TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 5,857 to a total of 200,426 the state health department reported Friday afternoon.&nbsp;

Coronavirus deaths were reported at 2,341 an increase of 88.

<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE.

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 5,857 to a total of 200,426 the state health department reported Friday afternoon.&nbsp;Coronavirus deaths were reported at 2,341 an increase of 88.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608315414372.png" alt="Friday Dec. 18, 2020 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Friday Dec. 18, 2020 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly is running for re-election in 2022, a spokeswoman said Friday.

Spokeswoman Lauren Fitzgerald confirmed the Democratic governor’s plans four days after Kelly announced that Commerce Secretary David Toland also would serve&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-topeka-coronavirus-pandemic-8835de2d5b984d84a4815ff2c4771baf">as the state’s next lieutenant governor.</a>&nbsp;Toland will replace Lt. Gov. Lynn Rogers, appointed by Kelly last week to fill a coming vacancy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-topeka-elections-house-elections-b35b2831ab4b21c1f517c91f904a3e71">in the state treasurer’s office.</a>

Toland was the treasurer for Kelly’s 2018 campaign for governor and is highly regarded by some business leaders. Naming Toland lieutenant governor could position him for a future run for governor and prompted speculation that Kelly might not run again.

Kelly ducked the question when she announced Toland’s appointment Monday, saying she is focused on the coronavirus pandemic and the Legislature’s 90-day session convening in January.

But the Sunflower State Journal reported that Kelly said during a virtual fundraising event Thursday evening that she would seek another term.

In an emailed statement to The AP, Fitzgerald said: “Governor Kelly is focused on the state’s response to COVID-19 and continuing Kansas’ economic recovery, but of course she is running for reelection.”

Among Republicans, former Gov. Jeff Colyer and Attorney General Derek Schmidt are considered potential candidates for governor.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608310013858.png" alt="Kansas Governor Laura Kelly during the announcement that Commerce Secretary David Toland also would serve&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-topeka-coronavirus-pandemic-8835de2d5b984d84a4815ff2c4771baf">as her lieutenant governor</a>" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Governor Laura Kelly during the announcement that Commerce Secretary David Toland also would serve&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-topeka-coronavirus-pandemic-8835de2d5b984d84a4815ff2c4771baf">as her lieutenant governor</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNATOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly is running for re-election in 2022, a spokeswoman said Friday.Spokeswoman Lauren Fitzgerald confirmed the Democratic governor’s plans four days after Kelly announced that Commerce Secretary David Toland also would serve&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-topeka-coronavirus-pandemic-8835de2d5b984d84a4815ff2c4771baf">as the state’s next lieutenant governor.</a>&nbsp;Toland will replace Lt. Gov. Lynn Rogers, appointed by Kelly last week to fill a coming vacancy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-topeka-elections-house-elections-b35b2831ab4b21c1f517c91f904a3e71">in the state treasurer’s office.</a>Toland was the treasurer for Kelly’s 2018 campaign for governor and is highly regarded by some business leaders. Naming Toland lieutenant governor could position him for a future run for governor and prompted speculation that Kelly might not run again.Kelly ducked the question when she announced Toland’s appointment Monday, saying she is focused on the coronavirus pandemic and the Legislature’s 90-day session convening in January.But the Sunflower State Journal reported that Kelly said during a virtual fundraising event Thursday evening that she would seek another term.In an emailed statement to The AP, Fitzgerald said: “Governor Kelly is focused on the state’s response to COVID-19 and continuing Kansas’ economic recovery, but of course she is running for reelection.”Among Republicans, former Gov. Jeff Colyer and Attorney General Derek Schmidt are considered potential candidates for governor.___

Spokeswoman: Gov. Kelly to seek second term in 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence and the leaders of the House and Senate received their first COVID-19 vaccinations as they tried to reassure Americans the shot is safe.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?507423-1/vice-president-pence-receives-covid-19-vaccine&amp;fbclid=IwAR1Uc6sJFQy6u2buts_05bZ2j-PihNzWTLEeqSg4BOoMX36ufU-Ka6H2Hrk">Click here to watch</a>&nbsp;a replay of Pence receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

Pence celebrated the milestone Friday as “a medical miracle” that could eventually end a pandemic that has killed more than 310,000 Americans. 

Conspicuously absent was President Donald Trump, who has remained largely out of sight five days into the largest vaccination campaign in the nation’s history. Trump’s relative silence comes as he continues to rage about his defeat in the Nov. 3 election and embraces increasingly extreme efforts to overturn the people’s will.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence was vaccinated for COVID-19 on Friday in a live-television event aimed at reassuring Americans the vaccine is safe.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?507423-1/vice-president-pence-receives-covid-19-vaccine&amp;fbclid=IwAR1Uc6sJFQy6u2buts_05bZ2j-PihNzWTLEeqSg4BOoMX36ufU-Ka6H2Hrk">Click here to watch</a> a replay of Pence receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

In remarks after his shot, Pence called the speed with which the vaccine was developed “a medical miracle.”

“The American people can be confident: we have one and perhaps within hours two” safe vaccines,” Pence said, referring to expected FDA approval for Moderna’s vaccine. Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine was the first to be approved.

“Building confidence in the vaccine is what brings us here this morning,” he added.

Pence’s wife Karen and Surgeon General Jerome Adams also received shots during the televised White House event.

President Donald Trump’s administration helped deliver vaccinations against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak">the coronavirus</a>&nbsp;earlier than even some in his administration thought possible, launching&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/756e5b743058701c4a2ebefd0af1ade4">Operation Warp Speed</a>&nbsp;— the government campaign to help swiftly develop and distribute vaccines — this spring with great fanfare in the White House Rose Garden.

But five days into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-health-workers-coronavirus-vaccine-56df745388a9fc12ae93c6f9a0d0e81f">the largest vaccination campaign in the nation’s history</a>, Trump has held no public events to trumpet the rollout. He hasn’t been inoculated himself. He has tweeted only twice about the shot. Pence, meanwhile, has taken center stage — touring a vaccine production facility this week and receiving a dose himself on live television Friday morning. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell both said Thursday that they will get vaccinated in the next few days.

Pence, along with his wife, Karen, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams, received their shots Friday morning in an office suite in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building from three medical technicians from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Trump’s relative silence comes as he continues to stew about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">his defeat in the Nov. 3 election</a>&nbsp;and embraces increasingly extreme efforts to overturn the people’s will. He’s pushed aside the plans of aides who wanted him to be the public face of the vaccination campaign, eschewing visits to labs and production facilities to thank workers, or hosting efforts to build public confidence in the shot, according to people familiar with the conversations.

The sheepish approach has been surprising, especially for a president rarely shy to take credit, said Lawrence Gostin, a professor at Georgetown Law who focuses on public health.

“The President’s relatively low profile on the COVID response since the election is curious and counter to Mr. Trump’s own interests,” he said. Gostin, who has criticized Trump’s handling of the pandemic in the past, said that he “deserves a great deal of credit” for Operation Warp Speed and placing a bet on two vaccines that use&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/9340521654">groundbreaking mRNA technology</a>.

“Having exhibited leadership in the vaccines’ development, he should take great pride in publicly demonstrating his trust in COVID vaccines,” he said.

Trump did appear at a White House “summit” ahead of the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the Pfizer vaccine last week. That event included an introductory video highlighting the past comments of those — including top government infectious-disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci — who doubted a shot would be ready this year.

But many Trump aides are puzzled by his low profile now that the vaccine is actually being injected. They see it as a missed opportunity for the president, who leaves office at noon on Jan. 20, to claim credit for helping oversee the speedy development and deployment of the vaccine that is expected to finally contain the virus that has killed more than 310,000 Americans.

Trump himself has tried to minimize any credit that might go to his successor, President-elect Joe Biden, who will preside over the bulk of the nationwide injection campaign next year. Biden expects to receive his shot as soon as next week.

“Don’t let Joe Biden take credit for the vaccines,” Trump has told reporters. “Don’t let him take credit for the vaccines because the vaccines were me, and I pushed people harder than they’ve ever been pushed before.”

