RUSH COUNTY– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and Rush County Sheriff’s Office are conducting an investigation into the death of a man from LaCrosse, Kan. Preliminary indications are the death is a result of homicide, according to a media release from the agency.

Leslie Randa, 61, was discovered in his home, located at 205 E 5th St in LaCrosse, Kan. Randa was found by a family member who then contacted 911 at 1:39 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 21.

 The Rush County Sheriff’s Office contacted the KBI for assistance with this investigation at approximately 2:10 p.m. KBI agents and the Crime Scene Response team responded.

Randa’s vehicle is missing. Randa owns a black 2006 GMC Envoy with Kan. plate 463HAE. The front grill guard is chrome in color. Law Enforcement is requesting the public’s assistance. If you have any information about this crime or the location of the vehicle, please contact the Rush County Sheriff’s office at 785-222-2578 or the KBI at 1-800-KSCRIME.

An autopsy will be performed Saturday, Jan 22.

RUSH COUNTY– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and Rush County Sheriff’s Office are conducting an investigation into the death of a man from LaCrosse, Kan. Preliminary indications are the death is a result of homicide, according to a media release from the agency.Leslie Randa, 61, was discovered in his home, located at 205 E 5th St in LaCrosse, Kan. Randa was found by a family member who then contacted 911 at 1:39 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 21. The Rush County Sheriff’s Office contacted the KBI for assistance with this investigation at approximately 2:10 p.m. KBI agents and the Crime Scene Response team responded.Randa’s vehicle is missing. Randa owns a black 2006 GMC Envoy with Kan. plate 463HAE. The front grill guard is chrome in color. Law Enforcement is requesting the public’s assistance. If you have any information about this crime or the location of the vehicle, please contact the Rush County Sheriff’s office at 785-222-2578 or the KBI at 1-800-KSCRIME.An autopsy will be performed Saturday, Jan 22.

KBI: Homicide investigation after man found dead in Rush Co.

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary and have made an arrest.

Just after 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, officers were dispatched to the parking lot of Home Depot at 5900 SW Huntoon in Topeka on a report of a vehicle burglary in progress, according to Lt. Manuel Munoz.

While officers were in route, the caller, who was watching them from the lot stayed on the phone with dispatch and continued to update them as the two suspects got in a vehicle and left the lot. 

The caller provided a great description of the vehicle who was observed by officers coming into the area. The vehicle was stopped at a nearby hotel entrance and two individuals were taken into custody.

As a result of the investigation, Jordan Shumway, 28 and Earl Kuhn, 59, both of Topeka were booked into Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Burglary to a Vehicle, Theft, Possession of Meth w/Intent to Dist. Possession of Drug Para.

The Topeka Police Department thanked the citizen who called in to dispatch to report the illegal activity. Because of their call, two suspects were taken into custody and the property was returned to the owner.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642696768952.png" alt="Kuhn-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Kuhn-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary and have made an arrest.Just after 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, officers were dispatched to the parking lot of Home Depot at 5900 SW Huntoon in Topeka on a report of a vehicle burglary in progress, according to Lt. Manuel Munoz.While officers were in route, the caller, who was watching them from the lot stayed on the phone with dispatch and continued to update them as the two suspects got in a vehicle and left the lot. The caller provided a great description of the vehicle who was observed by officers coming into the area. The vehicle was stopped at a nearby hotel entrance and two individuals were taken into custody.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642696711099.png" alt="Shumway-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Shumway-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>As a result of the investigation, Jordan Shumway, 28 and Earl Kuhn, 59, both of Topeka were booked into Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Burglary to a Vehicle, Theft, Possession of Meth w/Intent to Dist. Possession of Drug Para.The Topeka Police Department thanked the citizen who called in to dispatch to report the illegal activity. Because of their call, two suspects were taken into custody and the property was returned to the owner.&nbsp;

Police: 2 jailed after citizen reports Kansas parking lot burglary 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans used their supermajority Friday to win&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;Senate approval for a redistricting plan that likely would make it harder for the state's only Democrat in Congress to win reelection this year

The nearly four-hour debate ahead of the Senate's 26-9 vote previewed the arguments that attorneys for both parties may use during an expected court challenge over any new lines. The bill goes next to the House, where top Republicans are backing an almost identical plan.

Both proposals would equalize the population among the state's four congressional districts by carving thousands of Democratic voters out of the Kansas City-area district held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids. Both also would put Lawrence, known for its liberal politics and home to the main University of Kansas campus, at the far eastern edge of an expanded central and western Kansas district, rather than keeping it in an eastern Kansas district.

States must redraw their districts every 10 years to keep them as close to each other in population as possible amid shifting populations. In 2012, lawmakers couldn't agree on any maps, and three federal judges drew the lines. But even if Republicans get their preferred plan through the House and past Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's possible veto, Democrats are likely to sue.

That means a lot of Friday's debate was about building a record for judges to review later. Democrats and conservative Republican Sen. Dennis Pyle, of Hiawatha, offered unsuccessful alternatives with that in mind.

“One of the main reasons for offering these maps is to get them in the record,” Pyle said. “The court will likely refer back to some of these maps because 10 years ago, that is what they did.”

The debate in Kansas comes with the GOP hoping to regain a U.S. House majority in this year's elections. Top Republican lawmakers in Kansas want to remove the northern part of Wyandotte County — one of the state's few Democratic strongholds — from Davids' district to address its surplus of nearly 58,000 residents after a decade of growth.

Davids won two-thirds of the Wyandotte County vote in 2020 and less than 52% in neighboring Johnson County, the state's most populous county. In the other three, far more rural counties GOP lawmakers plan to include in her new district, former President Donald Trump received 71% of the vote.

“It is clearly drawn for partisan gain,” said Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat.

Senate President Ty Masterson rejected that idea, arguing that Davids still will win the redrawn district based on the voting in the 2020 presidential election, in which Trump lost Johnson County.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that partisan gerrymandering is a political issue and not a concern for federal courts. That left Kansas lawmakers making arguments aimed at persuading judges to draw different lines. They acknowledged that they've been conferring with lawyers.

For example, Democrats noted that in Davids' new district, Black and Hispanic voters would be less of the population, diluting their ability to elect a representative like Davids, the state's first and only Native American and LGBTQ member of Congress. Republicans countered by noting that the neighboring eastern Kansas district would gain minority residents.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642703370746.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNA, AP Political WriterTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans used their supermajority Friday to win&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;Senate approval for a redistricting plan that likely would make it harder for the state's only Democrat in Congress to win reelection this yearThe nearly four-hour debate ahead of the Senate's 26-9 vote previewed the arguments that attorneys for both parties may use during an expected court challenge over any new lines. The bill goes next to the House, where top Republicans are backing an almost identical plan.Both proposals would equalize the population among the state's four congressional districts by carving thousands of Democratic voters out of the Kansas City-area district held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids. Both also would put Lawrence, known for its liberal politics and home to the main University of Kansas campus, at the far eastern edge of an expanded central and western Kansas district, rather than keeping it in an eastern Kansas district.States must redraw their districts every 10 years to keep them as close to each other in population as possible amid shifting populations. In 2012, lawmakers couldn't agree on any maps, and three federal judges drew the lines. But even if Republicans get their preferred plan through the House and past Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's possible veto, Democrats are likely to sue.That means a lot of Friday's debate was about building a record for judges to review later. Democrats and conservative Republican Sen. Dennis Pyle, of Hiawatha, offered unsuccessful alternatives with that in mind.“One of the main reasons for offering these maps is to get them in the record,” Pyle said. “The court will likely refer back to some of these maps because 10 years ago, that is what they did.”The debate in Kansas comes with the GOP hoping to regain a U.S. House majority in this year's elections. Top Republican lawmakers in Kansas want to remove the northern part of Wyandotte County — one of the state's few Democratic strongholds — from Davids' district to address its surplus of nearly 58,000 residents after a decade of growth.Davids won two-thirds of the Wyandotte County vote in 2020 and less than 52% in neighboring Johnson County, the state's most populous county. In the other three, far more rural counties GOP lawmakers plan to include in her new district, former President Donald Trump received 71% of the vote.“It is clearly drawn for partisan gain,” said Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat.Senate President Ty Masterson rejected that idea, arguing that Davids still will win the redrawn district based on the voting in the 2020 presidential election, in which Trump lost Johnson County.The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that partisan gerrymandering is a political issue and not a concern for federal courts. That left Kansas lawmakers making arguments aimed at persuading judges to draw different lines. They acknowledged that they've been conferring with lawyers.For example, Democrats noted that in Davids' new district, Black and Hispanic voters would be less of the population, diluting their ability to elect a representative like Davids, the state's first and only Native American and LGBTQ member of Congress. Republicans countered by noting that the neighboring eastern Kansas district would gain minority residents.

GOP map likely to hinder lone Democrat clears Kansas Senate

ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a violent attack and have made an arrest.

Just after 7:00p.m. Thursday evening a domestic disturbance occurred at a residence in the 500 block Mound Street in Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

 During the disturbance a 36-year-old man was stabbed with a knife causing a non-life threatening injury. The victim left the residence and went to Police Headquarters. He was examined by EMS and subsequently drove himself to the hospital where he was treated and released. 

Officers located and arrested 35-year-old Shandalyn Foster at the home. She is being held on requested charges of&nbsp;aggravated battery.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642783813613.png" alt="Foster photo Atchison Co." />
 <figcaption>Foster photo Atchison Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a violent attack and have made an arrest.Just after 7:00p.m. Thursday evening a domestic disturbance occurred at a residence in the 500 block Mound Street in Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson. During the disturbance a 36-year-old man was stabbed with a knife causing a non-life threatening injury. The victim left the residence and went to Police Headquarters. He was examined by EMS and subsequently drove himself to the hospital where he was treated and released. Officers located and arrested 35-year-old Shandalyn Foster at the home. She is being held on requested charges of&nbsp;aggravated battery.

