SEDGWICK COUNTY — Authorities have identified the body of a missing swimmer in a Kansas lake as 29-year-old Zachariah Shepherd of Andover, according the Sgt. Tim Myers with the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Department.

Just before 1p..m Saturday, deputies were dispatched to Lake Afton, west of Wichita, for a possible drowning.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Deputies arrived and learned Shepherd had attempted to swim across the lake and was last seen around 2:00 a.m. Saturday.

The Sedgwick County Fire Department and Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks personnel assisted in the attempt to locate Shepherd, but were not successful.&nbsp;

Just before 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Shepherd's body was recovered from the lake.&nbsp;

Although the death of Shepherd is still under investigation, at this time it does not to be suspicious, according to Myers

GODDARD, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have found the body of a missing swimmer in a Kansas Lake.&nbsp; A Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office spokesman said the body was found around 1:20 a.m. Sunday at Lake Afton. 

The search began Saturday afternoon at the 258-acre man-made recreational lake in an area of Sedgwick County west of Wichita. The name of the victim has not been released.

GODDARD, Kan. (AP) — Authorities are searching a Kansas lake for a missing person. 

Dispatchers responded around 2:45 p.m. Saturday to a submersion at Lake Afton, a 258-acre man-made recreational lake in an area of Sedgwick County west of Wichita. 

The name of the missing person has not been released.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1593345960793.png" alt="Search crews on the scene Saturday -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Search crews on the scene Saturday -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — Authorities have identified the body of a missing swimmer in a Kansas lake as 29-year-old Zachariah Shepherd of Andover, according the Sgt. Tim Myers with the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Department.Just before 1p..m Saturday, deputies were dispatched to Lake Afton, west of Wichita, for a possible drowning.&nbsp; &nbsp;Deputies arrived and learned Shepherd had attempted to swim across the lake and was last seen around 2:00 a.m. Saturday.The Sedgwick County Fire Department and Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks personnel assisted in the attempt to locate Shepherd, but were not successful.&nbsp;Just before 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Shepherd's body was recovered from the lake.&nbsp;Although the death of Shepherd is still under investigation, at this time it does not to be suspicious, according to Myers----------GODDARD, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have found the body of a missing swimmer in a Kansas Lake.&nbsp; A Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office spokesman said the body was found around 1:20 a.m. Sunday at Lake Afton. The search began Saturday afternoon at the 258-acre man-made recreational lake in an area of Sedgwick County west of Wichita. The name of the victim has not been released.----------GODDARD, Kan. (AP) — Authorities are searching a Kansas lake for a missing person. Dispatchers responded around 2:45 p.m. Saturday to a submersion at Lake Afton, a 258-acre man-made recreational lake in an area of Sedgwick County west of Wichita. The name of the missing person has not been released.&nbsp;

Update: Sheriff IDs body of swimmer recovered from Kansas lake

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday struck down a Louisiana law regulating abortion clinics, reasserting a commitment to abortion rights over fierce opposition from dissenting conservative justices in the first big&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/Abortion">abortion case</a>&nbsp;of the Trump era.

Chief Justice John Roberts joined with his four more liberal colleagues in ruling that the law requiring doctors who perform abortions have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals violates the abortion right the court first announced in the landmark Roe v. Wade decision in 1973.

In two previous abortion cases, Roberts had favored restrictions.

The Louisiana law is virtually identical to one in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/654afc839388440f8a4efc2eb22ca41a">Texas that the court struck down in 2016</a>.

“The result in this case is controlled by our decision four years ago invalidating a nearly identical Texas law,” Roberts wrote, although he did not join the opinion written by Justice Stephen Breyer for the other liberals.

In dissent, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote, “Today a majority of the Court perpetuates its ill-founded abortion jurisprudence by enjoining a perfectly legitimate state law and doing so without jurisdiction.”

President Donald Trump’s two appointees, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, were in dissent, along with Justice Samuel Alito. The presence of the new justices is what fueled hopes among abortion opponents, and fears on the other side, that the Supreme Court would be more likely to uphold restrictions.

A trial judge had said the law would not provide health benefits to women and would leave only one clinic open in Louisiana, in New Orleans. That would make it too hard for women to get an abortion, in violation of the Constitution, the judge ruled.

But the appeals court in New Orleans rejected the judge’s findings and upheld the law in 2018, doubting that any clinics would have to close and saying the doctors had not tried hard enough to establish relationships with local hospitals.

<a href="https://apnews.com/6d10cb3de220233dcda0c6ff7ecc60af">The clinics filed an emergency appeal</a>&nbsp;at the Supreme Court, asking that the law be blocked while the justices evaluated the case.

Early last year, Roberts joined with the four liberal members of the court to grant that request and keep the law on hold.

Roberts’ vote was a bit of a surprise because he voted in the Texas case to uphold the clinic restrictions. It may have reflected his new role since Kennedy’s retirement as the court’s swing justice, his concern about the court being perceived as a partisan institution and respect for a prior decision of the court, even one he disagreed with. Roberts didn’t write anything explaining his position at the time, but he had never before cast a vote on the side of abortion rights.

The regulations at issue in Louisiana are distinct from other state laws making their way through court challenges that would ban abortions early in a pregnancy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/10/1571309298669.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday struck down a Louisiana law regulating abortion clinics, reasserting a commitment to abortion rights over fierce opposition from dissenting conservative justices in the first big&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/Abortion">abortion case</a>&nbsp;of the Trump era.Chief Justice John Roberts joined with his four more liberal colleagues in ruling that the law requiring doctors who perform abortions have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals violates the abortion right the court first announced in the landmark Roe v. Wade decision in 1973.In two previous abortion cases, Roberts had favored restrictions.The Louisiana law is virtually identical to one in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/654afc839388440f8a4efc2eb22ca41a">Texas that the court struck down in 2016</a>.“The result in this case is controlled by our decision four years ago invalidating a nearly identical Texas law,” Roberts wrote, although he did not join the opinion written by Justice Stephen Breyer for the other liberals.In dissent, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote, “Today a majority of the Court perpetuates its ill-founded abortion jurisprudence by enjoining a perfectly legitimate state law and doing so without jurisdiction.”President Donald Trump’s two appointees, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, were in dissent, along with Justice Samuel Alito. The presence of the new justices is what fueled hopes among abortion opponents, and fears on the other side, that the Supreme Court would be more likely to uphold restrictions.A trial judge had said the law would not provide health benefits to women and would leave only one clinic open in Louisiana, in New Orleans. That would make it too hard for women to get an abortion, in violation of the Constitution, the judge ruled.But the appeals court in New Orleans rejected the judge’s findings and upheld the law in 2018, doubting that any clinics would have to close and saying the doctors had not tried hard enough to establish relationships with local hospitals.<a href="https://apnews.com/6d10cb3de220233dcda0c6ff7ecc60af">The clinics filed an emergency appeal</a>&nbsp;at the Supreme Court, asking that the law be blocked while the justices evaluated the case.Early last year, Roberts joined with the four liberal members of the court to grant that request and keep the law on hold.Roberts’ vote was a bit of a surprise because he voted in the Texas case to uphold the clinic restrictions. It may have reflected his new role since Kennedy’s retirement as the court’s swing justice, his concern about the court being perceived as a partisan institution and respect for a prior decision of the court, even one he disagreed with. Roberts didn’t write anything explaining his position at the time, but he had never before cast a vote on the side of abortion rights.The regulations at issue in Louisiana are distinct from other state laws making their way through court challenges that would ban abortions early in a pregnancy.

Supreme Court strikes down controversial abortion clinic law

TOPEKA&nbsp;– The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) deployed a Mobile Testing Unit to assist communities with COVID-19 testing for underserved populations, according to a media release from Governor Laura Kelly's office.

“In order to combat the spread of COVID-19 and safely reopen Kansas, our public health experts must be able to track the scale and scope of this virus,” Governor Kelly said. “Working with local communities and public health officials, this mobile unit helps us reach the vulnerable populations that are experiencing barriers to testing access.”

KDHE is working with local health departments and other health organizations to identify locations throughout Kansas which would benefit from this service. The Mobile Testing Unit is a van outfitted with COVID-19 laboratory-sampling equipment that can travel to locations and areas as requested. Currently, the Mobile Testing Unit is tentatively scheduled through mid-July. It will make its first appearance in conjunction with an Advent Health/Mercy and Truth Medical Missions event in Wyandotte County on June 27. For information regarding that event or future events, please reach out to the organizing entity.

