WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is brushing aside results of last week’s presidential election showing that President Donald Trump lost his bid for a second term.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?477982-1/secretary-pompeo-there-smooth-transition-trump-administration">Click here </a>to watch his comments

Pompeo told reporters Tuesday with a grin that the “transition” to a second Trump term would be “smooth,” but later said the State Department was prepared for any eventuality. Trump has refused to concede to President-elect Joe Biden.

Pompeo ignored results showing that Biden had won the election, and he also dismissed as “ridiculous” questions about whether the U.S. had lost credibility as a judge of other countries’ election because of Trump’s unproven claims of fraud at the polls.

“There will be a smooth transition to second Trump administration, “ Pompeo said with a chuckle, before reverting to a more nuanced response. “We’re ready. The world is watching what’s taking place here. We’re going to count all the votes.”

He said the “world should have every confidence” that the State Department is “successful today” and that it will be “successful with the president who’s in office on Jan. 20 a minute after noon.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605036065360.png" alt="Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during Tuesday news conference -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during Tuesday news conference -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is brushing aside results of last week’s presidential election showing that President Donald Trump lost his bid for a second term.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?477982-1/secretary-pompeo-there-smooth-transition-trump-administration">Click here </a>to watch his commentsPompeo told reporters Tuesday with a grin that the “transition” to a second Trump term would be “smooth,” but later said the State Department was prepared for any eventuality. Trump has refused to concede to President-elect Joe Biden.Pompeo ignored results showing that Biden had won the election, and he also dismissed as “ridiculous” questions about whether the U.S. had lost credibility as a judge of other countries’ election because of Trump’s unproven claims of fraud at the polls.“There will be a smooth transition to second Trump administration, “ Pompeo said with a chuckle, before reverting to a more nuanced response. “We’re ready. The world is watching what’s taking place here. We’re going to count all the votes.”He said the “world should have every confidence” that the State Department is “successful today” and that it will be “successful with the president who’s in office on Jan. 20 a minute after noon.”

🎥  Former Kan. Rep., Secretary of State on Trump transition 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Bass Pro Shops is being sued by a Louisiana seafood company that alleges the outdoor retailer did not buy enough alligator meat.

Big Pop's Fresh Louisiana Seafood alleges in a federal lawsuit filed last week that Bass Pro agreed to buy 600,000 pounds of alligator meat, starting in 2016.

The company said Missouri-based Bass Pro breached its contract by buying only 283,432 pounds during the four-year contract, which expired in July.

According to the lawsuit, Big Pop said it lost more than $75,000 during the contract. The seafood distributor is seeking damages from Bass Pro.

A spokesperson for Bass Pro Shops said the company does not comment on litigation, The Springfield News-Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/2020/11/10/bass-pro-shops-sued-alleged-lack-alligator-meat-orders/6220968002/">reported.</a>

Online court records indicate the case has been assigned to the federal courts mediation program.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Bass Pro Shops is being sued by a Louisiana seafood company that alleges the outdoor retailer did not buy enough alligator meat.Big Pop's Fresh Louisiana Seafood alleges in a federal lawsuit filed last week that Bass Pro agreed to buy 600,000 pounds of alligator meat, starting in 2016.The company said Missouri-based Bass Pro breached its contract by buying only 283,432 pounds during the four-year contract, which expired in July.According to the lawsuit, Big Pop said it lost more than $75,000 during the contract. The seafood distributor is seeking damages from Bass Pro.A spokesperson for Bass Pro Shops said the company does not comment on litigation, The Springfield News-Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/2020/11/10/bass-pro-shops-sued-alleged-lack-alligator-meat-orders/6220968002/">reported.</a>Online court records indicate the case has been assigned to the federal courts mediation program.

Bass Pro Shop facing lawsuit over alligator meat purchases

By DAN GLICKMAN Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture

I am no expert on recent 
Kansas politics — it’s been 25 years since I represented the state’s 4th
 Congressional District. But I watched the election results from Kansas 
with enormous interest, always considering the state where I was born 
and served in Congress for 18 years to be my home. Having some time and 
geographical distance gives one a certain perspective.

Though Kansas reflected the national trends in many respects, it is also unique in its political history and demography.

From my vantage point, here are the good, the bad and the ugly realities of the 2020 election in Kansas.

Both parties worked diligently to communicate with their voters and <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/03/kansas-voters-champion-civic-duty-having-their-voice-heard-in-record-breaking-election/">increase turnout</a>.
 We had record voter turnout in Kansas and most other places in the 
country. The election process in the state by and large went smoothly 
and without incident, whether one voted in person or absentee, which is 
remarkable given that COVID-19 has infected nearly 100,000 Kansans and 
has killed more than 1,000.

Election officials and 
voters actively participated in our political process, without incident,
 at a time of a cruel public health pandemic. It appears that large 
numbers of younger voters participated, which is healthy for the future 
of our democracy.

Further, the election of 
Joe Biden will likely be helpful to Gov. Laura Kelly as the state deals 
with public health, economic and budget issues. Both are Democrats, but 
each has a long history of bipartisanship and working across the aisle 
to be true problem solvers.

Notwithstanding <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/05/as-gop-cements-supermajority-in-legislature-democrats-realize-they-can-just-really-walk-over-us/">Republican victories in the state Legislature</a>, a strong relationship with the White House will be helpful to our state and to Kelly personally.

Pre-election polling in 
both state and federal races was incredibly inaccurate. Political 
scientists should drill down on the reasons for the inconsistencies and 
inaccuracies, but I suspect the failure of candidates to campaign person
 to person because of the pandemic, the lack of sufficient independent 
media coverage of local and state elections and the sometimes insidious 
role of social media all had a lot to do with this.

In addition, there was a 
huge amount of inaccurate information being disseminated on both sides, 
but particularly on the political right, whose candidates <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/28/laturner-renews-suspect-claim-democratic-opponent-strives-to-defund-police/">labeled Democrats as being in favor</a> of defunding the police and portrayed them as socialists.

The <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/03/u-s-senate-the-marshall-and-bollier-showdown-in-kansas/">incredible amount of campaign money</a>,
 some of it “dark” and not easily transparent, facilitated the spread of
 falsehoods much more easily than in years past. That money often 
exacerbated a vicious toxic political tone that does not encourage 
collaboration.

It is disappointing that 
so many Republican leaders, in Kansas and elsewhere, have yet to 
acknowledge that Biden has won the Presidency — something they likely 
would be heralding if the electoral numbers were reversed.

What disturbs me the most 
is the tribalism that afflicts Kansas and American politics. Republicans
 rarely cross over and support Democrats and vice versa. A review of 
voting in Kansas counties reflects this trend.

That missing streak of historic Kansas political independence is so harmful in making compromises for the common good.

One positive exception is 
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, who was re-elected to Congress from the one 
Kansas congressional district that currently trends middle of the road. 
But her victory was also due to her working across the aisle on so many 
issues affecting her district.

During the prehistoric era
 when I served in Congress, Kansas voters elected people of both parties
 to federal and statewide and legislative offices, which I think made 
Kansas a stronger state, and a more relevant one as well.

Let’s hope the election of
 Joe Biden will inspire us to an era of less toxic political rhetoric, 
less partisan infighting and more collaboration to actually get things 
done. Encouraging the media to better cover local and state politics and
 policy and continuing to encourage civic education for the increasing 
number of younger voters participating in the political process would 
help to bring about positive change in Kansas and elsewhere.

As Biden recently said, 
“The purpose of our politics, the work of our nation, isn’t to fan the 
flames of conflict, but to solve problems. We may be opponents but we 
are not enemies. We are Americans.”