Despite Trump’s claims, FDA scientists were the ones who came up with the idea for Operation Warp Speed, the White House-backed effort through which millions of doses of coronavirus vaccines and treatments are being manufactured even as they are still being evaluated. And much of the groundwork for the shots was laid over the past decade, including through research on messenger RNA, or mRNA, used in the vaccines developed by both Pfizer and Moderna. Pfizer developed its vaccine outside Operation Warp Speed but is partnering with the federal government on manufacturing and distribution.

Trump’s low-key approach could have an impact on public health. Fauci told NBC News this week that 75% to 85% of the nation needs to be vaccinated to achieve “herd immunity,” making the public education campaign about the vaccine’s safety all the more pressing.

A survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-norc-poll-us-half-want-vaccine-shots-4d98dbfc0a64d60d52ac84c3065dac55">only about half of Americans want to get the vaccine as soon as possible</a>. Another quarter of the public isn’t sure, while the remaining quarter say they aren’t interested. Some simply oppose vaccines in general. Others are concerned that the injections have been rushed and want to see how the rollout goes.

As Trump sat on the sidelines, some of his favored commentators, including Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, were questioning the safety of the vaccine.

White House deputy press secretary Brian Morgenstern said Trump “will continue to update the country through a variety of means while giving medical professionals and hardworking staff at OWS the space to do their jobs and save lives.”

While senior officials are beginning to make plans to receive the vaccine in public to help build public confidence, Trump, who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-donald-trump-health-archive-hope-hicks-7fece2838ff7a9bd91ccf5ac287348b3">hospitalized with COVID-19</a>&nbsp;in October, is taking his time.

According to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is not yet enough information to determine whether those who have had COVID-19, like Trump, should get the vaccine. Still, Fauci recommended that Trump take it publicly without delay.

“Even though the president himself was infected, and he has, likely, antibodies that likely would be protective, we’re not sure how long that protection lasts. So, to be doubly sure, I would recommend that he get vaccinated as well as the vice president,” Fauci told ABC News.

It was not clear whether first lady Melania Trump, who came down with COVID-19 at the same time as her husband, would be vaccinated.

“The last thing I would say to every American is be confident that we have cut red tape, but we’ve cut no corners when it comes to the development of this vaccine,” Pence said this week at an Indiana vaccine production facility.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters this week that Trump, who has previously spread misinformation about other vaccines, was trying to send a message about priorities by delaying his own inoculation.

“The president wants to send a parallel message which is, you know, our long-term care facility residents and our front-line workers are paramount in importance,” she said.

Gostin disagreed. ”It will be enormously damaging to public trust in the vaccine if President Trump isn’t visibly enthusiastic, including getting his shot on national television,” he argued. “It simply isn’t good enough to have Vice President Pence as a proxy.”

Presidents and their family members have often made a display of their vaccinations to boost public confidence. President Dwight Eisenhower highlighted that one of his grandchildren was among the first wave of American children vaccinated for polio. In 2009, President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, vaccinated both their young daughters, who were in a higher risk group, for the swine flu.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608296829519.png" alt="A doctor from Walter Reed National Medical Center gives Vice President Mike Pence the COVID-19 vaccination Friday morning-image courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>A doctor from Walter Reed National Medical Center gives Vice President Mike Pence the COVID-19 vaccination Friday morning-image courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence and the leaders of the House and Senate received their first COVID-19 vaccinations as they tried to reassure Americans the shot is safe.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?507423-1/vice-president-pence-receives-covid-19-vaccine&amp;fbclid=IwAR1Uc6sJFQy6u2buts_05bZ2j-PihNzWTLEeqSg4BOoMX36ufU-Ka6H2Hrk">Click here to watch</a>&nbsp;a replay of Pence receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.Pence celebrated the milestone Friday as “a medical miracle” that could eventually end a pandemic that has killed more than 310,000 Americans. Conspicuously absent was President Donald Trump, who has remained largely out of sight five days into the largest vaccination campaign in the nation’s history. Trump’s relative silence comes as he continues to rage about his defeat in the Nov. 3 election and embraces increasingly extreme efforts to overturn the people’s will.WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence was vaccinated for COVID-19 on Friday in a live-television event aimed at reassuring Americans the vaccine is safe.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?507423-1/vice-president-pence-receives-covid-19-vaccine&amp;fbclid=IwAR1Uc6sJFQy6u2buts_05bZ2j-PihNzWTLEeqSg4BOoMX36ufU-Ka6H2Hrk">Click here to watch</a> a replay of Pence receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.In remarks after his shot, Pence called the speed with which the vaccine was developed “a medical miracle.”“The American people can be confident: we have one and perhaps within hours two” safe vaccines,” Pence said, referring to expected FDA approval for Moderna’s vaccine. Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine was the first to be approved.“Building confidence in the vaccine is what brings us here this morning,” he added.Pence’s wife Karen and Surgeon General Jerome Adams also received shots during the televised White House event.President Donald Trump’s administration helped deliver vaccinations against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak">the coronavirus</a>&nbsp;earlier than even some in his administration thought possible, launching&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/756e5b743058701c4a2ebefd0af1ade4">Operation Warp Speed</a>&nbsp;— the government campaign to help swiftly develop and distribute vaccines — this spring with great fanfare in the White House Rose Garden.But five days into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-health-workers-coronavirus-vaccine-56df745388a9fc12ae93c6f9a0d0e81f">the largest vaccination campaign in the nation’s history</a>, Trump has held no public events to trumpet the rollout. He hasn’t been inoculated himself. He has tweeted only twice about the shot. Pence, meanwhile, has taken center stage — touring a vaccine production facility this week and receiving a dose himself on live television Friday morning. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell both said Thursday that they will get vaccinated in the next few days.Pence, along with his wife, Karen, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams, received their shots Friday morning in an office suite in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building from three medical technicians from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.Trump’s relative silence comes as he continues to stew about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">his defeat in the Nov. 3 election</a>&nbsp;and embraces increasingly extreme efforts to overturn the people’s will. He’s pushed aside the plans of aides who wanted him to be the public face of the vaccination campaign, eschewing visits to labs and production facilities to thank workers, or hosting efforts to build public confidence in the shot, according to people familiar with the conversations.The sheepish approach has been surprising, especially for a president rarely shy to take credit, said Lawrence Gostin, a professor at Georgetown Law who focuses on public health.“The President’s relatively low profile on the COVID response since the election is curious and counter to Mr. Trump’s own interests,” he said. Gostin, who has criticized Trump’s handling of the pandemic in the past, said that he “deserves a great deal of credit” for Operation Warp Speed and placing a bet on two vaccines that use&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/9340521654">groundbreaking mRNA technology</a>.“Having exhibited leadership in the vaccines’ development, he should take great pride in publicly demonstrating his trust in COVID vaccines,” he said.Trump did appear at a White House “summit” ahead of the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the Pfizer vaccine last week. That event included an introductory video highlighting the past comments of those — including top government infectious-disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci — who doubted a shot would be ready this year.But many Trump aides are puzzled by his low profile now that the vaccine is actually being injected. They see it as a missed opportunity for the president, who leaves office at noon on Jan. 20, to claim credit for helping oversee the speedy development and deployment of the vaccine that is expected to finally contain the virus that has killed more than 310,000 Americans.Trump himself has tried to minimize any credit that might go to his successor, President-elect Joe Biden, who will preside over the bulk of the nationwide injection campaign next year. Biden expects to receive his shot as soon as next week.“Don’t let Joe Biden take credit for the vaccines,” Trump has told reporters. “Don’t let him take credit for the vaccines because the vaccines were me, and I pushed people harder than they’ve ever been pushed before.”Despite Trump’s claims, FDA scientists were the ones who came up with the idea for Operation Warp Speed, the White House-backed effort through which millions of doses of coronavirus vaccines and treatments are being manufactured even as they are still being evaluated. And much of the groundwork for the shots was laid over the past decade, including through research on messenger RNA, or mRNA, used in the vaccines developed by both Pfizer and Moderna. Pfizer developed its vaccine outside Operation Warp Speed but is partnering with the federal government on manufacturing and distribution.Trump’s low-key approach could have an impact on public health. Fauci told NBC News this week that 75% to 85% of the nation needs to be vaccinated to achieve “herd immunity,” making the public education campaign about the vaccine’s safety all the more pressing.A survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-norc-poll-us-half-want-vaccine-shots-4d98dbfc0a64d60d52ac84c3065dac55">only about half of Americans want to get the vaccine as soon as possible</a>. Another quarter of the public isn’t sure, while the remaining quarter say they aren’t interested. Some simply oppose vaccines in general. Others are concerned that the injections have been rushed and want to see how the rollout goes.As Trump sat on the sidelines, some of his favored commentators, including Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, were questioning the safety of the vaccine.White House deputy press secretary Brian Morgenstern said Trump “will continue to update the country through a variety of means while giving medical professionals and hardworking staff at OWS the space to do their jobs and save lives.”While senior officials are beginning to make plans to receive the vaccine in public to help build public confidence, Trump, who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-donald-trump-health-archive-hope-hicks-7fece2838ff7a9bd91ccf5ac287348b3">hospitalized with COVID-19</a>&nbsp;in October, is taking his time.According to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is not yet enough information to determine whether those who have had COVID-19, like Trump, should get the vaccine. Still, Fauci recommended that Trump take it publicly without delay.“Even though the president himself was infected, and he has, likely, antibodies that likely would be protective, we’re not sure how long that protection lasts. So, to be doubly sure, I would recommend that he get vaccinated as well as the vice president,” Fauci told ABC News.It was not clear whether first lady Melania Trump, who came down with COVID-19 at the same time as her husband, would be vaccinated.“The last thing I would say to every American is be confident that we have cut red tape, but we’ve cut no corners when it comes to the development of this vaccine,” Pence said this week at an Indiana vaccine production facility.White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters this week that Trump, who has previously spread misinformation about other vaccines, was trying to send a message about priorities by delaying his own inoculation.“The president wants to send a parallel message which is, you know, our long-term care facility residents and our front-line workers are paramount in importance,” she said.Gostin disagreed. ”It will be enormously damaging to public trust in the vaccine if President Trump isn’t visibly enthusiastic, including getting his shot on national television,” he argued. “It simply isn’t good enough to have Vice President Pence as a proxy.”Presidents and their family members have often made a display of their vaccinations to boost public confidence. President Dwight Eisenhower highlighted that one of his grandchildren was among the first wave of American children vaccinated for polio. In 2009, President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, vaccinated both their young daughters, who were in a higher risk group, for the swine flu.

