KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement continue their search for a gunman who shot a Kansas City, Kansas police officer Wednesday.

Just before 3:30p.m., the officer was conducting a followup near 47th and Conser Street in Overland Park, according to a media release from the Olathe police department.

The officer contact the suspect and they exchanged gunfire. The officer was struck in the arm and ballistic vest. The suspect described as a white male with brown hair fled the scene in a tan passenger car. Officer later located the vehicle unattended.

The officer was transported to a local hospital, treated and has been released. Since the shooting occurred in Johnson County, the Johnson County Multi-Jurisdictional Officer Involved Shooting Investigation team is working the investigation.

KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City, Kansas, police officer was shot Tuesday afternoon while pursuing a suspect involved a series of earlier hit-and-run accidents in Wyandotte County, according to a police spokesperson&nbsp;Nancy Chartrand.

The officer, whose name had not been released, was out on patrol just after 4p.m. and identified the suspect's vehicle and began a pursuit. When the suspect vehicle crossed over into Johnson County on a dead end road, the officer stopped. The suspect also stopped, got out of the vehicle and there was an exchange of gunfire.

The officer was struck and the suspect fled the scene. EMS transported the officer for treatment of not life-threatening injuries and he remains at an area hospital, according to the police.

The search continues for the suspect. Officers found the vehicle abandoned in a residential area at 43rd and Dixie Avenue, according to police. Authorities have not released any additional details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608120251326.png" alt="Police on the scene of the shooting investigation late Tuesday photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the shooting investigation late Tuesday photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement continue their search for a gunman who shot a Kansas City, Kansas police officer Wednesday.Just before 3:30p.m., the officer was conducting a followup near 47th and Conser Street in Overland Park, according to a media release from the Olathe police department.The officer contact the suspect and they exchanged gunfire. The officer was struck in the arm and ballistic vest. The suspect described as a white male with brown hair fled the scene in a tan passenger car. Officer later located the vehicle unattended.The officer was transported to a local hospital, treated and has been released. Since the shooting occurred in Johnson County, the Johnson County Multi-Jurisdictional Officer Involved Shooting Investigation team is working the investigation.--------KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City, Kansas, police officer was shot Tuesday afternoon while pursuing a suspect involved a series of earlier hit-and-run accidents in Wyandotte County, according to a police spokesperson&nbsp;Nancy Chartrand.The officer, whose name had not been released, was out on patrol just after 4p.m. and identified the suspect's vehicle and began a pursuit. When the suspect vehicle crossed over into Johnson County on a dead end road, the officer stopped. The suspect also stopped, got out of the vehicle and there was an exchange of gunfire.The officer was struck and the suspect fled the scene. EMS transported the officer for treatment of not life-threatening injuries and he remains at an area hospital, according to the police.The search continues for the suspect. Officers found the vehicle abandoned in a residential area at 43rd and Dixie Avenue, according to police. Authorities have not released any additional details.

Update: Kan. police officer shot, search continues for suspect

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly Wednesday announced when the COVID-19 vaccine is expected to become available for population groups across the state. The framework begins this winter with high-risk Kansans such as health care personnel and long term care facility staff and residents, eventually reaching the general public in the summer of 2021.

“Through this framework, my administration upholds our commitment to maximizing benefits, minimizing harm, and striving for equity, justice, and fairness when it comes to when the vaccine will be made available to which Kansans,”&nbsp;Governor Kelly said.&nbsp;“We are committed to protecting the greatest number of Kansans, fostering economic recovery, and getting our kids back&nbsp;into&nbsp;school&nbsp;buildings&nbsp;as quickly and safely as possible.”

<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.lmsxg-4k5mMx0HGBotOgT-H4HOHyWm3xk2zl4uNvz78/s/1303160919/br/92005880953-l" target="_blank">&nbsp;CLICK here to see a visual representation of the distribution order&nbsp;</a>

An outline of the expected availability is as follows:

Adherence to this expected framework will be dependent on receipt of COVID-19 vaccine doses from the companies distributing them.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 4,551 to a total of 194,569 the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;

Coronavirus deaths were reported at 2,253 an increase of 144.

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly Wednesday announced when the COVID-19 vaccine is expected to become available for population groups across the state. The framework begins this winter with high-risk Kansans such as health care personnel and long term care facility staff and residents, eventually reaching the general public in the summer of 2021.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FGovLauraKelly%2Fvideos%2F155260669266933%2F&show_text=false&width=560" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>“Through this framework, my administration upholds our commitment to maximizing benefits, minimizing harm, and striving for equity, justice, and fairness when it comes to when the vaccine will be made available to which Kansans,”&nbsp;Governor Kelly said.&nbsp;“We are committed to protecting the greatest number of Kansans, fostering economic recovery, and getting our kids back&nbsp;into&nbsp;school&nbsp;buildings&nbsp;as quickly and safely as possible.”<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMDEyMTYuMzIxMzU3MTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2djYzAxLnNhZmVsaW5rcy5wcm90ZWN0aW9uLm91dGxvb2suY29tLz91cmw9aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZnb3Zlcm5vci5rYW5zYXMuZ292JTJGd3AtY29udGVudCUyRnVwbG9hZHMlMkYyMDIwJTJGMTIlMkZDaGFubmVsLVN0cmF0ZWd5LTEyLjE0LjIwMjAucGRmJmRhdGE9MDQlN0MwMSU3Q1JheW5hLkthcnN0JTQwa3MuZ292JTdDYjIxMTk0MWJmMGRjNDdiNDFkMTUwOGQ4YTIwZjEwODIlN0NkY2FlODEwMWM5MmQ0ODBjYmM0M2M2NzYxY2NjY2M1YSU3QzAlN0MwJTdDNjM3NDM3NTMyODY0MDY1NTIyJTdDVW5rbm93biU3Q1RXRnBiR1pzYjNkOGV5SldJam9pTUM0d0xqQXdNREFpTENKUUlqb2lWMmx1TXpJaUxDSkJUaUk2SWsxaGFXd2lMQ0pYVkNJNk1uMCUzRCU3QzEwMDAmc2RhdGE9bEtEUDVHd3VkdUFHaGNjd2EzQVFMYkZSN1NjVFJvR2RpbDN6cFNxQUtTdyUzRCZyZXNlcnZlZD0wIn0.lmsxg-4k5mMx0HGBotOgT-H4HOHyWm3xk2zl4uNvz78/s/1303160919/br/92005880953-l" target="_blank">&nbsp;CLICK here to see a visual representation of the distribution order&nbsp;</a>An outline of the expected availability is as follows:<ul>
 <li>The COVID-19 vaccine will be available in the winter, on a very limited basis, for health care personnel, long term care facility staff, long term care residents, and EMS/frontline public health workers;</li><li>The vaccine will become available in late winter, on a limited basis, for first responders, some public facing workers in essential and critical infrastructure, teachers, school staff, child care workers, and individuals at high risk for adverse health consequences;</li><li>The vaccine will become available in the spring, at an increased availability, for all other adults;</li><li>And finally, the vaccine will become generally available in the summer for all Kansans, including children.</li>
 </ul>Adherence to this expected framework will be dependent on receipt of COVID-19 vaccine doses from the companies distributing them.The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 4,551 to a total of 194,569 the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;Coronavirus deaths were reported at 2,253 an increase of 144.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608144161925.png" alt="Wednesday Dec. 16, 2020 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday Dec. 16, 2020 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>

🎥  Gov. Kelly update on COVID-19 vaccine distribution

LINN COUNTY –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Kansas Highway Patrol, and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office are investigating after a Garnett woman was killed when her vehicle was struck in Linn County on Tuesday, according to a media release from the KBI.

Preliminary information indicates that between 2:45 p.m. and 3:10 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, 42-year old James R. Allen, of Parker, was driving in his pickup truck when he struck his mother, 70-year old Charlotte L. Grimes, of Garnett, who was driving in a passenger car ½ mile south of 1800 Road on Keitel Road in Parker, Kansas.

 It is believed Allen turned his pickup truck around and intentionally struck the car Grimes was driving a second time.

Allen left the scene on foot, and later returned to the area in a second vehicle. By this time, EMS had responded. Grimes was pronounced dead at the scene.

