JOHNSON COUNTY — Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, announced Monday it has received a contract from the U.S. government to provide highly specialized viral transport media (VTM) for COVID-19 sample collection. 

According to a media release, the VTM is used during collection of patient samples for proper transport to laboratories that can test for the presence of the virus.

To ensure accuracy of COVID-19 test results, VTM must be manufactured and dispensed into tubes in an aseptic environment.&nbsp;Thermo Fisher&nbsp;currently produces VTM at its site in&nbsp;Lenexa, Kansas, which meets this requirement, and has ramped production from 50,000 to more than one million VTM-filled tubes per week.

Given the significant demand for COVID-19 testing and associated sample collection,&nbsp;Thermo Fisher&nbsp;will expand capacity in&nbsp;Lenexa&nbsp;with a new&nbsp;$40 million&nbsp;facility dedicated to VTM production and quality control. The added capacity and increased efficiencies will allow the company to scale production to more than eight million VTM-filled tubes per week.

The company plans to complete the new&nbsp;Lenexa&nbsp;facility in Q3 and expects that it will create approximately 300 new full-time jobs.

"Our production ramp-up in&nbsp;Lenexa&nbsp;has been impressive and our employees deserve recognition for their ingenuity and dedication to making this happen,"&nbsp;said&nbsp;Marc N. Casper, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific. "We have a proven blueprint for high-quality VTM production in&nbsp;Lenexa&nbsp;and look forward to bringing significant new capacity&nbsp;on line&nbsp;as quickly as possible to continue the necessary testing ramp-up in the U.S."

Casper added, "We're proud of our role in helping customers to battle the pandemic. With our leading scale and depth of capabilities,&nbsp;Thermo Fisher&nbsp;can support virtually every aspect of the COVID-19 response, which demonstrates what it means to be the world leader in serving science."

JOHNSON COUNTY — Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, announced Monday it has received a contract from the U.S. government to provide highly specialized viral transport media (VTM) for COVID-19 sample collection. According to a media release, the VTM is used during collection of patient samples for proper transport to laboratories that can test for the presence of the virus.To ensure accuracy of COVID-19 test results, VTM must be manufactured and dispensed into tubes in an aseptic environment.&nbsp;Thermo Fisher&nbsp;currently produces VTM at its site in&nbsp;Lenexa, Kansas, which meets this requirement, and has ramped production from 50,000 to more than one million VTM-filled tubes per week.Given the significant demand for COVID-19 testing and associated sample collection,&nbsp;Thermo Fisher&nbsp;will expand capacity in&nbsp;Lenexa&nbsp;with a new&nbsp;$40 million&nbsp;facility dedicated to VTM production and quality control. The added capacity and increased efficiencies will allow the company to scale production to more than eight million VTM-filled tubes per week.The company plans to complete the new&nbsp;Lenexa&nbsp;facility in Q3 and expects that it will create approximately 300 new full-time jobs."Our production ramp-up in&nbsp;Lenexa&nbsp;has been impressive and our employees deserve recognition for their ingenuity and dedication to making this happen,"&nbsp;said&nbsp;Marc N. Casper, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific. "We have a proven blueprint for high-quality VTM production in&nbsp;Lenexa&nbsp;and look forward to bringing significant new capacity&nbsp;on line&nbsp;as quickly as possible to continue the necessary testing ramp-up in the U.S."Casper added, "We're proud of our role in helping customers to battle the pandemic. With our leading scale and depth of capabilities,&nbsp;Thermo Fisher&nbsp;can support virtually every aspect of the COVID-19 response, which demonstrates what it means to be the world leader in serving science."

Facility in Kan. will create 300 jobs, help COVID-19 testing 

GARDEN CITY —A former southwest Kansas police officer who pleaded guilty to child sex crimes has also lost his law enforcement license,&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kscpost.org/forms/decertdate.pdf">according to the Kansas Commission</a> on Peace Officers' Training and Standards.

In October, a Finney County judge sentenced Douglas Heit, 51,&nbsp; to life in prison after a no contest plea on two Jessica's Law counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child younger than 14 years of age, according to Kansas Attorney General's office.&nbsp;He was originally charged with six counts, all involving the same child.

The Kansas Commission on Peace Officers' Training and Standards took action to revoke Heit's license earlier this month, according to their web site.

Heit is currently being held out of state, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Heit worked as a police officer in Garden City for 14 years.

GARDEN CITY – A former Kansas police officer has been sentenced to life in prison for child sex crimes, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.

Douglas Heit, 50, pleaded no contest in October in Finney County District Court to two Jessica's Law&nbsp;counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child younger than 14 years of age.

District Judge Michael Quint yesterday ordered Heit to serve two concurrent&nbsp;sentences of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. Heit is also subject to lifetime post-release supervision and sex offender registration. The crimes occurred in August 2018.&nbsp;He was originally charged with six counts, all involving the same child.

The case was investigated by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Garden City Police Department. Senior Assistant Attorney General Melissa Johnson and Assistant Attorney General Stephanie Plaschka of Schmidt’s office prosecuted the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1576867546437.png" alt="Heit-photo Finney County" />
 <figcaption>Heit-photo Finney County</figcaption>
 </figure>GARDEN CITY —A former southwest Kansas police officer who pleaded guilty to child sex crimes has also lost his law enforcement license,&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kscpost.org/forms/decertdate.pdf">according to the Kansas Commission</a> on Peace Officers' Training and Standards.In October, a Finney County judge sentenced Douglas Heit, 51,&nbsp; to life in prison after a no contest plea on two Jessica's Law counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child younger than 14 years of age, according to Kansas Attorney General's office.&nbsp;He was originally charged with six counts, all involving the same child.The Kansas Commission on Peace Officers' Training and Standards took action to revoke Heit's license earlier this month, according to their web site.Heit is currently being held out of state, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.Heit worked as a police officer in Garden City for 14 years.-------------GARDEN CITY – A former Kansas police officer has been sentenced to life in prison for child sex crimes, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.Douglas Heit, 50, pleaded no contest in October in Finney County District Court to two Jessica's Law&nbsp;counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child younger than 14 years of age.District Judge Michael Quint yesterday ordered Heit to serve two concurrent&nbsp;sentences of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. Heit is also subject to lifetime post-release supervision and sex offender registration. The crimes occurred in August 2018.&nbsp;He was originally charged with six counts, all involving the same child.Heit worked as a police officer in Garden City for 14 years.The case was investigated by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Garden City Police Department. Senior Assistant Attorney General Melissa Johnson and Assistant Attorney General Stephanie Plaschka of Schmidt’s office prosecuted the case.

Former Kan. cop convicted of child sex crime has license revoked

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas says she was among the few Democrats to vote against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill because it faces a such a small chance of making it through the Republican-controlled Senate.

Davids was among just 14 Democrats to vote against the bill on Friday. Her&nbsp;vote came as a surprise because Davids has repeatedly called for aid to states and cities facing revenue losses from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bill would provide $5.2 billion to Kansas over two years and another $5.1 billion over two years to city and county governments in the state.

Davids acknowledged in a statement Friday night that the bill included many provisions she promoted. But she criticized the bill for being too partisan and broad.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589750439719.png" alt="Congressswoman Sharice Davids during a virtual event hosted by the City of Overland Park this month" />
 <figcaption>Congressswoman Sharice Davids during a virtual event hosted by the City of Overland Park this month</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas says she was among the few Democrats to vote against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill because it faces a such a small chance of making it through the Republican-controlled Senate.Davids was among just 14 Democrats to vote against the bill on Friday. Her&nbsp;vote came as a surprise because Davids has repeatedly called for aid to states and cities facing revenue losses from the COVID-19 pandemic.The bill would provide $5.2 billion to Kansas over two years and another $5.1 billion over two years to city and county governments in the state.Davids acknowledged in a statement Friday night that the bill included many provisions she promoted. But she criticized the bill for being too partisan and broad.

Kan. congresswoman defends vote against $3T relief package

By STEPHAN BISAHA, <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/kansas-communities-plans-economic-renaissance-fell-wayside-when-covid-19-arrived">Kansas News Service</a>

WICHITA — At the start of 2020, Wichita 
dreamed of a $1 billion face-lift alongside the Arkansas River, complete
 with a new performing arts center, a new convention hall and wide green
 spaces.

That vision for the future in Wichita, and in other 
Kansas communities, has been put on hold for months or years — if not 
completely torn up — by COVID-19’s economic and public health impact.

“We
 have to get well before we can start running again,” said Darryl Kelly,
 a member of Wichita’s Riverfront Legacy Master Plan coalition.

That’s
 not to say there are no opportunities for growth. Bourbon County is 
still moving forward with plans for a health care facility, and the 
Kansas Department of Commerce said that the coronavirus has spurred 
interest from businesses looking for new distribution centers. But any 
project looking to make use of tax incentives will need to pump the 
brakes, considering revenues are down.

City and business leaders 
in Wichita long wanted an updated riverfront, arguing it would help a 
perennial problem — recruiting and attracting young talent. They wanted 
to reach higher to join mid-size metros like <a href="https://www.gatheringplace.org/" target="_blank">Tulsa, Oklahoma</a>, and <a href="https://cincinnatiusa.com/article/bridging-region-riverfront-fun" target="_blank">Cincinnati</a>.