🎥  Vice Pres., congressional leaders get vaccines; Trump absent

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man pleaded guilty Thursday to lying to a federal investigator who was looking into allegations of major program fraud, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Troy L. Bechtel, 51, Overland Park, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement to a federal investigator. In his plea, Bechtel admitted he lied during an investigation into allegations that United Medical Design Builders fraudulently received contracts from the Department of Defense through the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business program. Bechtel was a project manager for the company.

Sentencing is set for March 18, 2021. Bechtel could face a penalty of up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man pleaded guilty Thursday to lying to a federal investigator who was looking into allegations of major program fraud, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.Troy L. Bechtel, 51, Overland Park, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement to a federal investigator. In his plea, Bechtel admitted he lied during an investigation into allegations that United Medical Design Builders fraudulently received contracts from the Department of Defense through the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business program. Bechtel was a project manager for the company.Sentencing is set for March 18, 2021. Bechtel could face a penalty of up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.

Fraud scheme: Kan. man admits lying to federal investigators 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal authorities expressed increased alarm Thursday about a long-undetected intrusion into U.S. and other computer systems around the globe that officials suspect was carried out by Russian hackers. The nation’s cybersecurity agency warned of a “grave” risk to government and private networks.

The hack compromised federal agencies and “critical infrastructure” in a sophisticated attack that was hard to detect and will be difficult to undo, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in an unusual warning message. The Department of Energy acknowledged it was among those that had been hacked.

The attack, if authorities can prove it was carried out by Russia as experts believe, creates a fresh foreign policy problem for President Donald Trump in his final days in office.

Trump, whose administration has been criticized for eliminating a White House cybersecurity adviser and downplaying Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, has made no public statements about the breach.

President-elect Joe Biden, who inherits a thorny U.S.-Russia relationship, spoke forcefully about the hack, declaring that he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris “will make dealing with this breach a top priority from the moment we take office.”

“We need to disrupt and deter our adversaries from undertaking significant cyberattacks in the first place,” he said. “We will do that by, among other things, imposing substantial costs on those responsible for such malicious attacks, including in coordination with our allies and partners.”

“There’s a lot we don’t yet know, but what we do know is a matter of great concern,” Biden said.

CISA officials did not respond to questions and so it was unclear what the agency meant by a “grave threat” or by “critical infrastructure” possibly targeted in the attack that the agency says appeared to have begun last March. Homeland Security, the agency’s parent department, defines such infrastructure as any “vital” assets to the U.S. or its economy, a broad category that could include power plants and financial institutions.

The agency previously said the perpetrators had used network management software from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hacking-solarwinds-cybersecurity-texas-1467388fe7234f2d3619289a49060eab">Texas-based SolarWinds t</a>&nbsp;o infiltrate computer networks. Its new alert said the attackers may have used other methods, as well.

Tech giant Microsoft, which has helped respond to the breach,&nbsp;<a href="https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2020/12/17/cyberattacks-cybersecurity-solarwinds-fireeye/" target="_blank">revealed late Thursday&nbsp;</a>that it had identified more than 40 government agencies, think tanks, non-governmental organizations and IT companies infiltrated by the hackers. It said four in five were in the United States — nearly half of them tech companies — with victims also in Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Spain, the United Kingdom, Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

“This is not ‘espionage as usual,’ even in the digital age. Instead, it represents an act of recklessness that created a serious technological vulnerability for the United States and the world,” Microsoft said in a blog post.

Over the weekend, amid reports that the Treasury and Commerce departments were breached, CISA directed all civilian agencies of the federal government to remove SolarWinds from their servers. The cybersecurity agencies of Britain and Ireland issued similar alerts.

A U.S. official previously told The Associated Press that Russia-based hackers were suspected, but neither CISA nor the FBI has publicly said who is believed to be responsible. Asked whether Russia was behind the attack, the official said: “We believe so. We haven’t said that publicly yet because it isn’t 100% confirmed.”

Another U.S. official, speaking Thursday on condition of anonymity to discuss a matter that is under investigation, said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/solarwinds-fireeye-hack-explained-07e55dfd7fb9e6de96b55a7788eaa93e">the hack was severe and extremely damaging&nbsp;</a>although the administration was not yet ready to publicly blame anyone for it.

“This is looking like it’s the worst hacking case in the history of America,” the official said. “They got into everything.”

At the Department of Energy, the initial investigation revealed that malware injected into its networks via a SolarWinds update has been found only on its business networks and has not affected national security operations, including the agency that manages the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile, according to its statement. It said vulnerable software was disconnected from the DOE network to reduce any risk.

The intentions of the perpetrators appear to be espionage and gathering information rather than destruction, according to security experts and former government officials. If so, they are now remarkably well situated.

Thomas Bossert, a former Trump Homeland Security adviser, said in an opinion article in The New York Times that the U.S. should now act as if the Russian government had gained control of the networks it has penetrated. “The actual and perceived control of so many important networks could easily be used to undermine public and consumer trust in data, written communications and services,” he wrote.

Members of Congress said they feared that taxpayers’ personal information could have been exposed because the IRS is part of Treasury, which used SolarWinds software. Experts involved in the hack response say the intruders are not likely interested in such data because they are intelligence agents narrowly focused on sensitive national security data — and trying to steal taxpayer info would likely set off alarms.

Tom Kellermann, cybersecurity strategy chief of the software company VMware, said the hackers are now “omniscient to the operations” of federal agencies they’ve infiltrated “and there is viable concern that they might leverage destructive attacks within these agencies” now that they’ve been discovered.

Among the business sectors scrambling to protect their systems and assess potential theft of information are defense contractors, technology companies and providers of telecommunications and the electric grid.

A group led by CEOs in the electric power industry said it held a “situational awareness call” earlier this week to help electric companies and public power utilities identify whether the compromise posed a threat to their networks.

And dozens of smaller institutions that seemed to have little data of interest to foreign spies were nonetheless forced to respond to the hack.

The Helix Water District, which provides drinking water to the suburbs of San Diego, California, said it provided a patch to its SolarWinds software after it got an advisory the IT company sent out about the hack to about 33,000 customers Sunday.

