TOPEKA —Gov. Laura Kelly announced a new program Thursday to help essential workers sickened with coronavirus cover the cost of medical care. The program, which will be paid for with $8 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds, will provide workers in fields such as child care, education and food service up to $25,000 for medical expenses if they are uninsured and $15,000 if they are insured and need help with copays and deductibles.

Before, they were out of luck, trial attorneys and some legislators say. They say the issue is that Kansas law is written so that coronavirus is almost certainly not an occupational disease, which means if you get it on the job, you can’t get benefits through that system. But, because the law says the workers’ compensation system is the exclusive remedy for on-the-job injuries and occupational diseases, you can’t sue your employer, either.

“The dedication and selflessness displayed by Kansas essential workers has been critical to our recovery efforts across the state in cities big and small and rural communities,” Kelly said in a news release. 

“They risk their health each and every day to help others and these funds make it possible for the state of Kansas to help cover expenses in the unfortunate cases when they contract COVID-19.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1584111668151.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA —Gov. Laura Kelly announced a new program Thursday to help essential workers sickened with coronavirus cover the cost of medical care. The program, which will be paid for with $8 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds, will provide workers in fields such as child care, education and food service up to $25,000 for medical expenses if they are uninsured and $15,000 if they are insured and need help with copays and deductibles.Before, they were out of luck, trial attorneys and some legislators say. They say the issue is that Kansas law is written so that coronavirus is almost certainly not an occupational disease, which means if you get it on the job, you can’t get benefits through that system. But, because the law says the workers’ compensation system is the exclusive remedy for on-the-job injuries and occupational diseases, you can’t sue your employer, either.“The dedication and selflessness displayed by Kansas essential workers has been critical to our recovery efforts across the state in cities big and small and rural communities,” Kelly said in a news release. “They risk their health each and every day to help others and these funds make it possible for the state of Kansas to help cover expenses in the unfortunate cases when they contract COVID-19.”

Kansas creates COVID-19 essential worker health care fund

COWLEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating vandalism of a political sign in Cowley County and have made an arrest of a teen suspect identified as&nbsp;Garrett Bogle, 19, of Cowley County on requested charges of criminal damage to property, according to the <a href="https://www.cowleycounty.org/media/Sheriff/Sheriff%20Daily%20Log/August%2026,%202020.pdf">activity report from sheriff's department</a>.

On August 16, deputies responded to the 25,000 block of U.S. 77 Highway north of Arkansas City for a report of Criminal Damage to Property to a billboard sign, according to Cowley County Undersheriff Christina McDonald.&nbsp; 

Vandals spread blue paint on the billboard that featured the political slogan MAGA in red and white. Vandals also used yellow spray paint to write "BLM and the word Resist."

&nbsp;There were several tips and leads generated in this case and deputies reported late Tuesday they made an arrest.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598452304828.png" alt="The sign vandalized in north of Arkasas City, Kansas-<a href="https://www.ctnewsonline.com/">photo courtesy Cowley Courier Traveler</a>" />
 <figcaption>The sign vandalized in north of Arkasas City, Kansas-<a href="https://www.ctnewsonline.com/">photo courtesy Cowley Courier Traveler</a></figcaption>
 </figure>COWLEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating vandalism of a political sign in Cowley County and have made an arrest of a teen suspect identified as&nbsp;Garrett Bogle, 19, of Cowley County on requested charges of criminal damage to property, according to the <a href="https://www.cowleycounty.org/media/Sheriff/Sheriff%20Daily%20Log/August%2026,%202020.pdf">activity report from sheriff's department</a>.On August 16, deputies responded to the 25,000 block of U.S. 77 Highway north of Arkansas City for a report of Criminal Damage to Property to a billboard sign, according to Cowley County Undersheriff Christina McDonald.&nbsp; Vandals spread blue paint on the billboard that featured the political slogan MAGA in red and white. Vandals also used yellow spray paint to write "BLM and the word Resist."&nbsp;There were several tips and leads generated in this case and deputies reported late Tuesday they made an arrest.&nbsp;

Update: Kan. teen accused in vandalism of MAGA billboard 

TOPEKA (AP) — Statues of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin have been removed from the Washburn University campus after protests against racial injustice elsewhere led to statues honoring slaveholders being vandalized, pulled down or moved, the school said Thursday.

The two bronze statues that had stood outside the university's law school in Topeka for two decades were removed in July after Washburn President Jerry Farley discussed the concerns with the family of the donor, who has since died, school spokesman Patrick Early said.

Early said the decision was prompted in part by a disagreement over a Jefferson statue at the University of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/missouri">Missouri</a>'s Columbia campus in June. Some Missouri students petitioned to have the statue removed but university officials decided to leave it in place.

Some Washburn students have questioned the propriety of the statutes but the decision to remove them from campus was not in response to a protest or request from students, Early said.

“It was the donor's decision to have the statues returned," he said. “They didn't want the statues to become a source of embarrassment so they asked that they be returned."

Few people noticed the statues were gone and the decision has not prompted much discussion since classes began two weeks ago, Early said.

A representative for the school's Black Student Union did not immediately return messages seeking reaction.

Washburn, a public school with about 7,000 students, had planned a rally and march to support the Black Lives Matter movement but it was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, Early said.

The school's other statues are mostly modern art, except of a recently installed statue of Ichabod Washburn, an early benefactor and namesake of the school.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598561530107.png" alt="One of the statues removed from outside the Law School at Washburn in Topeka -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>One of the statues removed from outside the Law School at Washburn in Topeka -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA (AP) — Statues of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin have been removed from the Washburn University campus after protests against racial injustice elsewhere led to statues honoring slaveholders being vandalized, pulled down or moved, the school said Thursday.The two bronze statues that had stood outside the university's law school in Topeka for two decades were removed in July after Washburn President Jerry Farley discussed the concerns with the family of the donor, who has since died, school spokesman Patrick Early said.Early said the decision was prompted in part by a disagreement over a Jefferson statue at the University of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/missouri">Missouri</a>'s Columbia campus in June. Some Missouri students petitioned to have the statue removed but university officials decided to leave it in place.Some Washburn students have questioned the propriety of the statutes but the decision to remove them from campus was not in response to a protest or request from students, Early said.“It was the donor's decision to have the statues returned," he said. “They didn't want the statues to become a source of embarrassment so they asked that they be returned."Few people noticed the statues were gone and the decision has not prompted much discussion since classes began two weeks ago, Early said.A representative for the school's Black Student Union did not immediately return messages seeking reaction.Washburn, a public school with about 7,000 students, had planned a rally and march to support the Black Lives Matter movement but it was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, Early said.The school's other statues are mostly modern art, except of a recently installed statue of Ichabod Washburn, an early benefactor and namesake of the school.

Washburn University removes Jefferson, Franklin statues

EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has awarded a former Emporia State employee about $64,000 in a lawsuit that contended her contract was not renewed when she complained about racial discrimination. 

Angelica Hale and her husband, Melvin Hale, who are Black, filed separate lawsuits in 2016 alleging the school retaliated against them for complaining after a note with a racial slur was found in their department. 

A judge ruled in Angelica Hale's favor in July 2019 but awarded her only $1 in damages. After further motions were filed, the judge on Thursday awarded Angelica Hale $64,303 in back pay and interest. Her husband's lawsuit against the school was dismissed in July 2019.

EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has awarded a former Emporia State employee about $64,000 in a lawsuit that contended her contract was not renewed when she complained about racial discrimination. Angelica Hale and her husband, Melvin Hale, who are Black, filed separate lawsuits in 2016 alleging the school retaliated against them for complaining after a note with a racial slur was found in their department. A judge ruled in Angelica Hale's favor in July 2019 but awarded her only $1 in damages. After further motions were filed, the judge on Thursday awarded Angelica Hale $64,303 in back pay and interest. Her husband's lawsuit against the school was dismissed in July 2019.

Former Emporia State employee wins back pay for retaliation

By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/08/26/kelly-thanks-kansas-teachers-for-work-on-reopening-plans-despite-virus-uncertainty/">Kansas Reflector</a>

Linda Sieck is uncertain 
about the feasibility of maintaining social distance in a cramped 
classroom when her students return to class this fall.

