KANSAS CITY (AP) — A third victim has died after a fender bender crash earlier this month in Kansas City ended in gunfire.

Police announced Tuesday in a news release that 41-year-old Gregory Harper died Monday.

He was wounded after a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-shootings-police-8463405db4131b75716f82503d65ec01">March 6</a>&nbsp;crash led to a disturbance. Two others were declared dead at the scene — 64-year-old Joseph Smith and 33-year-old Curtis Thompkins.

Police are asking anyone with information on the shooting to contact homicide detectives or a tips hotline. There is a reward of up to $25,000 for information.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Two men died and a third man was critically wounded after a shooting in Kansas City.

Police spokesman Sgt. Jake Becchina said the shooting was reported around 8:45 p.m. Saturday after a fender bender crash. Becchina said a large disturbance after the crash led to the gunfire.

Officers from the Kansas City Police Department found two men who had been shot unresponsive in front of a home near East 51st Street and Agnes Avenue. A third man was found with gunshot wounds just north of the two men who died. The third man was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Becchina said investigators are working to determine what led to the shooting and to identify the victims.

The two deaths were the 27th and 28th homicides of the year in Kansas City.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615202460088.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A third victim has died after a fender bender crash earlier this month in Kansas City ended in gunfire.Police announced Tuesday in a news release that 41-year-old Gregory Harper died Monday.He was wounded after a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-shootings-police-8463405db4131b75716f82503d65ec01">March 6</a>&nbsp;crash led to a disturbance. Two others were declared dead at the scene — 64-year-old Joseph Smith and 33-year-old Curtis Thompkins.Police are asking anyone with information on the shooting to contact homicide detectives or a tips hotline. There is a reward of up to $25,000 for information.------------KANSAS CITY (AP) — Two men died and a third man was critically wounded after a shooting in Kansas City.Police spokesman Sgt. Jake Becchina said the shooting was reported around 8:45 p.m. Saturday after a fender bender crash. Becchina said a large disturbance after the crash led to the gunfire.Officers from the Kansas City Police Department found two men who had been shot unresponsive in front of a home near East 51st Street and Agnes Avenue. A third man was found with gunshot wounds just north of the two men who died. The third man was taken to a hospital in critical condition.Becchina said investigators are working to determine what led to the shooting and to identify the victims.The two deaths were the 27th and 28th homicides of the year in Kansas City.

3rd victim dies after fender bender crash ends in gunfire

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Gov. Laura Kelly announced Tuesday that the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) launched the Kansas Emergency Rental Assistance (KERA) program on Monday, March 15, providing rent, utility, and internet assistance to individuals and families financially impacted by COVID-19.

“Keeping Kansans in their homes and businesses – and ensuring they have access to the high-speed internet needed for telehealth, telework, and virtual school – has been a top priority for my administration since day one,”&nbsp;Gov. Kelly said. “This program will be critical in ensuring Kansans can stay secure in their homes, stay warm, and maintain access to the internet.”

The program offers tenants up to 12 months of assistance with current or past due rent and past due utility and internet bills, including electric, gas, water, sewer, trash removal, and home energy services. Renters can apply for assistance with all, some, or any one of the services offered.

Both tenant and landlord must apply online. If the applicant meets the eligibility criteria, KHRC will make payments on the tenant’s behalf directly to the landlord or service provider(s).

Last year KHRC administered the Kansas Eviction Prevention Program (KEPP), a nearly $20 million rental assistance initiative to support Kansans financially impacted by COVID. In the roughly 60 days that the program was in statewide operation, it received applications from more than 10,000 tenants and more than 4000 landlords, ultimately serving more than 21,000 Kansans.

“Home has always been a place of shelter, but during the pandemic it’s become so much more,”&nbsp;Ryan Vincent, KHRC’s Executive Director, said.&nbsp;“The outpouring of interest we saw in the KEPP program demonstrated the tremendous need COVID has created across our state. We’re so pleased to offer not just rent, but also utility and internet assistance so we can keep Kansans safely housed and connected when they need it most.”

The KERA program will initially serve Kansans across the state, except those living within the Wichita city limits. Wichita residents may apply for assistance through the&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.YPCBzJrKtwKJkzccMhiyDR2rtPpqopdnwuoz8moSCJI/s/1303160919/br/100108803844-l" target="_blank">Wichita Emergency Rental Assistance Program (WERAP).</a>

To learn more and apply for KERA assistance, visit the&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.SmHRBALiwmBksIT1qYERME--4Y0-8JSUW-N9lApzaJk/s/1303160919/br/100108803844-l" target="_blank">KHRC website.</a>

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Gov. Laura Kelly announced Tuesday that the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) launched the Kansas Emergency Rental Assistance (KERA) program on Monday, March 15, providing rent, utility, and internet assistance to individuals and families financially impacted by COVID-19.“Keeping Kansans in their homes and businesses – and ensuring they have access to the high-speed internet needed for telehealth, telework, and virtual school – has been a top priority for my administration since day one,”&nbsp;Gov. Kelly said. “This program will be critical in ensuring Kansans can stay secure in their homes, stay warm, and maintain access to the internet.”The program offers tenants up to 12 months of assistance with current or past due rent and past due utility and internet bills, including electric, gas, water, sewer, trash removal, and home energy services. Renters can apply for assistance with all, some, or any one of the services offered.Both tenant and landlord must apply online. If the applicant meets the eligibility criteria, KHRC will make payments on the tenant’s behalf directly to the landlord or service provider(s).Last year KHRC administered the Kansas Eviction Prevention Program (KEPP), a nearly $20 million rental assistance initiative to support Kansans financially impacted by COVID. In the roughly 60 days that the program was in statewide operation, it received applications from more than 10,000 tenants and more than 4000 landlords, ultimately serving more than 21,000 Kansans.“Home has always been a place of shelter, but during the pandemic it’s become so much more,”&nbsp;Ryan Vincent, KHRC’s Executive Director, said.&nbsp;“The outpouring of interest we saw in the KEPP program demonstrated the tremendous need COVID has created across our state. We’re so pleased to offer not just rent, but also utility and internet assistance so we can keep Kansans safely housed and connected when they need it most.”The KERA program will initially serve Kansans across the state, except those living within the Wichita city limits. Wichita residents may apply for assistance through the&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.YPCBzJrKtwKJkzccMhiyDR2rtPpqopdnwuoz8moSCJI/s/1303160919/br/100108803844-l" target="_blank">Wichita Emergency Rental Assistance Program (WERAP).</a>To learn more and apply for KERA assistance, visit the&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTAzMTYuMzcxMDM1NzEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2djYzAyLnNhZmVsaW5rcy5wcm90ZWN0aW9uLm91dGxvb2suY29tLz91cmw9aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZrc2hvdXNpbmdjb3JwLm9yZyUyRmVtZXJnZW5jeS1yZW50YWwtYXNzaXN0YW5jZSUyRiZkYXRhPTA0JTdDMDElN0NSYXluYS5LYXJzdCU0MGtzLmdvdiU3QzNmYjllYWYxMWVhNTQwNmE3NjZlMDhkOGU4YTYxOTIyJTdDZGNhZTgxMDFjOTJkNDgwY2JjNDNjNjc2MWNjY2NjNWElN0MwJTdDMCU3QzYzNzUxNTE0NzM4Njc4NTYwMCU3Q1Vua25vd24lN0NUV0ZwYkdac2IzZDhleUpXSWpvaU1DNHdMakF3TURBaUxDSlFJam9pVjJsdU16SWlMQ0pCVGlJNklrMWhhV3dpTENKWFZDSTZNbjAlM0QlN0MxMDAwJnNkYXRhPUNVYlYwdlVGQ2lOeGFmbFQxdHhKOCUyQmRxZ3pFMjU1TUhnV2tITXVLWWkwcyUzRCZyZXNlcnZlZD0wIn0.SmHRBALiwmBksIT1qYERME--4Y0-8JSUW-N9lApzaJk/s/1303160919/br/100108803844-l" target="_blank">KHRC website.</a>

Statewide rental, utility assistance for those affected by COVID

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a detention deputy for alleged domestic violence.

On Saturday, Haysville police arrested Sedgwick County Detention Deputy Jonathan Ramirez, according to sheriff's department spokesman Lt. Benjamin Blick.

He was booked into jail on requested charges of Domestic Violence Battery, Domestic Violence Criminal Damage to Property and Criminal Deprivation of Property. Deputy Ramirez has been employed by the Sheriff’s Office since June 2019. Deputy Ramirez has been suspended without pay.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615852211736.png" alt="Ramirez-photo Sedgwick County Jail" />
 <figcaption>Ramirez-photo Sedgwick County Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a detention deputy for alleged domestic violence.On Saturday, Haysville police arrested Sedgwick County Detention Deputy Jonathan Ramirez, according to sheriff's department spokesman Lt. Benjamin Blick.He was booked into jail on requested charges of Domestic Violence Battery, Domestic Violence Criminal Damage to Property and Criminal Deprivation of Property. Deputy Ramirez has been employed by the Sheriff’s Office since June 2019. Deputy Ramirez has been suspended without pay.

Kansas  jail deputy accused of domestic violence

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Black woman has become the face of Missouri's tourism campaign, nearly four years after the NAACP warned travelers that their civil rights may not be respected if they visit the state.

The Missouri Division of Tourism kicked off the campaign Monday, describing the woman the agency dubbed Mo as “a character and tour guide of sorts," the St. Louis Post-Dispatch&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/state-and-regional/with-naacp-travel-advisory-still-in-effect-missouri-casts-a-black-woman-as-new-face/article_a212d029-f539-5105-95c4-c565473b4d49.html#tracking-source=home-the-latest">reports</a>. She is featured in a promotional&nbsp;<a href="https://www.visitmo.com/thats-my-mo?utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_medium=organicsocial&amp;utm_campaign=character_campaign_fy21&amp;utm_content=main_mo_anthem&amp;utm_term=&amp;fbclid=IwAR2kcvNv4KDZRPTLvMNw654JI5cfg4redYFqjLFPGZbMOF_gxURk7ELdLKs">video&nbsp;</a>hiking, watching a baseball game and riding a roller coaster. Pictures also show her posing as a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.visitmo.com/thats-my-mo/foodie-mo">Foodie Mo</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.visitmo.com/thats-my-mo/bbq-mo">Barbecue Mo</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.visitmo.com/thats-my-mo/lake-mo">Lake Mo</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.visitmo.com/thats-my-mo/history-mo">History Mo&nbsp;</a>and more.

