LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A former Leavenworth police officer who fatally shot a man in a vehicle in 2017 cannot claim legal immunity, a ruling that leaves it to a jury to decide whether his actions were justified as self defense.

Leavenworth County Judge Michael Gibbens found that the force used by then officer Matthew Harrington was not statutorily justified as self defense, clearing the way for the involuntary manslaughter case to proceed.

Harrington was indicted in August 2018 for the death of Antonio Garcia Jr., who was shot multiple times while sitting in an SUV. Harrington was fired for violating policy.

The judge ruled in May that a “reasonable person” would not believe use of force was necessary or that the SUV Garcia was in could be considered a weapon.

“Dismissal at this early stage would have been an extremely rare outcome considering the State’s low burden of proof,” defense attorney Morgan Roach said in a statement. “Although we believe dismissal was warranted, we are confident that Matt will be exonerated at trial.”

Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson declined to comment.

Garcia’s family settled in November a wrongful death and civil right’s lawsuit against Harrington and the city of Leavenworth for $1 million.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1572909716608.png" alt=" Matthew Harrington -photo Leavenworth Co." />
 <figcaption> Matthew Harrington -photo Leavenworth Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A former Leavenworth police officer who fatally shot a man in a vehicle in 2017 cannot claim legal immunity, a ruling that leaves it to a jury to decide whether his actions were justified as self defense.Leavenworth County Judge Michael Gibbens found that the force used by then officer Matthew Harrington was not statutorily justified as self defense, clearing the way for the involuntary manslaughter case to proceed.Harrington was indicted in August 2018 for the death of Antonio Garcia Jr., who was shot multiple times while sitting in an SUV. Harrington was fired for violating policy.The judge ruled in May that a “reasonable person” would not believe use of force was necessary or that the SUV Garcia was in could be considered a weapon.“Dismissal at this early stage would have been an extremely rare outcome considering the State’s low burden of proof,” defense attorney Morgan Roach said in a statement. “Although we believe dismissal was warranted, we are confident that Matt will be exonerated at trial.”Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson declined to comment.Garcia’s family settled in November a wrongful death and civil right’s lawsuit against Harrington and the city of Leavenworth for $1 million.

Ruling: Jury to decide case against Kansas police officer

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — To the issues creating a partisan divide in state legislatures across the U.S., add this one: masks.

Many Democratic lawmakers are wearing them amid the coronavirus outbreak while many Republicans refuse.

“Public health has become partisan,” bemoaned South Carolina state Rep. Kambrell Garvin, a Democrat who recently became ill from COVID-19.

As legislatures around the country resume work following coronavirus suspensions, Democrats and Republicans also have split over social distancing, remote voting and the extension of emergency powers for governors who had ordered businesses to close and residents to remain home.

Lawmakers have become ill from the coronavirus in nearly half the states, with Democrats accounting for about two-thirds of the 40 confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to an Associated Press tally. Three lawmakers died of the virus — a Michigan Democrat in late March and Republicans in Louisiana and South Dakota in early April.

Partisan divisions appear to have grown since then, particularly in the South and Midwest, as some Republicans pushed to reopen the economy faster than some Democrats.

While there have been bipartisan exceptions, mask-wearing divisions among Democrats and Republicans have been evident during recent legislative sessions in Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Tennessee.

In Illinois, Republican Rep. Darren Bailey&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c576f411487605ed3d9dd654b95eae91">was removed from a convention center</a>&nbsp;functioning as the House floor last month for refusing to wear a mask. His ejection came just moments after the Democratic-led chamber approved a mask mandate with support from some Republicans in a move Bailey considered “a show.”

“The mask is not about health. It’s about more bureaucracy and more government control, of which the liberal Democrat thrives on,” Bailey told the AP.

When Pennsylvania Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/861ecc52a9758ef227071a7c31a689a7">Rep. Andrew Lewis</a>&nbsp;announced through a news release that he had self-isolated and recovered from COVID-19, Democratic colleagues expressed outrage that his diagnosis had been kept secret from them for a week. Democrats demanded changes requiring lawmakers to wear masks in the Republican-controlled legislature, but GOP legislative leaders have not acted on the request.

In Ohio, a Democratic proposal to require masks at House sessions and committee meetings was defeated on a party-line vote last month in the Republican-led chamber. A Republican lawmaker then filed legislation to bar mask requirements statewide unless approved by two-thirds of lawmakers. That measure is pending.

Some trace the partisan divergence on coronavirus precautions to the very top of American politics. Republican President Donald Trump hasn’t publicly worn masks,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/227fa2d005b3923157b9eb736c12e6c5">not even while announcing</a>&nbsp;federal recommendations that Americans wear face coverings in public to help fight the spread of the virus.

“I think that when our president, from a national standpoint, signals that masks aren’t politically expedient, then I think that trickles down to the local and state level,” said Garvin, the South Carolina Democrat who has worn masks both before and after his coronavirus illness.

Several recent studies using polling and smartphone GPS data have shown that Democrats are more apt than Republicans to embrace social distancing in public, wear masks and stay at home because of the coronavirus.

Virus precautions have started to become an ideological means of group identification, similar to partisan divisions over abortion or other hot-button issues, said psychology professor Hank Rothgerber of Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky.

“Democrats now have identified themselves as the party that’s taking this more seriously and is more concerned about public health,” Rothgerber said, “and Republicans are identifying themselves as a party that is focused on opening the economy back up and not overreacting to this crisis.”

When the Missouri House met in early April to pass a coronavirus budget bill, Republican leadership imposed strict social distancing. Lawmakers listened to proceedings over the internet in offices until summoned to the chamber in small groups to vote. Nearly everyone wore masks.

Yet those precautions were abandoned as the House finished its session in May. Lawmakers sat packed together at desks and few Republicans wore masks, though numerous Democrats still did.

Democratic Rep. Joe Runions, who had been out for six weeks with COVID-19, was aghast at what he described as “inconsiderate and selfish” behavior.

“To me, leadership starts with, you put that mask on. I don’t care who you are — the president, the governor, the pope, whoever,” Runions said.

Republican House Speaker Elijah Haahr noted that lawmakers’ temperatures were checked as they entered the Capitol.

Health screenings also were required of legislative staff and media at the Alaska Capitol, although lawmakers could skip it. Protocols said masks were required. But Republican state Sen. Lora Reinbold didn’t wear one.

“It didn’t make sense to me,” Reinbold said. “I saw no research on cloth, silk, cotton face coverings ... that they prevent COVID.”

The coroanvirus can be spread through respiratory droplets when people cough, sneeze or talk.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html" target="_blank">The CDC&nbsp;</a>says cloth masks can help prevent people, who may not realize they are infected, from spreading the virus to others.

“The whole idea behind it is ‘I wear my mask to protect you,’ and it’s not so much to protect me,” said Kansas Democratic Rep. Barbara Ballard, who wore a mask festooned with the University of Kansas mascot during a legislative session last week.

Kansas House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, who like many Republicans remained mask-less, said face coverings diminish personal communication because you can’t see lips. Republicans, he said, are “a very independent lot” who “really don’t like to be told what to do.”

Some lawmakers have removed masks when talking into microphones during debates — the very time when they may be more likely to expel virus-carrying particles. Others have worn loose-fitting masks that slip off their faces.

Colorado state Sen. Jim Smallwood, a Republican who had recovered from a mild case of the coronavirus, wore a mask that repeatedly slipped off his nose as he argued unsuccessfully last month against a Democratic rule change allowing lawmakers to vote remotely without attending sessions.