Linda Sieck, president of 
National Education Association of Shawnee Mission, said on Tuesday she 
had heard from some sources, including the American Academy of 
Pediatrics, that only three feet of distance are necessary between 
students as long as they wear proper face coverings. Locally, however, 
she has been told six feet is the optimal amount.

“I will be going back to a
 class with up to 15 high school students in my classroom, so I really 
want to know if three feet is acceptable or only acceptable because we 
have finite space,” Sieck said.

Sieck was among the 
representatives from school districts across Kansas who joined Gov. 
Laura Kelly and health experts to discuss school reopening plans and 
what resources are still needed in elementary, middle and high school 
classrooms as students return.

Kelly expressed gratitude 
for the teacher’s flexibility when she shut down the K-12 school year in
 March and for their diligence in planning for the fall.

“I know a number of you 
have been working over the summer to prepare for the reopening of 
schools in whatever shape or form that takes,” Kelly said. “It’s a very 
impressive end product.”

In July, Kelly issued an 
executive order which would have postponed the school year from 
mid-August until after Labor Day. Though the order<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/07/22/kansas-board-of-education-blocks-gov-laura-kellys-plan-to-delay-k-12-classes/"> was swiftly rejected</a> by the Kansas State Board of Education, many districts pushed back reopening to September anyway, said <a href="https://www.kneaweb.org/">Kansas NEA</a> president Mark Farr.

“As we return to school, 
we are worried about the children’s health, but also the adults, like 
teachers at school and the parents the children come home to,” said Dana
 Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at the 
University of Kansas Health System.

“We need to continue to 
have as low of an amount of density as possible and wear masks,” he 
said. “Doing those things on a regular basis has been shown to reduce 
the spread of the virus.”

Kelly and the teachers 
also discussed child care. Some districts had options for teachers who 
didn’t have access to care for their own children, but few districts had
 the ability to provide care for children of all working parents.

Rural teachers expressed 
some concerns over internet access for remote students. Students in the 
Fowler school district in Southwest Kansas are returning to class this 
week, but a few families expressed discomfort with sending their 
children back in-person.

Emily Dizmang, president 
of the Fowler Teachers Association, said they were able to provide a 
remote option in the spring, with mixed results. They are unsure how 
well it will hold up.

“We had lots of kids that 
couldn’t connect back in March,” Dizmang said. “Right now, we have 
routers set up, but we don’t get very good service.”

Despite concerns over the 
uncertain nature of the virus and some infrastructural issues, teachers 
across the board expressed optimism with the plans put in place and the 
efforts taken.

“We feel we’ve done 
everything we possibly can to be safe,” Dizmang said. “We’ve changed 
recess, classroom and lunchroom procedures. We’ve done everything I can 
think of to make it safe for our children.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598541578424.png" alt="Gov. Laura Kelly met with teachers from across Kansas to discuss how schools are preparing for the fall school year (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Gov. Laura Kelly met with teachers from across Kansas to discuss how schools are preparing for the fall school year (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/08/26/kelly-thanks-kansas-teachers-for-work-on-reopening-plans-despite-virus-uncertainty/">Kansas Reflector</a>Linda Sieck is uncertain 
about the feasibility of maintaining social distance in a cramped 
classroom when her students return to class this fall.Linda Sieck, president of 
National Education Association of Shawnee Mission, said on Tuesday she 
had heard from some sources, including the American Academy of 
Pediatrics, that only three feet of distance are necessary between 
students as long as they wear proper face coverings. Locally, however, 
she has been told six feet is the optimal amount.“I will be going back to a
 class with up to 15 high school students in my classroom, so I really 
want to know if three feet is acceptable or only acceptable because we 
have finite space,” Sieck said.Sieck was among the 
representatives from school districts across Kansas who joined Gov. 
Laura Kelly and health experts to discuss school reopening plans and 
what resources are still needed in elementary, middle and high school 
classrooms as students return.Kelly expressed gratitude 
for the teacher’s flexibility when she shut down the K-12 school year in
 March and for their diligence in planning for the fall.“I know a number of you 
have been working over the summer to prepare for the reopening of 
schools in whatever shape or form that takes,” Kelly said. “It’s a very 
impressive end product.”In July, Kelly issued an 
executive order which would have postponed the school year from 
mid-August until after Labor Day. Though the order<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/07/22/kansas-board-of-education-blocks-gov-laura-kellys-plan-to-delay-k-12-classes/"> was swiftly rejected</a> by the Kansas State Board of Education, many districts pushed back reopening to September anyway, said <a href="https://www.kneaweb.org/">Kansas NEA</a> president Mark Farr.“As we return to school, 
we are worried about the children’s health, but also the adults, like 
teachers at school and the parents the children come home to,” said Dana
 Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at the 
University of Kansas Health System.“We need to continue to 
have as low of an amount of density as possible and wear masks,” he 
said. “Doing those things on a regular basis has been shown to reduce 
the spread of the virus.”Kelly and the teachers 
also discussed child care. Some districts had options for teachers who 
didn’t have access to care for their own children, but few districts had
 the ability to provide care for children of all working parents.Rural teachers expressed 
some concerns over internet access for remote students. Students in the 
Fowler school district in Southwest Kansas are returning to class this 
week, but a few families expressed discomfort with sending their 
children back in-person.Emily Dizmang, president 
of the Fowler Teachers Association, said they were able to provide a 
remote option in the spring, with mixed results. They are unsure how 
well it will hold up.“We had lots of kids that 
couldn’t connect back in March,” Dizmang said. “Right now, we have 
routers set up, but we don’t get very good service.”Despite concerns over the 
uncertain nature of the virus and some infrastructural issues, teachers 
across the board expressed optimism with the plans put in place and the 
efforts taken.“We feel we’ve done 
everything we possibly can to be safe,” Dizmang said. “We’ve changed 
recess, classroom and lunchroom procedures. We’ve done everything I can 
think of to make it safe for our children.”

Gov. thanks Kan. teachers for work on reopening plans despite uncertainty

SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas teen in connection with a stolen car, police chase and crash.

According to Salina Police Captain, Abner's Auto, 212 East Iron Avenue in Salina reported someone on Tuesday stole a small amount of cash and a 2007 Saturn Ion valued at $4,000.

The front door window of the business had been shattered but remained intact and a 25-inch by 31-inch south side window was broken at the dealership, according to Forrester

Later on Wednesday, the Concordia Police Department was involved in a vehicle pursuit with a black 2007 Saturn Ion, and during the pursuit, the vehicle struck a Belleville Police Department patrol vehicle that was assisting.

The driver of the Saturn identified as Marquez Ruffin, 19, of Salina, fled the crash and was later arrested in Republic County, according to a social media report from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ConcordiaPoliceDepartment/">Concordia Police </a>

The Concordia Police Department has requested the following charges that include No registration, Speeding, Fail to maintain lane, No proof of insurance, Flee and elude, nterference with a law enforcement officer, Avoiding spike strips

Requested charges from the Salina Police Department are pending, according to Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587736583056.jpeg" alt="Ruffin -photo Saline County" />
 <figcaption>Ruffin -photo Saline County</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas teen in connection with a stolen car, police chase and crash.According to Salina Police Captain, Abner's Auto, 212 East Iron Avenue in Salina reported someone on Tuesday stole a small amount of cash and a 2007 Saturn Ion valued at $4,000.The front door window of the business had been shattered but remained intact and a 25-inch by 31-inch south side window was broken at the dealership, according to ForresterLater on Wednesday, the Concordia Police Department was involved in a vehicle pursuit with a black 2007 Saturn Ion, and during the pursuit, the vehicle struck a Belleville Police Department patrol vehicle that was assisting.The driver of the Saturn identified as Marquez Ruffin, 19, of Salina, fled the crash and was later arrested in Republic County, according to a social media report from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ConcordiaPoliceDepartment/">Concordia Police </a>The Concordia Police Department has requested the following charges that include No registration, Speeding, Fail to maintain lane, No proof of insurance, Flee and elude, nterference with a law enforcement officer, Avoiding spike stripsRequested charges from the Salina Police Department are pending, according to Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.

