HASKELL COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 1p.m. Wednesday in Haskell County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Peterbilt semi driven by Thomas J. Lear, 66, Garden City, was traveling on U.S. 83 at County Road 230.&nbsp;

The driver could not see a 2014 GMC Terrain driven by 47-year-old Rocio&nbsp;Marieno- Sanz, stopped in the roadway. The semi rear-ended the SUV.

Marieno- Sanz was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Swaims Funeral Home. EMS transported a passenger identified as 55-year-old Jose M&nbsp; Quinonez to Satanta District Hospital. Lear was not injured.&nbsp; 

Quinonez was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP. The KHP did not report where Marieno-Sanz or Quinonez lived.

HASKELL COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 1p.m. Wednesday in Haskell County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Peterbilt semi driven by Thomas J. Lear, 66, Garden City, was traveling on U.S. 83 at County Road 230.&nbsp;The driver could not see a 2014 GMC Terrain driven by 47-year-old Rocio&nbsp;Marieno- Sanz, stopped in the roadway. The semi rear-ended the SUV.Marieno- Sanz was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Swaims Funeral Home. EMS transported a passenger identified as 55-year-old Jose M&nbsp; Quinonez to Satanta District Hospital. Lear was not injured.&nbsp; Quinonez was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP. The KHP did not report where Marieno-Sanz or Quinonez lived.

Woman dies after semi rear-ends SUV in dust storm on Kan. highway

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A man has been convicted of killing four of his family members — including an infant — whose bodies were discovered in the aftermath of a 2016 house fire in northwestern Missouri.

A Platte County jury on Tuesday found 30-year-old Grayden Lane Denham guilty of four counts first-degree murder, four counts of armed criminal action and several other counts.

Killed were his grandparents, 82-year-old Russell Denham and 81-year-old Shirley Denham; his sister, 32-year-old Heather Ager; and Ager’s 3-month-old son, Mason Schiavoni. 

Their burned bodies were found outside a home near Edgerton, Missouri, on February 19, 2016, and investigators said they all had been shot to death. Prosecutors said Denham torched the home they all shared after the killings.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e7079be18f184ac9accd09010ae1c489">Prosecutors said Denham was found walking naked</a>&nbsp;in northern Arizona two days after the bodies were found. Prosecutors said Denham had stolen his grandmother's car after the killings and drove it to Arizona, changing the license plates twice along the way.

Denham's case faced multiple delays, including in 2020 when he was deemed not mentally fit to stand trial. The court later found him restored to competency, allowing the trial to proceed.

Denham faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole when he's sentenced on Feb. 25.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639604794631.png" alt="Denham-photo Platte Co. Jail" />
 <figcaption>Denham-photo Platte Co. Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A man has been convicted of killing four of his family members — including an infant — whose bodies were discovered in the aftermath of a 2016 house fire in northwestern Missouri.A Platte County jury on Tuesday found 30-year-old Grayden Lane Denham guilty of four counts first-degree murder, four counts of armed criminal action and several other counts.Killed were his grandparents, 82-year-old Russell Denham and 81-year-old Shirley Denham; his sister, 32-year-old Heather Ager; and Ager’s 3-month-old son, Mason Schiavoni. Their burned bodies were found outside a home near Edgerton, Missouri, on February 19, 2016, and investigators said they all had been shot to death. Prosecutors said Denham torched the home they all shared after the killings.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e7079be18f184ac9accd09010ae1c489">Prosecutors said Denham was found walking naked</a>&nbsp;in northern Arizona two days after the bodies were found. Prosecutors said Denham had stolen his grandmother's car after the killings and drove it to Arizona, changing the license plates twice along the way.Denham's case faced multiple delays, including in 2020 when he was deemed not mentally fit to stand trial. The court later found him restored to competency, allowing the trial to proceed.Denham faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole when he's sentenced on Feb. 25.

Man guilty in killing of grandparents, sister and her infant son

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas City-area school district must pay a transgender student $4 million after it refused to let him use the boys' restrooms or locker rooms, a Jackson County jury decided.

The jury on Monday found the Blue Springs school district had discriminated against the student, KSHB-TV&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/blues-springs-school-district-owes-over-4-million-in-damages-to-transgender-student">reported.</a>

The school district said in a statement that it disagreed with the verdict and would be “seeking appropriate relief from the trial court and court of appeals if necessary.”

The student had legally changed his name in 2010 and amended his birth certificate to reflect his new name and gender in 2014, according to the lawsuit. He filed the lawsuit in 2015.

Although the state recognized him as a boy, the district denied the student access to the boys' restrooms and locker rooms at Delta Woods Middle School and the Freshman Center, the lawsuit said.

The student participated in boy's physical education and athletics in middle schools but was required to use a single person bathroom outside the boys' locker room, according to court documents.

He did not participate in fall sports at the Freshman Center because he could not use the boys' locker room or restrooms.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas City-area school district must pay a transgender student $4 million after it refused to let him use the boys' restrooms or locker rooms, a Jackson County jury decided.The jury on Monday found the Blue Springs school district had discriminated against the student, KSHB-TV&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/blues-springs-school-district-owes-over-4-million-in-damages-to-transgender-student">reported.</a>The school district said in a statement that it disagreed with the verdict and would be “seeking appropriate relief from the trial court and court of appeals if necessary.”The student had legally changed his name in 2010 and amended his birth certificate to reflect his new name and gender in 2014, according to the lawsuit. He filed the lawsuit in 2015.Although the state recognized him as a boy, the district denied the student access to the boys' restrooms and locker rooms at Delta Woods Middle School and the Freshman Center, the lawsuit said.The student participated in boy's physical education and athletics in middle schools but was required to use a single person bathroom outside the boys' locker room, according to court documents.He did not participate in fall sports at the Freshman Center because he could not use the boys' locker room or restrooms.

Bathroom fight: KC-area district to pay $4M to transgender student 

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has added eight states to the 19 where students receiving Medicaid coverage will be automatically added to the program offering free or reduced-price school lunches.

Alabama, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, and South Carolina are now part of a demonstration program started in fall 2012, a news release said Tuesday.

“Providing reliable access to nutritious meals has never been more important as Louisiana continues to recover from the effects of recent hurricanes, floods and the pandemic,” said John Dupre, state director of child nutrition programs for the Louisiana Department of Education.

USDA said Tuesday’s action expands demonstration projects that have certified more than 1 million students for free means and nearly 260,000 for reduced-price meals since the 2012-2013 school year.

“Direct certification works to decrease errors in school meal program administration and ensures children in need aren’t mistakenly left behind,” said USDA Food and Nutrition Service southwest regional administrator Bill Ludwig.

The 27 states now involved represent about 75% of students nationwide, the agency said.

Direct certification makes it easier for children from low-income households to receive free and reduced-price school meals.

Historically, most students who receive such meals have applied for the program. Families participating in a few other programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, also get the free or lower-cost meals.

“Adding Medicaid to the list of benefit programs that can ‘directly certify’ a student to receive free or reduced-price meals is a win-win for students, families, and school officials. This means less paperwork for families and fewer school meal applications for school districts to process and verify,” the news release said.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has added eight states to the 19 where students receiving Medicaid coverage will be automatically added to the program offering free or reduced-price school lunches.Alabama, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, and South Carolina are now part of a demonstration program started in fall 2012, a news release said Tuesday.“Providing reliable access to nutritious meals has never been more important as Louisiana continues to recover from the effects of recent hurricanes, floods and the pandemic,” said John Dupre, state director of child nutrition programs for the Louisiana Department of Education.USDA said Tuesday’s action expands demonstration projects that have certified more than 1 million students for free means and nearly 260,000 for reduced-price meals since the 2012-2013 school year.“Direct certification works to decrease errors in school meal program administration and ensures children in need aren’t mistakenly left behind,” said USDA Food and Nutrition Service southwest regional administrator Bill Ludwig.The 27 states now involved represent about 75% of students nationwide, the agency said.Direct certification makes it easier for children from low-income households to receive free and reduced-price school meals.Historically, most students who receive such meals have applied for the program. Families participating in a few other programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, also get the free or lower-cost meals.“Adding Medicaid to the list of benefit programs that can ‘directly certify’ a student to receive free or reduced-price meals is a win-win for students, families, and school officials. This means less paperwork for families and fewer school meal applications for school districts to process and verify,” the news release said.