“We recognize there are disparities with COVID-19 testing,” said Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE Secretary. “Part of our testing strategy in Kansas is to alleviate the barriers to getting tested.”

The lab testing is provided at no cost to any individual seeking testing. There is also no cost to the community. The test being performed is a diagnostic test, meaning it will say if the individual currently has COVID-19. The Mobile Testing Unit will collect the samples while at each site and then send them to the Kansas Health and Environmental Laboratories for processing. Results will be available to individuals in approximately 1-2 days through the partnering local health department or health organization.

If you are interested in having the Mobile Testing Unit in your community, KDHE encourages people to coordinate with their local health departments or also reach out to our&nbsp;<a href="mailto:COVID-19@ks.gov" target="_blank">COVID-19@ks.gov</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1593397742835.png" alt="Photo courtesy office of Kansas Governor" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy office of Kansas Governor</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp;– The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) deployed a Mobile Testing Unit to assist communities with COVID-19 testing for underserved populations, according to a media release from Governor Laura Kelly's office.“In order to combat the spread of COVID-19 and safely reopen Kansas, our public health experts must be able to track the scale and scope of this virus,” Governor Kelly said. “Working with local communities and public health officials, this mobile unit helps us reach the vulnerable populations that are experiencing barriers to testing access.”KDHE is working with local health departments and other health organizations to identify locations throughout Kansas which would benefit from this service. The Mobile Testing Unit is a van outfitted with COVID-19 laboratory-sampling equipment that can travel to locations and areas as requested. Currently, the Mobile Testing Unit is tentatively scheduled through mid-July. It will make its first appearance in conjunction with an Advent Health/Mercy and Truth Medical Missions event in Wyandotte County on June 27. For information regarding that event or future events, please reach out to the organizing entity.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1588193586788.png" alt="KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman answers questions during a governor's press conference in early June" />
 <figcaption>KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman answers questions during a governor's press conference in early June</figcaption>
 </figure>“We recognize there are disparities with COVID-19 testing,” said Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE Secretary. “Part of our testing strategy in Kansas is to alleviate the barriers to getting tested.”The lab testing is provided at no cost to any individual seeking testing. There is also no cost to the community. The test being performed is a diagnostic test, meaning it will say if the individual currently has COVID-19. The Mobile Testing Unit will collect the samples while at each site and then send them to the Kansas Health and Environmental Laboratories for processing. Results will be available to individuals in approximately 1-2 days through the partnering local health department or health organization.If you are interested in having the Mobile Testing Unit in your community, KDHE encourages people to coordinate with their local health departments or also reach out to our&nbsp;<a href="mailto:COVID-19@ks.gov" target="_blank">COVID-19@ks.gov</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

KDHE mobile unit to assist with COVID-19 testing in Kansas

SEDGWICK COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a weekend shooting.

At approximately 2:30 a.m., Saturday, police responded to a shooting at Lincoln and Broadway, according to officer Keven Wheeler.&nbsp;

 As officers responded, they learned that a shooting patient arrived at a local hospital.&nbsp; Officers contacted a 32-year-old man who was treated and released with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his torso.&nbsp;

The investigation revealed that the 32-year-old was at a bar in the 1000 block of S. Broadway.&nbsp; As he and a 33-year-old woman were leaving the business, he was shot once by an unknown suspect causing his injury.&nbsp; A 35-year-old acquaintance transported the 32-year-old and the 33-year-old to the hospital in his vehicle.&nbsp;

Minutes before the shooting call, officers also responded to a suspicious character with shots fired at Topeka and Morris in&nbsp; Wichita.&nbsp; Officers learned that an unknown suspect was seen firing shots from a church parking lot.

Police have not released additional details or reported an arrest.

SEDGWICK COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a weekend shooting.At approximately 2:30 a.m., Saturday, police responded to a shooting at Lincoln and Broadway, according to officer Keven Wheeler.&nbsp; As officers responded, they learned that a shooting patient arrived at a local hospital.&nbsp; Officers contacted a 32-year-old man who was treated and released with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his torso.&nbsp;The investigation revealed that the 32-year-old was at a bar in the 1000 block of S. Broadway.&nbsp; As he and a 33-year-old woman were leaving the business, he was shot once by an unknown suspect causing his injury.&nbsp; A 35-year-old acquaintance transported the 32-year-old and the 33-year-old to the hospital in his vehicle.&nbsp;Minutes before the shooting call, officers also responded to a suspicious character with shots fired at Topeka and Morris in&nbsp; Wichita.&nbsp; Officers learned that an unknown suspect was seen firing shots from a church parking lot.Police have not released additional details or reported an arrest.

Police investigate shooting from Kansas church parking lot

ROME (AP) — The world surpassed two sobering coronavirus milestones Sunday -- 500,000 confirmed deaths, 10 million confirmed cases -- and hit another high mark for daily new infections as governments that attempted reopenings continued to backtrack and warn that worse news could be yet to come.

“COVID-19 has taken a very swift and very dangerous turn in Texas over just the past few weeks,” said Gov. Greg Abbott, who allowed businesses to start reopening in early May but on Friday shut down bars and limited restaurant dining amid a spike in cases.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom rolled back reopenings of bars in seven counties, including Los Angeles. He ordered them to close immediately and urged eight other counties to issue local health orders mandating the same.

More Florida beaches will be closing again to avoid further spread of the new coronavirus as officials try to tamp down on large gatherings amid a spike in COVID-19 cases. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said interactions among young people are driving the surge.

“Caution was thrown to the wind and so we are where we are,” DeSantis said.

South Africa’s health minister warned that the country’s current surge of cases is expected to rapidly increase in the coming weeks and push hospitals to the limit. Health Minister Zwelini Mkhize said the current rise in infections has come from people who “moved back into the workplace.

New clusters of cases at a Swiss nightclub and in the central English city of Leicester showed that the virus was still circulating widely in Europe, though not with the rapidly growing infection rate seen in parts of the U.S., Latin America and India.

Poland and France, meanwhile, attempted a step toward normalcy as they held elections that had been delayed by the virus.

Wearing mandatory masks, social distancing in lines and carrying their own pens to sign voting registers, French voters cast ballots in a second round of municipal elections. Poles also wore masks and used hand sanitizer, and some in virus-hit areas were told to mail in their ballots.

“I didn’t go and vote the first time around because I am elderly and I got scared,” said Fanny Barouh as she voted in a Paris school.

In Texas, Abbott appeared with Vice President Mike Pence, who cut campaign events from upcoming visits to Florida and Arizona because of rising virus cases in those states.

Pence praised Abbott for both his decision to reopen the state, and to roll back the reopening plans.

“You flattened the curve here in Texas ... but about two weeks ago something changed,” Pence said.

Pence urged people to wear masks when unable to practice social distancing. He and Abbott wore face masks as they entered and left the room, taking them off while speaking to reporters.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, meanwhile, defended the fact that President Donald Trump has rarely worn a mask in public, saying he doesn’t have to follow his own administration’s guidance because as a leader of the free world he’s tested regularly and is in “very different circumstances than the rest of us.”

Addressing spikes in reported coronavirus cases in some states, Azar said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that people “have to take ownership” of their own behaviors by social distancing and wearing masks if possible.

A reported tally Sunday from Johns Hopkins University researchers said the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic had topped 500,00.

About 1 in 4 of those deaths – more than 125,000 – have been reported in the U.S. The country with the next highest death toll is Brazil, with more than 57,000, or about 1 in 9.

The true death toll from the virus, which first emerged in China late last year, is widely believed to be significantly higher. Experts say that especially early on, many victims died of COVID-19 without being tested for it.

To date, more than 10 million confirmed cases have been reported globally. About a quarter of them have been reported in the U.S.

The World Health Organization announced another daily record in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases across the world - topping over 189,000 in a single 24-hour period. The tally eclipses the previous record a week earlier at over 183,000 cases, showing case counts continue to progress worldwide.

Overall the U.S. still has far and away the most total cases. At more than 2,450,000 - roughly twice that of Brazil. The number of actual cases worldwide is much higher.

New York, once the nation’s pandemic epicenter, is now “on the exact opposite end,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in an interview with “Meet the Press.”

The state reported five new virus deaths Saturday, its lowest reported daily death toll since March 15. During the state’s peak pandemic in April, nearly 800 people were dying every day. New York still leads the nation in COVID-19 deaths with nearly 25,000.

In the state of Washington, Gov. Jay Inslee put a hold on plans to move counties to the fourth phase of his reopening plan as cases continue to increase. But in Hawaii, the city of Honolulu announced that campgrounds will reopen for the first time in three months with limited permits to ensure social distancing.