“I feel like it sets a good example and it puts other people at ease,” Smallwood told the AP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590143364707.png" alt="Stephanie Clayton, a Democratic member of the Kansas House of Representatives representing the 19th district in Overland Park. She was elected as a Republican, but changed her party affiliation in 2018. She wore a mask during the wrap up session of the legislature on May 21." />
 <figcaption>Stephanie Clayton, a Democratic member of the Kansas House of Representatives representing the 19th district in Overland Park. She was elected as a Republican, but changed her party affiliation in 2018. She wore a mask during the wrap up session of the legislature on May 21.</figcaption>
 </figure>JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — To the issues creating a partisan divide in state legislatures across the U.S., add this one: masks.Many Democratic lawmakers are wearing them amid the coronavirus outbreak while many Republicans refuse.“Public health has become partisan,” bemoaned South Carolina state Rep. Kambrell Garvin, a Democrat who recently became ill from COVID-19.As legislatures around the country resume work following coronavirus suspensions, Democrats and Republicans also have split over social distancing, remote voting and the extension of emergency powers for governors who had ordered businesses to close and residents to remain home.Lawmakers have become ill from the coronavirus in nearly half the states, with Democrats accounting for about two-thirds of the 40 confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to an Associated Press tally. Three lawmakers died of the virus — a Michigan Democrat in late March and Republicans in Louisiana and South Dakota in early April.Partisan divisions appear to have grown since then, particularly in the South and Midwest, as some Republicans pushed to reopen the economy faster than some Democrats.While there have been bipartisan exceptions, mask-wearing divisions among Democrats and Republicans have been evident during recent legislative sessions in Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Tennessee.In Illinois, Republican Rep. Darren Bailey&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c576f411487605ed3d9dd654b95eae91">was removed from a convention center</a>&nbsp;functioning as the House floor last month for refusing to wear a mask. His ejection came just moments after the Democratic-led chamber approved a mask mandate with support from some Republicans in a move Bailey considered “a show.”“The mask is not about health. It’s about more bureaucracy and more government control, of which the liberal Democrat thrives on,” Bailey told the AP.When Pennsylvania Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/861ecc52a9758ef227071a7c31a689a7">Rep. Andrew Lewis</a>&nbsp;announced through a news release that he had self-isolated and recovered from COVID-19, Democratic colleagues expressed outrage that his diagnosis had been kept secret from them for a week. Democrats demanded changes requiring lawmakers to wear masks in the Republican-controlled legislature, but GOP legislative leaders have not acted on the request.In Ohio, a Democratic proposal to require masks at House sessions and committee meetings was defeated on a party-line vote last month in the Republican-led chamber. A Republican lawmaker then filed legislation to bar mask requirements statewide unless approved by two-thirds of lawmakers. That measure is pending.Some trace the partisan divergence on coronavirus precautions to the very top of American politics. Republican President Donald Trump hasn’t publicly worn masks,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/227fa2d005b3923157b9eb736c12e6c5">not even while announcing</a>&nbsp;federal recommendations that Americans wear face coverings in public to help fight the spread of the virus.“I think that when our president, from a national standpoint, signals that masks aren’t politically expedient, then I think that trickles down to the local and state level,” said Garvin, the South Carolina Democrat who has worn masks both before and after his coronavirus illness.Several recent studies using polling and smartphone GPS data have shown that Democrats are more apt than Republicans to embrace social distancing in public, wear masks and stay at home because of the coronavirus.Virus precautions have started to become an ideological means of group identification, similar to partisan divisions over abortion or other hot-button issues, said psychology professor Hank Rothgerber of Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky.“Democrats now have identified themselves as the party that’s taking this more seriously and is more concerned about public health,” Rothgerber said, “and Republicans are identifying themselves as a party that is focused on opening the economy back up and not overreacting to this crisis.”When the Missouri House met in early April to pass a coronavirus budget bill, Republican leadership imposed strict social distancing. Lawmakers listened to proceedings over the internet in offices until summoned to the chamber in small groups to vote. Nearly everyone wore masks.Yet those precautions were abandoned as the House finished its session in May. Lawmakers sat packed together at desks and few Republicans wore masks, though numerous Democrats still did.Democratic Rep. Joe Runions, who had been out for six weeks with COVID-19, was aghast at what he described as “inconsiderate and selfish” behavior.“To me, leadership starts with, you put that mask on. I don’t care who you are — the president, the governor, the pope, whoever,” Runions said.Republican House Speaker Elijah Haahr noted that lawmakers’ temperatures were checked as they entered the Capitol.Health screenings also were required of legislative staff and media at the Alaska Capitol, although lawmakers could skip it. Protocols said masks were required. But Republican state Sen. Lora Reinbold didn’t wear one.“It didn’t make sense to me,” Reinbold said. “I saw no research on cloth, silk, cotton face coverings ... that they prevent COVID.”The coroanvirus can be spread through respiratory droplets when people cough, sneeze or talk.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html" target="_blank">The CDC&nbsp;</a>says cloth masks can help prevent people, who may not realize they are infected, from spreading the virus to others.“The whole idea behind it is ‘I wear my mask to protect you,’ and it’s not so much to protect me,” said Kansas Democratic Rep. Barbara Ballard, who wore a mask festooned with the University of Kansas mascot during a legislative session last week.Kansas House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, who like many Republicans remained mask-less, said face coverings diminish personal communication because you can’t see lips. Republicans, he said, are “a very independent lot” who “really don’t like to be told what to do.”Some lawmakers have removed masks when talking into microphones during debates — the very time when they may be more likely to expel virus-carrying particles. Others have worn loose-fitting masks that slip off their faces.Colorado state Sen. Jim Smallwood, a Republican who had recovered from a mild case of the coronavirus, wore a mask that repeatedly slipped off his nose as he argued unsuccessfully last month against a Democratic rule change allowing lawmakers to vote remotely without attending sessions.“I feel like it sets a good example and it puts other people at ease,” Smallwood told the AP.___

Masks reveal partisan split among lawmakers on coronavirus

SHAWNEE COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting that left one woman with non-life threatening injuries.

Just after 6a.m. Monday, police arrived at a local hospital where an adult woman had arrived by private vehicle with a gunshot wound, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Koenen.

Officers spoke with the victim who stated that a man who was known to her robbed her of an undisclosed amount of money and at least one item, before shooting her in the hand. 

The incident occurred in the 400 block of SW Taylor Street in Topeka.

As a result of the investigation, police arrested James David Cobulius Jr., 42 of Topeka, and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges: Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Battery and Criminal Possession of a Firearm.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591735042730.png" alt="Cobulius-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Cobulius-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting that left one woman with non-life threatening injuries.Just after 6a.m. Monday, police arrived at a local hospital where an adult woman had arrived by private vehicle with a gunshot wound, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Koenen.Officers spoke with the victim who stated that a man who was known to her robbed her of an undisclosed amount of money and at least one item, before shooting her in the hand. The incident occurred in the 400 block of SW Taylor Street in Topeka.As a result of the investigation, police arrested James David Cobulius Jr., 42 of Topeka, and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges: Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Battery and Criminal Possession of a Firearm.

Police: Kansas man shot woman during robbery

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Steve Watkins spent $400,000 in taxpayer-funded communications during a six-month period amid a Republican primary challenge — nearly twice the total spent by the state’s other three representatives, a new federal report shows.

Watkins, who was narrowly elected in 2018 with President Donald Trump’s backing, is running against State Treasurer Jake LaTurner and Topeka attorney Dennis Taylor in the Aug. 4 primary for the 2nd District seat.

Watkins’ congressional office allocated at least $400,000 for printing and mailing of correspondence, as well as for online and broadcast messaging from Oct. 1 to March 31, according to quarterly financial reports submitted to the U.S. House’s administration committee.NT

The Topeka Capital Journal&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cjonline.com/news/20200607/kansas-rep-watkins-rings-up-400000-in-taxpayer-funded-communications-in-six-months" target="_blank">reports</a>&nbsp;that U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, the 3rd District Democrat, spent $33,000 on franking communications during the six-month period. U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, a Republican serving the 4th District, reported $100,000 for franking, while U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall, the 1st District Republican who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Pat Roberts, filed reports showing $75,000 in franking costs.

Watkins spokesman Dylan Jones has said Watkins prioritized the goal of keeping constituents informed. He said that connection was “a vital component to effective representation and leadership.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591476738251.png" alt="Photo courtesy Rep. Steve Watkins" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Rep. Steve Watkins</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Steve Watkins spent $400,000 in taxpayer-funded communications during a six-month period amid a Republican primary challenge — nearly twice the total spent by the state’s other three representatives, a new federal report shows.Watkins, who was narrowly elected in 2018 with President Donald Trump’s backing, is running against State Treasurer Jake LaTurner and Topeka attorney Dennis Taylor in the Aug. 4 primary for the 2nd District seat.Watkins’ congressional office allocated at least $400,000 for printing and mailing of correspondence, as well as for online and broadcast messaging from Oct. 1 to March 31, according to quarterly financial reports submitted to the U.S. House’s administration committee.NTThe Topeka Capital Journal&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cjonline.com/news/20200607/kansas-rep-watkins-rings-up-400000-in-taxpayer-funded-communications-in-six-months" target="_blank">reports</a>&nbsp;that U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, the 3rd District Democrat, spent $33,000 on franking communications during the six-month period. U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, a Republican serving the 4th District, reported $100,000 for franking, while U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall, the 1st District Republican who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Pat Roberts, filed reports showing $75,000 in franking costs.Watkins spokesman Dylan Jones has said Watkins prioritized the goal of keeping constituents informed. He said that connection was “a vital component to effective representation and leadership.”