Medicaid now certifies kids for free lunch in Kan., 7 more states

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The names of Wichita police officers accused of misconduct will remain secret under a new contract approved by the Wichita City Council.

The council approved the contract Tuesday after hearing from community activists who said continuing the decadeslong practice of concealing names of officers disciplined for serious misconduct or use of excessive force undermines trust in the department.

“Hiding this information from the citizens of Wichita only deepens the distrust and suspicions that the cover-up of these actions is more important than being honest,” said LaWanda Deshazer, a Kansas NAACP youth adviser.

Union and city officials said officers should not be treated differently than other city employees, whose personnel records are not open to the public.

Hans Asmussen, a Wichita police detective and representative of the Fraternal Order of Police, said the contract does not protect bad cops.

“Because if the department was covering up for bad cops, then why would the FOP really need to exist as a representative for disciplinary actions,?” he said.

Before the council voted, Walt Chappell, a member of the city’s Racial Profiling Advisory Board who has advocated for decades for more transparency from the police department, asked the council to amend the contract to release information on accusations of excessive force and other serious misconduct.

“We’d like to know, if you beat somebody up, who was it that did the beating? What was their excuse for claiming they had a right to beat this person to a pulp?” Chappell said. “They get to hide behind a blue wall of silence.”

The contract also committed an additional $9 million over three years that, along with money from the American Rescue Plan Act, will help fund pay raises and a $1,000 retention bonus for commissioned officers.

State law allows the city to release disciplinary records of officers but does not require them to do so, leaving the decision up to the police chief and city manager, who must uphold the police union contract.

Police Chief Gordon Ramsay has said he opposes releasing the names of officers involved in use of force incidents unless they are charged with a crime.

Only one officer’s name has been released after a use of force complaint in the last several decades. In 2020, only four of 265 citizen complaints lodged against officers were sustained.

City Manager Robert Layton, who also opposes publicly releasing the names of officers who are disciplined, wants the names given under seal to the Citizen’s Review Board. The board cannot take any binding action, is not allowed to publicly discuss the cases they review and can review only cases that have been closed by law enforcement.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The names of Wichita police officers accused of misconduct will remain secret under a new contract approved by the Wichita City Council.The council approved the contract Tuesday after hearing from community activists who said continuing the decadeslong practice of concealing names of officers disciplined for serious misconduct or use of excessive force undermines trust in the department.“Hiding this information from the citizens of Wichita only deepens the distrust and suspicions that the cover-up of these actions is more important than being honest,” said LaWanda Deshazer, a Kansas NAACP youth adviser.Union and city officials said officers should not be treated differently than other city employees, whose personnel records are not open to the public.Hans Asmussen, a Wichita police detective and representative of the Fraternal Order of Police, said the contract does not protect bad cops.“Because if the department was covering up for bad cops, then why would the FOP really need to exist as a representative for disciplinary actions,?” he said.Before the council voted, Walt Chappell, a member of the city’s Racial Profiling Advisory Board who has advocated for decades for more transparency from the police department, asked the council to amend the contract to release information on accusations of excessive force and other serious misconduct.“We’d like to know, if you beat somebody up, who was it that did the beating? What was their excuse for claiming they had a right to beat this person to a pulp?” Chappell said. “They get to hide behind a blue wall of silence.”The contract also committed an additional $9 million over three years that, along with money from the American Rescue Plan Act, will help fund pay raises and a $1,000 retention bonus for commissioned officers.State law allows the city to release disciplinary records of officers but does not require them to do so, leaving the decision up to the police chief and city manager, who must uphold the police union contract.Police Chief Gordon Ramsay has said he opposes releasing the names of officers involved in use of force incidents unless they are charged with a crime.Only one officer’s name has been released after a use of force complaint in the last several decades. In 2020, only four of 265 citizen complaints lodged against officers were sustained.City Manager Robert Layton, who also opposes publicly releasing the names of officers who are disciplined, wants the names given under seal to the Citizen’s Review Board. The board cannot take any binding action, is not allowed to publicly discuss the cases they review and can review only cases that have been closed by law enforcement.

Names of Wichita police accused of misconduct to stay secret

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress averted a catastrophic debt default early Wednesday morning after Democratic majorities in both chambers voted to send a $2.5 trillion increase in the nation’s borrowing authority to President Joe Biden over lockstep Republican opposition.

Capping a marathon day, the House gave final approval to the legislation early Wednesday morning on a near-party-line 221-209 vote, defusing a volatile issue until after the 2022 midterm elections. The action came just hours shy of a deadline set by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who warned last month that she was running out of maneuvering room to avoid the nation’s first-ever default.

“The full faith and credit of the United States should never be questioned,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi said from the House floor shortly before the vote.

Yet the bill — which drew only one Republican vote in the House, from Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger — also saddled vulnerable Democrats with a tough vote on the cusp of an election year when both chambers will be up for grabs.

Republicans, meanwhile, said they were perplexed by the Democrats’ scramble to act.

“Democrats have known this day is coming for two years and did absolutely nothing,“ said Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas.

Despite a seemingly straightforward name, the nation’s debt limit does little to curtail future debt. Established in 1917, it instead serves as a brake on spending decisions already endorsed by Republicans and Democrats alike — in some cases decades ago — that if left unpaid could cripple markets, send the economy into a tailspin and shake global confidence in the U.S.

That hasn’t stopped Republican saber-rattling. For months, they’ve used the debt limit to attack&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-joe-biden-business-health-congress-44c43fab00aa95a268a2cba420713d22">Democrats’ big-spending social and environmental agenda</a>&nbsp;while pledging to staunchly oppose the current effort to increase the threshold. As recently as October, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would not “be a party to any future effort to mitigate the consequences of Democratic mismanagement.”

Yet McConnell softened his opposition, striking a deal with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer last week that created a workaround that allowed Senate Democrats to approve legislation with a simple majority while avoiding a Republican filibuster.

“This is about paying debt accumulated by both parties,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday while hailing the agreement.

McConnell’s backtracking angered some in his party. But it also gave him much of what he wanted: Democrats taking a politically difficult vote without Republican support, while increasing the limit by a staggering dollar figure that is sure to appear in future attack ads.

“If they jam through another taxing and spending spree this massive debt increase will just be the beginning,” the Kentucky Republican said Tuesday.

The decision didn’t sit well with Donald Trump.

The former president has railed against the deal repeatedly, calling McConnell a “Broken Old Crow” who “didn’t have the guts to play the Debt Ceiling card, which would have given the Republicans a complete victory on virtually everything.”

“GET RID OF MITCH!” Trump said in a statement issued Sunday.

Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah also criticized the intricate process Schumer and McConnell agreed to, which he warned could be used in the future to “launder” potentially unpopular votes.

Under the agreement, an amendment was made to an unrelated Medicare bill that passed last week with Republican votes. It created a one-time, fast-track process for raising the debt limit that allowed Democrats to do so with a simple majority, bypassing the 60-vote threshold to avoid a GOP filibuster.

Lee said the process was intended to make the Republican votes last week “appear as something other than helping Democrats raise the debt ceiling,” which he said Republican leadership “committed, in writing no less, not to do.”

Yet Republican arguments against debt limit increases often ignore inconvenient facts.

The nation’s current debt load of $28.9 trillion has been racking up for decades. Major drivers include popular spending programs, like Social Security and Medicare, interest on the debt and recent COVID-19 relief packages. But taxation is also a major factor, and a series of tax cuts enacted by Republican presidents in recent decades has added to it, too.