Allen was transported by EMS to the Overland Park Regional Medical Center where he was treated for minor injuries. At approximately 6:15 p.m., KBI agents arrested Allen for second-degree murder. He was then booked into the Bourbon County Jail. Formal charges are pending.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608147202953.png" alt="Allen has previous convictions for criminal threat and aggravated assault, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections -photo Bourbon Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Allen has previous convictions for criminal threat and aggravated assault, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections -photo Bourbon Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>LINN COUNTY –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Kansas Highway Patrol, and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office are investigating after a Garnett woman was killed when her vehicle was struck in Linn County on Tuesday, according to a media release from the KBI.Preliminary information indicates that between 2:45 p.m. and 3:10 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, 42-year old James R. Allen, of Parker, was driving in his pickup truck when he struck his mother, 70-year old Charlotte L. Grimes, of Garnett, who was driving in a passenger car ½ mile south of 1800 Road on Keitel Road in Parker, Kansas. It is believed Allen turned his pickup truck around and intentionally struck the car Grimes was driving a second time.Allen left the scene on foot, and later returned to the area in a second vehicle. By this time, EMS had responded. Grimes was pronounced dead at the scene.Allen was transported by EMS to the Overland Park Regional Medical Center where he was treated for minor injuries. At approximately 6:15 p.m., KBI agents arrested Allen for second-degree murder. He was then booked into the Bourbon County Jail. Formal charges are pending.

KBI: Kan. man struck his mother's car twice, killing her

Popular video app is helping shape a new generation’s political identity, 60 seconds or less at a time

By AVIVA OKESON-HABERMAN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2020-12-16/young-state-lawmakers-in-kansas-missouri-harness-the-strange-power-of-tiktok">Kansas News Service</a>

TikTok occupies a weird corner of the internet, sparking short-lived trends like <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/tik-tok-toxic-exes-voicemails-901631/" target="_blank">dancing</a> to a voicemail from a toxic ex or the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/26/style/step-chickens-tiktok-cult-wars.html" target="_blank">Step Chickens Cult</a>.

The
 social media app also has occupied the minds of President Donald Trump,
 who tried to ban it, and Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, who sponsored a
 <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/3455?s=3&amp;r=1" target="_blank">bill</a> to forbid workers from having TikTok on government devices.

And
 while long-established politicians aren’t too keen to use the app, 
younger ones like soon-to-be Kansas state Rep. Christina Haswood and 
Missouri state Rep. Andrew McDaniel are reaching younger audiences, 
having some fun and sometimes seeing short videos (60 seconds or less) 
bring in donations and national attention. Some researchers even believe
 the app is revolutionizing political communication.

‘I don’t think I’m young enough for TikTok’

Haswood,
 26, will be one of the youngest members of the Kansas Statehouse in the
 2021 session. A year ago, when she first got a TikTok account, half of 
its daily users were estimated to be 14 or younger, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/14/technology/tiktok-underage-users-ftc.html" target="_blank">The New York Times.</a>

“I was about 25 when I got on TikTok and I was like, ‘I don't think I'm young enough for TikTok,’” Haswood said.

But during her campaign to represent part of Lawrence and Baldwin City, it was another way to get out her message. 

Plus,
 one of Haswood’s Democratic primary opponents, A.J. Stevens, had an 
account that was run by his interns. He had more than 1 million plays on
 a video of him posing like a windmill and a house to indicate policies 
he supported (renewable energy and affordable housing).

High school senior Conner Thrash heard about Haswood’s campaign — 
even though he lives about three hours away in Concordia — and reached 
out to her to ask if he could help.

“She had the capabilities, she just needed, like, a teenager to get her onto the trendy side of TikTok,” Thrash said.

As the TikTok manager, Thrash kept tabs on popular trends.

“I'll be like, ‘OK, think Connor. How can you make this political?’” he said, “‘and how can you keep it like PG?’”

Enter a deep house remix of Taylor Swift’s “Love Song.” The trend — way back <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/lizmrichardson/taylor-swift-love-story-tiktok-disco-lines-remix" target="_blank">in July</a>
 — was to have your camera pan out mid-song to show off your suggestive 
dance moves. Haswood instead power-walked to the beat as text appeared 
listing her priorities, like expanding Medicaid and legalizing pot.

It worked. This video about state legislative priorities in a tiny Kansas House district got about a quarter of a million likes.

Part
 of Haswood’s success in connecting with this young audience was likely 
because more people, like Thrash, were spending time on the app during 
the pandemic.

“I was always at home, always in my bed, bored out 
of my mind. And TikTok — this is going to sound so cheesy —TikTok really
 helped me get through that,” Thrash said. “It's hard to keep a good 
mental state when you are trapped at home, living through a global 
pandemic as a high schooler.”

For others, like Missouri’s 
McDaniel, the extra time on his hands led him to check out TikTok. The 
36-year-old lawmaker from Deering in the Bootheel liked the conservative
 humor he found.

“Late-night talk shows that make fun of Donald Trump all the time, that kind of gets old,” McDaniel said.

His account doesn’t take itself too seriously. McDaniel isn’t using 
it for campaign purposes, and he has fewer than 2,000 followers. His 
videos are a mix of capturing snapshots of <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewmcdaniel150/video/6827199335948651782" target="_blank">his work</a> at the Capitol, <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewmcdaniel150/video/6828494931011702022" target="_blank">sharing</a> his love for his mom and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewmcdaniel150/video/6883206626791165189" target="_blank">poking fun</a> at Democrats. There’s also a fair amount of lip syncing and dancing to popular songs like “<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewmcdaniel150/video/6825335958259387654" target="_blank">River</a>,” “<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewmcdaniel150/video/6832362933985529094" target="_blank">Ballin’ (Country Version)</a>” and a remix of “<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewmcdaniel150/video/6825334855635586309" target="_blank">Still D.R.E.</a>”

Pennsylvania
 State University professor Kevin Munger says, typically, less 
well-established politicians like state lawmakers can take the risk of 
being an early technology adapter.

“I have not seen that many 
politicians on the app, but I think that makes sense,” said Munger, who 
studies TikTok. “... It's not like (President-Elect) Joe Biden can 
physically get on TikTok and start doing the dances.”

Conservative
 politicians this year have railed against TikTok, which is owned by the
 Chinese company ByteDance. Trump tried to ban the app, although his 
administration’s attempts have been <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/12/07/944039053/u-s-judge-halts-trumps-tiktok-ban-the-2nd-court-to-fully-block-the-action" target="_blank">unsuccessful</a>. In a November interview with “<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tiktok-cybersecurity-china-60-minutes-2020-11-15/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab5j&amp;linkId=104543374&amp;fbclid=IwAR3Ob1XRzTv7xmDTXIaZUH9TrJXhzI31ZYC4YnorFBSQ2-j12d4mW1PDVGc" target="_blank">60 Minutes</a>,” Hawley said that TikTok could be required under Chinese law to share user data with the Chinese Communist Party.

TikTok, with its millions of Gen Z fans, might seem like a bubble of liberal opinions, especially after it was used to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/21/style/tiktok-trump-rally-tulsa.html" target="_blank">inflate expectations</a>
 of Trump’s campaign rally in June. But with the app’s rising 
popularity, older people are jumping on the bandwagon: The under-14 
demographic now makes up an estimated third of users, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/14/technology/tiktok-underage-users-ftc.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.

An academic <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2004.05478.pdf" target="_blank">analysis</a>
 of about 8,000 political TikToks in the U.S. found Republican accounts 
created more videos and got more likes and comments compared to 
Democrats’ accounts. The study, which looked at videos posted from March
 2019 to February 2020, also noted Trump hashtags are more popular than 
the combined views of similar hashtags for Biden, Bernie Sanders and 
Elizabeth Warren.

Juan Carlos Medina, a data scientist at the 
Technical University of Munich, is one of the paper’s authors. He had 
wondered if Trump supporters would stop using TikTok because of Trump’s 
disapproval, but it didn’t. He said, “they were still creating videos 
for Trump.”

That includes McDaniel, who also believes that 
politicians (like Hawley) who raise concerns about the app’s possible 
security threat are just trying to get publicity.

“There are so 
many different forms of national security threats that they're just 
going to jump at whatever to get on the bandwagon so they can have the 
media's attention,” he said. Hawley’s office did not comment on 
McDaniel’s criticism.

