TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will put a priority on vaccinating teachers and other school staff against COVID-19 so that K-12 students across the state can resume in-person classes as quickly as possible, Gov. Laura Kelly said Wednesday.

The Democratic governor’s announcement came a week after she told leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature that 60% of the state’s 286 school districts had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/teaching-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-944ea12853ff15976997696fec91b74f">started inoculating teachers.</a>&nbsp;The state’s public schools have about 72,000 staff members, including 34,000 certified teachers.

Kelly said the state will be able to inoculate school staff because it expects the federal government to start next week to ship an additional 25,000 vaccine doses a week. She said the federal government has promised Kansas a total of 115,000 doses a week.

The governor also said the state would make rapid-response COVID-19 testing available to schools as well.

“We want our kids back in the classroom,” Kelly said during a Statehouse news conference. “We all know that virtual school is not ideal.”

In mid-March 2020, shortly after the pandemic reached Kansas, Kelly ordered K-12 school building closed until the end of the spring semester, and she continues to argue that it was necessary to check the spread of COVID-19. But she faced heavy criticism from Republican lawmakers that the action was too drastic and hurt children’s learning.

Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, last week introduced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-1784260eee9b7629078ba41042d0297a">a bill</a>&nbsp;that would require the state’s K-12 schools to offer in-person classes to all students starting March 26. Kelly said she hopes “we can get some of them back sooner than that.”

“Some schools have started to do that,” she said. “Some counties have already started to focus on teachers and staff in the schools in anticipation of being able to bring kids back. We all know this has not been a good situation.”

Kelly’s announcement came a day after the Kansas-National Association, the state’s largest teachers union, invited hundreds of teacher-leaders to a Zoom panel discussion in which health experts discussed the importance of COVID-19 vaccines.

“We are supportive of the governor’s efforts to get vaccine to educators because we know that that is what will help us get back to safe in-person instruction according to the medical experts, said Marcus Baltzell, a union spokesperson.

But Kelly announced the focus on teachers and school staff after a winter cold snap led to rolling power outages, disrupted vaccine shipments, canceled some immunization clinics and shrank the number of people being tested.

Dennis Kriesel, executive director of the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments, said vaccine shipments that were supposed to go out earlier this week were delayed again on Wednesday. He said state health officials hope that most facilities will receive their weekly allotment by Friday.

Multiple communities, including some in the Topeka and Kansas City area, canceled vaccination clinics and testing Tuesday as temperatures dipped below zero and snow fell.

Testing had been falling even before the cold snap, with state health department data showing that the most people were tested in November, almost 186,000, or 6188 per day, and then it dropped to 182,000 in December or 5,873 a day — perhaps because of the holidays — and then it was less than 139,000 in January, or 4468 per day.

The lower number of tests has coincided with a drop in the number of positive tests. Kansas added just 1,267 new confirmed cases from Monday to Wednesday, pushing the state’s pandemic total to 288,717. That brought the state’s rolling seven-day average to 546 new COVID-19 cases a day, the lowest its been since mid-September. The number of COVID-19 deaths also rose by 115 to 4,521.

But the number of hospitalizations and the positivity rate also has been shrinking, leading health officials to believe the situation is actually improving.

In Wichita, the two major hospitals now have available beds in their intensive care units after 15 weeks of full ICUs, the Sedgwick County Health Department said.

There also is room at Kansas City area hospitals, said Elizabeth Holzschuh, an epidemiologist with the Johnson County health department, during a conference call Tuesday.

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, director of infection control for the University of Kansas Health System, said the vaccination rollout is helping reduce infections — particularly among nursing home residents — but doesn’t fully explain the drop. He said it is more likely the result of better masking, adding that the recent winter weather also has caused a “nature induced shutdown.”

Dr. Steve Stites, the chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System, said during a daily webcast that the cold snap forced people indoors.

“You are staying within your bubble because you want to stay warm,” he said. “We will take that.”

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will put a priority on vaccinating teachers and other school staff against COVID-19 so that K-12 students across the state can resume in-person classes as quickly as possible, Gov. Laura Kelly said Wednesday.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FGovLauraKelly%2Fvideos%2F179149120309819%2F&show_text=false&width=560" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>The Democratic governor’s announcement came a week after she told leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature that 60% of the state’s 286 school districts had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/teaching-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-944ea12853ff15976997696fec91b74f">started inoculating teachers.</a>&nbsp;The state’s public schools have about 72,000 staff members, including 34,000 certified teachers.Kelly said the state will be able to inoculate school staff because it expects the federal government to start next week to ship an additional 25,000 vaccine doses a week. She said the federal government has promised Kansas a total of 115,000 doses a week.The governor also said the state would make rapid-response COVID-19 testing available to schools as well.“We want our kids back in the classroom,” Kelly said during a Statehouse news conference. “We all know that virtual school is not ideal.”In mid-March 2020, shortly after the pandemic reached Kansas, Kelly ordered K-12 school building closed until the end of the spring semester, and she continues to argue that it was necessary to check the spread of COVID-19. But she faced heavy criticism from Republican lawmakers that the action was too drastic and hurt children’s learning.Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, last week introduced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-1784260eee9b7629078ba41042d0297a">a bill</a>&nbsp;that would require the state’s K-12 schools to offer in-person classes to all students starting March 26. Kelly said she hopes “we can get some of them back sooner than that.”“Some schools have started to do that,” she said. “Some counties have already started to focus on teachers and staff in the schools in anticipation of being able to bring kids back. We all know this has not been a good situation.”Kelly’s announcement came a day after the Kansas-National Association, the state’s largest teachers union, invited hundreds of teacher-leaders to a Zoom panel discussion in which health experts discussed the importance of COVID-19 vaccines.“We are supportive of the governor’s efforts to get vaccine to educators because we know that that is what will help us get back to safe in-person instruction according to the medical experts, said Marcus Baltzell, a union spokesperson.But Kelly announced the focus on teachers and school staff after a winter cold snap led to rolling power outages, disrupted vaccine shipments, canceled some immunization clinics and shrank the number of people being tested.Dennis Kriesel, executive director of the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments, said vaccine shipments that were supposed to go out earlier this week were delayed again on Wednesday. He said state health officials hope that most facilities will receive their weekly allotment by Friday.Multiple communities, including some in the Topeka and Kansas City area, canceled vaccination clinics and testing Tuesday as temperatures dipped below zero and snow fell.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613584997529.png" alt="Wednesday Feb. 17, 2021 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday Feb. 17, 2021 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>Testing had been falling even before the cold snap, with state health department data showing that the most people were tested in November, almost 186,000, or 6188 per day, and then it dropped to 182,000 in December or 5,873 a day — perhaps because of the holidays — and then it was less than 139,000 in January, or 4468 per day.The lower number of tests has coincided with a drop in the number of positive tests. Kansas added just 1,267 new confirmed cases from Monday to Wednesday, pushing the state’s pandemic total to 288,717. That brought the state’s rolling seven-day average to 546 new COVID-19 cases a day, the lowest its been since mid-September. The number of COVID-19 deaths also rose by 115 to 4,521.But the number of hospitalizations and the positivity rate also has been shrinking, leading health officials to believe the situation is actually improving.In Wichita, the two major hospitals now have available beds in their intensive care units after 15 weeks of full ICUs, the Sedgwick County Health Department said.There also is room at Kansas City area hospitals, said Elizabeth Holzschuh, an epidemiologist with the Johnson County health department, during a conference call Tuesday.Dr. Dana Hawkinson, director of infection control for the University of Kansas Health System, said the vaccination rollout is helping reduce infections — particularly among nursing home residents — but doesn’t fully explain the drop. He said it is more likely the result of better masking, adding that the recent winter weather also has caused a “nature induced shutdown.”Dr. Steve Stites, the chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System, said during a daily webcast that the cold snap forced people indoors.“You are staying within your bubble because you want to stay warm,” he said. “We will take that.”

