Even if all Kansans immediately mask
 up and avoid crowded places, it will likely take weeks to ease the 
burden on hospitals packed with COVID-19 patients.

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-11-20/mask-rules-helped-kansas-counties-slow-the-march-of-coronavirus-new-cdc-report-suggests">Kansas News Service</a>

In Kansas counties that adopted mask rules last summer, the spread of COVID-19 slowed, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6947e2.htm?s_cid=mm6947e2_w" target="_blank">new research</a> from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.

The
 study by federal and state epidemiologists suggests that if more 
counties follow suit, it could help stem a disastrous groundswell that 
has hospitals in Kansas and across the Midwest reeling.

The 
release of the new CDC publication comes just two days after Kansas Gov.
 Laura Kelly made her second attempt to get Kansans across the state to <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-11-18/with-hospitals-reeling-kansas-gov-kelly-makes-second-push-to-tame-coronavirus-with-masks" target="_blank">mask up</a>. Most counties overrode her first statewide mask order, and they could do the same to this one.

Physicians
 at the University of Kansas Health System say taking masks and social 
distancing seriously saves lives and eases the rush on hospital beds.

Even if all Kansans followed their advice fastidiously and immediately, incubation periods mean the record surge across the state would likely intensify before it gets better.

“This (pandemic) is very quick to get worse,” anesthesiologist David Wild said, “and very slow to get better.”

“People
 are in the hospital for four, five, seven days, if they're not in the 
ICU,” he said. “If they’re in the ICU, it may be 15 or 20 or 30. And so 
it will take some time before we see the benefits of those behaviors 
changing.”

That means it would likely take three weeks or more of 
very conscientious efforts by Kansans before hospitals start to get some
 of the respite — and freed up beds — that they desperately need.

Doctors fear COVID-19’s record surge across the state could worsen over Thanksgiving and Christmas instead.

Already, hospital officials say they’re <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-11-16/kansas-hospitals-seek-help-from-nearby-states-but-the-whole-midwest-is-struggling-with-a-covid-surge" target="_blank">spending hours calling intensive care units</a>
 in other cities and neighboring states to see who can fit more people. 
They’re postponing kidney stone surgeries just to free up a few extra 
beds, or treating patients in hallways and waiting rooms.

This 
summer, the Republican-led Legislature passed a law that blocks Kelly 
from requiring masks. The most she can do is issue rules that county 
commissions can then reject.

She did so in July, but 80 of the 
state’s 105 counties blocked the effort. Some have since changed their 
tunes. Sixty-five still have no mask rules.

Kelly said Republican leaders and others have signaled to her that more county commissions are ready this time to come on board.

“We have reached a new stage in our fight with this virus,” she said, and mask-wearing would help “turn the tide.”

County
 commissions have until Wednesday to act before Kelly’s rules take 
effect. They can tweak her version as they see fit — or can again buck 
her effort entirely.

But the harsh new reality could force their 
hands. In rural parts of the state, critically ill patients can wait for
 hours for admission to intensive care units in cities hours away.

Editor's note: While Ellis County in northwest Kansas does not have a countywide mask mandate in place, the city of Hays does.

The
 CDC and Kansas researchers — which included state epidemiologist Farah 
Ahmed and former state epidemiologist Charles Hunt — compared the spread
 of the virus in counties with mask rules to those without them over 
nearly three months this summer.

The disease’s march — calculated 
as seven-day rolling averages of new cases — slowed in counties with mask 
orders. Face coverings appear to have helped, though the authors say 
extra local limits on public gatherings — things like caps on restaurant
 capacity — may have boosted the effect in some of those counties.

“COVID-19
 incidence rates reversed course,” the authors wrote, but not in the 
counties without mask rules. There, the pace of new cases kept climbing.

(Researchers
 at the Kansas Health Institute also contributed to the study. The 
institute receives funding from the Kansas Health Foundation, one of the
 Kansas News Service’s financial supporters.)

The CDC and the <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks" target="_blank">World Health Organization</a> both recommend wearing masks in public and around people you don’t live with.

The
 CDC recommends masks for children as young as two years old, though the
 WHO recommends against requiring it for those under age five because 
such young children may not wear it properly.

Kelly’s order asks 
Kansans over the age of five (except those with medical conditions that 
would make it difficult) to wear masks in public. That includes outdoor 
spaces where people can’t keep six feet away from each other.

Businesses must also instruct employees to wear masks, and require it of customers.

The
 epidemiological price of weddings, parties and packed bars and 
restaurants spiraled rapidly out of control across the Midwest once cold
 weather pushed socializing indoors.

In just two weeks, Kansas has confirmed 36,000 new cases of the coronavirus that has killed <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/" target="_blank">more than 250,000</a> people in the U.S.

Minnesota’s governor ordered <a href="https://www.startribune.com/walz-to-close-bars-restaurants-and-fitness-centers-for-4-weeks/573114521/" target="_blank">restaurants and bars</a> closed again this week, even as the state said the federal government would send it dozens of <a href="https://www.startribune.com/fema-ambulances-deployed-to-help-transfer-minn-patients/573127151/" target="_blank">staffed ambulances</a> to transport a flood of COVID patients to hospitals.

The governors of <a href="https://www.iowapublicradio.org/news-from-npr/2020-11-17/iowa-governor-reverses-course-issues-mask-mandate-as-covid-19-cases-rise" target="_blank">Iowa</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/bismarck-north-dakota-coronavirus-pandemic-45788d9dfaae23c1db8125088dfa242b" target="_blank">North Dakota</a>, previously opposed to face-covering orders, broke down over the past week and ordered people to mask up statewide.

Scientists
 say masks help by filtering some of the droplets that pass into the air
 from an infected person’s nose and mouth. The CDC summarized the 
research to date in a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/masking-science-sars-cov2.html" target="_blank">recent online summary</a>.

More than 30 states now have rules requiring masks.