That includes $7.8 trillion heaped onto the pile during Trump’s four-year presidency, an analysis of Treasury records shows. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-us-news-business-laws-2d9e099660064f2b8a8fc2237b4e7e4e">GOP-championed 2017 tax cut</a>&nbsp;is projected to add between $1 trillion and $2 trillion to the debt, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress averted a catastrophic debt default early Wednesday morning after Democratic majorities in both chambers voted to send a $2.5 trillion increase in the nation’s borrowing authority to President Joe Biden over lockstep Republican opposition.Capping a marathon day, the House gave final approval to the legislation early Wednesday morning on a near-party-line 221-209 vote, defusing a volatile issue until after the 2022 midterm elections. The action came just hours shy of a deadline set by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who warned last month that she was running out of maneuvering room to avoid the nation’s first-ever default.“The full faith and credit of the United States should never be questioned,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi said from the House floor shortly before the vote.Yet the bill — which drew only one Republican vote in the House, from Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger — also saddled vulnerable Democrats with a tough vote on the cusp of an election year when both chambers will be up for grabs.Republicans, meanwhile, said they were perplexed by the Democrats’ scramble to act.“Democrats have known this day is coming for two years and did absolutely nothing,“ said Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas.Despite a seemingly straightforward name, the nation’s debt limit does little to curtail future debt. Established in 1917, it instead serves as a brake on spending decisions already endorsed by Republicans and Democrats alike — in some cases decades ago — that if left unpaid could cripple markets, send the economy into a tailspin and shake global confidence in the U.S.That hasn’t stopped Republican saber-rattling. For months, they’ve used the debt limit to attack&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-joe-biden-business-health-congress-44c43fab00aa95a268a2cba420713d22">Democrats’ big-spending social and environmental agenda</a>&nbsp;while pledging to staunchly oppose the current effort to increase the threshold. As recently as October, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would not “be a party to any future effort to mitigate the consequences of Democratic mismanagement.”Yet McConnell softened his opposition, striking a deal with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer last week that created a workaround that allowed Senate Democrats to approve legislation with a simple majority while avoiding a Republican filibuster.“This is about paying debt accumulated by both parties,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday while hailing the agreement.McConnell’s backtracking angered some in his party. But it also gave him much of what he wanted: Democrats taking a politically difficult vote without Republican support, while increasing the limit by a staggering dollar figure that is sure to appear in future attack ads.“If they jam through another taxing and spending spree this massive debt increase will just be the beginning,” the Kentucky Republican said Tuesday.The decision didn’t sit well with Donald Trump.The former president has railed against the deal repeatedly, calling McConnell a “Broken Old Crow” who “didn’t have the guts to play the Debt Ceiling card, which would have given the Republicans a complete victory on virtually everything.”“GET RID OF MITCH!” Trump said in a statement issued Sunday.Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah also criticized the intricate process Schumer and McConnell agreed to, which he warned could be used in the future to “launder” potentially unpopular votes.Under the agreement, an amendment was made to an unrelated Medicare bill that passed last week with Republican votes. It created a one-time, fast-track process for raising the debt limit that allowed Democrats to do so with a simple majority, bypassing the 60-vote threshold to avoid a GOP filibuster.Lee said the process was intended to make the Republican votes last week “appear as something other than helping Democrats raise the debt ceiling,” which he said Republican leadership “committed, in writing no less, not to do.”Yet Republican arguments against debt limit increases often ignore inconvenient facts.The nation’s current debt load of $28.9 trillion has been racking up for decades. Major drivers include popular spending programs, like Social Security and Medicare, interest on the debt and recent COVID-19 relief packages. But taxation is also a major factor, and a series of tax cuts enacted by Republican presidents in recent decades has added to it, too.That includes $7.8 trillion heaped onto the pile during Trump’s four-year presidency, an analysis of Treasury records shows. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-us-news-business-laws-2d9e099660064f2b8a8fc2237b4e7e4e">GOP-championed 2017 tax cut</a>&nbsp;is projected to add between $1 trillion and $2 trillion to the debt, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

Nation’s debt load of $28.9 Trillion going up by $2.5 Trillion

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) —&nbsp;Kansas state health department has identified a potential case of COVID-19 caused by the omicron variant, Gov. Laura Kelly said Wednesday.

Kelly told reporters after a public event that health officials believed they had identified two potential omicron variant cases this past weekend, but genetic testing of patient samples ruled out one of them. Testing on the other has not been completed.

At least 30 states have confirmed cases linked to the omicron variant, but Kansas has yet to announce that it has. Kelly said that confirming an omicron case “won't change the approach” in addressing the novel coronavirus' continued spread.

An average of 1,609 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases a day were reported in Kansas for the seven days ending Wednesday, according to state health department data. New COVID-19 hospitalizations averaged 47 a day and deaths, 18 a day, during the same period.

Federal data said 56% of Kansas' 2.9 million residents had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Wednesday, compared to the national figure of 61%. But 28% of the state's population has received booster shots, compared to the national figure of 27%.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1638148803210.png" alt="3D structure of spike with amino acid changes in Omicron -photo courtesy GISAID" />
 <figcaption>3D structure of spike with amino acid changes in Omicron -photo courtesy GISAID</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) —&nbsp;Kansas state health department has identified a potential case of COVID-19 caused by the omicron variant, Gov. Laura Kelly said Wednesday.Kelly told reporters after a public event that health officials believed they had identified two potential omicron variant cases this past weekend, but genetic testing of patient samples ruled out one of them. Testing on the other has not been completed.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639492484125.png" alt="Omicron detected in over half of U.S. states-image courtesy GISAID" />
 <figcaption>Omicron detected in over half of U.S. states-image courtesy GISAID</figcaption>
 </figure>At least 30 states have confirmed cases linked to the omicron variant, but Kansas has yet to announce that it has. Kelly said that confirming an omicron case “won't change the approach” in addressing the novel coronavirus' continued spread.An average of 1,609 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases a day were reported in Kansas for the seven days ending Wednesday, according to state health department data. New COVID-19 hospitalizations averaged 47 a day and deaths, 18 a day, during the same period.Federal data said 56% of Kansas' 2.9 million residents had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Wednesday, compared to the national figure of 61%. But 28% of the state's population has received booster shots, compared to the national figure of 27%.

Governor: Kansas identifies potential omicron variant case

Washington– U.S. Senator Roger Marshall's amendment to prevent Joe Biden from dishonorably discharging military service members for choosing to not get the COVID vaccine passed the U.S. Senate as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Wednesday.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I am proud the NDAA passed the Senate and included my amendment to ensure service members will be protected from a dishonorable discharge for choosing not to get the COVID vaccine. Simply put, a dishonorable discharge treats our heroes as felons. But, our American heroes deserve better,” said Senator Marshall. “I support the vaccine, but I also support those who are defending our freedoms and have carefully weighed their decision on whether to receive the COVID vaccine. With our amendment in the NDAA, we were able to provide our service men and women with the medical freedom they rightly deserve.”

In total, Senator Marshall secured 14 NDAA wins in his first year as a U.S. Senator to protect national security, according to a statement from his office.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marshall.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/HEY21B23-2.pdf" target="_blank">COVID-19 Vaccine Dishonorable Discharge Prevention Act</a>&nbsp;was introduced by Senator Marshall on the heels of President Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/09/1035149651/biden-will-require-vaccines-for-federal-workers-as-part-of-a-new-covid-strategy" target="_blank">mandating millions</a>&nbsp;of Americans to get vaccinated and the DOD issuing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.defensenews.com/news/your-army/2021/09/14/armys-plan-for-mandatory-covid-19-vaccines-is-here/" target="_blank">guidance</a>&nbsp;stating that soldiers who refuse the vaccine will face “administrative or non-judicial punishment [under UCMJ] – to include relief of duties or discharge.”

Since introduction of the bill, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-opposes-ndaa-banning-dishonorable-discharge-covid-19-vaccine-refusal" target="_blank">White House announced opposition to the Senators’ legislation</a>&nbsp;and in turn doubled down in their support to give service members a dishonorable discharge for refusing the COVID vaccine. As such, Senator Marshall offered his legislation as an amendment to the NDAA.