Britain’s government, meanwhile, is considering whether a local lockdown is needed for the central English city of Leicester amid reports about a spike in COVID-19 among its Asian community. It would be Britain’s first local lockdown.

“We have seen flare-ups across the country in recent weeks,” Home Secretary Priti Patel told the BBC on Sunday.

Polish voters were casting ballots, in person and by mail, for a presidential election that was supposed to have taken place in May but was chaotically postponed amid the pandemic. President Andrzej Duda, a 48-year-old conservative, is running against 10 other candidates as he seeks a second five-year term.

Iwona Goge, 79, was encouraged to see so many people voting in Warsaw.

“It’s bad. Poland is terribly divided and people are getting discouraged,” she said.

French voters were choosing mayors and municipal councilors in Paris and 5,000 towns and cities in a second round of municipal elections held under strict hygiene rules.

Italy was honoring its dead later Sunday with an evening Requiem concert in hard-hit Bergamo province. The ceremony in the onetime epicenter of the European outbreak came a day after Italy registered the lowest daily tally of COVID-19 deaths in nearly four months: eight.

European leaders were taking no chances in tamping down new clusters. German authorities renewed a lockdown in a western region of about 500,000 people after about 1,300 slaughterhouse workers tested positive.

Africa’s confirmed cases of COVID-19 continued to climb to a new high of more than 371,000, including 9,484 deaths, according to figures released Sunday by the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

China on Monday reported a further decline in new confirmed cases, with a total of just 12, including seven cases of domestic transmission in Beijing, where nearly 8.3 million people have now undergone testing in recent weeks. No new deaths were reported Monday, leaving the total at 4,634 among 83,512 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

ROME (AP) — Another tragic milestone was passed Sunday in the coronavirus pandemic: 500,000 deaths worldwide.

The reported tally comes <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html">from Johns Hopkins University </a>researchers.

The nation’s top public health agency has revamped its list of which Americans are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 illness, adding pregnant women and removing age alone as a factor.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html" target="_blank">changed the list</a>&nbsp;of underlying conditions that make someone more susceptible to suffering and death. Sickle cell disease joined the list, for example. And the threshold for risky levels of obesity was lowered.

The changes didn’t include adding race as a risk factor for serious illness, despite accumulating evidence that Black people, Hispanics and Native Americans have higher rates of infection, hospitalization and death.

Agency officials said the update was prompted by medical studies published since CDC first started listing high-risk groups. They sought to publicize the information before Independence Day weekend, when many people may be tempted to go out and socialize.

“For those at higher risk, we recommend limiting contact with others as much as possible, or restricting contacts to a small number of people who are willing to take measures to reduce the risk of (you) becoming infected,” said CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield.

The same advice holds for people who live with or care for people at higher risk, Redfield added.

Previously, the CDC said those at high risk of serious illness included people aged 65 years and older; those who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility; and people with serious heart conditions, obesity, diabetes, liver disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease, and conditions that leave them with weakened immune systems.

In the changes, CDC created categories of people who are at high risk and people who might be at high risk.

Those who are at high risk include people with chronic kidney disease, chronic inflammatory lung disease, obesity, serious heart conditions, sickle cell disease, Type 2 diabetes, and weakened immune systems because of organ transplants. The threshold for obesity concern was lowered from a body mass index of 40 down to 30.

The CDC said people are at increasing risk as they get older, but it removed people 65 and older as a high risk group.

The list of people who might be at high risk includes pregnant women, smokers and those with asthma, diseases that affect blood flow to the brain, cystic fibrosis, high blood pressure, dementia, liver disease, scarred or damaged lungs, Type 1 diabetes, a rare blood disorder called thalassemia, and people who have weakened immune systems due to HIV or other reasons.

Pregnant women joined the list on the same day a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6925a1.htm?s_cid=mm6925a1_w" target="_blank">CDC report&nbsp;</a>found they accounted for about 9% of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in women of childbearing age. About 5% of women of childbearing age are pregnant at any given time.

The report showed that pregnant women had higher rates of hospitalization, of admission to a hospital intensive care unit and of winding up on a breathing machine vs. young women who weren’t pregnant. There was no clear evidence of a higher death rate among pregnant women, however.

It’s not completely surprising, said Dr. Denise Jamieson, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the Emory University School of Medicine. Pregnant women have been found to be at higher risk from other infectious respiratory diseases, likely because the lungs decrease in the volume as the uterus grows, Jamieson said.

What is surprising, she said, is that CDC didn’t place pregnant women in the highest risk category.

“To me this is the most compelling evidence to date that pregnant women are at increased risk,” said Jamieson, who spent 20 years at CDC as a reproductive health expert.

Earlier this week, CDC officials called on a panel of experts to help them identify groups that should be prioritized for coronavirus vaccinations if one becomes available and supplies are limited.

Pregnant women could be among that group. So could certain racial and ethnic groups.

CDC officials shared data with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices that showed, compared with white Americans, coronavirus hospitalization rates were 4 times higher for Hispanics, 4.5 times higher for Black people, and 5.5 higher for American Indians and Alaska Natives. A recent study in the Atlanta area suggested that being Black was as large a risk for hospitalization as having diabetes, being a smoker or being obese.

“If we fail to address racial and ethnic groups as at high risk for prioritization, whatever comes out of our group will be looked at very suspiciously and with a lot of reservation,” said Dr. Jose Romero, chair of the expert panel.

“They are groups that need to be moved to the forefront,” he said.