Teen in stolen car struck police vehicle during pursuit

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating what appears to be an accidental shooting which injured a 10-year-old girl.

Just after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, police responded to a shooting at a residence in the 600 block of South Saint Paul Avenue in Wichita, according to officer Kevin Wheeler.

First responders located the 10-year-old, who had a gunshot wound to her upper body.&nbsp; EMS transported her to a local hospital with a non-life-threatening injury.

The investigation revealed that a 38-year-old man was handling a gun in a bedroom while she was in an adjoining bathroom.&nbsp; 

While he was handling the gun, it went off, striking the 10-year-old.&nbsp; The girl’s 35-year-old mother was also in the bedroom with the 38-year-old, but she was not injured, according to Wheeler.&nbsp;

Police released no additional details early Thursday.

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating what appears to be an accidental shooting which injured a 10-year-old girl.Just after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, police responded to a shooting at a residence in the 600 block of South Saint Paul Avenue in Wichita, according to officer Kevin Wheeler.First responders located the 10-year-old, who had a gunshot wound to her upper body.&nbsp; EMS transported her to a local hospital with a non-life-threatening injury.The investigation revealed that a 38-year-old man was handling a gun in a bedroom while she was in an adjoining bathroom.&nbsp; While he was handling the gun, it went off, striking the 10-year-old.&nbsp; The girl’s 35-year-old mother was also in the bedroom with the 38-year-old, but she was not injured, according to Wheeler.&nbsp;Police released no additional details early Thursday.

Police: 10-year-old injured in shooting at Kansas home

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly announced Wednesday a strong response to the state’s Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Economic Development and Connectivity grant application process, which has yielded more than 7,000 requests for assistance from businesses and nonprofit organizations across Kansas.

Of the 7,000-plus grant applications submitted, more than 5,000 were for Small Business Working Capital grant funds.&nbsp;

“The initial response to this application period has been extraordinary,”&nbsp;Governor Kelly said.&nbsp;“We’re ready to give each application the consideration and attention it deserves – and we’ll make sure these funds are deployed in the most effective and strategic way possible to help small businesses, nonprofit organizations and others affected by COVID-19.”

More than $138 million in grants&nbsp;to serve businesses and nonprofits affected by the pandemic and for the expansion of broadband access in the state&nbsp;was made available by the SPARK Taskforce established earlier this year by Governor Kelly to lead&nbsp;Kansas forward in recovery from the far-reaching effects of COVID-19.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Connectivity Emergency Response Grant (CERG) applications will be reviewed starting at 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, when those applications are due. Because of the high volume of applications received, we will no longer accept applications for Small Business Working Capital and PPE Procurement grant programs after 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 31. Small Business Working Capital and PPE Procurement grants are reviewed on a rolling basis.&nbsp;

“The response from small businesses across the state has been amazing, and I’m proud to know that so many organizations will benefit from these grants,”&nbsp;Secretary of Commerce David Toland said.&nbsp;“I’m so grateful to the organizations across Kansas that helped us amplify this message so quickly. Now, we need to make sure these funds are distributed in a way that benefits all Kansans and ensures that our state can get back to business.”

The SPARK Taskforce and Kansas Department of Commerce intend to maintain the&nbsp;Small Business Working Capital, PPE Procurement and Connectivity Emergency Response Grant&nbsp;programs in case additional federal CARES Act funding becomes available.

The online application process for several other SPARK grant programs will remain active. Details <a href="https://www.kansascommerce.gov/covidrelief/">are available here.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598538618468.png" alt="Members of the Spark Task Force during their virtual meeting last week" />
 <figcaption>Members of the Spark Task Force during their virtual meeting last week</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly announced Wednesday a strong response to the state’s Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Economic Development and Connectivity grant application process, which has yielded more than 7,000 requests for assistance from businesses and nonprofit organizations across Kansas.Of the 7,000-plus grant applications submitted, more than 5,000 were for Small Business Working Capital grant funds.&nbsp;“The initial response to this application period has been extraordinary,”&nbsp;Governor Kelly said.&nbsp;“We’re ready to give each application the consideration and attention it deserves – and we’ll make sure these funds are deployed in the most effective and strategic way possible to help small businesses, nonprofit organizations and others affected by COVID-19.”More than $138 million in grants&nbsp;to serve businesses and nonprofits affected by the pandemic and for the expansion of broadband access in the state&nbsp;was made available by the SPARK Taskforce established earlier this year by Governor Kelly to lead&nbsp;Kansas forward in recovery from the far-reaching effects of COVID-19.&nbsp;&nbsp;Connectivity Emergency Response Grant (CERG) applications will be reviewed starting at 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, when those applications are due. Because of the high volume of applications received, we will no longer accept applications for Small Business Working Capital and PPE Procurement grant programs after 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 31. Small Business Working Capital and PPE Procurement grants are reviewed on a rolling basis.&nbsp;“The response from small businesses across the state has been amazing, and I’m proud to know that so many organizations will benefit from these grants,”&nbsp;Secretary of Commerce David Toland said.&nbsp;“I’m so grateful to the organizations across Kansas that helped us amplify this message so quickly. Now, we need to make sure these funds are distributed in a way that benefits all Kansans and ensures that our state can get back to business.”The SPARK Taskforce and Kansas Department of Commerce intend to maintain the&nbsp;Small Business Working Capital, PPE Procurement and Connectivity Emergency Response Grant&nbsp;programs in case additional federal CARES Act funding becomes available.The online application process for several other SPARK grant programs will remain active. Details <a href="https://www.kansascommerce.gov/covidrelief/">are available here.</a>

Governor: 7,000 Kan. businesses have applied for virus relief grants

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A second security guard has been convicted of second-degree murder in the June 2018 fatal shooting a man who was sitting in a car near a Kansas City bar.

Markell Pinkins, 24, was found guilty Wednesday by a judge of the killing of 45-year-old Kevin Thomas outside the Yum Yum Bar &amp; Grill.

Pinkins, was an employee of Force One Security and Consulting of Overland Park, Kansas, at the time of the shooting and was charged along with his coworker, Christopher Jones. Jones was convicted in December of second-degree murder.

Prosecutors have said the men were working security at the bar when they saw a car hit a parked vehicle. They ran across the street and repeatedly asked Thomas to get out of the car. When Thomas moved his car “not even a foot,” Jones and Pinkins both fired at him, according to court records.

Both men said they fired their weapons in self defense but acknowledged they they were not authorized to handle situations away from the bar. Jones was not licensed to carry a firearm in Missouri, according to court records.

Pinkins is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 20.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598534293008.png" alt="Shooting occurred outside this bar in June 2018 -Google image" />
 <figcaption>Shooting occurred outside this bar in June 2018 -Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A second security guard has been convicted of second-degree murder in the June 2018 fatal shooting a man who was sitting in a car near a Kansas City bar.Markell Pinkins, 24, was found guilty Wednesday by a judge of the killing of 45-year-old Kevin Thomas outside the Yum Yum Bar &amp; Grill.Pinkins, was an employee of Force One Security and Consulting of Overland Park, Kansas, at the time of the shooting and was charged along with his coworker, Christopher Jones. Jones was convicted in December of second-degree murder.Prosecutors have said the men were working security at the bar when they saw a car hit a parked vehicle. They ran across the street and repeatedly asked Thomas to get out of the car. When Thomas moved his car “not even a foot,” Jones and Pinkins both fired at him, according to court records.Both men said they fired their weapons in self defense but acknowledged they they were not authorized to handle situations away from the bar. Jones was not licensed to carry a firearm in Missouri, according to court records.Pinkins is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 20.

Security guard for Kan. firm convicted in fatal shooting near bar

LAWRENCE— On Tuesday, KU Chancellor Dr. Doug Girod shared the&nbsp;<a href="https://chancellor.ku.edu/news/2020/aug25" target="_blank">latest results</a>&nbsp;of community COVID-19 entry testing at the University. The results included 19,452 tests with a positivity rate of 1.14%. Within that overall population, he noted that the Greek community is testing at a rate of 5.47%.