Dishonorably discharged U.S. service members surrender the following rights and benefits:

Washington– U.S. Senator Roger Marshall's amendment to prevent Joe Biden from dishonorably discharging military service members for choosing to not get the COVID vaccine passed the U.S. Senate as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Wednesday.&nbsp;&nbsp;<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CsGHmqpLk2w" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>“I am proud the NDAA passed the Senate and included my amendment to ensure service members will be protected from a dishonorable discharge for choosing not to get the COVID vaccine. Simply put, a dishonorable discharge treats our heroes as felons. But, our American heroes deserve better,” said Senator Marshall. “I support the vaccine, but I also support those who are defending our freedoms and have carefully weighed their decision on whether to receive the COVID vaccine. With our amendment in the NDAA, we were able to provide our service men and women with the medical freedom they rightly deserve.”In total, Senator Marshall secured 14 NDAA wins in his first year as a U.S. Senator to protect national security, according to a statement from his office.The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marshall.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/HEY21B23-2.pdf" target="_blank">COVID-19 Vaccine Dishonorable Discharge Prevention Act</a>&nbsp;was introduced by Senator Marshall on the heels of President Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/09/1035149651/biden-will-require-vaccines-for-federal-workers-as-part-of-a-new-covid-strategy" target="_blank">mandating millions</a>&nbsp;of Americans to get vaccinated and the DOD issuing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.defensenews.com/news/your-army/2021/09/14/armys-plan-for-mandatory-covid-19-vaccines-is-here/" target="_blank">guidance</a>&nbsp;stating that soldiers who refuse the vaccine will face “administrative or non-judicial punishment [under UCMJ] – to include relief of duties or discharge.”Since introduction of the bill, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-opposes-ndaa-banning-dishonorable-discharge-covid-19-vaccine-refusal" target="_blank">White House announced opposition to the Senators’ legislation</a>&nbsp;and in turn doubled down in their support to give service members a dishonorable discharge for refusing the COVID vaccine. As such, Senator Marshall offered his legislation as an amendment to the NDAA.Dishonorably discharged U.S. service members surrender the following rights and benefits:<ul>
 <li>Ownership of any sort of firearm or ammunition</li><li>Access to the GI Bill for further education</li><li>VA home loans</li><li>VA medical benefits</li><li>Military Funeral Honors</li><li>Re-enlistment in another military branch</li>
 </ul>

🎥 Senate passes amendment to prevent dishonorable discharge over vax mandate 

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s one of the most far-reaching of all the federal aid programs launched during the COVID-19 pandemic —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/monthly-child-payments-poverty-bd4643ad09e6986ef4b526ebd5a3272b">up to $300 per child</a>&nbsp;going directly into the bank accounts of families on the 15th of every month.

But the last checks will go out Wednesday, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/child-tax-credit-bank-accounts-0715-24023ed3ffba98e4a65dd6006518da7a">expanded child tax credit program</a>&nbsp;expiring unless Congress revives it for 2022. That appears highly uncertain as lawmakers try to push President Joe Biden’s roughly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-immigration-joe-biden-health-lifestyle-bff841da156cb12cd47a564f9e0267eb">$2 trillion social and environmental bill</a>&nbsp;into law.

The swift launch, and potentially quick end, to the bolstered child tax credit highlights the risks of enacting sweeping social policy changes in a politically divisive environment, without consensus to make the changes stick. Biden and Democrats on Capitol Hill might not have been praised by voters for adding the new benefit, but they almost surely will be blamed if the money abruptly stops flowing next month.

“We need to keep them going,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., and chair of the House’s New Democrat Coalition. “Families deserve that predictability and certainty.”

The child tax credit wasn’t new when Democrats, over the objections of Republicans in Congress, altered the program as part of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-inside-covid-19-bill-relief-package-52fa93ac75d38eae4cd3dbb6402e7eba">Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill</a>&nbsp;shortly after he took office in January.

But rarely has it provided the boost to families seen with this year’s changes.

For more than 20 years, American taxpayers have been afforded a tax break for their children. Started as a $500 per child write-off under Bill Clinton in 1997, it changed over time and was beefed up under Donald Trump’s GOP tax cuts in 2017. Biden’s American Rescue Plan increased the credit to $3,000 a year, added 17-year-olds and boosted the amount to $3,600 for children under six years old. Most dramatically, it gave the credit to millions of families with low or no income, even if they didn’t earn enough money to pay income taxes or pay enough tax to qualify for the refund.

Studies suggest the child tax credit expansions are expected to cut child poverty by 40% — with 9 of 10 American children benefiting. All told, some 4.1 million children are on track to be lifted above the poverty line, according to analysis from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.

After the first checks started arriving in July, about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/10/nearly-a-third-of-parents-spent-child-tax-credit-on-school-expenses.html" target="_blank">one-third of recipient families</a>&nbsp;used the money during the first few months to pay down outstanding debt, along with paying for school supplies and child care, according to preliminary reports from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Families in New Mexico, which has one of the country’s highest child poverty rates, spent nearly 46% of their child tax credit money on food, a study by Washington University in St. Louis’ Social Policy Institute found.

“It says a lot about what families are worried about,” said Sharon Kaye, communications director for New Mexico Voices for Children. “This is hugely important to a lot of families.”

Republicans are fully opposed to Biden’s larger policy bill, which would extend the tax credit, arguing the overall health, education and climate change package is too big and costly at a time of rising inflation.

On Tuesday, Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Republican, said his side was fine letting the policy lapse as the coronavirus crisis eases and the temporary aid goes away.

“The thing I don’t think you want is a huge spike in spending,” Thune told reporters. “And that would probably be the most obvious example of an inflationary type policy.”

Faced with Republican opposition, Biden is trying to pass the roughly $2 trillion package with Democrats alone, which the House has already done. But the path in the evenly split 50-50 Senate is more difficult, with no room for dissent.

Biden has been in talks with one key holdout, Sen. Joe Manchin, who appears to be the final obstacle for Democrats trying to pass the big bill by Christmas.

Asked specifically about the expiring tax credit this week, Manchin did not respond to repeated questions about the potential loss.

One Democrat who has had “many, many, many conversations” with Manchin is Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, who said the West Virginian “is not at this moment a fan of the Child Tax Credit.”

Bennet said he hopes Manchin will come to see that the extension would help the country because it would enable more parents to afford child care and work. “My hope is that with the one-year extension of the enhanced credit he will become a fan and we’ll see,” he said.

When it became law this year, the expansion of the child tax credit was hailed as a potential philosophical shift in the way that government assistance programs work by emphasizing a direct, no-strings cash support.

Instead, the program delivers discretionary cash directly into parents’ bank accounts, leaving the parents to decide how best to use it. Recipients spend it on food, rent, school supplies or even recreational activities. Proponents described it as an element of trust that had been lacking in much of the American social safety net — relying on parents to make the right decisions on their family’s needs.

Robert Greenstein, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, compared the child tax credit to America’s signature safety net programs — Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — which have been adjusted and changed over the years to become mainstays in American life. He said there are few policies that are more important.

Greenstein said the benefit flows not just to the families receiving the cash, but has the potential to bring long-term economic benefits. “We’ll end up having healthier, better-educated generations of children who can be more productive workers in the U.S. economy of future decades,” he said.

“People are often skeptical — the government doesn’t do things right,” he said. ”This is an example of something that they really got right.”

With the last checks now slated for Wednesday, Democrats are rushing to ensure that Jan. 15 checks will still land in families’ bank accounts. The Treasury Department has warned lawmakers that Dec. 28 is the deadline to pass the bill and ensure no disruption, though lawmakers have suggested payments could be made retroactively if Biden’s package stalls.

Emma Mehrabi, director of poverty policy at the Children’s Defense Fund, called the potential interruption of payments “a real slap in the face for families in need.”