CDC officials say they expect to come out with recommendations for racial and ethnic minority groups soon.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1593379644162.png" alt="John Hopkins Covid 19 map of of confirmed cases June 28, 2020" />
 <figcaption>John Hopkins Covid 19 map of of confirmed cases June 28, 2020</figcaption>
 </figure>ROME (AP) — The world surpassed two sobering coronavirus milestones Sunday -- 500,000 confirmed deaths, 10 million confirmed cases -- and hit another high mark for daily new infections as governments that attempted reopenings continued to backtrack and warn that worse news could be yet to come.“COVID-19 has taken a very swift and very dangerous turn in Texas over just the past few weeks,” said Gov. Greg Abbott, who allowed businesses to start reopening in early May but on Friday shut down bars and limited restaurant dining amid a spike in cases.California Gov. Gavin Newsom rolled back reopenings of bars in seven counties, including Los Angeles. He ordered them to close immediately and urged eight other counties to issue local health orders mandating the same.More Florida beaches will be closing again to avoid further spread of the new coronavirus as officials try to tamp down on large gatherings amid a spike in COVID-19 cases. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said interactions among young people are driving the surge.“Caution was thrown to the wind and so we are where we are,” DeSantis said.South Africa’s health minister warned that the country’s current surge of cases is expected to rapidly increase in the coming weeks and push hospitals to the limit. Health Minister Zwelini Mkhize said the current rise in infections has come from people who “moved back into the workplace.New clusters of cases at a Swiss nightclub and in the central English city of Leicester showed that the virus was still circulating widely in Europe, though not with the rapidly growing infection rate seen in parts of the U.S., Latin America and India.Poland and France, meanwhile, attempted a step toward normalcy as they held elections that had been delayed by the virus.Wearing mandatory masks, social distancing in lines and carrying their own pens to sign voting registers, French voters cast ballots in a second round of municipal elections. Poles also wore masks and used hand sanitizer, and some in virus-hit areas were told to mail in their ballots.“I didn’t go and vote the first time around because I am elderly and I got scared,” said Fanny Barouh as she voted in a Paris school.In Texas, Abbott appeared with Vice President Mike Pence, who cut campaign events from upcoming visits to Florida and Arizona because of rising virus cases in those states.Pence praised Abbott for both his decision to reopen the state, and to roll back the reopening plans.“You flattened the curve here in Texas ... but about two weeks ago something changed,” Pence said.Pence urged people to wear masks when unable to practice social distancing. He and Abbott wore face masks as they entered and left the room, taking them off while speaking to reporters.Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, meanwhile, defended the fact that President Donald Trump has rarely worn a mask in public, saying he doesn’t have to follow his own administration’s guidance because as a leader of the free world he’s tested regularly and is in “very different circumstances than the rest of us.”Addressing spikes in reported coronavirus cases in some states, Azar said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that people “have to take ownership” of their own behaviors by social distancing and wearing masks if possible.A reported tally Sunday from Johns Hopkins University researchers said the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic had topped 500,00.About 1 in 4 of those deaths – more than 125,000 – have been reported in the U.S. The country with the next highest death toll is Brazil, with more than 57,000, or about 1 in 9.The true death toll from the virus, which first emerged in China late last year, is widely believed to be significantly higher. Experts say that especially early on, many victims died of COVID-19 without being tested for it.To date, more than 10 million confirmed cases have been reported globally. About a quarter of them have been reported in the U.S.The World Health Organization announced another daily record in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases across the world - topping over 189,000 in a single 24-hour period. The tally eclipses the previous record a week earlier at over 183,000 cases, showing case counts continue to progress worldwide.Overall the U.S. still has far and away the most total cases. At more than 2,450,000 - roughly twice that of Brazil. The number of actual cases worldwide is much higher.New York, once the nation’s pandemic epicenter, is now “on the exact opposite end,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in an interview with “Meet the Press.”The state reported five new virus deaths Saturday, its lowest reported daily death toll since March 15. During the state’s peak pandemic in April, nearly 800 people were dying every day. New York still leads the nation in COVID-19 deaths with nearly 25,000.In the state of Washington, Gov. Jay Inslee put a hold on plans to move counties to the fourth phase of his reopening plan as cases continue to increase. But in Hawaii, the city of Honolulu announced that campgrounds will reopen for the first time in three months with limited permits to ensure social distancing.Britain’s government, meanwhile, is considering whether a local lockdown is needed for the central English city of Leicester amid reports about a spike in COVID-19 among its Asian community. It would be Britain’s first local lockdown.“We have seen flare-ups across the country in recent weeks,” Home Secretary Priti Patel told the BBC on Sunday.Polish voters were casting ballots, in person and by mail, for a presidential election that was supposed to have taken place in May but was chaotically postponed amid the pandemic. President Andrzej Duda, a 48-year-old conservative, is running against 10 other candidates as he seeks a second five-year term.Iwona Goge, 79, was encouraged to see so many people voting in Warsaw.“It’s bad. Poland is terribly divided and people are getting discouraged,” she said.French voters were choosing mayors and municipal councilors in Paris and 5,000 towns and cities in a second round of municipal elections held under strict hygiene rules.Italy was honoring its dead later Sunday with an evening Requiem concert in hard-hit Bergamo province. The ceremony in the onetime epicenter of the European outbreak came a day after Italy registered the lowest daily tally of COVID-19 deaths in nearly four months: eight.European leaders were taking no chances in tamping down new clusters. German authorities renewed a lockdown in a western region of about 500,000 people after about 1,300 slaughterhouse workers tested positive.Africa’s confirmed cases of COVID-19 continued to climb to a new high of more than 371,000, including 9,484 deaths, according to figures released Sunday by the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.China on Monday reported a further decline in new confirmed cases, with a total of just 12, including seven cases of domestic transmission in Beijing, where nearly 8.3 million people have now undergone testing in recent weeks. No new deaths were reported Monday, leaving the total at 4,634 among 83,512 confirmed cases of COVID-19.___ROME (AP) — Another tragic milestone was passed Sunday in the coronavirus pandemic: 500,000 deaths worldwide.The reported tally comes <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html">from Johns Hopkins University </a>researchers.About 1 in 4 of those deaths – more than 125,000 – have been reported in the U.S. The country with the next highest death toll is Brazil, with more than 57,000, or about 1 in 9.The true death toll from the virus, which first emerged in China late last year, is widely believed to be significantly higher. Experts say that especially early on, many victims died of COVID-19 without being tested for it.To date, more than 10 million confirmed cases have been reported globally. About a quarter of them have been reported in the U.S.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590784947764.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The nation’s top public health agency has revamped its list of which Americans are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 illness, adding pregnant women and removing age alone as a factor.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html" target="_blank">changed the list</a>&nbsp;of underlying conditions that make someone more susceptible to suffering and death. Sickle cell disease joined the list, for example. And the threshold for risky levels of obesity was lowered.The changes didn’t include adding race as a risk factor for serious illness, despite accumulating evidence that Black people, Hispanics and Native Americans have higher rates of infection, hospitalization and death.Agency officials said the update was prompted by medical studies published since CDC first started listing high-risk groups. They sought to publicize the information before Independence Day weekend, when many people may be tempted to go out and socialize.“For those at higher risk, we recommend limiting contact with others as much as possible, or restricting contacts to a small number of people who are willing to take measures to reduce the risk of (you) becoming infected,” said CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield.The same advice holds for people who live with or care for people at higher risk, Redfield added.Previously, the CDC said those at high risk of serious illness included people aged 65 years and older; those who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility; and people with serious heart conditions, obesity, diabetes, liver disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease, and conditions that leave them with weakened immune systems.In the changes, CDC created categories of people who are at high risk and people who might be at high risk.Those who are at high risk include people with chronic kidney disease, chronic inflammatory lung disease, obesity, serious heart conditions, sickle cell disease, Type 2 diabetes, and weakened immune systems because of organ transplants. The threshold for obesity concern was lowered from a body mass index of 40 down to 30.The CDC said people are at increasing risk as they get older, but it removed people 65 and older as a high risk group.The list of people who might be at high risk includes pregnant women, smokers and those with asthma, diseases that affect blood flow to the brain, cystic fibrosis, high blood pressure, dementia, liver disease, scarred or damaged lungs, Type 1 diabetes, a rare blood disorder called thalassemia, and people who have weakened immune systems due to HIV or other reasons.Pregnant women joined the list on the same day a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6925a1.htm?s_cid=mm6925a1_w" target="_blank">CDC report&nbsp;</a>found they accounted for about 9% of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in women of childbearing age. About 5% of women of childbearing age are pregnant at any given time.The report showed that pregnant women had higher rates of hospitalization, of admission to a hospital intensive care unit and of winding up on a breathing machine vs. young women who weren’t pregnant. There was no clear evidence of a higher death rate among pregnant women, however.It’s not completely surprising, said Dr. Denise Jamieson, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the Emory University School of Medicine. Pregnant women have been found to be at higher risk from other infectious respiratory diseases, likely because the lungs decrease in the volume as the uterus grows, Jamieson said.What is surprising, she said, is that CDC didn’t place pregnant women in the highest risk category.“To me this is the most compelling evidence to date that pregnant women are at increased risk,” said Jamieson, who spent 20 years at CDC as a reproductive health expert.Earlier this week, CDC officials called on a panel of experts to help them identify groups that should be prioritized for coronavirus vaccinations if one becomes available and supplies are limited.Pregnant women could be among that group. So could certain racial and ethnic groups.CDC officials shared data with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices that showed, compared with white Americans, coronavirus hospitalization rates were 4 times higher for Hispanics, 4.5 times higher for Black people, and 5.5 higher for American Indians and Alaska Natives. A recent study in the Atlanta area suggested that being Black was as large a risk for hospitalization as having diabetes, being a smoker or being obese.“If we fail to address racial and ethnic groups as at high risk for prioritization, whatever comes out of our group will be looked at very suspiciously and with a lot of reservation,” said Dr. Jose Romero, chair of the expert panel.“They are groups that need to be moved to the forefront,” he said.CDC officials say they expect to come out with recommendations for racial and ethnic minority groups soon.___

World hits coronavirus milestones amid fears worse to come

SHAWNEE COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating&nbsp; an aggravated assault that sent one man to the hospital.

Just after 8:30 p.m. Friday, police were dispatched to a call in the 2300 block of SW Buchanan in Topeka, according to Lt. Ron Ekis. 

The investigation revealed several individuals were involved in a disturbance in which on man had been struck by a machete requiring medical attention. 

During this disturbance, an unknown person fired gunshots striking a car at the same location. No persons were injured from the gunfire.

A private vehicle transported the man who was struck with the machete to a local hospital for treatment of a non-life threatening injury. 

Police released no additional details Sunday and have not reported an arrest.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1593291636538.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating&nbsp; an aggravated assault that sent one man to the hospital.Just after 8:30 p.m. Friday, police were dispatched to a call in the 2300 block of SW Buchanan in Topeka, according to Lt. Ron Ekis. The investigation revealed several individuals were involved in a disturbance in which on man had been struck by a machete requiring medical attention. During this disturbance, an unknown person fired gunshots striking a car at the same location. No persons were injured from the gunfire.A private vehicle transported the man who was struck with the machete to a local hospital for treatment of a non-life threatening injury. Police released no additional details Sunday and have not reported an arrest.