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"> @celialj_LJ</a> or email her at celia@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605897184989.png" alt=" Stephan Bisaha / Kansas News Service " />
 <figcaption> Stephan Bisaha / Kansas News Service </figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Even if all Kansans immediately mask
 up and avoid crowded places, it will likely take weeks to ease the 
burden on hospitals packed with COVID-19 patients.</h2>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-11-20/mask-rules-helped-kansas-counties-slow-the-march-of-coronavirus-new-cdc-report-suggests">Kansas News Service</a>In Kansas counties that adopted mask rules last summer, the spread of COVID-19 slowed, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6947e2.htm?s_cid=mm6947e2_w" target="_blank">new research</a> from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.The
 study by federal and state epidemiologists suggests that if more 
counties follow suit, it could help stem a disastrous groundswell that 
has hospitals in Kansas and across the Midwest reeling.The 
release of the new CDC publication comes just two days after Kansas Gov.
 Laura Kelly made her second attempt to get Kansans across the state to <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-11-18/with-hospitals-reeling-kansas-gov-kelly-makes-second-push-to-tame-coronavirus-with-masks" target="_blank">mask up</a>. Most counties overrode her first statewide mask order, and they could do the same to this one.Physicians
 at the University of Kansas Health System say taking masks and social 
distancing seriously saves lives and eases the rush on hospital beds.Even if all Kansans followed their advice fastidiously and immediately, incubation periods mean the record surge across the state would likely intensify before it gets better.“This (pandemic) is very quick to get worse,” anesthesiologist David Wild said, “and very slow to get better.”“People
 are in the hospital for four, five, seven days, if they're not in the 
ICU,” he said. “If they’re in the ICU, it may be 15 or 20 or 30. And so 
it will take some time before we see the benefits of those behaviors 
changing.”That means it would likely take three weeks or more of 
very conscientious efforts by Kansans before hospitals start to get some
 of the respite — and freed up beds — that they desperately need.Doctors fear COVID-19’s record surge across the state could worsen over Thanksgiving and Christmas instead.Already, hospital officials say they’re <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-11-16/kansas-hospitals-seek-help-from-nearby-states-but-the-whole-midwest-is-struggling-with-a-covid-surge" target="_blank">spending hours calling intensive care units</a>
 in other cities and neighboring states to see who can fit more people. 
They’re postponing kidney stone surgeries just to free up a few extra 
beds, or treating patients in hallways and waiting rooms.This 
summer, the Republican-led Legislature passed a law that blocks Kelly 
from requiring masks. The most she can do is issue rules that county 
commissions can then reject.She did so in July, but 80 of the 
state’s 105 counties blocked the effort. Some have since changed their 
tunes. Sixty-five still have no mask rules.Kelly said Republican leaders and others have signaled to her that more county commissions are ready this time to come on board.“We have reached a new stage in our fight with this virus,” she said, and mask-wearing would help “turn the tide.”County
 commissions have until Wednesday to act before Kelly’s rules take 
effect. They can tweak her version as they see fit — or can again buck 
her effort entirely.But the harsh new reality could force their 
hands. In rural parts of the state, critically ill patients can wait for
 hours for admission to intensive care units in cities hours away.<div><iframe title="Does your county require masks in public?" aria-label="Map" id="datawrapper-chart-wZcb4" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/wZcb4/2/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="447"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var e in a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var t=document.getElementById("datawrapper-chart-"+e)||document.querySelector("iframe[src*='"+e+"']");t&&(t.style.height=a.data["datawrapper-height"][e]+"px")}}))}();
</script></div>Editor's note: While Ellis County in northwest Kansas does not have a countywide mask mandate in place, the city of Hays does.<h2>Mask rules in Kansas</h2>The
 CDC and Kansas researchers — which included state epidemiologist Farah 
Ahmed and former state epidemiologist Charles Hunt — compared the spread
 of the virus in counties with mask rules to those without them over 
nearly three months this summer.The disease’s march — calculated 
as seven-day rolling averages of new cases — slowed in counties with mask 
orders. Face coverings appear to have helped, though the authors say 
extra local limits on public gatherings — things like caps on restaurant
 capacity — may have boosted the effect in some of those counties.“COVID-19
 incidence rates reversed course,” the authors wrote, but not in the 
counties without mask rules. There, the pace of new cases kept climbing.(Researchers
 at the Kansas Health Institute also contributed to the study. The 
institute receives funding from the Kansas Health Foundation, one of the
 Kansas News Service’s financial supporters.)The CDC and the <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks" target="_blank">World Health Organization</a> both recommend wearing masks in public and around people you don’t live with.The
 CDC recommends masks for children as young as two years old, though the
 WHO recommends against requiring it for those under age five because 
such young children may not wear it properly.Kelly’s order asks 
Kansans over the age of five (except those with medical conditions that 
would make it difficult) to wear masks in public. That includes outdoor 
spaces where people can’t keep six feet away from each other.Businesses must also instruct employees to wear masks, and require it of customers.<h2>The swift increase</h2>The
 epidemiological price of weddings, parties and packed bars and 
restaurants spiraled rapidly out of control across the Midwest once cold
 weather pushed socializing indoors.In just two weeks, Kansas has confirmed 36,000 new cases of the coronavirus that has killed <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/" target="_blank">more than 250,000</a> people in the U.S.Minnesota’s governor ordered <a href="https://www.startribune.com/walz-to-close-bars-restaurants-and-fitness-centers-for-4-weeks/573114521/" target="_blank">restaurants and bars</a> closed again this week, even as the state said the federal government would send it dozens of <a href="https://www.startribune.com/fema-ambulances-deployed-to-help-transfer-minn-patients/573127151/" target="_blank">staffed ambulances</a> to transport a flood of COVID patients to hospitals.The governors of <a href="https://www.iowapublicradio.org/news-from-npr/2020-11-17/iowa-governor-reverses-course-issues-mask-mandate-as-covid-19-cases-rise" target="_blank">Iowa</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/bismarck-north-dakota-coronavirus-pandemic-45788d9dfaae23c1db8125088dfa242b" target="_blank">North Dakota</a>, previously opposed to face-covering orders, broke down over the past week and ordered people to mask up statewide.Scientists
 say masks help by filtering some of the droplets that pass into the air
 from an infected person’s nose and mouth. The CDC summarized the 
research to date in a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/masking-science-sars-cov2.html" target="_blank">recent online summary</a>.More than 30 states now have rules requiring masks.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"> @celialj_LJ</a> or email her at celia@kcur.org.

CDC report: Mask rules helped Kan. counties slow march of virus

HUTCHINSON—Two people were injured in an industrial accident Friday in Hutchinson.

 Just before 8:30 a.m., emergency crews were called to the Tyson Prepared Foods facility in the 500 Block of South Main in Hutchinson.

According to a statement from Tyson, "We’re investigating an ammonia leak that happened Friday morning at our Hutchinson, Kansas facility. The facility was evacuated, and two team members were taken to the hospital for treatment.&nbsp;We’re grateful for the local emergency response teams who assisted the facility to care for team members and address the situation."

According to the Hutchinson Fire Department a group of contractors were working on the refrigeration system when ammonia was released.&nbsp;

Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

Two people were hurt, one was transported with what appeared to be critical injuries, according to Reno County 911.

Tyson officials would not comment at the scene Friday.&nbsp;

HUTCHINSON—Two people were injured in an industrial accident Friday in Hutchinson. Just before 8:30 a.m., emergency crews were called to the Tyson Prepared Foods facility in the 500 Block of South Main in Hutchinson.According to a statement from Tyson, "We’re investigating an ammonia leak that happened Friday morning at our Hutchinson, Kansas facility. The facility was evacuated, and two team members were taken to the hospital for treatment.&nbsp;We’re grateful for the local emergency response teams who assisted the facility to care for team members and address the situation."According to the Hutchinson Fire Department a group of contractors were working on the refrigeration system when ammonia was released.&nbsp;Check the Post for additional details as they become available.----------HUTCHINSON—Two people were injured in an industrial accident Friday in Hutchinson. Just before 8:30 a.m., emergency crews were called to the Tyson Prepared Foods facility in the 500 Block of South Main in Hutchinson.According to the Hutchinson Fire Department a group of contractors were working on the refrigeration system when ammonia was released.&nbsp;Two people were hurt, one was transported with what appeared to be critical injuries, according to Reno County 911.Tyson officials would not comment at the scene Friday.&nbsp;Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

Update: 2 injured after accident at Kan. Tyson facility

SHAWNEE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon for new charges after an arrest.

Just before 11p.m. Wednesday, a deputy made contact with the driver of a suspicious vehicle, a 1994 Chevy S-10 pickup, located in the 400 block of east 14th Street in Auburn, Kansas. according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

 The pickup was parked near storage units. During the investigation at the scene, deputies found two storage units that had been entered by force. Several stolen items were located in the back of the pickup.

Deputies arrested Zackery W. Slover, 38, Topeka, and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Possession of methamphetamine, Burglary, Theft, Criminal damage to property, Criminal trespass, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, a Misdemeanor warrant for failure to appear and Other registration violations, according to Christian.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605798898937.png" alt="Slover has previous burglary conviction in 2019, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Slover has previous burglary conviction in 2019, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon for new charges after an arrest.Just before 11p.m. Wednesday, a deputy made contact with the driver of a suspicious vehicle, a 1994 Chevy S-10 pickup, located in the 400 block of east 14th Street in Auburn, Kansas. according to Deputy Abigail Christian. The pickup was parked near storage units. During the investigation at the scene, deputies found two storage units that had been entered by force. Several stolen items were located in the back of the pickup.Deputies arrested Zackery W. Slover, 38, Topeka, and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Possession of methamphetamine, Burglary, Theft, Criminal damage to property, Criminal trespass, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, a Misdemeanor warrant for failure to appear and Other registration violations, according to Christian.

Kansas deputy interrupts burglary in progress

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Police in Kansas City have made an arrested in a double shooting earlier this week that left a woman dead and a man injured.

James Gregory, 28, of Independence, has been arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, first-degree assault and several other counts, police said. He is suspected in the late Monday night shooting in a northeastern Kansas City neighborhood that killed Michelle Capell, 36, of Kansas City, and injured a man, who is expected to recover.

The man told police that he and Capell were talking when a car drove by and the driver opened fire, investigators said. Detectives found video from several cameras in the area that showed the shooting and determined the car seen in the videos belongs to Gregory’s fiance.

Under questioning, Gregory denied any involvement in the shootings, court documents say.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605883869693.png" alt="Gregory photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Gregory photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — Police in Kansas City have made an arrested in a double shooting earlier this week that left a woman dead and a man injured.James Gregory, 28, of Independence, has been arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, first-degree assault and several other counts, police said. He is suspected in the late Monday night shooting in a northeastern Kansas City neighborhood that killed Michelle Capell, 36, of Kansas City, and injured a man, who is expected to recover.The man told police that he and Capell were talking when a car drove by and the driver opened fire, investigators said. Detectives found video from several cameras in the area that showed the shooting and determined the car seen in the videos belongs to Gregory’s fiance.Under questioning, Gregory denied any involvement in the shootings, court documents say.