Dan Glickman is the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program, a nongovernmental, nonpartisan educational program for members of the United States Congress. He was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1995 until January 2001.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605037521150.png" alt="Voters lined up in cars to deliver mail ballots at a Shawnee County drop box in Topeka. As voters become skittish about the status of their mail ballots, some voted in-person via provisional ballot. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Voters lined up in cars to deliver mail ballots at a Shawnee County drop box in Topeka. As voters become skittish about the status of their mail ballots, some voted in-person via provisional ballot. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAN GLICKMAN Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture I am no expert on recent 
Kansas politics — it’s been 25 years since I represented the state’s 4th
 Congressional District. But I watched the election results from Kansas 
with enormous interest, always considering the state where I was born 
and served in Congress for 18 years to be my home. Having some time and 
geographical distance gives one a certain perspective.Though Kansas reflected the national trends in many respects, it is also unique in its political history and demography.From my vantage point, here are the good, the bad and the ugly realities of the 2020 election in Kansas.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599830697632.png" alt="Dan Glickman is the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program, a nongovernmental, nonpartisan educational program for members of the United States Congress. He was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1995 until January 2001." />
 <figcaption>Dan Glickman is the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program, a nongovernmental, nonpartisan educational program for members of the United States Congress. He was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1995 until January 2001.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The good</h2>Both parties worked diligently to communicate with their voters and <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/03/kansas-voters-champion-civic-duty-having-their-voice-heard-in-record-breaking-election/">increase turnout</a>.
 We had record voter turnout in Kansas and most other places in the 
country. The election process in the state by and large went smoothly 
and without incident, whether one voted in person or absentee, which is 
remarkable given that COVID-19 has infected nearly 100,000 Kansans and 
has killed more than 1,000.Election officials and 
voters actively participated in our political process, without incident,
 at a time of a cruel public health pandemic. It appears that large 
numbers of younger voters participated, which is healthy for the future 
of our democracy.Further, the election of 
Joe Biden will likely be helpful to Gov. Laura Kelly as the state deals 
with public health, economic and budget issues. Both are Democrats, but 
each has a long history of bipartisanship and working across the aisle 
to be true problem solvers.Notwithstanding <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/05/as-gop-cements-supermajority-in-legislature-democrats-realize-they-can-just-really-walk-over-us/">Republican victories in the state Legislature</a>, a strong relationship with the White House will be helpful to our state and to Kelly personally.<h2>The bad</h2>Pre-election polling in 
both state and federal races was incredibly inaccurate. Political 
scientists should drill down on the reasons for the inconsistencies and 
inaccuracies, but I suspect the failure of candidates to campaign person
 to person because of the pandemic, the lack of sufficient independent 
media coverage of local and state elections and the sometimes insidious 
role of social media all had a lot to do with this.In addition, there was a 
huge amount of inaccurate information being disseminated on both sides, 
but particularly on the political right, whose candidates <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/28/laturner-renews-suspect-claim-democratic-opponent-strives-to-defund-police/">labeled Democrats as being in favor</a> of defunding the police and portrayed them as socialists.The <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/03/u-s-senate-the-marshall-and-bollier-showdown-in-kansas/">incredible amount of campaign money</a>,
 some of it “dark” and not easily transparent, facilitated the spread of
 falsehoods much more easily than in years past. That money often 
exacerbated a vicious toxic political tone that does not encourage 
collaboration.<h2>The ugly</h2>It is disappointing that 
so many Republican leaders, in Kansas and elsewhere, have yet to 
acknowledge that Biden has won the Presidency — something they likely 
would be heralding if the electoral numbers were reversed.What disturbs me the most 
is the tribalism that afflicts Kansas and American politics. Republicans
 rarely cross over and support Democrats and vice versa. A review of 
voting in Kansas counties reflects this trend.That missing streak of historic Kansas political independence is so harmful in making compromises for the common good.One positive exception is 
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, who was re-elected to Congress from the one 
Kansas congressional district that currently trends middle of the road. 
But her victory was also due to her working across the aisle on so many 
issues affecting her district.During the prehistoric era
 when I served in Congress, Kansas voters elected people of both parties
 to federal and statewide and legislative offices, which I think made 
Kansas a stronger state, and a more relevant one as well.Let’s hope the election of
 Joe Biden will inspire us to an era of less toxic political rhetoric, 
less partisan infighting and more collaboration to actually get things 
done. Encouraging the media to better cover local and state politics and
 policy and continuing to encourage civic education for the increasing 
number of younger voters participating in the political process would 
help to bring about positive change in Kansas and elsewhere.As Biden recently said, 
“The purpose of our politics, the work of our nation, isn’t to fan the 
flames of conflict, but to solve problems. We may be opponents but we 
are not enemies. We are Americans.”Dan Glickman is the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program, a nongovernmental, nonpartisan educational program for members of the United States Congress. He was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1995 until January 2001.

OPINION: The good, the bad and the ugly of 2020 election in Kansas

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A man was shot to death inside a suburban Kansas City fast-food restaurant, police said.

The shooting happened Monday night at a McDonald’s on Highway 7, south of Interstate 70, in Blue Springs, police said. Officers called to the scene found Harry Bowers, 19, of Lee’s Summit, inside a restaurant bathroom with gunshot wounds, police said in a news release Tuesday morning. 

Bowers was taken to an area hospital, where he died.

Three people suspected in the shooting were taken into custody, police said.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A man was shot to death inside a suburban Kansas City fast-food restaurant, police said.The shooting happened Monday night at a McDonald’s on Highway 7, south of Interstate 70, in Blue Springs, police said. Officers called to the scene found Harry Bowers, 19, of Lee’s Summit, inside a restaurant bathroom with gunshot wounds, police said in a news release Tuesday morning. Bowers was taken to an area hospital, where he died.Three people suspected in the shooting were taken into custody, police said.

Teen found with gunshot wounds in KC McDonald's bathroom

SEDGWICK COUNTY — The Sedgwick County Board of Commissioners held a special meeting Tuesday afternoon on COVID-19.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlbhH2-QCCk">Click here to</a> watch the meeting.

County health officer Dr. Garold Minns <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlbhH2-QCCk">said he was concerned </a>with coronavirus numbers climbing at "an alarming rate."

Although he realizes the importance of maintaining the economy, Minns issued a new local health order that limits the size of gatherings to 100 and establishes an 11 p.m. curfew for bars and restaurants that sell alcohol.&nbsp;

The state health department on Monday added 5,920 new confirmed and probable cases to the state’s tally since Friday, bringing the total to 103,553 since the pandemic began. 

The state averaged 2,047 new cases a day for the seven days ending Monday. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s staff, legislative leaders and local officials have launched discussions about encouraging mask use. There's still resistance to mask mandates from many local officials and the Republican-controlled Legislature.

Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605039357484.png" alt="Dr. Minns spoke during Tuesday's virtual special meeting in Wichita" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Minns spoke during Tuesday's virtual special meeting in Wichita</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — The Sedgwick County Board of Commissioners held a special meeting Tuesday afternoon on COVID-19.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlbhH2-QCCk">Click here to</a> watch the meeting.County health officer Dr. Garold Minns <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlbhH2-QCCk">said he was concerned </a>with coronavirus numbers climbing at "an alarming rate."Although he realizes the importance of maintaining the economy, Minns issued a new local health order that limits the size of gatherings to 100 and establishes an 11 p.m. curfew for bars and restaurants that sell alcohol.&nbsp;The state health department on Monday added 5,920 new confirmed and probable cases to the state’s tally since Friday, bringing the total to 103,553 since the pandemic began. The state averaged 2,047 new cases a day for the seven days ending Monday. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s staff, legislative leaders and local officials have launched discussions about encouraging mask use. There's still resistance to mask mandates from many local officials and the Republican-controlled Legislature.Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

Sedgwick Co. announces new COVID-19 restrictions

By BRIAN GRIMMETT <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/big-takeaway-2020-election-kansas-still-very-red">Kansas News Service</a>

WICHITA — Charles Bell usually passes on voting. He’s a Democrat in a Republican state and said “if I vote, it’s not going to count.”

But
 after seeing Kansans elect a Democratic governor in 2018, he thought 
maybe the state was changing. And so this year, for only the second time
 in his 63 years, he voted, hoping Democratic presidential candidate Joe
 Biden or U.S. Senate candidate Barbara Bollier might be elected.

“I
 thought she had a chance, and she lost big,” he said a couple of days 
after the election. “So, I’m like I wasted my time going down to Intrust
 Bank Arena.”

While Democrats made real gains in the sheer number
 of people voting for their party in suburban areas of Johnson and 
Sedgwick counties, overall results show <a href="https://ent.sos.ks.gov/kssos_ent.html" target="_blank">Kansas is as red as ever</a>.