🎥  More COVID vaccine coming to Kansas for teachers, school staff

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Power outages in&nbsp;Texas&nbsp;dropped below 1 million on Thursday morning for the first time in four days, but many people remained without electricity or safe drinking water after winter storms wreaked havoc on the state's power grid and utilities.

During a news conference Wednesday, Andrew French, Chairman of the Kansas Corporation Commission said energy usage in the region was lower than forecast. "That tells me our conservation measures by businesses and residents in Kansas are making a difference," he said. 

"Conservation has been really important to keep the lights on for everyone and for keeping natural gas flowing."&nbsp; He offered thanks for the effort and asked the public to continue conservation measures.

French said the <a href="https://spp.org/">Southwest Power Pool</a> had notified him Wednesday afternoon that the region remained in their emergency operation. However, the organization had dropped their alert level to an EA-1. "This is two notches below where they were calling for coordinated blackouts." Those blackouts occurred midday on Monday and Tuesday morning in portions of Kansas.

"Our hope is that we can get through the next day or so, get into warmer temperatures to relieve the strain on the energy system," he said.

In Little Rock,&nbsp;Arkansas, 15 inches of snow was on the ground Thursday after back-to-back storms, tying a record for snow depth set in 1918, the National Weather Service said.

This week's extreme weather has been blamed for the deaths of more than 30 people, some of whom perished while struggling to keep warm inside their homes. In the Houston area, one family succumbed to carbon monoxide from car exhaust in their garage. A grandmother and three children died when flames escaped the fireplace they were using to keep warm.

In Texas, about 560,000 homes and businesses were still without electricity Thursday morning, down from about 3 million the day before. But Texas’ grid manager, under fire for its response to the winter storm, has warned that the outages could fluctuate during hours of peak energy demand.

Adding to the misery, the snowy weather has jeopardized drinking water systems throughout the state.

Texas officials ordered 7 million people — a quarter of the population of the nation’s second-largest state — to boil tap water before drinking it following days of record low temperatures that damaged infrastructure and froze pipes.

In Austin, some hospitals faced a loss in water pressure and in some cases, heat.

“Because this is a state-wide emergency situation that is also impacting other hospitals within the Austin area, no one hospital currently has the capacity to accept transport of a large number of patients,” St. David's South Austin Medical Center CEO David Huffstutler said in a statement.

Water pressure has fallen across the state because lines have frozen, and many residents are leaving faucets dripping in hopes of preventing pipes from freezing, said Toby Baker, executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott urged residents to shut off water to their homes, if possible, to prevent more busted pipes and preserve pressure in municipal systems.

Weather-related outages have been particularly stubborn in&nbsp;Oregon, where some customers have been without power for almost a week. A Portland supermarket without power threw perishable food into dumpsters, leading to a clash between scavengers and police.

The damage to the power system was the worst in 40 years, said Maria Pope, CEO of Portland General Electric. At the peak of the storm, more than 350,000 customers in the Portland area were in the dark. More than 100,000 customers remained without power Thursday in Oregon.

“These are the most dangerous conditions we’ve ever seen in the history of PGE,” said Dale Goodman, director of utility operations, who declined to predict when all customers would have power restored.

Utilities from&nbsp;Minnesota&nbsp;to Texas have implemented rolling blackouts to ease the burden on strained power grids. The Southwest Power Pool, a group of utilities covering 14 states, said the blackouts were “a last resort to preserve the reliability of the electric system as a whole.”

The weather also disrupted water systems in several Southern cities, including in New Orleans and Shreveport,&nbsp;Louisiana, where city fire trucks delivered water to several hospitals, and bottled water was being brought in for patients and staff, Shreveport television station KSLA reported.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards sought a presidential emergency declaration Wednesday evening, seeking federal money and supplies in response to extended power outages in his state.

Power was cut to a New Orleans facility that pumps drinking water from the&nbsp;Mississippi&nbsp;River. A spokeswoman for the Sewerage and Water Board said on-site generators were used until electricity was restored.