KC police make arrest in double shooting that killed woman

By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/20/gov-laura-kelly-pitches-flexibility-necessity-of-mask-mandate-to-kansas-health-officials/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly 
on Friday promoted the flexibility of her new statewide mask mandate in 
allowing county officials to best address the needs of their 
constituents as they work to curb the spread of COVID-19.

There is growing concern 
among health experts that rapidly rising case numbers in tandem with 
Thanksgiving travel could overwhelm virus mitigation efforts. In 
response, some counties and health leaders around the state are already 
taking steps to limit gatherings or enforce mask-wearing.

Kelly’s new executive 
order, which takes effect the day before Thanksgiving, grants county 
commissioners the option to accept the governor’s mandate, craft their 
own rules, or take public action to opt out. Kelly said she provided 
flexibility this time in response to concerns heard about a “one size 
fits all” approach in the governor’s July mask order.

While Kelly acknowledged 
local leaders and health officers may be most familiar with their own 
community’s issues, she asked that counties encourage the use of face 
coverings.

“Wearing a face covering 
does not inhibit your freedom or limit where we can go and what we can 
do — in fact just the opposite,” Kelly said. “Diligent use will allow us
 to keep our business open, to keep our kids in school, and to protect 
our kids in school.”

Kelly and state health 
experts made the pitch for the mask mandate during a call Friday 
updating counties across the state on what some state departments are 
doing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

As of Friday, the Kansas 
Department of Health and Environment has reported 1,410 deaths and 
134,353 infections since the start of the pandemic. That includes 5,939 
new cases and 84 deaths reported since Wednesday.

With numbers rapidly 
rising and Thanksgiving on the horizon, Kelly expressed urgency in the 
need for counties to act on the new mandate. Local officials will have 
one week to pass their own ordinance before Kelly’s mask protocol is 
automatically implemented.

The case for widespread mask-wearing also received a boost in the form of&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/20/cdc-publishes-research-showing-kansas-mask-mandates-helped-drive-down-covid-19-infections/" target="_blank">newly published Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research</a>&nbsp;reaffirming the role mask mandates played in slowing the spread of COVID-19 in Kansas’ largest counties.

<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6947e2.htm?s_cid=mm6947e2_e&amp;ACSTrackingID=USCDC_921-DM42906&amp;ACSTrackingLabel=MMWR%20Early%20Release%20-%20Vol.%2069%2C%20November%2020%2C%202020&amp;deliveryName=USCDC_921-DM42906" target="_blank">The study</a>
 examined trends in 25 counties that upheld the governor’s July mask 
recommendation and the 80 counties that refused to do so. Findings 
estimated mask mandates prevented an estimated 8,600 infections and 
could have prevented 2,300 more in areas without an order.

With hospitals and health 
care providers across the country becoming overwhelmed with staffing 
shortages and the spike in cases, KDHE secretary Lee Norman expressed 
his continued support for a mask order.

“We have learned a lot 
about the virus itself, and we know that it is primarily spread through 
droplet transmission, so masks are our best line of defense,” Norman 
said. “Studies like this will help us to better understand the impact of
 policy decisions in our state.”

Sedgwick County is part of
 the minority that currently has a mask mandate in place. As a medical 
hub for many neighboring counties, rising cases in those counties 
without mask mandates have been trickling into Sedgwick health care 
providers, especially in Wichita.

Pete Meitzner, the 
Sedgwick County commission chairman, said as of last Monday, at least 23
 surrounding counties had a patient in a Wichita hospital. Most 
concerning, he said, is many of these counties are not adequately 
emphasizing the risks associate with COVID-19.

“We can’t do this by 
ourselves without us all trying to help with whatever solution might 
help,” Meitzner said. “I want to be respectful for whatever you as a 
separate County choose to do, but just know that what you’re doing in 
your own county may be having a large impact in some of the areas like 
Johnson County and Sedgwick that are really economic engines for the 
state.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605910063583.png" alt="Gov. Laura Kelly said her decision to allow counties to enact their own form of mask mandate was made in response to concerns from county officials over a "one size fits all" approach. (Oct. 13 photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Gov. Laura Kelly said her decision to allow counties to enact their own form of mask mandate was made in response to concerns from county officials over a "one size fits all" approach. (Oct. 13 photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/20/gov-laura-kelly-pitches-flexibility-necessity-of-mask-mandate-to-kansas-health-officials/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly 
on Friday promoted the flexibility of her new statewide mask mandate in 
allowing county officials to best address the needs of their 
constituents as they work to curb the spread of COVID-19.There is growing concern 
among health experts that rapidly rising case numbers in tandem with 
Thanksgiving travel could overwhelm virus mitigation efforts. In 
response, some counties and health leaders around the state are already 
taking steps to limit gatherings or enforce mask-wearing.Kelly’s new executive 
order, which takes effect the day before Thanksgiving, grants county 
commissioners the option to accept the governor’s mandate, craft their 
own rules, or take public action to opt out. Kelly said she provided 
flexibility this time in response to concerns heard about a “one size 
fits all” approach in the governor’s July mask order.While Kelly acknowledged 
local leaders and health officers may be most familiar with their own 
community’s issues, she asked that counties encourage the use of face 
coverings.“Wearing a face covering 
does not inhibit your freedom or limit where we can go and what we can 
do — in fact just the opposite,” Kelly said. “Diligent use will allow us
 to keep our business open, to keep our kids in school, and to protect 
our kids in school.”Kelly and state health 
experts made the pitch for the mask mandate during a call Friday 
updating counties across the state on what some state departments are 
doing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.As of Friday, the Kansas 
Department of Health and Environment has reported 1,410 deaths and 
134,353 infections since the start of the pandemic. That includes 5,939 
new cases and 84 deaths reported since Wednesday.With numbers rapidly 
rising and Thanksgiving on the horizon, Kelly expressed urgency in the 
need for counties to act on the new mandate. Local officials will have 
one week to pass their own ordinance before Kelly’s mask protocol is 
automatically implemented.The case for widespread mask-wearing also received a boost in the form of&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/20/cdc-publishes-research-showing-kansas-mask-mandates-helped-drive-down-covid-19-infections/" target="_blank">newly published Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research</a>&nbsp;reaffirming the role mask mandates played in slowing the spread of COVID-19 in Kansas’ largest counties.<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6947e2.htm?s_cid=mm6947e2_e&amp;ACSTrackingID=USCDC_921-DM42906&amp;ACSTrackingLabel=MMWR%20Early%20Release%20-%20Vol.%2069%2C%20November%2020%2C%202020&amp;deliveryName=USCDC_921-DM42906" target="_blank">The study</a>
 examined trends in 25 counties that upheld the governor’s July mask 
recommendation and the 80 counties that refused to do so. Findings 
estimated mask mandates prevented an estimated 8,600 infections and 
could have prevented 2,300 more in areas without an order.With hospitals and health 
care providers across the country becoming overwhelmed with staffing 
shortages and the spike in cases, KDHE secretary Lee Norman expressed 
his continued support for a mask order.“We have learned a lot 
about the virus itself, and we know that it is primarily spread through 
droplet transmission, so masks are our best line of defense,” Norman 
said. “Studies like this will help us to better understand the impact of
 policy decisions in our state.”Sedgwick County is part of
 the minority that currently has a mask mandate in place. As a medical 
hub for many neighboring counties, rising cases in those counties 
without mask mandates have been trickling into Sedgwick health care 
providers, especially in Wichita.Pete Meitzner, the 
Sedgwick County commission chairman, said as of last Monday, at least 23
 surrounding counties had a patient in a Wichita hospital. Most 
concerning, he said, is many of these counties are not adequately 
emphasizing the risks associate with COVID-19.“We can’t do this by 
ourselves without us all trying to help with whatever solution might 
help,” Meitzner said. “I want to be respectful for whatever you as a 
separate County choose to do, but just know that what you’re doing in 
your own county may be having a large impact in some of the areas like 
Johnson County and Sedgwick that are really economic engines for the 
state.”

Kelly pitches flexibility, necessity of mask mandate to Kan. health officials

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court ruled Friday that results from warrantless blood tests were admissible in two cases of driving under the influence, even though the statute that had authorized them was later found to be unconstitutional.