Kan. congressman spent $400K in taxpayer-funded mailing, messaging

Editor's note: The original story indicated the Jeep struck the camper based <a href="https://www.kansas.gov/khp-crashlogs/search/viewDetail/2020-006882">on incorrect information from the KHP.</a> The corrected version of the story is posted below.&nbsp;

WALLACE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 1:30p.m. Tuesday in Wallace County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Jeep Wrangler driven by&nbsp; Jenny L&nbsp;McClelland, 32, Colby, was eastbound on U.S. 40 seven miles east of Kansas 27.

&nbsp;The strong winds blew a westbound bumper-pull camper being transported&nbsp; behind a 2018 Chevy Silverado driven by Cory J. Chick, 40, Durango, Colorado, onto the Jeep, according to Trooper Tod Hileman.

McClelland was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported Bateman Funeral Home. Chick, an adult and 2 children in the Silverado were not injured. 

McClelland was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

&nbsp;The Jeep collided with a westbound bumper-pull camper that was being transported&nbsp; behind a 2018 Chevy Silverado driven by Cory J. Chick, 40, Durango, Colorado.

The Jeep came to a rest in a pasture on the north side of roadway.

McClelland was pronounced dead at the scene and transported Bateman Funeral Home. Chick, an adult and 2 children in the Silverado were not injured. McClelland was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Editor's note: The original story indicated the Jeep struck the camper based <a href="https://www.kansas.gov/khp-crashlogs/search/viewDetail/2020-006882">on incorrect information from the KHP.</a> The corrected version of the story is posted below.&nbsp;WALLACE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 1:30p.m. Tuesday in Wallace County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Jeep Wrangler driven by&nbsp; Jenny L&nbsp;McClelland, 32, Colby, was eastbound on U.S. 40 seven miles east of Kansas 27.&nbsp;The strong winds blew a westbound bumper-pull camper being transported&nbsp; behind a 2018 Chevy Silverado driven by Cory J. Chick, 40, Durango, Colorado, onto the Jeep, according to Trooper Tod Hileman.McClelland was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported Bateman Funeral Home. Chick, an adult and 2 children in the Silverado were not injured. McClelland was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.--------WALLACE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 1:30p.m. Tuesday in Wallace County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Jeep Wrangler driven by&nbsp; Jenny L&nbsp;McClelland, 32, Colby, was eastbound on U.S. 40 seven miles east of Kansas 27.&nbsp;The Jeep collided with a westbound bumper-pull camper that was being transported&nbsp; behind a 2018 Chevy Silverado driven by Cory J. Chick, 40, Durango, Colorado.The Jeep came to a rest in a pasture on the north side of roadway.McClelland was pronounced dead at the scene and transported Bateman Funeral Home. Chick, an adult and 2 children in the Silverado were not injured. McClelland was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Update: Kan. woman dies after bumper-pull camper blown onto Jeep

WICHITA – A Kansas man has been sentenced for trafficking an underage girl in Wichita.

On June 5, a Sedgwick County judge sentenced James Sexton, 27, of Wichita, to 144 months in prison, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.

In February, Sexton was convicted of commercial sexual exploitation of a child.

In August of 2018, members of the Exploited and Missing Child Unit in Wichita were on special assignment targeting online escort ads in an attempt to recover juvenile victims of sex trafficking. An undercover officer called a phone number on one of the ads and set up a meeting at a hotel in northwest Wichita. Police observed a 15-year-old girl and a 22-year-old woman walk into the hotel. 

The teenager was a runaway from another county.

After an exchange of money, detectives arrested Sexton, the man who drove them to the location.

The 22-year-old suspect, Kelly Holt of Wichita, was convicted of aggravated endangerment of a child and unlawful use of a communication facility. She is awaiting sentencing.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591719628440.png" alt="Sexton booking photo" />
 <figcaption>Sexton booking photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA – A Kansas man has been sentenced for trafficking an underage girl in Wichita.On June 5, a Sedgwick County judge sentenced James Sexton, 27, of Wichita, to 144 months in prison, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.In February, Sexton was convicted of commercial sexual exploitation of a child.In August of 2018, members of the Exploited and Missing Child Unit in Wichita were on special assignment targeting online escort ads in an attempt to recover juvenile victims of sex trafficking. An undercover officer called a phone number on one of the ads and set up a meeting at a hotel in northwest Wichita. Police observed a 15-year-old girl and a 22-year-old woman walk into the hotel. The teenager was a runaway from another county.After an exchange of money, detectives arrested Sexton, the man who drove them to the location.The 22-year-old suspect, Kelly Holt of Wichita, was convicted of aggravated endangerment of a child and unlawful use of a communication facility. She is awaiting sentencing.

Kansas man advertised 15-year-old for sex in online ads

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas will offer voluntary buyout packages to some faculty members as it grapples with financial losses from the coronavirus pandemic.

Chancellor Douglas Girod has said the university faces a budget shortfall of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/96e7e3cfef7e6d0041dfe3c908fd4389">at least $120</a>&nbsp;million in the fiscal year that begins July 1 due to virus-related shutdowns.

Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer said in a Monday message to faculty and staff members that eligible employees must be age 62 or older and meet other requirements.

“This was not an easy decision, however, it is one that will help enable the university to plan and forecast its continued capacity to provide high-quality educational experiences and exceptional research on our Lawrence and Edwards campuses long into the future,” Bichelmeyer said.

Applicants accepted into the Voluntary Separation Incentive Program will receive a lump-sum cash payment of $100,000 or their fiscal year 2021 budgeted base salary, whichever is lower. They must retire by Dec. 31 and would not be eligible for rehire at the university for 12 months.

Between 500 and 600 faculty and staff are likely eligible for the program, said university spokeswoman Erinn Barcomb-Peterson.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas will offer voluntary buyout packages to some faculty members as it grapples with financial losses from the coronavirus pandemic.Chancellor Douglas Girod has said the university faces a budget shortfall of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/96e7e3cfef7e6d0041dfe3c908fd4389">at least $120</a>&nbsp;million in the fiscal year that begins July 1 due to virus-related shutdowns.Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer said in a Monday message to faculty and staff members that eligible employees must be age 62 or older and meet other requirements.“This was not an easy decision, however, it is one that will help enable the university to plan and forecast its continued capacity to provide high-quality educational experiences and exceptional research on our Lawrence and Edwards campuses long into the future,” Bichelmeyer said.Applicants accepted into the Voluntary Separation Incentive Program will receive a lump-sum cash payment of $100,000 or their fiscal year 2021 budgeted base salary, whichever is lower. They must retire by Dec. 31 and would not be eligible for rehire at the university for 12 months.Between 500 and 600 faculty and staff are likely eligible for the program, said university spokeswoman Erinn Barcomb-Peterson.

University of Kansas offers buyouts amid pandemic losses

TOPEKA–The KDHE confirmed the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus at Lansing Correctional Facility is contained. As a result, the Guardsmen who have supported logistics, food and medical services at the facility concluded their mission on June 4.

“The Kansas National Guard is full of highly trained, professional public servants who are ready at a moment’s notice to serve their fellow Kansans,”&nbsp;Secretary Jeff Zmuda, Kansas Department of Corrections said Tuesday.

“We were extremely impressed with their willingness and ability to adapt to their new surroundings and face each task with strength and dignity. On behalf of the department, I want to sincerely thank them for their work.”

The first four Kansas National Guard members arrived at Lansing on April 15 and grew to more than 40 in support of LCF’s COVID-19 response. The Guardsmen were instrumental in monitoring residents for symptoms, carrying out mass testing for the virus and conducting twice-daily health checks. Additional members also provided support in food service, as residents who normally prepare meals were unable to do so while they were quarantined and assisted with the move to the new buildings at the reconstructed facility. Their contributions allowed Lansing employees to remain focused on safety and security tasks with confidence that these services were continuing.