In the southwest Louisiana city of Lake Charles, Mayor Nic Hunter said Wednesday that water reserves remained low and local hospitals were faced with the possibility they might have to transfer patients to other areas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613601077409.png" alt="Kansas Corporation Commission Chairman Andrew French during Wednesday's news conference with Governor Kelly." />
 <figcaption>Kansas Corporation Commission Chairman Andrew French during Wednesday's news conference with Governor Kelly.</figcaption>
 </figure>AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Power outages in&nbsp;Texas&nbsp;dropped below 1 million on Thursday morning for the first time in four days, but many people remained without electricity or safe drinking water after winter storms wreaked havoc on the state's power grid and utilities.During a news conference Wednesday, Andrew French, Chairman of the Kansas Corporation Commission said energy usage in the region was lower than forecast. "That tells me our conservation measures by businesses and residents in Kansas are making a difference," he said. "Conservation has been really important to keep the lights on for everyone and for keeping natural gas flowing."&nbsp; He offered thanks for the effort and asked the public to continue conservation measures.French said the <a href="https://spp.org/">Southwest Power Pool</a> had notified him Wednesday afternoon that the region remained in their emergency operation. However, the organization had dropped their alert level to an EA-1. "This is two notches below where they were calling for coordinated blackouts." Those blackouts occurred midday on Monday and Tuesday morning in portions of Kansas."Our hope is that we can get through the next day or so, get into warmer temperatures to relieve the strain on the energy system," he said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Why has the SPP region been so affected by the current cold-weather event? This map shows overlap between the coldest temperatures in the nation and SPP’s 14-state balancing authority area. <a href="https://t.co/floZvwYktZ">pic.twitter.com/floZvwYktZ</a>&mdash; Southwest Power Pool (@SPPorg) <a href="https://twitter.com/SPPorg/status/1362141548008275970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In Little Rock,&nbsp;Arkansas, 15 inches of snow was on the ground Thursday after back-to-back storms, tying a record for snow depth set in 1918, the National Weather Service said.This week's extreme weather has been blamed for the deaths of more than 30 people, some of whom perished while struggling to keep warm inside their homes. In the Houston area, one family succumbed to carbon monoxide from car exhaust in their garage. A grandmother and three children died when flames escaped the fireplace they were using to keep warm.In Texas, about 560,000 homes and businesses were still without electricity Thursday morning, down from about 3 million the day before. But Texas’ grid manager, under fire for its response to the winter storm, has warned that the outages could fluctuate during hours of peak energy demand.Adding to the misery, the snowy weather has jeopardized drinking water systems throughout the state.Texas officials ordered 7 million people — a quarter of the population of the nation’s second-largest state — to boil tap water before drinking it following days of record low temperatures that damaged infrastructure and froze pipes.In Austin, some hospitals faced a loss in water pressure and in some cases, heat.“Because this is a state-wide emergency situation that is also impacting other hospitals within the Austin area, no one hospital currently has the capacity to accept transport of a large number of patients,” St. David's South Austin Medical Center CEO David Huffstutler said in a statement.Water pressure has fallen across the state because lines have frozen, and many residents are leaving faucets dripping in hopes of preventing pipes from freezing, said Toby Baker, executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.Texas Gov. Greg Abbott urged residents to shut off water to their homes, if possible, to prevent more busted pipes and preserve pressure in municipal systems.Weather-related outages have been particularly stubborn in&nbsp;Oregon, where some customers have been without power for almost a week. A Portland supermarket without power threw perishable food into dumpsters, leading to a clash between scavengers and police.The damage to the power system was the worst in 40 years, said Maria Pope, CEO of Portland General Electric. At the peak of the storm, more than 350,000 customers in the Portland area were in the dark. More than 100,000 customers remained without power Thursday in Oregon.“These are the most dangerous conditions we’ve ever seen in the history of PGE,” said Dale Goodman, director of utility operations, who declined to predict when all customers would have power restored.Utilities from&nbsp;Minnesota&nbsp;to Texas have implemented rolling blackouts to ease the burden on strained power grids. The Southwest Power Pool, a group of utilities covering 14 states, said the blackouts were “a last resort to preserve the reliability of the electric system as a whole.”The weather also disrupted water systems in several Southern cities, including in New Orleans and Shreveport,&nbsp;Louisiana, where city fire trucks delivered water to several hospitals, and bottled water was being brought in for patients and staff, Shreveport television station KSLA reported.Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards sought a presidential emergency declaration Wednesday evening, seeking federal money and supplies in response to extended power outages in his state.Power was cut to a New Orleans facility that pumps drinking water from the&nbsp;Mississippi&nbsp;River. A spokeswoman for the Sewerage and Water Board said on-site generators were used until electricity was restored.In the southwest Louisiana city of Lake Charles, Mayor Nic Hunter said Wednesday that water reserves remained low and local hospitals were faced with the possibility they might have to transfer patients to other areas.___

Outages drop in Texas; better news on power supply in Kansas

Kansas City (AP) — Human remains found last week in rural Clay County were those of a missing 45-year-old woman from Independence, Clay County authorities said Wednesday.

The sheriff's office said the death of Alesha Jane Reade was being investigated as a homicide. Reade was last seen on Feb. 9. Her body was found Feb. 11, the same day she was reported missing.

Officials did not provide further information. The investigation is continuing.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613604861628.png" alt="Reade photo MSHP" />
 <figcaption>Reade photo MSHP</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas City (AP) — Human remains found last week in rural Clay County were those of a missing 45-year-old woman from Independence, Clay County authorities said Wednesday.The sheriff's office said the death of Alesha Jane Reade was being investigated as a homicide. Reade was last seen on Feb. 9. Her body was found Feb. 11, the same day she was reported missing.Officials did not provide further information. The investigation is continuing.

Homicide: Remains found near KC identified as missing 45-year-old 

KIOWA COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 2:30p.m. Wednesday in Kiowa County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2016 Buick Enclave driven by Jordan Jae Stauth, 37 Haviland, was traveling on U.S. 54, one half mile east of&nbsp; 37th Avenue. 

The SUV crossed the eastbound lane onto the eastbound shoulder and collided head on with an eastbound 2011 Kenworth semi driven by&nbsp;Moyer, Richard M. Moyer, 74, Haviland.

Stauth was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Hatfield-Prusa Mortuary. EMS transported Moyer to Kiowa County Hospital.&nbsp; The KHP had incomplete seat belt usage information due to the fire.

KIOWA COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 2:30p.m. Wednesday in Kiowa County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2016 Buick Enclave driven by Jordan Jae Stauth, 37 Haviland, was traveling on U.S. 54, one half mile east of&nbsp; 37th Avenue. The SUV crossed the eastbound lane onto the eastbound shoulder and collided head on with an eastbound 2011 Kenworth semi driven by&nbsp;Moyer, Richard M. Moyer, 74, Haviland.Stauth was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Hatfield-Prusa Mortuary. EMS transported Moyer to Kiowa County Hospital.&nbsp; The KHP had incomplete seat belt usage information due to the fire.

Kansas woman dies after head-on crash with semi

BARTON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on child sex allegations after an arrest.

On Tuesday afternoon, MotorCity Justice, the organization helping law enforcement identify and capture alleged child sexual predators,&nbsp; contacted the Barton County Sheriff’s Office, according to Sheriff Brian Bellendir.

MotorCity Justice shared information with the Sheriff’s office that led deputies to believe an individual was attempting to solicit unlawful activity with a juvenile.