“While we do utilize SolarWinds, we are not aware of any district impacts from the security breach,” said Michelle Curtis, a spokesperson for the water district.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608241401011.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal authorities expressed increased alarm Thursday about a long-undetected intrusion into U.S. and other computer systems around the globe that officials suspect was carried out by Russian hackers. The nation’s cybersecurity agency warned of a “grave” risk to government and private networks.The hack compromised federal agencies and “critical infrastructure” in a sophisticated attack that was hard to detect and will be difficult to undo, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in an unusual warning message. The Department of Energy acknowledged it was among those that had been hacked.The attack, if authorities can prove it was carried out by Russia as experts believe, creates a fresh foreign policy problem for President Donald Trump in his final days in office.Trump, whose administration has been criticized for eliminating a White House cybersecurity adviser and downplaying Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, has made no public statements about the breach.President-elect Joe Biden, who inherits a thorny U.S.-Russia relationship, spoke forcefully about the hack, declaring that he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris “will make dealing with this breach a top priority from the moment we take office.”“We need to disrupt and deter our adversaries from undertaking significant cyberattacks in the first place,” he said. “We will do that by, among other things, imposing substantial costs on those responsible for such malicious attacks, including in coordination with our allies and partners.”“There’s a lot we don’t yet know, but what we do know is a matter of great concern,” Biden said.CISA officials did not respond to questions and so it was unclear what the agency meant by a “grave threat” or by “critical infrastructure” possibly targeted in the attack that the agency says appeared to have begun last March. Homeland Security, the agency’s parent department, defines such infrastructure as any “vital” assets to the U.S. or its economy, a broad category that could include power plants and financial institutions.The agency previously said the perpetrators had used network management software from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hacking-solarwinds-cybersecurity-texas-1467388fe7234f2d3619289a49060eab">Texas-based SolarWinds t</a>&nbsp;o infiltrate computer networks. Its new alert said the attackers may have used other methods, as well.Tech giant Microsoft, which has helped respond to the breach,&nbsp;<a href="https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2020/12/17/cyberattacks-cybersecurity-solarwinds-fireeye/" target="_blank">revealed late Thursday&nbsp;</a>that it had identified more than 40 government agencies, think tanks, non-governmental organizations and IT companies infiltrated by the hackers. It said four in five were in the United States — nearly half of them tech companies — with victims also in Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Spain, the United Kingdom, Israel and the United Arab Emirates.“This is not ‘espionage as usual,’ even in the digital age. Instead, it represents an act of recklessness that created a serious technological vulnerability for the United States and the world,” Microsoft said in a blog post.Over the weekend, amid reports that the Treasury and Commerce departments were breached, CISA directed all civilian agencies of the federal government to remove SolarWinds from their servers. The cybersecurity agencies of Britain and Ireland issued similar alerts.A U.S. official previously told The Associated Press that Russia-based hackers were suspected, but neither CISA nor the FBI has publicly said who is believed to be responsible. Asked whether Russia was behind the attack, the official said: “We believe so. We haven’t said that publicly yet because it isn’t 100% confirmed.”Another U.S. official, speaking Thursday on condition of anonymity to discuss a matter that is under investigation, said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/solarwinds-fireeye-hack-explained-07e55dfd7fb9e6de96b55a7788eaa93e">the hack was severe and extremely damaging&nbsp;</a>although the administration was not yet ready to publicly blame anyone for it.“This is looking like it’s the worst hacking case in the history of America,” the official said. “They got into everything.”At the Department of Energy, the initial investigation revealed that malware injected into its networks via a SolarWinds update has been found only on its business networks and has not affected national security operations, including the agency that manages the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile, according to its statement. It said vulnerable software was disconnected from the DOE network to reduce any risk.The intentions of the perpetrators appear to be espionage and gathering information rather than destruction, according to security experts and former government officials. If so, they are now remarkably well situated.Thomas Bossert, a former Trump Homeland Security adviser, said in an opinion article in The New York Times that the U.S. should now act as if the Russian government had gained control of the networks it has penetrated. “The actual and perceived control of so many important networks could easily be used to undermine public and consumer trust in data, written communications and services,” he wrote.Members of Congress said they feared that taxpayers’ personal information could have been exposed because the IRS is part of Treasury, which used SolarWinds software. Experts involved in the hack response say the intruders are not likely interested in such data because they are intelligence agents narrowly focused on sensitive national security data — and trying to steal taxpayer info would likely set off alarms.Tom Kellermann, cybersecurity strategy chief of the software company VMware, said the hackers are now “omniscient to the operations” of federal agencies they’ve infiltrated “and there is viable concern that they might leverage destructive attacks within these agencies” now that they’ve been discovered.Among the business sectors scrambling to protect their systems and assess potential theft of information are defense contractors, technology companies and providers of telecommunications and the electric grid.A group led by CEOs in the electric power industry said it held a “situational awareness call” earlier this week to help electric companies and public power utilities identify whether the compromise posed a threat to their networks.And dozens of smaller institutions that seemed to have little data of interest to foreign spies were nonetheless forced to respond to the hack.The Helix Water District, which provides drinking water to the suburbs of San Diego, California, said it provided a patch to its SolarWinds software after it got an advisory the IT company sent out about the hack to about 33,000 customers Sunday.“While we do utilize SolarWinds, we are not aware of any district impacts from the security breach,” said Michelle Curtis, a spokesperson for the water district._____

Hack against US government worse than first reported

SHAWNEE COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with burglary.

Just after 9p.m. Wednesday,&nbsp; a deputy conducted a car stop in the 2600 block of NE Sardou Avenue in Shawnee County, according to Sheriff Brian Hill.

The deputy located Zachary J. Kaberline, 39, of Topeka was inside the vehicle along with stolen property and drugs.

Deputies transported&nbsp;transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of possession of stolen property, possession of methamphetamine and multiple other drug related charges.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608239842184.png" alt="Kaberline-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Kaberline-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with burglary.Just after 9p.m. Wednesday,&nbsp; a deputy conducted a car stop in the 2600 block of NE Sardou Avenue in Shawnee County, according to Sheriff Brian Hill.The deputy located Zachary J. Kaberline, 39, of Topeka was inside the vehicle along with stolen property and drugs.Deputies transported&nbsp;transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of possession of stolen property, possession of methamphetamine and multiple other drug related charges.

Kan. deputy finds stolen property during traffic stop

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for burglary and package theft following the swift reporting of two observant citizens and a quick response by deputies.

Just after 1:30 p.m.,Wednesday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received a call about a suspicious gold minivan&nbsp;in the 6100 block of SE Shawnee Drive, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.&nbsp; The van driver was wearing a reflective neon orange vest.

The suspect had entered and rummaged through the caller’s vehicle. 

At 1:37 p.m., another caller reported a package was just stolen from her driveway in the 5100 block of SE 53rd street by a man matching that description in a tan minivan. 

Multiple deputies began checking the area and just before 2p.m., a deputy observed the gold 2009 Dodge Caravan with a male driver wearing a neon vest driving near SE 37th Street and SE Tecumseh Road. 

The deputy stopped the van and took the driver identified as&nbsp;Arturo Delacerda Jr., 33 of Topeka into custody.

Delacerda Jr. is being held in the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of multiple counts of burglary, theft, drug related charges including possession of methamphetamine, identity theft and other financial crimes.

Delacerda Jr. is also the suspect in multiple other cases, according to Christian.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608221397417.png" alt="Delacerda photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Delacerda photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for burglary and package theft following the swift reporting of two observant citizens and a quick response by deputies.Just after 1:30 p.m.,Wednesday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received a call about a suspicious gold minivan&nbsp;in the 6100 block of SE Shawnee Drive, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.&nbsp; The van driver was wearing a reflective neon orange vest.The suspect had entered and rummaged through the caller’s vehicle. At 1:37 p.m., another caller reported a package was just stolen from her driveway in the 5100 block of SE 53rd street by a man matching that description in a tan minivan. Multiple deputies began checking the area and just before 2p.m., a deputy observed the gold 2009 Dodge Caravan with a male driver wearing a neon vest driving near SE 37th Street and SE Tecumseh Road. The deputy stopped the van and took the driver identified as&nbsp;Arturo Delacerda Jr., 33 of Topeka into custody.Delacerda Jr. is being held in the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of multiple counts of burglary, theft, drug related charges including possession of methamphetamine, identity theft and other financial crimes.Delacerda Jr. is also the suspect in multiple other cases, according to Christian.