That attention is something McDaniel would 
know a thing or two about. In one TikTok, he references national news 
stories about a bill he proposed requiring young people to <a href="https://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills191/hlrbillspdf/2290H.01I.pdf" target="_blank">own an AR-15</a>.
 The bill wasn’t serious; he was making a point about government 
mandates. The text superimposed on the video: “When you troll libs 
harder than Donald J. Trump.”

In another video, he referenced an <a href="https://house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills201/amendpdf/3142H06.58H.pdf" target="_blank">amendment</a>
 he suggested that would have required state representatives to get 
stoned before “entering the chamber or voting on any legislation.” 
Again, he was trolling his fellow lawmakers and <a href="https://www.marijuanamoment.net/missouri-lawmakers-defeat-amendment-to-require-they-consume-marijuana-before-voting/" target="_blank">drawing attention</a> to how elected officials tack on amendments.

Medina said American 
TikToks are more partisan than what he sees in Germany and realized the 
short videos “could transform the way that political communication 
occurs on social media.”

On Twitter and Facebook, users can write 
rants or link to stories. But TikTok, like YouTube, is a video platform 
and the user becomes the content. TikTok’s algorithm allows just about 
anyone to go viral, and you don’t need to have a lot of followers — your
 content just needs to be engaging.

There’s a lot of “untapped potential” for politicians on the app, Thrash said.

“Christina
 (Haswood) not only gained recognition from her TikTok, she gained 
donations, she gained involvement,” Thrash said. “She gained volunteers,
 she gained interviews.”

Thrash also runs the Kansas High School 
Democrats TikTok account, where he posts about what it’s like being 
liberal in a mostly conservative area. And, as a gay man, Thrash said 
the political climate over the past few years has been challenging, but 
he’s encouraged by politicians like Sanders and Rep. Alexandria 
Ocasio-Cortez.

‘A lot of us … belong in these positions’

Once Haswood 
takes office, she plans to use her TikTok account to give followers a 
behind-the-scenes look at the legislative process.

“I really want 
to bring this level of transparency, but a level of realness that a lot 
of us younger people, people of color, young women, young women of 
color, Indigenous peoples, belong in these positions,” Haswood said.

Haswood
 is a member of the Navajo Nation, and will be one of only three Native 
American women in the Kansas Statehouse next year. In her videos, she 
celebrates <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@haswoodforks/video/6896913398055881990" target="_blank">Native American Heritage month</a>, posts about <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@haswoodforks/video/6884026761445739781" target="_blank">fighting for the rights of minorities</a> and responds to <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@haswoodforks/video/6904025014148861190" target="_blank">criticism</a> she got while campaigning, including someone telling her she was using her “skin color for popularity.”

(Note: This video contains an expletive.)

Haswood is more comfortable being herself on TikTok compared to other
 social media platforms because she said she didn’t feel as much 
pressure to filter herself.

“My entire life has been balancing on 
this fine line of Western society and being an Indigenous woman and 
learning my traditional knowledge and culture, which is not uncommon. 
That's what all of us Indigenous peoples have to do now these days,” 
Haswood said. “... I really wanted to highlight this on TikTok.”

She
 is partly inspired by Gabriella Cázares-Kelly, another Native American 
woman who harnessed the influence of TikTok. Her account gained more 
than 16,000 followers, despite the fact that she was running for 
recorder in Pima County, Arizona. It’s an important job, overseeing 
voter registration and early voting, but it’s not an office that would 
typically get a lot of attention.

Cázares-Kelly is a citizen of 
the Tohono O'odham Nation and is a long-time activist and educator. She 
co-founded Indivisible Tohono, an organization that focuses on civic 
engagement. But when she started campaigning, she had some supporters, 
mostly white people, who told her to not bring up her community work.

“Even people who supported me would come up and say to me, ‘You need to tone down the native,’” Cázares-Kelly said.

It
 shook her confidence, and said she had to make the conscious choice to 
be “unapologetically Native American.” For her third TikTok, she zooms 
by on a scooter wearing a traditional red outfit with white ribbons as 
she shouts, “Excuse me, I’m Indigenous. Coming through!”

More than 100,000 people watched the video and the image became a 
symbol of the campaign, printed on posters, stickers and buttons.

“To
 go from this office that is somewhat obscure to this very visible 
campaign largely had to do with this mantra and this idea that, ‘I'm an 
Indigenous woman coming through with, or without your permission, 
regardless of whether or not you believe I belong there,’” Cázares-Kelly
 said.

Cázares-Kelly and Haswood both hope their accounts show 
Indigenous pride. And Haswood sees it as a way to reach people who might
 not feel like their voice matters. It’s something that’s personal for 
her. She didn’t vote until the 2016 election.

“How are you going 
to tell this group of Indigenous peoples to participate in the system 
that has oppressed them for so long,” Haswood said, “and tell them to 
trust it?”

Aviva Okeson-Haberman is the Missouri government and politics reporter at KCUR 89.3. Email her at aviva@kcur.org.&nbsp;

Young state lawmakers in Kan., Mo. harness strange power of TikTok

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 4,551 to a total of 194,569 the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;

<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 4,551 to a total of 194,569 the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;Coronavirus deaths were reported at 2,253 an increase of 144.<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/2020/12/1608144161925.png" alt="Wednesday Dec. 16, 2020 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday Dec. 16, 2020 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) residents housed at the&nbsp;<a>Saguaro Correctional Center&nbsp;</a>in Eloy, AZ returned to Lansing Correction Facility (LCF) Tuesday, according to a media release from KDOC.

The 118 individuals cleared all COVID-19 testing protocols prior to their return to Kansas. To further protect the health of all involved, they will remain in quarantine for 21 days at LCF before relocation to other KDOC facilities.

In Oct. 2019, KDOC transferred the residents to the private prison in Arizona under a contract with Nashville-based CoreCivic. This was done to manage overcapacity challenges in Kansas prisons and anticipated growth in numbers.

Jeff Zmuda, secretary of corrections, said while sending Kansas residents to another state was less than ideal, it was the best option available at that time to protect the safety of all staff and residents.

“We had planned to return our residents to Kansas by the end of June 2020,” Zmuda said. “However, this plan was disrupted by the pandemic. We continued to revisit the original plan and have determined returning our residents at this time is in the best interest of all those involved.”

Two KDOC officials were onsite in Arizona the week of Dec. 7, 2020 to discuss with the residents the planned move and answer questions. CoreCivic provided transportation from the Arizona facility to Kansas for the medium- and maximum- custody residents.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608132737102.png" alt="Saguaro Correctional Center google image" />
 <figcaption>Saguaro Correctional Center google image</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) residents housed at the&nbsp;<a>Saguaro Correctional Center&nbsp;</a>in Eloy, AZ returned to Lansing Correction Facility (LCF) Tuesday, according to a media release from KDOC.The 118 individuals cleared all COVID-19 testing protocols prior to their return to Kansas. To further protect the health of all involved, they will remain in quarantine for 21 days at LCF before relocation to other KDOC facilities.In Oct. 2019, KDOC transferred the residents to the private prison in Arizona under a contract with Nashville-based CoreCivic. This was done to manage overcapacity challenges in Kansas prisons and anticipated growth in numbers.Jeff Zmuda, secretary of corrections, said while sending Kansas residents to another state was less than ideal, it was the best option available at that time to protect the safety of all staff and residents.“We had planned to return our residents to Kansas by the end of June 2020,” Zmuda said. “However, this plan was disrupted by the pandemic. We continued to revisit the original plan and have determined returning our residents at this time is in the best interest of all those involved.”Two KDOC officials were onsite in Arizona the week of Dec. 7, 2020 to discuss with the residents the planned move and answer questions. CoreCivic provided transportation from the Arizona facility to Kansas for the medium- and maximum- custody residents.

Kan. inmates housed in Arizona prison return to Lansing

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department said Wednesday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had come into contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 and was quarantining.

The department said Pompeo had tested negative for the virus but was being monitored by medical professionals. It said it would not identify the infected person with whom Pompeo came into contact for privacy reasons.

The announcement comes as Pompeo and the department have been criticized for hosting holiday parties amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak">the coronavirus pandemic</a>.

“Secretary Pompeo has been identified as having come into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID,” the department said. “The Secretary has been tested and is negative. In accordance with CDC guidelines, he will be in quarantine. He is being closely monitored by the Department’s medical team.”