Deputies and detectives placed an area in the 3700 block of 8th Street in Great Bend under surveillance. Shortly after 5p.m. deputies made contact with 32-year-old Lonny R. Miller of Larned. 

Deputies had reason to believe probable cause existed that Miller was attempting to solicit a 15-year-old for sex. 

The deputies placed Miller under arrest and transported him to the Barton County Jail without incident. He was booked on requested charges of indecent solicitation of a child, attempted exploitation of a child and electronic solicitation. He’s being held in lieu of a $100,000 bond, according to Bellendir.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613598241057.png" alt="Miller photo Barton Co." />
 <figcaption>Miller photo Barton Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>BARTON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on child sex allegations after an arrest.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=476&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Flonestarrjusticeog%2Fvideos%2F418175722606487%2F&show_text=false&width=267" width="267" height="476" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>On Tuesday afternoon, MotorCity Justice, the organization helping law enforcement identify and capture alleged child sexual predators,&nbsp; contacted the Barton County Sheriff’s Office, according to Sheriff Brian Bellendir.MotorCity Justice shared information with the Sheriff’s office that led deputies to believe an individual was attempting to solicit unlawful activity with a juvenile.Deputies and detectives placed an area in the 3700 block of 8th Street in Great Bend under surveillance. Shortly after 5p.m. deputies made contact with 32-year-old Lonny R. Miller of Larned. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613598696334.png" alt="Miller meeting the Barton Co. Sheriff's deputies -image courtesy Motor City Justice" />
 <figcaption>Miller meeting the Barton Co. Sheriff's deputies -image courtesy Motor City Justice</figcaption>
 </figure>Deputies had reason to believe probable cause existed that Miller was attempting to solicit a 15-year-old for sex. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613598722415.png" alt="Image courtesy Motor City Justice" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy Motor City Justice</figcaption>
 </figure>The deputies placed Miller under arrest and transported him to the Barton County Jail without incident. He was booked on requested charges of indecent solicitation of a child, attempted exploitation of a child and electronic solicitation. He’s being held in lieu of a $100,000 bond, according to Bellendir.

🎥 Social media tip: Kan. man wanted to meet teen for sex

HARVEY COUNTY —A Kansas man died in an accident just before 4p.m. Wednesday in Harvey County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Canam ATV driven by Levi&nbsp;Minkevitch, 30, Peabody, was traveling in the ditch along Dutch Avenue approximately 1/2 mile east of Harvest Hill Road.

The rider lost control of the vehicle when he attempted to jump the ditch into the adjacent field.&nbsp; The ATV rolled into the creek.

EMS transported Minkevitch to Newton Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. .

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613646715400.jpeg" alt="Levi Minkevitch photo courtesy Newton Police Department" />
 <figcaption>Levi Minkevitch photo courtesy Newton Police Department</figcaption>
 </figure>HARVEY COUNTY —A Kansas man died in an accident just before 4p.m. Wednesday in Harvey County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Canam ATV driven by Levi&nbsp;Minkevitch, 30, Peabody, was traveling in the ditch along Dutch Avenue approximately 1/2 mile east of Harvest Hill Road.The rider lost control of the vehicle when he attempted to jump the ditch into the adjacent field.&nbsp; The ATV rolled into the creek.EMS transported Minkevitch to Newton Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. .

Newton police officer dies after ATV rolls into creek

WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man who pleaded guilty to robbing a 65-year-old woman heading to prison for one count of robbery and two counts of aggravated assault.

A Judge sentenced Curlie Guiden, 53 of Wichita, to just over 9-years in prison, according to Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett.

According to testimony, on the afternoon of August 11, 2019, a woman returned to her home in the 500 block of east Dewey in Wichita to find her back door open and Guiden standing in the doorway holding a pillow case. 

Guiden pushed the victim down and drove off in her car, nearly striking her. Guiden then drove in a big circle and almost hit her a second time. The woman's car was later recovered in a nearby parking lot.

Investigators took photographs and collected latent prints for analysis. The prints were analyzed and found to match Guiden.

Guiden will be placed on 24 months post-release after he completes his prison sentence, according to the district attorney.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613492155387.png" alt="Guiden-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Guiden-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man who pleaded guilty to robbing a 65-year-old woman heading to prison for one count of robbery and two counts of aggravated assault.A Judge sentenced Curlie Guiden, 53 of Wichita, to just over 9-years in prison, according to Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett.According to testimony, on the afternoon of August 11, 2019, a woman returned to her home in the 500 block of east Dewey in Wichita to find her back door open and Guiden standing in the doorway holding a pillow case. Guiden pushed the victim down and drove off in her car, nearly striking her. Guiden then drove in a big circle and almost hit her a second time. The woman's car was later recovered in a nearby parking lot.Investigators took photographs and collected latent prints for analysis. The prints were analyzed and found to match Guiden.Guiden will be placed on 24 months post-release after he completes his prison sentence, according to the district attorney.

Kansas man sentenced for violent home invasion robbery

SHAWNEE COUNTY —The Kansas Highway Patrol has identified the victim of 2-vehicle crash that occurred just after 8a.m. Tuesday in Shawnee County.

A 2009 Toyota Camry driven by Evelyn A. Webster, 75, Carbondale,&nbsp;1 was westbound on Interstate 470 just east of Gage. The car slid through the median and traveled westbound in the eastbound lanes.&nbsp;

The Toyota struck a 2005 Ford F550 driven by Motsinger, Nicholas Jay Motsinger, 24, Topeka. .

Webster was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to First Call Mortuary.&nbsp;Motsinger was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

SHAWNEE COUNTY —The Kansas Highway Patrol has identified the victim of 2-vehicle crash that occurred just after 8a.m. Tuesday in Shawnee County.A 2009 Toyota Camry driven by Evelyn A. Webster, 75, Carbondale,&nbsp;1 was westbound on Interstate 470 just east of Gage. The car slid through the median and traveled westbound in the eastbound lanes.&nbsp;The Toyota struck a 2005 Ford F550 driven by Motsinger, Nicholas Jay Motsinger, 24, Topeka. .Webster was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to First Call Mortuary.&nbsp;Motsinger was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

KHP IDs Kansas woman who died in wrong-way crash

TOPEKA —Governor Laura Kelly held a press conference Wednesday to announce her back to school vaccination plan. In addition, Kansas Corporation Commission Chairperson Andrew French provided an update on extreme cold temperatures and their impact on Kansas' energy grid.

Utility companies in Kansas lifted rolling power blackouts Tuesday but most of the state is expected to remain in a deep freeze until temperatures warm later in the week.