“Mo embodies Missouri and everything we have to offer visitors in our state,” Stephen Foutes, director of the Division of Tourism, said in the release.

But Missouri NAACP President Nimrod Chapel said the group’s travel advisory will remain in effect until Missouri makes “meaningful progress in the systemic abuses affecting people of color.” The state group warned travelers to be careful while in the state in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e505a01882984c9bb236b4dc40acc926">June 2017&nbsp;</a>because of what it described as a danger that civil rights won’t be respected. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/88cbad1851044cbd840859f3f48ed0c8">national NAACP took up the warning a couple of months later.</a>

“I don’t quite understand where they’re going with the campaign, and why put a Black face on it,” Chapel said.

“Missouri is a place that has been marked by violence and Jim Crow,” Chapel said. “It’s good that they’re trying to think inclusively for people they should invite to the state,” but it's also unfortunate when the government “hasn’t done anything to address those risks in a meaningful way.”

Ashley Santana, a St. Louis-based actress, model and soprano, plays Mo. In a statement emailed to the Post-Dispatch, Foutes did not directly answer whether the casting decision was related to the NAACP advisory.

He said Visit Missouri, the tourism website that features Mo, “auditioned over 200 actors and actresses with strong ties to Missouri. As Mo came to life, we wanted to reflect the down-to-earth, easygoing and inviting personality of Missouri. … We’re proud to feature an African American and Missouri native in this campaign to welcome future visitors to Missouri.”

Brian Hall, chief marketing officer for Explore St. Louis, said efforts to position St. Louis and Missouri as warm and welcoming have become especially important since Michael Brown’s death in 2014 focused the nation’s attention on the region’s unresolved racial justice issues.

Though systemic change is still needed, Hall said, the casting of Santana “sends an important signal ... that our state is proud to feature an African American woman as a representative, an ambassadress, for our state.”

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Black woman has become the face of Missouri's tourism campaign, nearly four years after the NAACP warned travelers that their civil rights may not be respected if they visit the state.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l5AiUw82b-s" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>The Missouri Division of Tourism kicked off the campaign Monday, describing the woman the agency dubbed Mo as “a character and tour guide of sorts," the St. Louis Post-Dispatch&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/state-and-regional/with-naacp-travel-advisory-still-in-effect-missouri-casts-a-black-woman-as-new-face/article_a212d029-f539-5105-95c4-c565473b4d49.html#tracking-source=home-the-latest">reports</a>. She is featured in a promotional&nbsp;<a href="https://www.visitmo.com/thats-my-mo?utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_medium=organicsocial&amp;utm_campaign=character_campaign_fy21&amp;utm_content=main_mo_anthem&amp;utm_term=&amp;fbclid=IwAR2kcvNv4KDZRPTLvMNw654JI5cfg4redYFqjLFPGZbMOF_gxURk7ELdLKs">video&nbsp;</a>hiking, watching a baseball game and riding a roller coaster. Pictures also show her posing as a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.visitmo.com/thats-my-mo/foodie-mo">Foodie Mo</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.visitmo.com/thats-my-mo/bbq-mo">Barbecue Mo</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.visitmo.com/thats-my-mo/lake-mo">Lake Mo</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.visitmo.com/thats-my-mo/history-mo">History Mo&nbsp;</a>and more.“Mo embodies Missouri and everything we have to offer visitors in our state,” Stephen Foutes, director of the Division of Tourism, said in the release.But Missouri NAACP President Nimrod Chapel said the group’s travel advisory will remain in effect until Missouri makes “meaningful progress in the systemic abuses affecting people of color.” The state group warned travelers to be careful while in the state in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e505a01882984c9bb236b4dc40acc926">June 2017&nbsp;</a>because of what it described as a danger that civil rights won’t be respected. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/88cbad1851044cbd840859f3f48ed0c8">national NAACP took up the warning a couple of months later.</a>“I don’t quite understand where they’re going with the campaign, and why put a Black face on it,” Chapel said.“Missouri is a place that has been marked by violence and Jim Crow,” Chapel said. “It’s good that they’re trying to think inclusively for people they should invite to the state,” but it's also unfortunate when the government “hasn’t done anything to address those risks in a meaningful way.”Ashley Santana, a St. Louis-based actress, model and soprano, plays Mo. In a statement emailed to the Post-Dispatch, Foutes did not directly answer whether the casting decision was related to the NAACP advisory.He said Visit Missouri, the tourism website that features Mo, “auditioned over 200 actors and actresses with strong ties to Missouri. As Mo came to life, we wanted to reflect the down-to-earth, easygoing and inviting personality of Missouri. … We’re proud to feature an African American and Missouri native in this campaign to welcome future visitors to Missouri.”Brian Hall, chief marketing officer for Explore St. Louis, said efforts to position St. Louis and Missouri as warm and welcoming have become especially important since Michael Brown’s death in 2014 focused the nation’s attention on the region’s unresolved racial justice issues.Though systemic change is still needed, Hall said, the casting of Santana “sends an important signal ... that our state is proud to feature an African American woman as a representative, an ambassadress, for our state.”

🎥 Black woman is face of Missouri following NAACP warning

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Republican proposal to require all Kansas public schools to offer every student full in-person classes by March 26 failed Tuesday in the state House after some lawmakers complained that it would take too much power away from local school boards.

The GOP-controlled House’s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20210316111933_856177/" target="_blank">69-55 vote</a>&nbsp;against&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/sb235_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">the measure</a>&nbsp;showed that some Republicans had misgivings about the proposal, which would have overridden a few local school districts’ decisions to wait longer because of the coronavirus pandemic. Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, pushed for the mandate, and his GOP-controlled chamber&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20210303112826_035095/" target="_blank">approved it</a>&nbsp;earlier this month with no Democratic support.

The mandate for the state’s 286 local school districts to offer all students full-time in-person classes would have been permanent. Supporters said the state still could grant exceptions when a disaster such as a flood, tornado or fire damages or destroys a school building.

But Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly was skeptical, calling the measure “just something the Legislature didn’t need to be spending any time on.”

“The school districts have done a great job of getting the kids back into the classes as quickly as they feel they safely can,” she said Monday after the House debated the bill.

Many Republican lawmakers continue to criticize Kelly for shutting down all K-12 buildings in mid-March 2020 until the end of that spring semester to check the spread of COVID-19. They argue that many students don’t do as well academically in online classes and suffer emotionally from being isolated from school friends.

“There’s no greater treasure on earth than our children, and these parents are entrusting their greatest treasure to use,” said Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Stilwell Republican. “These local school boards have let these children down.”

GOP legislators also have criticized the governor over other actions she took last spring. Senators and House members agreed Monday night on the final version of legislation to keep decisions about mandating masks or restricting businesses and public gatherings in the hands of county officials.

The measure also would strip appointed county health officers of their power to impose restrictions on their own, requiring county commissions’ approval. The House was to vote first on the measure, followed by the Senate.

State Department of Education data showed that only six of the state’s 286 local districts do not plan to have a majority of their students returning to all in-person classes by March 26. A seventh district, Wichita, the state’s largest, plans to resume in-person classes for all students March 29 but has its spring break next week.

The Baldwin City district near Lawrence has been offering hybrid learning for students between seventh grade and 12th grade since September, school board president Kelley Bethell-Smith said. The school district doesn’t have plans to fully reopen until the fall, she said.

Bethell-Smith said the district’s classrooms aren’t large enough to accommodate full in-person learning and maintain social distancing, she said.

“Right now, if you have 10 kids coming in on A day, 10 kids coming on B day, you can space the desks out enough to have six feet of distance. We can accommodate for lunch, when they are unmasked, and keep them six feet apart,” Bethell-Smith said.

Bethell-Smith also said the school district has a shortage of teaching assistants and wouldn’t be able to comply with special education laws.

The Shawnee Heights district in the Topeka area has decided to keep Wednesdays remote for most students, said school board member Eric Deitcher. He said that gives some teachers extra planning time to accommodate students who choose to attend school remotely five days a week. Keeping Wednesdays remote would also allow the school district to disinfect schools, Deitcher said.

But Ben Wilson, a school board member in Valley Center outside Wichita, said he agrees with the bill. The district plans to return to full-time in-person learning by March 30. He said kids are not “super spreaders” of COVID-19 and the district has seen “very, very, loose, if any” evidence of child-to-teacher transmission.

He added that his own children want to return full-time in-person classes.

“They learn better,” he said. “There’s more rhythm to their lives and there’s a sense of normalcy that we haven’t had for a year.”