“You’re
 not going to get talent without that really unique, vibrant quality of 
place,” said Andrew Nave, executive vice president for economic 
development for the Greater Wichita Partnership.

So, in January, Wichita’s riverfront coalition rolled out its <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/coalition-recommends-more-green-space-no-century-ii-along-east-riverfront" target="_blank">$1.2 billion proposal</a>
 for overhauling the city’s downtown. It was meant to be a 
private-public partnership, some private investment and some funding 
from different mechanisms, including a sales tax increase of a magnitude
 that hadn’t yet been decided on.

The continued grounding of the 
Boeing 737 Max complicated the funding situation, as Wichita’s biggest 
employer, Spirit AeroSystems, <a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article239157033.html" target="_blank">laid off 2,800 workers</a>
 that same month. The plan’s proponents pushed on, saying the aerospace 
troubles proved the city needed a diversified economy that a vibrant 
downtown could bring.

Two months later, the coronavirus began 
shutting down the Kansas economy, tabling a planned joint meeting 
between Wichita’s City Council and Sedgwick County commissioners to 
further discuss the riverfront expansion.

Wichita vice mayor Cindy Claycomb said the future is uncertain: “I don’t even know if we’ll get back to (the plan) in 2021.”

Plus,
 the plan itself might also need an overhaul when it returns, both 
because of economics and to accommodate any social distancing norms that
 might stick post-coronavirus, especially given the hopes for a new 
performance center and lots of green space.

“Will people be as 
willing to go to what we consider a typical convention?” Claycomb said. 
“This changes the conversation a little bit, at least it will in the 
long term in terms of what comes back and what doesn’t come back and 
what comes back differently.”

One part of the river vision already has taken shape: a new, $75 million baseball stadium.

Wichita lured a minor league baseball team — the New Orleans Baby Cakes — with the stadium. The Triple A team was <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/wichita-meet-your-new-baseball-team-wind-surge" target="_blank">rechristened the Wichita Wind Surge</a> to great fanfare.

Opening
 Day would have been April 14 if not for the coronavirus. There’s been 
no Major League Baseball, hence no minor league baseball, either. The 
team, which is affiliated with the Miami Marlins, delayed moving in and 
Wichita has yet to collect any of its annual $350,000 in management fees
 from the team. There’s also the lost tax revenue from games and the 
10,000-seat stadium.

Wind Surge owner Lou Schwechheimer 
acknowledged a huge financial loss is difficult, but argued a bad start 
doesn’t doom the stadium.

“We look at this through the prism of 
30 years,” he said. “One month or two months or one season doesn’t 
necessarily define how we look at the big picture.”

Opponents of 
the overall riverfront plan say city resources could be best spent 
elsewhere, especially now. Celeste Racette leads Save Century II, which 
hopes to save Wichita’s distinctively designed convention center that’s 
more than 50 years old and slated for demolition under the riverfront 
plan.

Racette said that, beyond saving the building, Wichita 
needs to put money toward education and technology-driven workforce 
development.

“Quality of life to me is not a $400,000 convention 
center,” Racette said. “Quality of life is adequate firemen. Lowering 
crime. Improving schools.”

Jody Hoener’s most 
exciting task as Bourbon County’s economic development director is 
pitching her small, far eastern Kansas communities to interested 
entrepreneurs. But lately, the job has shifted from recruiting new 
companies to comforting the county’s longtime business owners.

“I’ve
 been on the phone with business owners nine and 10 o’clock at night, 
just crying,” Hoener said. “You become a little more of a grief 
counselor.”

While not a billion-dollar project, Bourbon County 
did have to put on hold plans for a new multi-use facility to house Fort
 Scott Community College’s rodeo team. The building was expected to 
bring in $2 million a year in tax revenue, which would have made a huge 
impact in a county with a $12 million budget.

“Of course I’m not giving up on it,” Hoener said. “But at this point, we just don’t have the capacity or resources.”

But Bourbon County is still moving forward with plans for a <a href="http://fortscott.biz/news/bourbon-county-takes-ownership-of-former-mercy-hospital-building" target="_blank">health care mall</a>.
 Mercy Hospital agreed in February to donate $1 million and its old 
hospital building, and Ascension Via Christi and other providers will 
operate out of the space.

The Department of Commerce has been 
staying busy, too. Since mid-March, more than double the number of 
businesses that are interested in coming to Kansas have reached out 
compared to the same period last year. Many of those companies have seen
 an uptick in demand because of COVID-19, such as those providing 
personal protective equipment, and need new distribution centers.

But
 Secretary of Commerce David Toland says many projects, especially those
 relying on public-sector financial support, will have to wait.

“This
 is a complicated time to do a large sales-tax driven project and so we 
are urging caution on the part of developers,” Toland said.

Coffeyville
 in southeastern Kansas was hoping to celebrate the opening of two new 
companies this year. It was long overdue, after a single day in February
 2015 when Coffeyville lost two companies — an Amazon distribution 
center and a wire coating company — and almost 1,300 jobs.

The new tenants include a <a href="https://www.actioncouncil.com/news/p/item/24303/home-manufacturer-to-locate-in-coffeyville-kansas-and-create-over-100-jobs" target="_blank">home manufacturer</a> and a <a href="https://www.actioncouncil.com/news/p/item/23512/mcac-welcomes-phoenix-logistics-and-array-technologies-in-ribbon-cutting-ceremony" target="_blank">solar energy technology company</a>
 — an expected 200 jobs between the two of them. But while the 
coronavirus hasn’t changed the companies’ minds, it did force a delay.

The
 companies can’t get loans, because bankers are too busy trying to 
assist with Paycheck Protection Program loans. So, Coffeyville is still 
waiting on the move-in, jobs and parties.

“You have a company 
that wants to invest $20 million into your community, you want to be 
able to shout it from your rooftops and throw parades,” said Trisha 
Purdon, executive director of the Montgomery County Action Council. “And
 we can’t do that.”