KDHE began assisting KDOC with their COVID-19 preparations in early March and when the situation at LCF escalated, they dedicated a full-time staff member to assist with ensuring the health and safety of the residents. As the agency moves into a new phase of response, the two agencies will continue to partner to determine what additional steps may need to be taken in the future.

“Secretary Lee Norman and Phil Griffin, Director of the Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention at KDHE, have been amazing partners to our agency,” Zmuda said. “They have brought the health expertise that we needed to make sure that our staff received the most up-to-date information on the virus and how to keep the men, women and youth in our care safe.”

With the virus contained, residents, staff and contractors at the facility are moving forward with the resumption of many activities. This includes residents returning to their jobs in food service, laundry and maintenance activities as well as essential private industry jobs. In addition, the contracted medical provider will continue providing all services under the terms of their contract. Activities that expose residents to the community, including visitation, volunteers, mentors, and non-essential private industry jobs will not be resumed at this time.

“While we are resuming many activities, we fully recognize that this virus will still be present for the foreseeable future, so we plan to maintain the mitigation strategies that have been implemented at each of our facilities,” Zmuda said. “This resumption of activities is a first step to normalizing operations at Lansing, but one we will do with an abundance of caution and care.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591738839534.png" alt="Kansas National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are assisting at Lansing Correctional Facility on May 5 supplementing kitchen staff by preparing sack lunches for distribution to residents throughout the facility- photo courtesy Kansas National Guard" />
 <figcaption>Kansas National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are assisting at Lansing Correctional Facility on May 5 supplementing kitchen staff by preparing sack lunches for distribution to residents throughout the facility- photo courtesy Kansas National Guard</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA–The KDHE confirmed the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus at Lansing Correctional Facility is contained. As a result, the Guardsmen who have supported logistics, food and medical services at the facility concluded their mission on June 4.“The Kansas National Guard is full of highly trained, professional public servants who are ready at a moment’s notice to serve their fellow Kansans,”&nbsp;Secretary Jeff Zmuda, Kansas Department of Corrections said Tuesday.“We were extremely impressed with their willingness and ability to adapt to their new surroundings and face each task with strength and dignity. On behalf of the department, I want to sincerely thank them for their work.”The first four Kansas National Guard members arrived at Lansing on April 15 and grew to more than 40 in support of LCF’s COVID-19 response. The Guardsmen were instrumental in monitoring residents for symptoms, carrying out mass testing for the virus and conducting twice-daily health checks. Additional members also provided support in food service, as residents who normally prepare meals were unable to do so while they were quarantined and assisted with the move to the new buildings at the reconstructed facility. Their contributions allowed Lansing employees to remain focused on safety and security tasks with confidence that these services were continuing.KDHE began assisting KDOC with their COVID-19 preparations in early March and when the situation at LCF escalated, they dedicated a full-time staff member to assist with ensuring the health and safety of the residents. As the agency moves into a new phase of response, the two agencies will continue to partner to determine what additional steps may need to be taken in the future.“Secretary Lee Norman and Phil Griffin, Director of the Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention at KDHE, have been amazing partners to our agency,” Zmuda said. “They have brought the health expertise that we needed to make sure that our staff received the most up-to-date information on the virus and how to keep the men, women and youth in our care safe.”With the virus contained, residents, staff and contractors at the facility are moving forward with the resumption of many activities. This includes residents returning to their jobs in food service, laundry and maintenance activities as well as essential private industry jobs. In addition, the contracted medical provider will continue providing all services under the terms of their contract. Activities that expose residents to the community, including visitation, volunteers, mentors, and non-essential private industry jobs will not be resumed at this time.“While we are resuming many activities, we fully recognize that this virus will still be present for the foreseeable future, so we plan to maintain the mitigation strategies that have been implemented at each of our facilities,” Zmuda said. “This resumption of activities is a first step to normalizing operations at Lansing, but one we will do with an abundance of caution and care.”

KDHE: Coronavirus outbreak at Kansas prison is contained

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

A trial date has been set for a couple that has been charged in a check-kiting scheme that allegedly cost banks millions of dollars.

<a href="https://archive.hayspost.com/2019/05/31/indictment-plainville-couple-stole-millions-in-check-kiting-scheme-2/" target="_blank">Tyler Gillum and his wife, Camden Gillum, were charged in May 2019 in federal court with carrying out a check-kiting scheme</a>.

Ranchers who sold cattle at two sales at the now-bankrupt Plainville Livestock Commission waited almost 10 months for payment while the financial fallout from the company's bankruptcy was sorted out.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5de67bc1897d147ad4bb1dfd">SEE RELATED STORY: Cattlemen paid in full in Plainville Livestock case; bank also ordered to pay $1.3 M</a>

The couple's trial has been set for Oct. 21. in federal court. The deadline for pretrial motions for the defense has been set for June 15. The deadline for the government to answer has been set for July 15.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575404210576.jpeg" alt="Former Plainville Livestock Commission building in Plainville. File photo" />
 <figcaption>Former Plainville Livestock Commission building in Plainville. File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostA trial date has been set for a couple that has been charged in a check-kiting scheme that allegedly cost banks millions of dollars.<a href="https://archive.hayspost.com/2019/05/31/indictment-plainville-couple-stole-millions-in-check-kiting-scheme-2/" target="_blank">Tyler Gillum and his wife, Camden Gillum, were charged in May 2019 in federal court with carrying out a check-kiting scheme</a>.Ranchers who sold cattle at two sales at the now-bankrupt Plainville Livestock Commission waited almost 10 months for payment while the financial fallout from the company's bankruptcy was sorted out.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5de67bc1897d147ad4bb1dfd">SEE RELATED STORY: Cattlemen paid in full in Plainville Livestock case; bank also ordered to pay $1.3 M</a>The couple's trial has been set for Oct. 21. in federal court. The deadline for pretrial motions for the defense has been set for June 15. The deadline for the government to answer has been set for July 15.

Trial date set in Plainville Livestock check-kiting case

The Wichita Police Department (WPD) is offering a $1,000 reward for any information that leads to locating missing 23-year-old Savanah Schneider of Wichita. The KBI issued a statewide endangered persons advisory for her last week.

The investigation led to a search Tuesday of an area south of Haysville after it was learned Schneider’s cell phone last pinged in the Haysville area, according to officer Charley Davidson.

WPD detectives, Sedgwick County Sheriff Detectives, WPD mounted unit, cadaver K9’s, and article search K9’s searched the area.

Schneider was last seen on Sunday, May 31, at her home in the 10300 block of West Alamo.&nbsp; She is described as 5-foot-8”, 110pounds, with blue eyes and blonde hair.

Police and family are concerned for her and need help locating her.&nbsp; If you have any information on this case or Schneider’s whereabouts, please call 911 or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.

SEDGWICK COUNTY –&nbsp;The Wichita Police Department requested that the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide endangered persons advisory for a missing Wichita woman.

The whereabouts of Savanah Schneider, 23, are unknown, and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate her.

She was last seen on Sunday, May 31, at her home in the 10300 block of West Alamo in Wichita.

She is described as 5-foot-8, 110 pounds., with blue eyes and blonde hair. Savanah has an intellectual disability, and WPD is concerned for her welfare.

If you know the whereabouts of Savanah or see her, please call 911 immediately.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591791485996.png" alt="Savanah Schneider -photo Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>Savanah Schneider -photo Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure>The Wichita Police Department (WPD) is offering a $1,000 reward for any information that leads to locating missing 23-year-old Savanah Schneider of Wichita. The KBI issued a statewide endangered persons advisory for her last week.The investigation led to a search Tuesday of an area south of Haysville after it was learned Schneider’s cell phone last pinged in the Haysville area, according to officer Charley Davidson.WPD detectives, Sedgwick County Sheriff Detectives, WPD mounted unit, cadaver K9’s, and article search K9’s searched the area.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591390996010.png" alt="Savanah Schneider" />
 <figcaption>Savanah Schneider</figcaption>
 </figure>Schneider was last seen on Sunday, May 31, at her home in the 10300 block of West Alamo.&nbsp; She is described as 5-foot-8”, 110pounds, with blue eyes and blonde hair.Police and family are concerned for her and need help locating her.&nbsp; If you have any information on this case or Schneider’s whereabouts, please call 911 or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.----------SEDGWICK COUNTY –&nbsp;The Wichita Police Department requested that the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide endangered persons advisory for a missing Wichita woman.The whereabouts of Savanah Schneider, 23, are unknown, and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate her.She was last seen on Sunday, May 31, at her home in the 10300 block of West Alamo in Wichita.She is described as 5-foot-8, 110 pounds., with blue eyes and blonde hair. Savanah has an intellectual disability, and WPD is concerned for her welfare.If you know the whereabouts of Savanah or see her, please call 911 immediately.