Pompeo had been expected to attend President Donald Trump’s Cabinet meeting later Wednesday although the appointment was not listed on his public schedule. He had also tentatively planned to meet with President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to succeed him,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/antony-blinken-secretary-of-state-biden-06a33397de673043360ba6b5fd78af8a">Antony Blinken</a>, on Thursday. The status of that meeting was not immediately clear.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608135129298.png" alt="Former Kansas congressman and current Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Kuwait last month -photo courtesy U.S. Dept. of State" />
 <figcaption>Former Kansas congressman and current Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Kuwait last month -photo courtesy U.S. Dept. of State</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department said Wednesday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had come into contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 and was quarantining.The department said Pompeo had tested negative for the virus but was being monitored by medical professionals. It said it would not identify the infected person with whom Pompeo came into contact for privacy reasons.The announcement comes as Pompeo and the department have been criticized for hosting holiday parties amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak">the coronavirus pandemic</a>.“Secretary Pompeo has been identified as having come into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID,” the department said. “The Secretary has been tested and is negative. In accordance with CDC guidelines, he will be in quarantine. He is being closely monitored by the Department’s medical team.”Pompeo had been expected to attend President Donald Trump’s Cabinet meeting later Wednesday although the appointment was not listed on his public schedule. He had also tentatively planned to meet with President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to succeed him,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/antony-blinken-secretary-of-state-biden-06a33397de673043360ba6b5fd78af8a">Antony Blinken</a>, on Thursday. The status of that meeting was not immediately clear.

Virus exposure: Secretary of State Pompeo in quarantine

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Topeka City Council has voted to expand the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance to include LGBTQ residents and military veterans.

The council unanimously approved an the ordinance Tuesday that prohibits discrimination in work, housing and public accommodations because of gender identity, genetic information, sexual orientation or veteran status.

The ordinance also was updated to prevent discrimination through telecommunication, which includes harassment over social media.

A first offense could result in a misdemeanor charge, a $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail. A second offense carries a possible $2,500 fine and up to one year in jail.

“Stuff like this still goes on in the workplace, at home, at schools, everywhere,” said council member Sylvia Ortiz. “Until we change our hearts and until we change our thinking process … that is when it’ll change.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608130833702.png" alt="Members of the Topeka city council during their virtual discussion of the ordinance Tuesday" />
 <figcaption>Members of the Topeka city council during their virtual discussion of the ordinance Tuesday</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Topeka City Council has voted to expand the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance to include LGBTQ residents and military veterans.The council unanimously approved an the ordinance Tuesday that prohibits discrimination in work, housing and public accommodations because of gender identity, genetic information, sexual orientation or veteran status.The ordinance also was updated to prevent discrimination through telecommunication, which includes harassment over social media.A first offense could result in a misdemeanor charge, a $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail. A second offense carries a possible $2,500 fine and up to one year in jail.“Stuff like this still goes on in the workplace, at home, at schools, everywhere,” said council member Sylvia Ortiz. “Until we change our hearts and until we change our thinking process … that is when it’ll change.”

Topeka City Council bans LGBTQ discrimination 

Nearly one-fourth of district’s high school students flunking two courses

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/12/15/shawnee-heights-online-learning-experience-inspires-pivot-to-old-school-classroom-model/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TECUMSEH — The 
pandemic-challenged semester at Shawnee Heights High School began in 
September with a couple days a week of in-class instruction before 
COVID-19 forced the school board to switch to full remote learning in 
November.

The result: Nearly one-fourth of the high school’s 1,100 students are now failing at least two courses.

Principal Ed West said 25% of the school’s ninth, 10th and 11th
 grade students were on the “academic warning list.” This unfortunate 
roster is for anyone earning an F in at least two classes. Seniors 
proved themselves a statistical savior, deflating the overall rate for 
futility because only 13% were bombing a pair of courses.

In a normal semester when 
traditional instructional models weren’t being chased by a relentless 
virus, West said, perhaps fewer than 100 of the high school’s students 
would be so listed.

“Currently, this semester, we have 263,” West said.

Shawnee Heights Middle School Principal Tim Urich said performance of 23% of the 7th and 8th
 graders fell into a “not effective” category, meaning they had a D or F
 in at least half their classes. An estimated 13% of the district’s 
elementary school students haven’t been regularly participating in their
 online classes or had failed to turn in school work.

“The way to catch them up is to have them in school,” Urich said.

It’s a scholarly message 
that resonated with the Shawnee Heights Board of Education, which voted 
Monday night to return to a hybrid of in-person and online instruction 
when classes resumed in January. The influence of holiday gatherings on 
spread of COVID-19 will determine what approach the school board takes 
for February and beyond in USD 450.

“The information the 
building administrators have shared is hard to ignore,” said school 
board member Eric Deitcher, who has a son in middle school.

He said advance of 
COVID-19 justifiably convinced the school board to withdraw to remote 
learning three weeks ago. Returning the district to a hybrid operation 
Jan. 4 is worth the effort, he said.

The decision was applauded
 by the mask-adorned, socially distanced meeting audience dominated by 
people who endorsed return of students to familiar brick-and-mortar 
school buildings. The school board and the district’s constituents had 
to take into account rapid expansion of infection in Kansas, but also 
adoption of mitigation steps designed to shield adults and the 
resiliance of younger people to the virus. It’s a balancing act played 
out in nearly 300 districts across Kansas.

Shawnee Heights isn’t 
alone in experiencing mixed academic results while attempting to 
minimize spread of coronavirus among students, teachers and staff as 
well as parents and the larger community. The strategy of avoiding mass 
gatherings in schools frustrated parents and students while inspiring 
activists intrigued by the prospect of voting out school board members 
who refused to bend to their will.

There is consensus among 
Kansas educators that in-person instruction with a quality teacher 
worked best for the most students. While some students excel in any 
framework, a segment of students required connections that technology 
cannot deliver.

Jeremy Rathbun, who has 
three children in elementary school in Shawnee Heights, said reliance on
 at-home learning, which turned some parents into ad hoc instructional 
aides, had been a struggle. He said teachers and support staff in the 
district worked diligently to help parents carry this unfamiliar load. 
He offered the school board a peek into his life.

“It is very heartbreaking 
to see my child failing at school. I am at the point where my kids’ 
mental health and academics need to come first,” Rathbun told the 
seven-member board.

Shawnee Heights parent 
Grant Peters said his son frequently struggled in school until a light 
bulb went off in the seventh grade. He became a straight-A student while
 taking advance-placement classes.

“Or was,” he corrected 
himself, “until the last month or so. My son now has a C-, two Ds and an
 F. Hopefully, we can get the kids back in school.”

Jacalyn Koch, a student at
 Shawnee Heights High School who took part in protests on behalf of 
in-person instruction, said politics of COVID-19 stood in the way of 
what was best for her peers. She said lack of structure and the 
perpetuation of isolation was a cause of stress that diminished 
students’ motivation to learn.

“I know many people, 
including myself, who have become very depressed and suicidal,” she 
said. “They didn’t feel like that until this school year. Several are 
also going through hard things at home and school is a place to get away
 and get a break from those problems.”

Superintendent Matt Hirsch
 said a survey of the Shawnee Heights elementary teachers demonstrated 
in-person instruction was considered the best academic option by 81% of 
respondents. Twelve percent said hybrid teaching was at the head of the 
class, while 6% pointed to remote learning as the path forward.

“Overwhelmingly, they felt
 like when … kids are here, they learn best,” Hirsch said. “Don’t think 
that’s a shock to anybody. Same thing with social-emotional learning. 
They felt like in-school was the best situation.”

However, teachers had a 
fractured response when asked in the survey to reveal their preferred 
work environment as COVID-19 persisted. Here’s how their choices fell 
out: in-person, 31%; remote, 30%; hybrid, 19%; and unknown, 18%.

Hirsch recommended the 
district transition to hybrid teaching Jan. 4 or Jan. 19. At the same 
time, he said, building administrators would figure out ways to pull 
more struggling students from pre-K through 12th grade into 
school for three or four days of in-person instruction. The school board
 agreed and chose to implement the change Jan. 4.

School board member Rosa 
Cavazos, who moved to the Shawnee Heights district in 2005, said burden 
of the pandemic, educational needs of students, pressure from parents 
and necessity for compromise was exhausting. It’s the kind of drama that
 produces sleepless nights, she said.

“I’m struggling. I tell you this is hard,” she said. “At some point, were going to have to let them fly.”

