JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on drug charges after a&nbsp;

Just before 1 a.m. Tuesday, a sheriff’s deputy stopped a vehicle for a traffic infraction near 150th and Q Road, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

Deputies arrested the passenger of the vehicle, Alexa Lea Cox, 24, of Topeka on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine and marijuana. 

They also arrested the driver identified as Gaddy Lee Bartlow, 32, of Topeka on requested charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Bartlow also had two outstanding warrants from Wabaunsee and Shawnee counties, according to Morse.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602691826423.png" alt="Cox-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Cox-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on drug charges after a&nbsp;Just before 1 a.m. Tuesday, a sheriff’s deputy stopped a vehicle for a traffic infraction near 150th and Q Road, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.Deputies arrested the passenger of the vehicle, Alexa Lea Cox, 24, of Topeka on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine and marijuana. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602691867832.png" alt="Bartlow-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Bartlow-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>They also arrested the driver identified as Gaddy Lee Bartlow, 32, of Topeka on requested charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Bartlow also had two outstanding warrants from Wabaunsee and Shawnee counties, according to Morse.

Sheriff: 2 accused of pot, meth possession

YODER&nbsp;— Governor Laura Kelly Wednesday joined Kansas Department of Agriculture Secretary Mike Beam and Kansas Department of Commerce Secretary David Toland to visit Yoder Meats in Yoder, Kansas. Governor Kelly announced over $9 million has been committed for projects to strengthen the state’s food supply system. Yoder Meats is one of 183 Kansas agriculture and food-related businesses and individuals across the state awarded grants as part of the Securing Local Food Systems grant program.

Click here to v<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgovernor.kansas.gov%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F10%2FSecuring-Local-Food-Systems-grant-recipients-1.pdf&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7C7cad744f40104c25077c08d87082dca7%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637383054631015445&amp;sdata=MyaGekc2a8rMjZdOgjJIt9qIQoFi8dOekfvOuDT1wyQ%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">iew the complete list of Securing Local Food Systems grant recipients here.</a>

“The pandemic has served to remind the country how critical it is that we protect our food supply system,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said. “As they always have, Kansas agriculture and food businesses have stepped up to the challenge. Our agriculture workers have kept food in the stores and on the tables for Kansans and Americans across the nation.”

The Securing Local Food Systems grant is one of several grants made possible in the second round of the federal CARES Act funding and approved by the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Task Force. It was created to increase capacity of Kansas’ local food systems and available to for-profit and not-for-profit businesses, including direct-to-consumer producers/growers/vendors, food processors, slaughter and processing facilities, food banks, pantries, soup kitchens, farmers’ markets, and retail food outlets such as grocery stores.

“These grants will allow local food and agriculture businesses to expand their capability to respond to the food supply needs in their communities,”&nbsp;Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam said. “Local businesses like Yoder Meats are critical to providing food to Kansans, and that need was made clear over throughout this year.”

Yoder Meats provides custom meat processing, along with wholesale and retail meat products and locker rental in south central Kansas. The grant will allow them to increase their storage capacity.

“Between the hundreds of jobs they’ve created and the economic stimulus they provide to Kansas communities, these grantees are essential to our state’s economy,”&nbsp;Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “Financial blows dealt by the pandemic have been felt everywhere in our state, and these dollars are designed to both aid in our state’s economic recovery and to build a more resilient food system for the future.”

The grant money can be used for a wide scope of capital expenses related to increasing the capacity of the food-related businesses, including but not limited to: rental of buildings/facilities to expand capacity, facility reconfiguration to meet social distancing guidelines, technology that improves business resilience, costs associated with sanitation or worker safety, costs associated with increased inspections, and many more. Grants will cover capacity-related improvements made since March 1, 2020, through December 30, 2020. The grants range from $2,500 to $100,000, depending on the type of applicant and the project scope.

Applications were accepted beginning August 19, 2020, and were reviewed by the Kansas Department of Agriculture, the Kansas Department for Children and Families, and the Kansas Department of Commerce. Other grants that were awarded in the second round of the CARES Act funding included funding for small business working capital, PPE procurement and manufacturing, bioscience product development, community connectivity and broadband, and more.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602763966595.png" alt="Governor Laura Kelly visited Yoder Meats to announce recipients of $9 million in grants for 183 projects across Kansas-photo office of governor." />
 <figcaption>Governor Laura Kelly visited Yoder Meats to announce recipients of $9 million in grants for 183 projects across Kansas-photo office of governor.</figcaption>
 </figure>YODER&nbsp;— Governor Laura Kelly Wednesday joined Kansas Department of Agriculture Secretary Mike Beam and Kansas Department of Commerce Secretary David Toland to visit Yoder Meats in Yoder, Kansas. Governor Kelly announced over $9 million has been committed for projects to strengthen the state’s food supply system. Yoder Meats is one of 183 Kansas agriculture and food-related businesses and individuals across the state awarded grants as part of the Securing Local Food Systems grant program.Click here to v<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgovernor.kansas.gov%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F10%2FSecuring-Local-Food-Systems-grant-recipients-1.pdf&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7C7cad744f40104c25077c08d87082dca7%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637383054631015445&amp;sdata=MyaGekc2a8rMjZdOgjJIt9qIQoFi8dOekfvOuDT1wyQ%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">iew the complete list of Securing Local Food Systems grant recipients here.</a>“The pandemic has served to remind the country how critical it is that we protect our food supply system,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said. “As they always have, Kansas agriculture and food businesses have stepped up to the challenge. Our agriculture workers have kept food in the stores and on the tables for Kansans and Americans across the nation.”The Securing Local Food Systems grant is one of several grants made possible in the second round of the federal CARES Act funding and approved by the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Task Force. It was created to increase capacity of Kansas’ local food systems and available to for-profit and not-for-profit businesses, including direct-to-consumer producers/growers/vendors, food processors, slaughter and processing facilities, food banks, pantries, soup kitchens, farmers’ markets, and retail food outlets such as grocery stores.“These grants will allow local food and agriculture businesses to expand their capability to respond to the food supply needs in their communities,”&nbsp;Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam said. “Local businesses like Yoder Meats are critical to providing food to Kansans, and that need was made clear over throughout this year.”Yoder Meats provides custom meat processing, along with wholesale and retail meat products and locker rental in south central Kansas. The grant will allow them to increase their storage capacity.“Between the hundreds of jobs they’ve created and the economic stimulus they provide to Kansas communities, these grantees are essential to our state’s economy,”&nbsp;Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “Financial blows dealt by the pandemic have been felt everywhere in our state, and these dollars are designed to both aid in our state’s economic recovery and to build a more resilient food system for the future.”The grant money can be used for a wide scope of capital expenses related to increasing the capacity of the food-related businesses, including but not limited to: rental of buildings/facilities to expand capacity, facility reconfiguration to meet social distancing guidelines, technology that improves business resilience, costs associated with sanitation or worker safety, costs associated with increased inspections, and many more. Grants will cover capacity-related improvements made since March 1, 2020, through December 30, 2020. The grants range from $2,500 to $100,000, depending on the type of applicant and the project scope.Applications were accepted beginning August 19, 2020, and were reviewed by the Kansas Department of Agriculture, the Kansas Department for Children and Families, and the Kansas Department of Commerce. Other grants that were awarded in the second round of the CARES Act funding included funding for small business working capital, PPE procurement and manufacturing, bioscience product development, community connectivity and broadband, and more.

Gov. announces the recipients of $9M in grants for projects in Kansas

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A 10-year-old Missouri girl whose parents have been charged in her death was so emaciated that a detective said she looked "like a Holocaust victim," according to court records.

The girl, who is identified in court records as JAA, died Oct. 3. A cause of death hasn’t been determined.

Randall and Susan Abney, of Salem, have been charged with abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death, and are jailed on $500,000 bond. Online court records do not list attorneys who could speak on their behalf.

A Dent County deputy coroner said the girl weighed just 39.8 pounds, including the weight of a body bag, blanket and attached medical equipment. Typically, a 10-year-old girl would weigh 70 to 75 pounds, court records said.