Sheriff: Kansas man jailed for porch package theft, burglary

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Doses from Kansas’ first shipment of a COVID-19 vaccine were arriving Thursday in rural Kansas for hospitals to administer to health care workers, though the state expects its second shipment to be smaller than anticipated.

The state has received its full shipment of the first of two doses of a vaccine made by Pfizer for 23,750 people, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The state included nursing home workers and residents with at-risk health care workers in the first group to get the shots, but their vaccinations have not yet started, agency spokeswoman Ashley Jones-Wisner said.

Jones-Wisner said the federal government told Kansas it would get a second shipment of 29,000 vaccine doses next week, but the state has since learned it will receive 17,550 doses instead. She did not elaborate.

Still, hospitals across the state were receiving at least a few doses from the first shipment, including in Cheyenne and Sherman counties in northwest Kansas, where there has been one confirmed or probable case for every 11 residents. Health care workers in Wichita, the state’s largest city, received their first shots Monday.

“There’s a lot of joy out there as it’s arriving,” said Cindy Samuelson, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Hospital Association. “It’s a layer of hope, which I think is much needed this year.”

In south-central Kansas, the Hutchinson Regional Medical Center picked intensive care unit nurse Kristy Sourk to be the first to get a shot Wednesday afternoon after she answered a survey describing her potential risk of getting the novel coronavirus. Sourk described herself as “ecstatic.” Her husband, a pulmonologist, got the second shot. The hospital’s 14 ICU beds are filled mostly with COVID-19 patients.

“It is like getting a dream come true. It is like you can’t even believe it is happening,” she said Thursday in an interview. “And I felt so blessed, just had so much gratitude to be able to get this vaccination.”

Dr. Beth Oller, a family physician in Rooks County in northwest Kansas, said some health care workers — like other residents in her county of about 5,000 — were wary of getting a shot. She said some of them worried that work on vaccines had been rushed.

A self-described “science geek,” she said she has no qualms about the vaccine’s safety or effectiveness and planned to get her shot Friday morning. Her husband, her in-laws and likely three of her children had COVID-19 over Thanksgiving, though she didn’t get infected. She said she’s not worried about potential side effects from the vaccine.

Oller said coronavirus patients she has treated, even younger ones, have suffered from headaches, brain fogs, and fatigue serious enough to require daily naps even after testing negative again.

“Anything I can take to help prevent that — sign me up, even if it gives me a headache and a mild fever,” she said.

It is likely to be months before vaccines are available to everyone, with the state expecting not to give shots to all adults who want them until at least late spring.

The state averaged nearly 2,400 new confirmed or probable coronavirus cases, 54 new hospitalizations and 33 deaths a day from Nov. 16 through Wednesday. It reported nearly 195,000 cases for the pandemic, or one for every 15 of its 2.9 million residents, and 2,253 deaths as of Wednesday.

“There’s still widespread community dissemination on COVID-19,” said Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608291149776.png" alt="Photo courtesy St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Doses from Kansas’ first shipment of a COVID-19 vaccine were arriving Thursday in rural Kansas for hospitals to administer to health care workers, though the state expects its second shipment to be smaller than anticipated.The state has received its full shipment of the first of two doses of a vaccine made by Pfizer for 23,750 people, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The state included nursing home workers and residents with at-risk health care workers in the first group to get the shots, but their vaccinations have not yet started, agency spokeswoman Ashley Jones-Wisner said.Jones-Wisner said the federal government told Kansas it would get a second shipment of 29,000 vaccine doses next week, but the state has since learned it will receive 17,550 doses instead. She did not elaborate.Still, hospitals across the state were receiving at least a few doses from the first shipment, including in Cheyenne and Sherman counties in northwest Kansas, where there has been one confirmed or probable case for every 11 residents. Health care workers in Wichita, the state’s largest city, received their first shots Monday.“There’s a lot of joy out there as it’s arriving,” said Cindy Samuelson, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Hospital Association. “It’s a layer of hope, which I think is much needed this year.”In south-central Kansas, the Hutchinson Regional Medical Center picked intensive care unit nurse Kristy Sourk to be the first to get a shot Wednesday afternoon after she answered a survey describing her potential risk of getting the novel coronavirus. Sourk described herself as “ecstatic.” Her husband, a pulmonologist, got the second shot. The hospital’s 14 ICU beds are filled mostly with COVID-19 patients.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608291114651.png" alt="Photo courtesy St. Catherine Hospital Garden City" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy St. Catherine Hospital Garden City</figcaption>
 </figure>“It is like getting a dream come true. It is like you can’t even believe it is happening,” she said Thursday in an interview. “And I felt so blessed, just had so much gratitude to be able to get this vaccination.”Dr. Beth Oller, a family physician in Rooks County in northwest Kansas, said some health care workers — like other residents in her county of about 5,000 — were wary of getting a shot. She said some of them worried that work on vaccines had been rushed.A self-described “science geek,” she said she has no qualms about the vaccine’s safety or effectiveness and planned to get her shot Friday morning. Her husband, her in-laws and likely three of her children had COVID-19 over Thanksgiving, though she didn’t get infected. She said she’s not worried about potential side effects from the vaccine.Oller said coronavirus patients she has treated, even younger ones, have suffered from headaches, brain fogs, and fatigue serious enough to require daily naps even after testing negative again.“Anything I can take to help prevent that — sign me up, even if it gives me a headache and a mild fever,” she said.It is likely to be months before vaccines are available to everyone, with the state expecting not to give shots to all adults who want them until at least late spring.The state averaged nearly 2,400 new confirmed or probable coronavirus cases, 54 new hospitalizations and 33 deaths a day from Nov. 16 through Wednesday. It reported nearly 195,000 cases for the pandemic, or one for every 15 of its 2.9 million residents, and 2,253 deaths as of Wednesday.“There’s still widespread community dissemination on COVID-19,” said Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System.___

Rural Kansas getting COVID-19 vaccine; 2nd round to be short

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas City man has been convicted of killing a woman whose body was found stuffed in a trash bag.

Kevin Hurley, 62, was convicted of second-degree murder Wednesday by a Jackson County judge in beating death of 42-year-old Brandy Helbock-Castaneda.

He will be sentenced after a sentencing assessment is completed.

Helbock-Castaneda’s sister reported missing on Dec. 5, 2015. Her body was found in the trash bag on Jan. 8, 2016.

Hurley was arrested in March 2018 after DNA taken from the victim's ankle matched his, according to court documents.

After Hurley denied knowing Castaneda, further testing showed DNA from a rope around the victim’s hips matched Hurley’s or someone in his paternal lineage.

Hurley had been paroled in 2013 after serving nearly 30 years for first-degree robbery and murder convictions in Jackson County.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608239168107.png" alt="Hurley-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Hurley-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas City man has been convicted of killing a woman whose body was found stuffed in a trash bag.Kevin Hurley, 62, was convicted of second-degree murder Wednesday by a Jackson County judge in beating death of 42-year-old Brandy Helbock-Castaneda.He will be sentenced after a sentencing assessment is completed.Helbock-Castaneda’s sister reported missing on Dec. 5, 2015. Her body was found in the trash bag on Jan. 8, 2016.Hurley was arrested in March 2018 after DNA taken from the victim's ankle matched his, according to court documents.After Hurley denied knowing Castaneda, further testing showed DNA from a rope around the victim’s hips matched Hurley’s or someone in his paternal lineage.Hurley had been paroled in 2013 after serving nearly 30 years for first-degree robbery and murder convictions in Jackson County.

Parolee guilty in Kansas City woman's violent death

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas City-area high school football coach has been <a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/1626/JDHood_Redacted">charged with sex crimes i</a>nvolving a female student that allegedly occurred more than a decade ago, Jackson County prosecutors said.

Park Hill High School Coach Joshua Hood, 43, was charged Wednesday with five counts of statutory sodomy, second-degree attempted statutory rape, child molestation and second-degree statutory rape,.