On Wednesday, that Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health&nbsp; issued 14-day&nbsp;<a href="https://ldchealth.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/436" target="_blank">quarantine orders</a>&nbsp;for residents of nine of the university sorority and fraternity houses, and is in the process of issuing an order for a tenth house, according to a statement from the chancellor.

The houses that have been issued quarantine orders are Pi Kappa Phi, Phi Gamma Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Phi Kappa Psi, Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Delta Delta, Alpha Chi Omega, Sigma Nu, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Beta Theta Pi.

The quarantine orders apply to individuals living at the houses and does not extend to chapter members who live outside the houses.

On Wednesday evening, KU leaders and county health officials met with members of the sorority and fraternity community to answer questions about quarantine orders, discuss health and safety strategies, and describe support services available for students who need to quarantine.

&nbsp;KU enacted mandatory testing for all employees and students upon return to campus for two key reasons: to identify positive cases early and ensure they are isolating appropriately; and to establish baseline positivity rates among campus populations to determine appropriate efforts moving forward, including group-specific interventions. 

In a statement from Girod, "We applaud our Greek community for participating in our testing efforts and for continuing to work with us to improve health and safety within the community.

As you’ve heard me say many times, our situation is fluid and can change rapidly. We anticipate additional county-issued quarantine orders will continue to impact the KU community in the days ahead.

We plan to publish updated results from our campus-wide entry testing this coming Friday.

The ways to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 remain clear: Wear a mask, stay six feet apart from others, and wash your hands. Again, all of us need to do our part.

Thank you for helping KU advance its mission of education, service and research while continuing to prioritize health and safety above all else."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597942736026.png" alt="Photo courtesy University of Kansas" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy University of Kansas</figcaption>
 </figure>LAWRENCE— On Tuesday, KU Chancellor Dr. Doug Girod shared the&nbsp;<a href="https://chancellor.ku.edu/news/2020/aug25" target="_blank">latest results</a>&nbsp;of community COVID-19 entry testing at the University. The results included 19,452 tests with a positivity rate of 1.14%. Within that overall population, he noted that the Greek community is testing at a rate of 5.47%.On Wednesday, that Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health&nbsp; issued 14-day&nbsp;<a href="https://ldchealth.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/436" target="_blank">quarantine orders</a>&nbsp;for residents of nine of the university sorority and fraternity houses, and is in the process of issuing an order for a tenth house, according to a statement from the chancellor.The houses that have been issued quarantine orders are Pi Kappa Phi, Phi Gamma Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Phi Kappa Psi, Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Delta Delta, Alpha Chi Omega, Sigma Nu, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Beta Theta Pi.The quarantine orders apply to individuals living at the houses and does not extend to chapter members who live outside the houses.On Wednesday evening, KU leaders and county health officials met with members of the sorority and fraternity community to answer questions about quarantine orders, discuss health and safety strategies, and describe support services available for students who need to quarantine.&nbsp;KU enacted mandatory testing for all employees and students upon return to campus for two key reasons: to identify positive cases early and ensure they are isolating appropriately; and to establish baseline positivity rates among campus populations to determine appropriate efforts moving forward, including group-specific interventions. In a statement from Girod, "We applaud our Greek community for participating in our testing efforts and for continuing to work with us to improve health and safety within the community.As you’ve heard me say many times, our situation is fluid and can change rapidly. We anticipate additional county-issued quarantine orders will continue to impact the KU community in the days ahead.We plan to publish updated results from our campus-wide entry testing this coming Friday.The ways to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 remain clear: Wear a mask, stay six feet apart from others, and wash your hands. Again, all of us need to do our part.Thank you for helping KU advance its mission of education, service and research while continuing to prioritize health and safety above all else."

County quarantines KU sorority, fraternity houses 

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Kansas City will receive nearly $51 million to expand its streetcar from downtown to near the Country Club Plaza, federal officials announced Wednesday.

The Federal Transit Administration said it has approved $50.8 million in Capital Investment Grants for the project.

Officials have been planning to extend the streetcar from Union Station in midtown to the Plaza and the University of Missouri-Kansas City for years. The funding will help add about 3.5 miles of track.

Streetcar officials say water and sewer work is expected to begin this fall, with construction on the streetcar planned for late 2021 or early 2022. The streetcar expansion is projected to open in 2025.

The Kansas City Streetcar Authority said it is the largest transportation grant ever distributed in the region.

The authority has asked for a total of $174 million. The entire project is expected to cost $351 million.

The rest of the funds will come from a Transportation Development District, which raises property taxes in the area along the planned new route. Voters in the district approved the tax increase in 2018.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598493251575.png" alt="Photo courtesy Kansas City Streetcar Authority" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Kansas City Streetcar Authority</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — Kansas City will receive nearly $51 million to expand its streetcar from downtown to near the Country Club Plaza, federal officials announced Wednesday.The Federal Transit Administration said it has approved $50.8 million in Capital Investment Grants for the project.Officials have been planning to extend the streetcar from Union Station in midtown to the Plaza and the University of Missouri-Kansas City for years. The funding will help add about 3.5 miles of track.Streetcar officials say water and sewer work is expected to begin this fall, with construction on the streetcar planned for late 2021 or early 2022. The streetcar expansion is projected to open in 2025.The Kansas City Streetcar Authority said it is the largest transportation grant ever distributed in the region.The authority has asked for a total of $174 million. The entire project is expected to cost $351 million.The rest of the funds will come from a Transportation Development District, which raises property taxes in the area along the planned new route. Voters in the district approved the tax increase in 2018.

Kansas City to get $50 million to extend streetcar

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials sparked criticism and confusion after posting guidelines on coronavirus testing from the White House task force that run counter to what scientists say is necessary to control the pandemic.

The new guidance says it’s not necessary for people who have been in close contact with infected people, but don’t feel sick, to get tested. It was posted earlier this week on the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC previously had advised local health departments to test people who have been within 6 feet of an infected person for more than 15 minutes.

Across the country, public health experts called the change bizarre. They noted that testing contacts of infected people is a core element of public health efforts to keep outbreaks in check, and that a large percentage of infected people — the CDC has said as many as 40% — exhibit no symptoms.

“The recommendation not to test asymptomatic people who likely have been exposed is not in accord with the science,” said John Auerbach, president of Trust for America’s Health, a nonprofit that works to improve U.S. preparedness against disease.

“We are seeking clarification from CDC about its recent guidance around testing,” said a spokesman for Michigan’s health department.

Federal officials said the new recommendation was issued by consensus of the White House virus task force.

However, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert and perhaps the best known task force member, said Wednesday he wasn’t part of the discussion that green-lighted the change.

Fauci told CNN he was undergoing surgery when the new guidance was discussed last week, adding he was “worried it will give people the incorrect assumption that asymptomatic spread is not of great concern. In fact it is.”

The American Medical Association, in a statement, called the change “a recipe for community spread.” The Association of American Medical Colleges called it “a step backward in fighting the pandemic.”

Some officials — including some state governors — said it was another sign of a dysfunctional federal response to the pandemic.

“This is like a public health version of Vietnam,” said Brian Castrucci, president and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, which works to strengthen the public health system.

CDC officials referred all media questions to the agency’s parent organization, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C. That suggests that HHS ordered the change, not CDC, said Jennifer Nuzzo, a Johns Hopkins University public health researcher.

After Twitter lit up with head-scratching and alarm about the change, HHS officials sent an email Wednesday saying the guidance was revised “to reflect current evidence and the best public health interventions,” but did not detail what the new evidence was.

The decision came out of meetings of the White House coronavirus task force, HHS officials said.

In a call with reporters, Dr. Brett Giroir, the HHS assistant secretary for health, said guidance language originated at the CDC. But he also said many federal leaders outside the agency were involved in “lots of editing, lots of input.” He said federal officials achieved consensus but it was difficult to attribute the final language to any one source.