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Republican proposal to require all Kansas public schools to offer every student full in-person classes by March 26 failed Tuesday in the state House after some lawmakers complained that it would take too much power away from local school boards.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PDFQV0gvbhE?start=746" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>The GOP-controlled House’s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20210316111933_856177/" target="_blank">69-55 vote</a>&nbsp;against&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/sb235_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">the measure</a>&nbsp;showed that some Republicans had misgivings about the proposal, which would have overridden a few local school districts’ decisions to wait longer because of the coronavirus pandemic. Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, pushed for the mandate, and his GOP-controlled chamber&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20210303112826_035095/" target="_blank">approved it</a>&nbsp;earlier this month with no Democratic support.The mandate for the state’s 286 local school districts to offer all students full-time in-person classes would have been permanent. Supporters said the state still could grant exceptions when a disaster such as a flood, tornado or fire damages or destroys a school building.But Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly was skeptical, calling the measure “just something the Legislature didn’t need to be spending any time on.”“The school districts have done a great job of getting the kids back into the classes as quickly as they feel they safely can,” she said Monday after the House debated the bill.Many Republican lawmakers continue to criticize Kelly for shutting down all K-12 buildings in mid-March 2020 until the end of that spring semester to check the spread of COVID-19. They argue that many students don’t do as well academically in online classes and suffer emotionally from being isolated from school friends.“There’s no greater treasure on earth than our children, and these parents are entrusting their greatest treasure to use,” said Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Stilwell Republican. “These local school boards have let these children down.”GOP legislators also have criticized the governor over other actions she took last spring. Senators and House members agreed Monday night on the final version of legislation to keep decisions about mandating masks or restricting businesses and public gatherings in the hands of county officials.The measure also would strip appointed county health officers of their power to impose restrictions on their own, requiring county commissions’ approval. The House was to vote first on the measure, followed by the Senate.State Department of Education data showed that only six of the state’s 286 local districts do not plan to have a majority of their students returning to all in-person classes by March 26. A seventh district, Wichita, the state’s largest, plans to resume in-person classes for all students March 29 but has its spring break next week.The Baldwin City district near Lawrence has been offering hybrid learning for students between seventh grade and 12th grade since September, school board president Kelley Bethell-Smith said. The school district doesn’t have plans to fully reopen until the fall, she said.Bethell-Smith said the district’s classrooms aren’t large enough to accommodate full in-person learning and maintain social distancing, she said.“Right now, if you have 10 kids coming in on A day, 10 kids coming on B day, you can space the desks out enough to have six feet of distance. We can accommodate for lunch, when they are unmasked, and keep them six feet apart,” Bethell-Smith said.Bethell-Smith also said the school district has a shortage of teaching assistants and wouldn’t be able to comply with special education laws.The Shawnee Heights district in the Topeka area has decided to keep Wednesdays remote for most students, said school board member Eric Deitcher. He said that gives some teachers extra planning time to accommodate students who choose to attend school remotely five days a week. Keeping Wednesdays remote would also allow the school district to disinfect schools, Deitcher said.But Ben Wilson, a school board member in Valley Center outside Wichita, said he agrees with the bill. The district plans to return to full-time in-person learning by March 30. He said kids are not “super spreaders” of COVID-19 and the district has seen “very, very, loose, if any” evidence of child-to-teacher transmission.He added that his own children want to return full-time in-person classes.“They learn better,” he said. “There’s more rhythm to their lives and there’s a sense of normalcy that we haven’t had for a year.”___

🎥  Kan. lawmakers reject requiring in-person classes March 26

By DAVID CRARY and LUIS ANDRES HENAO, Associated Press

The Vatican’s declaration that same-sex unions are a sin the Roman Catholic Church cannot bless was no surprise for LGBTQ Catholics in the United States — yet it stung deeply nonetheless.

Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA, said her organization’s membership includes same-sex couples who have been together for decades, persevering in their love for one another in the face of bias and family rejection.

“The fact that our church at its highest levels cannot recognize the grace in that and cannot extend any sort of blessing to these couples is just tragic,” she said.

She was responding to a formal statement Monday from the Vatican’s orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, saying Roman Catholic clergy may not bless such unions since God “cannot bless sin.” It was approved by Pope Francis.

“Having sin be explicitly included in this statement kind of brings us back to zero,” said Ross Murray, who oversees religious issues for the LGBTQ rights group GLAAD.

He expressed dismay that “the ability for us to live out our lives fully and freely is still seen as an affront to the church or, worse yet, an affront to God, who created us and knows us and loves us.”

Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, which advocates for greater LGBTQ acceptance in the church, said that if those priests who have already been blessing same-sex unions now stop doing so, lay Catholics could be moved to take their place.

“If priests and pastoral ministers no longer feel they can perform such a blessing, the Catholic laity will step in and perform their own rituals,” DeBernardo said. “The toothpaste is out of the tube, and it can’t be put back inside.”

The Rev. Bryan Massingale, an openly gay Catholic priest and professor of theology and social ethics at Fordham University, said priests who want to engage in pastoral outreach to the gay and lesbian community “will continue to do so, except that it will be even more under the table ... than it was before.”

For Catholics in same-sex relationships, he said, the Vatican’s new message will hurt.

“Every human being is born with this innate desire to love,” he said. “For those who are oriented toward members of the same sex ... to have it being described as inherently or innately sinful without any qualification, that is crushing.”

Vatican doctrine holds that gays and lesbians should be treated with dignity and respect, but that gay sex is “intrinsically disordered” and that same-sex unions are sinful.

Natalia Imperatori-Lee, a professor of religious studies at Manhattan College, said those teachings, put together, are problematic.

“It boggles the mind that the hierarchy can affirm that LGBTQ+ persons are made in the image of God but that their unions are a sin,” she said via email. “Are they made in God’s image with the exception of their hearts? With the exception of their abilities and inclinations to love?”

Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of the U.S.-based NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice and an advocate for greater LGBTQ inclusion in the church, said she was relieved the Vatican statement wasn’t harsher.

She interpreted it as saying, “You can bless the individuals (in a same-sex union), you just can’t bless the contract.”

“So it’s possible you could have a ritual where the individuals get blessed to be their committed selves.”

The Vatican’s pronouncement was welcomed by some church conservatives, however, such as Bill Donohue, president of the New York-based Catholic League.

“There will be no recognition of homosexual unions or marriage by the Catholic Church. It is non-negotiable. End of story,” he said.

“Pope Francis has been under considerable pressure by gay activists, in and out of the church, to give the green light to gay marriage,” Donohue added, calling Monday’s statement “the most decisive rejection of those efforts ever written.”

Francis has endorsed providing legal protections for same-sex couples, but that is in the civil sphere and not the church.

Juan Carlos Cruz, a Chilean advocate for sex-abuse victims who is gay, reported in 2018 that when he met with Francis, the pope had told him, “God made you like this, and he loves you.”

On Monday, Cruz said the Vatican officials who issued the new statement “are completely in a world of their own, away from people and trying to defend the indefensible.”

He called for a change in the leadership of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, saying it was undermining efforts by Francis to create a more inclusive church.

“If the church and the CDF do not advance with the world ... Catholics will continue to flee.” he said.

In Francis’ homeland of Argentina, LGBTQ activist Esteban Paulon said earlier statements by the pontiff conveying empathy and understanding for gays and lesbians were mere gestures, lacking any official weight.

“They were not institutional pronouncements,” said Paulon, executive director of the Institute of Public Policies LGBT+. “Saying that homosexual practice is a sin takes us back 200 years and promotes hate speech that unfortunately in Latin America and Europe is on the rise.”

Chile’s largest LGBTQ rights group, the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation, condemned the decree as a “homophobic and anti-Christian action” from the Catholic hierarchy.

Spokesman Oscar Rementería contrasted the Vatican’s stern rhetoric against same-sex marriage with the many documented cases of Catholic leaders covering up child sex abuse committed by clergy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615845367722.png" alt="Pope Francis-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Pope Francis-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAVID CRARY and LUIS ANDRES HENAO, Associated PressThe Vatican’s declaration that same-sex unions are a sin the Roman Catholic Church cannot bless was no surprise for LGBTQ Catholics in the United States — yet it stung deeply nonetheless.Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA, said her organization’s membership includes same-sex couples who have been together for decades, persevering in their love for one another in the face of bias and family rejection.“The fact that our church at its highest levels cannot recognize the grace in that and cannot extend any sort of blessing to these couples is just tragic,” she said.She was responding to a formal statement Monday from the Vatican’s orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, saying Roman Catholic clergy may not bless such unions since God “cannot bless sin.” It was approved by Pope Francis.“Having sin be explicitly included in this statement kind of brings us back to zero,” said Ross Murray, who oversees religious issues for the LGBTQ rights group GLAAD.He expressed dismay that “the ability for us to live out our lives fully and freely is still seen as an affront to the church or, worse yet, an affront to God, who created us and knows us and loves us.”Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, which advocates for greater LGBTQ acceptance in the church, said that if those priests who have already been blessing same-sex unions now stop doing so, lay Catholics could be moved to take their place.“If priests and pastoral ministers no longer feel they can perform such a blessing, the Catholic laity will step in and perform their own rituals,” DeBernardo said. “The toothpaste is out of the tube, and it can’t be put back inside.”The Rev. Bryan Massingale, an openly gay Catholic priest and professor of theology and social ethics at Fordham University, said priests who want to engage in pastoral outreach to the gay and lesbian community “will continue to do so, except that it will be even more under the table ... than it was before.”For Catholics in same-sex relationships, he said, the Vatican’s new message will hurt.“Every human being is born with this innate desire to love,” he said. “For those who are oriented toward members of the same sex ... to have it being described as inherently or innately sinful without any qualification, that is crushing.”Vatican doctrine holds that gays and lesbians should be treated with dignity and respect, but that gay sex is “intrinsically disordered” and that same-sex unions are sinful.Natalia Imperatori-Lee, a professor of religious studies at Manhattan College, said those teachings, put together, are problematic.“It boggles the mind that the hierarchy can affirm that LGBTQ+ persons are made in the image of God but that their unions are a sin,” she said via email. “Are they made in God’s image with the exception of their hearts? With the exception of their abilities and inclinations to love?”Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of the U.S.-based NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice and an advocate for greater LGBTQ inclusion in the church, said she was relieved the Vatican statement wasn’t harsher.She interpreted it as saying, “You can bless the individuals (in a same-sex union), you just can’t bless the contract.”“So it’s possible you could have a ritual where the individuals get blessed to be their committed selves.”The Vatican’s pronouncement was welcomed by some church conservatives, however, such as Bill Donohue, president of the New York-based Catholic League.“There will be no recognition of homosexual unions or marriage by the Catholic Church. It is non-negotiable. End of story,” he said.“Pope Francis has been under considerable pressure by gay activists, in and out of the church, to give the green light to gay marriage,” Donohue added, calling Monday’s statement “the most decisive rejection of those efforts ever written.”Francis has endorsed providing legal protections for same-sex couples, but that is in the civil sphere and not the church.Juan Carlos Cruz, a Chilean advocate for sex-abuse victims who is gay, reported in 2018 that when he met with Francis, the pope had told him, “God made you like this, and he loves you.”On Monday, Cruz said the Vatican officials who issued the new statement “are completely in a world of their own, away from people and trying to defend the indefensible.”He called for a change in the leadership of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, saying it was undermining efforts by Francis to create a more inclusive church.“If the church and the CDF do not advance with the world ... Catholics will continue to flee.” he said.In Francis’ homeland of Argentina, LGBTQ activist Esteban Paulon said earlier statements by the pontiff conveying empathy and understanding for gays and lesbians were mere gestures, lacking any official weight.“They were not institutional pronouncements,” said Paulon, executive director of the Institute of Public Policies LGBT+. “Saying that homosexual practice is a sin takes us back 200 years and promotes hate speech that unfortunately in Latin America and Europe is on the rise.”Chile’s largest LGBTQ rights group, the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation, condemned the decree as a “homophobic and anti-Christian action” from the Catholic hierarchy.Spokesman Oscar Rementería contrasted the Vatican’s stern rhetoric against same-sex marriage with the many documented cases of Catholic leaders covering up child sex abuse committed by clergy.___

LGBTQ Catholics stung by church rebuff of same-sex unions

SALINE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a wanted Kansas felon on new charges after a foot chase along the old river bed in central Salina.