She said, “There is no other tool in our toolkit that has significantly reduced child poverty for decades.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636249601889.png" alt="The child tax credit wasn’t new when Democrats, over the objections of Republicans in Congress, altered the program as part of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-inside-covid-19-bill-relief-package-52fa93ac75d38eae4cd3dbb6402e7eba">Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill</a>&nbsp;shortly after he took office in January-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>The child tax credit wasn’t new when Democrats, over the objections of Republicans in Congress, altered the program as part of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-inside-covid-19-bill-relief-package-52fa93ac75d38eae4cd3dbb6402e7eba">Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill</a>&nbsp;shortly after he took office in January-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s one of the most far-reaching of all the federal aid programs launched during the COVID-19 pandemic —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/monthly-child-payments-poverty-bd4643ad09e6986ef4b526ebd5a3272b">up to $300 per child</a>&nbsp;going directly into the bank accounts of families on the 15th of every month.But the last checks will go out Wednesday, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/child-tax-credit-bank-accounts-0715-24023ed3ffba98e4a65dd6006518da7a">expanded child tax credit program</a>&nbsp;expiring unless Congress revives it for 2022. That appears highly uncertain as lawmakers try to push President Joe Biden’s roughly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-immigration-joe-biden-health-lifestyle-bff841da156cb12cd47a564f9e0267eb">$2 trillion social and environmental bill</a>&nbsp;into law.The swift launch, and potentially quick end, to the bolstered child tax credit highlights the risks of enacting sweeping social policy changes in a politically divisive environment, without consensus to make the changes stick. Biden and Democrats on Capitol Hill might not have been praised by voters for adding the new benefit, but they almost surely will be blamed if the money abruptly stops flowing next month.“We need to keep them going,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., and chair of the House’s New Democrat Coalition. “Families deserve that predictability and certainty.”The child tax credit wasn’t new when Democrats, over the objections of Republicans in Congress, altered the program as part of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-inside-covid-19-bill-relief-package-52fa93ac75d38eae4cd3dbb6402e7eba">Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill</a>&nbsp;shortly after he took office in January.But rarely has it provided the boost to families seen with this year’s changes.For more than 20 years, American taxpayers have been afforded a tax break for their children. Started as a $500 per child write-off under Bill Clinton in 1997, it changed over time and was beefed up under Donald Trump’s GOP tax cuts in 2017. Biden’s American Rescue Plan increased the credit to $3,000 a year, added 17-year-olds and boosted the amount to $3,600 for children under six years old. Most dramatically, it gave the credit to millions of families with low or no income, even if they didn’t earn enough money to pay income taxes or pay enough tax to qualify for the refund.Studies suggest the child tax credit expansions are expected to cut child poverty by 40% — with 9 of 10 American children benefiting. All told, some 4.1 million children are on track to be lifted above the poverty line, according to analysis from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.After the first checks started arriving in July, about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/10/nearly-a-third-of-parents-spent-child-tax-credit-on-school-expenses.html" target="_blank">one-third of recipient families</a>&nbsp;used the money during the first few months to pay down outstanding debt, along with paying for school supplies and child care, according to preliminary reports from the U.S. Census Bureau.Families in New Mexico, which has one of the country’s highest child poverty rates, spent nearly 46% of their child tax credit money on food, a study by Washington University in St. Louis’ Social Policy Institute found.“It says a lot about what families are worried about,” said Sharon Kaye, communications director for New Mexico Voices for Children. “This is hugely important to a lot of families.”Republicans are fully opposed to Biden’s larger policy bill, which would extend the tax credit, arguing the overall health, education and climate change package is too big and costly at a time of rising inflation.On Tuesday, Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Republican, said his side was fine letting the policy lapse as the coronavirus crisis eases and the temporary aid goes away.“The thing I don’t think you want is a huge spike in spending,” Thune told reporters. “And that would probably be the most obvious example of an inflationary type policy.”Faced with Republican opposition, Biden is trying to pass the roughly $2 trillion package with Democrats alone, which the House has already done. But the path in the evenly split 50-50 Senate is more difficult, with no room for dissent.Biden has been in talks with one key holdout, Sen. Joe Manchin, who appears to be the final obstacle for Democrats trying to pass the big bill by Christmas.Asked specifically about the expiring tax credit this week, Manchin did not respond to repeated questions about the potential loss.One Democrat who has had “many, many, many conversations” with Manchin is Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, who said the West Virginian “is not at this moment a fan of the Child Tax Credit.”Bennet said he hopes Manchin will come to see that the extension would help the country because it would enable more parents to afford child care and work. “My hope is that with the one-year extension of the enhanced credit he will become a fan and we’ll see,” he said.When it became law this year, the expansion of the child tax credit was hailed as a potential philosophical shift in the way that government assistance programs work by emphasizing a direct, no-strings cash support.Instead, the program delivers discretionary cash directly into parents’ bank accounts, leaving the parents to decide how best to use it. Recipients spend it on food, rent, school supplies or even recreational activities. Proponents described it as an element of trust that had been lacking in much of the American social safety net — relying on parents to make the right decisions on their family’s needs.Robert Greenstein, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, compared the child tax credit to America’s signature safety net programs — Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — which have been adjusted and changed over the years to become mainstays in American life. He said there are few policies that are more important.Greenstein said the benefit flows not just to the families receiving the cash, but has the potential to bring long-term economic benefits. “We’ll end up having healthier, better-educated generations of children who can be more productive workers in the U.S. economy of future decades,” he said.“People are often skeptical — the government doesn’t do things right,” he said. ”This is an example of something that they really got right.”With the last checks now slated for Wednesday, Democrats are rushing to ensure that Jan. 15 checks will still land in families’ bank accounts. The Treasury Department has warned lawmakers that Dec. 28 is the deadline to pass the bill and ensure no disruption, though lawmakers have suggested payments could be made retroactively if Biden’s package stalls.Emma Mehrabi, director of poverty policy at the Children’s Defense Fund, called the potential interruption of payments “a real slap in the face for families in need.”She said, “There is no other tool in our toolkit that has significantly reduced child poverty for decades.”___

$300 child tax credit to end as December checks go out

TOPEKA, Kan. — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases* (see below) in Kansas increased by 4,138&nbsp; to a total of 493,492, the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;

The state reported 20 additional COVID-19 deaths for a total of 6,895.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<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, Kan. — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases* (see below) in Kansas increased by 4,138&nbsp; to a total of 493,492, the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;The state reported 20 additional COVID-19 deaths for a total of 6,895.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639591735996.png" alt="Wednesday December 15, 2021 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday December 15, 2021 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: 4,100 new cases, 20 more COVID deaths

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A teenager has died after being shot several blocks south of Swope Park Campus in Kansas City, police there said.

Officers were called to the area around 7 p.m. Tuesday for reports of someone on the ground experiencing a medical emergency, police said in a news release. Medics who also arrived on the scene determined the teen had been shot and rushed him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police have not released the victim’s name or age, but did confirm he was a teenager. Police said they did not immediately have any suspects in the case.

The teen's death marked Kansas City's 150th homicide of the year, according to records kept by the Kansas City Star. That compared with 182 homicides for all of 2020, the deadliest in the city’s history.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A teenager has died after being shot several blocks south of Swope Park Campus in Kansas City, police there said.Officers were called to the area around 7 p.m. Tuesday for reports of someone on the ground experiencing a medical emergency, police said in a news release. Medics who also arrived on the scene determined the teen had been shot and rushed him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.Police have not released the victim’s name or age, but did confirm he was a teenager. Police said they did not immediately have any suspects in the case.The teen's death marked Kansas City's 150th homicide of the year, according to records kept by the Kansas City Star. That compared with 182 homicides for all of 2020, the deadliest in the city’s history.

KCPD: Teen dies at hospital after shooting near park

GOODLAND (AP) — Much of the Midwest was bracing Wednesday for high winds, heavy rain and a chance of tornadoes as temperatures felt like summertime despite the official start of winter being only days away.

Forecasters across the Plains states predicted unusually warm weather, including likely record-breaking high temperatures in the mid-70s for much of Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and parts of Missouri.

But the warmth comes with dangerously high winds and threats of violent storms.

The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning along a swath stretching from New Mexico to upper Michigan — including Wisconsin and Illinois — with strong sustained winds between 25 mph and 40 mph expected. Gusts could reach more than 70 mph at times, the weather service reported.