Stephan Bisaha reports on education and young adult life for KMUW and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/stevebisaha?lang=en">@stevebisaha</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589833072860.png" alt=" The Arkansas River in Wichita was primed to be the center of economic revitalization. Stephan Bisaha / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> The Arkansas River in Wichita was primed to be the center of economic revitalization. Stephan Bisaha / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By STEPHAN BISAHA, <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/kansas-communities-plans-economic-renaissance-fell-wayside-when-covid-19-arrived">Kansas News Service</a>WICHITA — At the start of 2020, Wichita 
dreamed of a $1 billion face-lift alongside the Arkansas River, complete
 with a new performing arts center, a new convention hall and wide green
 spaces.That vision for the future in Wichita, and in other 
Kansas communities, has been put on hold for months or years — if not 
completely torn up — by COVID-19’s economic and public health impact.“We
 have to get well before we can start running again,” said Darryl Kelly,
 a member of Wichita’s Riverfront Legacy Master Plan coalition.That’s
 not to say there are no opportunities for growth. Bourbon County is 
still moving forward with plans for a health care facility, and the 
Kansas Department of Commerce said that the coronavirus has spurred 
interest from businesses looking for new distribution centers. But any 
project looking to make use of tax incentives will need to pump the 
brakes, considering revenues are down.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589833338703.png" alt="Credit Populous and Olin" />
 <figcaption>Credit Populous and Olin</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>River renaissance</h2>City and business leaders 
in Wichita long wanted an updated riverfront, arguing it would help a 
perennial problem — recruiting and attracting young talent. They wanted 
to reach higher to join mid-size metros like <a href="https://www.gatheringplace.org/" target="_blank">Tulsa, Oklahoma</a>, and <a href="https://cincinnatiusa.com/article/bridging-region-riverfront-fun" target="_blank">Cincinnati</a>.“You’re
 not going to get talent without that really unique, vibrant quality of 
place,” said Andrew Nave, executive vice president for economic 
development for the Greater Wichita Partnership.So, in January, Wichita’s riverfront coalition rolled out its <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/coalition-recommends-more-green-space-no-century-ii-along-east-riverfront" target="_blank">$1.2 billion proposal</a>
 for overhauling the city’s downtown. It was meant to be a 
private-public partnership, some private investment and some funding 
from different mechanisms, including a sales tax increase of a magnitude
 that hadn’t yet been decided on.The continued grounding of the 
Boeing 737 Max complicated the funding situation, as Wichita’s biggest 
employer, Spirit AeroSystems, <a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article239157033.html" target="_blank">laid off 2,800 workers</a>
 that same month. The plan’s proponents pushed on, saying the aerospace 
troubles proved the city needed a diversified economy that a vibrant 
downtown could bring.Two months later, the coronavirus began 
shutting down the Kansas economy, tabling a planned joint meeting 
between Wichita’s City Council and Sedgwick County commissioners to 
further discuss the riverfront expansion.Wichita vice mayor Cindy Claycomb said the future is uncertain: “I don’t even know if we’ll get back to (the plan) in 2021.”Plus,
 the plan itself might also need an overhaul when it returns, both 
because of economics and to accommodate any social distancing norms that
 might stick post-coronavirus, especially given the hopes for a new 
performance center and lots of green space.“Will people be as 
willing to go to what we consider a typical convention?” Claycomb said. 
“This changes the conversation a little bit, at least it will in the 
long term in terms of what comes back and what doesn’t come back and 
what comes back differently.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589833376324.png" alt=" Wichita's new baseball stadium remains locked, as the team hasn't started playing because of the coronavirus pandemic. Credit Stephan Bisaha / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> Wichita's new baseball stadium remains locked, as the team hasn't started playing because of the coronavirus pandemic. Credit Stephan Bisaha / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Swing and a wait</h2>One part of the river vision already has taken shape: a new, $75 million baseball stadium.Wichita lured a minor league baseball team — the New Orleans Baby Cakes — with the stadium. The Triple A team was <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/wichita-meet-your-new-baseball-team-wind-surge" target="_blank">rechristened the Wichita Wind Surge</a> to great fanfare.Opening
 Day would have been April 14 if not for the coronavirus. There’s been 
no Major League Baseball, hence no minor league baseball, either. The 
team, which is affiliated with the Miami Marlins, delayed moving in and 
Wichita has yet to collect any of its annual $350,000 in management fees
 from the team. There’s also the lost tax revenue from games and the 
10,000-seat stadium.Wind Surge owner Lou Schwechheimer 
acknowledged a huge financial loss is difficult, but argued a bad start 
doesn’t doom the stadium.“We look at this through the prism of 
30 years,” he said. “One month or two months or one season doesn’t 
necessarily define how we look at the big picture.”Opponents of 
the overall riverfront plan say city resources could be best spent 
elsewhere, especially now. Celeste Racette leads Save Century II, which 
hopes to save Wichita’s distinctively designed convention center that’s 
more than 50 years old and slated for demolition under the riverfront 
plan.Racette said that, beyond saving the building, Wichita 
needs to put money toward education and technology-driven workforce 
development.“Quality of life to me is not a $400,000 convention 
center,” Racette said. “Quality of life is adequate firemen. Lowering 
crime. Improving schools.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589833417488.png" alt="Credit Chris Neal / For the Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Credit Chris Neal / For the Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Rural rebuild slowdown</h2>Jody Hoener’s most 
exciting task as Bourbon County’s economic development director is 
pitching her small, far eastern Kansas communities to interested 
entrepreneurs. But lately, the job has shifted from recruiting new 
companies to comforting the county’s longtime business owners.“I’ve
 been on the phone with business owners nine and 10 o’clock at night, 
just crying,” Hoener said. “You become a little more of a grief 
counselor.”While not a billion-dollar project, Bourbon County 
did have to put on hold plans for a new multi-use facility to house Fort
 Scott Community College’s rodeo team. The building was expected to 
bring in $2 million a year in tax revenue, which would have made a huge 
impact in a county with a $12 million budget.“Of course I’m not giving up on it,” Hoener said. “But at this point, we just don’t have the capacity or resources.”But Bourbon County is still moving forward with plans for a <a href="http://fortscott.biz/news/bourbon-county-takes-ownership-of-former-mercy-hospital-building" target="_blank">health care mall</a>.
 Mercy Hospital agreed in February to donate $1 million and its old 
hospital building, and Ascension Via Christi and other providers will 
operate out of the space.The Department of Commerce has been 
staying busy, too. Since mid-March, more than double the number of 
businesses that are interested in coming to Kansas have reached out 
compared to the same period last year. Many of those companies have seen
 an uptick in demand because of COVID-19, such as those providing 
personal protective equipment, and need new distribution centers.But
 Secretary of Commerce David Toland says many projects, especially those
 relying on public-sector financial support, will have to wait.“This
 is a complicated time to do a large sales-tax driven project and so we 
are urging caution on the part of developers,” Toland said.Coffeyville
 in southeastern Kansas was hoping to celebrate the opening of two new 
companies this year. It was long overdue, after a single day in February
 2015 when Coffeyville lost two companies — an Amazon distribution 
center and a wire coating company — and almost 1,300 jobs.The new tenants include a <a href="https://www.actioncouncil.com/news/p/item/24303/home-manufacturer-to-locate-in-coffeyville-kansas-and-create-over-100-jobs" target="_blank">home manufacturer</a> and a <a href="https://www.actioncouncil.com/news/p/item/23512/mcac-welcomes-phoenix-logistics-and-array-technologies-in-ribbon-cutting-ceremony" target="_blank">solar energy technology company</a>
 — an expected 200 jobs between the two of them. But while the 
coronavirus hasn’t changed the companies’ minds, it did force a delay.The
 companies can’t get loans, because bankers are too busy trying to 
assist with Paycheck Protection Program loans. So, Coffeyville is still 
waiting on the move-in, jobs and parties.“You have a company 
that wants to invest $20 million into your community, you want to be 
able to shout it from your rooftops and throw parades,” said Trisha 
Purdon, executive director of the Montgomery County Action Council. “And
 we can’t do that.”Stephan Bisaha reports on education and young adult life for KMUW and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/stevebisaha?lang=en">@stevebisaha</a>.

Kan. communities' plans for renaissance fall by the wayside

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday that he is taking a malaria drug to protect against the new coronavirus, despite warnings from his own government that it should only be administered for COVID-19 in a hospital or research setting due to potentially fatal side effects.

Trump told reporters he has been taking the drug, hydroxychloroquine, and a zinc supplement daily “for about a week and a half now.” Trump spent weeks pushing the drug as a potential cure or prophylaxis for COVID-19 against the cautionary advice of many of his administration’s top medical professionals. The drug has the potential to cause significant side effects in some patients and has not been shown to combat the new coronavirus.

Trump said his doctor did not recommend the drug to him, but he requested it from the White House physician.

“I started taking it, because I think it’s good,” Trump said. “I’ve heard a lot of good stories.”

The Food and Drug Administration warned health professionals last month that the drug should not be used to treat COVID-19 outside of hospital or research settings, due to sometimes fatal side effects. Regulators issued the alert for the drug, which can also be used to treat lupus and arthritis, after receiving reports of heart rhythm problems, including deaths, from poison control centers and other health providers.

Trump dismissed reports of side effects, saying, “All I can tell you is, so far I seem to be OK.”

At least two White House staffers tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month, sparking concerns about the steps taken by the administration to protect the president and sending Vice President Mike Pence and other officials into varying forms of self-isolation.

The White House has since mandated that those in the West Wing wear face coverings and has introduced daily testing for the virus for the president, vice president and those they come in close contact with.

Trump last underwent an “interim” checkup in a November visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that was not noted on his public schedule. His last complete physical took place in February 2019.

Several prominent doctors said they worried that people would infer from Trump’s example that the drug works or is safe.

“There is no evidence that hydroxychloroquine is effective for the treatment or the prevention of COVID-19,” said Dr. Patrice Harris, president of the American Medical Association. “The results to date are not promising.”

People should not infer from Trump’s example “that it’s an approved approach or proven,” because it’s not, said Dr. David Aronoff, infectious diseases chief at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

Hydroxychloroquine can cause potentially serious heart rhythm problems even in healthy people, but “it’s hard to infer” that Trump’s artery plaque, revealed in tests from his 2018 physical, makes the drug especially dangerous for him, Aronoff said.

White House officials did not make the president’s physician, Navy Cdr. Dr. Sean Conley, available for comment, nor did they say whether any other administration officials were also taking the drug.

Trump has repeatedly pushed the use of the drug with or without the antibiotic azithromycin, but no large, rigorous studies have found them safe or effective for preventing or treating COVID-19.

Two large observational studies, each involving around 1,400 patients in New York, recently found no benefit from hydroxychloroquine. Two new ones published Thursday in the medical journal BMJ reached the same conclusion.

One, by French researchers, gave 84 hospitalized patients the drug and 97 others the usual care. There were no differences in the odds of death, need for intensive care or developing severe illness.

The other study from China was a stricter test: 150 adults hospitalized with mild or moderate illness were randomly assigned to get hydroxychloroquine or usual care. The drug made no difference in rates of clearing the virus or time to relief of symptoms, and they brought more side effects.

In April, the National Institutes of Health launched a study testing hydroxychloroquine versus a placebo drug in 500 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Last week, NIH announced another study to see if hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin can prevent hospitalization or death in people with mild to moderate illness. About 2,000 U.S. adults with confirmed coronavirus infections and symptoms such as fever, cough or shortness of breath will get the drugs or placebo pills.