Police offer reward to help locate missing Kansas woman

Criminals are seizing on a surge in job losses to steal unemployment benefits from Americans nationwide. This complicates an already tough situation for millions of financially strapped Americans and overwhelmed state unemployment offices.

While there’s no exact measure of how many fraudulent claims have been made, states from Washington to Maine say they’ve seen an increase and numerous federal agencies are working to fight it.

“About 10% of (unemployment insurance) payments are improper under the best of times, and we are in the worst of times,” Scott Dahl, the inspector general for the U.S. Labor Department, told the House Subcommittee on Government Operations. Dahl estimated that at least $26 billion in benefits could be wasted, with the bulk of that going to fraudsters.

This forces unemployed workers, already reeling from the loss of a job, to fight for the benefits they need and are entitled to.

“We are deeply concerned about the well-being of these people and when they will get this resolved and get the money they need to live on,” said Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center, which has seen a sharp jump in calls for help with unemployment fraud.

Since mid-March, 42.7 million people have applied for unemployment benefits, though some have been rehired as states allow businesses to reopen. On Thursday, the federal government said 21.5 million people are receiving jobless aid. That creates added opportunity for criminals. An extra $600 a week in benefits makes it more lucrative.

Additionally, state unemployment agencies have been overwhelmed by claims and are working to get payments to those in need as fast as possible. In some cases, security experts say the new processes, added workload and outdated systems may have made it easier for criminals to act.

“This is El Dorado for them and it’s pure hell for victims,” said Adam Levin, founder of data security firm CyberScout.

Security experts say the bulk of the fraud appears to be committed by criminals using stolen data to make claims using someone else’s identity. The information has often been gleaned from prior data breaches or direct attacks on state systems.

In many cases, victims don’t know they have been affected until they apply for benefits and find out someone has beat them to the punch. Some even find their benefit payments halted when a criminal usurps their benefits.

Victims should report a suspected fraud to the state, their employer and file a police report. But resolving the issue and getting proper payment means going through the state agency that processes unemployment benefit claims, which is potentially already overwhelmed.

The U.S. Secret Service issued a memo last month that suggested a well-organized Nigerian fraud ring was targeting state unemployment systems, according to the New York Times, which got a copy of the document. But agents were still working to pinpoint who was involved and from where. The memo said that Washington was the hardest-hit state but there was evidence of attacks in North Carolina, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, Wyoming and Florida. The California cybersecurity firm Agari estimated last week that at least 11 states have been targeted.

On Thursday, officials in Washington said the state has recovered $333 million out an estimated $550 million to $650 million paid out fraudulently.

Those with jobs are also targets of the fraudsters. Blake Victor Kent said that last week he got a letter from the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance informing him that they had commenced payments for his unemployment claim.

“That’s funny, because I am still employed,” he said.

Kent thought his information may have been exposed when he was a victim of a data breach a few years back. But his employer, Massachusetts General Hospital, sent an email a few days later to staff saying they were aware of a number of such cases for employees.

In other cases, criminals are targeting people with false job offers, assistance filing unemployment and to glean personal information. Other people may also be targeted and used as “mules” to move money for the criminals.

Experts warn that if a criminal has enough information to make an unemployment claim, they have enough information to commit other acts of identity theft. So people need to protect themselves from further harm by freezing their credit and monitoring their credit regularly for any irregularities.

People should practice good cyber hygiene as well, suggests John Breyault, who manages the National Consumers League’s Fraud Center. That means changing passwords regularly, using two-factor authentication whenever possible to log into accounts and being wary of offers that seem too good to be true, whether that is by phone, online, mail or in person.

“Until this unemployment problem starts to recede, this is going to be a problem that sticks with us,” Breyault said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587668925586.png" alt="Kansas Labor Secretary Delia Garcia" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Labor Secretary Delia Garcia</figcaption>
 </figure>By SARAH SKIDMORE SELL, Associated PressCriminals are seizing on a surge in job losses to steal unemployment benefits from Americans nationwide. This complicates an already tough situation for millions of financially strapped Americans and overwhelmed state unemployment offices.While there’s no exact measure of how many fraudulent claims have been made, states from Washington to Maine say they’ve seen an increase and numerous federal agencies are working to fight it.“About 10% of (unemployment insurance) payments are improper under the best of times, and we are in the worst of times,” Scott Dahl, the inspector general for the U.S. Labor Department, told the House Subcommittee on Government Operations. Dahl estimated that at least $26 billion in benefits could be wasted, with the bulk of that going to fraudsters.This forces unemployed workers, already reeling from the loss of a job, to fight for the benefits they need and are entitled to.“We are deeply concerned about the well-being of these people and when they will get this resolved and get the money they need to live on,” said Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center, which has seen a sharp jump in calls for help with unemployment fraud.Since mid-March, 42.7 million people have applied for unemployment benefits, though some have been rehired as states allow businesses to reopen. On Thursday, the federal government said 21.5 million people are receiving jobless aid. That creates added opportunity for criminals. An extra $600 a week in benefits makes it more lucrative.Additionally, state unemployment agencies have been overwhelmed by claims and are working to get payments to those in need as fast as possible. In some cases, security experts say the new processes, added workload and outdated systems may have made it easier for criminals to act.“This is El Dorado for them and it’s pure hell for victims,” said Adam Levin, founder of data security firm CyberScout.Security experts say the bulk of the fraud appears to be committed by criminals using stolen data to make claims using someone else’s identity. The information has often been gleaned from prior data breaches or direct attacks on state systems.In many cases, victims don’t know they have been affected until they apply for benefits and find out someone has beat them to the punch. Some even find their benefit payments halted when a criminal usurps their benefits.Victims should report a suspected fraud to the state, their employer and file a police report. But resolving the issue and getting proper payment means going through the state agency that processes unemployment benefit claims, which is potentially already overwhelmed.The U.S. Secret Service issued a memo last month that suggested a well-organized Nigerian fraud ring was targeting state unemployment systems, according to the New York Times, which got a copy of the document. But agents were still working to pinpoint who was involved and from where. The memo said that Washington was the hardest-hit state but there was evidence of attacks in North Carolina, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, Wyoming and Florida. The California cybersecurity firm Agari estimated last week that at least 11 states have been targeted.On Thursday, officials in Washington said the state has recovered $333 million out an estimated $550 million to $650 million paid out fraudulently.Those with jobs are also targets of the fraudsters. Blake Victor Kent said that last week he got a letter from the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance informing him that they had commenced payments for his unemployment claim.“That’s funny, because I am still employed,” he said.Kent thought his information may have been exposed when he was a victim of a data breach a few years back. But his employer, Massachusetts General Hospital, sent an email a few days later to staff saying they were aware of a number of such cases for employees.In other cases, criminals are targeting people with false job offers, assistance filing unemployment and to glean personal information. Other people may also be targeted and used as “mules” to move money for the criminals.Experts warn that if a criminal has enough information to make an unemployment claim, they have enough information to commit other acts of identity theft. So people need to protect themselves from further harm by freezing their credit and monitoring their credit regularly for any irregularities.People should practice good cyber hygiene as well, suggests John Breyault, who manages the National Consumers League’s Fraud Center. That means changing passwords regularly, using two-factor authentication whenever possible to log into accounts and being wary of offers that seem too good to be true, whether that is by phone, online, mail or in person.“Until this unemployment problem starts to recede, this is going to be a problem that sticks with us,” Breyault said.__

Criminals stealing unemployment benefits as claims surge

When KU researchers asked counties how they were doing, most had very little gear on hand to collect samples from sick patients

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-06-09/local-health-departments-in-kansas-struggled-to-get-the-tools-for-the-frontline-fight-against-coronavirus">Kansas News Service</a>

TOPEKA, Kansas — County health departments in Kansas lacked 
the resources and manpower to swiftly ramp up “boots-on-the-ground” work
 when the coronavirus pandemic hit, new research suggests.