Damaging winds are likely to bring down trees and power lines, making widespread power outages possible, the weather service warned. Some schools in Nebraska canceled in-person classes and dozens of schools in Iowa planned to close early Wednesday in anticipation of bad weather.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639586809830.png" alt="A wall of dust moving east from 13 miles S of Sharon Springs at the Wallace/Greeley county line at 10:30a.m. Wednesday-photo courtesy National Weather Service Goodland" />
 <figcaption>A wall of dust moving east from 13 miles S of Sharon Springs at the Wallace/Greeley county line at 10:30a.m. Wednesday-photo courtesy National Weather Service Goodland</figcaption>
 </figure>GOODLAND (AP) — Much of the Midwest was bracing Wednesday for high winds, heavy rain and a chance of tornadoes as temperatures felt like summertime despite the official start of winter being only days away.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">842 AM 107 mph gust just occurred at Lamar, across the eastern plains! Very dangerous conditions occurring across far eastern CO at this time. Please use extreme caution! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cowx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cowx</a>&mdash; NWS Pueblo (@NWSPueblo) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSPueblo/status/1471145514519252993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Forecasters across the Plains states predicted unusually warm weather, including likely record-breaking high temperatures in the mid-70s for much of Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and parts of Missouri.But the warmth comes with dangerously high winds and threats of violent storms.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">At 1055am....blowing dust associated with the high winds has reduced visibility to less than 1 mile in some locations west of a Garden City to Liberal line. Use caution.&mdash; NWS Dodge City (@NWSDodgeCity) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSDodgeCity/status/1471162944633196548?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning along a swath stretching from New Mexico to upper Michigan — including Wisconsin and Illinois — with strong sustained winds between 25 mph and 40 mph expected. Gusts could reach more than 70 mph at times, the weather service reported.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639587182577.png" alt="Car traveling west on Interstate 70 at Kanorado just before 11a.m. Wednesday-image KanDrive" />
 <figcaption>Car traveling west on Interstate 70 at Kanorado just before 11a.m. Wednesday-image KanDrive</figcaption>
 </figure>Damaging winds are likely to bring down trees and power lines, making widespread power outages possible, the weather service warned. Some schools in Nebraska canceled in-person classes and dozens of schools in Iowa planned to close early Wednesday in anticipation of bad weather.

High winds, wall of dust descend on portions of Kansas

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said his office is confident that they can hire the legal specialists necessary to look into potential illegal manipulation of natural gas prices during the February 2021 frigid weather.

"Under Kansas law, in order to retain a firm for this, we have to go through a formal bidding process, a request for proposals," Schmidt said Wednesday. "We issued that early in the fall. There were actually no bidders initially, so we had to extend the proposal. We now have firms that have bid and I think we're very close to being able to retain and announce the firm with the expertise to help us with this."

Some of Schmidt's political opponents see his ownership stake in a natural gas well in southeast Kansas as a potential conflict of interest in the case.

"We have a farm we've had for years," Schmidt said. "It was my grandparents. We have one and only one gas well on it. It's a low production well as many are in southeast Kansas. We're blessed to have it. We're not getting rich off it. In any event, we don't control the price of gas. We're just landowners."

Schmidt said&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/42129b37-4066-454d-87b0-b894da782af5">when the initial RFP went out</a>&nbsp;that the intent was to get someone who is an expert in the complicated natural gas marketplace.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637784447337.png" alt=" Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt (Kansas Legislature YouTube )" />
 <figcaption> Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt (Kansas Legislature YouTube )</figcaption>
 </figure>By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said his office is confident that they can hire the legal specialists necessary to look into potential illegal manipulation of natural gas prices during the February 2021 frigid weather."Under Kansas law, in order to retain a firm for this, we have to go through a formal bidding process, a request for proposals," Schmidt said Wednesday. "We issued that early in the fall. There were actually no bidders initially, so we had to extend the proposal. We now have firms that have bid and I think we're very close to being able to retain and announce the firm with the expertise to help us with this."Some of Schmidt's political opponents see his ownership stake in a natural gas well in southeast Kansas as a potential conflict of interest in the case."We have a farm we've had for years," Schmidt said. "It was my grandparents. We have one and only one gas well on it. It's a low production well as many are in southeast Kansas. We're blessed to have it. We're not getting rich off it. In any event, we don't control the price of gas. We're just landowners."Schmidt said&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/42129b37-4066-454d-87b0-b894da782af5">when the initial RFP went out</a>&nbsp;that the intent was to get someone who is an expert in the complicated natural gas marketplace.

Kan. AG: Legal specialists being hired for gas price manipulation case

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating the fatal shooting in April of a Kansas teen have arrested Clint William Smith, 23, of Topeka, according to Police Lt. Shane Hilton.

Just before 7:30p.m. April 15, police were dispatched to the area of 6th Avenue and SE Chandler Street in Topeka in reference to a shooting.

Police found 16-year-old Emmanuel I. Torres suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital and was pronounced deceased by medical care personnel,&nbsp;according to Lt. Edward Stanley.

Smith is being held on requested charges of Murder in the 1st degree and Aggravated Assault; Use of a deadly weapon, according to Hilton.

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have identified the victim as Emmanuel I. Torres, 16 of Topeka.

Just before 7:30p.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to the area of 6th Avenue and SE Chandler Street in Topeka. in reference to a shooting, according to Lt. Edward Stanley. 

Police found the Torres suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital and was pronounced deceased by medical care personnel.&nbsp;

Police have not reported an arrest or released additional details as the Homicide Unit reviews all investigative leads and evidence.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1618576172619.png" alt="Investigators on the scene of the fatal shooting&nbsp; in April-photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Investigators on the scene of the fatal shooting&nbsp; in April-photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating the fatal shooting in April of a Kansas teen have arrested Clint William Smith, 23, of Topeka, according to Police Lt. Shane Hilton.Just before 7:30p.m. April 15, police were dispatched to the area of 6th Avenue and SE Chandler Street in Topeka in reference to a shooting.Police found 16-year-old Emmanuel I. Torres suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital and was pronounced deceased by medical care personnel,&nbsp;according to Lt. Edward Stanley.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639567666843.png" alt="Smith-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Smith-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>Smith is being held on requested charges of Murder in the 1st degree and Aggravated Assault; Use of a deadly weapon, according to Hilton.------------SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have identified the victim as Emmanuel I. Torres, 16 of Topeka.Just before 7:30p.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to the area of 6th Avenue and SE Chandler Street in Topeka. in reference to a shooting, according to Lt. Edward Stanley. Police found the Torres suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital and was pronounced deceased by medical care personnel.&nbsp;Police have not reported an arrest or released additional details as the Homicide Unit reviews all investigative leads and evidence.&nbsp;------------

Police arrest suspect in April killing of 16-year-old Kan. boy

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Carolyn Burnett is bracing for her first Christmas without her son Chris, a beloved high school football coach whose outdoor memorial service drew a crowd of hundreds.

The unvaccinated 34-year-old father of four died in September as a result of COVID-19 after nearly two weeks on a ventilator, and his loss has left a gaping hole for his mother, widow and family as the holidays approach.

How, she thought, could they take a holiday photo without Chris? What would Christmas Day football be like without him offering up commentary? How could they play trivia games on Christmas Eve without him beating everyone with his movie expertise?

The U.S. on Tuesday hit another depressing pandemic milestone — 800,000 deaths. It’s a sad coda to a year that held so much promise with the arrival of vaccines but is ending in heartbreak for the many grieving families trying to navigate the holiday season.

For its Christmas card photo, the Burnett family ultimately opted to hold up a football presented as a memorial by the Kansas City Chiefs to represent Chris. Carolyn Burnett also set up a special shelf for the holidays, filling it with a drawing of her son, his bronzed baby shoe, a candle, a poem and an ornament of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

“These emotions come and go so quickly,” she said. “You see something. You hear something. His favorite food. You hear the song. There’s just all these little things. And then, bam.”

The year began with the COVID-19 death toll at about 350,000 in the U.S., at a time when the country was in the throes of a winter surge so bad that patients were lined up in emergency room hallways waiting for beds.

But vaccines were just getting rolled out, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-when-can-i-get-it-20de995ab6d01dd286ad3bbea46f69ce">sports stadiums and fairgrounds</a>&nbsp;were quickly transformed into mass vaccination sites. Case numbers began&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-st-louis-coronavirus-pandemic-93eadee30306a42ac7be38fdd2dec1a2">falling.</a>&nbsp;By spring, nearly all schools had reopened and communities were shedding mask orders. TV newscasters began talking cheerfully about a post-pandemic world. President Joe Biden proclaimed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-joe-biden-lifestyle-coronavirus-pandemic-health-f97e0316c51d2d8362a17d149daedb14">Fourth of July</a>&nbsp;holiday as a celebration of the nation’s freedom from the virus.