A doctor who tried to resuscitate JAA after she collapsed said she was so dehydrated that he wasn’t able to draw blood, Sgt. Matt Atkinson, a detective with the Dent County Sheriff’s Office, wrote in the probable cause statement.

“My first ... impression of viewing JAA’s body was she appeared like a Holocaust victim,” Atkinson wrote.

He said several of the girl’s bones were showing and that he observed bruises on her temple, legs, arms and chest. There also was a wound on the bridge of her nose.

The Abneys adopted the girl in 2013, and Susan Abney told investigators they had fostered at least 12 other children, according to the probable cause document. Court documents do not specify if other children were living in the home when JAA died. Salem is about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of St. Louis.

Sheriff Bob Wells didn’t immediately return phone and email messages from The Associated Press. Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Curley also didn’t immediately respond to a phone message.

Authorities who searched the home found a child lock on the refrigerator that was hard to manipulate and food stored in cabinets that were too high up for the girl to reach. A lock on JAA's bedroom door allowed her to be locked in from the outside, and the door was rigged with an alarm.

Investigators found a stash of candy and cookies in a dresser in the parents' bedroom.

The Abneys said JAA was homeschooled and that she was a typical child until about a week and a half before her death, when she stopped eating and complained of being constipated. They didn’t know of any medical issues, Atkinson wrote.

Susan Abney said she felt bad seeing JAA emaciated and thought about taking her to a doctor. When asked why she didn’t, she replied, “I don’t know.” She later blamed her “own stupidity,” and said “I was too scared of what they would think,” Atkinson wrote.

Asked who was responsible for the girls death, she said, “Me and Randy,” according to the probable cause statement.

Randall Abney said the girl had always been skinny and “acts fine except for not eating." He said it wasn't the first time she had stopped eating, Atkinson wrote.

Department of Social Services spokeswoman Rebecca Woelfel said the agency is only able to comment about abuse cases in limited circumstances and only after an investigation is completed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602703129935.png" alt="Abney photo Dent Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Abney photo Dent Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A 10-year-old Missouri girl whose parents have been charged in her death was so emaciated that a detective said she looked "like a Holocaust victim," according to court records.The girl, who is identified in court records as JAA, died Oct. 3. A cause of death hasn’t been determined.Randall and Susan Abney, of Salem, have been charged with abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death, and are jailed on $500,000 bond. Online court records do not list attorneys who could speak on their behalf.A Dent County deputy coroner said the girl weighed just 39.8 pounds, including the weight of a body bag, blanket and attached medical equipment. Typically, a 10-year-old girl would weigh 70 to 75 pounds, court records said.A doctor who tried to resuscitate JAA after she collapsed said she was so dehydrated that he wasn’t able to draw blood, Sgt. Matt Atkinson, a detective with the Dent County Sheriff’s Office, wrote in the probable cause statement.“My first ... impression of viewing JAA’s body was she appeared like a Holocaust victim,” Atkinson wrote.He said several of the girl’s bones were showing and that he observed bruises on her temple, legs, arms and chest. There also was a wound on the bridge of her nose.The Abneys adopted the girl in 2013, and Susan Abney told investigators they had fostered at least 12 other children, according to the probable cause document. Court documents do not specify if other children were living in the home when JAA died. Salem is about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of St. Louis.Sheriff Bob Wells didn’t immediately return phone and email messages from The Associated Press. Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Curley also didn’t immediately respond to a phone message.Authorities who searched the home found a child lock on the refrigerator that was hard to manipulate and food stored in cabinets that were too high up for the girl to reach. A lock on JAA's bedroom door allowed her to be locked in from the outside, and the door was rigged with an alarm.Investigators found a stash of candy and cookies in a dresser in the parents' bedroom.The Abneys said JAA was homeschooled and that she was a typical child until about a week and a half before her death, when she stopped eating and complained of being constipated. They didn’t know of any medical issues, Atkinson wrote.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602703095008.png" alt="Susan Abney photo Dent Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Susan Abney photo Dent Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>Susan Abney said she felt bad seeing JAA emaciated and thought about taking her to a doctor. When asked why she didn’t, she replied, “I don’t know.” She later blamed her “own stupidity,” and said “I was too scared of what they would think,” Atkinson wrote.Asked who was responsible for the girls death, she said, “Me and Randy,” according to the probable cause statement.Randall Abney said the girl had always been skinny and “acts fine except for not eating." He said it wasn't the first time she had stopped eating, Atkinson wrote.Department of Social Services spokeswoman Rebecca Woelfel said the agency is only able to comment about abuse cases in limited circumstances and only after an investigation is completed.

Couple charged in death of emaciated 10-year-old

BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — Early in-person voting began Wednesday in several Kansas counties, with election officials reporting heavier than usual turnout but relatively short wait times to cast a ballot.

Election offices across the state also began on Wednesday sending out the first batches of mail-in ballots to voters who requested them in what election officials anticipate will be record numbers amid the pandemic.

The state’s most populous counties won’t start advance in-person voting for several more days, but a smattering of smaller counties that have begun are providing an early glimpse of what has been a smooth start to the general election in Kansas.

Between 10 and 14 people were lined up outside each of the four advance in-person voting sites in Douglas County before doors opened Wednesday morning, but voters otherwise did not have to wait to cast a ballot, said Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew.

“We were prepared for an extremely large rush at the beginning,” Shew said. “People are just walking in and voting.”

Douglas County election officials had “bulked up” voter check-in desks with additional poll workers in anticipation of a large turnout based on the phone calls they had been getting and what they were seeing happening in other states.

In Riley County, about 20 people were waiting to vote at the county courthouse before the doors opened for the first day of advance voting, said Riley County Clerk Rich Vargo. They were processed in about five minutes and local election officials have been busier than usual processing a steady stream of voters all day.

Vargo said they have not had lines: “You have to define a line, a five-minute line isn’t really a line.”

The same scene also played out in Hutchinson, where election officials arriving to work found a line of voters that stretched from the front door of the Reno County Annex to the sidewalk for the first day of advance voting. The line had started to form about 20 minutes before the doors were unlocked at 8 a.m., said Jenna Fager, Reno County deputy election officer.

The longest wait time to cast a ballot on Wednesday morning in Reno County was probably around 15 minutes, and it has been busier than usual for the first day of voting, she said.

“I think they are just wanting to go ahead and get it out of the way, get it taken care of so they don’t have to worry about it,” Fager said.

Some Reno County voters who couldn’t wait for their advance ballots to arrive in the mail showed up to vote in-person, Fager said. Those voters were given a provisional ballot .

That also happened in Douglas and Riley counties, where more than the usual number of people were voting provisional ballots in-person because they didn’t want to wait to receive the ballots they had requested earlier. Some were concerned about slow mail delivery.

“People will get ballots in a timely manner if they are just patient and so that has caused some extra paperwork and it is something we just have to deal with,” Vargo said. “Since they are going to get a ballot mailed to them, the only way we can process it is through a provisional ballot. That way nobody can vote twice.”