Trump
 won Kansas with 56.5% of the vote. Bollier, the state senator, lost to 
GOP U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall by about 13 percentage points — a larger 
margin than what polling had indicated, especially considering the money
 that poured in.

Between their campaigns and outside political interest groups, they <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2020&amp;id=KSS1&amp;spec=N" target="_blank">spent tens of millions of dollars</a>
 on television and internet advertisements. It set a record, and shows 
how serious some people were about the idea that Bollier had a real shot
 to be the state’s first Democratic senator since 1932.

Other 
Democrats lost big, too: The gap in the 1st Congressional District, 
which covers western Kansas, was 41 percentage points. In the 2nd 
District, it was 14.. And the GOP picked up three Kansas House seats and
 kept their Senate seats, thus keeping a vetoproof majority in both 
chambers.

“You know the votes are always the real measure of 
where we are in this state,” said Kansas GOP Chairman Michael Kuckelman.
 “When you look at the outcome Tuesday, I think there’s a very clear 
mandate that Kansans overall are happy with the Kansas Republican 
Party.”

Part of the challenge for Democrats is despite the 
narrowing gap in the Kansas City and Wichita suburbs, it hasn’t 
translated to wins.

“Urban Kansas, which is getting bluer, is 
growing,” University of Kansas political science professor Patrick 
Miller said. “But it’s not happening at warp speed.”

And about 
those statehouse seats: Republicans will have power when it comes to 
redrawing political districts and a major say in any COVID-19 mitigation
 efforts.

Plus, they’ll be able to sidestep Gov. Laura Kelly and 
move forward on key issues like abortion. And that has voters like 
McPherson Republican John Holecek very excited.

He considers 
himself an anti-abortion activist and hopes the legislature will turn 
the election’s momentum into action on a constitutional amendment that 
would strip an explicit right to an abortion out of the state 
constitution.

“When they see how Kansans voted in November 
they’ll be more apt to want it to pass and get it on the ballot,” he 
said. “And once it’s on the ballot it will pass.”

And while this 
year’s results won’t be official for another few days, GOP leaders are 
already looking to the future. In 2022, there’s another U.S. Senate 
election and a chance to unseat Kelly.

“To Republicans,” 
Kuckelman said, “I would say that you should feel very enthusiastic 
about our chances of taking the governor’s office again in two years.”

Kansas News Service reporter Celia Llopis-Jepsen contributed to this report. Brian
 Grimmett reports on the environment, energy and natural resources for 
KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on 
Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/briangrimmett?lang=en" target="_blank">@briangrimmett</a> or email him at grimmett@kmuw.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604952868664.png" alt=" Crysta Henthorne / For the Kansas News Service " />
 <figcaption> Crysta Henthorne / For the Kansas News Service </figcaption>
 </figure>By BRIAN GRIMMETT <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/big-takeaway-2020-election-kansas-still-very-red">Kansas News Service</a>WICHITA — Charles Bell usually passes on voting. He’s a Democrat in a Republican state and said “if I vote, it’s not going to count.”But
 after seeing Kansans elect a Democratic governor in 2018, he thought 
maybe the state was changing. And so this year, for only the second time
 in his 63 years, he voted, hoping Democratic presidential candidate Joe
 Biden or U.S. Senate candidate Barbara Bollier might be elected.“I
 thought she had a chance, and she lost big,” he said a couple of days 
after the election. “So, I’m like I wasted my time going down to Intrust
 Bank Arena.”While Democrats made real gains in the sheer number
 of people voting for their party in suburban areas of Johnson and 
Sedgwick counties, overall results show <a href="https://ent.sos.ks.gov/kssos_ent.html" target="_blank">Kansas is as red as ever</a>.Trump
 won Kansas with 56.5% of the vote. Bollier, the state senator, lost to 
GOP U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall by about 13 percentage points — a larger 
margin than what polling had indicated, especially considering the money
 that poured in.Between their campaigns and outside political interest groups, they <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2020&amp;id=KSS1&amp;spec=N" target="_blank">spent tens of millions of dollars</a>
 on television and internet advertisements. It set a record, and shows 
how serious some people were about the idea that Bollier had a real shot
 to be the state’s first Democratic senator since 1932.Other 
Democrats lost big, too: The gap in the 1st Congressional District, 
which covers western Kansas, was 41 percentage points. In the 2nd 
District, it was 14.. And the GOP picked up three Kansas House seats and
 kept their Senate seats, thus keeping a vetoproof majority in both 
chambers.“You know the votes are always the real measure of 
where we are in this state,” said Kansas GOP Chairman Michael Kuckelman.
 “When you look at the outcome Tuesday, I think there’s a very clear 
mandate that Kansans overall are happy with the Kansas Republican 
Party.”Part of the challenge for Democrats is despite the 
narrowing gap in the Kansas City and Wichita suburbs, it hasn’t 
translated to wins.“Urban Kansas, which is getting bluer, is 
growing,” University of Kansas political science professor Patrick 
Miller said. “But it’s not happening at warp speed.”And about 
those statehouse seats: Republicans will have power when it comes to 
redrawing political districts and a major say in any COVID-19 mitigation
 efforts.Plus, they’ll be able to sidestep Gov. Laura Kelly and 
move forward on key issues like abortion. And that has voters like 
McPherson Republican John Holecek very excited.He considers 
himself an anti-abortion activist and hopes the legislature will turn 
the election’s momentum into action on a constitutional amendment that 
would strip an explicit right to an abortion out of the state 
constitution.“When they see how Kansans voted in November 
they’ll be more apt to want it to pass and get it on the ballot,” he 
said. “And once it’s on the ballot it will pass.”And while this 
year’s results won’t be official for another few days, GOP leaders are 
already looking to the future. In 2022, there’s another U.S. Senate 
election and a chance to unseat Kelly.“To Republicans,” 
Kuckelman said, “I would say that you should feel very enthusiastic 
about our chances of taking the governor’s office again in two years.”Kansas News Service reporter Celia Llopis-Jepsen contributed to this report. Brian
 Grimmett reports on the environment, energy and natural resources for 
KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on 
Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/briangrimmett?lang=en" target="_blank">@briangrimmett</a> or email him at grimmett@kmuw.org.

Big takeaway from 2020 election: Kansas is still very red 

SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon for alleged domestic violence and kidnapping charges after an incident Monday.

On Monday, police were sent to Salina Regional Health Center to speak with a woman who allegedly had been injured in domestic incident, according to&nbsp; Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.

The woman told police she was in her apartment at 2130 East Crawford Street when her boyfriend, Clarence Brown, 34, of Salina, accused her of having cameras in the apartment. Brown then allegedly began physically battering her and prevented the woman from leaving the apartment and proceeded to strangle her, according to Forrester.

The woman told police that she eventually was locked in a closet, but finally was able to convince Brown to open the closet, at which time she ran outside.

Brown allegedly caught her and was restraining her when a witness stopped a vehicle nearby. The woman was able to run to the vehicle and get in, according to Forrester.

The woman had injuries consistent with her reported abuse and police arrested on&nbsp;requested charges of Aggravated domestic violence battery, Aggravated kidnapping and Domestic violence battery.

Brown spent nearly 8-years in prison for battery against City/County Corr Officer/Employee that occurred in 2005, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605018494589.jpeg" alt="Brown has a previous conviction for battery, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Brown has a previous conviction for battery, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon for alleged domestic violence and kidnapping charges after an incident Monday.On Monday, police were sent to Salina Regional Health Center to speak with a woman who allegedly had been injured in domestic incident, according to&nbsp; Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.The woman told police she was in her apartment at 2130 East Crawford Street when her boyfriend, Clarence Brown, 34, of Salina, accused her of having cameras in the apartment. Brown then allegedly began physically battering her and prevented the woman from leaving the apartment and proceeded to strangle her, according to Forrester.The woman told police that she eventually was locked in a closet, but finally was able to convince Brown to open the closet, at which time she ran outside.Brown allegedly caught her and was restraining her when a witness stopped a vehicle nearby. The woman was able to run to the vehicle and get in, according to Forrester.The woman had injuries consistent with her reported abuse and police arrested on&nbsp;requested charges of Aggravated domestic violence battery, Aggravated kidnapping and Domestic violence battery.Brown spent nearly 8-years in prison for battery against City/County Corr Officer/Employee that occurred in 2005, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Police: Witness arrives, helps Kan. woman during attack

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Ford plans to add 350 jobs at two factories to meet expected demand for electric vehicles that haven't gone on sale yet.