It didn’t last long.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-c053fae3d462705c39e3ffcd612d8a50">Delta struck</a>&nbsp;just as vaccination rates were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nm-state-wire-health-coronavirus-government-and-politics-108f1fd0813f0d2ecec1589fd137625d">stalling&nbsp;</a>amid a wave of misinformation, devastating poorly immunized portions of the Midwest and South. Hospitals brought back mobile morgues and opened up their pocket books in a desperate bid to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-b6d58e41b209dd67ed0954f28b542baf">attract enough nurses</a>&nbsp;to care for the sick.

“People have no idea,” said Debbie Eaves, a lab worker, who grew weary of the wave of death as she collected swabs from patients at Oakdale Community Hospital in Louisiana amid the surge. “Oh, no. They have no idea what it is to look and see, to see it.”

In Kansas, Carolyn Burnett begged her son, who went by the nickname Coach Cheese because of his love of cheeseburgers, to get vaccinated.

“He was a part of the group that ... just didn’t trust it,” she said, pausing and sighing. “They didn’t want to be a guinea pig. They didn’t want to be experimented on.”

She thought maybe he was softening. When his dad got his first COVID-19 shot in August, Chris, a diabetic, told his mother he would discuss it with his doctor. But then one of Chris’ children got infected at a family sleepover and soon everyone was sick.

She texted him, “Honey, God’s got you.” His last text to her said: “Mama, I feel him.” He died Sept. 11.

School administrators tweeted heartfelt condolences, praising his passion in coaching running backs at Olathe East High School. Tearful athletes paid tribute in TV interviews. The Kansas City Glory, an all-female football team that Burnett coached, asked fans to contribute to a GoFundMe fundraiser to help his children. And he was honored with an inspiration award at a ceremony that recognizes the region’s best high school athletes.

“We had so much support that you would think he was a celebrity,” his mom recalled.

Now, as the year ends, the delta variant is fueling another wave of hospitalizations, court battles are brewing over vaccine mandates and fresh questions are swirling about the new omicron variant.

Steve Grove has seen his share of coronavirus deaths in his role as a chaplain at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.

Recently, one dying patient’s family gathered in a conference room. One by one they were taken to the patient’s bedside, while the other relatives watched on Zoom.

“It’s a huge pain in the butt and the connection drops and it’s weird,” he acknowledged. “Here’s what I’m going to say to COVID: ‘Up yours.’ I’m getting a Zoom call going, and there you have it. That’s what’s happening today at least. You’re going to do what you’re going to do and you’re going to kill this person. You get to do that COVID. But what we’re going to do today is this. And I’m going to give them a hug when it’s done.

“The alternative,” he said, “is that you just, you just give up, and I guess most people in this building have too much faith in humanity.”

He acknowledged that he sometimes gets mad at unvaccinated patients because it “didn’t have to be this way. And now there’s a mess that perhaps was avoidable.”

“I’ll confess to it,” he said. “And I know I’m not proud of it, and I swallow it down and then I remember as a human being that my compassion reminds me that it’s still somebody’s loved one. It is still death and it still stings.”

Dr. LaTasha Perkins, of Georgetown University Student Health, is getting ready to take a job in January in a clinic that helps underserved residents of the community. She is Black and said she felt compelled to make the change after watching the virus devastate her family.

She has lost a great uncle, an aunt and a cousin to COVID-19, and she suspects the virus may have played a role in the death of her grandfather. When it struck her own household last December after she had gotten her first shot but the rest of her family wasn’t yet eligible, she spent sleepless nights watching her toddler breathe and took her husband to the hospital, although he wasn’t admitted. She never got sick and credits the vaccine. Her husband also later got the shot.

Still, maddeningly to her, only three of her six siblings are vaccinated. Some of the hesitation, she said, is rooted in the “horrible things done in the name of medicine to Black and brown bodies in this country.” She tells them: “If you’re worried about rich white people not caring about you, they’re lining up getting the vaccine.”

She has been unable, though, to get through to some of her relatives. It’s part of the reason why she started doing hesitancy talks specifically for African Americans in the D.C. area.

“For my own selfish reason, I don’t want to go to any more funerals,” she said, “and I don’t want COVID to come back in my house.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639569362029.png" alt="Members of the U.S.&nbsp; Senate and House joined together in a moment of silence to honor the 800,000 Americans who have lost their lives to the COVID pandemic.-photo courtesy Sen. Majority Leader" />
 <figcaption>Members of the U.S.&nbsp; Senate and House joined together in a moment of silence to honor the 800,000 Americans who have lost their lives to the COVID pandemic.-photo courtesy Sen. Majority Leader</figcaption>
 </figure>By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTHMISSION, Kan. (AP) — Carolyn Burnett is bracing for her first Christmas without her son Chris, a beloved high school football coach whose outdoor memorial service drew a crowd of hundreds.The unvaccinated 34-year-old father of four died in September as a result of COVID-19 after nearly two weeks on a ventilator, and his loss has left a gaping hole for his mother, widow and family as the holidays approach.How, she thought, could they take a holiday photo without Chris? What would Christmas Day football be like without him offering up commentary? How could they play trivia games on Christmas Eve without him beating everyone with his movie expertise?The U.S. on Tuesday hit another depressing pandemic milestone — 800,000 deaths. It’s a sad coda to a year that held so much promise with the arrival of vaccines but is ending in heartbreak for the many grieving families trying to navigate the holiday season.For its Christmas card photo, the Burnett family ultimately opted to hold up a football presented as a memorial by the Kansas City Chiefs to represent Chris. Carolyn Burnett also set up a special shelf for the holidays, filling it with a drawing of her son, his bronzed baby shoe, a candle, a poem and an ornament of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.But nothing feels quite right this year.“These emotions come and go so quickly,” she said. “You see something. You hear something. His favorite food. You hear the song. There’s just all these little things. And then, bam.”The year began with the COVID-19 death toll at about 350,000 in the U.S., at a time when the country was in the throes of a winter surge so bad that patients were lined up in emergency room hallways waiting for beds.But vaccines were just getting rolled out, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-when-can-i-get-it-20de995ab6d01dd286ad3bbea46f69ce">sports stadiums and fairgrounds</a>&nbsp;were quickly transformed into mass vaccination sites. Case numbers began&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-st-louis-coronavirus-pandemic-93eadee30306a42ac7be38fdd2dec1a2">falling.</a>&nbsp;By spring, nearly all schools had reopened and communities were shedding mask orders. TV newscasters began talking cheerfully about a post-pandemic world. President Joe Biden proclaimed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-joe-biden-lifestyle-coronavirus-pandemic-health-f97e0316c51d2d8362a17d149daedb14">Fourth of July</a>&nbsp;holiday as a celebration of the nation’s freedom from the virus.It didn’t last long.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-c053fae3d462705c39e3ffcd612d8a50">Delta struck</a>&nbsp;just as vaccination rates were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nm-state-wire-health-coronavirus-government-and-politics-108f1fd0813f0d2ecec1589fd137625d">stalling&nbsp;</a>amid a wave of misinformation, devastating poorly immunized portions of the Midwest and South. Hospitals brought back mobile morgues and opened up their pocket books in a desperate bid to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-b6d58e41b209dd67ed0954f28b542baf">attract enough nurses</a>&nbsp;to care for the sick.“People have no idea,” said Debbie Eaves, a lab worker, who grew weary of the wave of death as she collected swabs from patients at Oakdale Community Hospital in Louisiana amid the surge. “Oh, no. They have no idea what it is to look and see, to see it.”In Kansas, Carolyn Burnett begged her son, who went by the nickname Coach Cheese because of his love of cheeseburgers, to get vaccinated.“He was a part of the group that ... just didn’t trust it,” she said, pausing and sighing. “They didn’t want to be a guinea pig. They didn’t want to be experimented on.”She thought maybe he was softening. When his dad got his first COVID-19 shot in August, Chris, a diabetic, told his mother he would discuss it with his doctor. But then one of Chris’ children got infected at a family sleepover and soon everyone was sick.She texted him, “Honey, God’s got you.” His last text to her said: “Mama, I feel him.” He died Sept. 11.School administrators tweeted heartfelt condolences, praising his passion in coaching running backs at Olathe East High School. Tearful athletes paid tribute in TV interviews. The Kansas City Glory, an all-female football team that Burnett coached, asked fans to contribute to a GoFundMe fundraiser to help his children. And he was honored with an inspiration award at a ceremony that recognizes the region’s best high school athletes.“We had so much support that you would think he was a celebrity,” his mom recalled.Now, as the year ends, the delta variant is fueling another wave of hospitalizations, court battles are brewing over vaccine mandates and fresh questions are swirling about the new omicron variant.Steve Grove has seen his share of coronavirus deaths in his role as a chaplain at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.Recently, one dying patient’s family gathered in a conference room. One by one they were taken to the patient’s bedside, while the other relatives watched on Zoom.“It’s a huge pain in the butt and the connection drops and it’s weird,” he acknowledged. “Here’s what I’m going to say to COVID: ‘Up yours.’ I’m getting a Zoom call going, and there you have it. That’s what’s happening today at least. You’re going to do what you’re going to do and you’re going to kill this person. You get to do that COVID. But what we’re going to do today is this. And I’m going to give them a hug when it’s done.“The alternative,” he said, “is that you just, you just give up, and I guess most people in this building have too much faith in humanity.”He acknowledged that he sometimes gets mad at unvaccinated patients because it “didn’t have to be this way. And now there’s a mess that perhaps was avoidable.”“I’ll confess to it,” he said. “And I know I’m not proud of it, and I swallow it down and then I remember as a human being that my compassion reminds me that it’s still somebody’s loved one. It is still death and it still stings.”Dr. LaTasha Perkins, of Georgetown University Student Health, is getting ready to take a job in January in a clinic that helps underserved residents of the community. She is Black and said she felt compelled to make the change after watching the virus devastate her family.She has lost a great uncle, an aunt and a cousin to COVID-19, and she suspects the virus may have played a role in the death of her grandfather. When it struck her own household last December after she had gotten her first shot but the rest of her family wasn’t yet eligible, she spent sleepless nights watching her toddler breathe and took her husband to the hospital, although he wasn’t admitted. She never got sick and credits the vaccine. Her husband also later got the shot.Still, maddeningly to her, only three of her six siblings are vaccinated. Some of the hesitation, she said, is rooted in the “horrible things done in the name of medicine to Black and brown bodies in this country.” She tells them: “If you’re worried about rich white people not caring about you, they’re lining up getting the vaccine.”She has been unable, though, to get through to some of her relatives. It’s part of the reason why she started doing hesitancy talks specifically for African Americans in the D.C. area.“For my own selfish reason, I don’t want to go to any more funerals,” she said, “and I don’t want COVID to come back in my house.”