Hood was a teacher and coach at Holden High School when the alleged crimes occurred in 2003 an 2004.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol began investigating in April when a woman reported that she had sexual encounters with Hood when she was younger than 17. She was a student at Holden High School at the time.

Hood’s attorney, Greg Watt, said Hood maintains his innocence. He said Hood has no criminal history and has a “stellar” reputation in the community.

“We look forward to our opportunity to defend him in a court of law,” Watt said.

The Park Hill School District said Hood, who has been in the district since 2013, was on administrative leave. School officials said they were not aware of any similar allegations against Hood at Park Hill.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608214203148.png" alt="Coach Josh Hood photo courtesy Park Hill High" />
 <figcaption>Coach Josh Hood photo courtesy Park Hill High</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas City-area high school football coach has been <a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/1626/JDHood_Redacted">charged with sex crimes i</a>nvolving a female student that allegedly occurred more than a decade ago, Jackson County prosecutors said.Park Hill High School Coach Joshua Hood, 43, was charged Wednesday with five counts of statutory sodomy, second-degree attempted statutory rape, child molestation and second-degree statutory rape,.Hood was a teacher and coach at Holden High School when the alleged crimes occurred in 2003 an 2004.The Missouri State Highway Patrol began investigating in April when a woman reported that she had sexual encounters with Hood when she was younger than 17. She was a student at Holden High School at the time.Hood’s attorney, Greg Watt, said Hood maintains his innocence. He said Hood has no criminal history and has a “stellar” reputation in the community.“We look forward to our opportunity to defend him in a court of law,” Watt said.The Park Hill School District said Hood, who has been in the district since 2013, was on administrative leave. School officials said they were not aware of any similar allegations against Hood at Park Hill.

High school coach accused of sex with student in 2003

SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after a Wednesday arrest.

Just after 5p.m., police responded to the 500 block of North Santa Fe Avenue in Salina for the report of a disorderly subject blocking traffic and threatening a female driver, according police captain Gary Hanus.

A 59-year-old Salina woman told police that a man had been blocking the roadway. When she honked the horn on her vehicle, the male threw what was believed to be a cell phone at the woman's vehicle, striking it. The subject then ran around to the driver’s door of the woman's vehicle, attempted to open it, and told the woman he was going to kill her, according to Hanus. The woman remained locked in her vehicle and the man ran away.

Officers located the man later identified as Wesley L. Spragg, 39, of Salina.

He ran from the officer before stopping in the 500 block of North Eighth Street and charging at two officers. One of the officers deployed a Taser at Spragg, who then was subdued and arrested.&nbsp; Officers found methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in Spragg's belongings, according to Hanus.

Spragg is being held on requested charges of Criminal threat, Obstruction of law enforcement, Disorderly conduct, Possession of methamphetamine and Possession of drug paraphernalia. Spragg has previous felony convictions for criminal threat, aggravated battery, DUI and for drugs, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608216630726.jpeg" alt="Spragg photo Saline Co." />
 <figcaption>Spragg photo Saline Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after a Wednesday arrest.Just after 5p.m., police responded to the 500 block of North Santa Fe Avenue in Salina for the report of a disorderly subject blocking traffic and threatening a female driver, according police captain Gary Hanus.A 59-year-old Salina woman told police that a man had been blocking the roadway. When she honked the horn on her vehicle, the male threw what was believed to be a cell phone at the woman's vehicle, striking it. The subject then ran around to the driver’s door of the woman's vehicle, attempted to open it, and told the woman he was going to kill her, according to Hanus. The woman remained locked in her vehicle and the man ran away.Officers located the man later identified as Wesley L. Spragg, 39, of Salina.He ran from the officer before stopping in the 500 block of North Eighth Street and charging at two officers. One of the officers deployed a Taser at Spragg, who then was subdued and arrested.&nbsp; Officers found methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in Spragg's belongings, according to Hanus.Spragg is being held on requested charges of Criminal threat, Obstruction of law enforcement, Disorderly conduct, Possession of methamphetamine and Possession of drug paraphernalia. Spragg has previous felony convictions for criminal threat, aggravated battery, DUI and for drugs, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.

Police: Kan. man blocked traffic, tried to open woman's car door

FORD COUNTY —Dodge City Police Department, special investigations unit detective, conducted and completed an investigation into the alleged threats received by former Mayor Joyce Warshaw, according to a media release.

The determination of the investigation findings by the DCPD, which was also reviewed by two local prosecutors, was that the messages received by Warshaw did not meet the elements required by Kansas Criminal Statutes regarding threats.

&nbsp;Warshaw resigned after receiving threats over supporting a mask mandate. She said she has been threatened since being quoted in a USA Today story published Dec. 11. In the article, she said she supported a mask mandate.

“As with any complaint of potential threats or harassment received, we conducted a full investigation to determine if a crime had been committed,” said Dodge City Police Chief Drew Francis. “Criminal statutes set forth requirements that must be met to establish if the words and context directed towards another constitutes a violation of the law. In this case, those elements were not met in the emails received by the former mayor, and further contact with the sender determined his words and actions fall under first amendment freedom of speech and the right to petition the government.”

The investigation determined that the emails were sent by an out of state resident in response to an article he had read in an expression of displeasure because the City did not adopt a mask protocol sooner.

Warshaw was informed of the findings by the investigating officer and said, “I would personally like to thank the Dodge City Police Department for their investigation into some of the emails I received. Detective Sergeant Thompson stayed in touch with me, and his findings put my mind at ease that all was well, and the messages were not as threatening as I initially felt.”

City of Dodge City Attorney Brad Ralph stated, “Abusive communications to officials are never appropriate either as threatening violence or as violent rhetoric. Elected Officials are simply trying their best to get through some very difficult situations with the best interests of constituents at the forefront.”

Ralph continued that the City is relieved to determine that the communications did not come from a Dodge City resident or even an individual within the state.

“I truly am proud of this great entity in the town I love dearly,” Warshaw said. “Thank you.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608242178999.png" alt="Warshaw photo courtesy city of Dodge City" />
 <figcaption>Warshaw photo courtesy city of Dodge City</figcaption>
 </figure>FORD COUNTY —Dodge City Police Department, special investigations unit detective, conducted and completed an investigation into the alleged threats received by former Mayor Joyce Warshaw, according to a media release.The determination of the investigation findings by the DCPD, which was also reviewed by two local prosecutors, was that the messages received by Warshaw did not meet the elements required by Kansas Criminal Statutes regarding threats.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608082442527.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;Warshaw resigned after receiving threats over supporting a mask mandate. She said she has been threatened since being quoted in a USA Today story published Dec. 11. In the article, she said she supported a mask mandate.“As with any complaint of potential threats or harassment received, we conducted a full investigation to determine if a crime had been committed,” said Dodge City Police Chief Drew Francis. “Criminal statutes set forth requirements that must be met to establish if the words and context directed towards another constitutes a violation of the law. In this case, those elements were not met in the emails received by the former mayor, and further contact with the sender determined his words and actions fall under first amendment freedom of speech and the right to petition the government.”The investigation determined that the emails were sent by an out of state resident in response to an article he had read in an expression of displeasure because the City did not adopt a mask protocol sooner.Warshaw was informed of the findings by the investigating officer and said, “I would personally like to thank the Dodge City Police Department for their investigation into some of the emails I received. Detective Sergeant Thompson stayed in touch with me, and his findings put my mind at ease that all was well, and the messages were not as threatening as I initially felt.”City of Dodge City Attorney Brad Ralph stated, “Abusive communications to officials are never appropriate either as threatening violence or as violent rhetoric. Elected Officials are simply trying their best to get through some very difficult situations with the best interests of constituents at the forefront.”Ralph continued that the City is relieved to determine that the communications did not come from a Dodge City resident or even an individual within the state.“I truly am proud of this great entity in the town I love dearly,” Warshaw said. “Thank you.”

Police: Messages to Kan. mayor over masks not direct threats

DENVER (AP) — Dozens of states filed an anti-trust lawsuit against Google on Thursday, alleging that the search giant has an illegal monopoly over the online search market that hurts consumers and advertisers.

The lawsuit, announced by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. by states represented by bipartisan attorneys general. The lawsuit was joined by the attorneys general of 34 other states as well as the District of Columbia and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico.