On Monday evening, police were sent to the 600 block of South Front Street after report of that a suspect with four outstanding identified as 20-year-old&nbsp; Xavier Murrell was in the area, according to Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.&nbsp; The suspect was also said to be in possession of a handgun.

An officer made contact with Murrell at 614 South Front Street. Murrell fled on foot southbound and jumped a fence at 633 South Front Street. 

The officer yelled for Murrell to stop, but he continued to flee and ran down to the old Smoky Hill River bed area behind the YMCA and then continued eastbound.

A Salina police K-9 tracked Murrell along the creek and officers eventually located him hiding in a trash can at 905 East Prescott Road, according to Forrester. Murrell had a holster but police did not locate a handgun.

In addition to the four warrants, police arrested Murrell on the requested charge of felony interference with law enforcement.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590325588967.jpeg" alt="Murrell has previous convictions for theft and aggravated domestic battery, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections." />
 <figcaption>Murrell has previous convictions for theft and aggravated domestic battery, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a wanted Kansas felon on new charges after a foot chase along the old river bed in central Salina.On Monday evening, police were sent to the 600 block of South Front Street after report of that a suspect with four outstanding identified as 20-year-old&nbsp; Xavier Murrell was in the area, according to Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.&nbsp; The suspect was also said to be in possession of a handgun.An officer made contact with Murrell at 614 South Front Street. Murrell fled on foot southbound and jumped a fence at 633 South Front Street. The officer yelled for Murrell to stop, but he continued to flee and ran down to the old Smoky Hill River bed area behind the YMCA and then continued eastbound.A Salina police K-9 tracked Murrell along the creek and officers eventually located him hiding in a trash can at 905 East Prescott Road, according to Forrester. Murrell had a holster but police did not locate a handgun.In addition to the four warrants, police arrested Murrell on the requested charge of felony interference with law enforcement.&nbsp;

Police K9 finds wanted Kan. felon hiding in trash can

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will give COVID-19 vaccinations faster than planned so that all adults with medical conditions can seek shots next week and the state will aim for President Joe Biden’s goal of having inoculations available for all adults May 1, Gov. Laura Kelly announced Monday.

Kelly said the state will launch both the third and the fourth phase of its planned vaccine distribution next week, a week before the expected arrival of 100,000 doses of a single-shot vaccine made by Johnson &amp; Johnson. The combined phase will cover about 600,000 of the state’s 2.9 million residents, after the first two phases covered twice that number.

“I know we are all ready to resume our pre-pandemic lives, and we’re getting close,” Kelly said after touring a mass vaccination site at Topeka’s largest arena and convention center.

Both Kelly and Dr. Lee Norman, head of the state Department of Health and Environment, said the supply of vaccines from the federal government has been the biggest hurdle to moving faster on giving shots. Yet Kelly declared herself “pretty comfortable” that the state can hit its new timetable.

“If something happens and we have to pull back, we will do that, but we’re not anticipating that,” Kelly told reporters.

People aged 16 to 64 with medical conditions, including cancer, diabetes and asthma, that put them at risk of complications or death from COVID-19 will be eligible for shots. Kelly and the state Department of Health and Environment had held some of the state’s counties back from starting inoculations for such residents until all counties had finished vaccinating residents 65 and older during the second phase.

The Democratic governor has faced strong criticism for weeks from Republicans in the GOP controlled Legislature over what they view as a slow distribution effort. They have been especially critical of the state’s refusal to allow counties to go ahead with vaccinating cancer patients under 65.

The state previously had planned to begin phase three, covering people under 65 with the most serious medical risks, by early April and phase four, covering people with less serious medical risks, by mid-May. Kansas residents 16 and older with no medical risks would have had to wait until June to be eligible for their shots.

The governor’s announcement came only hours after Norman told the state Senate health committee that Kansas could distribute five times as many COVID-19 vaccine doses as it is currently receiving from the federal government without “working overly hard at it” and handle as many as 1.5 million shots a week.

Biden pledged last week that all American adults would be eligible for shots&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-first-prime-time-speech-next-phase-pandemic-85d1ae52bc61abffd3ae91c324e58308">by May 1.</a>

Data released Monday by the state health department showed that the number of COVID-19 vaccines administered in Kansas has accelerated to an average of about 22,300 a day for the seven days ending Monday. But Kansas still reported administering less than 855,000 doses overall.

Norman said the state is now receiving between 140,000 and 150,000 vaccine doses a week. Kelly and Norman acknowledged that Kansas can’t be sure that Johnson &amp; Johnson will be able to regularly deliver as many doses at a time after the first 100,000 arrive. Kansas health care providers can operate as many as 1,450 vaccination sites, Norman said.

The state health department&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data" target="_blank">reported Monday</a>&nbsp;that about 568,000 of the state’s 2.9 million residents or 19.5% had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The department said Kansas sites have administered almost 73% of the 1.17 million doses the state has received.

House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, was skeptical of Norman’s assessment that the state could distribute far more vaccine doses.

“We don’t see evidence that they could,” Hawkins said.

State data Monday showed Kansas averaged 252 new confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases a day for the seven days ending Monday, its lowest seven-day rolling average since late June 2020. The department added only 470 cases since Friday to its total tally for the yearlong pandemic, bringing it to 298,218.

The state added 11 additional deaths to its pandemic total since Friday, bringing it to 4,835. Kansas averaged three additional deaths a day for the seven days ending Monday.

Meanwhile, the Kansas House gave first-round approval Monday to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/sb235_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">a bill</a>&nbsp;that would require all of the state’s 286 public school districts to offer full, in-person classes to all students by March 26.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20210303112826_035095/" target="_blank">The Senate approved</a>&nbsp;the measure earlier this month, and the House plans to take a final vote Tuesday to determine whether it passes and goes to Kelly.

State Department of Education data shows that only six districts don’t plan to have most of their students back in all in-person classes by March 26.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613693226012.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will give COVID-19 vaccinations faster than planned so that all adults with medical conditions can seek shots next week and the state will aim for President Joe Biden’s goal of having inoculations available for all adults May 1, Gov. Laura Kelly announced Monday.Kelly said the state will launch both the third and the fourth phase of its planned vaccine distribution next week, a week before the expected arrival of 100,000 doses of a single-shot vaccine made by Johnson &amp; Johnson. The combined phase will cover about 600,000 of the state’s 2.9 million residents, after the first two phases covered twice that number.“I know we are all ready to resume our pre-pandemic lives, and we’re getting close,” Kelly said after touring a mass vaccination site at Topeka’s largest arena and convention center.Both Kelly and Dr. Lee Norman, head of the state Department of Health and Environment, said the supply of vaccines from the federal government has been the biggest hurdle to moving faster on giving shots. Yet Kelly declared herself “pretty comfortable” that the state can hit its new timetable.“If something happens and we have to pull back, we will do that, but we’re not anticipating that,” Kelly told reporters.People aged 16 to 64 with medical conditions, including cancer, diabetes and asthma, that put them at risk of complications or death from COVID-19 will be eligible for shots. Kelly and the state Department of Health and Environment had held some of the state’s counties back from starting inoculations for such residents until all counties had finished vaccinating residents 65 and older during the second phase.The Democratic governor has faced strong criticism for weeks from Republicans in the GOP controlled Legislature over what they view as a slow distribution effort. They have been especially critical of the state’s refusal to allow counties to go ahead with vaccinating cancer patients under 65.The state previously had planned to begin phase three, covering people under 65 with the most serious medical risks, by early April and phase four, covering people with less serious medical risks, by mid-May. Kansas residents 16 and older with no medical risks would have had to wait until June to be eligible for their shots.The governor’s announcement came only hours after Norman told the state Senate health committee that Kansas could distribute five times as many COVID-19 vaccine doses as it is currently receiving from the federal government without “working overly hard at it” and handle as many as 1.5 million shots a week.Biden pledged last week that all American adults would be eligible for shots&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-first-prime-time-speech-next-phase-pandemic-85d1ae52bc61abffd3ae91c324e58308">by May 1.</a>Data released Monday by the state health department showed that the number of COVID-19 vaccines administered in Kansas has accelerated to an average of about 22,300 a day for the seven days ending Monday. But Kansas still reported administering less than 855,000 doses overall.Norman said the state is now receiving between 140,000 and 150,000 vaccine doses a week. Kelly and Norman acknowledged that Kansas can’t be sure that Johnson &amp; Johnson will be able to regularly deliver as many doses at a time after the first 100,000 arrive. Kansas health care providers can operate as many as 1,450 vaccination sites, Norman said.The state health department&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data" target="_blank">reported Monday</a>&nbsp;that about 568,000 of the state’s 2.9 million residents or 19.5% had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The department said Kansas sites have administered almost 73% of the 1.17 million doses the state has received.House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, was skeptical of Norman’s assessment that the state could distribute far more vaccine doses.“We don’t see evidence that they could,” Hawkins said.State data Monday showed Kansas averaged 252 new confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases a day for the seven days ending Monday, its lowest seven-day rolling average since late June 2020. The department added only 470 cases since Friday to its total tally for the yearlong pandemic, bringing it to 298,218.The state added 11 additional deaths to its pandemic total since Friday, bringing it to 4,835. Kansas averaged three additional deaths a day for the seven days ending Monday.Meanwhile, the Kansas House gave first-round approval Monday to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/sb235_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">a bill</a>&nbsp;that would require all of the state’s 286 public school districts to offer full, in-person classes to all students by March 26.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20210303112826_035095/" target="_blank">The Senate approved</a>&nbsp;the measure earlier this month, and the House plans to take a final vote Tuesday to determine whether it passes and goes to Kelly.State Department of Education data shows that only six districts don’t plan to have most of their students back in all in-person classes by March 26.____

Governor: Kan. speeding up COVID shots to hit May target

The statewide law enforcement agencies of several neighboring states are joining together to urge motorists to slow down after a year of excessive speeding across the region, according to a media release from the Kansas Highway Patrol.