Ultimately, restricting testing could be self-defeating, because it could skew the numbers and create a perception that rates of infection are higher. Testing people who appear to be healthy would tend to lower the overall rate of positive results, while narrowing testing to people who are sick would raise the overall positive rate, Auerbach said.

Why HHS would order such a change quickly became a matter of speculation. Dr. Carlos del Rio, an infectious diseases specialist at Emory University, suggested in a tweet that there are two possible explanations.

One is that it may be driven by testing supply issues that in many parts of the country have caused widely reported delays in results of a week or more, he suggested.

HHS officials suggested that wasn’t the reason, arguing that testing capacity is plentiful.

But Dr. Mysheika Roberts, health commissioner for Columbus, Ohio, said the city had to curtail testing last month because of a shortage of reagents used in lab procedures.

“When we were testing asymptomatic people here in Columbus, we were picking up a large number of individuals” with the virus, she said

Another possible explanation for the change is that President Donald Trump simply wants to see case counts drop, and discouraging more people from getting tested is one way to do it, del Rio said in his tweet.

Full Coverage:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/tag/VirusOutbreak">Virus Outbreak</a>

Giroir said the change was made without input from Trump or Vice President Mike Pence. “There was no weight on the scales by the president or the vice president” or HHS Secretary Alex Azar, Giroir said.

Dr. Tom Frieden, who was head of the CDC during the Obama administration, said the move follows another recent change: to no longer recommend quarantine for travelers coming from areas where infections are more common.

“Both changes are highly problematic” and need to be better explained, said Frieden, who now is president of Resolve to Save Lives, a nonprofit program that works to prevent epidemics.

Frieden said he, too, believes HHS forced CDC to post the changes. He called it “a sad day” because “CDC is being told what to write on their website.”

The governors of California, New York, Washington and Kentucky — all Democrats — criticized the new recommendations.

Washington Gov Jay Inslee said on Twitter that the changes likely will cause thousands of infections in his state to go unrecognized, and allow the virus to spread even more. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear called the new guidance “reckless.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said their states will not follow the new guidance.

“We will not be influenced by that change,” Newsom said. “We’re influenced by the folks that are experts in the field who feel very differently.”

“Why would you reverse yourself on the quarantine order?” Cuomo told reporters on a conference call. “Because they don’t want publicity that there is a COVID problem. Because the president’s politics are, ‘COVID isn’t a problem We’re past COVID.’”

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials sparked criticism and confusion after posting guidelines on coronavirus testing from the White House task force that run counter to what scientists say is necessary to control the pandemic.The new guidance says it’s not necessary for people who have been in close contact with infected people, but don’t feel sick, to get tested. It was posted earlier this week on the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The CDC previously had advised local health departments to test people who have been within 6 feet of an infected person for more than 15 minutes.Across the country, public health experts called the change bizarre. They noted that testing contacts of infected people is a core element of public health efforts to keep outbreaks in check, and that a large percentage of infected people — the CDC has said as many as 40% — exhibit no symptoms.“The recommendation not to test asymptomatic people who likely have been exposed is not in accord with the science,” said John Auerbach, president of Trust for America’s Health, a nonprofit that works to improve U.S. preparedness against disease.“We are seeking clarification from CDC about its recent guidance around testing,” said a spokesman for Michigan’s health department.Federal officials said the new recommendation was issued by consensus of the White House virus task force.However, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert and perhaps the best known task force member, said Wednesday he wasn’t part of the discussion that green-lighted the change.Fauci told CNN he was undergoing surgery when the new guidance was discussed last week, adding he was “worried it will give people the incorrect assumption that asymptomatic spread is not of great concern. In fact it is.”The American Medical Association, in a statement, called the change “a recipe for community spread.” The Association of American Medical Colleges called it “a step backward in fighting the pandemic.”Some officials — including some state governors — said it was another sign of a dysfunctional federal response to the pandemic.“This is like a public health version of Vietnam,” said Brian Castrucci, president and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, which works to strengthen the public health system.CDC officials referred all media questions to the agency’s parent organization, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C. That suggests that HHS ordered the change, not CDC, said Jennifer Nuzzo, a Johns Hopkins University public health researcher.After Twitter lit up with head-scratching and alarm about the change, HHS officials sent an email Wednesday saying the guidance was revised “to reflect current evidence and the best public health interventions,” but did not detail what the new evidence was.The decision came out of meetings of the White House coronavirus task force, HHS officials said.In a call with reporters, Dr. Brett Giroir, the HHS assistant secretary for health, said guidance language originated at the CDC. But he also said many federal leaders outside the agency were involved in “lots of editing, lots of input.” He said federal officials achieved consensus but it was difficult to attribute the final language to any one source.Ultimately, restricting testing could be self-defeating, because it could skew the numbers and create a perception that rates of infection are higher. Testing people who appear to be healthy would tend to lower the overall rate of positive results, while narrowing testing to people who are sick would raise the overall positive rate, Auerbach said.Why HHS would order such a change quickly became a matter of speculation. Dr. Carlos del Rio, an infectious diseases specialist at Emory University, suggested in a tweet that there are two possible explanations.One is that it may be driven by testing supply issues that in many parts of the country have caused widely reported delays in results of a week or more, he suggested.HHS officials suggested that wasn’t the reason, arguing that testing capacity is plentiful.But Dr. Mysheika Roberts, health commissioner for Columbus, Ohio, said the city had to curtail testing last month because of a shortage of reagents used in lab procedures.“When we were testing asymptomatic people here in Columbus, we were picking up a large number of individuals” with the virus, she saidAnother possible explanation for the change is that President Donald Trump simply wants to see case counts drop, and discouraging more people from getting tested is one way to do it, del Rio said in his tweet.Full Coverage:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/tag/VirusOutbreak">Virus Outbreak</a>Giroir said the change was made without input from Trump or Vice President Mike Pence. “There was no weight on the scales by the president or the vice president” or HHS Secretary Alex Azar, Giroir said.Dr. Tom Frieden, who was head of the CDC during the Obama administration, said the move follows another recent change: to no longer recommend quarantine for travelers coming from areas where infections are more common.“Both changes are highly problematic” and need to be better explained, said Frieden, who now is president of Resolve to Save Lives, a nonprofit program that works to prevent epidemics.Frieden said he, too, believes HHS forced CDC to post the changes. He called it “a sad day” because “CDC is being told what to write on their website.”The governors of California, New York, Washington and Kentucky — all Democrats — criticized the new recommendations.Washington Gov Jay Inslee said on Twitter that the changes likely will cause thousands of infections in his state to go unrecognized, and allow the virus to spread even more. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear called the new guidance “reckless.”California Gov. Gavin Newsom and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said their states will not follow the new guidance.“We will not be influenced by that change,” Newsom said. “We’re influenced by the folks that are experts in the field who feel very differently.”“Why would you reverse yourself on the quarantine order?” Cuomo told reporters on a conference call. “Because they don’t want publicity that there is a COVID problem. Because the president’s politics are, ‘COVID isn’t a problem We’re past COVID.’”___

Officials change COVID testing advice, bewildering experts

PAWNEE COUNTY—A Kansas man accused of sex crimes made his first court appearance Wednesday in Pawnee County.

&nbsp;Justin W. Hamond, 36 of Larned, appeared via Zoom. On July 10, he was charged&nbsp;The defendant was charged with five&nbsp; counts of Aggravated Indecent Liberty with a Child, to wit: sexual intercourse with a child 14 or 15 years of age; and Three (3) counts of Indecent Liberties with a Child, to wit: lewd fondling of child 14 or 15 years of age, according Pawnee County Attorney Doug Mcnett.

The crimes are alleged to have occurred in Pawnee County between July 8, 2018 and December 15, 2018. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation handled the investigation following a referral by the Pawnee County Sheriff.