The automaker says it will add 150 workers at its&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;City Assembly Plant in Claycomo,&nbsp;Missouri, to build the new E-Transit full-size van that will go on sale late next year.

Another 200 workers will be hired at Ford's Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn,&nbsp;Michigan, which will build an all-electric F-150 pickup starting in mid-2022.

In addition, Ford says it will invest $100 million in the Kansas City plant for an assembly line that will build the electric vans.

Ford President of the Americas Kumar Galhotra says the company expects strong demand for the vans as many package delivery companies try to reduce their carbon footprints. The company also expects high demand for the electric pickup. Galhotra says production forecasts will be released later.

Demand for the electric pickup was higher than expected after it was announced in September, Galhotra said in an interview. “We immediately started working on increasing the capacity of the plant,” he said. “We need more people to assemble the vehicles.”

Ford will reveal details of the E-Transit electric van on Thursday.

The company says these are early investments in the first phase of its plan to build more electric vehicles. Ford has said it will invest $11.5 billion in electric vehicle factories through 2022.

Ford also announced Tuesday that it will spend about $150 million at a transmission plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan, to make electric motors and transaxles for new electric vehicles. No new jobs will be added but the investment will help keep 225 positions.

In addition to the Kansas City and Michigan plants, Ford will build electric vehicles and components in Oakville, Ontario, and Cuautitlan, Mexico, the company said. But more factories will be added as future vehicles are announced, it said. “This is just the first chapter with more new electric vehicles and more investment to come,” Galhotra said.

Ford’s optimism about electric vehicles may be a little ahead of where U.S. buyers are, but analysts expect EV sales to grow as more new models go on sale. Last year, automakers sold just over 236,000 fully electric vehicles, up 36% from 2018. But that amounted to only 1.4% of all new vehicles sold in the country.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1585229143795.png" alt=" Kami Hunt, Ford Motor Company employee, assembles the Ford Transit at Kansas City Assembly Plant. Photo Courtesy Ford Motor Company" />
 <figcaption> Kami Hunt, Ford Motor Company employee, assembles the Ford Transit at Kansas City Assembly Plant. Photo Courtesy Ford Motor Company</figcaption>
 </figure>BY TOM KRISHER, AP AUTO&nbsp;WriterKANSAS CITY (AP) — Ford plans to add 350 jobs at two factories to meet expected demand for electric vehicles that haven't gone on sale yet.The automaker says it will add 150 workers at its&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;City Assembly Plant in Claycomo,&nbsp;Missouri, to build the new E-Transit full-size van that will go on sale late next year.Another 200 workers will be hired at Ford's Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn,&nbsp;Michigan, which will build an all-electric F-150 pickup starting in mid-2022.In addition, Ford says it will invest $100 million in the Kansas City plant for an assembly line that will build the electric vans.Ford President of the Americas Kumar Galhotra says the company expects strong demand for the vans as many package delivery companies try to reduce their carbon footprints. The company also expects high demand for the electric pickup. Galhotra says production forecasts will be released later.Demand for the electric pickup was higher than expected after it was announced in September, Galhotra said in an interview. “We immediately started working on increasing the capacity of the plant,” he said. “We need more people to assemble the vehicles.”Ford will reveal details of the E-Transit electric van on Thursday.The company says these are early investments in the first phase of its plan to build more electric vehicles. Ford has said it will invest $11.5 billion in electric vehicle factories through 2022.Ford also announced Tuesday that it will spend about $150 million at a transmission plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan, to make electric motors and transaxles for new electric vehicles. No new jobs will be added but the investment will help keep 225 positions.In addition to the Kansas City and Michigan plants, Ford will build electric vehicles and components in Oakville, Ontario, and Cuautitlan, Mexico, the company said. But more factories will be added as future vehicles are announced, it said. “This is just the first chapter with more new electric vehicles and more investment to come,” Galhotra said.Ford’s optimism about electric vehicles may be a little ahead of where U.S. buyers are, but analysts expect EV sales to grow as more new models go on sale. Last year, automakers sold just over 236,000 fully electric vehicles, up 36% from 2018. But that amounted to only 1.4% of all new vehicles sold in the country.Copyright 2020 The&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ap.org/" target="_blank">Associated Press</a>. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Ford adding 150 jobs at KC plant to make electric vehicles

EASTON, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have released the identity of the volunteer firefighter who died in a crash while on his way to a fire over the weekend. 

The crash happened Sunday in Leavenworth County near Easton. The Easton Township Fire Department announced on its Facebook page that one of its volunteers “was killed in the line of duty in a traffic accident while responding to the fire.” 

The sheriff's office says 23-year-old <a href="https://www.facebook.com/donate/1430750607126948/388772719235910/">Johnny Ivison Jr</a>. died in the crash after his pickup truck went off the road and rolled several times. His family says Ivison was the father of two young children.

LEAVENWORTH COUNTY —A Kansas firefighter died responding to a fire Sunday evening in Leavenworth County.

Fire crews from the Easton Township responded to report of a fire along with crews from&nbsp;Kickapoo Township, Alexandria Township, Fort Leavenworth Fire and Leavenworth City Fire, according to a media release.

While on scene of the fire, authorities notified Easton Township that one of their members was killed in the line of duty in a traffic accident while responding to the fire. 

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the firefighter and to the other members of the department as we are one family."

Officials did not release the victim's name or additional details early Monday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605023212193.png" alt="Johnny Ivison Jr. -photo courtesy Easton Township Fire Dept." />
 <figcaption>Johnny Ivison Jr. -photo courtesy Easton Township Fire Dept.</figcaption>
 </figure>EASTON, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have released the identity of the volunteer firefighter who died in a crash while on his way to a fire over the weekend. The crash happened Sunday in Leavenworth County near Easton. The Easton Township Fire Department announced on its Facebook page that one of its volunteers “was killed in the line of duty in a traffic accident while responding to the fire.” The sheriff's office says 23-year-old <a href="https://www.facebook.com/donate/1430750607126948/388772719235910/">Johnny Ivison Jr</a>. died in the crash after his pickup truck went off the road and rolled several times. His family says Ivison was the father of two young children.------LEAVENWORTH COUNTY —A Kansas firefighter died responding to a fire Sunday evening in Leavenworth County.Fire crews from the Easton Township responded to report of a fire along with crews from&nbsp;Kickapoo Township, Alexandria Township, Fort Leavenworth Fire and Leavenworth City Fire, according to a media release.While on scene of the fire, authorities notified Easton Township that one of their members was killed in the line of duty in a traffic accident while responding to the fire. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the firefighter and to the other members of the department as we are one family."Officials did not release the victim's name or additional details early Monday.

Sheriff IDs Kan. firefighter who died in crash responding to fire

WASHINGTON (AP) — When the Supreme Court weighs the fate of “Obamacare,” arguments will revolve around arcane points of law like severability — whether the justices can surgically snip out part of the law and leave the rest.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?471185-1/health-care-law-supreme-court-oral-argument">Click here to listen </a>to the oral arguments that begin 9a.m. CST

But what’s at stake has real-world consequences for just about every American, as well as the health care industry, a major source of jobs and tax revenues. Whether the Affordable Care Act stays, goes or is significantly changed will affect the way life is lived in the U.S.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/603cc3601dbb8dfa268c1b73c532300d">argument against the law</a>&nbsp;from the Trump administration and conservative states is that the 10-year-old statute was rendered unconstitutional in its entirety when Congress dialed down to zero a penalty on those remaining uninsured. The court has shifted solidly to the political right under President Donald Trump. Here’s a look at some of what’s at stake if the opponents of the law prevail:

Before the ACA, insurers could turn a person down for an individual policy, or charge them more, based on their medical history. The nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that about 54 million working-age adults have health issues that would have made them “uninsurable” before former President Barack Obama’s signature law.

Tens of millions more have issues that could have led to higher premiums. Female gender was one, as insurers routinely charged women more.

COVID-19 would become America’s newest pre-existing condition, for&nbsp;<a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" target="_blank">more than 10 million people who have tested positive</a>&nbsp;so far.