U.S. prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine surged roughly 80% in March to more than 830,000 compared with same period in the prior year, according to data tracking firm IQVIA. That jump in prescribing came before the federal government accepted nearly 30 million doses of the drug donated to the strategic national stockpile by foreign drugmakers. Since then, millions of those tablets have been shipped to U.S. hospitals nationwide for use treating patients with COVID-19.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589841512796.png" alt="President Trump discussed&nbsp;hydroxychloroquine during a roundtable with restaurant industry leaders on Monday -White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President Trump discussed&nbsp;hydroxychloroquine during a roundtable with restaurant industry leaders on Monday -White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday that he is taking a malaria drug to protect against the new coronavirus, despite warnings from his own government that it should only be administered for COVID-19 in a hospital or research setting due to potentially fatal side effects.Trump told reporters he has been taking the drug, hydroxychloroquine, and a zinc supplement daily “for about a week and a half now.” Trump spent weeks pushing the drug as a potential cure or prophylaxis for COVID-19 against the cautionary advice of many of his administration’s top medical professionals. The drug has the potential to cause significant side effects in some patients and has not been shown to combat the new coronavirus.Trump said his doctor did not recommend the drug to him, but he requested it from the White House physician.“I started taking it, because I think it’s good,” Trump said. “I’ve heard a lot of good stories.”The Food and Drug Administration warned health professionals last month that the drug should not be used to treat COVID-19 outside of hospital or research settings, due to sometimes fatal side effects. Regulators issued the alert for the drug, which can also be used to treat lupus and arthritis, after receiving reports of heart rhythm problems, including deaths, from poison control centers and other health providers.Trump dismissed reports of side effects, saying, “All I can tell you is, so far I seem to be OK.”At least two White House staffers tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month, sparking concerns about the steps taken by the administration to protect the president and sending Vice President Mike Pence and other officials into varying forms of self-isolation.The White House has since mandated that those in the West Wing wear face coverings and has introduced daily testing for the virus for the president, vice president and those they come in close contact with.Trump last underwent an “interim” checkup in a November visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that was not noted on his public schedule. His last complete physical took place in February 2019.Several prominent doctors said they worried that people would infer from Trump’s example that the drug works or is safe.“There is no evidence that hydroxychloroquine is effective for the treatment or the prevention of COVID-19,” said Dr. Patrice Harris, president of the American Medical Association. “The results to date are not promising.”People should not infer from Trump’s example “that it’s an approved approach or proven,” because it’s not, said Dr. David Aronoff, infectious diseases chief at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.Hydroxychloroquine can cause potentially serious heart rhythm problems even in healthy people, but “it’s hard to infer” that Trump’s artery plaque, revealed in tests from his 2018 physical, makes the drug especially dangerous for him, Aronoff said.White House officials did not make the president’s physician, Navy Cdr. Dr. Sean Conley, available for comment, nor did they say whether any other administration officials were also taking the drug.Trump has repeatedly pushed the use of the drug with or without the antibiotic azithromycin, but no large, rigorous studies have found them safe or effective for preventing or treating COVID-19.Two large observational studies, each involving around 1,400 patients in New York, recently found no benefit from hydroxychloroquine. Two new ones published Thursday in the medical journal BMJ reached the same conclusion.One, by French researchers, gave 84 hospitalized patients the drug and 97 others the usual care. There were no differences in the odds of death, need for intensive care or developing severe illness.The other study from China was a stricter test: 150 adults hospitalized with mild or moderate illness were randomly assigned to get hydroxychloroquine or usual care. The drug made no difference in rates of clearing the virus or time to relief of symptoms, and they brought more side effects.In April, the National Institutes of Health launched a study testing hydroxychloroquine versus a placebo drug in 500 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Last week, NIH announced another study to see if hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin can prevent hospitalization or death in people with mild to moderate illness. About 2,000 U.S. adults with confirmed coronavirus infections and symptoms such as fever, cough or shortness of breath will get the drugs or placebo pills.U.S. prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine surged roughly 80% in March to more than 830,000 compared with same period in the prior year, according to data tracking firm IQVIA. That jump in prescribing came before the federal government accepted nearly 30 million doses of the drug donated to the strategic national stockpile by foreign drugmakers. Since then, millions of those tablets have been shipped to U.S. hospitals nationwide for use treating patients with COVID-19.—-

Trump says he's taking malaria drug to protect against virus

Pankratz was released from prison in April, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. He has previous convictions for robbery, aggravated assault, theft, and burglary.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — A Kansas man released from prison in April has been charged in the death of a 36-year-old woman at a home in Wichita on May 10.

Isaac Pankratz made his first court appearance in the case Thursday, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. He was charged with murder, criminal possession and use of a firearm and remains jailed on a $200,000 bond, according to online jail records.

Just after 9:30a.m. May 10, police responded to call at a home in the 4900 block of East Murdock in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.

At the home, police located 36-year-old Sarah Phillips of Wichita unresponsive with trauma to her head.&nbsp; She was pronounced deceased on the scene.&nbsp;

Later in the day, investigators contacted 27-year-old&nbsp; Isaac Pankratz at a home in the 2500 block of West Wildwood regarding the investigation.&nbsp; He was arrested after being found in possession of a sawed-off shotgun.&nbsp; The gun was recovered.

Through further investigation, it was learned the incident was a criminal homicide and that Pankratz and Phillips were both at the home on Murdock when he fired the shotgun, striking her and causing fatal injuries, according to Davidson.&nbsp; Pankratz then fled the scene.&nbsp;

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have a suspect in custody.

Just after 9:30a.m. Sunday, police responded to call at a home in the 4900 block of East Murdock in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.

On Sunday, investigators contacted 27-year-old&nbsp; Isaac Pankratz at a home in the 2500 block of West Wildwood regarding the investigation.&nbsp; He was arrested after being found in possession of a sawed-off shotgun.&nbsp; The gun was recovered.

Pankratz booking photo from Sedgwick County

This was not a random incident as Pankratz and Phillips are known to each other. Pankratz is being held on a charge of 1st-degree murder, according to Davidson.

He has been arrested and convicted of charges that include robbery, aggravated assault, theft, and burglary.

The case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589311342492.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Pankratz was released from prison in April, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. He has previous convictions for robbery, aggravated assault, theft, and burglary.SEDGWICK COUNTY — A Kansas man released from prison in April has been charged in the death of a 36-year-old woman at a home in Wichita on May 10.Isaac Pankratz made his first court appearance in the case Thursday, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. He was charged with murder, criminal possession and use of a firearm and remains jailed on a $200,000 bond, according to online jail records.Just after 9:30a.m. May 10, police responded to call at a home in the 4900 block of East Murdock in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.At the home, police located 36-year-old Sarah Phillips of Wichita unresponsive with trauma to her head.&nbsp; She was pronounced deceased on the scene.&nbsp;Later in the day, investigators contacted 27-year-old&nbsp; Isaac Pankratz at a home in the 2500 block of West Wildwood regarding the investigation.&nbsp; He was arrested after being found in possession of a sawed-off shotgun.&nbsp; The gun was recovered.Through further investigation, it was learned the incident was a criminal homicide and that Pankratz and Phillips were both at the home on Murdock when he fired the shotgun, striking her and causing fatal injuries, according to Davidson.&nbsp; Pankratz then fled the scene.&nbsp;-------SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have a suspect in custody.Just after 9:30a.m. Sunday, police responded to call at a home in the 4900 block of East Murdock in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.At the home, police located 36-year-old Sarah Phillips of Wichita unresponsive with trauma to her head.&nbsp; She was pronounced deceased on the scene.&nbsp;On Sunday, investigators contacted 27-year-old&nbsp; Isaac Pankratz at a home in the 2500 block of West Wildwood regarding the investigation.&nbsp; He was arrested after being found in possession of a sawed-off shotgun.&nbsp; The gun was recovered.Through further investigation, it was learned the incident was a criminal homicide and that Pankratz and Phillips were both at the home on Murdock when he fired the shotgun, striking her and causing fatal injuries, according to Davidson.&nbsp; Pankratz then fled the scene.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589311083072.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Pankratz booking photo from Sedgwick CountyThis was not a random incident as Pankratz and Phillips are known to each other. Pankratz is being held on a charge of 1st-degree murder, according to Davidson.He has been arrested and convicted of charges that include robbery, aggravated assault, theft, and burglary.The case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.

Police: Man used sawed-off shotgun in Kan. woman's murder

By STEPHEN KORANDA, <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-05-18/the-coronavirus-blew-a-650m-hole-in-kansas-budget-putting-even-school-funding-in-jeopardy">Kansas News Service</a>

LAWRENCE — When Kansas lawmakers left for an early 
spring break in mid-March, the state was projected to have a healthy 
savings account of nearly $1 billion in reserves come June. They passed 
an <a href="https://kansaspublicradio.org/kpr-news/kansas-gets-budget-and-lawmakers-leave-early-session-changed-coronavirus" target="_blank">$8 billion budget</a> as the coronavirus pandemic was just beginning, not knowing whether they’d even come back to Topeka.

Since then, the virus caused thousands of businesses across Kansas to close and more than <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/some-kansans-going-back-work-pandemic-could-mean-risking-their-lives" target="_blank">200,000 </a>people
 to file for unemployment. Tax revenues started falling off a cliff — 
income taxes are expected to be down more than 15% and sales taxes by 4%
 — and there’s now an estimated $650 million <a href="http://www.kslegresearch.org/KLRD-web/Publications/CRE/2020_CRE_ShortMemo_4-20-2020.pdf" target="_blank">budget deficit</a> for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

It’s up to lawmakers and the governor to fix the financial situation, and it could take wide-ranging budget cuts.

“Nothing
 is going to be safe,” said Republican Troy Waymaster, chairman of the 
House Appropriations Committee. “We’re going to have to look at higher 
ed. We’re going to have to look at social services. We’re going to have 
to look at all aspects of the state budget.”

But legislators are 
planning to meet for as little as one day — May 21 — to wrap up the 
session, so they might not take immediate action. Republican leaders 
seem to be focused more on restricting Gov. Laura Kelly’s emergency 
powers than taking immediate action to deal with the shortfall.

Kelly
 could make cuts unilaterally. Lawmakers could also return for a special
 session. Or they could choose to just wait and tackle the budget in the
 2021 session come January.

No matter what, funding for K-12 schools is on the table, even though the state<a href="https://www.kcur.org/education/2019-06-14/kansas-supreme-court-lawmakers-finally-put-enough-money-into-schools" target="_blank"> just last year</a> resolved a decade-long lawsuit over school spending.