Hammond turned himself in on July 10 to the Pawnee County Sheriff and later released from custody the same day after posting a $75,000 bond.&nbsp; His next court appearance is scheduled for September 30.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598462828879.png" alt="Hammond photo Pawnee Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Hammond photo Pawnee Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>PAWNEE COUNTY—A Kansas man accused of sex crimes made his first court appearance Wednesday in Pawnee County.&nbsp;Justin W. Hamond, 36 of Larned, appeared via Zoom. On July 10, he was charged&nbsp;The defendant was charged with five&nbsp; counts of Aggravated Indecent Liberty with a Child, to wit: sexual intercourse with a child 14 or 15 years of age; and Three (3) counts of Indecent Liberties with a Child, to wit: lewd fondling of child 14 or 15 years of age, according Pawnee County Attorney Doug Mcnett.The crimes are alleged to have occurred in Pawnee County between July 8, 2018 and December 15, 2018. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation handled the investigation following a referral by the Pawnee County Sheriff.Hammond turned himself in on July 10 to the Pawnee County Sheriff and later released from custody the same day after posting a $75,000 bond.&nbsp; His next court appearance is scheduled for September 30.

Kansas man accused of child sex crimes turned himself in

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a pair of shootings and have a suspect in custody.

Just before 3p.m. Tuesday, police went to an address in the 1600 block of SW Harrison in Topeka to try and locate 31 year old Samuel L. Portlock of Topeka, who was wanted in connection with two shooting incidents on Monday, according to Lt. Ron Ekis.

Officers had reason to believe he was hiding inside the residence and possibly armed with a weapon. TPD Crisis Negotiation Team and Response Team were asked to respond to assist with searching for the suspect. 

Just after 6:15 p.m. police took Portlock into custody without incident. No one was injured during this incident. The suspect was taken to the LEC for questioning and then transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections and booked on requested charges of&nbsp;aggravated assault and other criminal charges, according to Ekis.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598452036681.png" alt="Portlock-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Portlock-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a pair of shootings and have a suspect in custody.Just before 3p.m. Tuesday, police went to an address in the 1600 block of SW Harrison in Topeka to try and locate 31 year old Samuel L. Portlock of Topeka, who was wanted in connection with two shooting incidents on Monday, according to Lt. Ron Ekis.Officers had reason to believe he was hiding inside the residence and possibly armed with a weapon. TPD Crisis Negotiation Team and Response Team were asked to respond to assist with searching for the suspect. Just after 6:15 p.m. police took Portlock into custody without incident. No one was injured during this incident. The suspect was taken to the LEC for questioning and then transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections and booked on requested charges of&nbsp;aggravated assault and other criminal charges, according to Ekis.

Police capture Kan. shooting suspect hiding in house

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-08-26/kansas-nursing-homes-face-scores-of-coronavirus-outbreaks-but-still-cant-count-on-fast-tests">Kansas News Service</a>

Half a year into the pandemic, Kansas nursing homes still face uneven
 access to fast COVID-19 testing through the state’s patchwork of 
private labs and hospitals. And the prices they pay for it vary widely.

Testing access has dramatically increased in Kansas from its initial <a href="https://www.kcur.org/2020-04-20/kansas-ranks-lowest-in-coronavirus-testing-which-could-make-it-harder-to-reopen-economy" target="_blank">slow start</a>. Last month alone, it tested <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1125/Historical---August-19?bidId=" target="_blank">4%</a> of its population. But that hasn’t guaranteed quick and cheap options for long-term care.

Meanwhile, <a href="https://data.cms.gov/Special-Programs-Initiatives-COVID-19-Nursing-Home/COVID-19-Nursing-Home-Dataset/s2uc-8wxp" target="_blank">federa</a><a href="https://data.cms.gov/Special-Programs-Initiatives-COVID-19-Nursing-Home/COVID-19-Nursing-Home-Dataset/s2uc-8wxp" target="_blank">l tallies</a>
 show the virus has reached nursing home residents in about 30 counties,
 from the state’s most populous to some of its most rural. That’s caused
 more than half of the state’s coronavirus death toll.

Fifty outbreaks are active in long-term care facilities right now.

Though
 the state lab in Topeka frequently conducts mass testing of workers and
 residents from long-term care facilities when those places get hit with
 outbreaks, its help only stretches so far.

Kansas health 
secretary Lee Norman last week suggested the state contract with private
 labs willing to expand their capacity, and connect nursing homes to 
them.

“That would really speed up the turnaround time on the testing a lot,” he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mJP7DeWnBY" target="_blank">told a state task force</a>.

Swift
 test results help nursing homes catch cases early, saving lives. They 
also let homes clear healthy employees faster so they can go back to 
work. That’s critical because nursing aides are taking on long hours — 
risking burnout and driving up overtime costs — to cover shifts for 
colleagues waiting to find out if a sore throat or a cough could be 
COVID-19.

“You can’t expect that they’re going to do that forever,” said Joe Ewert, CEO of Brewster Place in Topeka. “You just can’t.”

Brewster
 Place has nurse’s aides working 60 to 70-hour weeks to cover for the 
three to eight employees out with symptoms at any given time. Most turn 
out not to have the coronavirus, but checking can take anywhere from 48 
hours to a week.

That variation is partly because wait times — for
 an appointment and then to get test results — differ by week, depending
 on demand, and by hospital or clinic, for similar reasons. One Brewster
 employee may go to one hospital for the test, and another may head to a
 different one.

Across the state, nursing homes’ experiences also depend on what resources their county health departments can offer.

“It's
 a little bit odd that we have a million different ways to do it,” Ewert
 said. “It’s a little bit curious that folks in my profession aren't 
basically (all) provided with the same access.”

An hour southeast 
of Topeka, nursing home employees with symptoms can count on almost 
immediate results from rapid-testing machines that Lyon County’s health 
agency acquired amid an outbreak at a meatpacking plant.

Months ago, Ewert ordered a rapid-testing machine, too.

“We
 are still waiting,” he said. If it ever comes through, “then we can 
start getting in line for the reagent. I anticipate every single step 
will be a long wait and a fight.”

The Trump administration has said it will start <a href="https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/trump-administration-announces-new-resources-protect-nursing-home-residents-against-covid-19#:~:text=Building%20on%20the%20initiative%20HHS,5%25%20positivity%20rate%20or%20greater" target="_blank">requiring weekly testing</a> in many nursing homes, and promised to <a href="https://khn.org/news/trump-is-sending-fast-cheap-covid-tests-to-nursing-homes-but-theres-a-hitch/" target="_blank">send out 14,000 machines</a>.
 But nursing home administrators have many questions about how accurate 
and reliable the devices are, when they will arrive, and how accessible 
and affordable related testing supplies will be.

This spring, the 
administration promised to send protective gear to nursing homes, but 
when the boxes arrived, some facilities reported receiving <a href="https://khn.org/news/federal-help-falters-as-nursing-homes-run-short-of-protective-equipment/?utm_campaign=KHN%20New%20from%20KHN&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsmi=89345426&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8vuDupGpwQGw8-8nQJqZD6mw-4wW8b0z67bU8DQ9FpeBKgbV52zIPPIhTCYesg85X_16wH4_HGZ9T4M6DDIiPjGyFj-A&amp;utm_content=89345426&amp;utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">subpar or unusable equipment</a>.

Brewster Place in Topeka is dealing with its first cluster of cases among patients. <a href="https://brewsterliving.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Brewster-COVID-Update-Positive-Cases-08-19-20-update-08-20-20.pdf" target="_blank">Six employees and three residents</a> tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19.

When
 the coronavirus strikes a long-term care facility, it can require 
several weeks’ worth of repeatedly testing hundreds of people until all 
the cases are found and isolated, and the outbreak contained.

Nursing
 homes say the state lab in Topeka generally covers the first two rounds
 of facility-wide testing — and picks up the cost. The homes then turn 
to private labs for the subsequent rounds.

“The experience with 
the private labs has been mixed,” Mission Health Management Group vice 
president Shawn Sullivan said. His company has more than 30 long-term 
care facilities in Kansas. “We have had experiences where the turnaround
 time has been very quick and other times where the turnaround time has 
taken several days.”

The Kansas nursing home industry says prices 
also vary significantly — from less than $100 to more than $200 per 
test. Facilities with outbreaks can quickly rack up tens of thousands or
 dollars in expenses to stop a single outbreak.