Kansas law allows voters to take their mail-in ballots to election drop boxes, to advance voting locations, or to polling sites on Election Day if they do not want put them in the mail.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602710165442.png" alt="Voting booths in Douglas County on Wednesday-photo courtesy Douglas County." />
 <figcaption>Voting booths in Douglas County on Wednesday-photo courtesy Douglas County.</figcaption>
 </figure>BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — Early in-person voting began Wednesday in several Kansas counties, with election officials reporting heavier than usual turnout but relatively short wait times to cast a ballot.Election offices across the state also began on Wednesday sending out the first batches of mail-in ballots to voters who requested them in what election officials anticipate will be record numbers amid the pandemic.The state’s most populous counties won’t start advance in-person voting for several more days, but a smattering of smaller counties that have begun are providing an early glimpse of what has been a smooth start to the general election in Kansas.Between 10 and 14 people were lined up outside each of the four advance in-person voting sites in Douglas County before doors opened Wednesday morning, but voters otherwise did not have to wait to cast a ballot, said Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew.“We were prepared for an extremely large rush at the beginning,” Shew said. “People are just walking in and voting.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602710122826.png" alt="A small line of voters in Lawrence on Wednesday photo courtesy KMBC TV" />
 <figcaption>A small line of voters in Lawrence on Wednesday photo courtesy KMBC TV</figcaption>
 </figure>Douglas County election officials had “bulked up” voter check-in desks with additional poll workers in anticipation of a large turnout based on the phone calls they had been getting and what they were seeing happening in other states.In Riley County, about 20 people were waiting to vote at the county courthouse before the doors opened for the first day of advance voting, said Riley County Clerk Rich Vargo. They were processed in about five minutes and local election officials have been busier than usual processing a steady stream of voters all day.Vargo said they have not had lines: “You have to define a line, a five-minute line isn’t really a line.”The same scene also played out in Hutchinson, where election officials arriving to work found a line of voters that stretched from the front door of the Reno County Annex to the sidewalk for the first day of advance voting. The line had started to form about 20 minutes before the doors were unlocked at 8 a.m., said Jenna Fager, Reno County deputy election officer.The longest wait time to cast a ballot on Wednesday morning in Reno County was probably around 15 minutes, and it has been busier than usual for the first day of voting, she said.“I think they are just wanting to go ahead and get it out of the way, get it taken care of so they don’t have to worry about it,” Fager said.Some Reno County voters who couldn’t wait for their advance ballots to arrive in the mail showed up to vote in-person, Fager said. Those voters were given a provisional ballot .That also happened in Douglas and Riley counties, where more than the usual number of people were voting provisional ballots in-person because they didn’t want to wait to receive the ballots they had requested earlier. Some were concerned about slow mail delivery.“People will get ballots in a timely manner if they are just patient and so that has caused some extra paperwork and it is something we just have to deal with,” Vargo said. “Since they are going to get a ballot mailed to them, the only way we can process it is through a provisional ballot. That way nobody can vote twice.”Kansas law allows voters to take their mail-in ballots to election drop boxes, to advance voting locations, or to polling sites on Election Day if they do not want put them in the mail.

In-person voting begins in Kansas with short wait times

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Board of Regents appointed a new interim president Wednesday to lead Wichita State University while it searches for a replacement for Jay Golden, who abruptly resigned last month without explanation. 

Wichita State Provost Rick Muma, who has been acting president since Golden resigned, will immediately take on the job as interim president. Muma also was named acting president when former president John Bardo was ill. Regents chair Bill Feuerborn praised Muma’s experience and knowledge of Wichita State in a news release announcing the appointment

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602712341089.png" alt="Muma-photo courtesy Wichita State" />
 <figcaption>Muma-photo courtesy Wichita State</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Board of Regents appointed a new interim president Wednesday to lead Wichita State University while it searches for a replacement for Jay Golden, who abruptly resigned last month without explanation. Wichita State Provost Rick Muma, who has been acting president since Golden resigned, will immediately take on the job as interim president. Muma also was named acting president when former president John Bardo was ill. Regents chair Bill Feuerborn praised Muma’s experience and knowledge of Wichita State in a news release announcing the appointment

Regents tap interim president for Wichita State University

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett faced a second day of questions Wednesday from the Senate Judiciary Committee as Democrats kept up their focus on health care three weeks before the Nov. 3 presidential election.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?476317-1/supreme-court-nominee-amy-coney-barrett-confirmation-hearing-day-3">CLICK here to</a>&nbsp;watch the replay of day 3 of the confirmation hearing.

Barrett again avoided taking positions on a variety of subjects and rulings, saying it would be inappropriate to comment on cases that may come before her as a justice. Republicans appear on track to push ahead with her confirmation before the election.

HEALTH CARE PLAYS A STARRING ROLE — AGAIN

Democrats again pressed Barrett over her views on the Affordable Care Act, noting that President Donald Trump has made clear he wishes to undo the Obama-era health law. Democrats say Trump and Senate Republicans are rushing to confirm Barrett so she can be seated in time to hear a case next month challenging that law.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said there’s an “orange cloud” hanging over Barrett’s nomination — a political jab at Trump’s tan and a reference to the president’s oft-stated wish to overturn “Obamacare.”

Barrett told senators she is not “hostile” to the law and promised to consider all arguments.

Republicans played down the threat to the health law posed by the court case. “This hearing has been more about Obamacare than it has you,″ said the committee chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told Barrett. He added: “Obamacare is on the ballot″ next month.

Republicans object to the health law because “it was written and passed on a partisan line,″ Graham said. ”Most big changes in society have more buy-in (from the public and the two political parties) than that. You’re talking about one-fifth of the American economy.″

Still, Graham and other Republicans stressed that even if parts of the law are struck down, important aspects such as coverage for preexisting conditions could still be preserved, under a concept known as severability. “The doctrine of severability presumes — and its goal is — to preserve (key parts of) the statute if that is possible,″ Graham said.

Barrett agreed, saying, “The presumption is always in favor of severability.″

Republicans have introduced bills to protect Americans with preexisting conditions and bring down drug prices, said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. “And if we act, (voters) don’t have to worry about you doing away with preexisting conditions in some future case down the road,″ he told Barrett.

On another issue where Trump’s views and tweets are well-known, Barrett declined to say whether a president can pardon himself. But she said she agrees no one is above the law.

Under questioning from Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Barrett said the question of a self-pardon has never come before the court. “That question may or may not arise, but it is one that calls for a legal analysis of what the scope of the pardon power is,″ Barrett said. She said offering an opinion now ”would be opining on an open question ... it’s not one in which I can offer a view.″

Multiple investigations are looking into Trump’s taxes, his businesses and his associates, and he has said he has “an absolute right” to pardon himself.

While declining to address whether Trump would be able to pardon himself, Barrett said she agreed with Leahy’s assertion “no one is above the law.”

For the second straight day, Barrett repeatedly declined to give her personal views, or to preview how she might rule, on issues that could become before the court. Like other Supreme Court nominees, Barrett said she was prohibited from expressing those opinions by the “canons of judicial conduct.”

In addition to a possible presidential pardon and whether to overturn the health law, Barrett said she could not give an opinion on whether she would withdraw from any election-related litigation involving Trump. He said when he nominated her that he wanted the full nine justices in place before any possible election decisions.

Barrett also said she could not answer whether Trump could delay the general election, an idea the president floated earlier this year even though he does not have authority under the Constitution to unilaterally change the date.

Graham opened Wednesday’s hearing by proclaiming Barrett’s expected confirmation a historic victory for conservative women. Like “conservatives of color,” conservative women, he said, are often “marginalized” in public life.

“This hearing, to me, is an opportunity to not punch through a glass ceiling but a reinforced concrete barrier around conservative women,” Graham told Barrett. “You are going to shatter that barrier.’’

Graham said he has “never been more proud of a nominee” than he is of Barrett, a federal appeals court judge from Indiana. “This is the first time in American history that we’ve nominated a woman who is unashamedly pro-life and embraces her faith without apology, and she is going to the court. This is history being made, folks.”

Barrett has declined to say how she would rule on a challenge to the Roe v. Wade decision that established abortion rights, but she has made clear she opposes abortion rights and signed a 2006 letter objecting to “abortion on demand.”

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., asked Barrett whether she would acknowledge that her confirmation would mean a shift to the right on the Supreme Court that would have “profound” implications.

Coons referred to an interview that Barrett gave where she spoke of a balance shift if Merrick Garland, a federal appeals court judge nominated in 2016 by President Barack Obama, were elevated to the high court. Obama picked Garland after Justice Antonin Scalia’s death, but Republicans in the Senate refused give Garland a hearing, citing the presidential election that was months away that year.

Barrett told Coons she was referring in the interview to Garland’s judicial approach, not his more liberal views. Unlike the conservative Scalia, Garland was not an originalist, which refers to a way of interpreting the Constitution that focuses on the text and Founding Fathers’ intentions in resolving legal disputes. Originalists such as Scalia and Barrett argue that new legislation, rather than a new interpretation of the Constitution, is the best way to bring about social change.

“It would be away from one balance and toward another in terms of how judges think about the text,″ Barrett said.

Coons noted that Barrett, who claims Scalia as her mentor, would replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was not an originalist and was the court’s liberal leader. Barrett’s confirmation would shift the court’s previous 5-4 conservative majority to 6-3.