The Southwest Power Pool ordered the blackouts Monday and early Tuesday to save energy reserves in the 14 states it oversees. The utilities asked customers to continue to conserve energy to avoid future blackouts and said the blackouts could return without warning if necessary.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 1267 to a total of 288,717, the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp; Coronavirus deaths were reported at 4521 an increase of 115.

TOPEKA —Governor Laura Kelly held a press conference Wednesday to announce her back to school vaccination plan. In addition, Kansas Corporation Commission Chairperson Andrew French provided an update on extreme cold temperatures and their impact on Kansas' energy grid.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FGovLauraKelly%2Fvideos%2F179149120309819%2F&show_text=false&width=560" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Utility companies in Kansas lifted rolling power blackouts Tuesday but most of the state is expected to remain in a deep freeze until temperatures warm later in the week.The Southwest Power Pool ordered the blackouts Monday and early Tuesday to save energy reserves in the 14 states it oversees. The utilities asked customers to continue to conserve energy to avoid future blackouts and said the blackouts could return without warning if necessary.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613584997529.png" alt="Wednesday February 17, 2021 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday February 17, 2021 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 1267 to a total of 288,717, the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp; Coronavirus deaths were reported at 4521 an increase of 115.

🎥 Gov., KCC Chairman update on cold weather, COVID in Kansas

JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after a traffic stop.

Just before noon Monday, a sheriff’s deputy stopped a southbound 2002 Infiniti QX4 for allegedly committing a traffic infraction near 110th Road on U.S Highway 75, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

The investigation into the traffic stop led to the discovery of illegal contraband. Deputies placed the passenger, Phil Amos Davis, 67, of Topeka, under arrest on requested charges that include possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Davis was booked and remains in the Jackson County Jail, according to online records. He has previous felony convictions in Brown County, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613595588678.png" alt="Davis photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Davis photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after a traffic stop.Just before noon Monday, a sheriff’s deputy stopped a southbound 2002 Infiniti QX4 for allegedly committing a traffic infraction near 110th Road on U.S Highway 75, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.The investigation into the traffic stop led to the discovery of illegal contraband. Deputies placed the passenger, Phil Amos Davis, 67, of Topeka, under arrest on requested charges that include possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Davis was booked and remains in the Jackson County Jail, according to online records. He has previous felony convictions in Brown County, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Sheriff: Kansas man back in jail after traffic stop

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican lawmakers are moving to exert more control over upgrades to Kansas’ unemployment benefits system, and a key GOP legislator has even suggested stripping Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly of her control over the state Department of Labor.

(Click on the video to watch a replay of Wednesday's hearing)

The Kansas Senate Commerce Committee continued hearings Wednesday on&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/sb177_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">a bill</a>&nbsp;that would create a new council to monitor Department of Labor technology upgrades, direct the agency to modernize the unemployment system by the end of 2022, and make other changes to the system for distributing benefits to jobless workers. Its House counterpart is considering a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/hb2196_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">separate but identical measure,</a>&nbsp;and both committees hope to vote on them this week.

Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature have been critical of Kelly and the department for months over problems during the coronavirus pandemic that Kelly and agency officials have blamed on a decades-old computer system, including delays in getting benefits to workers. GOP lawmakers in recent weeks have intensified their focus on whether Kansas has paid thousands of fraudulent claims and whether employers are on the hook for covering the cost until the scamming is uncovered.

The scrutiny— and GOP criticism —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-covid-19-pandemic-topeka-74ac0a21fa8c04ac74e62602605c471d">has increased</a>&nbsp;even though the department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-topeka-f79ed0b839ad8501cf50650ca51dcbb1">shut down</a>&nbsp;the unemployment system from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2 to install new security protocols that it says have blocked fraudulent log-in attempts at a rate of three every second. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Rob Olson, an Olathe Republican, said lawmakers are trying to make sure that technology gets upgraded and avoid a future “catastrophe.”

“What will come out of this, hopefully moving forward, is that we stay on top of this,” Olson said during a hearing Tuesday. “Maybe we need to redo the whole Labor Department organization and remove it from under the governor.”

Olson said later that he has considered whether the department should answer to a board of trustees rather than the governor, as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kpers.org/about/board.html#members" target="_blank">the state’s pension system</a>&nbsp;for teachers and government workers does.

“We need to think outside the box on this one,” he said.

But Kelly spokesperson Sam Coleman said Kansas was left unprepared to deal with the effects of the pandemic by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration, which led the state from 2011 until 2018. Brownback’s administration stopped a Department of Labor modernization project that some Republicans at the time worried was wasteful in its spending, but Coleman said Kansas should not “repeat mistakes of the past.”

Kelly attributed GOP lawmakers’ intensifying criticism to them “just laying the groundwork” to try to prevent her reelection in 2022.

“I’m fully aware that we have issues over there, and we are doing everything in our power and putting an incredible amount of resources to resolving the issues,” Kelly said. “We will just continue to do that and not get sidetracked by the rhetoric and conversation.”

Kelly has included $37.5 million in her proposed budget for upgrading the unemployment system’s computer technology, but Deputy Labor Secretary Peter Brady told the House committee last week that the work is likely to take two to three years after vendor proposals are reviewed and one is picked. He said the Dec. 31, 2022, deadline for completing the project “is not realistic.”

Brady also said that although the department plans to work with interested parties, creating the new council and having it make recommendations about upgrading technology could delay the project.

He also noted that the bill is specific about what upgrades are required and said putting those details in law also could slow down the project.

“I’ve never seen them describe the architecture to that level in statute before,” Sen. Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican, said of other bills dealing with computer systems during Tuesday’s Senate committee hearing. “And I have some concern over that.”