While <a href="https://www.aha.org/news/headline/2020-06-22-medicare-cover-covid-19-tests-nursing-home-patients" target="_blank">Medicare</a>
 or other insurance covers lab work for residents, nursing homes and 
other long-term care facilities are generally on the hook for testing 
their employees.

The situation can be even tougher for locations farther from the state lab in Topeka.

Windsor
 Place in Coffeyville — southeast Kansas — faced an outbreak last month 
that affected 35 residents and 22 staff. Most did not experience 
symptoms, one was hospitalized and two died.

Windsor leaned 
largely on a lab in its region instead of sending samples to the state 
capital, nearly three hours away, because it offered same-day results.

“With the state lab, if we timed it right, the results were still two to four days out,” CEO Monte Coffman said.

Since
 the local lab charges less than $100 a test, Windsor has been able to 
afford the tests with help from federal stimulus funds. But Coffman is 
uncertain what will happen if outbreaks recur.

“If we have repeated periods of this into the fall or through the winter flu season,” he said, “then things tighten up.”

Flu season will likely lead to <a href="https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/here-comes-the-double-whammy-flu-season-on-top-of-covid" target="_blank">even more demand</a> for testing patients with respiratory symptoms.

More than <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas" target="_blank">1,700</a><a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas" target="_blank"> cases of COVID-19</a>
 in Kansas — and 209 deaths — are linked to long-term care settings. 
That’s less than 5% of the known cases, but more than half of the 
fatalities.

And the situation may not get better anytime soon. 
Around 13% of Kansans who got checked for the virus in the past week 
tested positive, according to <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/testing/individual-states/kansas" target="_blank">Johns Hopkins University</a>. Experts say when rates are that high despite the state’s aggressive increase in testing, <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-07-29/as-coronavirus-cases-climb-in-kansas-its-hard-to-measure-how-the-state-is-doing" target="_blank">it suggests</a> the virus is widespread.

It gained traction here and nationally as states reopened their 
economies and friends and family gathered again for holidays, sports and
 cookouts.

Renee Hively, health officer for Lyon County, thinks that likely contributed to two ongoing outbreaks at nursing homes there.

“I
 think people just tend to let their guards down,” she said. “Especially
 in the summer months, when people like to congregate and do all kinds 
of social activities.”

Her agency helped collect samples at the 
homes, and the state lab processed them generally within a day or two. 
The state covered the first two rounds of testing for the homes, and a 
third round for one of them that was struggling to get it done 
otherwise.

But Hively worries that nursing homes may find it even 
harder to get timely results as more people mix on a daily basis, 
spreading germs.

“With schools starting, and colleges,” she said, “the labs are going to get inundated with testing.”

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598453819411.png" alt="When nurse's aides from Brewster Place in Topeka get tested for COVID-19, sometimes it just takes a day or two. Other times, it takes a week. Kansas nursing homes need reliably fast and affordable access to testing. Janis Swanson / Submitted" />
 <figcaption>When nurse's aides from Brewster Place in Topeka get tested for COVID-19, sometimes it just takes a day or two. Other times, it takes a week. Kansas nursing homes need reliably fast and affordable access to testing. Janis Swanson / Submitted</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-08-26/kansas-nursing-homes-face-scores-of-coronavirus-outbreaks-but-still-cant-count-on-fast-tests">Kansas News Service</a>Half a year into the pandemic, Kansas nursing homes still face uneven
 access to fast COVID-19 testing through the state’s patchwork of 
private labs and hospitals. And the prices they pay for it vary widely.Testing access has dramatically increased in Kansas from its initial <a href="https://www.kcur.org/2020-04-20/kansas-ranks-lowest-in-coronavirus-testing-which-could-make-it-harder-to-reopen-economy" target="_blank">slow start</a>. Last month alone, it tested <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1125/Historical---August-19?bidId=" target="_blank">4%</a> of its population. But that hasn’t guaranteed quick and cheap options for long-term care.Meanwhile, <a href="https://data.cms.gov/Special-Programs-Initiatives-COVID-19-Nursing-Home/COVID-19-Nursing-Home-Dataset/s2uc-8wxp" target="_blank">federa</a><a href="https://data.cms.gov/Special-Programs-Initiatives-COVID-19-Nursing-Home/COVID-19-Nursing-Home-Dataset/s2uc-8wxp" target="_blank">l tallies</a>
 show the virus has reached nursing home residents in about 30 counties,
 from the state’s most populous to some of its most rural. That’s caused
 more than half of the state’s coronavirus death toll.Fifty outbreaks are active in long-term care facilities right now.Though
 the state lab in Topeka frequently conducts mass testing of workers and
 residents from long-term care facilities when those places get hit with
 outbreaks, its help only stretches so far.Kansas health 
secretary Lee Norman last week suggested the state contract with private
 labs willing to expand their capacity, and connect nursing homes to 
them.“That would really speed up the turnaround time on the testing a lot,” he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mJP7DeWnBY" target="_blank">told a state task force</a>.Swift
 test results help nursing homes catch cases early, saving lives. They 
also let homes clear healthy employees faster so they can go back to 
work. That’s critical because nursing aides are taking on long hours — 
risking burnout and driving up overtime costs — to cover shifts for 
colleagues waiting to find out if a sore throat or a cough could be 
COVID-19.“You can’t expect that they’re going to do that forever,” said Joe Ewert, CEO of Brewster Place in Topeka. “You just can’t.”<h2>‘A million different ways’</h2>Brewster
 Place has nurse’s aides working 60 to 70-hour weeks to cover for the 
three to eight employees out with symptoms at any given time. Most turn 
out not to have the coronavirus, but checking can take anywhere from 48 
hours to a week.That variation is partly because wait times — for
 an appointment and then to get test results — differ by week, depending
 on demand, and by hospital or clinic, for similar reasons. One Brewster
 employee may go to one hospital for the test, and another may head to a
 different one.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598453912766.png" alt="Kansas nursing homes can count on some help from a state-run lab in Topeka, but resources are limited. Janis Swanson" />
 <figcaption>Kansas nursing homes can count on some help from a state-run lab in Topeka, but resources are limited. Janis Swanson</figcaption>
 </figure>Across the state, nursing homes’ experiences also depend on what resources their county health departments can offer.“It's
 a little bit odd that we have a million different ways to do it,” Ewert
 said. “It’s a little bit curious that folks in my profession aren't 
basically (all) provided with the same access.”An hour southeast 
of Topeka, nursing home employees with symptoms can count on almost 
immediate results from rapid-testing machines that Lyon County’s health 
agency acquired amid an outbreak at a meatpacking plant.Months ago, Ewert ordered a rapid-testing machine, too.“We
 are still waiting,” he said. If it ever comes through, “then we can 
start getting in line for the reagent. I anticipate every single step 
will be a long wait and a fight.”The Trump administration has said it will start <a href="https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/trump-administration-announces-new-resources-protect-nursing-home-residents-against-covid-19#:~:text=Building%20on%20the%20initiative%20HHS,5%25%20positivity%20rate%20or%20greater" target="_blank">requiring weekly testing</a> in many nursing homes, and promised to <a href="https://khn.org/news/trump-is-sending-fast-cheap-covid-tests-to-nursing-homes-but-theres-a-hitch/" target="_blank">send out 14,000 machines</a>.
 But nursing home administrators have many questions about how accurate 
and reliable the devices are, when they will arrive, and how accessible 
and affordable related testing supplies will be.This spring, the 
administration promised to send protective gear to nursing homes, but 
when the boxes arrived, some facilities reported receiving <a href="https://khn.org/news/federal-help-falters-as-nursing-homes-run-short-of-protective-equipment/?utm_campaign=KHN%20New%20from%20KHN&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsmi=89345426&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8vuDupGpwQGw8-8nQJqZD6mw-4wW8b0z67bU8DQ9FpeBKgbV52zIPPIhTCYesg85X_16wH4_HGZ9T4M6DDIiPjGyFj-A&amp;utm_content=89345426&amp;utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">subpar or unusable equipment</a>.<h2>When outbreaks happen</h2>Brewster Place in Topeka is dealing with its first cluster of cases among patients. <a href="https://brewsterliving.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Brewster-COVID-Update-Positive-Cases-08-19-20-update-08-20-20.pdf" target="_blank">Six employees and three residents</a> tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19.When
 the coronavirus strikes a long-term care facility, it can require 
several weeks’ worth of repeatedly testing hundreds of people until all 
the cases are found and isolated, and the outbreak contained.Nursing
 homes say the state lab in Topeka generally covers the first two rounds
 of facility-wide testing — and picks up the cost. The homes then turn 
to private labs for the subsequent rounds.“The experience with 
the private labs has been mixed,” Mission Health Management Group vice 
president Shawn Sullivan said. His company has more than 30 long-term 
care facilities in Kansas. “We have had experiences where the turnaround
 time has been very quick and other times where the turnaround time has 
taken several days.”The Kansas nursing home industry says prices 
also vary significantly — from less than $100 to more than $200 per 
test. Facilities with outbreaks can quickly rack up tens of thousands or
 dollars in expenses to stop a single outbreak.While <a href="https://www.aha.org/news/headline/2020-06-22-medicare-cover-covid-19-tests-nursing-home-patients" target="_blank">Medicare</a>
 or other insurance covers lab work for residents, nursing homes and 
other long-term care facilities are generally on the hook for testing 
their employees.The situation can be even tougher for locations farther from the state lab in Topeka.Windsor
 Place in Coffeyville — southeast Kansas — faced an outbreak last month 
that affected 35 residents and 22 staff. Most did not experience 
symptoms, one was hospitalized and two died.Windsor leaned 
largely on a lab in its region instead of sending samples to the state 
capital, nearly three hours away, because it offered same-day results.“With the state lab, if we timed it right, the results were still two to four days out,” CEO Monte Coffman said.<h2>As cold weather returns</h2>Since
 the local lab charges less than $100 a test, Windsor has been able to 
afford the tests with help from federal stimulus funds. But Coffman is 
uncertain what will happen if outbreaks recur.“If we have repeated periods of this into the fall or through the winter flu season,” he said, “then things tighten up.”Flu season will likely lead to <a href="https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/here-comes-the-double-whammy-flu-season-on-top-of-covid" target="_blank">even more demand</a> for testing patients with respiratory symptoms.More than <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas" target="_blank">1,700</a><a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas" target="_blank"> cases of COVID-19</a>
 in Kansas — and 209 deaths — are linked to long-term care settings. 
That’s less than 5% of the known cases, but more than half of the 
fatalities.And the situation may not get better anytime soon. 
Around 13% of Kansans who got checked for the virus in the past week 
tested positive, according to <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/testing/individual-states/kansas" target="_blank">Johns Hopkins University</a>. Experts say when rates are that high despite the state’s aggressive increase in testing, <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-07-29/as-coronavirus-cases-climb-in-kansas-its-hard-to-measure-how-the-state-is-doing" target="_blank">it suggests</a> the virus is widespread.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598453957294.png" alt="The Trump administration has promised to send COVID-19 testing machines to Brewster Place and other nursing homes, but questions remain about how reliable the results will be. Janis Swanson" />
 <figcaption>The Trump administration has promised to send COVID-19 testing machines to Brewster Place and other nursing homes, but questions remain about how reliable the results will be. Janis Swanson</figcaption>
 </figure>It gained traction here and nationally as states reopened their 
economies and friends and family gathered again for holidays, sports and
 cookouts.Renee Hively, health officer for Lyon County, thinks that likely contributed to two ongoing outbreaks at nursing homes there.“I
 think people just tend to let their guards down,” she said. “Especially
 in the summer months, when people like to congregate and do all kinds 
of social activities.”Her agency helped collect samples at the 
homes, and the state lab processed them generally within a day or two. 
The state covered the first two rounds of testing for the homes, and a 
third round for one of them that was struggling to get it done 
otherwise.But Hively worries that nursing homes may find it even 
harder to get timely results as more people mix on a daily basis, 
spreading germs.“With schools starting, and colleges,” she said, “the labs are going to get inundated with testing.”Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health and education for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/Celia_LJ" target="_blank">@celia_LJ</a> or email her at celia@kcur.org.