The Arkansas State Police, Iowa State Patrol, Kansas Highway Patrol, Missouri State Highway Patrol, and Nebraska State Patrol all report a dramatic increase in excessive speeding, coinciding with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp;

“Over the last year there has been a common theme while speaking with our law enforcement partners in neighboring states; the increase in excessive speeding,” said Colonel Herman T. Jones, Superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol. “KHP is proud to partner with our neighboring states in reminding motorists of the dangers of excessive speeding and the need for us to all work together to make our state and region safe.” Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska comprise Region 7 of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Each state tracked the increase of excessive speeding in different ways, but every method told the same story: A year that felt incredibly long was also the fastest on the roads in recent memory.

As the winter months give way to more favorable driving conditions and busiest travel seasons, each agency is asking all motorists to do their part in the effort to keep the roads safe. Obey the posted speed limits, eliminate distractions, never drive impaired, and always buckle up. Troopers in each state will continue to patrol day and night to enforce traffic safety laws and help any motorist in need of assistance.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615900494863.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The statewide law enforcement agencies of several neighboring states are joining together to urge motorists to slow down after a year of excessive speeding across the region, according to a media release from the Kansas Highway Patrol.The Arkansas State Police, Iowa State Patrol, Kansas Highway Patrol, Missouri State Highway Patrol, and Nebraska State Patrol all report a dramatic increase in excessive speeding, coinciding with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The last year has been one of the fastest on the roads in recent memory. We&#39;re joining <a href="https://twitter.com/ARStatePolice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ARStatePolice</a><a href="https://twitter.com/MSHPTrooperGHQ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MSHPTrooperGHQ</a><a href="https://twitter.com/iowastatepatrol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iowastatepatrol</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/kshighwaypatrol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kshighwaypatrol</a> to remind drivers to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ObeyTheSign?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ObeyTheSign</a>. Our five states have had an average increase of 83% in excessive speeding citations. <a href="https://t.co/HRtNYFrlg8">pic.twitter.com/HRtNYFrlg8</a>&mdash; Nebraska State Patrol (@NEStatePatrol) <a href="https://twitter.com/NEStatePatrol/status/1371521244307292160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“Over the last year there has been a common theme while speaking with our law enforcement partners in neighboring states; the increase in excessive speeding,” said Colonel Herman T. Jones, Superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol. “KHP is proud to partner with our neighboring states in reminding motorists of the dangers of excessive speeding and the need for us to all work together to make our state and region safe.” Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska comprise Region 7 of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Each state tracked the increase of excessive speeding in different ways, but every method told the same story: A year that felt incredibly long was also the fastest on the roads in recent memory.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615900441122.png" alt="The increases in excessive speeding citations, as tracked by each statewide agency." />
 <figcaption>The increases in excessive speeding citations, as tracked by each statewide agency.</figcaption>
 </figure>As the winter months give way to more favorable driving conditions and busiest travel seasons, each agency is asking all motorists to do their part in the effort to keep the roads safe. Obey the posted speed limits, eliminate distractions, never drive impaired, and always buckle up. Troopers in each state will continue to patrol day and night to enforce traffic safety laws and help any motorist in need of assistance.

Kan., 4 other states join forces against excessive speeding

LAS VEGAS (AP) — President Joe Biden is joining top messengers already crisscrossing the country to highlight the benefits of his massive COVID-19 rescue plan, in his case by promoting aid for small businesses.

Biden is set to visit a small business in suburban Philadelphia on Tuesday, his initial trip outside Washington for the “Help is here” tour that got underway Monday. Vice President Kamala Harris dropped in on a COVID-19 vaccination site and a culinary academy in Las Vegas while <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?509907-1/lady-jill-biden-speaks-covid-relief-aid-reopening-schools&amp;live=">first lady Jill Biden toured a New Jersey elementary school.</a>

“We want to avoid a situation where people are unaware of what they’re entitled to,” Harris said at the culinary academy. “It’s not selling it; it literally is letting people know their rights. Think of it more as a public education campaign.”

The White House is wasting no time promoting the $1.9 trillion relief plan, which Biden signed into law last week, looking to build momentum for the rest of his agenda and anxious to avoid the mistakes of 2009 in boosting that year’s recovery effort. Even veterans of Barack Obama’s administration acknowledge they did not do enough then to showcase their massive economic stimulus package.

“Hope is here in real and tangible ways,” Biden said Monday at the White House. He said the new government spending will bankroll efforts that could allow the nation to emerge from the pandemic’s twin crises, health and economic.

“Shots in arms and money in pockets,” the president said. “That’s important. The American Rescue Plan is already doing what it was designed to do: make a difference in people’s everyday lives. We’re just getting started.”

Biden said that within the next 10 days, his administration will clear two important benchmarks: distributing 100 million stimulus payments and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-19-vaccine-waste-largely-unknown-d2624a6dfefaa4b6a10cc0704ab5ab9d">administering 100 million vaccine doses</a>&nbsp;since he took office. To commemorate those milestones, Biden and his top representatives are embarking on their most ambitious travel schedule of his young presidency, visiting a series of potential election battleground states this week.

The sales pitch was leaving Republicans cold.

Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell dismissed the target of doses that Biden set when he took office as “not some audacious goal” but just the pace that he inherited. And he mocked Biden’s talk of Americans working toward merely being able to gather in small groups by July 4th as “bizarre.”

The Biden plan cleared Congress without any backing from Republicans, despite polling that found broad public support. Republicans argued the bill was too expensive, especially with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/germany-suspends-astrazeneca-vaccine-blood-clotting-0ab2c4fe13370c96c873e896387eb92f">vaccinations making progress against the virus,</a>&nbsp;and included too many provisions not directly linked to the pandemic.

After beginning the sales campaign with high-profile speeches, Biden will head to Pennsylvania on Tuesday and then join Harris in Georgia on Friday. Others on his team are visiting the electorally important states of Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and New Hampshire. The trip Monday marked Harris’ first official journey in office and included an unscheduled stop at a vegan taco stand as well as a coffee stand at the Culinary Academy Las Vegas.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “We want to take some time to engage directly with the American people and make sure they understand the benefits of the package and how it is going to help them get through this difficult period of time.”

The White House has detailed a theme for each day, focusing on small businesses, schools, home evictions and direct checks to most Americans. 

Jill Biden was joined by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on a tour Monday of Samuel Smith Elementary School in Burlington, where she highlighted steps the school took to reopen.

But her tour revealed the challenges ahead: In one classroom she visited, only two students were in attendance for in-person learning while the other 17 were virtual. The first lady sat down at a computer to say hello to the remote learners.

“I just I love being here at a school again: Educators, parents and students, the entire school has come together to bring kids back to the classroom,” she said. “But even with your best efforts, students can’t come, they can’t come in every day, which means that their parents are still having to take time off of work, or figure out childcare solutions. And this school like schools across this country can’t fully reopen without help.”

The president on Monday also announced that he had chosen Gene Sperling, a longtime Democratic economic policy expert, to oversee the massive stimulus package, the role Biden himself had played for the 2009 economic rescue package. The goal, Biden said, is to “stay on top of every dollar spent.”

“I learned from my experience implementing the Recovery Act just how important it is to have someone who can manage all the moving parts with efficiency, speed and integrity and accountability,” said the president.

The plan’s key features include direct payments of $1,400 for most single taxpayers, or $2,800 for married couples filing jointly, plus $1,400 per dependent — a total of $5,600 for a married couple with two children. The payments phase out for people with higher incomes.

An extension of federal unemployment benefits will continue through Sept. 6 at $300 a week. There’s $350 billion for state, local and tribal governments, $130 billion for K-12 schools and about $50 billion to expand COVID-19 testing, among other provisions.

Restaurants and bars that were forced to close or limit service can take advantage of a new multibillion-dollar grant program, and the plan also has tens of billions of dollars to help people who have fallen behind on rent and mortgage payments.

Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, joined his wife for the Western trip, visiting a food relief organization Monday in Las Vegas and participating in a listening session with the organization’s partners. In addition to the president, vice president and their spouses, Cabinet secretaries will also be out on the tour. Hundreds of mayors and governors, including Republicans, are being lined up to give interviews to discuss what the plan means for their communities.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg went first, touring a UPS distribution center in Landover, Maryland, on Monday that also delivers vaccines in the Washington area.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615895142496.png" alt="Jill Biden was joined by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on a tour Monday of Samuel Smith Elementary School in Burlington, where she highlighted steps the school took to reopen- photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Jill Biden was joined by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on a tour Monday of Samuel Smith Elementary School in Burlington, where she highlighted steps the school took to reopen- photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>LAS VEGAS (AP) — President Joe Biden is joining top messengers already crisscrossing the country to highlight the benefits of his massive COVID-19 rescue plan, in his case by promoting aid for small businesses.Biden is set to visit a small business in suburban Philadelphia on Tuesday, his initial trip outside Washington for the “Help is here” tour that got underway Monday. Vice President Kamala Harris dropped in on a COVID-19 vaccination site and a culinary academy in Las Vegas while <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?509907-1/lady-jill-biden-speaks-covid-relief-aid-reopening-schools&amp;live=">first lady Jill Biden toured a New Jersey elementary school.</a>“We want to avoid a situation where people are unaware of what they’re entitled to,” Harris said at the culinary academy. “It’s not selling it; it literally is letting people know their rights. Think of it more as a public education campaign.”The White House is wasting no time promoting the $1.9 trillion relief plan, which Biden signed into law last week, looking to build momentum for the rest of his agenda and anxious to avoid the mistakes of 2009 in boosting that year’s recovery effort. Even veterans of Barack Obama’s administration acknowledge they did not do enough then to showcase their massive economic stimulus package.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615895078268.png" alt="The Biden plan’s key features include direct payments of $1,400 for most single taxpayers, or $2,800 for married couples filing jointly, plus $1,400 per dependent — a total of $5,600 for a married couple with two children.-photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>The Biden plan’s key features include direct payments of $1,400 for most single taxpayers, or $2,800 for married couples filing jointly, plus $1,400 per dependent — a total of $5,600 for a married couple with two children.-photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>“Hope is here in real and tangible ways,” Biden said Monday at the White House. He said the new government spending will bankroll efforts that could allow the nation to emerge from the pandemic’s twin crises, health and economic.“Shots in arms and money in pockets,” the president said. “That’s important. The American Rescue Plan is already doing what it was designed to do: make a difference in people’s everyday lives. We’re just getting started.”Biden said that within the next 10 days, his administration will clear two important benchmarks: distributing 100 million stimulus payments and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-19-vaccine-waste-largely-unknown-d2624a6dfefaa4b6a10cc0704ab5ab9d">administering 100 million vaccine doses</a>&nbsp;since he took office. To commemorate those milestones, Biden and his top representatives are embarking on their most ambitious travel schedule of his young presidency, visiting a series of potential election battleground states this week.The sales pitch was leaving Republicans cold.Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell dismissed the target of doses that Biden set when he took office as “not some audacious goal” but just the pace that he inherited. And he mocked Biden’s talk of Americans working toward merely being able to gather in small groups by July 4th as “bizarre.”The Biden plan cleared Congress without any backing from Republicans, despite polling that found broad public support. Republicans argued the bill was too expensive, especially with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/germany-suspends-astrazeneca-vaccine-blood-clotting-0ab2c4fe13370c96c873e896387eb92f">vaccinations making progress against the virus,</a>&nbsp;and included too many provisions not directly linked to the pandemic.After beginning the sales campaign with high-profile speeches, Biden will head to Pennsylvania on Tuesday and then join Harris in Georgia on Friday. Others on his team are visiting the electorally important states of Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and New Hampshire. The trip Monday marked Harris’ first official journey in office and included an unscheduled stop at a vegan taco stand as well as a coffee stand at the Culinary Academy Las Vegas.White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “We want to take some time to engage directly with the American people and make sure they understand the benefits of the package and how it is going to help them get through this difficult period of time.”The White House has detailed a theme for each day, focusing on small businesses, schools, home evictions and direct checks to most Americans. Jill Biden was joined by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on a tour Monday of Samuel Smith Elementary School in Burlington, where she highlighted steps the school took to reopen.But her tour revealed the challenges ahead: In one classroom she visited, only two students were in attendance for in-person learning while the other 17 were virtual. The first lady sat down at a computer to say hello to the remote learners.“I just I love being here at a school again: Educators, parents and students, the entire school has come together to bring kids back to the classroom,” she said. “But even with your best efforts, students can’t come, they can’t come in every day, which means that their parents are still having to take time off of work, or figure out childcare solutions. And this school like schools across this country can’t fully reopen without help.”The president on Monday also announced that he had chosen Gene Sperling, a longtime Democratic economic policy expert, to oversee the massive stimulus package, the role Biden himself had played for the 2009 economic rescue package. The goal, Biden said, is to “stay on top of every dollar spent.”“I learned from my experience implementing the Recovery Act just how important it is to have someone who can manage all the moving parts with efficiency, speed and integrity and accountability,” said the president.The plan’s key features include direct payments of $1,400 for most single taxpayers, or $2,800 for married couples filing jointly, plus $1,400 per dependent — a total of $5,600 for a married couple with two children. The payments phase out for people with higher incomes.An extension of federal unemployment benefits will continue through Sept. 6 at $300 a week. There’s $350 billion for state, local and tribal governments, $130 billion for K-12 schools and about $50 billion to expand COVID-19 testing, among other provisions.Restaurants and bars that were forced to close or limit service can take advantage of a new multibillion-dollar grant program, and the plan also has tens of billions of dollars to help people who have fallen behind on rent and mortgage payments.Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, joined his wife for the Western trip, visiting a food relief organization Monday in Las Vegas and participating in a listening session with the organization’s partners. In addition to the president, vice president and their spouses, Cabinet secretaries will also be out on the tour. Hundreds of mayors and governors, including Republicans, are being lined up to give interviews to discuss what the plan means for their communities.Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg went first, touring a UPS distribution center in Landover, Maryland, on Monday that also delivers vaccines in the Washington area.

Shots in arms, money in pockets: Bidens promote relief plan 

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating three intentionally set fires at an apartment complex in Topeka.

Just after 5p.m. Monday, fire crews responded to a fire at the Whispering Pines apartment building at 5801 SW Candletree Drive in Topeka, according to Fire Marshal Todd Harrison.

Upon arrival, fire crews found nothing showing from the three story multi-family apartment building. After further investigation, firefighters found light smoke inside the structure and began an offensive fire attack, keeping it confined to the structure of fire origin. 

While still on scene, fire crews were notified of an additional fire in a separate apartment building at 5810 SW Candletree Drive.

 As fire crews began an offensive attack on the 2nd fire, yet another fire was reported in another apartment building at 5811 SW Candletree. 

Fire crews used an aerial ladder to rescue two occupants from a 2nd story deck at the 5811 building. All occupants from the other units were able to self-evacuate and there were no injuries.

A preliminary investigation indicates the cause of the fires as Incendiary, intentionally set. The estimated dollar loss – $21,200.00; all of which is associated with structural loss and $200.00 associated with contents loss, according to Harrison.&nbsp; Working smoke detectors were located within the structures of fire origin.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615890366164.png" alt="Fire crews on the scene of the fire on Monday evening -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Fire crews on the scene of the fire on Monday evening -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating three intentionally set fires at an apartment complex in Topeka.Just after 5p.m. Monday, fire crews responded to a fire at the Whispering Pines apartment building at 5801 SW Candletree Drive in Topeka, according to Fire Marshal Todd Harrison.Upon arrival, fire crews found nothing showing from the three story multi-family apartment building. After further investigation, firefighters found light smoke inside the structure and began an offensive fire attack, keeping it confined to the structure of fire origin. While still on scene, fire crews were notified of an additional fire in a separate apartment building at 5810 SW Candletree Drive. As fire crews began an offensive attack on the 2nd fire, yet another fire was reported in another apartment building at 5811 SW Candletree. Fire crews used an aerial ladder to rescue two occupants from a 2nd story deck at the 5811 building. All occupants from the other units were able to self-evacuate and there were no injuries.A preliminary investigation indicates the cause of the fires as Incendiary, intentionally set. The estimated dollar loss – $21,200.00; all of which is associated with structural loss and $200.00 associated with contents loss, according to Harrison.&nbsp; Working smoke detectors were located within the structures of fire origin.

2 rescued with aerial ladder from deck of Kan. apartment fire

BY NICOLE LEWIS OF THE&nbsp;Marshall Project and MICHAEL R. SISAK of The Associated Press

A&nbsp;Florida&nbsp;correctional officer polled his colleagues earlier this year in a private Facebook group: “Will you take the COVID-19 vaccine if offered?”

The answer from more than half: “Hell no.” Only 40 of the 475 respondents said yes.

In&nbsp;Massachusetts, more than half the people employed by the Department of Correction declined to be immunized. A statewide survey in&nbsp;California&nbsp;showed that half of all correction employees will wait to be vaccinated. In&nbsp;Rhode Island, prison staff have refused the vaccine at higher rates than the incarcerated, according to medical director Dr. Justin Berk. And in&nbsp;Iowa, early polling among employees showed a little more than half the staff said they’d get vaccinated.

As states have begun COVID-19 inoculations at prisons across the country, corrections employees are refusing vaccines at alarming rates, causing some public health experts to worry about the prospect of controlling the pandemic both inside and outside. Infection rates in prisons are more than three times as high as in the general public. Prison staff helped accelerate outbreaks by refusing to wear masks, downplaying people’s symptoms, and haphazardly enforcing social distancing and hygiene protocols in confined, poorly ventilated spaces ripe for viral spread.

This story is a collaboration between The Associated Press and The Marshall Project exploring the state of the prison system in the coronavirus pandemic. Nicole Lewis, Beth Schwartzapfel and Tom Meagher reported for The Marshall Project.

The Marshall Project and The Associated Press spoke with correctional officers and union leaders nationwide, as well as with public health experts and doctors working inside prisons, to understand why officers are declining to be vaccinated, despite being at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Many employees spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared they would lose their jobs if they spoke out.

In December and January, at least 37 prison systems began to offer vaccines to their employees, particularly front-line correctional officers and those who work in health care. More than 106,000 prison employees in 29 systems, including the Federal Bureau of Prisons, have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to data compiled by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press since December. And some states are not tracking employees who get vaccinated in a community setting such as a clinic or pharmacy.