The budget passed in March included <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2019_20/measures/documents/summary_sb_66_2020" target="_blank">nearly $120 million</a> more for primary education. And already, K-12 schools make up about half<a href="http://www.kslegresearch.org/KLRD-web/Publications/FiscalFacts/2019_fiscal_facts.pdf" target="_blank"> the state’s spending.</a>

“This
 is absolutely not the time that we should be cutting K-12 education,” 
said Mark Tallman with the Kansas Association of School Boards.

He
 said students will need extra help next year to catch up after concerns
 over the coronavirus closed school buildings and moved instruction 
largely online. But Tallman acknowledged districts understand the 
situation.

“In the absence of other assistance, it would be extremely hard to solve this problem without touching K-12,” he said.

The
 top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee is concerned that 
cutting K-12 would put the state right back before the Kansas Supreme 
Court.

“That would probably be my biggest fear is to have to 
repeat that whole saga again,” Rep. Kathy Wolfe Moore said, “which I 
certainly don't want to do.”

There’s no guarantee that will 
happen. A group representing dozens of school districts, including the 
four that sued the state, is waiting to see what happens.

There
 are plenty of other targets in Kansas’ budget aside from K-12. 
Lawmakers could further delay payments to the state pension, which 
already has a $9 billion <a href="https://www.kpers.org/annualreport2019.pdf" target="_blank">long-term deficit</a>, or scale back the 10-year, $10 billion transportation plan that was <a href="https://apnews.com/db86e50ea407a7931bf66e9f37ff23f9" target="_blank">approved this year</a>.

Before
 the pandemic, lawmakers hoped they could add even more for the state’s 
roads and bridges, $25 million more. Now, Waymaster said, “I don’t see 
how that could happen.”

Wolfe Moore would like to consider a tobacco tax increase — both to make Kansas healthier and boost the state’s bottom line.

She also hopes the federal government will help states out financially so they can avoid slashing spending.

“I
 absolutely think they absolutely have to do that for us because the 
choices are too awful beyond that, they really are,” she said.

There hasn’t been strong support for the idea <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-republicans-split-over-additional-coronavirus-aid-states-municipalities-n1206816" target="_blank">among the Republicans</a>
 who control the U.S. Senate. But the possibility makes Republican state
 Sen. Carolyn McGinn believe it’s premature to discuss Kansas budget 
cuts. Plus, she said, reopening businesses might improve the state’s 
finances.

“I think we have people that are just itching to get 
back into the economy again,” said McGinn, who is the Senate’s lead 
budget writer. “We've got to be safe, we've got to do social distancing.
 People start getting back and start spending some money, things could 
look very different.”

Stephen Koranda is the Statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter<a href="https://twitter.com/kprkoranda" target="_blank"> @kprkoranda</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589830931901.png" alt="The Kansas Statehouse in Topeka. Stephen Koranda / Kansas News Service file photo" />
 <figcaption>The Kansas Statehouse in Topeka. Stephen Koranda / Kansas News Service file photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By STEPHEN KORANDA, <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-05-18/the-coronavirus-blew-a-650m-hole-in-kansas-budget-putting-even-school-funding-in-jeopardy">Kansas News Service</a>LAWRENCE — When Kansas lawmakers left for an early 
spring break in mid-March, the state was projected to have a healthy 
savings account of nearly $1 billion in reserves come June. They passed 
an <a href="https://kansaspublicradio.org/kpr-news/kansas-gets-budget-and-lawmakers-leave-early-session-changed-coronavirus" target="_blank">$8 billion budget</a> as the coronavirus pandemic was just beginning, not knowing whether they’d even come back to Topeka.Since then, the virus caused thousands of businesses across Kansas to close and more than <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/some-kansans-going-back-work-pandemic-could-mean-risking-their-lives" target="_blank">200,000 </a>people
 to file for unemployment. Tax revenues started falling off a cliff — 
income taxes are expected to be down more than 15% and sales taxes by 4%
 — and there’s now an estimated $650 million <a href="http://www.kslegresearch.org/KLRD-web/Publications/CRE/2020_CRE_ShortMemo_4-20-2020.pdf" target="_blank">budget deficit</a> for the fiscal year that starts July 1.It’s up to lawmakers and the governor to fix the financial situation, and it could take wide-ranging budget cuts.“Nothing
 is going to be safe,” said Republican Troy Waymaster, chairman of the 
House Appropriations Committee. “We’re going to have to look at higher 
ed. We’re going to have to look at social services. We’re going to have 
to look at all aspects of the state budget.”But legislators are 
planning to meet for as little as one day — May 21 — to wrap up the 
session, so they might not take immediate action. Republican leaders 
seem to be focused more on restricting Gov. Laura Kelly’s emergency 
powers than taking immediate action to deal with the shortfall.Kelly
 could make cuts unilaterally. Lawmakers could also return for a special
 session. Or they could choose to just wait and tackle the budget in the
 2021 session come January.<h2>K-12 not untouchable</h2>No matter what, funding for K-12 schools is on the table, even though the state<a href="https://www.kcur.org/education/2019-06-14/kansas-supreme-court-lawmakers-finally-put-enough-money-into-schools" target="_blank"> just last year</a> resolved a decade-long lawsuit over school spending.The budget passed in March included <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2019_20/measures/documents/summary_sb_66_2020" target="_blank">nearly $120 million</a> more for primary education. And already, K-12 schools make up about half<a href="http://www.kslegresearch.org/KLRD-web/Publications/FiscalFacts/2019_fiscal_facts.pdf" target="_blank"> the state’s spending.</a>“This
 is absolutely not the time that we should be cutting K-12 education,” 
said Mark Tallman with the Kansas Association of School Boards.He
 said students will need extra help next year to catch up after concerns
 over the coronavirus closed school buildings and moved instruction 
largely online. But Tallman acknowledged districts understand the 
situation.“In the absence of other assistance, it would be extremely hard to solve this problem without touching K-12,” he said.The
 top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee is concerned that 
cutting K-12 would put the state right back before the Kansas Supreme 
Court.“That would probably be my biggest fear is to have to 
repeat that whole saga again,” Rep. Kathy Wolfe Moore said, “which I 
certainly don't want to do.”There’s no guarantee that will 
happen. A group representing dozens of school districts, including the 
four that sued the state, is waiting to see what happens.<h2>Wide-ranging reductions</h2>There
 are plenty of other targets in Kansas’ budget aside from K-12. 
Lawmakers could further delay payments to the state pension, which 
already has a $9 billion <a href="https://www.kpers.org/annualreport2019.pdf" target="_blank">long-term deficit</a>, or scale back the 10-year, $10 billion transportation plan that was <a href="https://apnews.com/db86e50ea407a7931bf66e9f37ff23f9" target="_blank">approved this year</a>.Before
 the pandemic, lawmakers hoped they could add even more for the state’s 
roads and bridges, $25 million more. Now, Waymaster said, “I don’t see 
how that could happen.”Wolfe Moore would like to consider a tobacco tax increase — both to make Kansas healthier and boost the state’s bottom line.She also hopes the federal government will help states out financially so they can avoid slashing spending.“I
 absolutely think they absolutely have to do that for us because the 
choices are too awful beyond that, they really are,” she said.There hasn’t been strong support for the idea <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-republicans-split-over-additional-coronavirus-aid-states-municipalities-n1206816" target="_blank">among the Republicans</a>
 who control the U.S. Senate. But the possibility makes Republican state
 Sen. Carolyn McGinn believe it’s premature to discuss Kansas budget 
cuts. Plus, she said, reopening businesses might improve the state’s 
finances.“I think we have people that are just itching to get 
back into the economy again,” said McGinn, who is the Senate’s lead 
budget writer. “We've got to be safe, we've got to do social distancing.
 People start getting back and start spending some money, things could 
look very different.”Stephen Koranda is the Statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter<a href="https://twitter.com/kprkoranda" target="_blank"> @kprkoranda</a>.

Virus blew $650M hole in Kan. budget, putting even schools in jeopardy 

TOPEKA —Dr. Lee Norman, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is updating the state's battle against coronavirus.

Governor Kelly is not attending Monday's briefing due to a scheduling conflict.

&nbsp;The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 454 since Friday to a total of 8340, the state health department reported Monday afternoon.&nbsp; Coronavirus deaths were reported at 173.

TOPEKA —Dr. Lee Norman, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is updating the state's battle against coronavirus.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FGovLauraKelly%2Fvideos%2F3313868611956554%2F&show_text=0&width=560" width="560" height="315" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Governor Kelly is not attending Monday's briefing due to a scheduling conflict.&nbsp;The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 454 since Friday to a total of 8340, the state health department reported Monday afternoon.&nbsp; Coronavirus deaths were reported at 173.

🎥 KDHE Secretary updates battle against coronavirus

NEW YORK (AP) — J.C. Penney will close almost 30% of its 846 stores as part of a restructuring under bankruptcy protection. The ailing department store said Monday that it plans to close about 192 stores by February 2021, and then 50 additional stores in the year after that. 

That would leave the company with just over 600 locations. J.C. Penney filed for bankruptcy reorganization on Friday, making it the biggest retailer to do since the coronavirus pandemic forced them to shut down all stores.

The company has not released a list of stores that will close.

NEW YORK (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic has pushed troubled department store chain J.C. Penney into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. 

It is the fourth major retailer to meet that fate. Texas-based Penney said late Friday it will be reducing its store count and will be disclosing details and timing in the next few weeks. 