“Consumers are denied the benefits of competition, including the possibility of higher quality services and better privacy protections. Advertisers are harmed through lower quality and higher prices that are, in turn, passed along to consumers,” Weiser said in press release.

The lawsuit was joined by the attorneys general of Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Google did not respond to a request for comment.

The case is the third antitrust salvo to slam Google during the past two months as the Department of Justice and attorneys general from across the U.S. weigh in with their different variations on how they believe the company is abusing its immense power to do bad things that harm other businesses, innovation and even consumers who find its services to be indispensable.

In many ways, the flurry of U.S. antitrust suits represent an attempt to catch up with European regulators who have spent the past several years trying to crack down on Google, mostly with huge fines, to little noticeable effect so far.

On Wednesday, 10 states led by Republican attorneys general filed a lawsuit against Google accusing it of “anti-competitive conduct” in the online advertising industry, including a deal to manipulate sales with rival Facebook. It targeted the heart of Google’s business — the digital ads that generate nearly all of its revenue, as well as all the money that its corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., depends upon to help finance a range of far-flung technology projects.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/9/1568081892173.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>DENVER (AP) — Dozens of states filed an anti-trust lawsuit against Google on Thursday, alleging that the search giant has an illegal monopoly over the online search market that hurts consumers and advertisers.The lawsuit, announced by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. by states represented by bipartisan attorneys general. The lawsuit was joined by the attorneys general of 34 other states as well as the District of Columbia and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico.“Consumers are denied the benefits of competition, including the possibility of higher quality services and better privacy protections. Advertisers are harmed through lower quality and higher prices that are, in turn, passed along to consumers,” Weiser said in press release.The lawsuit was joined by the attorneys general of Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.Google did not respond to a request for comment.The case is the third antitrust salvo to slam Google during the past two months as the Department of Justice and attorneys general from across the U.S. weigh in with their different variations on how they believe the company is abusing its immense power to do bad things that harm other businesses, innovation and even consumers who find its services to be indispensable.In many ways, the flurry of U.S. antitrust suits represent an attempt to catch up with European regulators who have spent the past several years trying to crack down on Google, mostly with huge fines, to little noticeable effect so far.On Wednesday, 10 states led by Republican attorneys general filed a lawsuit against Google accusing it of “anti-competitive conduct” in the online advertising industry, including a deal to manipulate sales with rival Facebook. It targeted the heart of Google’s business — the digital ads that generate nearly all of its revenue, as well as all the money that its corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., depends upon to help finance a range of far-flung technology projects.___

Kansas joins anti-trust lawsuit against Google

TOPEKA– The Kansas Corporation Commission has extended an order that requires utilities to offer 12-month payment plans and waive late fees to help residential and small business customers avoid disconnection, according to a media release from the KCC.

The original order, issued in May, is set to expire on December 31. Today’s action ensures it remains in effect until the COVID-19 pandemic has officially ended. The order applies to all electric, natural gas and water utilities under theKCC’s jurisdiction.

A report, filed by Commission staff last week, shows that payment plans and waiver of late fees appear to be working as intended. With the exception of one utility (Liberty-Empire), customer arrearage balances are falling with roughly 90% of customers keeping up with payment plans. 

<a href="https://estar.kcc.ks.gov/estar/ViewFile.aspx/S202012090922136770.pdf?Id=4e5a01a7-71e7-4ba7-b4b0-875ef644b842">Click here</a> to see the report on the Commission’s website&nbsp;

.The Commission acknowledged that some members of the public are advocating for an order reinstituting the suspension of utility disconnects. 

As a result, Commission staff was directed to file a report and recommendation on whether an additional suspension on disconnects is warranted. That report is due January 8, 2021.

<a href="https://estar.kcc.ks.gov/estar/ViewFile.aspx/20201215103827.pdf?Id=13d68adb-a6c3-41fa-8bae-b25ee2105a0f">Click here to </a>see this week's order on the&nbsp;KCC’s website&nbsp;

TOPEKA– The Kansas Corporation Commission has extended an order that requires utilities to offer 12-month payment plans and waive late fees to help residential and small business customers avoid disconnection, according to a media release from the KCC.The original order, issued in May, is set to expire on December 31. Today’s action ensures it remains in effect until the COVID-19 pandemic has officially ended. The order applies to all electric, natural gas and water utilities under theKCC’s jurisdiction.A report, filed by Commission staff last week, shows that payment plans and waiver of late fees appear to be working as intended. With the exception of one utility (Liberty-Empire), customer arrearage balances are falling with roughly 90% of customers keeping up with payment plans. <a href="https://estar.kcc.ks.gov/estar/ViewFile.aspx/S202012090922136770.pdf?Id=4e5a01a7-71e7-4ba7-b4b0-875ef644b842">Click here</a> to see the report on the Commission’s website&nbsp; .The Commission acknowledged that some members of the public are advocating for an order reinstituting the suspension of utility disconnects. As a result, Commission staff was directed to file a report and recommendation on whether an additional suspension on disconnects is warranted. That report is due January 8, 2021.<a href="https://estar.kcc.ks.gov/estar/ViewFile.aspx/20201215103827.pdf?Id=13d68adb-a6c3-41fa-8bae-b25ee2105a0f">Click here to </a>see this week's order on the&nbsp;KCC’s website&nbsp;

Pandemic relief: Kan. utilities must waive late fees, offer payment plans

By SHERMAN SMITH <a href="http://kansasreflector.com">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Nebraska state Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh never understood how Saint Francis Ministries secured the state’s only private foster care contract with a shockingly low bid and no plan for providing minimum services.

She was concerned the cost savings would be made by overloading social workers with too many cases, despite warnings from legislators that state law required foster care providers to keep caseloads low. After Saint Francis took over services for the Omaha region in January, it was no surprise to Cavanaugh that the organization failed to meet its obligations.

“We told Saint Francis at our public hearings numerous times that this was a statute, and if that was their plan, they could not increase case numbers,” Cavanaugh said. “It was against our laws. We could never really get a full answer.”

A recent report by the Nebraska Office of Inspector General and revelations of financial mismanagement by leaders of the Kansas-based organization have brought into focus the concerns raised by Cavanaugh and others in Nebraska when the contract was awarded last year.

The decision by Saint Francis leadership to spend $80,000 on Chicago Cubs tickets, which was revealed in&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/12/04/kansas-agency-serving-3100-foster-children-accused-of-rampant-financial-mismanagement/">a Kansas Reflector report earlier this month</a>, also is a point of interest because Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts’ family owns the Cubs and he formerly served on the team’s board of directors.

Cavanaugh and other lawmakers who serve on a foster care oversight committee will get their first chance to question Saint Francis about the developments at a hearing scheduled for Wednesday at the state capitol in Lincoln.

Among findings in the OIG report, just 41% of Saint Francis social workers have acceptable caseloads, children were staying for days at a time in a location intended for short emergency stays, children were housed in office space, and the organization was “ill-prepared and unable to secure enough foster homes.” Additionally, Saint Francis has struggled to retain and hire employees.

Morgan Rothenberger, spokeswoman for Saint Francis, said the foster care provider was meeting a majority of its performance measures.

“Case management work is complex, with numerous moving parts,” Rothenberger said. “In beginning new services, we expect challenges as Saint Francis adapts to a new system and as we partner with state officials to bring healing and hope to children and families.”

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services operates nearly all of the state’s foster care system following a short-lived experiment with privatization that ended about a decade ago.

The lone holdover from the privatized system was PromiseShip, an organization formed by the iconic Boys Town and other social welfare groups in Omaha. No one expected the announcement in July 2019 that DHHS was severing ties with PromiseShip. Even more surprising was the disparity in bids for the five-year deal: Saint Francis offered to do the work for $197 million, compared to PromiseShip’s offer of $341 million.

“It was shocking and abrupt,” Cavanaugh said.

Saint Francis was preceded by its reputation in Kansas, where the foster care system had devolved into chaos and cruelty. More children were missing, abused, killed, sold for sex, frequently moved, and sleeping in office spaces. Caseloads skyrocketed for social workers.

Kansas Department for Children and Families recommends a limit of 30 cases assigned to social workers. At times, the average case management in some regions exceeded 50 children.

Under a 2012 Nebraska law, caseloads are capped at 14-17, depending on case type. The same Sept. 15 OIG report that pointed to concerns with Saint Francis caseloads also found that 100% of social workers in two state-run regions had acceptable caseloads, as well as 92% and 88% of social workers in the other two regions.