Fellow board member Lauren
 Tice Miller, who graduated from the district and has three kids, said 
the real enemy in this situation was COVID-19 rather than people who had
 different ideas about how to proceed in the pandemic. She also 
announced at close of the school board meeting that she wouldn’t seek 
another term as the board’s president.

Rocky Busenitz, a school 
board member who graduated from high school in the district during 1994,
 said the best option given philosophical realities was a hybrid 
instructional approach, and the sooner the better. He told colleagues 
nine months in the COVID-19 pressure cooker wouldn’t be easily 
forgotten.

“The negativity at times can wear you down,” he said. “I’m praying for each and every one of you.”

Tim Carpenter has reported on Kansas for 35 years. He covered the Capitol for 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal and previously worked for the Lawrence Journal-World and United Press International.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608046445963.png" alt="The Shawnee Heights school board voted Monday night to return in January to a hybrid of in-person and online instruction due to the volume of students struggling academically. The COVID-19 pandemic convinced the board to go online in November. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>The Shawnee Heights school board voted Monday night to return in January to a hybrid of in-person and online instruction due to the volume of students struggling academically. The COVID-19 pandemic convinced the board to go online in November. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Nearly one-fourth of district’s high school students flunking two courses</h2>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/12/15/shawnee-heights-online-learning-experience-inspires-pivot-to-old-school-classroom-model/">Kansas Reflector</a>TECUMSEH — The 
pandemic-challenged semester at Shawnee Heights High School began in 
September with a couple days a week of in-class instruction before 
COVID-19 forced the school board to switch to full remote learning in 
November.The result: Nearly one-fourth of the high school’s 1,100 students are now failing at least two courses.Principal Ed West said 25% of the school’s ninth, 10th and 11th
 grade students were on the “academic warning list.” This unfortunate 
roster is for anyone earning an F in at least two classes. Seniors 
proved themselves a statistical savior, deflating the overall rate for 
futility because only 13% were bombing a pair of courses.In a normal semester when 
traditional instructional models weren’t being chased by a relentless 
virus, West said, perhaps fewer than 100 of the high school’s students 
would be so listed.“Currently, this semester, we have 263,” West said.Shawnee Heights Middle School Principal Tim Urich said performance of 23% of the 7th and 8th
 graders fell into a “not effective” category, meaning they had a D or F
 in at least half their classes. An estimated 13% of the district’s 
elementary school students haven’t been regularly participating in their
 online classes or had failed to turn in school work.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608046508737.jpeg" alt="Ed West, principal of Shawnee Heights High School, said Monday nearly one-fourth of 1,100 students at the high school were failing at least two courses. The district’s school board turned to an online-only model in November amid spread of COVID-19, but voted to go back to a hybrid approach in January. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Ed West, principal of Shawnee Heights High School, said Monday nearly one-fourth of 1,100 students at the high school were failing at least two courses. The district’s school board turned to an online-only model in November amid spread of COVID-19, but voted to go back to a hybrid approach in January. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>“The way to catch them up is to have them in school,” Urich said.It’s a scholarly message 
that resonated with the Shawnee Heights Board of Education, which voted 
Monday night to return to a hybrid of in-person and online instruction 
when classes resumed in January. The influence of holiday gatherings on 
spread of COVID-19 will determine what approach the school board takes 
for February and beyond in USD 450.“The information the 
building administrators have shared is hard to ignore,” said school 
board member Eric Deitcher, who has a son in middle school.He said advance of 
COVID-19 justifiably convinced the school board to withdraw to remote 
learning three weeks ago. Returning the district to a hybrid operation 
Jan. 4 is worth the effort, he said.The decision was applauded
 by the mask-adorned, socially distanced meeting audience dominated by 
people who endorsed return of students to familiar brick-and-mortar 
school buildings. The school board and the district’s constituents had 
to take into account rapid expansion of infection in Kansas, but also 
adoption of mitigation steps designed to shield adults and the 
resiliance of younger people to the virus. It’s a balancing act played 
out in nearly 300 districts across Kansas.<h2>‘Heartbreaking’</h2>Shawnee Heights isn’t 
alone in experiencing mixed academic results while attempting to 
minimize spread of coronavirus among students, teachers and staff as 
well as parents and the larger community. The strategy of avoiding mass 
gatherings in schools frustrated parents and students while inspiring 
activists intrigued by the prospect of voting out school board members 
who refused to bend to their will.There is consensus among 
Kansas educators that in-person instruction with a quality teacher 
worked best for the most students. While some students excel in any 
framework, a segment of students required connections that technology 
cannot deliver.Jeremy Rathbun, who has 
three children in elementary school in Shawnee Heights, said reliance on
 at-home learning, which turned some parents into ad hoc instructional 
aides, had been a struggle. He said teachers and support staff in the 
district worked diligently to help parents carry this unfamiliar load. 
He offered the school board a peek into his life.“It is very heartbreaking 
to see my child failing at school. I am at the point where my kids’ 
mental health and academics need to come first,” Rathbun told the 
seven-member board.Shawnee Heights parent 
Grant Peters said his son frequently struggled in school until a light 
bulb went off in the seventh grade. He became a straight-A student while
 taking advance-placement classes.“Or was,” he corrected 
himself, “until the last month or so. My son now has a C-, two Ds and an
 F. Hopefully, we can get the kids back in school.”<h2>Students in stress</h2>Jacalyn Koch, a student at
 Shawnee Heights High School who took part in protests on behalf of 
in-person instruction, said politics of COVID-19 stood in the way of 
what was best for her peers. She said lack of structure and the 
perpetuation of isolation was a cause of stress that diminished 
students’ motivation to learn.“I know many people, 
including myself, who have become very depressed and suicidal,” she 
said. “They didn’t feel like that until this school year. Several are 
also going through hard things at home and school is a place to get away
 and get a break from those problems.”Superintendent Matt Hirsch
 said a survey of the Shawnee Heights elementary teachers demonstrated 
in-person instruction was considered the best academic option by 81% of 
respondents. Twelve percent said hybrid teaching was at the head of the 
class, while 6% pointed to remote learning as the path forward.“Overwhelmingly, they felt
 like when … kids are here, they learn best,” Hirsch said. “Don’t think 
that’s a shock to anybody. Same thing with social-emotional learning. 
They felt like in-school was the best situation.”However, teachers had a 
fractured response when asked in the survey to reveal their preferred 
work environment as COVID-19 persisted. Here’s how their choices fell 
out: in-person, 31%; remote, 30%; hybrid, 19%; and unknown, 18%.Hirsch recommended the 
district transition to hybrid teaching Jan. 4 or Jan. 19. At the same 
time, he said, building administrators would figure out ways to pull 
more struggling students from pre-K through 12th grade into 
school for three or four days of in-person instruction. The school board
 agreed and chose to implement the change Jan. 4.School board member Rosa 
Cavazos, who moved to the Shawnee Heights district in 2005, said burden 
of the pandemic, educational needs of students, pressure from parents 
and necessity for compromise was exhausting. It’s the kind of drama that
 produces sleepless nights, she said.“I’m struggling. I tell you this is hard,” she said. “At some point, were going to have to let them fly.”Fellow board member Lauren
 Tice Miller, who graduated from the district and has three kids, said 
the real enemy in this situation was COVID-19 rather than people who had
 different ideas about how to proceed in the pandemic. She also 
announced at close of the school board meeting that she wouldn’t seek 
another term as the board’s president.Rocky Busenitz, a school 
board member who graduated from high school in the district during 1994,
 said the best option given philosophical realities was a hybrid 
instructional approach, and the sooner the better. He told colleagues 
nine months in the COVID-19 pressure cooker wouldn’t be easily 
forgotten.“The negativity at times can wear you down,” he said. “I’m praying for each and every one of you.”Tim Carpenter has reported on Kansas for 35 years. He covered the Capitol for 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal and previously worked for the Lawrence Journal-World and United Press International.

Kan. school district pivots to classroom model after flurry of Fs

LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — Gov. Laura Kelly and the Kansas’ top health official said Tuesday they are relieved the state has begun distributing a coronavirus vaccine but they stressed that the public still needs to adhere to social distancing and other precautions for several more months.