The hearing paused twice Wednesday because of audio problems in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The sound in the hearing room cut out a little before 2 p.m. and was off for 40 minutes. It cut out again after the hearing resumed, this time for about 15 minutes.

The problem happened the first time just after Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., asked Barrett whether she had gotten some rest after a long day of questioning Tuesday. “I did have a glass of wine. I’ll tell you I needed that at the end of the day,” she said.

On that point, “You have a right to remain silent,″ Blumenthal told Barrett.

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;Supreme Court&nbsp;nominee Amy Coney Barrett returns to Capitol Hill for a third day of confirmation hearings as senators dig deeper into the conservative judge’s outlook on abortion, health care and a potentially disputed presidential election — the Democrats running out of time to stop Republicans pushing her quick confirmation.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?476317-1/supreme-court-nominee-amy-coney-barrett-confirmation-hearing-day-3">CLICK here to</a> watch day 3 of the confirmation hear that begins at 8a.m. CDT

Wednesday’s session is set to be Barrett’s last before the Senate Judiciary Committee. She has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-virus-outbreak-donald-trump-confirmation-hearings-health-63a2f915b62cf3281f66e80fea9c20e1">batting away questions&nbsp;</a>in long and lively exchanges, insisting she would bring no personal agenda to the court but decide cases “as they come.”

Her nomination by President Donald Trump to replace the late&nbsp;Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg&nbsp;has ground other legislative business to a halt as Republicans excited by the prospect of locking in a 6-3 conservative court majority race to confirm her over Democratic objections before&nbsp;Election Day.

“We’re going to fill this vacancy,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the committee chairman, said late Tuesday after a nearly 12-hour session.

Graham said he appreciated that Trump had nominated a judge “who’s unabashedly pro-life, somebody who embraces their faith, but somebody who understands the difference between their personal views and judging.”

Barrett’s nomination has been the focus at a Capitol mostly shut down by COVID-19 protocols, frustrating Democrats who are virtually powerless to stop a judge from confirmation. They warn she will be seated on the court in time to cast a vote to undo the Affordable Care Act next month, causing millions of Americans to lose coverage during a pandemic.

“People are fed up,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., criticizing GOP priorities in forcing the Senate action as the country suffers from the pandemic and Congress squabbles over approving additional economic aid.

The 48-year-old appellate court judge declared her conservative views in often colloquial language, but she refused many specifics Tuesday. She aligns with the late Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative mentor, and declined to say whether she would recuse herself from any election-related cases involving Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

“Judges can’t just wake up one day and say I have an agenda — I like guns, I hate guns, I like abortion, I hate abortion — and walk in like a royal queen and impose their will on the world,” Barrett told the committee during its second day of hearings.

“It’s not the law of Amy,” she said. “It’s the law of the American people.”

Trump seemed pleased with her performance. “I think Amy’s doing incredibly well,” he said at the White House departing for a campaign rally.

Trump has said he wants a justice seated for any disputes arising from his heated campaign against Biden, but Barrett testified she has not spoken to Trump or his team about election cases. Pressed by Democrats, she skipped past questions about ensuring the date of the election or preventing voter intimidation, both set in federal law, and the peaceful transfer of presidential power. She declined to commit to recusing herself from any post-election cases without first consulting the other justices.

“I can’t offer an opinion on recusal without short-circuiting that entire process,” she said.

A frustrated Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the panel, all but implored the nominee to be more specific about how she would handle landmark abortion cases,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-fact-check-confirmation-hearings-amy-coney-barrett-judiciary-us-supreme-court-4ca09a4f3230eb1aee5a82308cffe8c3">including Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;and the follow-up Pennsylvania case Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which confirmed it in large part.

“It’s distressing not to get a good answer,” the U.S. senator from California told the judge.

Barrett was unmoved. “I don’t have an agenda to try to overrule Casey,” she said. “I have an agenda to stick to the rule of law and decide cases as they come.”

She later declined to characterize the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion as a “super-precedent” that must not be overturned.

“Let’s not make any mistake about it,” said California Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, appearing remotely due to COVID concerns.

Allowing Trump to fill the seat with Barrett “poses a threat to safe and legal abortion in our country,” Harris said.

The Senate, led by Trump’s Republican allies, is pushing Barrett’s nomination to a quick vote before Nov. 3, and ahead of the latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act, which the Supreme Court is to hear a week after the election. Democrats warn that she would be a vote to undo the “Obamacare” law.

“I’m not hostile to the ACA,” Barrett told the senators.

The judge, accompanied by her family, described herself as taking a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-amy-coney-barrett-us-supreme-court-courts-antonin-scalia-038ec1d4de30d1bd97a0ce3823903f0c">conservative, originalist approach to the Constitution</a>. A former law professor, she told the senators that while she admires Scalia, she would bring her own approach.

“You would not be getting Justice Scalia, you would be getting Justice Barrett,” she declared.

Overall, Barrett’s conservative views are at odds with the late Ginsburg, a liberal icon. She would be Trump’s third justice.

Underscoring the Republicans’ confidence, Graham set an initial committee vote on the nomination for Thursday, the last day of hearings, which would allow final approval by the full Senate by the end of the month.