Woman jailed for alleged stabbing at Kansas home

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH, Associated Press

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — The&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;Supreme Court upheld the death sentences Friday of two brothers who were sentenced in 2002 for four killings known as “the Wichita massacre.”

Jonathan and Reginald Carr argued that a ruling declaring that the state constitution protects access to abortion opened the door to a new legal attack on the death penalty. But the majority disagreed, finding that the brothers received fair trials and affirming their death sentences. One opinion was 160 pages; the other 60 pages.

Prosecutors said the brothers broke into a home in December 2000 and forced the three men and two women there to have sex with one another and later to withdraw money from ATMs. The women were raped repeatedly before all five were taken to a soccer field and shot. Four victims died: Aaron Sander, 29; Brad Heyka, 27; Jason Befort, 26; and Heather Muller, 25. One of the women survived to testify against the Carr brothers. Other crimes over six days left a fifth person dead.

Each of the brothers accused the other of carrying out the crimes.

The Kansas court upheld their convictions in 2014 but overturned their death sentences, concluding that not having separate hearings violated the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed that decision in 2016, returning the case to the Kansas court.

In their latest appeal, the brothers raised questions about the fact that their cases weren't conducted separately when jurors were considering whether the death penalty was warranted. Other issues they raised included the instructions that were given to jurors and how closing arguments were conducted.

Chief Justice Marla Luckert wrote in both opinions that the trial was “riddled by error” and that she was convinced that the threshold had been reached for vacating the brothers’ sentences.

Justice Caleb Stegall affirmed the majority's decision but wrote that he did so with “deep doubts and reluctance." Stegall was the lone dissenter in the 2019 ruling protecting abortion rights and said the opinions in the Carr brothers' cases add “clarity and dreadful effect to the egregious consequences" of that case.

Kansas’ last legal executions were in 1965, by hanging, and the state enacted its current death penalty law in 1994.

Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt described the decision as “an important milestone,” saying it signaled that the brothers are running out of appeal options.

“Although the wheels of justice may turn slowly they do ultimately propel us all forward,” he said, adding that he also also was encouraged that the opinions in the brothers’ cases “limited the effect” of the ruling in the abortion case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1621970431260.png" alt="Jonathan Carr is being held in the El Dorado Correctional Facility, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Jonathan Carr is being held in the El Dorado Correctional Facility, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH, Associated PressMISSION, Kan. (AP) — The&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;Supreme Court upheld the death sentences Friday of two brothers who were sentenced in 2002 for four killings known as “the Wichita massacre.”Jonathan and Reginald Carr argued that a ruling declaring that the state constitution protects access to abortion opened the door to a new legal attack on the death penalty. But the majority disagreed, finding that the brothers received fair trials and affirming their death sentences. One opinion was 160 pages; the other 60 pages.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1621970475802.png" alt="Reginald Carris being held in the El Dorado Correctional Facility, according to the Kan. Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Reginald Carris being held in the El Dorado Correctional Facility, according to the Kan. Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>Prosecutors said the brothers broke into a home in December 2000 and forced the three men and two women there to have sex with one another and later to withdraw money from ATMs. The women were raped repeatedly before all five were taken to a soccer field and shot. Four victims died: Aaron Sander, 29; Brad Heyka, 27; Jason Befort, 26; and Heather Muller, 25. One of the women survived to testify against the Carr brothers. Other crimes over six days left a fifth person dead.Each of the brothers accused the other of carrying out the crimes.The Kansas court upheld their convictions in 2014 but overturned their death sentences, concluding that not having separate hearings violated the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed that decision in 2016, returning the case to the Kansas court.In their latest appeal, the brothers raised questions about the fact that their cases weren't conducted separately when jurors were considering whether the death penalty was warranted. Other issues they raised included the instructions that were given to jurors and how closing arguments were conducted.Chief Justice Marla Luckert wrote in both opinions that the trial was “riddled by error” and that she was convinced that the threshold had been reached for vacating the brothers’ sentences.Justice Caleb Stegall affirmed the majority's decision but wrote that he did so with “deep doubts and reluctance." Stegall was the lone dissenter in the 2019 ruling protecting abortion rights and said the opinions in the Carr brothers' cases add “clarity and dreadful effect to the egregious consequences" of that case.Kansas’ last legal executions were in 1965, by hanging, and the state enacted its current death penalty law in 1994.Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt described the decision as “an important milestone,” saying it signaled that the brothers are running out of appeal options.“Although the wheels of justice may turn slowly they do ultimately propel us all forward,” he said, adding that he also also was encouraged that the opinions in the brothers’ cases “limited the effect” of the ruling in the abortion case.

Death sentences upheld in case dubbed 'the Wichita massacre'

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. judge in Texas issued a nationwide injunction on Friday barring the federal government from enforcing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-lawsuits-1054028d7cbf0ef46f7ddadbdc4ae167">President Joe Biden’s requirement</a>&nbsp;that federal workers without qualifying medical or religious exemptions be vaccinated for COVID-19.

Judge Jeffrey Brown, who was appointed to the District Court for the Southern District of Texas by then-President Donald Trump, ruled that opponents of Biden’s vaccination mandate for federal employees were likely to succeed at trial and blocked the government from enforcing the requirement.

Biden announced in September that more than 3.5 million federal workers were required to undergo vaccination, with no option to get regularly tested instead, unless they secured approved medical or religious exemptions. The requirement kicked in in November, when the White House said more than 95% of federal workers were in compliance with the Biden mandate either by being vaccinated or by having requested an exemption — and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-health-business-travel-99b820492135ceeaf23e51b834d6ab79">92% were vaccinated</a>.

Those out of compliance with the policy were referred to counseling and could be terminated under an executive order signed by Biden.

Brown wrote that at issue was whether the president “can, with the stroke of a pen and without the input of Congress, require millions of federal employees to undergo a medical procedure as a condition of their employment.” He added, “That, under the current state of the law as just recently expressed by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-vaccine-mandate-eb5899ae1fe5b62b6f4d51f54a3cd375">the Supreme Court</a>, is a bridge too far.”

The suit was brought by the group Feds for Medical Freedom.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. judge in Texas issued a nationwide injunction on Friday barring the federal government from enforcing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-lawsuits-1054028d7cbf0ef46f7ddadbdc4ae167">President Joe Biden’s requirement</a>&nbsp;that federal workers without qualifying medical or religious exemptions be vaccinated for COVID-19.Judge Jeffrey Brown, who was appointed to the District Court for the Southern District of Texas by then-President Donald Trump, ruled that opponents of Biden’s vaccination mandate for federal employees were likely to succeed at trial and blocked the government from enforcing the requirement.Biden announced in September that more than 3.5 million federal workers were required to undergo vaccination, with no option to get regularly tested instead, unless they secured approved medical or religious exemptions. The requirement kicked in in November, when the White House said more than 95% of federal workers were in compliance with the Biden mandate either by being vaccinated or by having requested an exemption — and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-health-business-travel-99b820492135ceeaf23e51b834d6ab79">92% were vaccinated</a>.Those out of compliance with the policy were referred to counseling and could be terminated under an executive order signed by Biden.Brown wrote that at issue was whether the president “can, with the stroke of a pen and without the input of Congress, require millions of federal employees to undergo a medical procedure as a condition of their employment.” He added, “That, under the current state of the law as just recently expressed by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-vaccine-mandate-eb5899ae1fe5b62b6f4d51f54a3cd375">the Supreme Court</a>, is a bridge too far.”The suit was brought by the group Feds for Medical Freedom.

Another judge blocks Biden federal worker vaccine mandate

By JONEL ALECCIA <a href="https://khn.org/news/article/states-use-monoclonal-antibody-covid-treatment-ineffective-against-omicron/">Kaiser Health News</a>

As the omicron variant completes its sweep across the U.S., states with 
scarce supplies of monoclonal antibody therapies continue to use two 
treatments that federal health officials warn no longer work against the
 highly contagious version of the virus that causes covid-19. The 
antibody treatment now <a href="https://opendata.ncats.nih.gov/variant/activity">most recommended</a> is sotrovimab from GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology, and it’s in short supply.

Use of the newly ineffective treatments produced by Regeneron 
Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly and Co. is highest in a dozen states. They
 include several Southern states with some of the nation’s lowest 
vaccination rates, but also California, which ranks in the nation’s top 
20 for fully vaccinated residents, a KHN analysis of federal data shows.
 Many hospitals and clinics are still infusing the costly treatments — 
often charging hundreds of dollars a session — that public health 
officials now say are almost certainly useless.

That’s because of the near-total dominance of omicron, which accounted for <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#nowcasting">99.5% of new covid infections</a> in the U.S. during the week that ended Jan. 15, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That point was underscored this week by updated <a href="https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/therapies/statement-on-therapies-for-high-risk-nonhospitalized-patients/?utm_campaign=highlights">guidelines</a> from the National Institutes of Health that now recommend sotrovimab as the primary monoclonal treatment for the disease.

Unless providers are certain they are still treating patients 
infected with the delta variant, they shouldn’t use the others, said Dr.
 Mark McClellan, director of the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy,
 who is also a former commissioner of the FDA and former administrator 
of CMS. And the delta variant is <a href="https://tracker.rosalind.bio/dashboard?number-of-days=30&amp;graph-display=count">increasingly rare</a>, accounting for 3% of cases in Louisiana, 7% in California, and 10% in Ohio, as examples.

“There’s not a medical justification based on the evidence on the Regeneron and Lilly products,” McClellan said.

Determining which patients are infected with the delta vs. omicron 
variant is complicated, said Dr. Christian Ramers, chief of population 
health and an infectious disease specialist at Family Health Centers of 
San Diego.

His clinic is one of the few sites in the nation using laboratory 
screening of positive PCR covid tests that can tell whether patients are
 infected with delta vs. omicron — and then treating them accordingly. 
“Otherwise, you’re giving this false sense of security to a patient that
 they’re getting treatment,” Ramers said. “I don’t think it is ethical, 
and it goes against the principle of doing no harm.”