In separate decisions, the state’s highest court said the “good faith exception” allows admission of unlawfully obtained evidence if the arresting officer had no reason to think the statute he had relied on would be declared unconstitutional after the arrest.

The court upheld the conviction for driving under the influence in the case of Ronald S. Ary, who was arrested following a 2014 crash in Kingman, Kansas. It also up upheld the conviction of Trenton Michael Heim following a 2015 vehicle accident.

No search warrant for the blood test was obtained in either case, and the same attorney which separately represented them presented identical arguments about whether the good-faith exception applies.

In each case, the court said that the officer was merely fulfilling his responsibility to enforce the statutes when he informed them that the state could charge them with a separate crime for refusing to submit to a blood test.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court ruled Friday that results from warrantless blood tests were admissible in two cases of driving under the influence, even though the statute that had authorized them was later found to be unconstitutional.In separate decisions, the state’s highest court said the “good faith exception” allows admission of unlawfully obtained evidence if the arresting officer had no reason to think the statute he had relied on would be declared unconstitutional after the arrest.The court upheld the conviction for driving under the influence in the case of Ronald S. Ary, who was arrested following a 2014 crash in Kingman, Kansas. It also up upheld the conviction of Trenton Michael Heim following a 2015 vehicle accident.No search warrant for the blood test was obtained in either case, and the same attorney which separately represented them presented identical arguments about whether the good-faith exception applies.In each case, the court said that the officer was merely fulfilling his responsibility to enforce the statutes when he informed them that the state could charge them with a separate crime for refusing to submit to a blood test.

Kan. upholds 2 DUI convictions using warrantless blood tests

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly announced Friday that the State Finance Council unanimously approved the Kansas Office of Recovery recommendations to allocate $20 million to hard-hit businesses and $18.5 million for public health response efforts including vaccine administration and distribution, according to a media release from her office.

The $38.5 million is from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) of the federal CARES Act.

“My administration is focused on keeping Kansans healthy and protecting our small businesses, this funding will help us do both,”&nbsp;Governor Kelly said.&nbsp;“We will distribute these funds quickly and efficiently to hard-hit communities and businesses across the state, which will bolster our efforts to protect Kansans and keep businesses and schools open.”

The $20 million of Business Resiliency and Workforce Support recommendations will include support for the following:

The $18.5 million of Public Heath Response recommendations includes funding for the following:

“These investments help keep businesses open and bolster our public health response all across Kansas,”&nbsp;Office of Recovery Executive Director Julie Lorenz&nbsp;said.&nbsp;“I want to thank Governor Kelly and the State Finance Council for helping us deliver these dollars as quickly as we can to Kansans that really need them.”

The allocations approved today were from funding recouped from other previously approved programs that were unable to utilize all their funding by the December 30 deadline.&nbsp; The Office of Recovery will present to State Finance Council again next month to provide recommendations for how to invest in any remaining funds

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly announced Friday that the State Finance Council unanimously approved the Kansas Office of Recovery recommendations to allocate $20 million to hard-hit businesses and $18.5 million for public health response efforts including vaccine administration and distribution, according to a media release from her office.The $38.5 million is from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) of the federal CARES Act.“My administration is focused on keeping Kansans healthy and protecting our small businesses, this funding will help us do both,”&nbsp;Governor Kelly said.&nbsp;“We will distribute these funds quickly and efficiently to hard-hit communities and businesses across the state, which will bolster our efforts to protect Kansans and keep businesses and schools open.”The $20 million of Business Resiliency and Workforce Support recommendations will include support for the following:<ul>
 <li>Restaurants and Bars</li><li>Large Venues</li><li>Movie Theaters</li><li>PPE manufacturing</li><li>Private Colleges</li>
 </ul>The $18.5 million of Public Heath Response recommendations includes funding for the following:<ul>
 <li>Support for Local Health departments</li><li>Vaccine administration and distribution</li><li>PPE for Nursing Homes</li><li>Support for Safety Net Clinics</li>
 </ul>“These investments help keep businesses open and bolster our public health response all across Kansas,”&nbsp;Office of Recovery Executive Director Julie Lorenz&nbsp;said.&nbsp;“I want to thank Governor Kelly and the State Finance Council for helping us deliver these dollars as quickly as we can to Kansans that really need them.”The allocations approved today were from funding recouped from other previously approved programs that were unable to utilize all their funding by the December 30 deadline.&nbsp; The Office of Recovery will present to State Finance Council again next month to provide recommendations for how to invest in any remaining funds

$38.5M of CARES ACT funding available to small businesses

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT Hays Post

It took jurors just two and a half hours Wednesday to find Kylie Jo Elizabeth Waldschmidt guilty for her role in the 2018 killing of 26-year-old Diego Gallaway in Hays.

Waldschmidt, 25, was charged with aiding and abetting felony murder after Gallaway was found shot to death on Feb. 27, 2018, in the area of 27th Street and Indian Trail in Hays.

Waldschmidt’s trial was delayed until this week due to the COVID-19 pandemic and, following three days of testimony and two and a half hours of jury deliberation, jurors delivered the guilty verdict Wednesday afternoon in Ellis County District Court.

The conviction carries a mandatory prison sentence of 25 years.

According to court documents, Waldschmidt and Ryan Paul Thompson, 36, obtained a gun and went to the 2700 block of Indian Trail to confront Gallaway about money.

During the confrontation, Thompson pulled out a gun, put Gallaway in a headlock and shot him in the back of the head, authorities said.

For his role in the murder, Thompson pleaded guilty, in November of last year, to intentional second-degree murder and drug possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 23 years and 11-months in prison.

Alysha Meade, 30, the woman who investigators say gave Thompson the gun used in the murder, was sentenced 15 months in prison for felony drug possession last November. She has served her sentence and is on post-release supervision.

Waldschmidt’s sentencing is expected to be scheduled for December.

Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees said, “I thank the jurors for their attentiveness and dedication during this trial in which they were subject to COVID restrictions and modifications. I thank Chief Judge Glenn Braun, Court Administrator Amanda Truan and the entire court staff for their extraordinary efforts to provide a COVID approved courtroom and trial, pursuant to Kansas Supreme Court requirement.”

He added, “Hopefully this will bring some measure of comfort and closure to the Gallaway family.”

The Ellis County courtroom underwent several modifications to allow the trial to be held this week.

The trial is also the final jury trial for Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees after he was elected District Judge in the 23rd Judicial District. He will begin serving on the bench in January.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605899849127.png" alt="Wadschmidt -photo Ellis Co." />
 <figcaption>Wadschmidt -photo Ellis Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT Hays PostIt took jurors just two and a half hours Wednesday to find Kylie Jo Elizabeth Waldschmidt guilty for her role in the 2018 killing of 26-year-old Diego Gallaway in Hays.Waldschmidt, 25, was charged with aiding and abetting felony murder after Gallaway was found shot to death on Feb. 27, 2018, in the area of 27th Street and Indian Trail in Hays.Waldschmidt’s trial was delayed until this week due to the COVID-19 pandemic and, following three days of testimony and two and a half hours of jury deliberation, jurors delivered the guilty verdict Wednesday afternoon in Ellis County District Court.The conviction carries a mandatory prison sentence of 25 years.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605903541852.png" alt="Ryan Paul Thompson-photo KDOC" />
 <figcaption>Ryan Paul Thompson-photo KDOC</figcaption>
 </figure>According to court documents, Waldschmidt and Ryan Paul Thompson, 36, obtained a gun and went to the 2700 block of Indian Trail to confront Gallaway about money.During the confrontation, Thompson pulled out a gun, put Gallaway in a headlock and shot him in the back of the head, authorities said.For his role in the murder, Thompson pleaded guilty, in November of last year, to intentional second-degree murder and drug possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 23 years and 11-months in prison.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605903359530.png" alt="Meade is on parole from the Kan. Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Meade is on parole from the Kan. Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>Alysha Meade, 30, the woman who investigators say gave Thompson the gun used in the murder, was sentenced 15 months in prison for felony drug possession last November. She has served her sentence and is on post-release supervision.Waldschmidt’s sentencing is expected to be scheduled for December.Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees said, “I thank the jurors for their attentiveness and dedication during this trial in which they were subject to COVID restrictions and modifications. I thank Chief Judge Glenn Braun, Court Administrator Amanda Truan and the entire court staff for their extraordinary efforts to provide a COVID approved courtroom and trial, pursuant to Kansas Supreme Court requirement.”He added, “Hopefully this will bring some measure of comfort and closure to the Gallaway family.”The Ellis County courtroom underwent several modifications to allow the trial to be held this week.The trial is also the final jury trial for Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees after he was elected District Judge in the 23rd Judicial District. He will begin serving on the bench in January.