Still, some correctional officers are refusing the vaccine because they fear both short- and long-term side effects of the immunizations. Others have embraced conspiracy theories about the vaccine. Distrust of the prison administration and its handling of the virus has also discouraged officers from being immunized. In some instances, correctional officers said they would rather be fired than be vaccinated.

The resistance to the vaccine is not unique to correctional officers. Health care workers, caretakers in nursing homes and police officers — who have witnessed the worst effects of the pandemic — have declined to be vaccinated at unexpectedly high rates.

The refusal of prison workers to take the vaccine threatens to undermine efforts to control the pandemic both inside and outside of prisons, according to public health experts. Prisons are coronavirus hot spots, so when staff move between the prisons and their home communities after work, they create a pathway for the virus to spread. More than 388,000 incarcerated people and 105,000 staff members have contracted the coronavirus over the last year. In states like&nbsp;Michigan,&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;and&nbsp;Arizona, that’s meant 1 in 3 staff members have been infected. In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/maine">Maine</a>, the state with the lowest infection rate, 1 in 20 staff members tested positive for COVID-19. Nationwide, those infections proved fatal for 2,474 prisoners and at least 193 staff members.

“People who work in prisons are an essential part of the equation that will lead to reduced disease and less chance of renewed explosive COVID-19 outbreaks in the future,” said Brie Williams, a correctional health expert at the University of California, San Francisco, or UCSF.

At FCI Miami, a federal prison in Florida, fewer than half the facility’s 240 employees had been fully vaccinated as of March 11, according to Kareen Troitino, the local corrections officer union president. Many of the workers who refused had expressed concerns about the vaccine’s efficacy and side effects, Troitino said.

In January, Troitino and FCI Miami warden Sylvester Jenkins sent an email to employees saying that “in an act of solidarity,” they had agreed to get vaccinated and encouraged staff to do the same. “Even though we recognize and respect that this motion is not mandatory; nevertheless, with the intent of promoting staff safety, we encourage all staff to join us,” the Jan. 27 email said.

Only 25 employees signed up. FCI Miami has had two major coronavirus outbreaks, Troitino said: last July, when more than 400 prisoners out of 852 were suspected of having the disease, and in December, when about 100 people were affected at the facility’s minimum-security camp.

Because so many correctional officers and prisoners haven’t been vaccinated, there are fears that could happen again. “Everybody is on edge,” Troitino said. Though he’s gotten the shot, he’s worried about another outbreak and the impact on already stretched staffing at the prison.

The pandemic has strained prisons already struggling with low staffing rates and subpar health care. Low vaccination rates among officers could push prisons to their breaking point. At the height of the outbreak behind bars, several states had to call in the National Guard to temporarily run the facilities because so many staff members had called out sick or refused to work.

At FCI Miami, officers are constantly shuttling sick and elderly prisoners to the hospital, Troitino said. As a result, a skeleton crew of staff is left to operate the prison. Unvaccinated staff only compound the problem as they run the risk of getting sick when outbreaks crop up in the prisons.

“A lot of employees get scared when they find out, ‘Oh, we had an outbreak in a unit, 150 inmates have COVID,’” Troitino said. “Everybody calls in sick.”

Part of the resistance to the vaccine is widespread misinformation among correctional staff, said Brian Dawe, a former correctional officer and national director of One Voice United, a policy and advocacy group for officers. A majority of people in law enforcement lean right, Dawe said. “They get a lot of their information from the right-wing media outlets,” he said. “A lot of them believe you don’t have to wear masks. That it’s like the flu.” National polls have shown that Republicans without college degrees are the most resistant to the vaccine.

Several correctional officers in Florida, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they are not permitted to talk to the press, said many of their colleagues believe that the vaccine could give them the virus. Some have latched onto debunked conspiracy theories circulating on social media, the officers said, believing the vaccine contains tracking devices produced by former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, who has donated to coronavirus treatment research. (The vaccine does not contain tracking devices.) Others believe the vaccine was hastily produced without enough time to understand the long-term side effects.

“I wouldn’t care if I worked in a dorm with every inmate having COVID, I still wouldn’t get (vaccinated),” said a correctional sergeant who has worked for the Florida Department of Corrections for more than a decade. “If I’m wearing a mask, gloves, washing my hands and being careful — I’d still feel better working like that than putting the vaccine in my body.”

Officer attitudes about the vaccine are so widespread that researchers at UCSF have created a frequently asked questions flyer for the incarcerated that includes: “I heard the guards/officers … at my facility are refusing to get the vaccine. If they aren’t getting it, why should I?” The researchers encourage the incarcerated to learn as much as they can about the vaccine and to make their own decision “regardless of what other people are doing.”

Public health experts have urged states to prioritize vaccinations in prisons and jails but cautioned against prioritizing staff over prisoners. Though numbers aren’t available from many states, at least 15 began vaccinating staff before the incarcerated, The Marshall Project and Associated Press found. “We know they have anti-vax ideations and attitudes,” said Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, who leads the COVID Prison Project, which tracks correction officials’ responses to the pandemic. “We have said again and again, we shouldn’t have this two-tier system.”

But guards’ refusal to be vaccinated has been a blessing for some incarcerated people. The vaccines have a short shelf life after being thawed out, so officials have offered the leftover vaccines to prisoners instead of letting them go to waste. Julia Ann Poff is incarcerated at FMC Carswell, a federal prison in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/texas">Texas</a>&nbsp;for women with special medical and mental health needs, for sending bombs to state and federal officials. She said she received her first shot in mid-December, after several officers declined.

“I consider myself very blessed to have received it,” she wrote, using the prison’s email system. “I have lupus and a recent diagnosis of heart disease, so there was no way I could afford to let myself get (sick).”

Misinformation and conspiracy theories aside, some officers in federal prisons say they are refusing the vaccine because they do not trust the prison administration. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has come under fire by employees and the incarcerated for its response to the coronavirus. Among the criticisms: a lack of masks and soap in the pandemic’s early days, broken thermometers at one facility and sick prisoners who say they were bunched together without social distancing.

At FCI Mendota, a medium-security federal prison near Fresno, California, officials closed off the main employee entrance in January, funneled the employees through a visiting room turned vaccination clinic and forced them to decide on the spot whether to get vaccinated. Employees weren’t allowed to proceed to their posts without either getting vaccinated or signing a form declaring they refused the vaccine.

Aaron McGlothin, a local corrections officers’ union president, said he refused the vaccine citing medical issues, adding that he doesn’t trust prison officials’ motives.

Employers cannot mandate that staff get vaccinated. So correctional officers’ refusal puts incarcerated people at risk as they have no way of protecting themselves from unmasked and unvaccinated officers. By December, 1 in 5 incarcerated people had contracted the coronavirus, according to data compiled by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press.

Correctional officers can bring the virus home from work and infect family members, too. In extreme cases, those family members themselves become seriously ill or even die. At least five family members of correctional employees have died of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to the online memorial Mourning Our Losses, which tracks COVID-19 deaths among those who live and work in prisons and jails. In one instance, a Florida correctional officer and his wife died in side-by-side intensive care rooms on the same day.

For some officers, these life and death experiences are a wake-up call. At FCI Miami, where Troitino leads the local officers’ union, several employees contracted the virus or were hospitalized for COVID-19 after officials encouraged them to get vaccinated in late January but they refused. Some of those employees have expressed a change of heart about the vaccine.

“They have called me begging to have the vaccine reserved for them upon their return,” Troitino said. “A few faced life and death and are totally devastated by their experience.”