It currently operates 850 stores and employs nearly 90,000 workers. It said that it received $900 million in financing to help it operate during the restructuring. Penney joins luxury department store chain Neiman Marcus and J.Crew in filing for bankruptcy reorganization. Others are expected to follow. Still many experts are pessimistic about Penney’s long-term survival.

Check the Post for additional details,&nbsp;as they become available&nbsp;on how the bankruptcy impacts local stores.

U.S. retail sales tumbled by a record 16.4% from March to April as business shutdowns caused by the coronavirus kept shoppers away, threatened stores across the country and weighed down a sinking economy. 

The Commerce Department’s report on retail purchases showed a sector that has collapsed so quickly that sales over the past 12 months are down a crippling 21.6%. The sharpest drops from March to April were at clothiers, electronics stores, furniture stores and restaurants. 

A long-standing migration of consumers toward online purchases is accelerating, with that segment posting a 8.4% monthly gain. Measured year over year, online sales surged 21.6%.

NEW YORK (AP) — J.C. Penney will close almost 30% of its 846 stores as part of a restructuring under bankruptcy protection. The ailing department store said Monday that it plans to close about 192 stores by February 2021, and then 50 additional stores in the year after that. That would leave the company with just over 600 locations. J.C. Penney filed for bankruptcy reorganization on Friday, making it the biggest retailer to do since the coronavirus pandemic forced them to shut down all stores.The company has not released a list of stores that will close.-------NEW YORK (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic has pushed troubled department store chain J.C. Penney into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It is the fourth major retailer to meet that fate. Texas-based Penney said late Friday it will be reducing its store count and will be disclosing details and timing in the next few weeks. It currently operates 850 stores and employs nearly 90,000 workers. It said that it received $900 million in financing to help it operate during the restructuring. Penney joins luxury department store chain Neiman Marcus and J.Crew in filing for bankruptcy reorganization. Others are expected to follow. Still many experts are pessimistic about Penney’s long-term survival.Check the Post for additional details,&nbsp;as they become available&nbsp;on how the bankruptcy impacts local stores.--------U.S. retail sales tumbled by a record 16.4% from March to April as business shutdowns caused by the coronavirus kept shoppers away, threatened stores across the country and weighed down a sinking economy. The Commerce Department’s report on retail purchases showed a sector that has collapsed so quickly that sales over the past 12 months are down a crippling 21.6%. The sharpest drops from March to April were at clothiers, electronics stores, furniture stores and restaurants. A long-standing migration of consumers toward online purchases is accelerating, with that segment posting a 8.4% monthly gain. Measured year over year, online sales surged 21.6%.

Pandemic casualty: JC Penney to close 240 stores

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 454 since Friday to a total of 8340, the state health department reported Monday afternoon.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE

Note: The KDHE Coronavirus in Kansas report is now released Monday, Wednesday and Friday.&nbsp;

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 454 since Friday to a total of 8340, the state health department reported Monday afternoon.&nbsp;Coronavirus deaths were reported at 173.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589821676425.png" alt="Monday May 18 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Monday May 18 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>Note: The KDHE Coronavirus in Kansas report is now released Monday, Wednesday and Friday.&nbsp;

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Salina man in connection with an alleged criminal threat at a truck service center..

Just before 5:30 p.m. Sunday, police responded to&nbsp; Petro 2 Truck Service Center, 2125 North Ninth Street in Salina for the report of an altercation between two employees, according to Police Captain Paul Forrester.

A 40-year-old employee told police that another employee identified as Charles Overgard, 36, Salina, threatened him with a knife.

The victim told police he was putting air in some tires when Overgard unhooked the air hose. A verbal argument ensued and Overgard allegedly pulled out a knife and threatened him.

Police arrested Overgard and later located a knife in his possession, according to Forrester.

Overgard is being held on requested charges that include aggravated assault and criminal threat.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589808823165.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Charles Overgard-Photo Saline CountySALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Salina man in connection with an alleged criminal threat at a truck service center..Just before 5:30 p.m. Sunday, police responded to&nbsp; Petro 2 Truck Service Center, 2125 North Ninth Street in Salina for the report of an altercation between two employees, according to Police Captain Paul Forrester.A 40-year-old employee told police that another employee identified as Charles Overgard, 36, Salina, threatened him with a knife.The victim told police he was putting air in some tires when Overgard unhooked the air hose. A verbal argument ensued and Overgard allegedly pulled out a knife and threatened him.Police arrested Overgard and later located a knife in his possession, according to Forrester.Overgard is being held on requested charges that include aggravated assault and criminal threat.

Kan. man accused of threatening fellow employee at truck stop

Employees at the Ford plant in Kansas City are returning to work Monday along with others in the region as the state of Kansas and Missouri begin to reopen.

On Saturday, Ford announced it had signed contracts with health systems in Kansas City and three other metro areas with major company facilities to quickly test hourly and salaried employees with suspected symptoms of COVID-19, according to a media release.

In the Kansas City area, employees will be tested through Liberty Hospital.&nbsp;

“Fast and accurate testing is a key tool in the effort to help stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Walter Talamonti, Ford Medical Director. “These contracts will allow us to test employees with suspected symptoms and have results back within 24 hours. If they test positive, we can quickly identify close contact employees who may have been exposed and ask them to self-quarantine for 14 days.”

In the Kansas City area, where Ford builds the best-selling F-150 and employs more than 7,000 people, employees who exhibit symptoms associated with COVID-19 will receive a prescription from Ford’s onsite doctors for testing. They can then access a drive-through testing site at Liberty Hospital.

In all Ford assembly plant locations, the goal is to have results available within 24 hours.

Testing results will be simultaneously shared with Ford doctors in order to quickly identify others who were in close contact with infected employees and immediately have them self-quarantine for 14 days.

&nbsp;<a></a>“We are working on quickly expanding testing of symptomatic employees,” said Ken Washington, Ford’s Chief Technology Officer. “The health and safety of our employees has been – and remains – our top priority as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to expanding locations for these tests, we are also pursuing the possibility of voluntary antibody testing in the future for our employees.”

Ford is initially focusing on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, which identifies if someone is actively infected. PCR tests are used to detect the presence of viral RNA, not the presence of the antibodies, which are the body’s immune response.

“Fast, accurate tests work hand-in-hand with personal protection equipment and protocols to create a safe environment for our workforce,” said Gary Johnson, Ford’s Chief Manufacturing and Labor Affairs Officer. “We are proud to partner with the UAW to lead the way on restarting our factories the right way.”

Testing is the most recent addition to Ford’s health and safety protocols in place in the company’s facilities.

To guide the workforce with the new health and safety protocols, Ford has compiled a comprehensive&nbsp;<a href="https://www.at.ford.com/content/dam/atford/fna/documents/PDFs/MFGPlaybook/Ford_ReturnToWork_COVID-19_Playbook_ME.pdf">Manufacturing Return to Work Playbook</a>&nbsp;to help protect its workforce, assembled using best practices and input from experts around the world. Some of the safety protocols include:

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589805616946.png" alt="Missouri Governor Mike Parson visited the Kansas City assembly plant Friday- photo courtesy office of Missouri governor." />
 <figcaption>Missouri Governor Mike Parson visited the Kansas City assembly plant Friday- photo courtesy office of Missouri governor.</figcaption>
 </figure>Employees at the Ford plant in Kansas City are returning to work Monday along with others in the region as the state of Kansas and Missouri begin to reopen.On Saturday, Ford announced it had signed contracts with health systems in Kansas City and three other metro areas with major company facilities to quickly test hourly and salaried employees with suspected symptoms of COVID-19, according to a media release.In the Kansas City area, employees will be tested through Liberty Hospital.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589805534095.png" alt="Missouri Governor Mike Parson wore a mask during his Friday visit to the Kansas City assembly plant-photo courtesy office of Missouri governor" />
 <figcaption>Missouri Governor Mike Parson wore a mask during his Friday visit to the Kansas City assembly plant-photo courtesy office of Missouri governor</figcaption>
 </figure>“Fast and accurate testing is a key tool in the effort to help stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Walter Talamonti, Ford Medical Director. “These contracts will allow us to test employees with suspected symptoms and have results back within 24 hours. If they test positive, we can quickly identify close contact employees who may have been exposed and ask them to self-quarantine for 14 days.”In the Kansas City area, where Ford builds the best-selling F-150 and employs more than 7,000 people, employees who exhibit symptoms associated with COVID-19 will receive a prescription from Ford’s onsite doctors for testing. They can then access a drive-through testing site at Liberty Hospital.In all Ford assembly plant locations, the goal is to have results available within 24 hours.Testing results will be simultaneously shared with Ford doctors in order to quickly identify others who were in close contact with infected employees and immediately have them self-quarantine for 14 days.&nbsp;<a></a>“We are working on quickly expanding testing of symptomatic employees,” said Ken Washington, Ford’s Chief Technology Officer. “The health and safety of our employees has been – and remains – our top priority as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to expanding locations for these tests, we are also pursuing the possibility of voluntary antibody testing in the future for our employees.”Ford is initially focusing on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, which identifies if someone is actively infected. PCR tests are used to detect the presence of viral RNA, not the presence of the antibodies, which are the body’s immune response.“Fast, accurate tests work hand-in-hand with personal protection equipment and protocols to create a safe environment for our workforce,” said Gary Johnson, Ford’s Chief Manufacturing and Labor Affairs Officer. “We are proud to partner with the UAW to lead the way on restarting our factories the right way.”Testing is the most recent addition to Ford’s health and safety protocols in place in the company’s facilities.To guide the workforce with the new health and safety protocols, Ford has compiled a comprehensive&nbsp;<a href="https://www.at.ford.com/content/dam/atford/fna/documents/PDFs/MFGPlaybook/Ford_ReturnToWork_COVID-19_Playbook_ME.pdf">Manufacturing Return to Work Playbook</a>&nbsp;to help protect its workforce, assembled using best practices and input from experts around the world. Some of the safety protocols include:<ol>
 <li>Daily online employee and visitor health self-certifications completed before work every day. Employees or visitors who indicate they may have symptoms or may have been exposed to the virus will be told not to come to Ford facilities.</li>
 </ol><ol>
 <li>No-touch temperature scans upon arrival – anyone with a raised temperature will not be permitted to enter and will need to be cleared of symptoms before returning to work.</li>
 </ol><ol>
 <li>Required face masks for everyone entering a Ford facility. Every Ford team member will be provided a care kit including face masks and other items to help keep them healthy and comfortable at work.</li>
 </ol><ol>
 <li>Safety glasses with side shields or face shields will be required when jobs don’t allow for social distancing.</li><li>There will be more time between production shifts to limit interaction between employees and allow for additional cleaning.&nbsp;</li>
 </ol>