Overall, U.S. hospitals used about 72,000 doses of the Regeneron and 
Lilly monoclonal antibody therapies from Jan. 5 through Jan. 18, 
according to the <a href="https://healthdata.gov/Hospital/COVID-19-Reported-Patient-Impact-and-Hospital-Capa/g62h-syeh">latest figures</a>
 from the Department of Health and Human Services. Data regarding 
hospital-level use of sotrovimab, which became available more recently 
than the other products, is not yet available on the HHS site.

By comparison, hospitals used about 153,000 courses of the Regeneron 
and Lilly treatments from Dec. 22 through Jan. 4. They used about 
169,000 courses from Aug. 26 through Sept. 8, near the height of the 
delta surge.

On Jan. 19, hospitals still had about 295,000 doses of the Regeneron and Lilly treatments on hand.

Nationwide, the federal government is distributing <a href="https://www.phe.gov/emergency/events/COVID19/therapeutics/distribution/Pages/data-tables.aspx">more than 50,000 courses</a>
 of sotrovimab per week, though it remains in short supply. The Biden 
administration has agreed to buy about 1 million doses, including about 
600,000 promised by March, <a href="https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/media/press-releases/gsk-and-vir-biotechnology-announce-united-states-government-agreement-to-purchase-additional-supply-of-sotrovimab/">GSK officials said.</a>

Respectively, Michigan, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Louisiana, 
California, Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Ohio, New York, and Mississippi 
used the most courses of the Regeneron and Lilly treatments from Jan. 5 
through Jan. 18, KHN’s analysis showed.

In Florida, which used more than 5,200 courses of the outdated 
treatments during that two-week period, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has
 said he is not convinced that the Regeneron and Lilly products don’t 
work against omicron. In Florida, omicron accounted for <a href="https://tracker.rosalind.bio/dashboard?number-of-days=30&amp;graph-display=count">97% of cases</a> as of Jan. 20; delta accounted for 3%.

“We have had practitioners give both of those to people with omicron 
who said the symptoms got resolved,” he said in a Jan. 5 speech provided
 by his spokesperson, Christina Pushaw.

Federal health officials managing allocation of the monoclonal 
antibody therapies paused shipments of the Regeneron and Lilly 
treatments on Dec. 23, after laboratory tests showed they were less 
effective against the surging omicron variant than the delta variant. 
But the Biden administration <a href="https://www.phe.gov/emergency/events/COVID19/investigation-MCM/Bamlanivimab-etesevimab/Pages/bamlanivimab-etesevimab-regen-cov-ordering-update.aspx">resumed shipments on Dec. 31</a>,
 after complaints from DeSantis and some doctors that those therapies 
could still help people in places where the delta variant persisted.

Regeneron itself has said its antibody treatments are ineffective 
against the omicron variant. It contains more than 30 mutations in the 
virus’s spike protein, which makes the variant better at dodging the 
monoclonal antibody treatments.

“It’s really not justified at this point unless there’s some other 
underlying secondary gain, political pressure, or perhaps the providers 
are truly not in touch with the reality of the variant proportions,” 
Ramers said.

Earlier this month, HHS officials indicated that shipments of the 
three monoclonal antibody treatments would continue through Jan. 31, 
despite the growing proportion of omicron cases. A department 
spokesperson on background said the agency would continue to assess “any
 impacts to covid-19’s therapeutic allocations.”

Monoclonal antibody treatments are lab-based molecules that mimic the
 body’s immune response to infection. They are most often given through 
IV infusion, though some can be delivered with an injection. The federal
 government has agreed to purchase millions of doses of the Regeneron 
and Lilly products at a cost of about $2,100 per dose. The medicines are
 free to consumers, though hospitals and clinics do charge fees for 
administering the drugs and monitoring patients during the process.

Other treatments expected to be effective against omicron in 
high-risk, non-hospitalized patients include AstraZeneca’s Evusheld, a 
long-acting injectable monoclonal antibody for immunocompromised people,
 and a three-day infusion of Gilead Sciences’ remdesivir, which is 
approved by the FDA. New oral antiviral pills also are expected to be 
effective, although they, too, remain in short supply.

Providers in several states that have continued to use the Regeneron 
and Lilly products have offered varied reasons. Some said they believed 
delta infections continued to circulate locally; others said they felt 
desperate to try something.

Officials in Michigan, which used more than 5,800 doses of the 
Regeneron and Lilly products during the most recent two weeks, and 
California, which used more than 3,400, have allowed health care 
providers to use their clinical judgment about which treatment to 
prescribe.

But in Mississippi, where omicron is rampant and fewer than half of 
residents have been fully vaccinated, state health officer Dr. Thomas 
Dobbs called for an end to the use of the treatments.

“We will be recommending that clinicians and physicians do not use 
these products right now based on the distribution of omicron vs. 
delta,” he said during a recent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO0N6_y9FTM">press conference.</a>

At Ramers’ clinic in San Diego, care providers have been dispensing 
scarce doses of the monoclonal antibody treatments only when they’re 
confident they’ll help. That has meant sending batches of positive PCR 
tests to a laboratory in nearby Irvine, where they are screened to see 
whether one of three target genes is not detected, a known marker for an
 omicron infection.

Patients infected with the delta variant were able to be treated with
 REGEN-COV, the Regeneron product, preserving sotrovimab for the growing
 number of omicron cases, said Pauline Lucatero, the clinic’s director 
of nursing.

“Looking into my patients’ eyes and seeing fear, just fear, all I 
could tell them is we believe this treatment works and we’re going to do
 everything we can to save as many people as we can,” she said.

