fewer than 100 cases at the beginning of November and now has almost 600, or one for every 16 residents. It went from having no reported COVID-19 deaths to 21 as the virus swept through nursing homes.The county hospital on Thursday lined up its first group of employees to get shots in front of a Christmas tree in the lobby, said spokeswoman Ashley Kracht.“Really this vaccine is a turning point emotionally as much as anything else,” she said. “I think all of our staff would probably say, ’We are doing our best to kind of keep keep our heads above water. We just feel like we are constantly treading water so this really gives us the ability to say, ‘We might float.’ Something better is coming.”<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1533/COVID-19-Vaccination-Plan-for-Kansas-Version12-1142020?bidId=" target="_blank">Kansas’ plan</a>&nbsp;for distributing the vaccines calls for giving shots first to at-risk health care workers, nursing home workers and nursing home residents. Vaccines are supposed to start for all adults next spring.“It should foster economic recovery,” Kelly said. “We can enter the new year with confidence that life will return to normal in a matter of months. We’re not there yet.”Kelly herself does not plan to get vaccinated until “it is her turn,” spokeswoman Lauren Fitzgerald said. State legislators also are not getting special treatment.“She will be vaccinated publicly to reinforce the safety and importance of getting vaccinated,” Fitzgerald said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press.But the hope — and for some health care workers, joy — over the first vaccine’s arrival came amid bad news about the Kansas economy.The state Department of Labor has reported a growing number of initial claims for unemployment benefits in recent weeks. More than 39,000 such claims were filed during the week ending Dec. 12, an increase of 95% over the second week of November’s roughly 20,000 claims and more than 20 times the number of claims filed during the second week of December 2019.The Department of Labor said Friday that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose in November to 5.6%, up from 5% in October and compared with 3.1% for November 2019. The state’s pandemic-fueled unemployment rate peaked at 11.9% in April and had been dropping until November.The state health department added 5,857 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases to its pandemic tally since Wednesday, bringing the total to 200,426. The state averaged 2,162 new cases a day for the seven days ending Friday.___