The work by researchers at <a href="https://journals.ku.edu/kjm/article/view/13727" target="_blank">the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita</a>
 sheds light on the state’s preparedness for the pandemic. Local health 
departments do much of the frontline work gathering test samples from 
sick people and tracking down others who may have been exposed.

“It all comes down to what we can do for the county health departments,” said Talkad Raghuveer, a
 pediatrics professor and co-author of the Kansas Journal of Medicine 
article. “They’re our fighting force. It’s like providing funding for 
the Pentagon.”

KU researchers surveyed local health departments in
 mid- to late April. Three-quarters of the state’s county health 
departments responded.

The survey offers a snapshot of local 
public health resources well into the pandemic and when the coronavirus 
was spreading quickly. Kansas had been <a href="https://www.kcur.org/health/2020-03-28/kansas-governor-issues-a-statewide-stay-at-home-order-which-starts-monday" target="_blank">under lockdown</a> for weeks.

County
 health departments said they needed more protective gear or other 
critical supplies. On average, they had just five of the <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMvcm2010260" target="_blank">specialized nose swabs</a> used for COVID-19 testing when they answered the researchers’ questions.

“It was not very pretty,” Raghuveer said.

Kansas was, at the time, doing <a href="https://www.kcur.org/2020-04-20/kansas-ranks-lowest-in-coronavirus-testing-which-could-make-it-harder-to-reopen-economy" target="_blank">less testing</a>
 per capita than any other state. As the virus ravaged the coasts, 
Kansas and its health providers struggled to get hold of enough nose 
swabs, surgical masks and other vital gear from private suppliers and 
the federal government.

Meanwhile, the virus spread, taking hold 
in places where Kansans couldn’t avoid close physical proximity to each 
other — food factories, prisons, nursing homes.

More than a quarter of the state’s more than 10,000 <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas" target="_blank">known COVID-19 cases</a> are linked to outbreaks at meatpacking plants. Half of its deaths relate to long-term care facilities.

In
 the survey, local health officials reported that they typically had to 
wait three days or more for test results. Some said even if testing 
supplies were available, they couldn’t afford them.

About 30% of 
the health departments that responded also had fewer employees working 
on contact tracing than recommended, the researchers said.

Gianfranco
 Pezzino is the health officer for the state’s third-largest county, 
Shawnee. That county quickly pulled its nurses off of other work to 
focus on coronavirus, and tapped into an existing list of volunteers who
 could rapidly get to work on contact tracing.

In the meantime, 
the agency’s typical public health work on things like measles vaccines 
and sexually transmitted diseases took a backseat.

“I don’t even 
want to think what our immunization coverage rates are going to look 
like when we start coming out of this emergency,” Pezzino said. “That’s 
the price we had to pay to be able to do what we have been able to do in
 the last few weeks.”

Plenty of Kansas health departments don’t even have an epidemiologist, he said, something he has long argued for changing.

“People
 want to know trends,” said Pezzino, also a former state epidemiologist.
 “The age distribution of our cases. The mortality rates. All very 
legitimate questions.”

Since the publication of the KU paper, state mandates on how to reopen the state’s economy <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-05-26/kansas-counties-in-charge-of-covid-19-restrictions-after-gov-kelly-vetoes-emergency-powers-bill" target="_blank">have fallen away</a>.
 That’s put increased pressure on counties and local health officials to
 lay out their own rules for keeping people safe, and to get it right.

Nationwide, per-capita spending by local health departments shrank by nearly one-fifth over the past decade, according to the <a href="http://nacchoprofilestudy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/2019-Profile-Preparedness-Capacity.pdf" target="_blank">National Association of County and City Health Officers</a>. It argues public health departments were poorly positioned to tackle the pandemic.

In the wake of the 2008 Great Recession, state and local health agencies <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6944191/" target="_blank">shed tens of thousands of jobs</a> from a workforce that hasn’t yet recovered. Targeted federal funding for them to prepare for <a href="https://www.tfah.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/TFAH_2019_PublicHealthFunding_07.pdf" target="_blank">public health emergencies</a> dropped, too.

Public health experts worry such losses compounded <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/hhs-watchdog-agency-finds-severe-hospital-shortages-in-combating-covid-19/2020/04/06/2906af7e-7811-11ea-a130-df573469f094_story.html" target="_blank">other major preparedness gaps</a> exposed by COVID-19, ranging from the nation’s inability to swiftly ramp up production of test materials to inadequate <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-04-06/kansas-is-looking-high-and-low-for-gear-to-protect-health-care-workers-from-covid-19" target="_blank">supply chains</a> for protective gear.

In Kansas, many local health departments saw their discretionary funding from the state stagnate in recent decades, <a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article240915266.html" target="_blank">the Wichita Eagle reported</a>. And <a href="https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/annual/measure/Overall/state/KS" target="_blank">America’s Health Rankings</a> puts the state 40th in the country in terms of public health spending.

The
 KU School of Medicine-Wichita survey found most county health 
departments hadn’t increased their staff since the onset of the 
pandemic.

Departments said they needed help ratcheting up testing 
and educating the public about the coronavirus. They wanted additional 
staff and help with tracing the contacts of sick people.

A month after their responses, Kansas was still training up hundreds of <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-05-13/kansas-needs-more-people-tracing-covid-19-infections-to-their-source-to-stem-resurgence" target="_blank">contact tracers</a> to shore up counties’ efforts.

Those extra hands on deck will become more important if reopening the economy leads to a larger, second wave of COVID-19 cases.

Saline
 County officials watched the pandemic’s march through other countries, 
preparing for the possibility it would hit closer to home.

So far,
 the central Kansas county has 30 known cases of coronavirus, compared 
to Shawnee County’s 340, and much higher numbers in the Kansas City 
metro and southwest Kansas meatpacking towns. So it’s within the range 
of what the Saline health department staff can handle.

“It would 
have been different had we had a ton of cases in a short period of 
time,” says Jason Tiller, who has headed the department for more than 
five years. “But because of the way that our cases landed, which was 
probably one to two every few days … that workload, while it was 
time-consuming, wasn’t as extensive.”