Phillip Reese, an assistant professor of journalism at California State University-Sacramento, contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642796023376.png" alt="Dr. Christian Ramers is an infectious disease specialist at Family Health Centers of San Diego, one of the few sites in the nation using lab screening that can tell whether patients are infected with the delta or omicron variant, then treating them accordingly. “Otherwise, you’re giving this false sense of security to a patient that they’re getting treatment,” Ramers says. (Family Health Centers of San Diego)" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Christian Ramers is an infectious disease specialist at Family Health Centers of San Diego, one of the few sites in the nation using lab screening that can tell whether patients are infected with the delta or omicron variant, then treating them accordingly. “Otherwise, you’re giving this false sense of security to a patient that they’re getting treatment,” Ramers says. (Family Health Centers of San Diego)</figcaption>
 </figure>By JONEL ALECCIA <a href="https://khn.org/news/article/states-use-monoclonal-antibody-covid-treatment-ineffective-against-omicron/">Kaiser Health News</a>As the omicron variant completes its sweep across the U.S., states with 
scarce supplies of monoclonal antibody therapies continue to use two 
treatments that federal health officials warn no longer work against the
 highly contagious version of the virus that causes covid-19. The 
antibody treatment now <a href="https://opendata.ncats.nih.gov/variant/activity">most recommended</a> is sotrovimab from GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology, and it’s in short supply.Use of the newly ineffective treatments produced by Regeneron 
Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly and Co. is highest in a dozen states. They
 include several Southern states with some of the nation’s lowest 
vaccination rates, but also California, which ranks in the nation’s top 
20 for fully vaccinated residents, a KHN analysis of federal data shows.
 Many hospitals and clinics are still infusing the costly treatments — 
often charging hundreds of dollars a session — that public health 
officials now say are almost certainly useless.That’s because of the near-total dominance of omicron, which accounted for <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#nowcasting">99.5% of new covid infections</a> in the U.S. during the week that ended Jan. 15, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.That point was underscored this week by updated <a href="https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/therapies/statement-on-therapies-for-high-risk-nonhospitalized-patients/?utm_campaign=highlights">guidelines</a> from the National Institutes of Health that now recommend sotrovimab as the primary monoclonal treatment for the disease.Unless providers are certain they are still treating patients 
infected with the delta variant, they shouldn’t use the others, said Dr.
 Mark McClellan, director of the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy,
 who is also a former commissioner of the FDA and former administrator 
of CMS. And the delta variant is <a href="https://tracker.rosalind.bio/dashboard?number-of-days=30&amp;graph-display=count">increasingly rare</a>, accounting for 3% of cases in Louisiana, 7% in California, and 10% in Ohio, as examples.“There’s not a medical justification based on the evidence on the Regeneron and Lilly products,” McClellan said.Determining which patients are infected with the delta vs. omicron 
variant is complicated, said Dr. Christian Ramers, chief of population 
health and an infectious disease specialist at Family Health Centers of 
San Diego.His clinic is one of the few sites in the nation using laboratory 
screening of positive PCR covid tests that can tell whether patients are
 infected with delta vs. omicron — and then treating them accordingly. 
“Otherwise, you’re giving this false sense of security to a patient that
 they’re getting treatment,” Ramers said. “I don’t think it is ethical, 
and it goes against the principle of doing no harm.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642796149905.png" alt="At Dr. Christian Ramers’ clinic in San Diego, care providers have been dispensing scarce doses of the monoclonal antibody treatments only when they’re confident they’ll help. Prescribing monoclonals that aren’t effective against the omicron variant “goes against the principle of doing no harm,” Ramers says. (Family Health Centers of San Diego)" />
 <figcaption>At Dr. Christian Ramers’ clinic in San Diego, care providers have been dispensing scarce doses of the monoclonal antibody treatments only when they’re confident they’ll help. Prescribing monoclonals that aren’t effective against the omicron variant “goes against the principle of doing no harm,” Ramers says. (Family Health Centers of San Diego)</figcaption>
 </figure>Overall, U.S. hospitals used about 72,000 doses of the Regeneron and 
Lilly monoclonal antibody therapies from Jan. 5 through Jan. 18, 
according to the <a href="https://healthdata.gov/Hospital/COVID-19-Reported-Patient-Impact-and-Hospital-Capa/g62h-syeh">latest figures</a>
 from the Department of Health and Human Services. Data regarding 
hospital-level use of sotrovimab, which became available more recently 
than the other products, is not yet available on the HHS site.By comparison, hospitals used about 153,000 courses of the Regeneron 
and Lilly treatments from Dec. 22 through Jan. 4. They used about 
169,000 courses from Aug. 26 through Sept. 8, near the height of the 
delta surge.On Jan. 19, hospitals still had about 295,000 doses of the Regeneron and Lilly treatments on hand.Nationwide, the federal government is distributing <a href="https://www.phe.gov/emergency/events/COVID19/therapeutics/distribution/Pages/data-tables.aspx">more than 50,000 courses</a>
 of sotrovimab per week, though it remains in short supply. The Biden 
administration has agreed to buy about 1 million doses, including about 
600,000 promised by March, <a href="https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/media/press-releases/gsk-and-vir-biotechnology-announce-united-states-government-agreement-to-purchase-additional-supply-of-sotrovimab/">GSK officials said.</a>Respectively, Michigan, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Louisiana, 
California, Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Ohio, New York, and Mississippi 
used the most courses of the Regeneron and Lilly treatments from Jan. 5 
through Jan. 18, KHN’s analysis showed.In Florida, which used more than 5,200 courses of the outdated 
treatments during that two-week period, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has
 said he is not convinced that the Regeneron and Lilly products don’t 
work against omicron. In Florida, omicron accounted for <a href="https://tracker.rosalind.bio/dashboard?number-of-days=30&amp;graph-display=count">97% of cases</a> as of Jan. 20; delta accounted for 3%.“We have had practitioners give both of those to people with omicron 
who said the symptoms got resolved,” he said in a Jan. 5 speech provided
 by his spokesperson, Christina Pushaw.Federal health officials managing allocation of the monoclonal 
antibody therapies paused shipments of the Regeneron and Lilly 
treatments on Dec. 23, after laboratory tests showed they were less 
effective against the surging omicron variant than the delta variant. 
But the Biden administration <a href="https://www.phe.gov/emergency/events/COVID19/investigation-MCM/Bamlanivimab-etesevimab/Pages/bamlanivimab-etesevimab-regen-cov-ordering-update.aspx">resumed shipments on Dec. 31</a>,
 after complaints from DeSantis and some doctors that those therapies 
could still help people in places where the delta variant persisted.Regeneron itself has said its antibody treatments are ineffective 
against the omicron variant. It contains more than 30 mutations in the 
virus’s spike protein, which makes the variant better at dodging the 
monoclonal antibody treatments.“It’s really not justified at this point unless there’s some other 
underlying secondary gain, political pressure, or perhaps the providers 
are truly not in touch with the reality of the variant proportions,” 
Ramers said.Earlier this month, HHS officials indicated that shipments of the 
three monoclonal antibody treatments would continue through Jan. 31, 
despite the growing proportion of omicron cases. A department 
spokesperson on background said the agency would continue to assess “any
 impacts to covid-19’s therapeutic allocations.”Monoclonal antibody treatments are lab-based molecules that mimic the
 body’s immune response to infection. They are most often given through 
IV infusion, though some can be delivered with an injection. The federal
 government has agreed to purchase millions of doses of the Regeneron 
and Lilly products at a cost of about $2,100 per dose. The medicines are
 free to consumers, though hospitals and clinics do charge fees for 
administering the drugs and monitoring patients during the process.Other treatments expected to be effective against omicron in 
high-risk, non-hospitalized patients include AstraZeneca’s Evusheld, a 
long-acting injectable monoclonal antibody for immunocompromised people,
 and a three-day infusion of Gilead Sciences’ remdesivir, which is 
approved by the FDA. New oral antiviral pills also are expected to be 
effective, although they, too, remain in short supply.Providers in several states that have continued to use the Regeneron 
and Lilly products have offered varied reasons. Some said they believed 
delta infections continued to circulate locally; others said they felt 
desperate to try something.Officials in Michigan, which used more than 5,800 doses of the 
Regeneron and Lilly products during the most recent two weeks, and 
California, which used more than 3,400, have allowed health care 
providers to use their clinical judgment about which treatment to 
prescribe.But in Mississippi, where omicron is rampant and fewer than half of 
residents have been fully vaccinated, state health officer Dr. Thomas 
Dobbs called for an end to the use of the treatments.“We will be recommending that clinicians and physicians do not use 
these products right now based on the distribution of omicron vs. 
delta,” he said during a recent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO0N6_y9FTM">press conference.</a>At Ramers’ clinic in San Diego, care providers have been dispensing 
scarce doses of the monoclonal antibody treatments only when they’re 
confident they’ll help. That has meant sending batches of positive PCR 
tests to a laboratory in nearby Irvine, where they are screened to see 
whether one of three target genes is not detected, a known marker for an
 omicron infection.Patients infected with the delta variant were able to be treated with
 REGEN-COV, the Regeneron product, preserving sotrovimab for the growing
 number of omicron cases, said Pauline Lucatero, the clinic’s director 
of nursing.“Looking into my patients’ eyes and seeing fear, just fear, all I 
could tell them is we believe this treatment works and we’re going to do
 everything we can to save as many people as we can,” she said.Phillip Reese, an assistant professor of journalism at California State University-Sacramento, contributed to this report.

Patient, beware: States still pushing ineffective COVID antibody treatments

TOPEKA&nbsp;– On Friday, Governor Laura Kelly signed&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjAxMjEuNTIxNzQzMDEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOi8vd3d3LmtzbGVnaXNsYXR1cmUub3JnL2xpL2IyMDIxXzIyL21lYXN1cmVzL2hiMjQ3Ny8ifQ.vtF3sxjEqfjWcBK_Gpol-AtRSFpBST_cc0jX36ai2ys/s/1303160919/br/125462136256-l" target="_blank">House Bill&nbsp;2477</a>,&nbsp;which extends provisions in&nbsp;Executive Orders&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjAxMjEuNTIxNzQzMDEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2dvdmVybm9yLmthbnNhcy5nb3Yvd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjIvMDEvRU8tMjItMDEtTWVkaWNhbC1TZXJ2aWNlcy1FeGVjdXRlZC5wZGYifQ.2GiyxJxn3HHB0g4ttvh63pBQqnwg5RoJioZlTwiJhFE/s/1303160919/br/125462136256-l" target="_blank">22-01</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDMsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjAxMjEuNTIxNzQzMDEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2dvdmVybm9yLmthbnNhcy5nb3Yvd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjIvMDEvRU8tMjItMDItTnVyc2luZy1Ib21lcy1FeGVjdXRlZC5wZGYifQ.ggndI8JhB5zF4wIWvMSfvi1obznber4KOLNP2wWqinA/s/1303160919/br/125462136256-l" target="_blank">22-02</a>&nbsp;until January&nbsp;20,&nbsp;2023.&nbsp;HB 2477&nbsp;allows staffing flexibility at health care&nbsp;and long-term care&nbsp;facilities throughout the state&nbsp;to address staffing shortages&nbsp;that&nbsp;continue to&nbsp;strain the health care system.&nbsp;

“This&nbsp;legislation&nbsp;will mitigate the shortage of health care providers while we deal with the Omicron surge,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“I&nbsp;want&nbsp;to thank the&nbsp;Legislature for&nbsp;their&nbsp;bipartisan support and&nbsp;swift action to get this bill to my desk.&nbsp;Our front-line health care workers have been overwhelmed by the highly contagious Omicron variant,&nbsp;and they need our support now.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

“This legislation&nbsp;will not alleviate all the problems hospitals are facing. Ultimately, what will alleviate the strain on our front-line medical workers is getting yourself and your children vaccinated and boosted.&nbsp;Vaccines are safe, they’re free and effective, and they are the easiest way to protect yourself and your loved ones,”&nbsp;Governor Kelly said.&nbsp;

TOPEKA — On Friday afternoon, Governor Laura Kelly will deliver brief remarks and take action on House Bill 2477.&nbsp; This bill enacts into law two Executive Orders that provide staffing flexibility to address staffing shortages in health care and long term care facilities due to the surge in COVID-19 cases.

Kelly originally issued the two executive orders January 6.&nbsp; One allows hospital staff to perform a broader range of duties. The other makes licensing of nursing home workers more flexible so homes can hire people whose licenses have lapsed and fill less-skilled jobs with workers who have relatively little or no previous training.

The declaration also suspended rules and regulations if “strict compliance” would hinder efforts to address their problems.

“We’re creating flexibility to allow routine care to be provided by alternative staff so that the more complex and serious cases can be handled by clinical staff,” Kelly said during Jan. 6, Statehouse news conference.