By JOHN HANNATOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican lawmakers are moving to exert more control over upgrades to Kansas’ unemployment benefits system, and a key GOP legislator has even suggested stripping Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly of her control over the state Department of Labor. (Click on the video to watch a replay of Wednesday's hearing)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o1tGM4cvKDE?start=2" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>The Kansas Senate Commerce Committee continued hearings Wednesday on&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/sb177_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">a bill</a>&nbsp;that would create a new council to monitor Department of Labor technology upgrades, direct the agency to modernize the unemployment system by the end of 2022, and make other changes to the system for distributing benefits to jobless workers. Its House counterpart is considering a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/hb2196_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">separate but identical measure,</a>&nbsp;and both committees hope to vote on them this week.Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature have been critical of Kelly and the department for months over problems during the coronavirus pandemic that Kelly and agency officials have blamed on a decades-old computer system, including delays in getting benefits to workers. GOP lawmakers in recent weeks have intensified their focus on whether Kansas has paid thousands of fraudulent claims and whether employers are on the hook for covering the cost until the scamming is uncovered.The scrutiny— and GOP criticism —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-covid-19-pandemic-topeka-74ac0a21fa8c04ac74e62602605c471d">has increased</a>&nbsp;even though the department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-topeka-f79ed0b839ad8501cf50650ca51dcbb1">shut down</a>&nbsp;the unemployment system from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2 to install new security protocols that it says have blocked fraudulent log-in attempts at a rate of three every second. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Rob Olson, an Olathe Republican, said lawmakers are trying to make sure that technology gets upgraded and avoid a future “catastrophe.”“What will come out of this, hopefully moving forward, is that we stay on top of this,” Olson said during a hearing Tuesday. “Maybe we need to redo the whole Labor Department organization and remove it from under the governor.”Olson said later that he has considered whether the department should answer to a board of trustees rather than the governor, as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kpers.org/about/board.html#members" target="_blank">the state’s pension system</a>&nbsp;for teachers and government workers does.“We need to think outside the box on this one,” he said.But Kelly spokesperson Sam Coleman said Kansas was left unprepared to deal with the effects of the pandemic by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration, which led the state from 2011 until 2018. Brownback’s administration stopped a Department of Labor modernization project that some Republicans at the time worried was wasteful in its spending, but Coleman said Kansas should not “repeat mistakes of the past.”Kelly attributed GOP lawmakers’ intensifying criticism to them “just laying the groundwork” to try to prevent her reelection in 2022.“I’m fully aware that we have issues over there, and we are doing everything in our power and putting an incredible amount of resources to resolving the issues,” Kelly said. “We will just continue to do that and not get sidetracked by the rhetoric and conversation.”Kelly has included $37.5 million in her proposed budget for upgrading the unemployment system’s computer technology, but Deputy Labor Secretary Peter Brady told the House committee last week that the work is likely to take two to three years after vendor proposals are reviewed and one is picked. He said the Dec. 31, 2022, deadline for completing the project “is not realistic.”Brady also said that although the department plans to work with interested parties, creating the new council and having it make recommendations about upgrading technology could delay the project.He also noted that the bill is specific about what upgrades are required and said putting those details in law also could slow down the project.“I’ve never seen them describe the architecture to that level in statute before,” Sen. Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican, said of other bills dealing with computer systems during Tuesday’s Senate committee hearing. “And I have some concern over that.”___

 🎥 Kan. lawmakers seek more control on unemployment upgrades

KANSAS CITY —Nearly four years after the fatal shooting, murder charges were filed Wednesday in the homicide of 3-year-old Marcus Haislip III who was shot in May 2017 near 54th and Park in Kansas City, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

Derrick D. Wren Jr.,21, faces 2nd Degree Murder, Unlawful Use of a Weapon and two counts of 1st Degree Assault.

"I hope our community will see how many in law enforcement have worked over the last three-plus years to bring justice and to bring charges against the defendant," Prosecutor Baker stated. "We never gave up in our efforts.

"I especially want to thank our partners at the ATF and the Kansas City Police Department," Baker added. "Together, they've followed the leads and developed the evidence we need to obtain charges."

According to court records, Kansas City police responding on May 12, 2017 to shots fired in the area of 54th and Brooklyn. 

Moments later, they received information that a vehicle had arrived at Research Medical Center with three gunshot victims, one confirmed deceased. 

The deceased victim was 3-year-old Marcus Haislip III. He was shot in his car seat in a vehicle. Multiple people advised that they saw a man fire his weapon. He wore a red hooded sweatshirt and fired a long gun from the porch on Park Avenue. A witness said the description sounded like Derrick D. Wren Jr. He also had been seen with a long gun like the one described. Multiple shell casings were recovered at the crime scene as well as a Styrofoam cup.

In 2019, the Missouri Highway Patrol notified detectives that DNA from the Styrofoam cup matched the defendant, according to court records. In September and November of 2020, new witnesses told detectives that the defendant had confessed to fatally shooting the 3-year-old Haislip III. Wren said he used a 7.62 mm pistol with a 30 to 50-round clip.

Prosecutors requested a bond of $250,000 cash. The defendant is currently in federal custody and was served this morning with a warrant for his arrest in this case.

"Many people in Kansas City don't realize the efforts that still go in to solving cases just because they're not in the news this week," said Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith.&nbsp; "I'd like to compliment the detectives and agents on the ATF who never gave up."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613587020907.png" alt="Marcus Haislip III photo courtesy Jackson County District Attorney" />
 <figcaption>Marcus Haislip III photo courtesy Jackson County District Attorney</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Nearly four years after the fatal shooting, murder charges were filed Wednesday in the homicide of 3-year-old Marcus Haislip III who was shot in May 2017 near 54th and Park in Kansas City, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.Derrick D. Wren Jr.,21, faces 2nd Degree Murder, Unlawful Use of a Weapon and two counts of 1st Degree Assault.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613586773394.png" alt="On Wednesday morning, Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced the murder charges in the shooting death of 3 year old Marcus Haislip after 4 years of investigation by the Kansas City Police and the ATF-Kansas City -photo courtesy ATF Kansas City" />
 <figcaption>On Wednesday morning, Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced the murder charges in the shooting death of 3 year old Marcus Haislip after 4 years of investigation by the Kansas City Police and the ATF-Kansas City -photo courtesy ATF Kansas City</figcaption>
 </figure>"I hope our community will see how many in law enforcement have worked over the last three-plus years to bring justice and to bring charges against the defendant," Prosecutor Baker stated. "We never gave up in our efforts."I especially want to thank our partners at the ATF and the Kansas City Police Department," Baker added. "Together, they've followed the leads and developed the evidence we need to obtain charges."According to court records, Kansas City police responding on May 12, 2017 to shots fired in the area of 54th and Brooklyn. Moments later, they received information that a vehicle had arrived at Research Medical Center with three gunshot victims, one confirmed deceased. The deceased victim was 3-year-old Marcus Haislip III. He was shot in his car seat in a vehicle. Multiple people advised that they saw a man fire his weapon. He wore a red hooded sweatshirt and fired a long gun from the porch on Park Avenue. A witness said the description sounded like Derrick D. Wren Jr. He also had been seen with a long gun like the one described. Multiple shell casings were recovered at the crime scene as well as a Styrofoam cup.In 2019, the Missouri Highway Patrol notified detectives that DNA from the Styrofoam cup matched the defendant, according to court records. In September and November of 2020, new witnesses told detectives that the defendant had confessed to fatally shooting the 3-year-old Haislip III. Wren said he used a 7.62 mm pistol with a 30 to 50-round clip.Prosecutors requested a bond of $250,000 cash. The defendant is currently in federal custody and was served this morning with a warrant for his arrest in this case."Many people in Kansas City don't realize the efforts that still go in to solving cases just because they're not in the news this week," said Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith.&nbsp; "I'd like to compliment the detectives and agents on the ATF who never gave up."