Ford plant in Kansas City reopens with virus testing

TOPEKA, Kansas –&nbsp;A Lansing Correctional Facility resident who died Saturday, May 16, had tested positive for COVID-19. This is the fourth resident death related to COVID-19.

The resident was a man over the age of 60 with underlying medical conditions who tested positive for the virus on April 29 and was transferred to the hospital on May 1, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Corrections.

 The official manner of death for all COVID-19 deaths is natural causes.&nbsp;

The individual was serving a sentence for charges including aggravated robbery and first-degree murder. He had been imprisoned with the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) since December 1989 and his earliest possible release date was set for Oct. 1, 2020. For the privacy of his family and due to confidentiality laws, the KDOC will not release his name nor his underlying medical conditions. His family has been notified.

The Lansing Correctional Facility, formerly the Kansas State Penitentiary, opened in 1867 during the presidency of Andrew Johnson and is the oldest and largest state correctional facility in Kansas. Serving only males, the facility capacity is 2,432 residents.

TOPEKA, Kansas –&nbsp;A Lansing Correctional Facility resident who died Saturday, May 16, had tested positive for COVID-19. This is the fourth resident death related to COVID-19.The resident was a man over the age of 60 with underlying medical conditions who tested positive for the virus on April 29 and was transferred to the hospital on May 1, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Corrections. The official manner of death for all COVID-19 deaths is natural causes.&nbsp;The individual was serving a sentence for charges including aggravated robbery and first-degree murder. He had been imprisoned with the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) since December 1989 and his earliest possible release date was set for Oct. 1, 2020. For the privacy of his family and due to confidentiality laws, the KDOC will not release his name nor his underlying medical conditions. His family has been notified.The Lansing Correctional Facility, formerly the Kansas State Penitentiary, opened in 1867 during the presidency of Andrew Johnson and is the oldest and largest state correctional facility in Kansas. Serving only males, the facility capacity is 2,432 residents.

Fourth inmate dies from coronavirus at Kansas prison

TOPEKA —On Wednesday, Governor Laura Kelly will visit the White House for a meeting with President Trump. &nbsp;

In addition to discussing the state’s phased reopening and statewide testing strategy, topics of discussion will include protecting America’s food supply chain, supporting Kansas’ farmers, and partnering to ensure the health and safety of food supply workers during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a media release from Kelly's office.

"I look forward to the discussion with President Trump on ways we can continue to work with the federal government on our response and recovery efforts," Governor Kelly said. "Our continued emphasis is on protecting Kansans' health and well-being, and helping the state recover from a public health crisis that has exacted a painful financial toll on many. 

The economic damage will be long lasting, and will require collaboration at every level. I look forward to discussing how the President and I will continue partnering together in our recovery.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588352476511.png" alt="Governor Larua Kelly during her televised phased reopening announcement&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Governor Larua Kelly during her televised phased reopening announcement&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA —On Wednesday, Governor Laura Kelly will visit the White House for a meeting with President Trump. &nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589490713721.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>In addition to discussing the state’s phased reopening and statewide testing strategy, topics of discussion will include protecting America’s food supply chain, supporting Kansas’ farmers, and partnering to ensure the health and safety of food supply workers during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a media release from Kelly's office."I look forward to the discussion with President Trump on ways we can continue to work with the federal government on our response and recovery efforts," Governor Kelly said. "Our continued emphasis is on protecting Kansans' health and well-being, and helping the state recover from a public health crisis that has exacted a painful financial toll on many. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1588194319573.png" alt="President Trump and the Kansas Governor will visit in the Oval Office Wednesday -White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President Trump and the Kansas Governor will visit in the Oval Office Wednesday -White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>The economic damage will be long lasting, and will require collaboration at every level. I look forward to discussing how the President and I will continue partnering together in our recovery.”

Gov. will discuss phased reopening with Trump at White House

By NOMIN UJIYEDIIN, <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-05-14/kansas-prison-workers-want-more-covid-19-protection-after-2-guards-and-3-inmates-die">Kansas News Service</a>

LAWRENCE, Kansas — In his 15 years as a corrections officer at
 a northeast Kansas prison, David Carter witnessed stabbings, worked 
through riots and broke up more fights than he can count. He was used to
 risky situations.

When the <a href="https://www.kcur.org/health/2020-04-14/updated-regularly-what-kansans-need-to-know-about-the-covid-19-coronavirus" target="_blank">coronavirus pandemic</a>
 showed up, Carter and his coworkers at the Lansing Correctional 
Facility still touched other people and countless surfaces all day, 
every day: putting on and taking off handcuffs, opening doors and 
working multiple buildings in the same day or week.

Stress levels 
at one of the state’s largest and oldest prisons were rising. The staff 
needed to work longer hours because people had been laid off earlier in 
the year. Carter had been exposed to the virus outside of work, and 
twice self-isolated as a precaution, but a human resources employee told
 him he had to come to work the second time because he didn’t have 
symptoms.

“You can’t fit that many people under that roof and keep them distanced in any way, shape or form,” he said.

Carter
 could no longer justify the risk of bringing the virus home to his 
family, so he quit on April 28 in public fashion, posting his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PlayinBass/posts/10157071205391464" target="_blank">resignation letter</a> on Facebook and talking to media outlets.

“We all saw the writing on the wall a couple of months ago,” Carter 
said. “Every senior staff looked at each other and said, ‘You know what?
 If this thing shows up in our prison, everybody’s got it. There’s no 
way around it.’”

Since March 31, 790 of about 10,000 inmates and 97 staffers have <a href="https://www.doc.ks.gov/kdoc-coronavirus-updates/kdoc-covid-19-status" target="_blank">tested positive for COVID-19</a>,
 which has been found in seven of the state’s facilities (of which there
 are nine adult prisons and one juvenile prison). At Lansing, 44% of 
prisoners tested positive, and three inmates and two corrections 
officers have died.

Knowing how quickly the virus can spread 
inside close quarters, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas 
tried and lost a lawsuit in which they wanted the state to release about
 55% of prisoners.

Under usual circumstances, prisons are 
dangerous and understaffed, which can lead officers to consider 
quitting. And during the pandemic, four current or former officers told 
the Kansas News Service, the state hasn’t done enough to protect them 
and acted too late to contain it.

The
 Kansas Department of Corrections issued updated guidelines in early 
April regarding the use of personal protective equipment and the 
screening of inmates and employees who enter any prison. It has tested 
all of the inmates at Lansing and begun testing inmates at the Wichita 
Work Release Facility, and announced that it would give <a href="https://www.kcur.org/health/kansas-gives-inmates-cloth-masks-coronavirus-aclu-lawsuit-says-lives-risk" target="_blank">fabric masks</a> to all inmates and employees in early April.

“We
 will continue to review our practices and improve those whenever and 
wherever possible,” agency secretary Jeff Zmuda said this week. He 
announced the agency will also begin testing all of its staff.

The
 department has also started giving $200 per week to employees working 
in prisons with positive COVID-19 cases, although workers are only 
eligible if they don’t take any time off during each week.

Lansing
 is the state’s most affected facility. As of May 13, 750 out of 1,699 
people who are incarcerated there have tested positive for COVID-19. 
Most are asymptomatic. Three of those people have died. Among staffers 
at the prison in Leavenworth County, 88 have tested positive, and two <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-05-12/family-says-lansing-correctional-facility-worker-died-this-week-from-covid-19">died this week</a>.

The
 department said Thursday it would move all inmates from the Wichita 
facility to Lansing after finding 38 positive cases in Wichita, almost 
all of which are asymptomatic.

A corrections officer at Lansing, 
who spoke with the Kansas News Service on the condition of anonymity 
because of the risk of retaliation, brings in cleaning supplies and hand
 sanitizer to share with coworkers because the prison doesn’t provide 
enough.

Some coworkers, the corrections officer said, have had 
trouble finding child care because daycares won’t take the children of 
Lansing employees anymore.