The state’s emergency management laws limited the declaration to 15 days and were set to expire. Lawmakers voted to extended it.&nbsp;The Senate approved the bill 36-2, and the House approved minor changes in the the Senate version 96-4, sending the bill to Gov. Kelly. Kelly said she wants to keep it in place through March.&nbsp;

- The Associated Press contributed to this report

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642794998138.png" alt="photo courtesy office of Governor Laura Kelly" />
 <figcaption>photo courtesy office of Governor Laura Kelly</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp;– On Friday, Governor Laura Kelly signed&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjAxMjEuNTIxNzQzMDEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOi8vd3d3LmtzbGVnaXNsYXR1cmUub3JnL2xpL2IyMDIxXzIyL21lYXN1cmVzL2hiMjQ3Ny8ifQ.vtF3sxjEqfjWcBK_Gpol-AtRSFpBST_cc0jX36ai2ys/s/1303160919/br/125462136256-l" target="_blank">House Bill&nbsp;2477</a>,&nbsp;which extends provisions in&nbsp;Executive Orders&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjAxMjEuNTIxNzQzMDEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2dvdmVybm9yLmthbnNhcy5nb3Yvd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjIvMDEvRU8tMjItMDEtTWVkaWNhbC1TZXJ2aWNlcy1FeGVjdXRlZC5wZGYifQ.2GiyxJxn3HHB0g4ttvh63pBQqnwg5RoJioZlTwiJhFE/s/1303160919/br/125462136256-l" target="_blank">22-01</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDMsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjAxMjEuNTIxNzQzMDEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2dvdmVybm9yLmthbnNhcy5nb3Yvd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjIvMDEvRU8tMjItMDItTnVyc2luZy1Ib21lcy1FeGVjdXRlZC5wZGYifQ.ggndI8JhB5zF4wIWvMSfvi1obznber4KOLNP2wWqinA/s/1303160919/br/125462136256-l" target="_blank">22-02</a>&nbsp;until January&nbsp;20,&nbsp;2023.&nbsp;HB 2477&nbsp;allows staffing flexibility at health care&nbsp;and long-term care&nbsp;facilities throughout the state&nbsp;to address staffing shortages&nbsp;that&nbsp;continue to&nbsp;strain the health care system.&nbsp;“This&nbsp;legislation&nbsp;will mitigate the shortage of health care providers while we deal with the Omicron surge,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“I&nbsp;want&nbsp;to thank the&nbsp;Legislature for&nbsp;their&nbsp;bipartisan support and&nbsp;swift action to get this bill to my desk.&nbsp;Our front-line health care workers have been overwhelmed by the highly contagious Omicron variant,&nbsp;and they need our support now.”&nbsp;&nbsp;“This legislation&nbsp;will not alleviate all the problems hospitals are facing. Ultimately, what will alleviate the strain on our front-line medical workers is getting yourself and your children vaccinated and boosted.&nbsp;Vaccines are safe, they’re free and effective, and they are the easiest way to protect yourself and your loved ones,”&nbsp;Governor Kelly said.&nbsp;----------TOPEKA — On Friday afternoon, Governor Laura Kelly will deliver brief remarks and take action on House Bill 2477.&nbsp; This bill enacts into law two Executive Orders that provide staffing flexibility to address staffing shortages in health care and long term care facilities due to the surge in COVID-19 cases.Kelly originally issued the two executive orders January 6.&nbsp; One allows hospital staff to perform a broader range of duties. The other makes licensing of nursing home workers more flexible so homes can hire people whose licenses have lapsed and fill less-skilled jobs with workers who have relatively little or no previous training.The declaration also suspended rules and regulations if “strict compliance” would hinder efforts to address their problems.“We’re creating flexibility to allow routine care to be provided by alternative staff so that the more complex and serious cases can be handled by clinical staff,” Kelly said during Jan. 6, Statehouse news conference.The state’s emergency management laws limited the declaration to 15 days and were set to expire. Lawmakers voted to extended it.&nbsp;The Senate approved the bill 36-2, and the House approved minor changes in the the Senate version 96-4, sending the bill to Gov. Kelly. Kelly said she wants to keep it in place through March.&nbsp;- The Associated Press contributed to this report

Gov. signs bill to provide relief for Kansas health care workers

By SUZANNE PEREZ <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/2022-01-18/new-wichita-school-board-members-mask-up-but-want-district-to-reconsider-covid-protocols">Kansas News Service</a>

WICHITA&nbsp;— Three Wichita school board members who <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/2022-01-11/im-not-sick-debate-over-mask-mandates-resurfaces-at-wichita-board-of-education-meeting" target="_blank">refused to wear face masks at a meeting last week</a>
 wore masks to a rescheduled meeting Tuesday but said they want the 
district to reconsider its mask mandate and other COVID-19 protocols.

Diane Albert, one of three conservative board members <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/2021-11-02/three-of-four-conservative-challengers-win-seats-on-wichita-school-board" target="_blank">elected in November</a>, said she wore a mask Tuesday because she was told she would not be allowed to participate otherwise.

She said her stance isn’t political, but that wearing a mask causes her health problems.

“I have a headache. I have a hard time breathing with it on. I have difficulty concentrating,” Albert said after the meeting.

“For some of us, it has an adverse reaction to our health. And we’re 
here to talk about health and safety, so how come my health and safety 
is not being taken into consideration by being forced to wear a mask 
when I’m 20 feet from the person next to me?”

Albert requested that the board review its COVID-19 protocols, including the mask mandate, at its next meeting in February.

Two
 other new board members, Kathy Bond and Hazel Stabler, asked whether 
schools have biohazard disposal receptacles for used masks. Bond 
suggested that students be required to throw their masks away before 
lunch and get new ones after lunch.

Stan Reeser, who was 
re-elected as board president Tuesday, said he’s willing to review the 
district’s COVID policies, but a recent surge in cases makes masks 
necessary.

Three Wichita elementary schools were closed Tuesday 
because of COVID-related staffing shortages. More than 300 staff members
 and more than 1,100 Wichita students <a href="https://www.usd259.org/covidreport" target="_blank">tested positive for COVID last week</a>, and nearly one in 10 students was in quarantine as of Friday.

“We
 may have to end up having a special meeting to discuss what COVID is 
doing to our schools even before February,” Reeser said. “So stay close 
to your phone.”

Board member Ernestine Krehbiel attended Tuesday’s
 meeting by teleconference because she had tested positive for COVID, 
she said.

Several members of the public criticized the new board members for not following the district’s mask mandate last week.

Susan
 Osborn, a retired professor, said she was “appalled” by the new board 
members’ actions and inspired to speak out in favor of the mandate.

“If
 you disagree with the current policy, why not work to change it rather 
than demonstrate that you are above the law and not concerned about 
spreading the virus to others?” Osborn said.

Two Wichita students 
voiced support for the mask policy, including 15-year-old Pandora 
Freeman, a freshman at Wichita East High School.

“I am simply 
telling you that your actions are hypocritical. You can’t expect 
students to follow rules if you constantly break them,” she said. “If 
you want change, use the rules to make change. You are not above them.”

Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642701997695.png" alt="Wichita school board member Kathy Bond, left, greets Superintendent Alicia Thompson before a board meeting Tuesday. Bond and two other board members who derailed a meeting last week by not wearing face masks complied with the district's mandate at the rescheduled meeting. Suzanne Perez / KMUW" />
 <figcaption>Wichita school board member Kathy Bond, left, greets Superintendent Alicia Thompson before a board meeting Tuesday. Bond and two other board members who derailed a meeting last week by not wearing face masks complied with the district's mandate at the rescheduled meeting. Suzanne Perez / KMUW</figcaption>
 </figure>By SUZANNE PEREZ <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/2022-01-18/new-wichita-school-board-members-mask-up-but-want-district-to-reconsider-covid-protocols">Kansas News Service</a>WICHITA&nbsp;— Three Wichita school board members who <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/2022-01-11/im-not-sick-debate-over-mask-mandates-resurfaces-at-wichita-board-of-education-meeting" target="_blank">refused to wear face masks at a meeting last week</a>
 wore masks to a rescheduled meeting Tuesday but said they want the 
district to reconsider its mask mandate and other COVID-19 protocols.Diane Albert, one of three conservative board members <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/2021-11-02/three-of-four-conservative-challengers-win-seats-on-wichita-school-board" target="_blank">elected in November</a>, said she wore a mask Tuesday because she was told she would not be allowed to participate otherwise.She said her stance isn’t political, but that wearing a mask causes her health problems.“I have a headache. I have a hard time breathing with it on. I have difficulty concentrating,” Albert said after the meeting.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642702056624.png" alt="Diane Albert, Wichita Board of Education" />
 <figcaption>Diane Albert, Wichita Board of Education</figcaption>
 </figure>“For some of us, it has an adverse reaction to our health. And we’re 
here to talk about health and safety, so how come my health and safety 
is not being taken into consideration by being forced to wear a mask 
when I’m 20 feet from the person next to me?”Albert requested that the board review its COVID-19 protocols, including the mask mandate, at its next meeting in February.Two
 other new board members, Kathy Bond and Hazel Stabler, asked whether 
schools have biohazard disposal receptacles for used masks. Bond 
suggested that students be required to throw their masks away before 
lunch and get new ones after lunch.Stan Reeser, who was 
re-elected as board president Tuesday, said he’s willing to review the 
district’s COVID policies, but a recent surge in cases makes masks 
necessary.Three Wichita elementary schools were closed Tuesday 
because of COVID-related staffing shortages. More than 300 staff members
 and more than 1,100 Wichita students <a href="https://www.usd259.org/covidreport" target="_blank">tested positive for COVID last week</a>, and nearly one in 10 students was in quarantine as of Friday.“We
 may have to end up having a special meeting to discuss what COVID is 
doing to our schools even before February,” Reeser said. “So stay close 
to your phone.”Board member Ernestine Krehbiel attended Tuesday’s
 meeting by teleconference because she had tested positive for COVID, 
she said.Several members of the public criticized the new board members for not following the district’s mask mandate last week.Susan
 Osborn, a retired professor, said she was “appalled” by the new board 
members’ actions and inspired to speak out in favor of the mandate.“If
 you disagree with the current policy, why not work to change it rather 
than demonstrate that you are above the law and not concerned about 
spreading the virus to others?” Osborn said.Two Wichita students 
voiced support for the mask policy, including 15-year-old Pandora 
Freeman, a freshman at Wichita East High School.“I am simply 
telling you that your actions are hypocritical. You can’t expect 
students to follow rules if you constantly break them,” she said. “If 
you want change, use the rules to make change. You are not above them.”Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.

New Wichita school board members want COVID protocols reconsidered

TOPEKA — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases* (see below) in Kansas increased by 20,806 to a total of 681,405 the state health department reported Friday afternoon.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The state reported 29 additional COVID-19 deaths for a total of 7,319.

<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a> about the COVID-19 vaccine.