Kansas man hospitalized after struck with machete

HAMILTON COUNTY–&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office continue their search for two suspects in connection with the Friday June 19 homicide of 21-year-old Kevin Palma-Rodriguez of Syracuse.

Just before noon that day, authorities in Hamilton County received a 911 call reporting a shooting in Syracuse, according to a media release from the KBI.

 When deputies arrived at the Country Café apartments at 503 E. Ave. A, Apt. 9, they discovered a man inside the apartment who had died from gunshot wounds. The coroner pronounced the man dead at the scene.

He was later identified as Palma-Rodriguez.

A search warrant was conducted by the KBI High Risk Warrant Team at a residence at&nbsp;310 W. Hwy 50, Apt. 9, in&nbsp;Syracuse. Then, an arrest warrant was issued for first-degree murder for 25-year-old Amner Y. Tejada-Vigil, also known as Jeovany Vijil. He lives at the Syracuse residence where the search warrant was conducted. 

On June 22, authorities issued a second arrest warrant for Ismael Gomez-Carvajal, 43, of Syracuse, who is wanted for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and criminal solicitation. 

Gomez-Carvajal and Amner Tejada-Vigil may be driving a purple or blue 2007 Chevrolet Equinox bearing Kansas tag 513MMN.

Anyone with information about this homicide is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME, or the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office at 620-384-5616. A tip can also be submitted online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar" target="_blank">https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592870268213.png" alt="Gomez-Carvajal photo KBI" />
 <figcaption>Gomez-Carvajal photo KBI</figcaption>
 </figure>HAMILTON COUNTY–&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office continue their search for two suspects in connection with the Friday June 19 homicide of 21-year-old Kevin Palma-Rodriguez of Syracuse.Just before noon that day, authorities in Hamilton County received a 911 call reporting a shooting in Syracuse, according to a media release from the KBI. When deputies arrived at the Country Café apartments at 503 E. Ave. A, Apt. 9, they discovered a man inside the apartment who had died from gunshot wounds. The coroner pronounced the man dead at the scene.He was later identified as Palma-Rodriguez.A search warrant was conducted by the KBI High Risk Warrant Team at a residence at&nbsp;310 W. Hwy 50, Apt. 9, in&nbsp;Syracuse. Then, an arrest warrant was issued for first-degree murder for 25-year-old Amner Y. Tejada-Vigil, also known as Jeovany Vijil. He lives at the Syracuse residence where the search warrant was conducted. On June 22, authorities issued a second arrest warrant for Ismael Gomez-Carvajal, 43, of Syracuse, who is wanted for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and criminal solicitation. Gomez-Carvajal and Amner Tejada-Vigil may be driving a purple or blue 2007 Chevrolet Equinox bearing Kansas tag 513MMN.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592684673601.png" alt="Amner Y. Tejada-Vigil photo KBI" />
 <figcaption>Amner Y. Tejada-Vigil photo KBI</figcaption>
 </figure>Anyone with information about this homicide is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME, or the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office at 620-384-5616. A tip can also be submitted online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar" target="_blank">https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar</a>.

KBI: Search continues for 2 suspects for murder in SW Kansas 

Kansas City – A prior sex offender in Carthage, Missouri, who impregnated a 14-year-old victim, was sentenced in federal court for the sexual exploitation of a child, according to the United State's Attorney's office.

Victor Alfonso Vasquez, 33, was sentenced June 25 by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 33 years and nine months in federal prison without parole.

On Dec. 16, 2019, Vasquez pleaded guilty to the sexual exploitation of a child. Vasquez is a prior sex offender with prior felony convictions for statutory rape and statutory sodomy. This federal crime was committed a few months after his release from state prison.

The investigation began when the 14-year-old victim, identified in court documents as “Jane Doe,” visited a health clinic for a pregnancy test, which indicated she was more than eight weeks pregnant. The victim told investigators she met Vasquez while playing a game on her cell phone when she was 13 years old. Vasquez then began contacting her via Facebook Messenger. They also exchanged sexually explicit images via SnapChat. During their online relationship, Vasquez discussed having a sexual relationship with Jane Doe, and he discussed physically meeting her to have sex.

On Jan. 19, 2018, Jane Doe lied to her mother at Vasquez’s direction and asked her mother to drop her off at a friend’s house. Her mother actually dropped her off at Vasquez’s residence, when Vasquez began a physical relationship with the child victim that lasted for several months.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592945403061.png" alt="Vasquez photo Missouri Sex Offender Registry" />
 <figcaption>Vasquez photo Missouri Sex Offender Registry</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas City – A prior sex offender in Carthage, Missouri, who impregnated a 14-year-old victim, was sentenced in federal court for the sexual exploitation of a child, according to the United State's Attorney's office.Victor Alfonso Vasquez, 33, was sentenced June 25 by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 33 years and nine months in federal prison without parole.On Dec. 16, 2019, Vasquez pleaded guilty to the sexual exploitation of a child. Vasquez is a prior sex offender with prior felony convictions for statutory rape and statutory sodomy. This federal crime was committed a few months after his release from state prison.The investigation began when the 14-year-old victim, identified in court documents as “Jane Doe,” visited a health clinic for a pregnancy test, which indicated she was more than eight weeks pregnant. The victim told investigators she met Vasquez while playing a game on her cell phone when she was 13 years old. Vasquez then began contacting her via Facebook Messenger. They also exchanged sexually explicit images via SnapChat. During their online relationship, Vasquez discussed having a sexual relationship with Jane Doe, and he discussed physically meeting her to have sex.On Jan. 19, 2018, Jane Doe lied to her mother at Vasquez’s direction and asked her mother to drop her off at a friend’s house. Her mother actually dropped her off at Vasquez’s residence, when Vasquez began a physical relationship with the child victim that lasted for several months.

14-year-old victim met sex offender playing game on cell phone

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and after asking the public for help with information have made an arrest.

Just before 1a.m. Thursday, police responded to a shooting in a parking lot in the 900 block of West Central in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.&nbsp; Upon arrival, officers located the 19-year-old man who had a gunshot wound to his body. Officers also found multiple shell casings.&nbsp; EMS transported the victim to an area hospital for medical treatment. He remains hospitalized in serious condition.

The investigation revealed the 19-year-old and a friend were in the small parking area on the north side of The Keeper of the Plains parking lot in Wichita when a disturbance ensued with a suspect identified as&nbsp;21-year-old Larry Triplett, III of Wichita.

Triplett pulled out a handgun and fired multiple shots, striking the victim and a silver Chrysler 200 vehicle belonging to the victim’s friend.&nbsp; Triplett then took property from the victim and fled with the other individuals.

Late Thursday, Triplet was arrested without incident with the assistance of Kansas Highway Patrol during a vehicle stop on the Kansas Turnpike near Cassoday, according to officer Kevin Wheeler. He is being held on a bond of $750,000 on requested charges of aggravated battery, aggravated assault, aggravated robbery and failure to comply, according to online jail records.

If any community members have video or photos of this incident, they can upload them at the following link:&nbsp;<a href="https://wichitapd.evidence.com/axon/citizen/public/20c038118" target="_blank">https://wichitapd.evidence.com/axon/citizen/public/20c038118</a>

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and asking the public for help with information.&nbsp;

Just before 1a.m. Thursday, police responded to a shooting in a parking lot in the 900 Block of West Central in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.

At the scene, officers located a 19-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his body. EMS transported him to a local hospital for treatment.

During the investigation, police determined the 19-year-old and a friend were in the small parking area on the north side of The Keeper of the Plains when a disturbance occurred with a male suspect, according to Davidson.&nbsp;

The suspect pulled out a handgun and fired multiple shots which struck the victim and also a vehicle owned by the victim's friend.

The victim also reported the suspect took property from him and then fled with other individuals who were in the area.&nbsp; During the investigation, police also recovered multiple shell casings.