Jury: Kansas woman guilty for role in man's murder

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 5,939 to a total of 134,533 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 5,939 to a total of 134,533 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.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605895620548.png" alt="Friday November 20, 2020 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Friday November 20, 2020 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree has resigned from a federal commission created by President Donald Trump to study law enforcement issues, saying the group had a political agenda that included eroding the discretion of local prosecutors.

In a letter sent Thursday to U.S. Attorney General William Barr, Dupree said he also was concerned by a lack of transparency and inclusiveness on the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice.

Dupree was appointed a year ago to the commission’s working group on reentry programs to study how to improve the lives of criminal offenders after their prison sentences.

In an interview with The Star, Dupree said he believed the commission’s favored a political agenda of “wanting and trying to appease police to court them for political gain.”

U.S. District Court Judge John Bates last month ruled the commission violated a law meant to ensure that federal advisory committees fairly balance the viewpoints represented and conduct their business publicly. He later ruled the commission’s recommendations could be released but only with a disclaimer from him saying it violated the law.

A Justice Department spokesperson said Dupree’s request to resign would be accepted.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605895183004.png" alt="D.A. Mark Dupree-photo courtesy Wyandotte Co." />
 <figcaption>D.A. Mark Dupree-photo courtesy Wyandotte Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree has resigned from a federal commission created by President Donald Trump to study law enforcement issues, saying the group had a political agenda that included eroding the discretion of local prosecutors.In a letter sent Thursday to U.S. Attorney General William Barr, Dupree said he also was concerned by a lack of transparency and inclusiveness on the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice.Dupree was appointed a year ago to the commission’s working group on reentry programs to study how to improve the lives of criminal offenders after their prison sentences.In an interview with The Star, Dupree said he believed the commission’s favored a political agenda of “wanting and trying to appease police to court them for political gain.”U.S. District Court Judge John Bates last month ruled the commission violated a law meant to ensure that federal advisory committees fairly balance the viewpoints represented and conduct their business publicly. He later ruled the commission’s recommendations could be released but only with a disclaimer from him saying it violated the law.A Justice Department spokesperson said Dupree’s request to resign would be accepted.

Kan. county prosecutor resigns from federal commission

SALINE COUNTY ——Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect after a pursuit through part of south Salina.

Just after 10a.m. Thursday police were sent to the 2700 block of South Ninth Street in Salina for the report of a suspected intoxicated driver who was operating a white 2017 Ford F-150, according to&nbsp;Salina Police Captain Gary Hanus.

A vehicle pursuit was initiated by a Saline County Sheriff’s Office employee prior to police personnel arriving in the area. Police officers took over the pursuit in the area of Centennial Road and Sunflower Drive.

&nbsp;The driver, later identified as&nbsp;James Batterton, 61, Wichita, failed to stop for a traffic control device, exceeding the posted speed limit, and crossing the center line of the roadway. During the pursuit, a vehicle tire-deflating device was deployed to deflate one of the pickup’s tires.

The pickup did come to a stop in the 2600 block of Centennial Road, however, the operator of the vehicle refused to exit the vehicle during the high risk traffic stop, according to Hanus. A police canine was deployed and pulled the driver from the vehicle.

EMS transported Batterton to Salina Regional Health Center and treated for lacerations. He was then arrested on the requested charges that include Driving while under the influence, Fleeing/attempt to elude, Speeding, Traffic control device violation, Transporting an open container and Interference.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605883159126.jpeg" alt="james Batterton-photo Saline Co." />
 <figcaption>james Batterton-photo Saline Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY ——Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect after a pursuit through part of south Salina.Just after 10a.m. Thursday police were sent to the 2700 block of South Ninth Street in Salina for the report of a suspected intoxicated driver who was operating a white 2017 Ford F-150, according to&nbsp;Salina Police Captain Gary Hanus.A vehicle pursuit was initiated by a Saline County Sheriff’s Office employee prior to police personnel arriving in the area. Police officers took over the pursuit in the area of Centennial Road and Sunflower Drive.&nbsp;The driver, later identified as&nbsp;James Batterton, 61, Wichita, failed to stop for a traffic control device, exceeding the posted speed limit, and crossing the center line of the roadway. During the pursuit, a vehicle tire-deflating device was deployed to deflate one of the pickup’s tires.The pickup did come to a stop in the 2600 block of Centennial Road, however, the operator of the vehicle refused to exit the vehicle during the high risk traffic stop, according to Hanus. A police canine was deployed and pulled the driver from the vehicle.EMS transported Batterton to Salina Regional Health Center and treated for lacerations. He was then arrested on the requested charges that include Driving while under the influence, Fleeing/attempt to elude, Speeding, Traffic control device violation, Transporting an open container and Interference.

Police K9 pulls Kansas man from pickup after chase

HUTCHINSON, Kan. —&nbsp;Gas prices may be something to be thankful for, if you are on a budget this year.

"Right now, we're seeing the average gas price in Kansas of $1.88, ninth cheapest in the U.S.," said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. "If you are going to be taking a trip this holiday, you'll be saving some money in your wallet compared to last year or previous years."

Even if you're staying local, gas should be about average.

"Reno County is at $1.89," Steward said. "Hutchinson is at $1.90, right around the state average."

Be sure your car is in good repair, if you do decide at the last minute to hit the road.

"Check out your tires and your battery, especially," Steward said. "It's always a good idea, especially now that it gets dark so early, to make sure that all of the lights and turn signals, tail lights, brake lights, headlights are all in working order, so not only can you see, but you can be seen during those dark hours on the roads."

For Americans who make the personal decision to travel for the holiday, it is important to know the risks involved and ways to keep yourself and others safe.

By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. —&nbsp;Gas prices may be something to be thankful for, if you are on a budget this year."Right now, we're seeing the average gas price in Kansas of $1.88, ninth cheapest in the U.S.," said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. "If you are going to be taking a trip this holiday, you'll be saving some money in your wallet compared to last year or previous years."Even if you're staying local, gas should be about average."Reno County is at $1.89," Steward said. "Hutchinson is at $1.90, right around the state average."Be sure your car is in good repair, if you do decide at the last minute to hit the road."Check out your tires and your battery, especially," Steward said. "It's always a good idea, especially now that it gets dark so early, to make sure that all of the lights and turn signals, tail lights, brake lights, headlights are all in working order, so not only can you see, but you can be seen during those dark hours on the roads."For Americans who make the personal decision to travel for the holiday, it is important to know the risks involved and ways to keep yourself and others safe.

Be thankful for low gas prices for Thanksgiving holiday

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Nearly two months after Gov. Laura Kelly announced that Kansas would develop a “unified” strategy to ramp up coronavirus testing, the program is enough of a work in progress that even some of the state’s contractors don’t yet have all the details.

A Republican legislative leader involved in testing discussions contends that the Democratic governor’s administration moved too slowly in rolling out the strategy and isn’t focused enough on making sure Kansas has a healthy workforce so that businesses can stay open. Kelly dismisses the criticism, and officials and contractors are confident that testing will be ramped up before the year ends.

Kansas is under immense pressure. The state health department reported more than 19,000 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases in the seven days ending Wednesday — the equivalent of one in every 150 Kansas residents testing positive. Hospitals are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-e04e85728482b5e8bc60dfd54f7fded5">struggling to handle</a>&nbsp;the surge in COVID-19 patients.

“We need a bridge to get to the vaccine, and the bridge, in my mind, it’s testing,” said Robert Thompson, the CEO of Clinical Reference Laboratory, one of the state’s contractors. “If everybody knows their status, they will do what’s right in order to prevent infecting others.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-kansas-topeka-11efe27daef82d812ff6344b6a5b3199">Kelly announced</a>&nbsp;plans for the new testing strategy in late September.&nbsp;<a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Governor-Slides.pdf" target="_blank">It calls for</a>&nbsp;doubling Kansas’ testing, catching outbreaks more quickly and regularly screening vulnerable populations, including nursing home residents and public school students. The state is poised to spend as much as $87.5 million in federal coronavirus relief funds on the effort by year’s end.

The state last week announced contracts with nine companies, the University of Kansas Health System and Wichita State University to help execute the new testing strategy.