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

As of August 1, 2021, in accordance with an&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">updated CDC/CSTE surveillance case definition</a>, a confirmed case is defined as a person who tested positive by molecular detection (e.g., PCR, NAA) or identification of SARS-CoV-2 through genetic sequencing. A probable case is defined as a person with: a) presumptive lab evidence (antigen) or b) no lab testing but meeting clinical case criteria and is epi-linked. A person will be counted as a new surveillance case (e.g. reinfection) if they test positive for SARS-CoV-2 by a diagnostic test (i.e., molecular, antigen) and it has been greater than 90 days since the previous positive diagnostic test. In addition, a person with sequencing results identifying different SARS-CoV-2 lineages regardless of the time since the previous specimen sequenced will be counted as a new surveillance case.&nbsp;

Cases occurring between&nbsp;September 1, 2020&nbsp;and July 29, 2021 were classified by&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">previous CDC/CSTE case definition,&nbsp;</a>and cases prior to September 1, 2020 were classified by the&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/case-definitions/coronavirus-disease-2019-2020/" target="_blank">original case definition</a>.

TOPEKA — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases* (see below) in Kansas increased by 20,806 to a total of 681,405 the state health department reported Friday afternoon.&nbsp;&nbsp;The state reported 29 additional COVID-19 deaths for a total of 7,319.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642788100423.png" alt="Friday January 21, 2022 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Friday January 21, 2022 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a> about the COVID-19 vaccine.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.As of August 1, 2021, in accordance with an&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">updated CDC/CSTE surveillance case definition</a>, a confirmed case is defined as a person who tested positive by molecular detection (e.g., PCR, NAA) or identification of SARS-CoV-2 through genetic sequencing. A probable case is defined as a person with: a) presumptive lab evidence (antigen) or b) no lab testing but meeting clinical case criteria and is epi-linked. A person will be counted as a new surveillance case (e.g. reinfection) if they test positive for SARS-CoV-2 by a diagnostic test (i.e., molecular, antigen) and it has been greater than 90 days since the previous positive diagnostic test. In addition, a person with sequencing results identifying different SARS-CoV-2 lineages regardless of the time since the previous specimen sequenced will be counted as a new surveillance case.&nbsp;Cases occurring between&nbsp;September 1, 2020&nbsp;and July 29, 2021 were classified by&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">previous CDC/CSTE case definition,&nbsp;</a>and cases prior to September 1, 2020 were classified by the&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/case-definitions/coronavirus-disease-2019-2020/" target="_blank">original case definition</a>.

KDHE: 20,800 new cases, 29 more COVID-19 deaths

JACKSON COUNTY— An &nbsp;18-year-old Kansas City-area man has been charged in connection with the Jan. 13, 2022 fatal shooting of Timothy Phillips in Independence, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

Brayden A. Stone on Independence faces Murder 2nd Degree, Unlawful Use of a Weapon and two counts of Armed Criminal Action charges.

On Jan. 13,&nbsp; police were dispatched to the area of N. Leslie Avenue in Independence where they found 39-year-old Timothy Phillips had been shot multiple times. 

A witness told police she was standing and talking to the victim, who was sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle, when another vehicle pulled up and a man got and out and confronted the victim. 

The suspect shot the victim several times. Police interviewed Stone who told them he shot the Phillips. He also said he fled to Higginsville and threw the gun out the window along the highway.&nbsp;

Stone was initially charged with Assault 1st Degree, but charges were upgraded to Murder 2nd Degree after Phillips died from his injuries.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642709389681.png" alt="Stone-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Stone-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY— An &nbsp;18-year-old Kansas City-area man has been charged in connection with the Jan. 13, 2022 fatal shooting of Timothy Phillips in Independence, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.Brayden A. Stone on Independence faces Murder 2nd Degree, Unlawful Use of a Weapon and two counts of Armed Criminal Action charges.On Jan. 13,&nbsp; police were dispatched to the area of N. Leslie Avenue in Independence where they found 39-year-old Timothy Phillips had been shot multiple times. A witness told police she was standing and talking to the victim, who was sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle, when another vehicle pulled up and a man got and out and confronted the victim. The suspect shot the victim several times. Police interviewed Stone who told them he shot the Phillips. He also said he fled to Higginsville and threw the gun out the window along the highway.&nbsp;Stone was initially charged with Assault 1st Degree, but charges were upgraded to Murder 2nd Degree after Phillips died from his injuries.

18-year-old charged in Kansas City-area killing

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly announced additional efforts the State is taking to combat COVID-19. Governor Kelly deployed 80 nonmedical Soldiers and Airmen from the Kansas National Guard to support the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s (KDHE) testing sites across the state and assist with the shipment and delivery of personal protective equipment (PPE), according to a media release from her office.

Additionally, Governor Kelly engaged the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to provide limited acute care and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds for temporary medical treatment of non-eligible VA individuals to help reduce the strain on Kansas hospitals.

“We are at an inflection point with the Omicron variant, and the strain on our hospitals is taking a toll on our health care workers and patients – all while the virus continues to spread rapidly through our communities,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“The majority of hospital patients are unvaccinated. Please do your part by getting vaccinated and boosted today.”

Military medical professionals in the Kansas Guard, already filling positions at medical facilities in their communities, will stay in their respective communities. The nonmedical Soldiers and Airmen will be on federal orders for 31 days to assist the additional efforts.&nbsp;

The Veterans Health Administration facilities are limited and available based on bed availability at time of need and on a case-by-case basis until February 17, 2022.

“The National Guard is a unique military component with both a state and federal mission," Maj. Gen. David Weishaar, the adjutant general and director of the Kansas Division of Emergency Management, said.&nbsp;"Our Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen live and work in the communities we serve.”

"We are seeing a record number of COVID-19 cases across the state, causing staffing shortages and hospitals to reach capacity. This partnership with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, to accept transfers from Kansas facilities, will help alleviate the stress on our hospitals,"&nbsp;Acting KDHE Secretary Janet Stanek said.&nbsp;"It will allow for more timely discharges, increase bed capacity, and allow staff to accept and treat the next acute patient. Also, with the increased demand for COVID-19 tests, the support from the Kansas National Guard will help provide the manpower to ensure that free and timely testing is available to Kansans."

Since Wednesday, January 19, 2022, Kansas reported 20,806 new cases of COVID-19, 29 new deaths, and 92 new hospitalizations.

The Kansas National Guard is one of many resources available to support counties as needed. The National Guard supports state emergency missions through the established process used by the Kansas Division of Emergency Management.

Governor Laura Kelly signed a state disaster declaration on January 6 to alleviate hospital staffing shortages along with two executive orders to temporarily suspend certain restrictions and regulations for adult care home and hospital staff.

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly announced additional efforts the State is taking to combat COVID-19. Governor Kelly deployed 80 nonmedical Soldiers and Airmen from the Kansas National Guard to support the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s (KDHE) testing sites across the state and assist with the shipment and delivery of personal protective equipment (PPE), according to a media release from her office.Additionally, Governor Kelly engaged the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to provide limited acute care and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds for temporary medical treatment of non-eligible VA individuals to help reduce the strain on Kansas hospitals.“We are at an inflection point with the Omicron variant, and the strain on our hospitals is taking a toll on our health care workers and patients – all while the virus continues to spread rapidly through our communities,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“The majority of hospital patients are unvaccinated. Please do your part by getting vaccinated and boosted today.”Military medical professionals in the Kansas Guard, already filling positions at medical facilities in their communities, will stay in their respective communities. The nonmedical Soldiers and Airmen will be on federal orders for 31 days to assist the additional efforts.&nbsp;The Veterans Health Administration facilities are limited and available based on bed availability at time of need and on a case-by-case basis until February 17, 2022.“The National Guard is a unique military component with both a state and federal mission," Maj. Gen. David Weishaar, the adjutant general and director of the Kansas Division of Emergency Management, said.&nbsp;"Our Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen live and work in the communities we serve.”"We are seeing a record number of COVID-19 cases across the state, causing staffing shortages and hospitals to reach capacity. This partnership with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, to accept transfers from Kansas facilities, will help alleviate the stress on our hospitals,"&nbsp;Acting KDHE Secretary Janet Stanek said.&nbsp;"It will allow for more timely discharges, increase bed capacity, and allow staff to accept and treat the next acute patient. Also, with the increased demand for COVID-19 tests, the support from the Kansas National Guard will help provide the manpower to ensure that free and timely testing is available to Kansans."Since Wednesday, January 19, 2022, Kansas reported 20,806 new cases of COVID-19, 29 new deaths, and 92 new hospitalizations.The Kansas National Guard is one of many resources available to support counties as needed. The National Guard supports state emergency missions through the established process used by the Kansas Division of Emergency Management.Governor Laura Kelly signed a state disaster declaration on January 6 to alleviate hospital staffing shortages along with two executive orders to temporarily suspend certain restrictions and regulations for adult care home and hospital staff.

Kan. governor deploying national guard to assist with testing, PPE shipment 

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal 2019 motorcycle accident have made an arrest.

On Wednesday, police booked 31-year-old Travis Bryson on requested charges of that include involuntary manslaughter while under the influence and operating a motor vehicle without a valid license, according to the Sedgwick County booking report.

In July of 2019 the Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Suzuki motorcycle driven by Bryson of Wichita was southbound on Interstate 135 near Kansas 15. The driver lost control of the motorcycle,&nbsp; hit the barrier wall and a passenger identified as Christopher Monk, 45, Wichita, was ejected.

Monk was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the KHP. EMS transported Bryson to an area hospital for treatment.&nbsp; Bryson was no longer in custody Thursday afternoon, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642709920334.png" alt="Bryson photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Bryson photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal 2019 motorcycle accident have made an arrest.On Wednesday, police booked 31-year-old Travis Bryson on requested charges of that include involuntary manslaughter while under the influence and operating a motor vehicle without a valid license, according to the Sedgwick County booking report.In July of 2019 the Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Suzuki motorcycle driven by Bryson of Wichita was southbound on Interstate 135 near Kansas 15. The driver lost control of the motorcycle,&nbsp; hit the barrier wall and a passenger identified as Christopher Monk, 45, Wichita, was ejected.Monk was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the KHP. EMS transported Bryson to an area hospital for treatment.&nbsp; Bryson was no longer in custody Thursday afternoon, according to online jail records.