The Ascension Via Christi health care system administered&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-wichita-coronavirus-pandemic-b082566461165e59965aba9ad20c0de3">the first doses</a>&nbsp;of the vaccine to 115 physicians and employees at its St. Francis hospital on Monday. Vaccinating health care workers will speed up this week, but it likely won’t be an option for the general public until late spring or early summer, Kelly said.

“I am relieved that we are really truly turning the corner now on this virus,” Kelly said during a virtual meeting with University of Kansas Medical Center officials.

Long-term care residents will get the vaccine after health care workers, and state officials are working with advisers to determine subsequent vaccinations — a process that should be completed by the end of this week or the beginning of next, Kelly said.

When asked about the possible impact of the vaccine on getting students back into classrooms full time, Kelly said local school districts already have plans that allow for the return of students when positivity rates are low enough. She said the vaccine will make “a huge difference” when it is widely distributed, but she doesn’t expect that effect to be seen until the beginning of the next school year at the earliest.

Dr. Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, echoed Kelly’s warning for the public to continue wearing masks, socially distance and not hold large gatherings, especially through the winter holidays. He expects the impact on COVID-19 cases from the holidays will linger into mid-January.

“We cannot let our guard down until we have (a) significantly higher number of people who are immunized,” he said.

Shawnee County Health Officer Gianfranco Pezzino cited his concern about an easing of safety protocols when he resigned in frustration in the middle of a meeting Monday. Pezzino had already said he would not renew his contract at the end of the year, but he explained that he was resigning immediately after commissioners changed a health order he had recommended.

Pezzino said he couldn’t “in full conscience” continue to work with the commissioners after they changed the health order to allow bars and restaurants to close at 10 p.m., rather than 9 p.m. They also allowed organized sports outside of schools to practice with 10 or fewer participants.

“It is clear from the events today as well as many instances in the past months when you repeatedly questioned and undermined my decisions and advice that there are deep differences in ethics, values and strategies between this board and myself,” he said, WIBW&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wibw.com/2020/12/14/pezzino-resigns-in-protest-shawnee-county-health-officer-quits-2-weeks-early/" target="_blank">reported</a>.

Commissioner Aaron Mays said he was troubled by Pezzino’s statements.

“We have consistently supported his measures that he has recommended to us,” Mays said. “The spirit of the order is still in place. We made two very small changes, in my opinion.”

The commissioners said in a statement after the meeting that they were assessing the impact of Pezzino’s immediate resignation.

Kansas reported 190,018 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday and averaged 2,285 new confirmed and probable cases a day over the seven days that ended Monday. The state also reported 37 more COVID-19 deaths since Friday, raising its pandemic death toll to 2,109. The state also reported 5,895 hospitalizations as of Monday, which was a net increase of 95 since Friday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608071036687.png" alt="Vaccine arrived in Topeka Tuesday afternoon - photo courtesy Stormont Vail " />
 <figcaption>Vaccine arrived in Topeka Tuesday afternoon - photo courtesy Stormont Vail </figcaption>
 </figure>LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — Gov. Laura Kelly and the Kansas’ top health official said Tuesday they are relieved the state has begun distributing a coronavirus vaccine but they stressed that the public still needs to adhere to social distancing and other precautions for several more months.The Ascension Via Christi health care system administered&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-wichita-coronavirus-pandemic-b082566461165e59965aba9ad20c0de3">the first doses</a>&nbsp;of the vaccine to 115 physicians and employees at its St. Francis hospital on Monday. Vaccinating health care workers will speed up this week, but it likely won’t be an option for the general public until late spring or early summer, Kelly said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608127143395.png" alt="Trina Williams, RN, who typically works with orthopedic patients, felt called to serve COVID-19 patients since the beginning of the pandemic. She got her first COVID-19 vaccine dose Tuesday -photo courtesy Ascension Via Christi" />
 <figcaption>Trina Williams, RN, who typically works with orthopedic patients, felt called to serve COVID-19 patients since the beginning of the pandemic. She got her first COVID-19 vaccine dose Tuesday -photo courtesy Ascension Via Christi</figcaption>
 </figure>“I am relieved that we are really truly turning the corner now on this virus,” Kelly said during a virtual meeting with University of Kansas Medical Center officials.Long-term care residents will get the vaccine after health care workers, and state officials are working with advisers to determine subsequent vaccinations — a process that should be completed by the end of this week or the beginning of next, Kelly said.When asked about the possible impact of the vaccine on getting students back into classrooms full time, Kelly said local school districts already have plans that allow for the return of students when positivity rates are low enough. She said the vaccine will make “a huge difference” when it is widely distributed, but she doesn’t expect that effect to be seen until the beginning of the next school year at the earliest.Dr. Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, echoed Kelly’s warning for the public to continue wearing masks, socially distance and not hold large gatherings, especially through the winter holidays. He expects the impact on COVID-19 cases from the holidays will linger into mid-January.“We cannot let our guard down until we have (a) significantly higher number of people who are immunized,” he said.Shawnee County Health Officer Gianfranco Pezzino cited his concern about an easing of safety protocols when he resigned in frustration in the middle of a meeting Monday. Pezzino had already said he would not renew his contract at the end of the year, but he explained that he was resigning immediately after commissioners changed a health order he had recommended.Pezzino said he couldn’t “in full conscience” continue to work with the commissioners after they changed the health order to allow bars and restaurants to close at 10 p.m., rather than 9 p.m. They also allowed organized sports outside of schools to practice with 10 or fewer participants.“It is clear from the events today as well as many instances in the past months when you repeatedly questioned and undermined my decisions and advice that there are deep differences in ethics, values and strategies between this board and myself,” he said, WIBW&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wibw.com/2020/12/14/pezzino-resigns-in-protest-shawnee-county-health-officer-quits-2-weeks-early/" target="_blank">reported</a>.Commissioner Aaron Mays said he was troubled by Pezzino’s statements.“We have consistently supported his measures that he has recommended to us,” Mays said. “The spirit of the order is still in place. We made two very small changes, in my opinion.”The commissioners said in a statement after the meeting that they were assessing the impact of Pezzino’s immediate resignation.Kansas reported 190,018 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday and averaged 2,285 new confirmed and probable cases a day over the seven days that ended Monday. The state also reported 37 more COVID-19 deaths since Friday, raising its pandemic death toll to 2,109. The state also reported 5,895 hospitalizations as of Monday, which was a net increase of 95 since Friday.

Governor:  Stay vigilant against virus despite vaccine

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A soon-to-be seated Kansas lawmaker has had a temporary anti-stalking order issued against him in court at the request of a former opponent’s campaign manager, who said he sent her harassing messages, came to her home twice and tried to get her evicted.

State Rep.-elect Aaron Coleman, a 20-year-old Democrat from Kansas City, Kansas, will face a video hearing Dec. 16 in state district court in his home of Wyandotte County to determine whether the temporary order stays in place. The temporary order, issued by a judge Friday, orders Coleman not to communicate “in any manner” with Brandie Armstrong, also of Kansas City, Kansas, or follow her or come “on or around” her home or job site.

It’s the latest controversy involving Coleman. Others include allegations of circulating revenge porn and threatening to shoot a student when younger and post-election criticism of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly for not being liberal enough.

Armstrong was campaign manager for Rep. Stan Frownfelter, the veteran Kansas City lawmaker that the 20-year-old Coleman narrowly defeated in the August primary. Frownfelter and a Republican candidate also ran write-in campaigns in the November general election, but Coleman captured 66% of the vote.

Armstrong said in her request for an order against Coleman that he repeatedly sent harassing texts and personal messages to her during the campaign, came to her home in June and October and attempted to file “false and bogus” complaints against her landlord to try to get her evicted. She declined Tuesday to comment further, other than saying in a text message to The Associated Press that she did not want to bring more attention to her case “given what Mr. Coleman and his supporters are insinuating about me,” without elaborating.

Coleman also declined to discuss Armstrong’s allegations. He was at the Statehouse on Monday and Tuesday for meetings ahead of the Legislature convening its 2021 annual session Jan. 11.

“I don’t want to upset any judges,” he said. “Judges don’t like it when you step on their toes.”

Coleman defeated Frownfelter in the primary after running on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d7ea4a5bc168f3b608ea96c81efb6c78">a liberal platform</a>&nbsp;that included providing universal health coverage, eliminating college tuition and legalizing marijuana.

He tweeted Tuesday that he was fighting Armstrong’s order not because he wanted to contact her again but “because this order would block me from attending political meetings.” A supporter started a gofundme.com campaign Monday to raise money for Coleman’s legal defense.