Samuel Caughron, president and CEO of the MAWD Pathology Group, said this week that the company is waiting for a “definition” of its role as a contractor. Rachael Liesman, director of clinical microbiology for the University of Kansas Health System, described its contract as “pretty rapidly developing.”

Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, a Kansas City-area Republican who has served on a governor’s pandemic-response task force, said Kansas should have launched its expanded testing strategy months ago. He’s also frustrated that Kelly recently blocked his effort to allocate $15 million toward testing for businesses.

He said Kansas has “incredible technology in our backyard,” noting that both Clinical Reference Laboratory and the MAWD Pathology Group are based in the Kansas City suburb of Lenexa.

“If we would have started this 90 days ago, we wouldn’t be in this awful mess right now with virus everywhere,” Denning said. GOP legislators forced Kelly earlier this year to accept local officials’ control over pandemic restrictions, including mask mandates.

Marcia Nielsen, who’s leading the development of the new strategy, told Denning during a public Zoom call last week that 10% of the testing funds were set aside to help businesses. But she suggested that spending more would put businesses “ahead of people who are being hospitalized and dying in nursing homes.”

Kelly said during a Statehouse news conference Wednesday that the testing strategy is being driven by public health and testing experts.

“I wish we could have done it earlier,” Kelly said. “Six months ago, we didn’t have the resources.”

Kansas struggled to obtain supplies for weeks after the pandemic reached it in early March and initially urged testing only for people with COVID-19 symptoms, though health officials knew people could be infected but have no symptoms. Testing has increased to an average of more than 4,900 tests a day so far this month, putting Kansas is on track to test the equivalent of roughly 5% of its residents in November.

“The more the testing can be made available, the more we see what’s going on therefore can respond and manage to limit the spread and know where to focus our resources,” Caughron said.

As an example of the benefits of expanded testing, Liesman said aggressive screening could identify the first coronavirus case in a nursing home early, before an outbreak explodes.

“If you wait until your first symptomatic individual, you may have missed infections prior to that or you may have tested almost too late,” she said.

The expanded testing is likely to include not only nasal swabs, but saliva samples. Clinical Reference Laboratory won federal emergency-use authorization in July to sell a kit that allows someone to spit into a specially-prepared tube and return it to the lab, something it recently began selling online. The company has more than 700 employees and describes itself as one of the largest privately owned clinical testing labs in the U.S.

<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/kansas/articles/2020-10-28/kansas-lab-built-covid-19-test-used-by-colleges-hollywood" target="_blank">Such saliva testing</a>&nbsp;allows people, groups or businesses to collect the samples themselves, without directly involving medical personnel in collecting samples — or potentially exposing them to COVID-19. CRL already has been handling testing for universities, governments and even professional football’s Kansas City Chiefs, for their stadium suite holders.

“You have to reach people at their home,” Thompson said. “You have to reach people at their place of employment.”

But Liesman said the University of Kansas Health System might need weeks to ramp up testing. She said it can buy new equipment but also must hire additional people. And, she said, it might face small construction projects at the KU Hospital in Kansas City, Kansas. It converted a locker room into lab space earlier this year.

“I will say that I wish we had done this sooner,” Liesman said.

By JOHN HANNATOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Nearly two months after Gov. Laura Kelly announced that Kansas would develop a “unified” strategy to ramp up coronavirus testing, the program is enough of a work in progress that even some of the state’s contractors don’t yet have all the details.A Republican legislative leader involved in testing discussions contends that the Democratic governor’s administration moved too slowly in rolling out the strategy and isn’t focused enough on making sure Kansas has a healthy workforce so that businesses can stay open. Kelly dismisses the criticism, and officials and contractors are confident that testing will be ramped up before the year ends.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605895620548.png" alt="Friday Nov. 20, 2020, KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Friday Nov. 20, 2020, KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas is under immense pressure. The state health department reported more than 19,000 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases in the seven days ending Wednesday — the equivalent of one in every 150 Kansas residents testing positive. Hospitals are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-e04e85728482b5e8bc60dfd54f7fded5">struggling to handle</a>&nbsp;the surge in COVID-19 patients.“We need a bridge to get to the vaccine, and the bridge, in my mind, it’s testing,” said Robert Thompson, the CEO of Clinical Reference Laboratory, one of the state’s contractors. “If everybody knows their status, they will do what’s right in order to prevent infecting others.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-kansas-topeka-11efe27daef82d812ff6344b6a5b3199">Kelly announced</a>&nbsp;plans for the new testing strategy in late September.&nbsp;<a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Governor-Slides.pdf" target="_blank">It calls for</a>&nbsp;doubling Kansas’ testing, catching outbreaks more quickly and regularly screening vulnerable populations, including nursing home residents and public school students. The state is poised to spend as much as $87.5 million in federal coronavirus relief funds on the effort by year’s end.The state last week announced contracts with nine companies, the University of Kansas Health System and Wichita State University to help execute the new testing strategy.Samuel Caughron, president and CEO of the MAWD Pathology Group, said this week that the company is waiting for a “definition” of its role as a contractor. Rachael Liesman, director of clinical microbiology for the University of Kansas Health System, described its contract as “pretty rapidly developing.”Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, a Kansas City-area Republican who has served on a governor’s pandemic-response task force, said Kansas should have launched its expanded testing strategy months ago. He’s also frustrated that Kelly recently blocked his effort to allocate $15 million toward testing for businesses.He said Kansas has “incredible technology in our backyard,” noting that both Clinical Reference Laboratory and the MAWD Pathology Group are based in the Kansas City suburb of Lenexa.“If we would have started this 90 days ago, we wouldn’t be in this awful mess right now with virus everywhere,” Denning said. GOP legislators forced Kelly earlier this year to accept local officials’ control over pandemic restrictions, including mask mandates.Marcia Nielsen, who’s leading the development of the new strategy, told Denning during a public Zoom call last week that 10% of the testing funds were set aside to help businesses. But she suggested that spending more would put businesses “ahead of people who are being hospitalized and dying in nursing homes.”Kelly said during a Statehouse news conference Wednesday that the testing strategy is being driven by public health and testing experts.“I wish we could have done it earlier,” Kelly said. “Six months ago, we didn’t have the resources.”Kansas struggled to obtain supplies for weeks after the pandemic reached it in early March and initially urged testing only for people with COVID-19 symptoms, though health officials knew people could be infected but have no symptoms. Testing has increased to an average of more than 4,900 tests a day so far this month, putting Kansas is on track to test the equivalent of roughly 5% of its residents in November.“The more the testing can be made available, the more we see what’s going on therefore can respond and manage to limit the spread and know where to focus our resources,” Caughron said.As an example of the benefits of expanded testing, Liesman said aggressive screening could identify the first coronavirus case in a nursing home early, before an outbreak explodes.“If you wait until your first symptomatic individual, you may have missed infections prior to that or you may have tested almost too late,” she said.The expanded testing is likely to include not only nasal swabs, but saliva samples. Clinical Reference Laboratory won federal emergency-use authorization in July to sell a kit that allows someone to spit into a specially-prepared tube and return it to the lab, something it recently began selling online. The company has more than 700 employees and describes itself as one of the largest privately owned clinical testing labs in the U.S.<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/kansas/articles/2020-10-28/kansas-lab-built-covid-19-test-used-by-colleges-hollywood" target="_blank">Such saliva testing</a>&nbsp;allows people, groups or businesses to collect the samples themselves, without directly involving medical personnel in collecting samples — or potentially exposing them to COVID-19. CRL already has been handling testing for universities, governments and even professional football’s Kansas City Chiefs, for their stadium suite holders.“You have to reach people at their home,” Thompson said. “You have to reach people at their place of employment.”But Liesman said the University of Kansas Health System might need weeks to ramp up testing. She said it can buy new equipment but also must hire additional people. And, she said, it might face small construction projects at the KU Hospital in Kansas City, Kansas. It converted a locker room into lab space earlier this year.“I will say that I wish we had done this sooner,” Liesman said.___

Kansas aims to boost virus testing, but strategy unfinished

Pfizer said Friday it is asking U.S. regulators to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine, starting the clock on a process that could bring limited first shots as early as next month and eventually an end to the pandemic -- but not until after a long, hard winter.

The action comes days after Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech announced that its vaccine appears 95% effective at preventing mild to severe COVID-19 disease in a large, ongoing study.

The companies said that protection plus a good safety record means the vaccine should qualify for emergency use authorization, something the Food and Drug Administration can grant before the final testing is fully complete. In addition to Friday's FDA submission, they have already started “rolling” applications in Europe and the U.K. and intend to submit similar information soon.