BY NICOLE LEWIS OF THE&nbsp;Marshall Project and MICHAEL R. SISAK of The Associated PressA&nbsp;Florida&nbsp;correctional officer polled his colleagues earlier this year in a private Facebook group: “Will you take the COVID-19 vaccine if offered?”The answer from more than half: “Hell no.” Only 40 of the 475 respondents said yes.In&nbsp;Massachusetts, more than half the people employed by the Department of Correction declined to be immunized. A statewide survey in&nbsp;California&nbsp;showed that half of all correction employees will wait to be vaccinated. In&nbsp;Rhode Island, prison staff have refused the vaccine at higher rates than the incarcerated, according to medical director Dr. Justin Berk. And in&nbsp;Iowa, early polling among employees showed a little more than half the staff said they’d get vaccinated.As states have begun COVID-19 inoculations at prisons across the country, corrections employees are refusing vaccines at alarming rates, causing some public health experts to worry about the prospect of controlling the pandemic both inside and outside. Infection rates in prisons are more than three times as high as in the general public. Prison staff helped accelerate outbreaks by refusing to wear masks, downplaying people’s symptoms, and haphazardly enforcing social distancing and hygiene protocols in confined, poorly ventilated spaces ripe for viral spread.___This story is a collaboration between The Associated Press and The Marshall Project exploring the state of the prison system in the coronavirus pandemic. Nicole Lewis, Beth Schwartzapfel and Tom Meagher reported for The Marshall Project.___The Marshall Project and The Associated Press spoke with correctional officers and union leaders nationwide, as well as with public health experts and doctors working inside prisons, to understand why officers are declining to be vaccinated, despite being at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Many employees spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared they would lose their jobs if they spoke out.In December and January, at least 37 prison systems began to offer vaccines to their employees, particularly front-line correctional officers and those who work in health care. More than 106,000 prison employees in 29 systems, including the Federal Bureau of Prisons, have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to data compiled by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press since December. And some states are not tracking employees who get vaccinated in a community setting such as a clinic or pharmacy.Still, some correctional officers are refusing the vaccine because they fear both short- and long-term side effects of the immunizations. Others have embraced conspiracy theories about the vaccine. Distrust of the prison administration and its handling of the virus has also discouraged officers from being immunized. In some instances, correctional officers said they would rather be fired than be vaccinated.The resistance to the vaccine is not unique to correctional officers. Health care workers, caretakers in nursing homes and police officers — who have witnessed the worst effects of the pandemic — have declined to be vaccinated at unexpectedly high rates.The refusal of prison workers to take the vaccine threatens to undermine efforts to control the pandemic both inside and outside of prisons, according to public health experts. Prisons are coronavirus hot spots, so when staff move between the prisons and their home communities after work, they create a pathway for the virus to spread. More than 388,000 incarcerated people and 105,000 staff members have contracted the coronavirus over the last year. In states like&nbsp;Michigan,&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;and&nbsp;Arizona, that’s meant 1 in 3 staff members have been infected. In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/maine">Maine</a>, the state with the lowest infection rate, 1 in 20 staff members tested positive for COVID-19. Nationwide, those infections proved fatal for 2,474 prisoners and at least 193 staff members.“People who work in prisons are an essential part of the equation that will lead to reduced disease and less chance of renewed explosive COVID-19 outbreaks in the future,” said Brie Williams, a correctional health expert at the University of California, San Francisco, or UCSF.At FCI Miami, a federal prison in Florida, fewer than half the facility’s 240 employees had been fully vaccinated as of March 11, according to Kareen Troitino, the local corrections officer union president. Many of the workers who refused had expressed concerns about the vaccine’s efficacy and side effects, Troitino said.In January, Troitino and FCI Miami warden Sylvester Jenkins sent an email to employees saying that “in an act of solidarity,” they had agreed to get vaccinated and encouraged staff to do the same. “Even though we recognize and respect that this motion is not mandatory; nevertheless, with the intent of promoting staff safety, we encourage all staff to join us,” the Jan. 27 email said.Only 25 employees signed up. FCI Miami has had two major coronavirus outbreaks, Troitino said: last July, when more than 400 prisoners out of 852 were suspected of having the disease, and in December, when about 100 people were affected at the facility’s minimum-security camp.Because so many correctional officers and prisoners haven’t been vaccinated, there are fears that could happen again. “Everybody is on edge,” Troitino said. Though he’s gotten the shot, he’s worried about another outbreak and the impact on already stretched staffing at the prison.The pandemic has strained prisons already struggling with low staffing rates and subpar health care. Low vaccination rates among officers could push prisons to their breaking point. At the height of the outbreak behind bars, several states had to call in the National Guard to temporarily run the facilities because so many staff members had called out sick or refused to work.At FCI Miami, officers are constantly shuttling sick and elderly prisoners to the hospital, Troitino said. As a result, a skeleton crew of staff is left to operate the prison. Unvaccinated staff only compound the problem as they run the risk of getting sick when outbreaks crop up in the prisons.“A lot of employees get scared when they find out, ‘Oh, we had an outbreak in a unit, 150 inmates have COVID,’” Troitino said. “Everybody calls in sick.”Part of the resistance to the vaccine is widespread misinformation among correctional staff, said Brian Dawe, a former correctional officer and national director of One Voice United, a policy and advocacy group for officers. A majority of people in law enforcement lean right, Dawe said. “They get a lot of their information from the right-wing media outlets,” he said. “A lot of them believe you don’t have to wear masks. That it’s like the flu.” National polls have shown that Republicans without college degrees are the most resistant to the vaccine.Several correctional officers in Florida, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they are not permitted to talk to the press, said many of their colleagues believe that the vaccine could give them the virus. Some have latched onto debunked conspiracy theories circulating on social media, the officers said, believing the vaccine contains tracking devices produced by former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, who has donated to coronavirus treatment research. (The vaccine does not contain tracking devices.) Others believe the vaccine was hastily produced without enough time to understand the long-term side effects.“I wouldn’t care if I worked in a dorm with every inmate having COVID, I still wouldn’t get (vaccinated),” said a correctional sergeant who has worked for the Florida Department of Corrections for more than a decade. “If I’m wearing a mask, gloves, washing my hands and being careful — I’d still feel better working like that than putting the vaccine in my body.”Officer attitudes about the vaccine are so widespread that researchers at UCSF have created a frequently asked questions flyer for the incarcerated that includes: “I heard the guards/officers … at my facility are refusing to get the vaccine. If they aren’t getting it, why should I?” The researchers encourage the incarcerated to learn as much as they can about the vaccine and to make their own decision “regardless of what other people are doing.”Public health experts have urged states to prioritize vaccinations in prisons and jails but cautioned against prioritizing staff over prisoners. Though numbers aren’t available from many states, at least 15 began vaccinating staff before the incarcerated, The Marshall Project and Associated Press found. “We know they have anti-vax ideations and attitudes,” said Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, who leads the COVID Prison Project, which tracks correction officials’ responses to the pandemic. “We have said again and again, we shouldn’t have this two-tier system.”But guards’ refusal to be vaccinated has been a blessing for some incarcerated people. The vaccines have a short shelf life after being thawed out, so officials have offered the leftover vaccines to prisoners instead of letting them go to waste. Julia Ann Poff is incarcerated at FMC Carswell, a federal prison in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/texas">Texas</a>&nbsp;for women with special medical and mental health needs, for sending bombs to state and federal officials. She said she received her first shot in mid-December, after several officers declined.“I consider myself very blessed to have received it,” she wrote, using the prison’s email system. “I have lupus and a recent diagnosis of heart disease, so there was no way I could afford to let myself get (sick).”Misinformation and conspiracy theories aside, some officers in federal prisons say they are refusing the vaccine because they do not trust the prison administration. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has come under fire by employees and the incarcerated for its response to the coronavirus. Among the criticisms: a lack of masks and soap in the pandemic’s early days, broken thermometers at one facility and sick prisoners who say they were bunched together without social distancing.At FCI Mendota, a medium-security federal prison near Fresno, California, officials closed off the main employee entrance in January, funneled the employees through a visiting room turned vaccination clinic and forced them to decide on the spot whether to get vaccinated. Employees weren’t allowed to proceed to their posts without either getting vaccinated or signing a form declaring they refused the vaccine.Aaron McGlothin, a local corrections officers’ union president, said he refused the vaccine citing medical issues, adding that he doesn’t trust prison officials’ motives.Employers cannot mandate that staff get vaccinated. So correctional officers’ refusal puts incarcerated people at risk as they have no way of protecting themselves from unmasked and unvaccinated officers. By December, 1 in 5 incarcerated people had contracted the coronavirus, according to data compiled by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press.Correctional officers can bring the virus home from work and infect family members, too. In extreme cases, those family members themselves become seriously ill or even die. At least five family members of correctional employees have died of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to the online memorial Mourning Our Losses, which tracks COVID-19 deaths among those who live and work in prisons and jails. In one instance, a Florida correctional officer and his wife died in side-by-side intensive care rooms on the same day.For some officers, these life and death experiences are a wake-up call. At FCI Miami, where Troitino leads the local officers’ union, several employees contracted the virus or were hospitalized for COVID-19 after officials encouraged them to get vaccinated in late January but they refused. Some of those employees have expressed a change of heart about the vaccine.“They have called me begging to have the vaccine reserved for them upon their return,” Troitino said. “A few faced life and death and are totally devastated by their experience.”

US prison guards refusing vaccine despite COVID-19 outbreaks

OSAGE COUNTY–&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Osage County Sheriff’s Office, and the Burlingame Police Department are investigating after a woman was found deceased in her apartment in Burlingame, Kansas, according to a media release from the KBI.

On Sunday evening, March 14, a concerned citizen called the Burlingame Police Department when she could not reach her friend. Officers from the Burlingame Police Department went to check on the welfare of 49-year-old Cristina Pratt. When they attempted to contact Pratt at her apartment at 134 W. Lincoln St., the apartment was quiet and nobody answered the door.

Still unable to locate Pratt, on Monday morning officers returned to the address and arranged for the owner to unlock the apartment. At approximately 9:30 a.m., they entered the residence and found Pratt dead inside. Investigators believe she was the victim of foul play. An autopsy will be conducted.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME, or the Osage County Sheriff’s Office at (785) 828-3121. Tips can also be submitted online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar" target="_blank">https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar</a>.

OSAGE COUNTY–&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Osage County Sheriff’s Office, and the Burlingame Police Department are investigating after a woman was found deceased in her apartment in Burlingame, Kansas, according to a media release from the KBI.On Sunday evening, March 14, a concerned citizen called the Burlingame Police Department when she could not reach her friend. Officers from the Burlingame Police Department went to check on the welfare of 49-year-old Cristina Pratt. When they attempted to contact Pratt at her apartment at 134 W. Lincoln St., the apartment was quiet and nobody answered the door.Still unable to locate Pratt, on Monday morning officers returned to the address and arranged for the owner to unlock the apartment. At approximately 9:30 a.m., they entered the residence and found Pratt dead inside. Investigators believe she was the victim of foul play. An autopsy will be conducted.Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME, or the Osage County Sheriff’s Office at (785) 828-3121. Tips can also be submitted online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar" target="_blank">https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar</a>.

Homicide: Kansas woman found dead in her apartment

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Severe thunderstorms rolled through the Kansas City area on Monday, spawning at least one brief tornado touchdown that damaged homes and downed fences and tree limbs.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615852798200.png" alt="Storm damage photo Johnson Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Storm damage photo Johnson Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Severe thunderstorms rolled through the Kansas City area on Monday, spawning at least one brief tornado touchdown that damaged homes and downed fences and tree limbs.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615852937296.png" alt="Storm damage photo Johnson CO. Sheriff." />
 <figcaption>Storm damage photo Johnson CO. Sheriff.</figcaption>
 </figure>The National Weather Service said on Twitter that law enforcement reported a tornado had touched down in rural southeast Johnson County south of Overland Park, Kansas.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615852026192.png" alt="Monday evening storm damage photo by Jackson Kurtz courtesy KMBC" />
 <figcaption>Monday evening storm damage photo by Jackson Kurtz courtesy KMBC</figcaption>
 </figure>KMBC-TV reported about 20 homes had roofing and siding damage. Early television footage showed minor structural damage and other debris on the ground.The National Weather Service issued the first of several warnings in the Kansas City area shortly before 4 p.m. after radar indicated rotation in the clouds.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615851937652.png" alt="Monday radar image -National Weather Service Kansas City" />
 <figcaption>Monday radar image -National Weather Service Kansas City</figcaption>
 </figure>