Kansas law allows people to obtain a temporary court order to keep others from having contact with them if they can outline a case in writing that they are victims of abuse, including stalking. Wyandotte County District Judge Kathleen Lynch on Friday determined that Armstrong had established a case for the temporary order.

Kelly and the House’s top Democrat, Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, already had described Coleman as being unfit to serve. Coleman posted tweets immediately after the November election criticizing Kelly, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-kansas-topeka-elections-fd91a21ee706c19194c7d302a2315d28">a later-deleted</a>&nbsp;one that said, “People will realize one day when I call a hit out on you it’s real.” He said later that he meant to use the phrase “political hit.”

Coleman was charged in May 2015 with a felony count of making a criminal threat against a high school student but later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of harassment. A police arrest report and investigative summary from the incident said Coleman threatened to go to a girl’s high school, shoot her and turn the gun on himself.

In June, he acknowledged in a post on Facebook that allegations of revenge porn and harassing middle school girls online&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ac948dae17c3dbc36ffe62246925c4f3">were true</a>&nbsp;but called them the actions of a “sick and troubled 14-year-old boy.”

The state Democratic Party disowned Coleman in August when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d6ea4066903abd8ef70d60bebe6c8a3c">an ex-girlfriend accused him</a>&nbsp;of being physically abusive to her in late December 2019.

Sawyer had said Democrats likely would seek to oust Coleman once he was sworn in by forcing a House vote on expelling him. But Sawyer said Tuesday that House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr. discouraged such a move because it would involve conduct before Coleman took office.

Democrats now are likely to monitor the new lawmaker’s actions closely, Sawyer said.

“I have a feeling he’s not going to make it the two years, but we’ll see,” said Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat. “If he can behave for two years, yeah, then, we’ll just get a primary.”

Ryckman said he told Sawyer only that overturning an election was a problematic “slippery slope.”

“I cautioned about undoing the will of the voters, who just knew who they voting for,” said Ryckman, an Olathe Republican.

Coleman has argued that the House can’t expel him for conduct that occurred before he took office.

“I’m focusing on governing,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604624233968.png" alt="Photo courtesy State Rep.-elect Aaron Coleman" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy State Rep.-elect Aaron Coleman</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A soon-to-be seated Kansas lawmaker has had a temporary anti-stalking order issued against him in court at the request of a former opponent’s campaign manager, who said he sent her harassing messages, came to her home twice and tried to get her evicted.State Rep.-elect Aaron Coleman, a 20-year-old Democrat from Kansas City, Kansas, will face a video hearing Dec. 16 in state district court in his home of Wyandotte County to determine whether the temporary order stays in place. The temporary order, issued by a judge Friday, orders Coleman not to communicate “in any manner” with Brandie Armstrong, also of Kansas City, Kansas, or follow her or come “on or around” her home or job site.It’s the latest controversy involving Coleman. Others include allegations of circulating revenge porn and threatening to shoot a student when younger and post-election criticism of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly for not being liberal enough.Armstrong was campaign manager for Rep. Stan Frownfelter, the veteran Kansas City lawmaker that the 20-year-old Coleman narrowly defeated in the August primary. Frownfelter and a Republican candidate also ran write-in campaigns in the November general election, but Coleman captured 66% of the vote.Armstrong said in her request for an order against Coleman that he repeatedly sent harassing texts and personal messages to her during the campaign, came to her home in June and October and attempted to file “false and bogus” complaints against her landlord to try to get her evicted. She declined Tuesday to comment further, other than saying in a text message to The Associated Press that she did not want to bring more attention to her case “given what Mr. Coleman and his supporters are insinuating about me,” without elaborating.Coleman also declined to discuss Armstrong’s allegations. He was at the Statehouse on Monday and Tuesday for meetings ahead of the Legislature convening its 2021 annual session Jan. 11.“I don’t want to upset any judges,” he said. “Judges don’t like it when you step on their toes.”Coleman defeated Frownfelter in the primary after running on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d7ea4a5bc168f3b608ea96c81efb6c78">a liberal platform</a>&nbsp;that included providing universal health coverage, eliminating college tuition and legalizing marijuana.He tweeted Tuesday that he was fighting Armstrong’s order not because he wanted to contact her again but “because this order would block me from attending political meetings.” A supporter started a gofundme.com campaign Monday to raise money for Coleman’s legal defense.Kansas law allows people to obtain a temporary court order to keep others from having contact with them if they can outline a case in writing that they are victims of abuse, including stalking. Wyandotte County District Judge Kathleen Lynch on Friday determined that Armstrong had established a case for the temporary order.Kelly and the House’s top Democrat, Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, already had described Coleman as being unfit to serve. Coleman posted tweets immediately after the November election criticizing Kelly, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-kansas-topeka-elections-fd91a21ee706c19194c7d302a2315d28">a later-deleted</a>&nbsp;one that said, “People will realize one day when I call a hit out on you it’s real.” He said later that he meant to use the phrase “political hit.”Coleman was charged in May 2015 with a felony count of making a criminal threat against a high school student but later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of harassment. A police arrest report and investigative summary from the incident said Coleman threatened to go to a girl’s high school, shoot her and turn the gun on himself.In June, he acknowledged in a post on Facebook that allegations of revenge porn and harassing middle school girls online&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ac948dae17c3dbc36ffe62246925c4f3">were true</a>&nbsp;but called them the actions of a “sick and troubled 14-year-old boy.”The state Democratic Party disowned Coleman in August when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d6ea4066903abd8ef70d60bebe6c8a3c">an ex-girlfriend accused him</a>&nbsp;of being physically abusive to her in late December 2019.Sawyer had said Democrats likely would seek to oust Coleman once he was sworn in by forcing a House vote on expelling him. But Sawyer said Tuesday that House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr. discouraged such a move because it would involve conduct before Coleman took office.Democrats now are likely to monitor the new lawmaker’s actions closely, Sawyer said.“I have a feeling he’s not going to make it the two years, but we’ll see,” said Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat. “If he can behave for two years, yeah, then, we’ll just get a primary.”Ryckman said he told Sawyer only that overturning an election was a problematic “slippery slope.”“I cautioned about undoing the will of the voters, who just knew who they voting for,” said Ryckman, an Olathe Republican.Coleman has argued that the House can’t expel him for conduct that occurred before he took office.“I’m focusing on governing,” he said.

Kan. lawmaker-to-be faces hearing on anti stalking order

KIOWA COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 7p.m. Tuesday in Kiowa County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1998 Chevy Astro van driven by Joaquin Vatierra-Serran, 75, Hutchinson, was eastbound on U.S. 54 four miles west of Haviland.

The van crossed the centerline and&nbsp;collided head-on with a westbound 2017 Freightliner semi driven by Christian&nbsp;Gayles, 29, Chicago, Illinois.

Vatierra-Serran was transported to&nbsp;Western Plains Hospital where he died. Gayles and a passenger in the semi were not injured. All three were properly restrained a the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

KIOWA COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 7p.m. Tuesday in Kiowa County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1998 Chevy Astro van driven by Joaquin Vatierra-Serran, 75, Hutchinson, was eastbound on U.S. 54 four miles west of Haviland.The van crossed the centerline and&nbsp;collided head-on with a westbound 2017 Freightliner semi driven by Christian&nbsp;Gayles, 29, Chicago, Illinois.Vatierra-Serran was transported to&nbsp;Western Plains Hospital where he died. Gayles and a passenger in the semi were not injured. All three were properly restrained a the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

Kansas man dies after head-on semi crash

DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — Dodge City Mayor Joyce Warshaw is resigning after receiving threats over supporting a mask mandate. Warshaw announced Tuesday that her resignation is effective immediately. 

The Dodge City Globe reports that Warshaw has been threatened since being quoted in a USA Today story published Friday. In the article, she said she supported a mask mandate. 

Warshaw said Tuesday she loves Dodge City, but she is concerned that people are not acting “normally" because of pressures caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Some of the emails threatening Warshaw have been turned over to police. Dodge City Police Chief Drew Francis said the department is determining a proper response to the emails.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608082442527.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — Dodge City Mayor Joyce Warshaw is resigning after receiving threats over supporting a mask mandate. Warshaw announced Tuesday that her resignation is effective immediately. The Dodge City Globe reports that Warshaw has been threatened since being quoted in a USA Today story published Friday. In the article, she said she supported a mask mandate. Warshaw said Tuesday she loves Dodge City, but she is concerned that people are not acting “normally" because of pressures caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Some of the emails threatening Warshaw have been turned over to police. Dodge City Police Chief Drew Francis said the department is determining a proper response to the emails.