Protesters rallied outside the Senate building, unable to come inside the hearing room.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602680635069.png" alt="Barrett waiting for day 3 of questioning to begin before the Senate Judiciary Committee -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Barrett waiting for day 3 of questioning to begin before the Senate Judiciary Committee -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett faced a second day of questions Wednesday from the Senate Judiciary Committee as Democrats kept up their focus on health care three weeks before the Nov. 3 presidential election.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?476317-1/supreme-court-nominee-amy-coney-barrett-confirmation-hearing-day-3">CLICK here to</a>&nbsp;watch the replay of day 3 of the confirmation hearing.Barrett again avoided taking positions on a variety of subjects and rulings, saying it would be inappropriate to comment on cases that may come before her as a justice. Republicans appear on track to push ahead with her confirmation before the election.Takeaways from Day Three of the hearing:HEALTH CARE PLAYS A STARRING ROLE — AGAINDemocrats again pressed Barrett over her views on the Affordable Care Act, noting that President Donald Trump has made clear he wishes to undo the Obama-era health law. Democrats say Trump and Senate Republicans are rushing to confirm Barrett so she can be seated in time to hear a case next month challenging that law.Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said there’s an “orange cloud” hanging over Barrett’s nomination — a political jab at Trump’s tan and a reference to the president’s oft-stated wish to overturn “Obamacare.”Barrett told senators she is not “hostile” to the law and promised to consider all arguments.Republicans played down the threat to the health law posed by the court case. “This hearing has been more about Obamacare than it has you,″ said the committee chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told Barrett. He added: “Obamacare is on the ballot″ next month.Republicans object to the health law because “it was written and passed on a partisan line,″ Graham said. ”Most big changes in society have more buy-in (from the public and the two political parties) than that. You’re talking about one-fifth of the American economy.″Still, Graham and other Republicans stressed that even if parts of the law are struck down, important aspects such as coverage for preexisting conditions could still be preserved, under a concept known as severability. “The doctrine of severability presumes — and its goal is — to preserve (key parts of) the statute if that is possible,″ Graham said.Barrett agreed, saying, “The presumption is always in favor of severability.″Republicans have introduced bills to protect Americans with preexisting conditions and bring down drug prices, said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. “And if we act, (voters) don’t have to worry about you doing away with preexisting conditions in some future case down the road,″ he told Barrett.___NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAWOn another issue where Trump’s views and tweets are well-known, Barrett declined to say whether a president can pardon himself. But she said she agrees no one is above the law.Under questioning from Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Barrett said the question of a self-pardon has never come before the court. “That question may or may not arise, but it is one that calls for a legal analysis of what the scope of the pardon power is,″ Barrett said. She said offering an opinion now ”would be opining on an open question ... it’s not one in which I can offer a view.″Multiple investigations are looking into Trump’s taxes, his businesses and his associates, and he has said he has “an absolute right” to pardon himself.While declining to address whether Trump would be able to pardon himself, Barrett said she agreed with Leahy’s assertion “no one is above the law.”___NO PREVIEW OF JUDICIAL VIEWSFor the second straight day, Barrett repeatedly declined to give her personal views, or to preview how she might rule, on issues that could become before the court. Like other Supreme Court nominees, Barrett said she was prohibited from expressing those opinions by the “canons of judicial conduct.”In addition to a possible presidential pardon and whether to overturn the health law, Barrett said she could not give an opinion on whether she would withdraw from any election-related litigation involving Trump. He said when he nominated her that he wanted the full nine justices in place before any possible election decisions.Barrett also said she could not answer whether Trump could delay the general election, an idea the president floated earlier this year even though he does not have authority under the Constitution to unilaterally change the date.___BREAKTHROUGH FOR CONSERVATIVE WOMENGraham opened Wednesday’s hearing by proclaiming Barrett’s expected confirmation a historic victory for conservative women. Like “conservatives of color,” conservative women, he said, are often “marginalized” in public life.“This hearing, to me, is an opportunity to not punch through a glass ceiling but a reinforced concrete barrier around conservative women,” Graham told Barrett. “You are going to shatter that barrier.’’Graham said he has “never been more proud of a nominee” than he is of Barrett, a federal appeals court judge from Indiana. “This is the first time in American history that we’ve nominated a woman who is unashamedly pro-life and embraces her faith without apology, and she is going to the court. This is history being made, folks.”Barrett has declined to say how she would rule on a challenge to the Roe v. Wade decision that established abortion rights, but she has made clear she opposes abortion rights and signed a 2006 letter objecting to “abortion on demand.”___SHIFTING THE SUPREME COURT BALANCESen. Chris Coons, D-Del., asked Barrett whether she would acknowledge that her confirmation would mean a shift to the right on the Supreme Court that would have “profound” implications.Coons referred to an interview that Barrett gave where she spoke of a balance shift if Merrick Garland, a federal appeals court judge nominated in 2016 by President Barack Obama, were elevated to the high court. Obama picked Garland after Justice Antonin Scalia’s death, but Republicans in the Senate refused give Garland a hearing, citing the presidential election that was months away that year.Barrett told Coons she was referring in the interview to Garland’s judicial approach, not his more liberal views. Unlike the conservative Scalia, Garland was not an originalist, which refers to a way of interpreting the Constitution that focuses on the text and Founding Fathers’ intentions in resolving legal disputes. Originalists such as Scalia and Barrett argue that new legislation, rather than a new interpretation of the Constitution, is the best way to bring about social change.“It would be away from one balance and toward another in terms of how judges think about the text,″ Barrett said.Coons noted that Barrett, who claims Scalia as her mentor, would replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was not an originalist and was the court’s liberal leader. Barrett’s confirmation would shift the court’s previous 5-4 conservative majority to 6-3.___SOUNDS OF SILENCEThe hearing paused twice Wednesday because of audio problems in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The sound in the hearing room cut out a little before 2 p.m. and was off for 40 minutes. It cut out again after the hearing resumed, this time for about 15 minutes.The problem happened the first time just after Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., asked Barrett whether she had gotten some rest after a long day of questioning Tuesday. “I did have a glass of wine. I’ll tell you I needed that at the end of the day,” she said.On that point, “You have a right to remain silent,″ Blumenthal told Barrett.___WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;Supreme Court&nbsp;nominee Amy Coney Barrett returns to Capitol Hill for a third day of confirmation hearings as senators dig deeper into the conservative judge’s outlook on abortion, health care and a potentially disputed presidential election — the Democrats running out of time to stop Republicans pushing her quick confirmation.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?476317-1/supreme-court-nominee-amy-coney-barrett-confirmation-hearing-day-3">CLICK here to</a> watch day 3 of the confirmation hear that begins at 8a.m. CDTWednesday’s session is set to be Barrett’s last before the Senate Judiciary Committee. She has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-virus-outbreak-donald-trump-confirmation-hearings-health-63a2f915b62cf3281f66e80fea9c20e1">batting away questions&nbsp;</a>in long and lively exchanges, insisting she would bring no personal agenda to the court but decide cases “as they come.”Her nomination by President Donald Trump to replace the late&nbsp;Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg&nbsp;has ground other legislative business to a halt as Republicans excited by the prospect of locking in a 6-3 conservative court majority race to confirm her over Democratic objections before&nbsp;Election Day.“We’re going to fill this vacancy,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the committee chairman, said late Tuesday after a nearly 12-hour session.Graham said he appreciated that Trump had nominated a judge “who’s unabashedly pro-life, somebody who embraces their faith, but somebody who understands the difference between their personal views and judging.”Barrett’s nomination has been the focus at a Capitol mostly shut down by COVID-19 protocols, frustrating Democrats who are virtually powerless to stop a judge from confirmation. They warn she will be seated on the court in time to cast a vote to undo the Affordable Care Act next month, causing millions of Americans to lose coverage during a pandemic.“People are fed up,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., criticizing GOP priorities in forcing the Senate action as the country suffers from the pandemic and Congress squabbles over approving additional economic aid.The 48-year-old appellate court judge declared her conservative views in often colloquial language, but she refused many specifics Tuesday. She aligns with the late Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative mentor, and declined to say whether she would recuse herself from any election-related cases involving Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.“Judges can’t just wake up one day and say I have an agenda — I like guns, I hate guns, I like abortion, I hate abortion — and walk in like a royal queen and impose their will on the world,” Barrett told the committee during its second day of hearings.“It’s not the law of Amy,” she said. “It’s the law of the American people.”Trump seemed pleased with her performance. “I think Amy’s doing incredibly well,” he said at the White House departing for a campaign rally.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602680732295.png" alt="Judge Barrett's family including 6 of her children arrive for day 3 of the Senate confirmation hearing-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Judge Barrett's family including 6 of her children arrive for day 3 of the Senate confirmation hearing-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>Trump has said he wants a justice seated for any disputes arising from his heated campaign against Biden, but Barrett testified she has not spoken to Trump or his team about election cases. Pressed by Democrats, she skipped past questions about ensuring the date of the election or preventing voter intimidation, both set in federal law, and the peaceful transfer of presidential power. She declined to commit to recusing herself from any post-election cases without first consulting the other justices.“I can’t offer an opinion on recusal without short-circuiting that entire process,” she said.A frustrated Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the panel, all but implored the nominee to be more specific about how she would handle landmark abortion cases,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-fact-check-confirmation-hearings-amy-coney-barrett-judiciary-us-supreme-court-4ca09a4f3230eb1aee5a82308cffe8c3">including Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;and the follow-up Pennsylvania case Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which confirmed it in large part.“It’s distressing not to get a good answer,” the U.S. senator from California told the judge.Barrett was unmoved. “I don’t have an agenda to try to overrule Casey,” she said. “I have an agenda to stick to the rule of law and decide cases as they come.”She later declined to characterize the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion as a “super-precedent” that must not be overturned.Democrats had no such reticence.“Let’s not make any mistake about it,” said California Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, appearing remotely due to COVID concerns.Allowing Trump to fill the seat with Barrett “poses a threat to safe and legal abortion in our country,” Harris said.The Senate, led by Trump’s Republican allies, is pushing Barrett’s nomination to a quick vote before Nov. 3, and ahead of the latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act, which the Supreme Court is to hear a week after the election. Democrats warn that she would be a vote to undo the “Obamacare” law.“I’m not hostile to the ACA,” Barrett told the senators.The judge, accompanied by her family, described herself as taking a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-amy-coney-barrett-us-supreme-court-courts-antonin-scalia-038ec1d4de30d1bd97a0ce3823903f0c">conservative, originalist approach to the Constitution</a>. A former law professor, she told the senators that while she admires Scalia, she would bring her own approach.“You would not be getting Justice Scalia, you would be getting Justice Barrett,” she declared.Overall, Barrett’s conservative views are at odds with the late Ginsburg, a liberal icon. She would be Trump’s third justice.Underscoring the Republicans’ confidence, Graham set an initial committee vote on the nomination for Thursday, the last day of hearings, which would allow final approval by the full Senate by the end of the month.Protesters rallied outside the Senate building, unable to come inside the hearing room.___

🎥 Pardon power, silent mics on Barrett's final day

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — At least 147 University of Kansas employees are taking an early retirement buyout this year as the school looks to cut costs amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer said in a message to faculty and staff members Wednesday that unit leaders across campus have asked to fill roughly 20% of the positions that will be vacated through the program. But she said discussions about which positions will be filled are ongoing, and many of the roles will remain vacant.