Under the ACA, a coronavirus case cannot be used to deny someone coverage or charge them more. If Obamacare is gone, that becomes a real question.

Trump promised to always protect people with preexisting conditions, but never said how he’d do it.

The ACA’s two main programs for covering uninsured people would be wiped out if the law is overturned, leaving more than 20 million people uninsured unless a divided Congress can put a new safety net in place.

About 12 million low-income people are covered through the health law’s Medicaid expansion, now available in most states. Most of them are adults working in jobs that don’t pay all that much, and don’t come with health insurance. Some have lost jobs in businesses like hotels, restaurants, and movie theaters, which continue to struggle because of the pandemic.

Another group, more than 11 million people, has private coverage purchased through taxpayer-subsidized private markets such as HealthCare.gov That’s also in jeopardy.

Most American women now pay nothing out of their own pockets for birth control. That’s covered as a preventive service, free of charge to the patient, under the ACA.

Many other services, from colonoscopies to flu shots, are also free.

If people again face copays for routine preventive care, that may discourage some to go for tests shown to detect diseases like cancer at early stages when they are easier to treat.

“Obamacare” took the first major steps to close Medicare’s unpopular “doughnut hole,” a coverage gap that used to leave older Americans on the hook for hundreds of dollars in prescriptions drug costs. Congress later accelerated the timetable.

Repealing the ACA would mean the return of the coverage gap, sure to infuriate older voters, many of whom say their medications still cost too much.

That’s just one of many potential consequences to Medicare. The ACA slowed payments to hospitals and insurers to extend the life of the Medicare trust fund.

One of the earliest benefits to take effect after the passage of “Obamacare” was a requirement that insurers allow young adults to stay on a parent’s plan until they turned 26.

That provided a longer economic runway for millions of young adults, who back then were struggling with the lingering effects of the Great Recession. Nowadays it’s the consequences of the coronavirus economy.

Before the ACA’s coverage extension, insurers routinely cut off young adults upon graduation.

“Obamacare” raised taxes on upper income individuals to help finance its coverage expansion.

If the entire law is repealed, that would deliver a tax cut to well-to-do people, many of whom have escaped the economic shock of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak">the COVID-19 pandemic</a>&nbsp;because stock market investors have continued to do well.

Passing the 900-page-plus ACA was a political challenge that took more than a year at a time when Democrats controlled the White House and both chambers in Congress.

Putting together a replacement under a divided government would be the ultimate political puzzle. Neither Democrats nor Republicans agree even within their own ranks what that should look like.

President-elect Joe Biden would build on the ACA by improving it and adding a new public health insurance option. But party liberals want a government-run system for all Americans, including the 160 million covered through employer plans.

Many Republicans, meanwhile, want to scale back the government’s support for health care. They would make deep cuts to Medicaid financing, and leave the ACA’s insurance markets as a state option. Protections for people with pre-existing conditions could be eroded under new rules.

Trump once famously said,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/7e3e0f2bf5c249e7ab995ad4dd704dfd">“nobody knew health care could be so complicated.”</a>&nbsp;That was in 2017, when he and a Republican-controlled Congress harbored hopes they could “repeal and replace” the ACA.

It didn’t happen then because Republicans could never agree on what a replacement would look like.

Fast forward to 2020. Health care has only gotten more complicated.

WASHINGTON (AP) — When the Supreme Court weighs the fate of “Obamacare,” arguments will revolve around arcane points of law like severability — whether the justices can surgically snip out part of the law and leave the rest.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?471185-1/health-care-law-supreme-court-oral-argument">Click here to listen </a>to the oral arguments that begin 9a.m. CSTBut what’s at stake has real-world consequences for just about every American, as well as the health care industry, a major source of jobs and tax revenues. Whether the Affordable Care Act stays, goes or is significantly changed will affect the way life is lived in the U.S.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/603cc3601dbb8dfa268c1b73c532300d">argument against the law</a>&nbsp;from the Trump administration and conservative states is that the 10-year-old statute was rendered unconstitutional in its entirety when Congress dialed down to zero a penalty on those remaining uninsured. The court has shifted solidly to the political right under President Donald Trump. Here’s a look at some of what’s at stake if the opponents of the law prevail:COVID-19 A NEW PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONBefore the ACA, insurers could turn a person down for an individual policy, or charge them more, based on their medical history. The nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that about 54 million working-age adults have health issues that would have made them “uninsurable” before former President Barack Obama’s signature law.Tens of millions more have issues that could have led to higher premiums. Female gender was one, as insurers routinely charged women more.COVID-19 would become America’s newest pre-existing condition, for&nbsp;<a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" target="_blank">more than 10 million people who have tested positive</a>&nbsp;so far.Under the ACA, a coronavirus case cannot be used to deny someone coverage or charge them more. If Obamacare is gone, that becomes a real question.Trump promised to always protect people with preexisting conditions, but never said how he’d do it.COVERAGE FOR MORE THAN 20 MILLIONThe ACA’s two main programs for covering uninsured people would be wiped out if the law is overturned, leaving more than 20 million people uninsured unless a divided Congress can put a new safety net in place.About 12 million low-income people are covered through the health law’s Medicaid expansion, now available in most states. Most of them are adults working in jobs that don’t pay all that much, and don’t come with health insurance. Some have lost jobs in businesses like hotels, restaurants, and movie theaters, which continue to struggle because of the pandemic.Another group, more than 11 million people, has private coverage purchased through taxpayer-subsidized private markets such as HealthCare.gov That’s also in jeopardy.PREVENTIONMost American women now pay nothing out of their own pockets for birth control. That’s covered as a preventive service, free of charge to the patient, under the ACA.Many other services, from colonoscopies to flu shots, are also free.If people again face copays for routine preventive care, that may discourage some to go for tests shown to detect diseases like cancer at early stages when they are easier to treat.RETURN OF A MEDICARE GAP“Obamacare” took the first major steps to close Medicare’s unpopular “doughnut hole,” a coverage gap that used to leave older Americans on the hook for hundreds of dollars in prescriptions drug costs. Congress later accelerated the timetable.Repealing the ACA would mean the return of the coverage gap, sure to infuriate older voters, many of whom say their medications still cost too much.That’s just one of many potential consequences to Medicare. The ACA slowed payments to hospitals and insurers to extend the life of the Medicare trust fund.LONGER RUNWAY SHORTENEDOne of the earliest benefits to take effect after the passage of “Obamacare” was a requirement that insurers allow young adults to stay on a parent’s plan until they turned 26.That provided a longer economic runway for millions of young adults, who back then were struggling with the lingering effects of the Great Recession. Nowadays it’s the consequences of the coronavirus economy.Before the ACA’s coverage extension, insurers routinely cut off young adults upon graduation.TAX CUT FOR THE WEALTHY“Obamacare” raised taxes on upper income individuals to help finance its coverage expansion.If the entire law is repealed, that would deliver a tax cut to well-to-do people, many of whom have escaped the economic shock of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak">the COVID-19 pandemic</a>&nbsp;because stock market investors have continued to do well.POLITICAL RUBIK’S CUBEPassing the 900-page-plus ACA was a political challenge that took more than a year at a time when Democrats controlled the White House and both chambers in Congress.Putting together a replacement under a divided government would be the ultimate political puzzle. Neither Democrats nor Republicans agree even within their own ranks what that should look like.President-elect Joe Biden would build on the ACA by improving it and adding a new public health insurance option. But party liberals want a government-run system for all Americans, including the 160 million covered through employer plans.Many Republicans, meanwhile, want to scale back the government’s support for health care. They would make deep cuts to Medicaid financing, and leave the ACA’s insurance markets as a state option. Protections for people with pre-existing conditions could be eroded under new rules.Trump once famously said,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/7e3e0f2bf5c249e7ab995ad4dd704dfd">“nobody knew health care could be so complicated.”</a>&nbsp;That was in 2017, when he and a Republican-controlled Congress harbored hopes they could “repeal and replace” the ACA.It didn’t happen then because Republicans could never agree on what a replacement would look like.Fast forward to 2020. Health care has only gotten more complicated.