“What are they going to do when 
everybody catches it … and nobody wants to come to work?” the officer 
said. “They have put us on the back burner for so long.”

In
 mid-April, the DOC announced it would be giving masks to all staff and 
inmates. But the officer said employees had to ask directly for masks, 
rather than receiving them as a group. The officer asked a nurse for 
one, but a nurse said she had been instructed not to provide masks to 
staff.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589552648366.png" alt="The Topeka Correctional Facility has six coronavirus cases. Nomin Ujiyediin / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>The Topeka Correctional Facility has six coronavirus cases. Nomin Ujiyediin / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By NOMIN UJIYEDIIN, <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-05-14/kansas-prison-workers-want-more-covid-19-protection-after-2-guards-and-3-inmates-die">Kansas News Service</a>LAWRENCE, Kansas — In his 15 years as a corrections officer at
 a northeast Kansas prison, David Carter witnessed stabbings, worked 
through riots and broke up more fights than he can count. He was used to
 risky situations.When the <a href="https://www.kcur.org/health/2020-04-14/updated-regularly-what-kansans-need-to-know-about-the-covid-19-coronavirus" target="_blank">coronavirus pandemic</a>
 showed up, Carter and his coworkers at the Lansing Correctional 
Facility still touched other people and countless surfaces all day, 
every day: putting on and taking off handcuffs, opening doors and 
working multiple buildings in the same day or week.Stress levels 
at one of the state’s largest and oldest prisons were rising. The staff 
needed to work longer hours because people had been laid off earlier in 
the year. Carter had been exposed to the virus outside of work, and 
twice self-isolated as a precaution, but a human resources employee told
 him he had to come to work the second time because he didn’t have 
symptoms.“You can’t fit that many people under that roof and keep them distanced in any way, shape or form,” he said.Carter
 could no longer justify the risk of bringing the virus home to his 
family, so he quit on April 28 in public fashion, posting his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PlayinBass/posts/10157071205391464" target="_blank">resignation letter</a> on Facebook and talking to media outlets.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589552740460.png" alt="David Carter (left) quit his job at the Lansing Correctional Facility on April 28. Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>David Carter (left) quit his job at the Lansing Correctional Facility on April 28. Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>“We all saw the writing on the wall a couple of months ago,” Carter 
said. “Every senior staff looked at each other and said, ‘You know what?
 If this thing shows up in our prison, everybody’s got it. There’s no 
way around it.’”Since March 31, 790 of about 10,000 inmates and 97 staffers have <a href="https://www.doc.ks.gov/kdoc-coronavirus-updates/kdoc-covid-19-status" target="_blank">tested positive for COVID-19</a>,
 which has been found in seven of the state’s facilities (of which there
 are nine adult prisons and one juvenile prison). At Lansing, 44% of 
prisoners tested positive, and three inmates and two corrections 
officers have died.Knowing how quickly the virus can spread 
inside close quarters, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas 
tried and lost a lawsuit in which they wanted the state to release about
 55% of prisoners.Under usual circumstances, prisons are 
dangerous and understaffed, which can lead officers to consider 
quitting. And during the pandemic, four current or former officers told 
the Kansas News Service, the state hasn’t done enough to protect them 
and acted too late to contain it.<h2>A community problem</h2>The
 Kansas Department of Corrections issued updated guidelines in early 
April regarding the use of personal protective equipment and the 
screening of inmates and employees who enter any prison. It has tested 
all of the inmates at Lansing and begun testing inmates at the Wichita 
Work Release Facility, and announced that it would give <a href="https://www.kcur.org/health/kansas-gives-inmates-cloth-masks-coronavirus-aclu-lawsuit-says-lives-risk" target="_blank">fabric masks</a> to all inmates and employees in early April.“We
 will continue to review our practices and improve those whenever and 
wherever possible,” agency secretary Jeff Zmuda said this week. He 
announced the agency will also begin testing all of its staff.The
 department has also started giving $200 per week to employees working 
in prisons with positive COVID-19 cases, although workers are only 
eligible if they don’t take any time off during each week.Lansing
 is the state’s most affected facility. As of May 13, 750 out of 1,699 
people who are incarcerated there have tested positive for COVID-19. 
Most are asymptomatic. Three of those people have died. Among staffers 
at the prison in Leavenworth County, 88 have tested positive, and two <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-05-12/family-says-lansing-correctional-facility-worker-died-this-week-from-covid-19">died this week</a>.The
 department said Thursday it would move all inmates from the Wichita 
facility to Lansing after finding 38 positive cases in Wichita, almost 
all of which are asymptomatic.A corrections officer at Lansing, 
who spoke with the Kansas News Service on the condition of anonymity 
because of the risk of retaliation, brings in cleaning supplies and hand
 sanitizer to share with coworkers because the prison doesn’t provide 
enough.Some coworkers, the corrections officer said, have had 
trouble finding child care because daycares won’t take the children of 
Lansing employees anymore.“What are they going to do when 
everybody catches it … and nobody wants to come to work?” the officer 
said. “They have put us on the back burner for so long.”<h2>Conditions inside Lansing</h2>In
 mid-April, the DOC announced it would be giving masks to all staff and 
inmates. But the officer said employees had to ask directly for masks, 
rather than receiving them as a group. The officer asked a nurse for 
one, but a nurse said she had been instructed not to provide masks to 
staff.The officers also have been told they will face 
disciplinary action if they bring in outside masks, said the officer, 
who uses masks obtained from a local dentist rather than the ones 
distributed by the state.“I feel a mask is a mask, and right now that’s basically all we have to protect us,” the officer said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589552778361.png" alt="A mask issued to corrections officers by the Kansas Department of Corrections. Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>A mask issued to corrections officers by the Kansas Department of Corrections. Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>The Lansing officer also said that for two weeks at the end of April,
 no laundry was being done — not even the inmates’ masks — because 
prisoners were being moved to new buildings that didn’t have working 
laundry facilities. Currently, the officer said, laundry and food carts 
aren’t sanitized, even though they move between the two buildings where 
inmates are staying.For weeks, criminal justice advocates in 
Kansas have raised questions and asked for solutions for the potentially
 unsafe conditions in state prisons during the pandemic. In March, some 
public defenders sent a letter to Gov. Laura Kelly asking her to release
 prisoners to reduce virus transmission — both in prisons and in the 
homes and communities where employees live.“This is a public 
safety, a public health concern,” public defender Jennifer Roth, who 
signed the letter, told the Kansas News Service.The state released six people on house arrest, but does not plan to release any more, Zmuda said.At the same time, ACLU unsuccessfully <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-04-30/kansas-prisons-are-fighting-a-lawsuit-to-release-prisoners-to-reduce-covid-19-spread" target="_blank">sued to force the state</a>
 to release people who were convicted of minor crimes, had a short 
amount of time left on their sentences or were vulnerable due to age or 
illness."We are definitely disappointed for our clients who 
continue to face dangerous and declining conditions inside Lansing,” 
executive director Nadine Johnson said in an emailed statement. “KDOC's 
efforts clearly are not enough to protect the people they have a legal 
obligation to keep safe.”<h2>Fewer cases, similar worries</h2>There
 are only six known cases in the Topeka Correctional Facility, the 
state’s only women’s prison. But officers there still fear for their 
lives and safety — as well as their families’ well being, corrections 
officer Jon-Wesley O’Hara said.“Most of us do not have any way to
 isolate from our families if it happens,” he said. “When it comes, 
we'll bring it home and we're going to have to figure out how to live 
with ourselves.”O’Hara said it’s helped that new inmates are 
quarantined when they arrive at the Topeka prison. But many inmates 
don’t wear their masks, he said, and it’s impossible to keep people from
 congregating the yard during recreation periods.In the day rooms, the phones for inmate use are clustered within a few feet of each other.“If
 you want to have contact with people on the outside,” O’Hara said, 
“you’re going to have to deal with people that are not six feet away 
from you.There’s just no way around that.”More staff at the 
Topeka women’s prison are staying home due to illness, childcare issues 
or self-isolation, O’Hara said. And several members of the prison’s 
crisis-response team were temporarily transferred to Lansing.The 
short-staffing has led to more officers working overtime in Topeka. Some
 of his coworkers have cancelled vacations because they don’t have 
enough paid time off to self-quarantine for two weeks following travel 
to high-risk areas.Like Lansing, Topeka corrections officers 
often move between multiple buildings in the same shift, which increases
 the risk of transmission between units. That’s according to Cody Hill, 
another corrections officer at the Topeka facility.The prison has
 required social distancing in the medication line, Hill said. But 
education programs still go on in crowded classrooms. While the building
 has decreased chow-hall occupancy during meal times, he said, people 
still sit fairly close to each other for breakfast and dinner.Hill
 said inmates have been bringing trays back to their dorms for lunch, 
where they sleep close enough to touch. Starting Monday, inmates will 
bring all of their meals to their dorms, corrections spokesperson 
Rebecca Witte said in an email.Hill hasn’t considered quitting, 
though. He thinks his work is important and doesn’t want to take the 
risk of being unemployed during a recession. But he feels the Department
 of Corrections has communicated poorly with staff.“We don’t proactively plan for things,” Hill said, “and it really shows whenever we come to a crisis like this.”Nomin
 Ujiyediin reports on criminal justice and social welfare for the Kansas
 News Service. You can email her at nomin@kcur.org and follow
 her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/nominuj" target="_blank">@NominUJ</a>.