The university announced the buyout program in June because of anticipated enrollment drops that ultimately weren’t as large as officials feared. To qualify, employees must meet certain criteria, such as being at least 62 years old and serving 10 years or longer at the university or another Kansas state agency. The buyout amounts to a lump-sum cash payment of $100,000 or an employee’s fiscal year 2021 budgeted base salary, whichever is lower.

The university last offered a similar buyout program in 2018, but it wasn’t an option for staff. This year, the bulk of the buyout participants are staff, with 134 submitting retirement notices through the program. Just 13 faculty have done so

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — At least 147 University of Kansas employees are taking an early retirement buyout this year as the school looks to cut costs amid the coronavirus pandemic.Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer said in a message to faculty and staff members Wednesday that unit leaders across campus have asked to fill roughly 20% of the positions that will be vacated through the program. But she said discussions about which positions will be filled are ongoing, and many of the roles will remain vacant.The university announced the buyout program in June because of anticipated enrollment drops that ultimately weren’t as large as officials feared. To qualify, employees must meet certain criteria, such as being at least 62 years old and serving 10 years or longer at the university or another Kansas state agency. The buyout amounts to a lump-sum cash payment of $100,000 or an employee’s fiscal year 2021 budgeted base salary, whichever is lower.The university last offered a similar buyout program in 2018, but it wasn’t an option for staff. This year, the bulk of the buyout participants are staff, with 134 submitting retirement notices through the program. Just 13 faculty have done so

At least 147 KU employees take buyout

BARRY COUNTY, Mo. — One person died in an accident just after 7 p.m. Tuesday in Barry County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Ford Taurus driven by Shirley L. Bell, 59, Anthony, Kansas, was southbound on Highway 39 in Jenkins, Missouri.

The car crossed the center line and struck a northbound 2006 Lincoln Zephyr driven by Jereme D. Fenley, 35, Shell Knob, Missouri, head-on.

Bell was pronounced dead at the scene. An air ambulance transported Fenley and a 14-year-old boy in the Taurus to Mercy Hospital in Springfield. Bell was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

BARRY COUNTY, Mo. — One person died in an accident just after 7 p.m. Tuesday in Barry County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Ford Taurus driven by Shirley L. Bell, 59, Anthony, Kansas, was southbound on Highway 39 in Jenkins, Missouri.The car crossed the center line and struck a northbound 2006 Lincoln Zephyr driven by Jereme D. Fenley, 35, Shell Knob, Missouri, head-on.Bell was pronounced dead at the scene. An air ambulance transported Fenley and a 14-year-old boy in the Taurus to Mercy Hospital in Springfield. Bell was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.

Kansas woman dies, 2 hospitalized after head-on crash

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police in Kansas City have identified a man whose badly decomposed body was found in a wooded area of Swope Park. Police say the body is that of 62-year-old Ronnie Lawrence. 

Officers were called to the area around 7 p.m. Monday, and a person at the scene led officers to the body, which was located just off a road. Police say the body was in an advanced state of decomposition, but that investigators were able to determine he had suffered significant trauma. 

Police have ruled the death a homicide. Police have not yet released a cause of death.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Police in Kansas City are investigating the death of a person whose badly decomposed body was found in a wooded area of Swope Park. Police say officers were called to the area around 7 p.m. Monday, and a person at the scene led officers to the body, which was located just off a road. 

Police say the body was in an advanced state of decomposition, but that investigators were able to determine that the victim had suffered significant trauma. 

Police are treating the death as a homicide. Police say an autopsy will need to determine the cause of death. The victim has not yet been identified.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602592338729.png" alt="Police at the scene of the investigation Monday night -photo courtesy KMBC TV" />
 <figcaption>Police at the scene of the investigation Monday night -photo courtesy KMBC TV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police in Kansas City have identified a man whose badly decomposed body was found in a wooded area of Swope Park. Police say the body is that of 62-year-old Ronnie Lawrence. Officers were called to the area around 7 p.m. Monday, and a person at the scene led officers to the body, which was located just off a road. Police say the body was in an advanced state of decomposition, but that investigators were able to determine he had suffered significant trauma. Police have ruled the death a homicide. Police have not yet released a cause of death.KANSAS CITY (AP) — Police in Kansas City are investigating the death of a person whose badly decomposed body was found in a wooded area of Swope Park. Police say officers were called to the area around 7 p.m. Monday, and a person at the scene led officers to the body, which was located just off a road. Police say the body was in an advanced state of decomposition, but that investigators were able to determine that the victim had suffered significant trauma. Police are treating the death as a homicide. Police say an autopsy will need to determine the cause of death. The victim has not yet been identified.

Homicide: KC police ID body found in wooded area

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 1293 to a total of 69,155 the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;

Coronavirus deaths were reported at 838, an increase of 67.

<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 1293 to a total of 69,155 the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;Coronavirus deaths were reported at 838, an increase of 67.<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/2020/10/1602697422873.png" alt="Wednesday October 14, 2020 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday October 14, 2020 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

NEW YORK — NBC News agreed to put President Donald Trump before voters in a town hall event on Thursday after the president submitted to an independent coronavirus test with the results reviewed by Dr. Anthony Fauci.

The announcement Wednesday sets up dueling town halls with Democratic opponent Joe Biden on a night the two candidates were supposed to meet for their second debate. Biden is appearing on a similar town hall event in Philadelphia, televised by ABC.

NBC said Trump would be at least 12 feet from moderator Savannah Guthrie and the audience.

Trump, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 2 and spent three days at the Walter Reed military hospital, took a coronavirus test Tuesday administered by the National Institutes of Health, NBC said.

Both NIH clinical director Dr. Clifford Lane and Fauci reviewed Trump’s medical records and said they had a high degree of confidence that the president is “not shedding infectious virus.”

Trump's ability to reach a national television audience on Thursday was in part dependent on Fauci, who had expressed anger at the Trump campaign in recent days for using one of his statements in a campaign ad. The coronavirus task force member said a quote used in the campaign ad was taken out of context.

A formal matchup between the Republican president and Biden that was scheduled for Thursday in Miami by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debate was canceled. In light of the president’s infection, the commission shifted the format to a virtual meeting, and Trump declined to participate.

Both town halls will begin at 8 p.m. Eastern, but Biden will have the last word. The ABC event, moderated by George Stephanopoulos, will last 90 minutes with an additional half hour of analysis. Trump's town hall on NBC is scheduled for an hour.

In addition to preventing viewers from getting a side-by-side comparison of the two men, the dueling events will likely be seen by far fewer people.

The first debate between the two men last month was watched by an estimated 73.1 million people, the Nielsen company said.

An estimated 6.7 million people saw Biden at an NBC News-sponsored town hall last week. Like the Trump event on Thursday will be, it was simulcast on MSNBC, CNBC and streamed online.

Trump's town hall with Stephanopoulos on Sept. 15 was seen by 3.8 million people, Nielsen said.