🎤  Supreme Court weighs future of 'Obamacare'

&nbsp;By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/09/kansas-confirms-103000-cases-of-covid-19-capping-two-week-surge-of-nearly-25000/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Confirmed 
COVID-19 cases in Kansas surpassed 103,500 over the weekend as the state
 concluded a profound two-week period in which incidence of infection 
grew by nearly 25,000 and the number of people who died with the virus 
ballooned by more than 200.

The Kansas Department of 
Health and Environment reported the wave of infection was found to have 
reached 5,920 more Kansans from Friday to Monday, exceeding the 
5,418-case rise confirmed from Wednesday to Friday. The back-to-back 
reports of unprecedented expansion fed anxiety among health 
professionals about capacity of hospitals and medical staff to handle 
cases requiring hospitalization.

“We know the virus is 
moving at an increasing rate around our state,” KDHE secretary Lee 
Norman said in a statement Monday. “We must remain vigilant as we enter 
the winter months. It’s more important than ever to get your flu shot, 
so that you remain healthy and we protect much-needed hospital bed 
space.”

More than 490 people have been admitted to a Kansas hospital with coronavius in the two weeks since Oct. 26, KDHE said.

The University of Kansas 
Health System was caring Monday for a record 68 patients in the acute 
infection stage of COVID-19, up from 53 from Friday, and an additional 
28 hospitalized patients out of the most dangerous stage of infection. 
At HaysMed, the hospital Monday had 17 total patients with COVID-19, 
down from 22 on Friday.

Finney County Health 
Department, which includes Garden City, reported an increase of 89 
COVID-19 patients on Friday. In southeast Kansas’ Crawford County the 
rate of infection has expanded to 22%, with the addition of at least 122
 cases since Nov. 1.

In Sedgwick County, health
 officials said Sunday that 14,822 cases of coronavirus had been 
documented since March with an increase of 518 in the latest update. The
 208 intensive-care unit beds at Via Christi and Wesley hospitals in 
Wichita were occupied last week for the first time in the pandemic, and 
the county’s rolling 14-day average of positive tests surpassed 20%.

Norman urged Kansans to practice social distancing and to wear a mask in a bid to deter expansion of COVID-19 in communities.

“These are proven methods 
to slow the spread and the only tools we have until a vaccine is readily
 available,” the KDHE secretary said.

On Tuesday, Gov. Laura 
Kelly and Norman will conduct a joint coronavirus briefing at the 
Capitol broadcast live at 4 p.m. on Facebook. KDHE publicly releases 
COVID-19 updates on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The briefing with 
Kelly and Norman was scheduled to avoid confict with Veteran’s Day 
observances on Wednesday.

KDHE reported Monday the 
latest tracking reports pointed to 103,553 cases of infection, 4,138 
hospitalizations and 1,181 deaths since the outbreak transitioned in 
March to Kansas. That reflected increases since Friday’s report from 
KDHE of 5,920 cases, 71 hospitalizations and 15 deaths.

And, here were those 
cumulative numbers from KDHE two weeks ago on Oct. 26: 78,676 cases, 
3,646 hospitalizations annd 976 fatalities.

Kelly, the Democratic 
governor, issued a mask mandate in July. She sought to have every Kansas
 resident to wear a mask in public places where 6 feet of social 
distancing couldn’t be maintained. The Republican-led Kansas Legislature
 pushed through a law that rendered the governor’s emergency directive 
as advisory. Eighty of the 105 counties opted out of the mask rule.

The governor and top 
Republican and Democratic leaders in the Legislature recently agreed to 
promote the idea of mask-wearing, which became a partisan political 
issue during the presidential election. It’s not clear that voluntary 
effort has made a difference in behavior among Kansans.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604959337305.png" alt="Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said Monday growth of COVID-19 across Kansas affirmed the necessity of people to adhere to recommendations to wear a mask and maintain social distancing. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said Monday growth of COVID-19 across Kansas affirmed the necessity of people to adhere to recommendations to wear a mask and maintain social distancing. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/09/kansas-confirms-103000-cases-of-covid-19-capping-two-week-surge-of-nearly-25000/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Confirmed 
COVID-19 cases in Kansas surpassed 103,500 over the weekend as the state
 concluded a profound two-week period in which incidence of infection 
grew by nearly 25,000 and the number of people who died with the virus 
ballooned by more than 200.The Kansas Department of 
Health and Environment reported the wave of infection was found to have 
reached 5,920 more Kansans from Friday to Monday, exceeding the 
5,418-case rise confirmed from Wednesday to Friday. The back-to-back 
reports of unprecedented expansion fed anxiety among health 
professionals about capacity of hospitals and medical staff to handle 
cases requiring hospitalization.“We know the virus is 
moving at an increasing rate around our state,” KDHE secretary Lee 
Norman said in a statement Monday. “We must remain vigilant as we enter 
the winter months. It’s more important than ever to get your flu shot, 
so that you remain healthy and we protect much-needed hospital bed 
space.”More than 490 people have been admitted to a Kansas hospital with coronavius in the two weeks since Oct. 26, KDHE said.The University of Kansas 
Health System was caring Monday for a record 68 patients in the acute 
infection stage of COVID-19, up from 53 from Friday, and an additional 
28 hospitalized patients out of the most dangerous stage of infection. 
At HaysMed, the hospital Monday had 17 total patients with COVID-19, 
down from 22 on Friday.Finney County Health 
Department, which includes Garden City, reported an increase of 89 
COVID-19 patients on Friday. In southeast Kansas’ Crawford County the 
rate of infection has expanded to 22%, with the addition of at least 122
 cases since Nov. 1.In Sedgwick County, health
 officials said Sunday that 14,822 cases of coronavirus had been 
documented since March with an increase of 518 in the latest update. The
 208 intensive-care unit beds at Via Christi and Wesley hospitals in 
Wichita were occupied last week for the first time in the pandemic, and 
the county’s rolling 14-day average of positive tests surpassed 20%.Norman urged Kansans to practice social distancing and to wear a mask in a bid to deter expansion of COVID-19 in communities.“These are proven methods 
to slow the spread and the only tools we have until a vaccine is readily
 available,” the KDHE secretary said.On Tuesday, Gov. Laura 
Kelly and Norman will conduct a joint coronavirus briefing at the 
Capitol broadcast live at 4 p.m. on Facebook. KDHE publicly releases 
COVID-19 updates on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The briefing with 
Kelly and Norman was scheduled to avoid confict with Veteran’s Day 
observances on Wednesday.KDHE reported Monday the 
latest tracking reports pointed to 103,553 cases of infection, 4,138 
hospitalizations and 1,181 deaths since the outbreak transitioned in 
March to Kansas. That reflected increases since Friday’s report from 
KDHE of 5,920 cases, 71 hospitalizations and 15 deaths.And, here were those 
cumulative numbers from KDHE two weeks ago on Oct. 26: 78,676 cases, 
3,646 hospitalizations annd 976 fatalities.Kelly, the Democratic 
governor, issued a mask mandate in July. She sought to have every Kansas
 resident to wear a mask in public places where 6 feet of social 
distancing couldn’t be maintained. The Republican-led Kansas Legislature
 pushed through a law that rendered the governor’s emergency directive 
as advisory. Eighty of the 105 counties opted out of the mask rule.The governor and top 
Republican and Democratic leaders in the Legislature recently agreed to 
promote the idea of mask-wearing, which became a partisan political 
issue during the presidential election. It’s not clear that voluntary 
effort has made a difference in behavior among Kansans.Tim Carpenter has reported on Kansas for 35 years. He covered the Capitol for 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal and previously worked for the Lawrence Journal-World and United Press International.

Kan. confirms 103,000 COVID-19 cases, capping two-week surge of 25,000

WICHITA —The board of education for the state's largest school district voted and approved the learning model being onsite/MySchool&nbsp;Remote for elementary, with middle and high schools continuing to learn through&nbsp;MySchool&nbsp;Remote until the end of the 2nd 9 weeks in January, according to a media release from the district.

The district decided against moving middle schoolers and high schoolers to&nbsp;a hybrid learning model  starting this week.