After 4 years, murder charges filed in death of Kansas City boy

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 1267 to a total of 288,717, the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;

Coronavirus deaths were reported at 4521 an increase of 115.

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

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

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 1267 to a total of 288,717, the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;Coronavirus deaths were reported at 4521 an increase of 115.<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a> about the COVID-19 vaccine.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613584997529.png" alt="Wednesday February 17, 2021 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday February 17, 2021 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) —Rush Limbaugh, the talk radio host who ripped into liberals and laid waste to political correctness with a merry brand of malice that made him one of the most powerful voices on the American right and foretold the rise of Donald Trump, died Wednesday. He was 70.

Limbaugh, an outspoken lover of cigars, had been diagnosed with lung cancer. His death was announced by his wife Kathryn to open her husband's radio show Wednesday and on his website.

President Trump, during a State of the Union speech, awarded Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

Unflinchingly conservative, wildly partisan, bombastically self-promoting and larger than life, Limbaugh galvanized listeners for more than 30 years with his talent for vituperation and sarcasm.

He called himself an entertainer, but his rants during his three-hour weekday radio show broadcast on nearly 600 U.S. stations shaped the national political conversation, swaying ordinary Republicans and the direction of their party.

Blessed with a made-for-broadcasting voice, he delivered his opinions with such certainty that his followers, or “Ditto-heads,” as he dubbed them, took his words as sacred truth.

“In my heart and soul, I know I have become the intellectual engine of the conservative movement,” Limbaugh, with typical immodesty, told author Zev Chafets in the 2010 book “Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One.”

Forbes magazine estimated his 2018 income at $84 million, ranking him behind only Howard Stern among radio personalities.

Limbaugh took as a badge of honor the title “most dangerous man in America.” He said he was the “truth detector,” the “doctor of democracy,” a “lover of mankind,” a “harmless, lovable little fuzz ball” and an “all-around good guy.” He claimed he had “talent on loan from God.”

Long before Trump’s rise in politics, Limbaugh was pinning insulting names on his enemies and raging against the mainstream media, accusing it of feeding the public lies. He called Democrats and others on the left communists, wackos, feminazis, liberal extremists, faggots and radicals.

When actor Michael J. Fox, suffering from Parkinson’s disease, appeared in a Democratic campaign commercial, Limbaugh mocked his tremors. When a Washington advocate for the homeless killed himself, he cracked jokes. As the AIDS epidemic raged in the 1980s, he made the dying a punchline. He called 12-year-old Chelsea Clinton a dog.

He suggested that the Democrats’ stand on reproductive rights would have led to the abortion of Jesus Christ. When a woman accused Duke University lacrosse players of rape, he derided her as a “ho,” and when a Georgetown University law student supported expanded contraceptive coverage, he dismissed her as a “slut.” When Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, Limbaugh said: “I hope he fails.”

He was frequently accused of bigotry and blatant racism for such antics as playing the song “Barack the Magic Negro” on his show. The lyrics, set to the tune of “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” describe Obama as someone who “makes guilty whites feel good” and is “black, but not authentically.”

Limbaugh often enunciated the Republican platform better and more entertainingly than any party leader, becoming a GOP kingmaker whose endorsement and friendship were sought. Polls consistently found he was regarded as the voice of the party.

His idol, Ronald Reagan, wrote a letter of praise that Limbaugh proudly read on the air in 1992: “You’ve become the number one voice for conservatism.” In 1994, Limbaugh was so widely credited with the first Republican takeover of Congress in 40 years that the GOP made him an honorary member of the new class.

During the 2016 presidential primaries, Limbaugh said he realized early on that Trump would be the nominee, and he likened the candidate’s deep connection with his supporters to his own. In a 2018 interview, he conceded Trump is rude but said that is because he is “fearless and willing to fight against the things that no Republican has been willing to fight against.”

Trump, for his part, heaped praise on Limbaugh, and they golfed together. (The president’s Mar-a-Lago estate is eight miles down the same Palm Beach boulevard as Limbaugh’s $40 million beachfront expanse.) In honoring Limbaugh at the State of the Union, Trump called his friend “a special man beloved by millions.”

Limbaugh influenced the likes of Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly and countless other conservative commentators who pushed the boundaries of what passes as acceptable public discourse.

His brand of blunt, no-gray-area debate spread to cable TV, town hall meetings, political rallies and Congress itself, emerging during the battles over health care and the ascent of the tea party movement.

“What he did was to bring a paranoia and really mean, nasty rhetoric and hyperpartisanship into the mainstream,” said Martin Kaplan, a University of Southern California professor who is an expert on the intersection of politics and entertainment and a frequent critic of Limbaugh. “The kind of antagonism and vituperativeness that characterized him instantly became acceptable everywhere.”

In one breathless segment in 1991, he railed against the homeless, AIDS patients, criticism of Christopher Columbus, aid to the Soviet Union, condoms in schools, animal rights advocates, multiculturalism and the social safety net.

His foes accused him of trafficking in half-truths, bias and outright lies — the very tactics he decried in others. Al Franken, the comedian and one-time senator, came out with a book in 1996 called “Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations.”

In 2003, Limbaugh admitted an addiction to painkillers and went into rehab. Authorities opened an investigation into alleged “doctor shopping,” saying he received up to 2,000 pills from four doctors over six months.

He ultimately reached a deal with prosecutors in which they agreed to drop the charge if he continued with drug treatment and paid $30,000 toward the cost of the investigation.

He lost his hearing around that time. He said it was from an autoimmune disorder, while his critics said hearing loss is a known side effect of painkiller abuse. He received cochlear implants, which restored his hearing and saved his career.

A portly, round-faced figure, Limbaugh was divorced three times, after marrying Roxy Maxine McNeely in 1977, Michelle Sixta in 1983 and Marta Fitzgerald in 1994. He married his fourth wife, Kathryn Rogers, in a lavish 2010 ceremony featuring Elton John. He had no children.