COVID toll hits 800,000 to close out year filled with death

SALINE COUNTY —A series of earthquakes continues to shake central Kansas. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a 4.0 magnitude quake&nbsp; hit southwest of Gypsum just before 4 a.m. Wednesday.

The Wednesday morning temblor follows several dozen smaller earthquakes in Saline County over the past week and a 4.3 magnitude quake on December 8, that was felt over a wide area.&nbsp; There are no reports of damage or injury. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639568471087.png" alt="Location of Wednesday's 4.0 quake -USGS image" />
 <figcaption>Location of Wednesday's 4.0 quake -USGS image</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —A series of earthquakes continues to shake central Kansas. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a 4.0 magnitude quake&nbsp; hit southwest of Gypsum just before 4 a.m. Wednesday.The Wednesday morning temblor follows several dozen smaller earthquakes in Saline County over the past week and a 4.3 magnitude quake on December 8, that was felt over a wide area.&nbsp; There are no reports of damage or injury.

USGS: 4.0 earthquake shakes central Kansas 

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/state-signs-contract-to-deliver-youth-psychiatric-hospital-services-in-hays/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The state of Kansas 
signed a contract to open in 2023 a licensed 14-bed acute psychiatric 
hospital in Hays for youth up to 18 years of age, officials said Monday.

The facility to be operated by KVC Hospitals, a network of nonprofit 
children’s psychiatric hospitals and residential treatment centers, 
would help fill a void in western Kansas for services sought by children
 in crisis. After closure of a hospital for children at Larned State 
Hospital, KVC provided in-patient youth psychiatric hospital serves from
 2010 to 2019.

The contract with the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability 
Services running through 2027 would include 10 “no-eject, no-reject” 
beds for patients from the Larned State Hospital area struggling with 
depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and trauma.

“This facility will provide critical mental health services in an 
underserved region of our state,” said Gov. Laura Kelly, who is seeking 
re-election in 2022. “My administration is committed to making continued
 improvements like these for all Kansans kids.”

KVC Hospitals agreed to provide full medical, clinical and nursing 
assessment within 24 hours of admission, around-the-clock supervision by
 skilled nurses, intensive psychiatric care and medication management, 
case coordination and innovative treatment to help youth regulate 
emotions.

“As we continue to see increasing numbers of youth in crisis with 
more severe symptoms, these services are needed in Hays now more than 
ever before,” said Bobby Eklofe, president of KVC Hospitals.

Laura Howard, secretary of KDADS, said the facility would reduce 
waiting times for children needing intervention. The contract comes at a
 time of “critical consequence” surrounding child psychiatric services 
in Kansas, she said.

KDADS worked with United Methodist Health Ministry Fund and the 
Wichita State University Community Engagement Institute to develop 
strategies for sustaining adequate staff necessary to delivery of acute 
psychiatric hospitalization services to children. The conversation led 
to selection of Hays for a hospital capable of stabilizing youth and 
equipping them with skills and resources to continue treatment in home 
communities.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639495327124.png" alt="The administration of Gov. Laura Kelly signed a contract to create a 14-bed acute psychiatric hospital for youth in Hays to fill a service void in western Kansas. Admissions are to begin in 2023. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>The administration of Gov. Laura Kelly signed a contract to create a 14-bed acute psychiatric hospital for youth in Hays to fill a service void in western Kansas. Admissions are to begin in 2023. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/state-signs-contract-to-deliver-youth-psychiatric-hospital-services-in-hays/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The state of Kansas 
signed a contract to open in 2023 a licensed 14-bed acute psychiatric 
hospital in Hays for youth up to 18 years of age, officials said Monday.The facility to be operated by KVC Hospitals, a network of nonprofit 
children’s psychiatric hospitals and residential treatment centers, 
would help fill a void in western Kansas for services sought by children
 in crisis. After closure of a hospital for children at Larned State 
Hospital, KVC provided in-patient youth psychiatric hospital serves from
 2010 to 2019.The contract with the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability 
Services running through 2027 would include 10 “no-eject, no-reject” 
beds for patients from the Larned State Hospital area struggling with 
depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and trauma.“This facility will provide critical mental health services in an 
underserved region of our state,” said Gov. Laura Kelly, who is seeking 
re-election in 2022. “My administration is committed to making continued
 improvements like these for all Kansans kids.”KVC Hospitals agreed to provide full medical, clinical and nursing 
assessment within 24 hours of admission, around-the-clock supervision by
 skilled nurses, intensive psychiatric care and medication management, 
case coordination and innovative treatment to help youth regulate 
emotions.“As we continue to see increasing numbers of youth in crisis with 
more severe symptoms, these services are needed in Hays now more than 
ever before,” said Bobby Eklofe, president of KVC Hospitals.Laura Howard, secretary of KDADS, said the facility would reduce 
waiting times for children needing intervention. The contract comes at a
 time of “critical consequence” surrounding child psychiatric services 
in Kansas, she said.KDADS worked with United Methodist Health Ministry Fund and the 
Wichita State University Community Engagement Institute to develop 
strategies for sustaining adequate staff necessary to delivery of acute 
psychiatric hospitalization services to children. The conversation led 
to selection of Hays for a hospital capable of stabilizing youth and 
equipping them with skills and resources to continue treatment in home 
communities.