Kan. nursing homes still can't count on fast COVID-19 tests 

TOPEKA —Dr. Lee Norman, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), held a press briefing Wednesday afternoon to discuss the increase in coronavirus in Kansas.&nbsp; He said if the pandemic were a football game, we'd be near the end of the first quarter.

The state reported another 1,536 confirmed and probable cases&nbsp; of the virus since Monday, an increase of 4%. The total since the pandemic began is 39,937. The KDHE also said there were additional 11 deaths for a total of 437.

TOPEKA —Dr. Lee Norman, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), held a press briefing Wednesday afternoon to discuss the increase in coronavirus in Kansas.&nbsp; He said if the pandemic were a football game, we'd be near the end of the first quarter.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FKDHEnews%2Fvideos%2F303913344047288%2F&show_text=0&width=560" width="560" height="315" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>The state reported another 1,536 confirmed and probable cases&nbsp; of the virus since Monday, an increase of 4%. The total since the pandemic began is 39,937. The KDHE also said there were additional 11 deaths for a total of 437.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598462849768.png" alt="August 26, 2020 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>August 26, 2020 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>

🎥 Dr. Lee Norman on increase in COVID-19 in Kansas

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — All three NBA playoff games scheduled for Wednesday have been postponed, with players around the league choosing to boycott in their strongest statement yet against racial injustice. 

Called off: Games between Milwaukee and Orlando, Houston and Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland. The NBA said all three games would be rescheduled, yet did not say when. The dramatic series of moves began when the Bucks — the NBA’s team from Wisconsin, a state rocked in recent days by the shooting by police officers of Jacob Blake, a Black man — didn’t take the floor for their game against the Magic.

&nbsp;Former Kansas Jayhawk Frank Mason, is a member of the Bucks.&nbsp;

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — NBA players made their strongest statement yet against racial injustice when the Milwaukee Bucks didn’t take the floor for their scheduled playoff game against the Orlando Magic. 

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — All three NBA playoff games scheduled for Wednesday have been postponed, with players around the league choosing to boycott in their strongest statement yet against racial injustice. <div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">&quot;It is a great challenge to have an appreciation and a desire to want change. To want something different and better in Kenosha, Milwaukee and Wisconsin and then to go out and play a game.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/BCmHZdFf1P">pic.twitter.com/BCmHZdFf1P</a>&mdash; Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1298706183499513859?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Called off: Games between Milwaukee and Orlando, Houston and Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland. The NBA said all three games would be rescheduled, yet did not say when. The dramatic series of moves began when the Bucks — the NBA’s team from Wisconsin, a state rocked in recent days by the shooting by police officers of Jacob Blake, a Black man — didn’t take the floor for their game against the Magic.&nbsp;Former Kansas Jayhawk Frank Mason, is a member of the Bucks.&nbsp;LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — NBA players made their strongest statement yet against racial injustice when the Milwaukee Bucks didn’t take the floor for their scheduled playoff game against the Orlando Magic. The teams were set to begin Game 5 of their series shortly after 4 p.m. EST, with the Bucks needing a win to advance to the second round. Players had been discussing boycotting games in the bubble after the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. More discussions were expected Wednesday, but even before that the Bucks apparently decided they would act. Magic players and referees were on the floor for the game but Milwaukee never took the floor.&nbsp; Former Kansas Jayhawk Frank Mason, is a member of the Bucks.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The NBA and the NBPA today announced that in light of the Milwaukee Bucks’ decision to not take the floor today for Game 5 against the Orlando Magic, today’s three games – MIL-ORL, HOU-OKC and LAL-POR have been postponed. Game 5 of each series will be rescheduled.&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1298729514403594240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Following the Bucks decision, the other two playoff games Houston vs. Oklahoma City and Los Angeles vs. Portland have been postponed, according to the NBA.