And as Saint Francis severely underperformed, Nebraska lawmakers grew wary of the numbers the organization reported.

Cavanaugh, a Democrat who represents Omaha in a unicameral legislature that doesn’t recognize political parties, said there was an implication that Saint Francis would count a family of five as a single case.

“It seemed like there was some suspect math on the casework numbers,” she said. “I certainly was suspicious of it.”

Kansas Reflector obtained the whistleblower’s report on financial mismanagement through an open records request with DCF, which had received the report in November 2019.

The Kansas agency hired an accounting firm to audit Saint Francis finances, but the organization declined to cooperate until a separate complaint about financial mismanagement was made directly to the Saint Francis board in October of this year. President and CEO Robert Smith and chief operating officer Tom Blythe&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/19/foster-care-provider-removes-top-leaders-after-investigation-into-mismanagement/">left the organization</a>&nbsp;after an internal review.

“We’ve taken very proactive steps in recent weeks to stabilize the financial situation of Saint Francis Ministries,” Rothenberger said.

Among the complaints in the whistleblower report was the decision to spend $80,000 on Chicago Cubs tickets at a time when the organization had exhausted its line of credit and was struggling to make weekly payments.

Rothenberger said the Cubs tickets were purchased in September 2019 and refunded when the team failed to make the playoffs. A review of paperwork indicated the purchase had nothing to do with Nebraska, she said.

Nebraska officials also indicated the tickets didn’t influence the decision by Ricketts’ administration to award a contract to Saint Francis.

“The governor was not aware of the purchase of those tickets until after media reporting on the whistleblower’s report,” said Justin Pinkerman, a spokesman for the Republican governor.

Khalilah LeGrand, spokeswoman for Nebraska DHHS, said nobody at the agency received tickets.

Still, Cavanaugh said, it is concerning that Saint Francis leadership purchased the tickets at a time of upheaval in Nebraska over the surprising decision to change foster care providers.

“I’m concerned about our youth in Nebraska,” Cavanaugh said. “There’s a lot of concern and a lot of unanswered questions, and there has been since the start of this contract.”

Sherman Smith has written award-winning news stories about the instability of the Kansas foster care system, misconduct by government officials, sexual abuse, technology, education, and the Legislature. He spent 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal, where he started on the copy desk, then oversaw digital operations, was the managing editor and reported from the Statehouse.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608131492172.jpeg" alt="Concerns over Saint Francis Ministries' failure to meet performance measures in Nebraska were heightened by the revelation of alleged financial mismanagement at the Kansas-based foster care provider. (Illustration by Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Concerns over Saint Francis Ministries' failure to meet performance measures in Nebraska were heightened by the revelation of alleged financial mismanagement at the Kansas-based foster care provider. (Illustration by Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By SHERMAN SMITH <a href="http://kansasreflector.com">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Nebraska state Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh never understood how Saint Francis Ministries secured the state’s only private foster care contract with a shockingly low bid and no plan for providing minimum services.She was concerned the cost savings would be made by overloading social workers with too many cases, despite warnings from legislators that state law required foster care providers to keep caseloads low. After Saint Francis took over services for the Omaha region in January, it was no surprise to Cavanaugh that the organization failed to meet its obligations.“We told Saint Francis at our public hearings numerous times that this was a statute, and if that was their plan, they could not increase case numbers,” Cavanaugh said. “It was against our laws. We could never really get a full answer.”A recent report by the Nebraska Office of Inspector General and revelations of financial mismanagement by leaders of the Kansas-based organization have brought into focus the concerns raised by Cavanaugh and others in Nebraska when the contract was awarded last year.The decision by Saint Francis leadership to spend $80,000 on Chicago Cubs tickets, which was revealed in&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/12/04/kansas-agency-serving-3100-foster-children-accused-of-rampant-financial-mismanagement/">a Kansas Reflector report earlier this month</a>, also is a point of interest because Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts’ family owns the Cubs and he formerly served on the team’s board of directors.Cavanaugh and other lawmakers who serve on a foster care oversight committee will get their first chance to question Saint Francis about the developments at a hearing scheduled for Wednesday at the state capitol in Lincoln.Among findings in the OIG report, just 41% of Saint Francis social workers have acceptable caseloads, children were staying for days at a time in a location intended for short emergency stays, children were housed in office space, and the organization was “ill-prepared and unable to secure enough foster homes.” Additionally, Saint Francis has struggled to retain and hire employees.Morgan Rothenberger, spokeswoman for Saint Francis, said the foster care provider was meeting a majority of its performance measures.“Case management work is complex, with numerous moving parts,” Rothenberger said. “In beginning new services, we expect challenges as Saint Francis adapts to a new system and as we partner with state officials to bring healing and hope to children and families.”<h2>Suspect math</h2>The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services operates nearly all of the state’s foster care system following a short-lived experiment with privatization that ended about a decade ago.The lone holdover from the privatized system was PromiseShip, an organization formed by the iconic Boys Town and other social welfare groups in Omaha. No one expected the announcement in July 2019 that DHHS was severing ties with PromiseShip. Even more surprising was the disparity in bids for the five-year deal: Saint Francis offered to do the work for $197 million, compared to PromiseShip’s offer of $341 million.“It was shocking and abrupt,” Cavanaugh said.Saint Francis was preceded by its reputation in Kansas, where the foster care system had devolved into chaos and cruelty. More children were missing, abused, killed, sold for sex, frequently moved, and sleeping in office spaces. Caseloads skyrocketed for social workers.Kansas Department for Children and Families recommends a limit of 30 cases assigned to social workers. At times, the average case management in some regions exceeded 50 children.Under a 2012 Nebraska law, caseloads are capped at 14-17, depending on case type. The same Sept. 15 OIG report that pointed to concerns with Saint Francis caseloads also found that 100% of social workers in two state-run regions had acceptable caseloads, as well as 92% and 88% of social workers in the other two regions.And as Saint Francis severely underperformed, Nebraska lawmakers grew wary of the numbers the organization reported.Cavanaugh, a Democrat who represents Omaha in a unicameral legislature that doesn’t recognize political parties, said there was an implication that Saint Francis would count a family of five as a single case.“It seemed like there was some suspect math on the casework numbers,” she said. “I certainly was suspicious of it.”<h2>Ticket timing</h2>Kansas Reflector obtained the whistleblower’s report on financial mismanagement through an open records request with DCF, which had received the report in November 2019.The Kansas agency hired an accounting firm to audit Saint Francis finances, but the organization declined to cooperate until a separate complaint about financial mismanagement was made directly to the Saint Francis board in October of this year. President and CEO Robert Smith and chief operating officer Tom Blythe&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/19/foster-care-provider-removes-top-leaders-after-investigation-into-mismanagement/">left the organization</a>&nbsp;after an internal review.“We’ve taken very proactive steps in recent weeks to stabilize the financial situation of Saint Francis Ministries,” Rothenberger said.Among the complaints in the whistleblower report was the decision to spend $80,000 on Chicago Cubs tickets at a time when the organization had exhausted its line of credit and was struggling to make weekly payments.Rothenberger said the Cubs tickets were purchased in September 2019 and refunded when the team failed to make the playoffs. A review of paperwork indicated the purchase had nothing to do with Nebraska, she said.Nebraska officials also indicated the tickets didn’t influence the decision by Ricketts’ administration to award a contract to Saint Francis.“The governor was not aware of the purchase of those tickets until after media reporting on the whistleblower’s report,” said Justin Pinkerman, a spokesman for the Republican governor.Khalilah LeGrand, spokeswoman for Nebraska DHHS, said nobody at the agency received tickets.Still, Cavanaugh said, it is concerning that Saint Francis leadership purchased the tickets at a time of upheaval in Nebraska over the surprising decision to change foster care providers.“I’m concerned about our youth in Nebraska,” Cavanaugh said. “There’s a lot of concern and a lot of unanswered questions, and there has been since the start of this contract.”Sherman Smith has written award-winning news stories about the instability of the Kansas foster care system, misconduct by government officials, sexual abuse, technology, education, and the Legislature. He spent 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal, where he started on the copy desk, then oversaw digital operations, was the managing editor and reported from the Statehouse.