Thursday’s Trump town hall on NBC will be held outdoors at the Perez Art Museum in Miami. Audience members will be socially distanced, required to wear a mask and submit to a temperature check before entering the venue, NBC said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1601463580987.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK — NBC News agreed to put President Donald Trump before voters in a town hall event on Thursday after the president submitted to an independent coronavirus test with the results reviewed by Dr. Anthony Fauci.The announcement Wednesday sets up dueling town halls with Democratic opponent Joe Biden on a night the two candidates were supposed to meet for their second debate. Biden is appearing on a similar town hall event in Philadelphia, televised by ABC.NBC said Trump would be at least 12 feet from moderator Savannah Guthrie and the audience.Trump, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 2 and spent three days at the Walter Reed military hospital, took a coronavirus test Tuesday administered by the National Institutes of Health, NBC said.Both NIH clinical director Dr. Clifford Lane and Fauci reviewed Trump’s medical records and said they had a high degree of confidence that the president is “not shedding infectious virus.”Trump's ability to reach a national television audience on Thursday was in part dependent on Fauci, who had expressed anger at the Trump campaign in recent days for using one of his statements in a campaign ad. The coronavirus task force member said a quote used in the campaign ad was taken out of context.A formal matchup between the Republican president and Biden that was scheduled for Thursday in Miami by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debate was canceled. In light of the president’s infection, the commission shifted the format to a virtual meeting, and Trump declined to participate.Both town halls will begin at 8 p.m. Eastern, but Biden will have the last word. The ABC event, moderated by George Stephanopoulos, will last 90 minutes with an additional half hour of analysis. Trump's town hall on NBC is scheduled for an hour.In addition to preventing viewers from getting a side-by-side comparison of the two men, the dueling events will likely be seen by far fewer people.The first debate between the two men last month was watched by an estimated 73.1 million people, the Nielsen company said.An estimated 6.7 million people saw Biden at an NBC News-sponsored town hall last week. Like the Trump event on Thursday will be, it was simulcast on MSNBC, CNBC and streamed online.Trump's town hall with Stephanopoulos on Sept. 15 was seen by 3.8 million people, Nielsen said.Thursday’s Trump town hall on NBC will be held outdoors at the Perez Art Museum in Miami. Audience members will be socially distanced, required to wear a mask and submit to a temperature check before entering the venue, NBC said.

Trump, Biden to hold dueling town halls after canceled debate

WASHINGTON (AP) —Independent monitors have paused enrollment in a study testing the COVID-19 antiviral drug remdesivir plus an experimental antibody therapy being developed by Eli Lilly that’s similar to a treatment President Donald Trump recently received.

Lilly confirmed Tuesday that the study had been paused “out of an abundance of caution” and said safety is its top concern. The company would not say more about what led to this step.

The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which sponsors the study, would not immediately comment.

Antibodies are proteins the body makes when an infection occurs; they attach to a virus and help it be eliminated. The experimental drugs are concentrated versions of one or two specific antibodies that worked best against the coronavirus in lab and animal tests.

<a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04501978?term=ACTIV-3&amp;draw=2&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">This study</a>&nbsp;was testing a single antibody that Lilly is developing with the Canadian company AbCellera. Trump received an experimental two-antibody combo drug from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Lilly and Regeneron have asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to grant emergency use authorization for their drugs for COVID-19 while late-stage studies continue.

The paused study, called ACTIV-3, started in August and aims to enroll 10,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the United States, Denmark and Singapore. All are given remdesivir, which has been authorized in the U.S. as an emergency treatment for COVID-19, plus either the Lilly antibody or a placebo.

The main goals are reducing the need for extra oxygen and time to recovery. Deaths, relief of symptoms and other measures also are being tracked. All of the drugs are given through an IV.

Such pauses are not uncommon in long clinical studies. Unlike a study hold imposed by government regulators, a pause is initiated by the sponsor of the drug trial and often can be quickly resolved.

The pause in the Lilly study comes a day after a temporary halt to enrollment in a coronavirus vaccine study. Johnson &amp; Johnson executives said Tuesday that it will be a few days before they know more about an unexplained illness in one participant that caused a pause in its late-stage vaccine study. Johnson &amp; Johnson isn’t disclosing the nature of the illness.

“It may have nothing to do with the vaccine,” said Mathai Mammen, head of research and development for Janssen, Johnson &amp; Johnson’s medicine development business.

Mammen said the company doesn’t know yet whether the ill participant received the experimental vaccine or a dummy shot. He says Johnson &amp; Johnson gave information on the case to the independent monitoring board overseeing the safety of patients in the study, as the research protocol requires. It will recommend next steps.

The study of the one-dose vaccine will include up to 60,000 people from multiple countries. The company expects to complete enrollment in the study in two or three months.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602636110217.png" alt="photo courtesy Eli Lilly" />
 <figcaption>photo courtesy Eli Lilly</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —Independent monitors have paused enrollment in a study testing the COVID-19 antiviral drug remdesivir plus an experimental antibody therapy being developed by Eli Lilly that’s similar to a treatment President Donald Trump recently received.Lilly confirmed Tuesday that the study had been paused “out of an abundance of caution” and said safety is its top concern. The company would not say more about what led to this step.The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which sponsors the study, would not immediately comment.Antibodies are proteins the body makes when an infection occurs; they attach to a virus and help it be eliminated. The experimental drugs are concentrated versions of one or two specific antibodies that worked best against the coronavirus in lab and animal tests.<a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04501978?term=ACTIV-3&amp;draw=2&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">This study</a>&nbsp;was testing a single antibody that Lilly is developing with the Canadian company AbCellera. Trump received an experimental two-antibody combo drug from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.Lilly and Regeneron have asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to grant emergency use authorization for their drugs for COVID-19 while late-stage studies continue.The paused study, called ACTIV-3, started in August and aims to enroll 10,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the United States, Denmark and Singapore. All are given remdesivir, which has been authorized in the U.S. as an emergency treatment for COVID-19, plus either the Lilly antibody or a placebo.The main goals are reducing the need for extra oxygen and time to recovery. Deaths, relief of symptoms and other measures also are being tracked. All of the drugs are given through an IV.Such pauses are not uncommon in long clinical studies. Unlike a study hold imposed by government regulators, a pause is initiated by the sponsor of the drug trial and often can be quickly resolved.The pause in the Lilly study comes a day after a temporary halt to enrollment in a coronavirus vaccine study. Johnson &amp; Johnson executives said Tuesday that it will be a few days before they know more about an unexplained illness in one participant that caused a pause in its late-stage vaccine study. Johnson &amp; Johnson isn’t disclosing the nature of the illness.“It may have nothing to do with the vaccine,” said Mathai Mammen, head of research and development for Janssen, Johnson &amp; Johnson’s medicine development business.ADVERTISEMENTMammen said the company doesn’t know yet whether the ill participant received the experimental vaccine or a dummy shot. He says Johnson &amp; Johnson gave information on the case to the independent monitoring board overseeing the safety of patients in the study, as the research protocol requires. It will recommend next steps.The study of the one-dose vaccine will include up to 60,000 people from multiple countries. The company expects to complete enrollment in the study in two or three months.

Possible safety issue spurs pause of COVID-19 antibody study

BARTON COUNTY&nbsp; —One person died in an accident just before 8p.m. Tuesday in Great Bend.

According to Great Bend Police, a 2006 Big D motorcycle driven by Daniel McKay, 69, was eastbound on Broadway Avenue and struck a large dog that was running north across the roadway. The impact ejected McKay from the motorcycle.

EMS transported him to the hospital in Great Bend where he died, according to police.

Authorities also found the dog dead in the roadway. Police have been in contact with the dog's owner.

McKay was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. This case remains under investigation by the Great Bend Police Department.

BARTON COUNTY&nbsp; —One person died in an accident just before 8p.m. Tuesday in Great Bend.According to Great Bend Police, a 2006 Big D motorcycle driven by Daniel McKay, 69, was eastbound on Broadway Avenue and struck a large dog that was running north across the roadway. The impact ejected McKay from the motorcycle.EMS transported him to the hospital in Great Bend where he died, according to police.Authorities also found the dog dead in the roadway. Police have been in contact with the dog's owner.McKay was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. This case remains under investigation by the Great Bend Police Department.

Kansas man dies after motorcycle strikes dog

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said Tuesday that she doesn’t plan to have the state health department use its power to manage disease outbreaks by shutting down businesses or imposing other restrictions in local coronavirus hot spots.

The Democratic governor’s statement went further than a public promise she made last month to top Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature not to issue orders to close businesses statewide, as she did in the spring. She said that although the state will work with local officials in areas with big outbreaks to help them check the spread of the virus, it won’t dictate the steps they’ll take.

Kelly and Republican lawmakers were at odds for weeks over her handling of the pandemic, with GOP leaders preferring to let local officials set the rules for businesses, public gatherings and the reopening of K-12 schools. The Legislature forced her to accept local control of most of those decisions, and Kelly said Tuesday during a Statehouse news conference that she wants to keep businesses open.