Students will remain in the learning model used in the first 9 weeks. Special education students will continue to be served according to their traditional IEPS.&nbsp;&nbsp;

During Monday's meeting, the BOE heard from the Kansas COVID Workgroup for Kids, a group of medical professionals. They stressed that adult behaviors in the community need to change&nbsp;in order to get our students back in school. They stressed&nbsp;wearing masks and avoiding large gatherings would be effective in decreasing community spread.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Click here&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usd259.org/cms/lib/KS01906405/Centricity/Domain/2766/WPS%20BOE%20Update%2011.9.20.pdf" target="_blank">Read the BOE presentation</a><a href="https://www.usd259.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&amp;DomainID=4&amp;ModuleInstanceID=13639&amp;ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&amp;RenderLoc=0&amp;FlexDataID=40023&amp;PageID=1#"></a>.&nbsp; District leaders will continue to carefully monitor current COVID positive and quarantine data for staff and students to determine whether an individual elementary building may need to be temporarily shifted to a 100% MySchool Remote learning model. Information about this possibility will be communicated to elementary parents Tuesday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605012889995.png" alt="Monday night's school board meeting&nbsp; -image courtesy USD 259" />
 <figcaption>Monday night's school board meeting&nbsp; -image courtesy USD 259</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA —The board of education for the state's largest school district voted and approved the learning model being onsite/MySchool&nbsp;Remote for elementary, with middle and high schools continuing to learn through&nbsp;MySchool&nbsp;Remote until the end of the 2nd 9 weeks in January, according to a media release from the district.The district decided against moving middle schoolers and high schoolers to&nbsp;a hybrid learning model starting this week.Students will remain in the learning model used in the first 9 weeks. Special education students will continue to be served according to their traditional IEPS.&nbsp;&nbsp;During Monday's meeting, the BOE heard from the Kansas COVID Workgroup for Kids, a group of medical professionals. They stressed that adult behaviors in the community need to change&nbsp;in order to get our students back in school. They stressed&nbsp;wearing masks and avoiding large gatherings would be effective in decreasing community spread.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Click here&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usd259.org/cms/lib/KS01906405/Centricity/Domain/2766/WPS%20BOE%20Update%2011.9.20.pdf" target="_blank">Read the BOE presentation</a><a href="https://www.usd259.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&amp;DomainID=4&amp;ModuleInstanceID=13639&amp;ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&amp;RenderLoc=0&amp;FlexDataID=40023&amp;PageID=1#"></a>.&nbsp; District leaders will continue to carefully monitor current COVID positive and quarantine data for staff and students to determine whether an individual elementary building may need to be temporarily shifted to a 100% MySchool Remote learning model. Information about this possibility will be communicated to elementary parents Tuesday.

Remote learning to continue in Kan. largest school district

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr has authorized federal prosecutors across the U.S. to pursue “substantial allegations” of voting irregularities, if they exist, before the 2020 presidential election is certified, despite no evidence of widespread fraud.

Barr’s action comes days after Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump and raises the prospect that Trump will use the Justice Department to try to challenge the outcome. It gives prosecutors the ability to go around longstanding Justice Department policy that normally would prohibit such overt actions before the election is certified.

Trump has not conceded the election and is instead claiming without evidence that there has been a widespread, multi-state conspiracy by Democrats to skew the vote tally in Biden’s favor.

Biden holds a sizable lead in multiple battleground states and there has been no indication of enough improperly counted or illegally cast votes that would shift the outcome. In fact, election officials from both political parties have publicly stated the election went well, though there have been minor issues that are typical in elections, including voting machines breaking and ballots that were miscast and lost.

In a memo to U.S. attorneys, obtained by The Associated Press, Barr wrote that investigations “may be conducted if there are clear and apparently-credible allegations of irregularities that, if true, could potentially impact the outcome of a federal election in an individual State.”

He said any allegations that would “clearly not impact the outcome of a federal election” should be delayed until after those elections are certified and prosecutors should likely open so-called preliminary inquiries, which would allow investigators and prosecutors to see if there is evidence that would allow them to take further investigative measures.

Barr does not identify any specific instances of purported fraud in the memo.

“While it is imperative that credible allegations be addressed in a timely and effective manner, it is equally imperative that Department personnel exercise appropriate caution and maintain the Department’s absolute commitment to fairness, neutrality and non-partisanship,” Barr wrote.

States have until Dec. 8 to resolve election disputes, including recounts and court contests over the results. Members of the Electoral College meet Dec. 14 to finalize the outcome.

On Monday night, the Justice Department’s top prosecutor for election crimes, Richard Pilger, said he would step down from that post in response to the attorney general’s memo, according to an email he sent to colleagues and obtained by the AP. He is still expected to remain as an attorney within the Justice Department’s criminal division.

Barr, a loyal ally of President Donald Trump, helped broadcast Trump’s claims of voter fraud before the election, attacking mail-in voting as prone to undue influence and coercion, despite multiple studies debunking the notion of pervasive voter fraud in general and in the vote-by-mail process.

Generally, Justice Department policy is “not to conduct overt investigations, including interviews with individual voters, until after the outcome of the election allegedly affected by the fraud is certified.”

But Barr argues in the memo that concerns such acts could inadvertently impact an election are minimized once voting has concluded and that, in some cases, investigations could not be delayed until the election is certified.

A Justice Department official said Barr had not been asked by Trump, anyone else at the White House or any lawmakers to issue the memo. The official could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Barr was in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office on Capitol Hill on Monday afternoon and refused to answer questions from reporters when he left. Earlier Monday, McConnell threw his support behind Trump after a period of post-election silence.

Biden campaign attorney Bob Bauer said in a statement that it is “deeply unfortunate that Attorney General Barr chose to issue a memorandum that will only fuel the ‘specious, speculative, fanciful or far-fetched claims’ he professes to guard against.”

“Those are the very kind of claims that the president and his lawyers are making unsuccessfully every day, as their lawsuits are laughed out of one court after another,” Bauer said. “But, in the end, American democracy is stronger than any clumsy and cynical partisan political scheme.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604512467389.png" alt="Vote counting Nov. 4 in Pennsylvania -photo courtesy Pennsylvania Secretary of State" />
 <figcaption>Vote counting Nov. 4 in Pennsylvania -photo courtesy Pennsylvania Secretary of State</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr has authorized federal prosecutors across the U.S. to pursue “substantial allegations” of voting irregularities, if they exist, before the 2020 presidential election is certified, despite no evidence of widespread fraud.Barr’s action comes days after Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump and raises the prospect that Trump will use the Justice Department to try to challenge the outcome. It gives prosecutors the ability to go around longstanding Justice Department policy that normally would prohibit such overt actions before the election is certified.Trump has not conceded the election and is instead claiming without evidence that there has been a widespread, multi-state conspiracy by Democrats to skew the vote tally in Biden’s favor.Biden holds a sizable lead in multiple battleground states and there has been no indication of enough improperly counted or illegally cast votes that would shift the outcome. In fact, election officials from both political parties have publicly stated the election went well, though there have been minor issues that are typical in elections, including voting machines breaking and ballots that were miscast and lost.In a memo to U.S. attorneys, obtained by The Associated Press, Barr wrote that investigations “may be conducted if there are clear and apparently-credible allegations of irregularities that, if true, could potentially impact the outcome of a federal election in an individual State.”He said any allegations that would “clearly not impact the outcome of a federal election” should be delayed until after those elections are certified and prosecutors should likely open so-called preliminary inquiries, which would allow investigators and prosecutors to see if there is evidence that would allow them to take further investigative measures.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604598528532.png" alt="Volunteers counting votes in Arizona Nov. 4-photo courtesy Arizona Secretary of State" />
 <figcaption>Volunteers counting votes in Arizona Nov. 4-photo courtesy Arizona Secretary of State</figcaption>
 </figure>Barr does not identify any specific instances of purported fraud in the memo.“While it is imperative that credible allegations be addressed in a timely and effective manner, it is equally imperative that Department personnel exercise appropriate caution and maintain the Department’s absolute commitment to fairness, neutrality and non-partisanship,” Barr wrote.States have until Dec. 8 to resolve election disputes, including recounts and court contests over the results. Members of the Electoral College meet Dec. 14 to finalize the outcome.On Monday night, the Justice Department’s top prosecutor for election crimes, Richard Pilger, said he would step down from that post in response to the attorney general’s memo, according to an email he sent to colleagues and obtained by the AP. He is still expected to remain as an attorney within the Justice Department’s criminal division.Barr, a loyal ally of President Donald Trump, helped broadcast Trump’s claims of voter fraud before the election, attacking mail-in voting as prone to undue influence and coercion, despite multiple studies debunking the notion of pervasive voter fraud in general and in the vote-by-mail process.Generally, Justice Department policy is “not to conduct overt investigations, including interviews with individual voters, until after the outcome of the election allegedly affected by the fraud is certified.”But Barr argues in the memo that concerns such acts could inadvertently impact an election are minimized once voting has concluded and that, in some cases, investigations could not be delayed until the election is certified.A Justice Department official said Barr had not been asked by Trump, anyone else at the White House or any lawmakers to issue the memo. The official could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.Barr was in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office on Capitol Hill on Monday afternoon and refused to answer questions from reporters when he left. Earlier Monday, McConnell threw his support behind Trump after a period of post-election silence.Biden campaign attorney Bob Bauer said in a statement that it is “deeply unfortunate that Attorney General Barr chose to issue a memorandum that will only fuel the ‘specious, speculative, fanciful or far-fetched claims’ he professes to guard against.”“Those are the very kind of claims that the president and his lawyers are making unsuccessfully every day, as their lawsuits are laughed out of one court after another,” Bauer said. “But, in the end, American democracy is stronger than any clumsy and cynical partisan political scheme.”