Kansas man accused of DUI in fatal 2019 motorcycle crash

WICHITA —Amazon Air launched daily cargo service at the Wichita Eisenhower National Airport with an inaugural flight arriving shortly after 2 a.m. Thursday and flying out just after 5a.m. Friday, according to a media release from FlyWichita.com.

 This is Amazon Air’s first regional gateway in Kansas to support fast, efficient package deliveries to Amazon customers throughout the region and country.

Amazon Air flights will be operated by Silver Airways using an ATR72-500 aircraft and operate daily between Wichita and Fort Worth Alliance Airport (AFW).

The Wichita Airport Authority leased 10,691 square feet in the air cargo terminal to Trego-Dugan Aviation who is contracted to sort and load Amazon packages bound for their next destination. PrimeFlight Aviation will also lease 1,470 square feet to provide deicing services. Amazon Air’s newest regional gateway joins two investment sites already in the Wichita area, including a one million square foot fulfillment center in Park City and a 140,000 square foot delivery station in northeast Wichita.

“We are proud to welcome Amazon Air to Wichita Eisenhower Airport,” said Jesse Romo, Director of Airports, Wichita Airport Authority. “This location is uniquely positioned with convenient access to Hwy 54/400 and Interstate 235 to support Amazon’s delivers to customers in Kansas and surrounding areas.”

“This is an exciting expansion for Amazon Air that will provide greater capacity for shipping packages to our valued customers throughout the Wichita area and central Kansas,” said Chris Preston, Director of Amazon Air Gateway Operations. “We are thrilled with Amazon’s continued investment in Kansas and look forward to continued growth to meet our customer needs.”

Amazon has created more than 8,000 jobs and invested more than $4 billion in Kansas over the past decade, including infrastructure and compensation to employees. Amazon’s investments have contributed an additional $3 billion in GDP to the Kansas economy thus far.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642765556050.png" alt="Photo courtesy FlyWichita.com" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy FlyWichita.com</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA —Amazon Air launched daily cargo service at the Wichita Eisenhower National Airport with an inaugural flight arriving shortly after 2 a.m. Thursday and flying out just after 5a.m. Friday, according to a media release from FlyWichita.com. This is Amazon Air’s first regional gateway in Kansas to support fast, efficient package deliveries to Amazon customers throughout the region and country.Amazon Air flights will be operated by Silver Airways using an ATR72-500 aircraft and operate daily between Wichita and Fort Worth Alliance Airport (AFW).The Wichita Airport Authority leased 10,691 square feet in the air cargo terminal to Trego-Dugan Aviation who is contracted to sort and load Amazon packages bound for their next destination. PrimeFlight Aviation will also lease 1,470 square feet to provide deicing services. Amazon Air’s newest regional gateway joins two investment sites already in the Wichita area, including a one million square foot fulfillment center in Park City and a 140,000 square foot delivery station in northeast Wichita.“We are proud to welcome Amazon Air to Wichita Eisenhower Airport,” said Jesse Romo, Director of Airports, Wichita Airport Authority. “This location is uniquely positioned with convenient access to Hwy 54/400 and Interstate 235 to support Amazon’s delivers to customers in Kansas and surrounding areas.”“This is an exciting expansion for Amazon Air that will provide greater capacity for shipping packages to our valued customers throughout the Wichita area and central Kansas,” said Chris Preston, Director of Amazon Air Gateway Operations. “We are thrilled with Amazon’s continued investment in Kansas and look forward to continued growth to meet our customer needs.”Amazon has created more than 8,000 jobs and invested more than $4 billion in Kansas over the past decade, including infrastructure and compensation to employees. Amazon’s investments have contributed an additional $3 billion in GDP to the Kansas economy thus far.

Amazon Air begins daily cargo service in Kansas 

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the latest setback for abortion rights in Texas, the Supreme Court on Thursday refused to speed up the ongoing court case over the state’s ban on most abortions.

Over dissents from the three liberal justices, the court declined to order a federal appeals court to return the case to a federal judge who had temporarily blocked the law’s enforcement. The court offered no explanation for its action.

The Texas ban is thus likely to remain in effect for the foreseeable future, following a decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to send the case to the Texas Supreme Court, which is entirely controlled by Republican justices and does not have to act immediately.

Abortion providers had asked the high court to countermand the appellate order, which they said in court papers has no purpose other than to delay legal proceedings and prevent clinics from offering abortions beyond around six weeks of pregnancy.

The law has devastated abortion care in Texas, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote. “Instead of stopping a Fifth Circuit panel from indulging Texas’ newest delay tactics, the Court allows the State yet again to extend the deprivation of the federal constitutional rights of its citizens through procedural manipulation,” Sotomayor wrote, joined by Justices Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan. “The Court may look the other way, but I cannot.”

Chief Justice John Roberts joined the three liberals in December in a dissent that called for allowing a broader challenge to the law and a quick return to the lower federal court. Roberts did not note his position on Thursday.

Clinics fear that their challenge to the law might not be resolved before the justices rule in a Mississippi case that could roll back abortion rights across the country. That decision, which could overrule the landmark Roe v. Wade case from 1973, is expected by late June.

The Texas law that bans abortion once cardiac activity is detected — usually around six weeks, before some women know they are pregnant — has been in effect since September. Last month, the high court kept the law in place and allowed only a narrow challenge against the restrictions to proceed.

The providers thought their best chance for a favorable outcome was before U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman in Austin. Pitman issued an order in October blocking the law, though the appeals court put his ruling on hold just a couple of days later.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638369620989.png" alt="Abortion protesters outside the Supreme Court on Dec. 1, 2021-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Abortion protesters outside the Supreme Court on Dec. 1, 2021-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — In the latest setback for abortion rights in Texas, the Supreme Court on Thursday refused to speed up the ongoing court case over the state’s ban on most abortions.Over dissents from the three liberal justices, the court declined to order a federal appeals court to return the case to a federal judge who had temporarily blocked the law’s enforcement. The court offered no explanation for its action.The Texas ban is thus likely to remain in effect for the foreseeable future, following a decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to send the case to the Texas Supreme Court, which is entirely controlled by Republican justices and does not have to act immediately.Abortion providers had asked the high court to countermand the appellate order, which they said in court papers has no purpose other than to delay legal proceedings and prevent clinics from offering abortions beyond around six weeks of pregnancy.The law has devastated abortion care in Texas, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote. “Instead of stopping a Fifth Circuit panel from indulging Texas’ newest delay tactics, the Court allows the State yet again to extend the deprivation of the federal constitutional rights of its citizens through procedural manipulation,” Sotomayor wrote, joined by Justices Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan. “The Court may look the other way, but I cannot.”Chief Justice John Roberts joined the three liberals in December in a dissent that called for allowing a broader challenge to the law and a quick return to the lower federal court. Roberts did not note his position on Thursday.Clinics fear that their challenge to the law might not be resolved before the justices rule in a Mississippi case that could roll back abortion rights across the country. That decision, which could overrule the landmark Roe v. Wade case from 1973, is expected by late June.The Texas law that bans abortion once cardiac activity is detected — usually around six weeks, before some women know they are pregnant — has been in effect since September. Last month, the high court kept the law in place and allowed only a narrow challenge against the restrictions to proceed.The providers thought their best chance for a favorable outcome was before U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman in Austin. Pitman issued an order in October blocking the law, though the appeals court put his ruling on hold just a couple of days later.

Court rejects attempt to block nation's most restrictive abortion law

SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Wichita Police Department (WPD) is warning citizens of a phone scam with individuals calling and telling citizens they are being investigated by National Exploited and Missing Children’s Unit regarding Sex Trafficking or other Sex Crimes, according to Officer Charley Davidson.

 They are asking people for as much as $5000 or they will have them arrested and they will have to go to court for the charges.

Wichita Police will never call anyone to collect money for any reason, and these types of calls are scams.

If you have any questions about the legitimacy of a call, then hang up and call City Hall yourself at (316) 268-4111. This number is answered at all times, and an officer can speak to you about the legitimacy of a call.

WPD will continue to investigate scam cases, and if you have any information about those responsible for this type of activity, please call WPD Detectives at 316-268-4407 or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Wichita Police Department (WPD) is warning citizens of a phone scam with individuals calling and telling citizens they are being investigated by National Exploited and Missing Children’s Unit regarding Sex Trafficking or other Sex Crimes, according to Officer Charley Davidson. They are asking people for as much as $5000 or they will have them arrested and they will have to go to court for the charges.Wichita Police will never call anyone to collect money for any reason, and these types of calls are scams.If you have any questions about the legitimacy of a call, then hang up and call City Hall yourself at (316) 268-4111. This number is answered at all times, and an officer can speak to you about the legitimacy of a call.WPD will continue to investigate scam cases, and if you have any information about those responsible for this type of activity, please call WPD Detectives at 316-268-4407 or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.

Police investigate sex trafficking scam phone calls in Kansas

NEW YORK (AP) — Meat Loaf, the heavyweight rock superstar loved by millions for his “Bat Out of Hell” album and for such theatrical, dark-hearted anthems as “Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” and “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That),” has died. He was 74.

The singer born Marvin Lee Aday died Thursday, according to a family statement provided by his longtime agent Michael Greene.

“Our hearts are broken to announce that the incomparable Meat Loaf passed away tonight,” the statement said. “We know how much he meant to so many of you and we truly appreciate all of the love and support as we move through this time of grief in losing such an inspiring artist and beautiful man... From his heart to your souls…don’t ever stop rocking!”

No cause or other details were given, but Aday had numerous health scares over the years.