Authorities do not believe this is a random incident, according to Davidson.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1593188114068.png" alt="Triplett" />
 <figcaption>Triplett</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and after asking the public for help with information have made an arrest.Just before 1a.m. Thursday, police responded to a shooting in a parking lot in the 900 block of West Central in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.&nbsp; Upon arrival, officers located the 19-year-old man who had a gunshot wound to his body. Officers also found multiple shell casings.&nbsp; EMS transported the victim to an area hospital for medical treatment. He remains hospitalized in serious condition.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1593103931771.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation early Thursday photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation early Thursday photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>The investigation revealed the 19-year-old and a friend were in the small parking area on the north side of The Keeper of the Plains parking lot in Wichita when a disturbance ensued with a suspect identified as&nbsp;21-year-old Larry Triplett, III of Wichita.Triplett pulled out a handgun and fired multiple shots, striking the victim and a silver Chrysler 200 vehicle belonging to the victim’s friend.&nbsp; Triplett then took property from the victim and fled with the other individuals.Late Thursday, Triplet was arrested without incident with the assistance of Kansas Highway Patrol during a vehicle stop on the Kansas Turnpike near Cassoday, according to officer Kevin Wheeler. He is being held on a bond of $750,000 on requested charges of aggravated battery, aggravated assault, aggravated robbery and failure to comply, according to online jail records.If any community members have video or photos of this incident, they can upload them at the following link:&nbsp;<a href="https://wichitapd.evidence.com/axon/citizen/public/20c038118" target="_blank">https://wichitapd.evidence.com/axon/citizen/public/20c038118</a>------SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and asking the public for help with information.&nbsp;Just before 1a.m. Thursday, police responded to a shooting in a parking lot in the 900 Block of West Central in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.At the scene, officers located a 19-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his body. EMS transported him to a local hospital for treatment.During the investigation, police determined the 19-year-old and a friend were in the small parking area on the north side of The Keeper of the Plains when a disturbance occurred with a male suspect, according to Davidson.&nbsp;The suspect pulled out a handgun and fired multiple shots which struck the victim and also a vehicle owned by the victim's friend.The victim also reported the suspect took property from him and then fled with other individuals who were in the area.&nbsp; During the investigation, police also recovered multiple shell casings.Authorities do not believe this is a random incident, according to Davidson.

21-year-old shooting suspect captured during Kan. Turnpike traffic stop

By ANNE KNIGGENDORF <a href="https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2020-06-20/this-big-cat-sanctuary-in-kansas-wants-you-to-know-its-nothing-like-tiger-king">Kansas News Service</a>

The Netflix show "<a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81115994" target="_blank">Tiger King</a>"
 caught the attention of millions of viewers back in March. The “murder,
 mayhem and madness” suggested in its subtitle collided in a human train
 wreck of a drama — but it got Steve Klein’s attention for a different 
reason.

Klein is the board president and resident curator at <a href="https://www.saveoursiberians.org/" target="_blank">Cedar Cove Feline Conservation and Education Center</a> in Louisburg, Kansas. A variety of 28 predators are in his and about 20 volunteers' care.

He can rattle off their species and names, but says his ability to remember them all isn’t about having a great memory.

“When they become family, it becomes easier — but it’s a big family,” Klein says.

Klein
 has volunteered — now full-time for an annual stipend of $12,000 — at 
Cedar Cove for 20 years. The mission of the center is to care for 
animals and to educate the public about the importance of keystone 
species within the global ecosystem.

He says humans are demanding 
too much of the ecosystem for just one species, taking more than our 
share. And animals are paying the price.

“Now, why are we so 
concerned about the animals? Because these animals are literally the key
 to the health of these environments and ecosystems that they occupy,” 
Klein says. “They’re not just apex predators, more importantly they’re 
called keystone species."

He illustrates the idea with what 
happened at Yellowstone Park when wolves were removed. The population of
 grazing animals grew until it destroyed the balance of the park by 
eating up everything that birds, pollinators, and insects needed for 
food or habitat. Balance was eventually regained after two seven-wolf 
packs were reintroduced to the park in 1995.

Klein talks to the 
cats, wild dogs, and fox as if they were his own — and in a way they 
are, because none of them can be released in the wild. Each one has a 
fairly tragic backstory, some worse than others, but all ending in 
needing a new home.

The oldest resident is Voodoo, a 19-year-old African Spotted Leopard.
 Klein greets him like he might any buddy: “Voodoo man!” and then makes a
 deep woofing sound, as if speaking a leopard language.

When the 
big cat approaches the tall security fence, Klein says, “He came from a 
domestic situation. A couple purchased him to be a house pet.” Before 
Voodoo was even six months old, the people thought better of their 
decision.

“He’s going to come over for a belly rub," Klein says. 
The big cat flops on his back and as Klein pets him through the fence, 
Voodoo growls and makes a sound like a thunderous purr.

In 
reflecting on "Tiger King," Klein says, “These animals are so 
mesmerizing, it’s hard not to see them being as sensational as you want 
to see them being.”

But, he says, the show wasn’t actually about 
the animals at all. “The people involved weren’t doing anything to help 
the animals; it was all to exploit the animals,” Klein says. “It wasn’t 
to make their lives better in captivity or to try to further the 
survival of the species in the wild.”

Delcianna Winders is the director of the animal law litigation clinic at <a href="https://law.lclark.edu/" target="_blank">Lewis and Clark Law School</a>
 in Portland, Oregon. She knew about Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin, the 
main characters in "Tiger King," long before most people did.

She draws a sharp distinction between the show’s warring facilities — Baskin’s is accredited by the <a href="https://www.sanctuaryfederation.org/" target="_blank">Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries</a>
 and Joe Exotic’s is not. She says GFAS is the gold standard for the 
business, but only 15 facilities in the entire nation are certified.

At
 least 100 other places call themselves sanctuaries, refuges, or havens,
 including Cedar Cove. Without that accreditation, Winders says the 
businesses fall into a grey area; to stay open, they need to be 
inspected by the department of agriculture, local game warden, or some 
other governing body.

However, Winders says, “when you get into 
more nuanced things like adequate space, adequate veterinary care, 
that’s really hard for a lay person to know and to assess, and that’s 
where the third party accreditation like GFAS comes in.”

The 
popularity of "Tiger King" has gotten the public talking more about the 
well-being of big cats, which Winders is glad about. But, she knows the 
average viewer still isn’t quite sure what type of place is okay to 
support and what isn’t — both Baskin’s and Joe Exotic’s businesses were 
thriving.

“There are some clear red flags. Breeding animals is 
absolutely a red flag,” Winders says. “Another red flag is allowing 
public interaction with animals because that seeds, basically, a puppy 
mill operation where they’re constantly breeding animals to have some 
that are small enough for public encounters.”

She’s read reports about Cedar Cove and notes that it doesn’t engage in those bad practices.

Klein
 and Winders agree that these animals don’t belong in captivity, but 
until people stop breeding wild animals, they’ll continue to need safe 
places to live out their lives. According to the <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/tiger#:~:text=An%20estimated%203%2C900%20tigers%20remain,crisis%20and%20declining%20in%20number." target="_blank">World Wildlife Federation</a>, only 3,900 tigers exist in the wild.

Winders
 says that more than that live in the backyards and basements of 
America— estimates say as many as 20,000 tigers may live this way. 
“Because of lack of regulation, we actually have no idea," she says.

Klein says, “We are a sanctuary to give these animals the best possible lives we can with the means at hand.”

And
 what he asks of the animals in return is to hold an audience captive 
long enough that a Cedar Cove guide has time to explain how and why the 
animals are in cages in the first place, and why that’s a tragedy.