AG tells Dept. of Justice to probe election fraud claims 

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man charged with capital murder in the deaths of his two sons will remain jailed without bond.

A Leavenworth County judge ordered Donald R. Jackson Jr. held without bond during his first court appearance.

Jackson, 40, is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/leavenworth-oklahoma-kansas-4f619ac3b5fc3d46e2030cae5fb462f0">charged</a>&nbsp;with capital murder in the deaths of 12-year-old Austin Jackson and 14-year-old Logan Jackson, whose bodies were found at their home in Leavenworth on Oct. 24.

Authorities allege Jackson then fled his two young daughters, who were with him when he was arrested in Oklahoma.

Jackson was returned to Kansas on Thursday, Leavenworth County Undersheriff Jim Sherley said.

Jackson’s next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 16.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604955301552.png" alt="Jackson is now being held in Leavenworth County" />
 <figcaption>Jackson is now being held in Leavenworth County</figcaption>
 </figure>LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man charged with capital murder in the deaths of his two sons will remain jailed without bond.A Leavenworth County judge ordered Donald R. Jackson Jr. held without bond during his first court appearance.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603742787603.png" alt="The Jackson children- photo GoFundMe" />
 <figcaption>The Jackson children- photo GoFundMe</figcaption>
 </figure>Jackson, 40, is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/leavenworth-oklahoma-kansas-4f619ac3b5fc3d46e2030cae5fb462f0">charged</a>&nbsp;with capital murder in the deaths of 12-year-old Austin Jackson and 14-year-old Logan Jackson, whose bodies were found at their home in Leavenworth on Oct. 24.Authorities allege Jackson then fled his two young daughters, who were with him when he was arrested in Oklahoma.Jackson was returned to Kansas on Thursday, Leavenworth County Undersheriff Jim Sherley said.Jackson’s next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 16.

Murder suspect in Amber Alert returned to Kansas jail

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials have allowed emergency use of the first antibody drug to help the immune system fight COVID-19, an experimental approach against the virus that has killed more than 238,000 Americans.

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday cleared the experimental <a href="https://investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lillys-neutralizing-antibody-bamlanivimab-ly-cov555-receives-fda">drug from Eli Lilly</a> for people 12 and older with mild or moderate COVID-19 not requiring hospitalization. It’s a one-time treatment given through an IV.

The therapy is still undergoing additional testing to establish its safety and effectiveness. It is similar to a treatment President Donald Trump received after contracting the virus last month.

Lilly’s studies of the antibody drug are continuing. Early results suggest it may help clear the coronavirus sooner and possibly cut hospitalizations in people with mild to moderate COVID-19. A study of it in hospitalized patients was stopped when independent monitors saw the drug did not seem to be helping in that situation.

The government previously reached an agreement to buy and supply much of the early production of Lilly’s drug.

Only one drug -- Gilead Sciences’ remdesivir -- has full FDA approval for treating COVID-19. Government treatment guidelines also back using dexamethasone and other steroids for certain severely ill, hospitalized patients.

One other treatment has an emergency use designation now — convalescent plasma, or the blood of COVID-19 survivors. No large studies have shown it to be more effective than usual care alone, however.

The new drug is part of an emerging family of biologic therapies that offer a promising new approach to preventing serious disease and death from COVID-19. Experts say the infused drugs could serve as a therapeutic bridge to help manage the virus until vaccines are widely available.

The drugs are laboratory-made versions of antibodies, blood proteins which the body creates to help target and eliminate foreign infections. The new therapies are concentrated versions of the antibodies that proved most effective against the virus in patient studies.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. also has asked for emergency authorization for an antibody drug it is testing, the one Trump received.

FDA regulators authorized the Lilly drug using their emergency powers to quickly speed the availability of experimental drugs and other medical products during public health crises.

In normal times the FDA requires “substantial evidence” to show that a drug is safe and effective, usually through one or more large, rigorously controlled patient studies. But during public health emergencies the agency can lower those standards and require only that an experimental treatment’s potential benefits outweigh its risks.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604973355245.png" alt="Photo courtesy Eli Lilly" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Eli Lilly</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials have allowed emergency use of the first antibody drug to help the immune system fight COVID-19, an experimental approach against the virus that has killed more than 238,000 Americans.The Food and Drug Administration on Monday cleared the experimental <a href="https://investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lillys-neutralizing-antibody-bamlanivimab-ly-cov555-receives-fda">drug from Eli Lilly</a> for people 12 and older with mild or moderate COVID-19 not requiring hospitalization. It’s a one-time treatment given through an IV.The therapy is still undergoing additional testing to establish its safety and effectiveness. It is similar to a treatment President Donald Trump received after contracting the virus last month.Lilly’s studies of the antibody drug are continuing. Early results suggest it may help clear the coronavirus sooner and possibly cut hospitalizations in people with mild to moderate COVID-19. A study of it in hospitalized patients was stopped when independent monitors saw the drug did not seem to be helping in that situation.The government previously reached an agreement to buy and supply much of the early production of Lilly’s drug.Only one drug -- Gilead Sciences’ remdesivir -- has full FDA approval for treating COVID-19. Government treatment guidelines also back using dexamethasone and other steroids for certain severely ill, hospitalized patients.One other treatment has an emergency use designation now — convalescent plasma, or the blood of COVID-19 survivors. No large studies have shown it to be more effective than usual care alone, however.The new drug is part of an emerging family of biologic therapies that offer a promising new approach to preventing serious disease and death from COVID-19. Experts say the infused drugs could serve as a therapeutic bridge to help manage the virus until vaccines are widely available.The drugs are laboratory-made versions of antibodies, blood proteins which the body creates to help target and eliminate foreign infections. The new therapies are concentrated versions of the antibodies that proved most effective against the virus in patient studies.Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. also has asked for emergency authorization for an antibody drug it is testing, the one Trump received.FDA regulators authorized the Lilly drug using their emergency powers to quickly speed the availability of experimental drugs and other medical products during public health crises.In normal times the FDA requires “substantial evidence” to show that a drug is safe and effective, usually through one or more large, rigorously controlled patient studies. But during public health emergencies the agency can lower those standards and require only that an experimental treatment’s potential benefits outweigh its risks.The emergency authorization functions like a temporary approval for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. To win full approval, Lilly will have to submit additional research to fully define the drug’s safety and benefit for patients.The government has signed an agreement with Lilly to spend $375 million to buy 300,000 vials of the drug. How many doses that would provide is unclear. Each vial contains 70 milligrams and that dose proved ineffective in the early results. It took four times that amount — 2,800 milligrams — to show any effect.The Lilly drug is authorized for people 12 and older who weigh at least 40 kilograms (about 88 pounds), and who are at high risk for progressing to severe COVID-19 and/or hospitalization. This includes those who are 65 years of age or older, or who have certain chronic medical conditions.___