“Bat Out of a Hell,” his mega-selling collaboration with songwriter Jim Steinman and producer Todd Rundgren, came out in 1977 and made him one of the most recognizable performers in rock. Fans fell hard for the roaring vocals of the long-haired, 250-plus pound singer and for the comic non-romance of the title track, “You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth,” “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” and “Paradise By the Dashboard Light,” an operatic cautionary tale about going all the way. “Paradise” was a duet with Ellen Foley that featured play by play from New York Yankees broadcaster Phil Rizzuto, who alleged — to much skepticism — that he was unaware of any alternate meanings to reaching third base and heading for home.

After a slow start and mixed reviews, “Bat Out of a Hell” became one of the top-selling albums in history, with worldwide sales of more than 40 million copies. Meat Loaf wasn’t a consistent hit maker, especially after falling out for years with Steinman. But he maintained close ties with his fans through his manic live shows, social media and his many television, radio and film appearances, including “Fight Club” and cameos on “Glee” and “South Park.”

Friends and fans reacted to the death on social media.

“I hope paradise is as you remember it from the dashboard light, Meat Loaf,” actor Stephen Fry said on Twitter.

Meat Loaf’s biggest musical success after “Bat Out of Hell” was “Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell,” a 1993 reunion with Steinman that sold more than 15 million copies and featured the Grammy-winning single “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-new-york-city-music-celine-dion-jim-steinman-d8883fd53f04417143d59eddd06c5d07">Steinman died in April</a>.

Aday’s other albums included “Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster is Loose,” “Hell in a Handbasket” and “Braver Than We Are.”

A native of Dallas, Aday was the son of a school teacher who raised him on her own after divorcing his alcoholic father, a police officer. Aday was singing and acting in high school (Mick Jagger was an early favorite, so was Ethel Merman) and attended Lubbock Christian College and what is now the University of North Texas. Among his more notable childhood memories: Seeing John F. Kennedy arrive at Love Field in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, then learning the president had been assassinated and driving to Parkland Hospital and watching a bloodied Jackie Kennedy step out of a car.

He was still a teenager when his mother died and when he acquired the nickname Meat Loaf, the alleged origins of which range from his weight to a favorite recipe of his mother’s. He left for Los Angeles after college and was soon fronting the band Meat Loaf Soul. For years, he alternated between music and the stage, recording briefly for Motown, opening for such acts as the Who and the Grateful Dead and appearing in the Broadway production of “Hair.”

By the mid-1970s, he was playing the lobotomized biker Eddie in the theater and film versions of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” had served as an understudy for his friend John Belushi for the stage production of National Lampoon and had begun working with Steinman on “Bat Out of Hell.” The dense, pounding production was openly influenced by Wagner, Phil Spector and Bruce Springsteen, whose bandmates Roy Bittan and Max Weinberg played on the record. Rundgren initially thought of the album as a parody of Springsteen’s grandiose style.

Steinman had known Meat Loaf since the singer appeared in his 1973 musical “More Than You Deserve” and some of the songs on “Bat Out of Hell,” including “All Revved Up With No Place to Go,” were initially written for a planned stage show based on the story of Peter Pan. “Bat Out of Hell” took more than two years to find a taker as numerous record executives turned it down, including RCA’s Clive Davis, who disparaged Steinman’s songs and acknowledged that he had misjudged the singer: “The songs were coming over as very theatrical, and Meat Loaf, despite a powerful voice, just didn’t look like a star,” Davis wrote in his memoir, “The Soundtrack of My Life.”

With the help of another Springsteen sideman, Steve Van Zandt, “Bat Out of Hell” was acquired by Cleveland International, a subsidiary of Epic Records. The album made little impact until months after its release, when a concert video of the title track was aired on the British program the Old Grey Whistle Test. In the U.S., his connection to “Rocky Horror” helped when he convinced producer Lou Adler to use a video for “Paradise By the Dashboard Light” as a trailer for the cult movie. But Meat Loaf was so little known at first that he began his “Bat Out of Hell” tour in Chicago as the opening act for Cheap Trick, then one of the world’s hottest groups.

“I remember pulling up at the theater and it says, ‘TONIGHT: CHEAP TRICK, WITH MEAT LOAF.’ And I said to myself, ‘These people think we’re serving dinner,’” Meat Loaf explained in 2013 on the syndicated radio show “In the Studio.”

“And we walk out on stage and these people were such Cheap Trick fans they booed us from the start. They were getting up and giving us the finger. The first six rows stood up and screamed. ... When we finished, most of the boos had stopped and we were almost getting applause.”

He is survived by Deborah Gillespie, his wife since 2007, and by daughters Pearl and Amanda Aday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642762468813.png" alt="“Bat Out of a Hell,” his mega-selling collaboration with songwriter Jim Steinman and producer Todd Rundgren, came out in 1977&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>“Bat Out of a Hell,” his mega-selling collaboration with songwriter Jim Steinman and producer Todd Rundgren, came out in 1977&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Meat Loaf, the heavyweight rock superstar loved by millions for his “Bat Out of Hell” album and for such theatrical, dark-hearted anthems as “Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” and “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That),” has died. He was 74.The singer born Marvin Lee Aday died Thursday, according to a family statement provided by his longtime agent Michael Greene.“Our hearts are broken to announce that the incomparable Meat Loaf passed away tonight,” the statement said. “We know how much he meant to so many of you and we truly appreciate all of the love and support as we move through this time of grief in losing such an inspiring artist and beautiful man... From his heart to your souls…don’t ever stop rocking!”No cause or other details were given, but Aday had numerous health scares over the years.“Bat Out of a Hell,” his mega-selling collaboration with songwriter Jim Steinman and producer Todd Rundgren, came out in 1977 and made him one of the most recognizable performers in rock. Fans fell hard for the roaring vocals of the long-haired, 250-plus pound singer and for the comic non-romance of the title track, “You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth,” “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” and “Paradise By the Dashboard Light,” an operatic cautionary tale about going all the way. “Paradise” was a duet with Ellen Foley that featured play by play from New York Yankees broadcaster Phil Rizzuto, who alleged — to much skepticism — that he was unaware of any alternate meanings to reaching third base and heading for home.After a slow start and mixed reviews, “Bat Out of a Hell” became one of the top-selling albums in history, with worldwide sales of more than 40 million copies. Meat Loaf wasn’t a consistent hit maker, especially after falling out for years with Steinman. But he maintained close ties with his fans through his manic live shows, social media and his many television, radio and film appearances, including “Fight Club” and cameos on “Glee” and “South Park.”Friends and fans reacted to the death on social media.“I hope paradise is as you remember it from the dashboard light, Meat Loaf,” actor Stephen Fry said on Twitter.Meat Loaf’s biggest musical success after “Bat Out of Hell” was “Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell,” a 1993 reunion with Steinman that sold more than 15 million copies and featured the Grammy-winning single “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-new-york-city-music-celine-dion-jim-steinman-d8883fd53f04417143d59eddd06c5d07">Steinman died in April</a>.Aday’s other albums included “Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster is Loose,” “Hell in a Handbasket” and “Braver Than We Are.”<figure>
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 </figure>A native of Dallas, Aday was the son of a school teacher who raised him on her own after divorcing his alcoholic father, a police officer. Aday was singing and acting in high school (Mick Jagger was an early favorite, so was Ethel Merman) and attended Lubbock Christian College and what is now the University of North Texas. Among his more notable childhood memories: Seeing John F. Kennedy arrive at Love Field in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, then learning the president had been assassinated and driving to Parkland Hospital and watching a bloodied Jackie Kennedy step out of a car.He was still a teenager when his mother died and when he acquired the nickname Meat Loaf, the alleged origins of which range from his weight to a favorite recipe of his mother’s. He left for Los Angeles after college and was soon fronting the band Meat Loaf Soul. For years, he alternated between music and the stage, recording briefly for Motown, opening for such acts as the Who and the Grateful Dead and appearing in the Broadway production of “Hair.”By the mid-1970s, he was playing the lobotomized biker Eddie in the theater and film versions of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” had served as an understudy for his friend John Belushi for the stage production of National Lampoon and had begun working with Steinman on “Bat Out of Hell.” The dense, pounding production was openly influenced by Wagner, Phil Spector and Bruce Springsteen, whose bandmates Roy Bittan and Max Weinberg played on the record. Rundgren initially thought of the album as a parody of Springsteen’s grandiose style.Steinman had known Meat Loaf since the singer appeared in his 1973 musical “More Than You Deserve” and some of the songs on “Bat Out of Hell,” including “All Revved Up With No Place to Go,” were initially written for a planned stage show based on the story of Peter Pan. “Bat Out of Hell” took more than two years to find a taker as numerous record executives turned it down, including RCA’s Clive Davis, who disparaged Steinman’s songs and acknowledged that he had misjudged the singer: “The songs were coming over as very theatrical, and Meat Loaf, despite a powerful voice, just didn’t look like a star,” Davis wrote in his memoir, “The Soundtrack of My Life.”With the help of another Springsteen sideman, Steve Van Zandt, “Bat Out of Hell” was acquired by Cleveland International, a subsidiary of Epic Records. The album made little impact until months after its release, when a concert video of the title track was aired on the British program the Old Grey Whistle Test. In the U.S., his connection to “Rocky Horror” helped when he convinced producer Lou Adler to use a video for “Paradise By the Dashboard Light” as a trailer for the cult movie. But Meat Loaf was so little known at first that he began his “Bat Out of Hell” tour in Chicago as the opening act for Cheap Trick, then one of the world’s hottest groups.“I remember pulling up at the theater and it says, ‘TONIGHT: CHEAP TRICK, WITH MEAT LOAF.’ And I said to myself, ‘These people think we’re serving dinner,’” Meat Loaf explained in 2013 on the syndicated radio show “In the Studio.”“And we walk out on stage and these people were such Cheap Trick fans they booed us from the start. They were getting up and giving us the finger. The first six rows stood up and screamed. ... When we finished, most of the boos had stopped and we were almost getting applause.”He is survived by Deborah Gillespie, his wife since 2007, and by daughters Pearl and Amanda Aday.___