Anne Kniggendorf writes about arts and culture for KCUR. Follow her on Twitter, @annekniggendorf.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1593011043239.png" alt="Steve Klein sits with Clarence the tiger at Cedar Cove. Klein is the board president, resident curator, and one of the only people allowed this close to the animals. Courtesy photos" />
 <figcaption>Steve Klein sits with Clarence the tiger at Cedar Cove. Klein is the board president, resident curator, and one of the only people allowed this close to the animals. Courtesy photos</figcaption>
 </figure>By ANNE KNIGGENDORF <a href="https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2020-06-20/this-big-cat-sanctuary-in-kansas-wants-you-to-know-its-nothing-like-tiger-king">Kansas News Service</a>The Netflix show "<a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81115994" target="_blank">Tiger King</a>"
 caught the attention of millions of viewers back in March. The “murder,
 mayhem and madness” suggested in its subtitle collided in a human train
 wreck of a drama — but it got Steve Klein’s attention for a different 
reason.Klein is the board president and resident curator at <a href="https://www.saveoursiberians.org/" target="_blank">Cedar Cove Feline Conservation and Education Center</a> in Louisburg, Kansas. A variety of 28 predators are in his and about 20 volunteers' care.He can rattle off their species and names, but says his ability to remember them all isn’t about having a great memory.“When they become family, it becomes easier — but it’s a big family,” Klein says.Klein
 has volunteered — now full-time for an annual stipend of $12,000 — at 
Cedar Cove for 20 years. The mission of the center is to care for 
animals and to educate the public about the importance of keystone 
species within the global ecosystem.He says humans are demanding 
too much of the ecosystem for just one species, taking more than our 
share. And animals are paying the price.“Now, why are we so 
concerned about the animals? Because these animals are literally the key
 to the health of these environments and ecosystems that they occupy,” 
Klein says. “They’re not just apex predators, more importantly they’re 
called keystone species."He illustrates the idea with what 
happened at Yellowstone Park when wolves were removed. The population of
 grazing animals grew until it destroyed the balance of the park by 
eating up everything that birds, pollinators, and insects needed for 
food or habitat. Balance was eventually regained after two seven-wolf 
packs were reintroduced to the park in 1995.Klein talks to the 
cats, wild dogs, and fox as if they were his own — and in a way they 
are, because none of them can be released in the wild. Each one has a 
fairly tragic backstory, some worse than others, but all ending in 
needing a new home.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1593011143737.png" alt="Voodoo is a 19-year-old African Spotted Leopard at Cedar Cove." />
 <figcaption>Voodoo is a 19-year-old African Spotted Leopard at Cedar Cove.</figcaption>
 </figure>The oldest resident is Voodoo, a 19-year-old African Spotted Leopard.
 Klein greets him like he might any buddy: “Voodoo man!” and then makes a
 deep woofing sound, as if speaking a leopard language.When the 
big cat approaches the tall security fence, Klein says, “He came from a 
domestic situation. A couple purchased him to be a house pet.” Before 
Voodoo was even six months old, the people thought better of their 
decision.“He’s going to come over for a belly rub," Klein says. 
The big cat flops on his back and as Klein pets him through the fence, 
Voodoo growls and makes a sound like a thunderous purr.In 
reflecting on "Tiger King," Klein says, “These animals are so 
mesmerizing, it’s hard not to see them being as sensational as you want 
to see them being.”But, he says, the show wasn’t actually about 
the animals at all. “The people involved weren’t doing anything to help 
the animals; it was all to exploit the animals,” Klein says. “It wasn’t 
to make their lives better in captivity or to try to further the 
survival of the species in the wild.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1593011183034.png" alt="Olivia is a white Bengal sub-species who's lived at Cedar Cove since she was 6 months old. She's 5 now." />
 <figcaption>Olivia is a white Bengal sub-species who's lived at Cedar Cove since she was 6 months old. She's 5 now.</figcaption>
 </figure>Delcianna Winders is the director of the animal law litigation clinic at <a href="https://law.lclark.edu/" target="_blank">Lewis and Clark Law School</a>
 in Portland, Oregon. She knew about Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin, the 
main characters in "Tiger King," long before most people did.She draws a sharp distinction between the show’s warring facilities — Baskin’s is accredited by the <a href="https://www.sanctuaryfederation.org/" target="_blank">Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries</a>
 and Joe Exotic’s is not. She says GFAS is the gold standard for the 
business, but only 15 facilities in the entire nation are certified.At
 least 100 other places call themselves sanctuaries, refuges, or havens,
 including Cedar Cove. Without that accreditation, Winders says the 
businesses fall into a grey area; to stay open, they need to be 
inspected by the department of agriculture, local game warden, or some 
other governing body.However, Winders says, “when you get into 
more nuanced things like adequate space, adequate veterinary care, 
that’s really hard for a lay person to know and to assess, and that’s 
where the third party accreditation like GFAS comes in.”The 
popularity of "Tiger King" has gotten the public talking more about the 
well-being of big cats, which Winders is glad about. But, she knows the 
average viewer still isn’t quite sure what type of place is okay to 
support and what isn’t — both Baskin’s and Joe Exotic’s businesses were 
thriving.“There are some clear red flags. Breeding animals is 
absolutely a red flag,” Winders says. “Another red flag is allowing 
public interaction with animals because that seeds, basically, a puppy 
mill operation where they’re constantly breeding animals to have some 
that are small enough for public encounters.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1593011289866.png" alt="In 1983, Steve Klein had his first encounter with a tiger at a drug store in Ames, Iowa. Now, he says, he looks back in horror at that experience." />
 <figcaption>In 1983, Steve Klein had his first encounter with a tiger at a drug store in Ames, Iowa. Now, he says, he looks back in horror at that experience.</figcaption>
 </figure>She’s read reports about Cedar Cove and notes that it doesn’t engage in those bad practices.Klein
 and Winders agree that these animals don’t belong in captivity, but 
until people stop breeding wild animals, they’ll continue to need safe 
places to live out their lives. According to the <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/tiger#:~:text=An%20estimated%203%2C900%20tigers%20remain,crisis%20and%20declining%20in%20number." target="_blank">World Wildlife Federation</a>, only 3,900 tigers exist in the wild.Winders
 says that more than that live in the backyards and basements of 
America— estimates say as many as 20,000 tigers may live this way. 
“Because of lack of regulation, we actually have no idea," she says.Klein says, “We are a sanctuary to give these animals the best possible lives we can with the means at hand.”And
 what he asks of the animals in return is to hold an audience captive 
long enough that a Cedar Cove guide has time to explain how and why the 
animals are in cages in the first place, and why that’s a tragedy.Anne Kniggendorf writes about arts and culture for KCUR. Follow her on Twitter, @annekniggendorf.&nbsp;

Big cat sanctuary wants you to know it's nothing like 'Tiger King' 

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The families of three workers who died after contracting the coronavirus in an Iowa meat plant outbreak sued Tyson Foods and its top executives Thursday, saying the company knowingly put employees at risk and lied to keep them on the job.

The lawsuit alleges that Tyson officials were aware the virus was spreading at the Waterloo pork processing plant by late March or early April but kept that information from employees and the public.

As the outbreak grew, the company failed to implement safety measures, allowed some sick and exposed employees to remain on the production line, and falsely assured workers and the public that the plant was safe, the suit alleges.

“Tyson intended by these false representations to deceive workers in the Waterloo facility ... and to induce them to continue working despite the uncontrolled COVID-19 outbreak at the plant and the health risks associated with working,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Black Hawk County district court.

Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson said the company was saddened by the deaths and that its “top priority is the health and safety of our workers.” He said Tyson has implemented safety measures that meet or exceed federal guidelines.

Meatpacking plants have been hot spots for coronavirus because of their crowded conditions, prompting several to temporarily close. Thousands of workers have become infected and several dozen have died.

The largest union representing meatpacking workers said Thursday that more than 14,000 employees at unionized plants have been infected with coronavirus and 65 have died.

Meat companies including Smithfield Foods and JBS USA and retailers such as Amazon and Walmart have been sued by the families of workers who died from coronavirus. But the lawsuit filed Thursday against Tyson may be the first involving multiple victims at one workplace during the pandemic, according to news reports.

Last week, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/ef42ce21d3fb912aff41ec3c0f7f7db2">signed a bill&nbsp;</a>into law shielding businesses and health care providers from legal claims from people exposed to the virus, retroactive to Jan. 1. But the law has exceptions for injuries that result in hospitalization and death, and appears unlikely to block the case from moving forward.

The lawsuit seeks damages for the estates of employees Sedika Buljic, 58, who died on April 18; Reberiano Garcia, 60, who died on April 23; and Jose Ayala, Jr., 44,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c15eb40611c58487eec10b5977db1861">who died on May 25</a>. Waterloo attorneys Tom Frerichs and John Rausch and the Spence Law Firm in Wyoming are representing the families.

At least two other Waterloo workers have died after contracting the virus, which infected more than 1,000 of the plant’s 2,800 workers and has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6de2477c31301e779ea13d43ef0f2262">devastated the broader community</a>.

With illnesses mounting, Tyson refused calls from local leaders to close the plant for several days and lobbied the governor to keep it open, the suit alleges. The county sheriff. who visited the plant April 10, has said he was shaken by seeing workers in crowded conditions without face coverings and pressed Tyson to close.

The plant is Tyson’s largest pork facility and can process around 20,000 hogs per day.

Iowa’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspected the plant April 20 in response to complaints, and said earlier this month it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/336ad340b0a01f9ab870aef1a32785f2">found no violations</a>. The plant closed two days after the inspection before reopening with new safety measures in early May.

In addition to damages for pain and suffering and loss of income, the lawsuit seeks punitive damages to punish Tyson for an “incorrigible, willful and wanton disregard for workplace safety” and to send a message to other companies.

The lawsuit names the company as well as Chairman John H. Tyson, CEO Noel White, spokeswoman Liz Croston, and several other executives and plant supervisors. Its claims include gross negligence and fraudulent misrepresentation.