“A much more effective way is to have the local buy-in,” Kelly said. “The better way to do it rather than using the hammer is to continue to work closely with local officials, local public health officials.”

As of Monday, Kansas had had nearly 68,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 771 deaths from the disease since the start of the pandemic, according to the state Department of Health and Environment.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2020s/b2020s/statute/065_000_0000_chapter/065_001_0000_article/065_001_0028_section/065_001_0028_k/" target="_blank">Kansas law</a>&nbsp;gives the state health department’s top administrator the authority to issue orders “as may be medically necessary and reasonable” to control “diseases injurious to the public health,” including by quarantining individuals. The health department’s head, Dr. Lee Norman, said last week that Kansas was “losing the battle” to check the coronavirus.

The governor offered a more optimistic assessment, saying Kansas can slow the virus, just as it appeared to do from late May to mid-June, before the average number of new daily cases began rising again, eventually to record levels.

“I’m not going to micromanage the counties,” Kelly said.

Kelly kept a statewide stay-at-home order this spring that stayed in effect for five weeks, then set statewide restrictions on businesses and public gatherings for another month, through Memorial Day in May. She also issued a statewide order in July requiring people to wear masks in public, though state law allowed counties to opt out.

Meanwhile, in Lawrence, the public school district modified its plans to move from online classes to having students attend in person part of the week because of concerns expressed by teachers and other staff.

The district plans to have its high school students attend in-person classes only one day a week, instead of the two days that were initially planned,&nbsp;<a href="https://www2.ljworld.com/news/schools/2020/oct/12/lawrence-high-schools-to-use-different-hybrid-learning-model-because-concerns-over-long-class-periods-classroom-transitions/" target="_blank">the Lawrence Journal-World reported.</a>&nbsp;Students in lower grades will have in-person classes two days a week, but the school board decided late Monday to delay that until Nov. 9 for elementary schools.

By JOHN HANNATOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said Tuesday that she doesn’t plan to have the state health department use its power to manage disease outbreaks by shutting down businesses or imposing other restrictions in local coronavirus hot spots.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FGovLauraKelly%2Fvideos%2F2772924946299136%2F&show_text=false&width=560" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>The Democratic governor’s statement went further than a public promise she made last month to top Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature not to issue orders to close businesses statewide, as she did in the spring. She said that although the state will work with local officials in areas with big outbreaks to help them check the spread of the virus, it won’t dictate the steps they’ll take.Kelly and Republican lawmakers were at odds for weeks over her handling of the pandemic, with GOP leaders preferring to let local officials set the rules for businesses, public gatherings and the reopening of K-12 schools. The Legislature forced her to accept local control of most of those decisions, and Kelly said Tuesday during a Statehouse news conference that she wants to keep businesses open.“A much more effective way is to have the local buy-in,” Kelly said. “The better way to do it rather than using the hammer is to continue to work closely with local officials, local public health officials.”As of Monday, Kansas had had nearly 68,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 771 deaths from the disease since the start of the pandemic, according to the state Department of Health and Environment.<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2020s/b2020s/statute/065_000_0000_chapter/065_001_0000_article/065_001_0028_section/065_001_0028_k/" target="_blank">Kansas law</a>&nbsp;gives the state health department’s top administrator the authority to issue orders “as may be medically necessary and reasonable” to control “diseases injurious to the public health,” including by quarantining individuals. The health department’s head, Dr. Lee Norman, said last week that Kansas was “losing the battle” to check the coronavirus.The governor offered a more optimistic assessment, saying Kansas can slow the virus, just as it appeared to do from late May to mid-June, before the average number of new daily cases began rising again, eventually to record levels.“I’m not going to micromanage the counties,” Kelly said.Kelly kept a statewide stay-at-home order this spring that stayed in effect for five weeks, then set statewide restrictions on businesses and public gatherings for another month, through Memorial Day in May. She also issued a statewide order in July requiring people to wear masks in public, though state law allowed counties to opt out.Meanwhile, in Lawrence, the public school district modified its plans to move from online classes to having students attend in person part of the week because of concerns expressed by teachers and other staff.The district plans to have its high school students attend in-person classes only one day a week, instead of the two days that were initially planned,&nbsp;<a href="https://www2.ljworld.com/news/schools/2020/oct/12/lawrence-high-schools-to-use-different-hybrid-learning-model-because-concerns-over-long-class-periods-classroom-transitions/" target="_blank">the Lawrence Journal-World reported.</a>&nbsp;Students in lower grades will have in-person classes two days a week, but the school board decided late Monday to delay that until Nov. 9 for elementary schools.

🎥 Governor: Kan. won’t jump into local COVID-19 hot spots

POMONA, KAN. (AP) — The body of a man was pulled from Pomona Lake in east-central Kansas earlier this week, officials there said.

The body of Floyd Moehlman, 70, of Pomona, was found Monday evening after officials received reports of a capsized boat at the lake.

The Osage County Sheriff’s Office said deputies, medics and firefighters arrived at the lake around 6:30 p.m., where a boat had capsized near the Carbolyn Park boat ramp, and soon found Moehlman’s body. He was declared dead at the scene.

POMONA, KAN. (AP) — The body of a man was pulled from Pomona Lake in east-central Kansas earlier this week, officials there said.The body of Floyd Moehlman, 70, of Pomona, was found Monday evening after officials received reports of a capsized boat at the lake.The Osage County Sheriff’s Office said deputies, medics and firefighters arrived at the lake around 6:30 p.m., where a boat had capsized near the Carbolyn Park boat ramp, and soon found Moehlman’s body. He was declared dead at the scene.

Sheriff: Body of 70-year-old man found in Kan. lake

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A man who federal prosecutors say they suspect in a Missouri decapitation killing was sentenced Tuesday to 35 years in prison for stalking Kansas massage parlor workers in an unrelated case.

Senior U.S. District Judge Gary Fenner told 69-year-old Robert Gross that his history of violence was “extremely disturbing” in sentencing him for the stalking and firearms charges.

Although he has not been charged with homicide, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jess Michaelsen said Gross had long been suspected in the August 2016 killing of Ying Li whose body was found inside her burning Kansas City apartment. Federal law allows prosecutors to present information about uncharged crimes at sentencing.

Kansas City homicide detective Alane Booth said their investigation led them to conclude that Gross decapitated Li after he received a massage and had sex with her. Li was stabbed 18 times and her killer also cut off her fingers.

“This armed and dangerous criminal, with a history of stalking and violence toward women, will spend the rest of his life in prison,” said U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602638545264.png" alt="Robert Gross-photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Robert Gross-photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A man who federal prosecutors say they suspect in a Missouri decapitation killing was sentenced Tuesday to 35 years in prison for stalking Kansas massage parlor workers in an unrelated case.Senior U.S. District Judge Gary Fenner told 69-year-old Robert Gross that his history of violence was “extremely disturbing” in sentencing him for the stalking and firearms charges.Although he has not been charged with homicide, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jess Michaelsen said Gross had long been suspected in the August 2016 killing of Ying Li whose body was found inside her burning Kansas City apartment. Federal law allows prosecutors to present information about uncharged crimes at sentencing.Kansas City homicide detective Alane Booth said their investigation led them to conclude that Gross decapitated Li after he received a massage and had sex with her. Li was stabbed 18 times and her killer also cut off her fingers.“This armed and dangerous criminal, with a history of stalking and violence toward women, will spend the rest of his life in prison,” said U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison.Defense attorney John P. O’Connor declined to comment after the hearing, which lasted just under four hours.In May 2019, Gross was found guilty on eight of the 10 charges that included stalking women who worked at massage parlors in Johnson County and in Lawrence. He was also convicted of possessing guns as a convicted felon and other firearms violations. Gross was acquitted on two counts of stalking.Video played to jurors at trial showed Gross walking around a Lawrence massage parlor in 2017, at times naked, while berating a worker. The women told police their cars were keyed, screws drilled into their tires and their windows smashed out.Just before he announced the sentencing, Fenner asked Gross if he wanted to say anything. After speaking briefly with O’Connor, Gross said “Your honor I choose not to make a comment at this time.”