With the coronavirus surging around the U.S. and the world, the pressure is on for regulators to make a speedy decision.

“Help is on the way,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert said on the eve of Pfizer's announcement, adding that it's too early to abandon masks and other protective measures. “We need to actually double down on the public health measures as we're waiting for that help to come.”

Friday’s filing sets off a chain of events as the FDA and its independent advisers debate if the shots are ready. If so, still another government group will have to decide how the initial limited supplies are rationed out to anxiously awaiting Americans.

How much vaccine is available and when is a moving target, but initial supplies will be scarce and rationed. About 25 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine may become available in December, 30 million in January and 35 million more in February and March, according to information presented to the National Academy of Medicine this week. Recipients will need two doses, three weeks apart.

Not far behind is competitor Moderna Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine. Its early data suggests the shots are as strong as Pfizer’s, and that company expects to also seek emergency authorization within weeks.

The public’s first chance to see how strong the evidence really is will come in early December at a public meeting of the FDA’s scientific advisers.

So far, what's known is based only on statements from Pfizer and BioNTech. Of 170 infections detected to date, only eight were among people who'd received the actual vaccine and the rest had gotten a dummy shot. On the safety side, the companies cites results from 38,000 study participants who've been tracked for two months after their second dose. That's a milestone FDA set because historically, vaccine side effects don't crop up later than that.

“We’ll drill down on these data,” said FDA adviser Dr. Paul Offit of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Think of it like science on trial. A few days before the meeting, the FDA will release its own internal analysis. That sets the stage for the advisers’ daylong debate about any signs of safety concerns and how the new vaccine technology works before rendering a verdict.

They’ll recommend not just whether FDA should allow broader use of the vaccine generally but if so, for whom. For example, is there enough proof the vaccine works as well for older, sicker adults as for younger, healthier people?

There’s still no guarantee. “We don’t know what that vote’s going to be,” said former FDA vaccine chief Norman Baylor.

EMERGENCY USE ISN’T THE SAME AS FULL APPROVAL

If there's an emergency green light, “that vaccine is still deemed investigational. It’s not approved yet,” Dr. Marion Gruber, chief of FDA’s vaccine office, told the National Academy of Medicine this week.

That means anyone offered an emergency vaccination must get a “fact sheet” describing potential benefits and risks before going through with the shot, she said.

There will be a lot of unknowns. For example, the 95% protection rate is based on people who developed symptoms and then were tested for the virus. Can the vaccinated get infected but have no symptoms, able to spread the virus? How long does protection last?

That’s why the 44,000-person study needs to keep running -- something difficult considering ethically, participants given dummy shots at some point must be offered real vaccine, complicating the search for answers.

And at least for now, pregnant women won't qualify because they weren't studied. Pfizer only recently began testing the vaccine in children as young as 12.

A decision on Pfizer's vaccine won't affect other COVID-19 vaccine candidates in the pipeline, which will be judged separately.

Brewing vaccine is more complex than typical drug manufacturing, yet the millionth dose to roll out of Pfizer’s Kalamazoo, Michigan, factory must be the same purity and potency as every dose before and after.

That means the FDA decision isn’t just based on study data, but on its determination that the vaccine is being made correctly.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine -- and Moderna's shots -- are made with brand-new technology. They don’t contain the actual coronavirus. Instead, they’re made with a piece of genetic code for the “spike” protein that studs the virus.

That messenger RNA, or mRNA, instructs the body to make some harmless spike protein, training immune cells to recognize it if the real virus eventually comes along.

Another government group -- advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- decides who is first in line for scarce doses. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said he hopes that decision can be made at the same time as FDA’s.

The Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed has worked with states to line up how many doses they’d need to cover the populations offered vaccine first.

Pfizer will ship those supplies as ordered by the states -- only after FDA gives the OK.

Company projections of how much it will ship each month are just predictions, Baylor warned.

“It’s not like a pizza,” he said. Manufacturing is so complex that “you don’t necessarily end up with what you thought.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604926559777.png" alt="Photo courtesy Pfizer" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Pfizer</figcaption>
 </figure>BY LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical WriterPfizer said Friday it is asking U.S. regulators to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine, starting the clock on a process that could bring limited first shots as early as next month and eventually an end to the pandemic -- but not until after a long, hard winter.The action comes days after Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech announced that its vaccine appears 95% effective at preventing mild to severe COVID-19 disease in a large, ongoing study.The companies said that protection plus a good safety record means the vaccine should qualify for emergency use authorization, something the Food and Drug Administration can grant before the final testing is fully complete. In addition to Friday's FDA submission, they have already started “rolling” applications in Europe and the U.K. and intend to submit similar information soon.With the coronavirus surging around the U.S. and the world, the pressure is on for regulators to make a speedy decision.“Help is on the way,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert said on the eve of Pfizer's announcement, adding that it's too early to abandon masks and other protective measures. “We need to actually double down on the public health measures as we're waiting for that help to come.”Friday’s filing sets off a chain of events as the FDA and its independent advisers debate if the shots are ready. If so, still another government group will have to decide how the initial limited supplies are rationed out to anxiously awaiting Americans.How much vaccine is available and when is a moving target, but initial supplies will be scarce and rationed. About 25 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine may become available in December, 30 million in January and 35 million more in February and March, according to information presented to the National Academy of Medicine this week. Recipients will need two doses, three weeks apart.Not far behind is competitor Moderna Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine. Its early data suggests the shots are as strong as Pfizer’s, and that company expects to also seek emergency authorization within weeks.Here’s what happens next:MAKING THE DATA PUBLICThe public’s first chance to see how strong the evidence really is will come in early December at a public meeting of the FDA’s scientific advisers.So far, what's known is based only on statements from Pfizer and BioNTech. Of 170 infections detected to date, only eight were among people who'd received the actual vaccine and the rest had gotten a dummy shot. On the safety side, the companies cites results from 38,000 study participants who've been tracked for two months after their second dose. That's a milestone FDA set because historically, vaccine side effects don't crop up later than that.“We’ll drill down on these data,” said FDA adviser Dr. Paul Offit of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Think of it like science on trial. A few days before the meeting, the FDA will release its own internal analysis. That sets the stage for the advisers’ daylong debate about any signs of safety concerns and how the new vaccine technology works before rendering a verdict.They’ll recommend not just whether FDA should allow broader use of the vaccine generally but if so, for whom. For example, is there enough proof the vaccine works as well for older, sicker adults as for younger, healthier people?There’s still no guarantee. “We don’t know what that vote’s going to be,” said former FDA vaccine chief Norman Baylor.EMERGENCY USE ISN’T THE SAME AS FULL APPROVALIf there's an emergency green light, “that vaccine is still deemed investigational. It’s not approved yet,” Dr. Marion Gruber, chief of FDA’s vaccine office, told the National Academy of Medicine this week.That means anyone offered an emergency vaccination must get a “fact sheet” describing potential benefits and risks before going through with the shot, she said.There will be a lot of unknowns. For example, the 95% protection rate is based on people who developed symptoms and then were tested for the virus. Can the vaccinated get infected but have no symptoms, able to spread the virus? How long does protection last?That’s why the 44,000-person study needs to keep running -- something difficult considering ethically, participants given dummy shots at some point must be offered real vaccine, complicating the search for answers.And at least for now, pregnant women won't qualify because they weren't studied. Pfizer only recently began testing the vaccine in children as young as 12.A decision on Pfizer's vaccine won't affect other COVID-19 vaccine candidates in the pipeline, which will be judged separately.MANUFACTURINGBrewing vaccine is more complex than typical drug manufacturing, yet the millionth dose to roll out of Pfizer’s Kalamazoo, Michigan, factory must be the same purity and potency as every dose before and after.That means the FDA decision isn’t just based on study data, but on its determination that the vaccine is being made correctly.The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine -- and Moderna's shots -- are made with brand-new technology. They don’t contain the actual coronavirus. Instead, they’re made with a piece of genetic code for the “spike” protein that studs the virus.That messenger RNA, or mRNA, instructs the body to make some harmless spike protein, training immune cells to recognize it if the real virus eventually comes along.GETTING INTO PEOPLE’S ARMSAnother government group -- advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- decides who is first in line for scarce doses. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said he hopes that decision can be made at the same time as FDA’s.The Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed has worked with states to line up how many doses they’d need to cover the populations offered vaccine first.Pfizer will ship those supplies as ordered by the states -- only after FDA gives the OK.Company projections of how much it will ship each month are just predictions, Baylor warned.“It’s not like a pizza,” he said. Manufacturing is so complex that “you don’t necessarily end up with what you thought.”___

Pfizer seeking emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine in US

KANSAS CITY, KAN. –&nbsp;A Kansas&nbsp;guide is losing his hunting privileges for three years because he violated the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Zachary B. White, 35, Ellinwood, Kan., pleaded guilty in federal court in Wichita to violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. In his plea, White admitted he acted as a waterfowl guide to a party of 13 hunters during a hunt conducted during December 2015, in Barton County.&nbsp;

With White’s assistance, the hunters killed 31 white-fronted geese, violating a daily bag limit of two per person.&nbsp;The unlawful hunting and guiding services were provided to the hunters by White and another guide, both co-owners and operators of&nbsp;Prairie Thunder Outfitters (PTO), located near Ellinwood.