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591709948907.png" alt="The coronavirus pandemic shut down non-essential businesses in Kansas for more than a month while county and state health officials tried to stop its spread, prevent hospitals from becoming overloaded, and buy time for acquiring much-needed protective gear and other supplies. Brian Grimmett / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>The coronavirus pandemic shut down non-essential businesses in Kansas for more than a month while county and state health officials tried to stop its spread, prevent hospitals from becoming overloaded, and buy time for acquiring much-needed protective gear and other supplies. Brian Grimmett / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>When KU researchers asked counties how they were doing, most had very little gear on hand to collect samples from sick patients</h2>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-06-09/local-health-departments-in-kansas-struggled-to-get-the-tools-for-the-frontline-fight-against-coronavirus">Kansas News Service</a>TOPEKA, Kansas — County health departments in Kansas lacked 
the resources and manpower to swiftly ramp up “boots-on-the-ground” work
 when the coronavirus pandemic hit, new research suggests.The work by researchers at <a href="https://journals.ku.edu/kjm/article/view/13727" target="_blank">the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita</a>
 sheds light on the state’s preparedness for the pandemic. Local health 
departments do much of the frontline work gathering test samples from 
sick people and tracking down others who may have been exposed.“It all comes down to what we can do for the county health departments,” said Talkad Raghuveer, a
 pediatrics professor and co-author of the Kansas Journal of Medicine 
article. “They’re our fighting force. It’s like providing funding for 
the Pentagon.”KU researchers surveyed local health departments in
 mid- to late April. Three-quarters of the state’s county health 
departments responded.The survey offers a snapshot of local 
public health resources well into the pandemic and when the coronavirus 
was spreading quickly. Kansas had been <a href="https://www.kcur.org/health/2020-03-28/kansas-governor-issues-a-statewide-stay-at-home-order-which-starts-monday" target="_blank">under lockdown</a> for weeks.County
 health departments said they needed more protective gear or other 
critical supplies. On average, they had just five of the <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMvcm2010260" target="_blank">specialized nose swabs</a> used for COVID-19 testing when they answered the researchers’ questions.“It was not very pretty,” Raghuveer said.Kansas was, at the time, doing <a href="https://www.kcur.org/2020-04-20/kansas-ranks-lowest-in-coronavirus-testing-which-could-make-it-harder-to-reopen-economy" target="_blank">less testing</a>
 per capita than any other state. As the virus ravaged the coasts, 
Kansas and its health providers struggled to get hold of enough nose 
swabs, surgical masks and other vital gear from private suppliers and 
the federal government.Meanwhile, the virus spread, taking hold 
in places where Kansans couldn’t avoid close physical proximity to each 
other — food factories, prisons, nursing homes.More than a quarter of the state’s more than 10,000 <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas" target="_blank">known COVID-19 cases</a> are linked to outbreaks at meatpacking plants. Half of its deaths relate to long-term care facilities.In
 the survey, local health officials reported that they typically had to 
wait three days or more for test results. Some said even if testing 
supplies were available, they couldn’t afford them.About 30% of 
the health departments that responded also had fewer employees working 
on contact tracing than recommended, the researchers said.Gianfranco
 Pezzino is the health officer for the state’s third-largest county, 
Shawnee. That county quickly pulled its nurses off of other work to 
focus on coronavirus, and tapped into an existing list of volunteers who
 could rapidly get to work on contact tracing.In the meantime, 
the agency’s typical public health work on things like measles vaccines 
and sexually transmitted diseases took a backseat.“I don’t even 
want to think what our immunization coverage rates are going to look 
like when we start coming out of this emergency,” Pezzino said. “That’s 
the price we had to pay to be able to do what we have been able to do in
 the last few weeks.”Plenty of Kansas health departments don’t even have an epidemiologist, he said, something he has long argued for changing.“People
 want to know trends,” said Pezzino, also a former state epidemiologist.
 “The age distribution of our cases. The mortality rates. All very 
legitimate questions.”Since the publication of the KU paper, state mandates on how to reopen the state’s economy <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-05-26/kansas-counties-in-charge-of-covid-19-restrictions-after-gov-kelly-vetoes-emergency-powers-bill" target="_blank">have fallen away</a>.
 That’s put increased pressure on counties and local health officials to
 lay out their own rules for keeping people safe, and to get it right.<h2>Long-time struggle</h2>Nationwide, per-capita spending by local health departments shrank by nearly one-fifth over the past decade, according to the <a href="http://nacchoprofilestudy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/2019-Profile-Preparedness-Capacity.pdf" target="_blank">National Association of County and City Health Officers</a>. It argues public health departments were poorly positioned to tackle the pandemic.In the wake of the 2008 Great Recession, state and local health agencies <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6944191/" target="_blank">shed tens of thousands of jobs</a> from a workforce that hasn’t yet recovered. Targeted federal funding for them to prepare for <a href="https://www.tfah.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/TFAH_2019_PublicHealthFunding_07.pdf" target="_blank">public health emergencies</a> dropped, too.Public health experts worry such losses compounded <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/hhs-watchdog-agency-finds-severe-hospital-shortages-in-combating-covid-19/2020/04/06/2906af7e-7811-11ea-a130-df573469f094_story.html" target="_blank">other major preparedness gaps</a> exposed by COVID-19, ranging from the nation’s inability to swiftly ramp up production of test materials to inadequate <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-04-06/kansas-is-looking-high-and-low-for-gear-to-protect-health-care-workers-from-covid-19" target="_blank">supply chains</a> for protective gear.In Kansas, many local health departments saw their discretionary funding from the state stagnate in recent decades, <a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article240915266.html" target="_blank">the Wichita Eagle reported</a>. And <a href="https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/annual/measure/Overall/state/KS" target="_blank">America’s Health Rankings</a> puts the state 40th in the country in terms of public health spending.The
 KU School of Medicine-Wichita survey found most county health 
departments hadn’t increased their staff since the onset of the 
pandemic.Departments said they needed help ratcheting up testing 
and educating the public about the coronavirus. They wanted additional 
staff and help with tracing the contacts of sick people.A month after their responses, Kansas was still training up hundreds of <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-05-13/kansas-needs-more-people-tracing-covid-19-infections-to-their-source-to-stem-resurgence" target="_blank">contact tracers</a> to shore up counties’ efforts.Those extra hands on deck will become more important if reopening the economy leads to a larger, second wave of COVID-19 cases.Saline
 County officials watched the pandemic’s march through other countries, 
preparing for the possibility it would hit closer to home.So far,
 the central Kansas county has 30 known cases of coronavirus, compared 
to Shawnee County’s 340, and much higher numbers in the Kansas City 
metro and southwest Kansas meatpacking towns. So it’s within the range 
of what the Saline health department staff can handle.“It would 
have been different had we had a ton of cases in a short period of 
time,” says Jason Tiller, who has headed the department for more than 
five years. “But because of the way that our cases landed, which was 
probably one to two every few days … that workload, while it was 
time-consuming, wasn’t as extensive.”Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health and education for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/Celia_LJ" target="_blank">@celia_LJ</a> or email her at celia@kcur.org.

Kan. health departments struggled to get tools for virus fight

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal shooting have made a second arrest.

On April 24, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center began receiving multiple calls about a possible shooting in the 1200 block of NE Quincy Street in Topeka, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Koenen.

At the scene officers located an adult male victim identified as  Joseph Hill, 26, of Topeka outside a residence in the area suffering from life-threatening injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;Police asked community members in the area to review their home security camera footage to assist with their investigation and identified two suspects.

On Monday, police located Michael D. Flores, 25, Topeka. Flores was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Involuntary Manslaughter and Aiding and Abetting a Battery, according to Koenen.

On May 14, with the assistance of US Marshalls a suspect identified as Vincent Dean Gonzalez-Rook, 22, Topeka was located and taken into custody in California, according to Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay.

Gonzalez-Rook is being held for Murder in the First Degree, Premeditated  and Criminal Possession of a Firearm.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591706005286.png" alt="Flores" />
 <figcaption>Flores</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal shooting have made a second arrest.On April 24, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center began receiving multiple calls about a possible shooting in the 1200 block of NE Quincy Street in Topeka, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Koenen.At the scene officers located an adult male victim identified as Joseph Hill, 26, of Topeka outside a residence in the area suffering from life-threatening injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;Police asked community members in the area to review their home security camera footage to assist with their investigation and identified two suspects.On Monday, police located Michael D. Flores, 25, Topeka. Flores was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Involuntary Manslaughter and Aiding and Abetting a Battery, according to Koenen.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588622331728.png" alt="Gonzalez-Rook" />
 <figcaption>Gonzalez-Rook</figcaption>
 </figure>On May 14, with the assistance of US Marshalls a suspect identified as Vincent Dean Gonzalez-Rook, 22, Topeka was located and taken into custody in California, according to Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay.Gonzalez-Rook is being held for Murder in the First Degree, Premeditated and Criminal Possession of a Firearm.-------

Police capture 2nd suspect in fatal Kansas shooting

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The bill signed by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly for COVID-19 response has important provisions in it to balance public health and privacy concerns regarding contact tracing.

"When you're talking about a global pandemic that in Kansas has affected every county, there's not a confirmed case in every county, but there was a state of emergency, and where you're talking about adding literally hundreds of people to do this contact tracing, the issue is, of course, those folks all gather information that sometimes is really quite personal about people," said Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt. "What happens to the information? How can it be used? Who may access it? What happens to it when the pandemic is past? All of those basic questions, that in a 21st century information economy we're accustomed to asking about everything, from our cell phones to our video games, have never been asked about contact tracing."

The measure puts in place a privacy law that's specifically targeted at COVID-19 contact tracing. It sets out those basic privacy and civil liberty rights, including an important one for everyone with a device in their pocket.

"One of the modern tools is, of course, digital," Schmidt said. "You can track a person's cell phone and figure out where they've been and whether they've been close to another person's cell phone and then you know they've had contact, so you can communicate that way, but that's really disturbing to a lot of Kansans, understandably. This new law flat prohibits that sort of contact tracing, the cell phone location data tracing."

The scope of contact tracing is the reason to regulate this so tightly. There is a chance some contact tracers may not have as much training this time around as would be typical in smaller disease events.