Dodge City mayor resigns after threats over backing mask mandate

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man died in an accident just before 3p.m. Tuesday in Sedgwick County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2000 Buick Century driven by Travis Smith, 41, Newton,&nbsp; was northbound on Interstate 135 just north of 85th Street.

The Buick crossed into the median, traveled northbound in the southbound lanes and struck a 2011 Ford Flex driven by Paulus, Emily Paulus, 16, Hillsboro, head-on&nbsp;

Smith was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported&nbsp;Sedgwick County Forensic Center. EMS transported Paulus and a passenger Laura&nbsp;Paulus, 43, Hillsboro, to Wesley Medical Center. All three were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608118815580.png" alt="First responders on the scene of the crash photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>First responders on the scene of the crash photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man died in an accident just before 3p.m. Tuesday in Sedgwick County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2000 Buick Century driven by Travis Smith, 41, Newton,&nbsp; was northbound on Interstate 135 just north of 85th Street.The Buick crossed into the median, traveled northbound in the southbound lanes and struck a 2011 Ford Flex driven by Paulus, Emily Paulus, 16, Hillsboro, head-on&nbsp;Smith was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported&nbsp;Sedgwick County Forensic Center. EMS transported Paulus and a passenger Laura&nbsp;Paulus, 43, Hillsboro, to Wesley Medical Center. All three were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

Kansas man dies, 2 hospitalized after head-on crash

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

Mathew Heinz of Dodge City joined the Marines on the day he graduated high school.

Years after coming home, things that happened during his time overseas started to surface and haunt him.

"I went through a divorce in 2016 after a 10-year marriage, and I was in a dark place," he said.

Matt's best friend that he grew up with suggested they go hunting with a veterans group — The Fallen Outdoors.

The national nonprofit group organizes outdoor activities for veterans of all ages, branches of service and skill levels. The group is all-volunteer run by fellow veterans.

Matt said the first hunt he went on was a dove hunt, and he was able to get his first dove on that hunt.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607715812715.jpeg" alt="Fallen Outdoors is a nonprofit run by veterans that allows other veterans to experience outdoor sports. Courtesy photos" />
 <figcaption>Fallen Outdoors is a nonprofit run by veterans that allows other veterans to experience outdoor sports. Courtesy photos</figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostMathew Heinz of Dodge City joined the Marines on the day he graduated high school.He was deployed to Iraq.Years after coming home, things that happened during his time overseas started to surface and haunt him."I went through a divorce in 2016 after a 10-year marriage, and I was in a dark place," he said.Matt's best friend that he grew up with suggested they go hunting with a veterans group — The Fallen Outdoors.The national nonprofit group organizes outdoor activities for veterans of all ages, branches of service and skill levels. The group is all-volunteer run by fellow veterans.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607715882617.jpeg" alt="Fallen Outdoors arranges hunting trips for veterans. The trips are free with the exception of hunting licenses and tags." />
 <figcaption>Fallen Outdoors arranges hunting trips for veterans. The trips are free with the exception of hunting licenses and tags.</figcaption>
 </figure>Matt said the first hunt he went on was a dove hunt, and he was able to get his first dove on that hunt."I have become good friends with all of these guys, and we are all linked through TFO. We talk almost every day with each other about pretty much anything," he said in a testimonial for Fallen Outdoors.&nbsp;He has been on over a dozen hunts, but said it's not about the kill or getting the most birds or the biggest buck. "It's the experience of the hunt. When you're in the military, you form a brotherhood with the guys you serve with that is stronger than most family bonds," he said. "When you leave the service, it is very hard to find that since of brotherhood again."But you get a group of veterans together, no matter what era they are from, we all act the same, we all talk the same and we all feel that brotherhood. For just a second, you feel completely at peace and relaxed."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607715935765.jpeg" alt="Fallen Outdoors offers sporting activities, such as fishing, for veterans of all ages and skill levels. Gear is also available for those who need it." />
 <figcaption>Fallen Outdoors offers sporting activities, such as fishing, for veterans of all ages and skill levels. Gear is also available for those who need it.</figcaption>
 </figure>Austin Wheeler, Hays resident and Fallen Outdoors volunteer, is trying to make more veterans in Northwest Kansas aware of the organization.The organization offers fishing, hunting, kayaking, camping, golfing, disc golfing and hiking.This year, Team Kansas has taken 800 veterans on 180 outdoor trips. Not all of the trips are formally organized. Veterans can use the group's social network to find other vets in their area for informal or last-minute activities like camping or a round of disc golf.All of the trips are free. However, veterans do have to provide their own hunting or fishing licenses and tags.The organization can provide hunting, fishing and camping equipment, as well as instruction for those who are new to outdoor sports.Kansas offers an apprenticeship license that will allow those who have not had hunter's safety yet to hunt with a licensed hunter, Wheeler said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607716080376.jpeg" alt="Fallen Outdoors Team Kansas has taken 800 veterans on 180 trips this year." />
 <figcaption>Fallen Outdoors Team Kansas has taken 800 veterans on 180 trips this year.</figcaption>
 </figure>Wheeler said Fallen Outdoors creates a social network for veterans to lean on in times of need.Wheeler is an eight-year veteran of the Army and served three deployments to Afghanistan.&nbsp; He said the group helped him build a group of friends."I moved to Hays and that is when I found the Fallen Outdoors,while trying to find like-minded individuals that I could relate to and feel open about talking about my military experience," he said. "It's helped me a lot."Wheeler and his brother hunted and fished with his dad when he was younger, but he stopped when he entered the military. Fallen Outdoors has helped him rediscover the hobby."It gives me something to look forward to doing," he said. "It is something I can put my time into that I feel like it helps me socially. It helps me physically. It helps me have that brotherhood I missed — that camaraderie I missed in the military."Veterans are using the Fallen Outdoors as a vehicle to help other veterans who are struggling. Its mission is to reduce the 22 veterans per day who die by suicide.Sometimes a simple fishing trip might be that one thing that gives a veteran hope. Wheeler said the group has seen this reflected in the feedback from its participants.Wheeler related an instance a staff person saw a post on one of the group's Facebook pages from a veteran who was having a rough night. That staff person drove six hours across the state to sit and talk with that veteran for several hours."We are here to help. We are here to talk to you. We are here to get you a hobby that you can do on your own," Wheeler said. "We want to try to build that self-confidence back up. We just want to do whatever we can to help one another. That is what it's all about is being there for each other."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607716296592.jpeg" alt="Hunters on a Fallen Outdoors trip. Fallen Outdoors helps service personnel to connect and seeks to battle the suicide epidemic among current service personnel and veterans." />
 <figcaption>Hunters on a Fallen Outdoors trip. Fallen Outdoors helps service personnel to connect and seeks to battle the suicide epidemic among current service personnel and veterans.</figcaption>
 </figure>Matt said the program has saved his life more than one time. "In the darkest hour when evil is knocking [at] the door, I know I can lean on all of these guys and they will carry me to the light," he said. "I would in turn do the same for any of them. "This program allows us veterans to be around other veterans that truly understand where you are coming from. Most civilians will never and can never understand what veterans have truly gone through. The war may have ended for most of us but we are still fighting and most of us won't stop fighting 'till the day we die."If you are veteran interested in participating in a Fallen Outdoor event, you can join their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1829232140644438">The Fallen Outdoor Community page</a>.&nbsp;Through the month of December, Fallen Outdoors is conducting a 25 Days of Christmas event. Sporting equipment, Fallen Outdoors merchandise and even trips will be given away. Veterans just need to join a Fallen Outdoors Facebook page and comment on giveaway posts to enter.The Fallen Outdoors accepts donations through its <a href="https://thefallenoutdoors.com/">website</a>. In addition the group is always looking for land owners, guides and sporting goods businesses to partner with the program. You can connect with the program through their regional Facebook pages.You can also contact Wheeler at&nbsp;913-370-3703 or at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:ks.media@thefallenoutdoors.com" target="_blank">ks.media@thefallenoutdoors.com</a>.