White was sentenced to three years on probation, during which he is prohibited from hunting and fishing or acting as a guide. In addition, he was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine directed to the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund, $10,000 in restitution directed to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism-Law Enforcement Division Restitution Fund, and forfeited approximately 148 ducks and geese seized from the PTO Lodge during a federal search warrant conducted in December, 2016.

White's sentencing is the final conviction related to a joint investigation of Prairie Thunder Outfitters by the&nbsp;U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service&nbsp;and the&nbsp;Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. Nine other defendants have plead guilty or been adjudicated on various migratory bird hunting violations that occurred during guided hunts at PTO in 2015 and 2016 including taking in excess of daily bag limit, possession of unlawfully taken waterfowl, and possession and transport of untagged waterfowl or without required species identification.&nbsp;

Bryan Boxberger was sentenced in August 2020 in the District of Kansas for assisting with a PTO hunt involving hunters taking waterfowl in excess of the daily bag and was ordered to pay $12,500 in fines and restitution.&nbsp;Eight other PTO guides, clients, and associates previously&nbsp;paid fines related to misdemeanors charged by violation notices.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. –&nbsp;A Kansas&nbsp;guide is losing his hunting privileges for three years because he violated the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.Zachary B. White, 35, Ellinwood, Kan., pleaded guilty in federal court in Wichita to violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. In his plea, White admitted he acted as a waterfowl guide to a party of 13 hunters during a hunt conducted during December 2015, in Barton County.&nbsp;With White’s assistance, the hunters killed 31 white-fronted geese, violating a daily bag limit of two per person.&nbsp;The unlawful hunting and guiding services were provided to the hunters by White and another guide, both co-owners and operators of&nbsp;Prairie Thunder Outfitters (PTO), located near Ellinwood.White was sentenced to three years on probation, during which he is prohibited from hunting and fishing or acting as a guide. In addition, he was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine directed to the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund, $10,000 in restitution directed to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism-Law Enforcement Division Restitution Fund, and forfeited approximately 148 ducks and geese seized from the PTO Lodge during a federal search warrant conducted in December, 2016.White's sentencing is the final conviction related to a joint investigation of Prairie Thunder Outfitters by the&nbsp;U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service&nbsp;and the&nbsp;Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. Nine other defendants have plead guilty or been adjudicated on various migratory bird hunting violations that occurred during guided hunts at PTO in 2015 and 2016 including taking in excess of daily bag limit, possession of unlawfully taken waterfowl, and possession and transport of untagged waterfowl or without required species identification.&nbsp;Bryan Boxberger was sentenced in August 2020 in the District of Kansas for assisting with a PTO hunt involving hunters taking waterfowl in excess of the daily bag and was ordered to pay $12,500 in fines and restitution.&nbsp;Eight other PTO guides, clients, and associates previously&nbsp;paid fines related to misdemeanors charged by violation notices.

Barton Co. hunting guide sentenced  for violating Migratory Bird Treaty Act

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Tyson Foods suspended top officials at its largest pork plant on Thursday and launched an investigation into allegations that they bet on how many workers would get infected during a widespread coronavirus outbreak.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1593167451853.png" alt="photo courtesy Tyson Foods" />
 <figcaption>photo courtesy Tyson Foods</figcaption>
 </figure>IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Tyson Foods suspended top officials at its largest pork plant on Thursday and launched an investigation into allegations that they bet on how many workers would get infected during a widespread coronavirus outbreak.The company’s president and CEO, Dean Banks, said he was “extremely upset” about the allegations against managers at its plant in Waterloo, Iowa, saying they do not represent the company’s values. He said the company has retained the law firm Covington &amp; Burling LLP to conduct an investigation, which will be led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.“If these claims are confirmed, we’ll take all measures necessary to root out and remove this disturbing behavior from our company,” Banks said in a statement.Banks said the accused have been suspended without pay. A spokesman for the Arkansas-based company said it would not release their names during the investigation by Holder, who served as attorney general for six years under President Barack Obama.Tyson has faced a backlash over recently amended wrongful death lawsuits in which plaintiffs’ lawyers allege that Waterloo plant manager Tom Hart “organized a cash buy-in, winner-take-all betting pool for supervisors and managers to wager on how many employees would test positive for COVID-19.”Hart allegedly organized the pool last spring as the virus spread through the Waterloo plant, ultimately infecting more than 1,000 of its 2,800 workers, killing at least six and sending many others to the hospital. The outbreak eventually&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/6de2477c31301e779ea13d43ef0f2262">tore through</a>&nbsp;the broader Waterloo community.The lawyers represent the estates of Sedika Buljic, 58; Reberiano Garcia, 60; Jose Ayala Jr., 44; and Isidro Fernandez, age unknown. Buljic, Garcia and Fernandez died in April, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/c15eb40611c58487eec10b5977db1861">Ayala died May 25&nbsp;</a>after a six-week hospitalization.The allegation, first&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2020/11/18/lawsuit-tyson-managers-bet-money-on-how-many-workers-would-contract-covid-19/" target="_blank">reported&nbsp;</a>Wednesday by the Iowa Capital Dispatch news site, generated anger toward Tyson.The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents workers at the plant, condemned what it called “stunning safety failures.”“This shocking report of supervisors allegedly taking bets on how many workers would get infected, pressuring sick workers to stay on the job, and failing to enforce basic safety standards, should outrage every American,” union president Marc Perrone said.Hart didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.Democratic State Rep. Ras Smith, whose district includes the plant, said Hart should be fired if the allegation is founded and that workplace safety officials should investigate.“They were knowingly allowing this virus to spread rampantly in the plant and the community. The more we hear, the more we find out how insidious and intentional it was,” Smith said.At the time of the alleged betting, Tyson was resisting pressure from local officials to shut down the plant as a safety precaution. The company argued the plant, which can process nearly 20,000 hogs per day, was a vital market for farmers and critical to the meat supply.Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who allowed Tyson to keep the plant open and praised its executives for taking voluntary safety measures, did not answer directly Thursday when asked whether her trust in the company was misplaced. Reynolds, who signed a law in June shielding companies from liability for some COVID-19 related injuries, instead praised her administration for inspecting the plant and helping organize mass testing of workers.A sheriff helping lead Black Hawk County’s pandemic response said that during an April tour of the plant, he was “shaken to the core” after seeing workers not social distancing or wearing adequate personal protective equipment.Managers told workers they had a responsibility to stay on the job to ensure that Americans didn’t go hungry, even while they started avoiding the plant floor themselves because they were afraid of contracting the virus, the lawsuits allege. They increasingly delegated responsibilities to low-level supervisors with no management training or experience.One upper-level manager, John Casey, ordered a sick supervisor who was leaving to get tested to get back to work, and told others they and their subordinates had to keep working even if they had symptoms, the lawsuits allege. Casey allegedly told workers the virus was the “glorified flu” and “not a big deal” because everyone would get it.On a tour of the plant with Hart, Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors on April 20 saw four workers within six feet of each other in one part of the plant, records show. Tyson said it was still in the process of installing barriers at the time.The plant soon suspended operations to allow for the mass-testing of employees and it reopened about two weeks later with new safety protocols. Iowa OSHA said in June that it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/336ad340b0a01f9ab870aef1a32785f2">found no violations</a>&nbsp;of its standards during the April 20 inspection.Tyson has asked a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuits, arguing that the exclusive remedy for workplace injuries under Iowa law is through the workers’ compensation system. Its lawyers also argue that the plaintiffs have failed to show that the deceased workers contracted the virus at the plant and not elsewhere.___