"It's one thing if you have a very limited outbreak of a disease in a discrete geographic location and the people who are doing the contact tracing are, in their day jobs, for lack of a better term, trained public health professionals and they are used to dealing with things like HIPAA and medical privacy. It's quite another thing when the scope of contact tracing may be so broad, as it is now, that hundreds of people, who aren't necessarily connected to the public health community at all, are being hired to ask these questions and gather this information on behalf of the public health community."

The statute limits the questions those contact tracers can ask, it limits them to sharing the information with only those people who need to know it and it provides for the destruction of the information, once the pandemic has passed

By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The bill signed by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly for COVID-19 response has important provisions in it to balance public health and privacy concerns regarding contact tracing."When you're talking about a global pandemic that in Kansas has affected every county, there's not a confirmed case in every county, but there was a state of emergency, and where you're talking about adding literally hundreds of people to do this contact tracing, the issue is, of course, those folks all gather information that sometimes is really quite personal about people," said Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt. "What happens to the information? How can it be used? Who may access it? What happens to it when the pandemic is past? All of those basic questions, that in a 21st century information economy we're accustomed to asking about everything, from our cell phones to our video games, have never been asked about contact tracing."The measure puts in place a privacy law that's specifically targeted at COVID-19 contact tracing. It sets out those basic privacy and civil liberty rights, including an important one for everyone with a device in their pocket."One of the modern tools is, of course, digital," Schmidt said. "You can track a person's cell phone and figure out where they've been and whether they've been close to another person's cell phone and then you know they've had contact, so you can communicate that way, but that's really disturbing to a lot of Kansans, understandably. This new law flat prohibits that sort of contact tracing, the cell phone location data tracing."The scope of contact tracing is the reason to regulate this so tightly. There is a chance some contact tracers may not have as much training this time around as would be typical in smaller disease events."It's one thing if you have a very limited outbreak of a disease in a discrete geographic location and the people who are doing the contact tracing are, in their day jobs, for lack of a better term, trained public health professionals and they are used to dealing with things like HIPAA and medical privacy. It's quite another thing when the scope of contact tracing may be so broad, as it is now, that hundreds of people, who aren't necessarily connected to the public health community at all, are being hired to ask these questions and gather this information on behalf of the public health community."The statute limits the questions those contact tracers can ask, it limits them to sharing the information with only those people who need to know it and it provides for the destruction of the information, once the pandemic has passed

Kan. AG: COVID-19 legislation regulates contact tracing

TOPEKA —Governor Laura Kelly’s Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Taskforce held the first joint meeting between Executive and Steering Committees to create the framework for the distribution of up to $525 million for Kansans, businesses, and communities to recover from the economic impact of COVID-19.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=713&amp;v=RnYjc08QvK0&amp;feature=emb_logo">Click here to watch&nbsp;</a> a replay of the meeting.

In a media release, Governor Kelly said, “Kansans have been through so much these past few months. I’m proud of my administration’s efforts to work with our local and federal partners to ensure Kansas families and businesses get the resources they need to recover from the economic damage of COVID-19. We will swiftly disperse these funds, so Kansans can get back to work and to support community preparedness in the event cases begin to rise again.”

This will be the 2nd&nbsp;distribution proposal for the $1,034,052,049 of federal funds Kansas received under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Last week, the Executive Committee approved a proposal to distribute an initial round of $400 million in funding to local governments to help address the health and economic challenges inflicted by COVID-19.&nbsp;

“We need to leverage these dollars to benefit Kansans now and, in the future,” Cheryl Harrison-Lee, SPARK executive director, said. “To do that, we need to seek the best ideas from both the public and private sectors for how to make investments that will improve health and economic outcomes across our state. As a former city administrator, I’ve seen first-hand how partnerships with the public and private sectors can deliver projects expediently and generate lasting economic growth.”

The CARES Act requires these funds to be spent by December 30, 2020, which will require entities to work quickly to be eligible for funding.

Committee members spent the bulk of the meeting developing potential investment criteria focused around four sectors: health, infrastructure, education and economic development.&nbsp;

“I appreciate the thoughtfulness and ingenuity our committee members brought to our discussions about investment priorities,” Lyle Butler, SPARK executive committee chair, said. “I’m confident we’ll be able to tap into the entrepreneurial spirit of Kansans to make strategic investments that not only accelerate our economic recovery but also generate new opportunities for growth.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591651701038.png" alt="Governor Laura Kelly's Spark Executive and Steering Committee meeting Monday- image courtesy office of Kan. governor" />
 <figcaption>Governor Laura Kelly's Spark Executive and Steering Committee meeting Monday- image courtesy office of Kan. governor</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA —Governor Laura Kelly’s Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Taskforce held the first joint meeting between Executive and Steering Committees to create the framework for the distribution of up to $525 million for Kansans, businesses, and communities to recover from the economic impact of COVID-19.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=713&amp;v=RnYjc08QvK0&amp;feature=emb_logo">Click here to watch&nbsp;</a> a replay of the meeting.In a media release, Governor Kelly said, “Kansans have been through so much these past few months. I’m proud of my administration’s efforts to work with our local and federal partners to ensure Kansas families and businesses get the resources they need to recover from the economic damage of COVID-19. We will swiftly disperse these funds, so Kansans can get back to work and to support community preparedness in the event cases begin to rise again.”This will be the 2nd&nbsp;distribution proposal for the $1,034,052,049 of federal funds Kansas received under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Last week, the Executive Committee approved a proposal to distribute an initial round of $400 million in funding to local governments to help address the health and economic challenges inflicted by COVID-19.&nbsp;“We need to leverage these dollars to benefit Kansans now and, in the future,” Cheryl Harrison-Lee, SPARK executive director, said. “To do that, we need to seek the best ideas from both the public and private sectors for how to make investments that will improve health and economic outcomes across our state. As a former city administrator, I’ve seen first-hand how partnerships with the public and private sectors can deliver projects expediently and generate lasting economic growth.”The CARES Act requires these funds to be spent by December 30, 2020, which will require entities to work quickly to be eligible for funding.Committee members spent the bulk of the meeting developing potential investment criteria focused around four sectors: health, infrastructure, education and economic development.&nbsp;“I appreciate the thoughtfulness and ingenuity our committee members brought to our discussions about investment priorities,” Lyle Butler, SPARK executive committee chair, said. “I’m confident we’ll be able to tap into the entrepreneurial spirit of Kansans to make strategic investments that not only accelerate our economic recovery but also generate new opportunities for growth.”

🎥  Gov.'s Task Force meets on distribution of $525M in Kansas

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A man convicted for the murders of two homeless men in Missouri, has been charged with a third similar 2004 homicide, prosecutors said Monday.

Michael J. Gullett, 64, was charged with second-degree murder in the beating death of Steven Cassidy, whose remains were not identified until four years later, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.

Gullett did not have an attorney listed Monday in court records.

Gullett was previously convicted in the 2012 killing of Joe Loehr, who was found in a homeless camp in Kansas City and the 2004 homicide of Ryon McDonald, whose torso was later found in a river near Jefferson City.

A Missouri State Highway Patrol investigator determined Cassidy was slain about three months after McDonald.

A witness had previously told detectives in August 2004 that he buried a body at the direction of Gullett. Skeletal remains found the next day.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591699483521.png" alt="Gullett photo MODOC" />
 <figcaption>Gullett photo MODOC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A man convicted for the murders of two homeless men in Missouri, has been charged with a third similar 2004 homicide, prosecutors said Monday.Michael J. Gullett, 64, was charged with second-degree murder in the beating death of Steven Cassidy, whose remains were not identified until four years later, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.Gullett did not have an attorney listed Monday in court records.Gullett was previously convicted in the 2012 killing of Joe Loehr, who was found in a homeless camp in Kansas City and the 2004 homicide of Ryon McDonald, whose torso was later found in a river near Jefferson City.A Missouri State Highway Patrol investigator determined Cassidy was slain about three months after McDonald.A witness had previously told detectives in August 2004 that he buried a body at the direction of Gullett. Skeletal remains found the next day.The investigator, Lt. Darron Blankenship, in December interviewed Gullett at Western Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron, Missouri, where he is incarcerated. A probable cause statement alleges Gullett named Cassidy as the victim.Gullett allegedly recalled how he and another person beat Cassidy, who was found near a homeless camp.