John H. Tyson asserted in a newspaper ad in April that the “food supply chain is breaking” due to plant closures and warned that customers would see meat shortages at grocery stores.

The lawsuit claims those warnings were exaggerated and notes that Tyson’s pork exports to China, including some from the Waterloo plant, increased significantly that month.

The lawsuit makes an explosive claim that Tyson has denied previously: that the company allowed workers and subcontractors from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/aae879e7be6f5def46f140e95a8bb6fb">another Iowa plant</a>&nbsp;that had closed due to a coronavirus outbreak to begin working in Waterloo in April.

Plant supervisors told employees that their sick coworkers had the flu and warned them not to discuss coronavirus at work, the suit alleges. One man who vomited while on the production line was allowed to keep working, it claims.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589997771819.png" alt="Photo courtesy Tyson Foods" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Tyson Foods</figcaption>
 </figure>IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The families of three workers who died after contracting the coronavirus in an Iowa meat plant outbreak sued Tyson Foods and its top executives Thursday, saying the company knowingly put employees at risk and lied to keep them on the job.The lawsuit alleges that Tyson officials were aware the virus was spreading at the Waterloo pork processing plant by late March or early April but kept that information from employees and the public.As the outbreak grew, the company failed to implement safety measures, allowed some sick and exposed employees to remain on the production line, and falsely assured workers and the public that the plant was safe, the suit alleges.“Tyson intended by these false representations to deceive workers in the Waterloo facility ... and to induce them to continue working despite the uncontrolled COVID-19 outbreak at the plant and the health risks associated with working,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Black Hawk County district court.Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson said the company was saddened by the deaths and that its “top priority is the health and safety of our workers.” He said Tyson has implemented safety measures that meet or exceed federal guidelines.Meatpacking plants have been hot spots for coronavirus because of their crowded conditions, prompting several to temporarily close. Thousands of workers have become infected and several dozen have died.The largest union representing meatpacking workers said Thursday that more than 14,000 employees at unionized plants have been infected with coronavirus and 65 have died.Meat companies including Smithfield Foods and JBS USA and retailers such as Amazon and Walmart have been sued by the families of workers who died from coronavirus. But the lawsuit filed Thursday against Tyson may be the first involving multiple victims at one workplace during the pandemic, according to news reports.Last week, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/ef42ce21d3fb912aff41ec3c0f7f7db2">signed a bill&nbsp;</a>into law shielding businesses and health care providers from legal claims from people exposed to the virus, retroactive to Jan. 1. But the law has exceptions for injuries that result in hospitalization and death, and appears unlikely to block the case from moving forward.The lawsuit seeks damages for the estates of employees Sedika Buljic, 58, who died on April 18; Reberiano Garcia, 60, who died on April 23; and Jose Ayala, Jr., 44,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c15eb40611c58487eec10b5977db1861">who died on May 25</a>. Waterloo attorneys Tom Frerichs and John Rausch and the Spence Law Firm in Wyoming are representing the families.At least two other Waterloo workers have died after contracting the virus, which infected more than 1,000 of the plant’s 2,800 workers and has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6de2477c31301e779ea13d43ef0f2262">devastated the broader community</a>.ADVERTISEMENTWith illnesses mounting, Tyson refused calls from local leaders to close the plant for several days and lobbied the governor to keep it open, the suit alleges. The county sheriff. who visited the plant April 10, has said he was shaken by seeing workers in crowded conditions without face coverings and pressed Tyson to close.The plant is Tyson’s largest pork facility and can process around 20,000 hogs per day.Iowa’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspected the plant April 20 in response to complaints, and said earlier this month it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/336ad340b0a01f9ab870aef1a32785f2">found no violations</a>. The plant closed two days after the inspection before reopening with new safety measures in early May.In addition to damages for pain and suffering and loss of income, the lawsuit seeks punitive damages to punish Tyson for an “incorrigible, willful and wanton disregard for workplace safety” and to send a message to other companies.The lawsuit names the company as well as Chairman John H. Tyson, CEO Noel White, spokeswoman Liz Croston, and several other executives and plant supervisors. Its claims include gross negligence and fraudulent misrepresentation.John H. Tyson asserted in a newspaper ad in April that the “food supply chain is breaking” due to plant closures and warned that customers would see meat shortages at grocery stores.The lawsuit claims those warnings were exaggerated and notes that Tyson’s pork exports to China, including some from the Waterloo plant, increased significantly that month.The lawsuit makes an explosive claim that Tyson has denied previously: that the company allowed workers and subcontractors from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/aae879e7be6f5def46f140e95a8bb6fb">another Iowa plant</a>&nbsp;that had closed due to a coronavirus outbreak to begin working in Waterloo in April.Plant supervisors told employees that their sick coworkers had the flu and warned them not to discuss coronavirus at work, the suit alleges. One man who vomited while on the production line was allowed to keep working, it claims.

Families of 3 deceased workers sue Tyson over virus outbreak

By NADYA FAULX <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/confederate-monuments-come-down-across-us-wichita-memorial-comes-question">Kansas News Service</a>

In 2016, a monument honoring both Union and Confederate Civil War veterans was erected in Wichita's Veterans Memorial Park.

The <a href="http://wichitaveteransmemorialpark.com/portfolio_page/reconciliation-memorial/" target="_blank">Reconciliation Memorial</a>
 replaced a Confederate flag that was taken down the year before 
following a deadly shooting at an African Methodist Episcopal church in 
South Carolina.

"I'm assuming that was a compromise on behalf of 
those who were opposed to the flag," said City Council member Brandon 
Johnson, "and then those who were supportive of the flag and the 
Confederacy."

Johnson — who was elected to the council in 2017 — 
was part of the group that pushed the Wichita Park Board to remove the 
flag, which had been flown at the U.S. Bicentennial Flag Pavilion since 
1976.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1593110717246.png" alt=" The Reconciliation Memorial in Wichita's Veterans Memorial Park. Hugo Phan / KMUW" />
 <figcaption> The Reconciliation Memorial in Wichita's Veterans Memorial Park. Hugo Phan / KMUW</figcaption>
 </figure>By NADYA FAULX <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/confederate-monuments-come-down-across-us-wichita-memorial-comes-question">Kansas News Service</a>In 2016, a monument honoring both Union and Confederate Civil War veterans was erected in Wichita's Veterans Memorial Park.The <a href="http://wichitaveteransmemorialpark.com/portfolio_page/reconciliation-memorial/" target="_blank">Reconciliation Memorial</a>
 replaced a Confederate flag that was taken down the year before 
following a deadly shooting at an African Methodist Episcopal church in 
South Carolina."I'm assuming that was a compromise on behalf of 
those who were opposed to the flag," said City Council member Brandon 
Johnson, "and then those who were supportive of the flag and the 
Confederacy."Johnson — who was elected to the council in 2017 — 
was part of the group that pushed the Wichita Park Board to remove the 
flag, which had been flown at the U.S. Bicentennial Flag Pavilion since 
1976.The new monument was approved during the same meeting.&nbsp;Two
 sides of the obelisk honor all Union and Confederate veterans in "the 
war between the states." Another side bears the inscription "honoring 
Confederate dead" at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.:<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1593110841481.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>"The intent of this memorial is to bring folks together and reconcile their differences," <a href="https://www.wichita.gov/ParkandRec/Boards/ParkBoardAgendasMinutes/2015-11-09%20PB%20Minutes.pdf" target="_blank">minutes from the Park Board's Nov. 9, 2015, meeting read</a>.Now, as Confederate memorials <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/06/15/876962140/times-are-changing-as-tolerance-weakens-for-confederate-monuments" target="_blank">are taken down in cities across the country</a>,
 the monument could face new scrutiny. Johnson said he doesn't agree 
with the monument being a part of Veterans Memorial Park, but he said 
any effort to remove the monument now would have to come from the public
 — not city leaders."Last time, it was citizen-led, not 
elected-led," he said. "Citizens really pushed to remove the Confederate
 flag. ... I would say if citizens do the same now and really push for 
probably removing that, then it would probably go back to the Park 
Board."The city owns Veterans Memorial Park, but it's managed by
 a nonprofit board. KMUW has reached out to the board but has not yet 
received a response.There's been some discussion on social media
 about the monument, but "at this point I haven't been notified of any 
official actions for that," Johnson said."I think people would 
be rightfully upset by it and rightfully energized to try to push to 
remove it," he said. "Kansas was not a confederate state."Nadya Faulx is KMUW's Digital News Editor and Reporter.