Rush Hudson Limbaugh III was born Jan. 12, 1951, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. His mother was the former Mildred Armstrong, and his father, Rush Limbaugh Jr., was a lawyer.

Rusty, as the younger Limbaugh was known, was chubby and shy, with little interest in school but a passion for broadcasting. He would turn down the radio during St. Louis Cardinals baseball games, offering play-by-play, and gave running commentary during the evening news. By high school, he had snagged a radio job.

Limbaugh dropped out of Southeast Missouri State University for a string of DJ gigs, from his hometown, to McKeesport, Pennsylvania, to Pittsburgh and then Kansas City. Known as Rusty Sharpe and then Jeff Christie on the air, he mostly spun Top 40 hits and sprinkled in glimpses of his wit and conservatism.

“One of the early reasons radio interested me was that I thought it would make me popular,” he once wrote.

But he didn’t gain the following he craved and gave up on radio for several years, beginning in 1979, becoming promotions director for baseball’s Kansas City Royals. He ultimately returned to broadcasting, again in Kansas City and then Sacramento, California.

It was there in the early 1980s that Limbaugh really garnered an audience, broadcasting shows dripping with sarcasm and bravado. The stage name was gone.

Limbaugh began broadcasting nationally in 1988 from WABC in New York. While his know-it-all commentary quickly gained traction, he was dismayed by his reception in the big city. He thought he would be welcomed by Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather.

“I came to New York,” he wrote, “and I immediately became a nothing, a zero.”

Ultimately, Limbaugh moved his radio show to Palm Beach and bought his massive estate. Talkers Magazine, which covers the industry, said Limbaugh had the nation’s largest audience in 2019, with 15 million unique listeners each week.

“When Rush wants to talk to America, all he has to do is grab his microphone. He attracts more listeners with just his voice than the rest of us could ever imagine,” Beck wrote in Time magazine in 2009. “He is simply on another level.”

Limbaugh expounded on his world view in the best-selling books “The Way Things Ought to Be” and “See, I Told You So.”

He had a late-night TV show in the 1990s that got decent ratings but lackluster advertising because of his divisive message. When he guest-hosted “The Pat Sajak Show” in 1990, audience members called him a Nazi and repeatedly shouted at him.

He was fired from a short-lived job as an NFL commentator on ESPN in 2003 after he said the media had made a star out of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb because it was “very desirous that a black quarterback do well.” His racial remarks also derailed a 2009 bid to become one of the owners of the NFL’s St. Louis Rams.

“Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night and just think to yourself, `I am just full of hot gas?’” David Letterman asked him in 1993 on “The Late Show.”

“I am a servant of humanity,” Limbaugh replied. “I am in the relentless pursuit of the truth. I actually sit back and think that I’m just so fortunate to have this opportunity to tell people what’s really going on.”

Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has died at the age of 70, according his wife Kathryn, who announced the news to open her husband's radio show Wednesday.

In February of 2020, Limbaugh revealed that he had advanced lung cancer. A few days later, President Trump invited Limbaugh to attend the State of the Union Address.&nbsp;

During the address, Limbaugh appeared stunned, when the President announced he was awarding the talk show legend with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.&nbsp; Others sat in silence as first lady Melania Trump draped the medal around his neck on the spot.

“Thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country,” Trump told Limbaugh, commending “all that you have done for our Nation, the millions of people a day that you speak to and that you inspire.”

-The Associated Press contributed to this report

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1580901433879.png" alt="Limbaugh was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the State of the Union address in 2020 -image courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>Limbaugh was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the State of the Union address in 2020 -image courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) —Rush Limbaugh, the talk radio host who ripped into liberals and laid waste to political correctness with a merry brand of malice that made him one of the most powerful voices on the American right and foretold the rise of Donald Trump, died Wednesday. He was 70.Limbaugh, an outspoken lover of cigars, had been diagnosed with lung cancer. His death was announced by his wife Kathryn to open her husband's radio show Wednesday and on his website.President Trump, during a State of the Union speech, awarded Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.Unflinchingly conservative, wildly partisan, bombastically self-promoting and larger than life, Limbaugh galvanized listeners for more than 30 years with his talent for vituperation and sarcasm.He called himself an entertainer, but his rants during his three-hour weekday radio show broadcast on nearly 600 U.S. stations shaped the national political conversation, swaying ordinary Republicans and the direction of their party.Blessed with a made-for-broadcasting voice, he delivered his opinions with such certainty that his followers, or “Ditto-heads,” as he dubbed them, took his words as sacred truth.“In my heart and soul, I know I have become the intellectual engine of the conservative movement,” Limbaugh, with typical immodesty, told author Zev Chafets in the 2010 book “Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One.”Forbes magazine estimated his 2018 income at $84 million, ranking him behind only Howard Stern among radio personalities.Limbaugh took as a badge of honor the title “most dangerous man in America.” He said he was the “truth detector,” the “doctor of democracy,” a “lover of mankind,” a “harmless, lovable little fuzz ball” and an “all-around good guy.” He claimed he had “talent on loan from God.”Long before Trump’s rise in politics, Limbaugh was pinning insulting names on his enemies and raging against the mainstream media, accusing it of feeding the public lies. He called Democrats and others on the left communists, wackos, feminazis, liberal extremists, faggots and radicals.When actor Michael J. Fox, suffering from Parkinson’s disease, appeared in a Democratic campaign commercial, Limbaugh mocked his tremors. When a Washington advocate for the homeless killed himself, he cracked jokes. As the AIDS epidemic raged in the 1980s, he made the dying a punchline. He called 12-year-old Chelsea Clinton a dog.He suggested that the Democrats’ stand on reproductive rights would have led to the abortion of Jesus Christ. When a woman accused Duke University lacrosse players of rape, he derided her as a “ho,” and when a Georgetown University law student supported expanded contraceptive coverage, he dismissed her as a “slut.” When Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, Limbaugh said: “I hope he fails.”He was frequently accused of bigotry and blatant racism for such antics as playing the song “Barack the Magic Negro” on his show. The lyrics, set to the tune of “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” describe Obama as someone who “makes guilty whites feel good” and is “black, but not authentically.”Limbaugh often enunciated the Republican platform better and more entertainingly than any party leader, becoming a GOP kingmaker whose endorsement and friendship were sought. Polls consistently found he was regarded as the voice of the party.His idol, Ronald Reagan, wrote a letter of praise that Limbaugh proudly read on the air in 1992: “You’ve become the number one voice for conservatism.” In 1994, Limbaugh was so widely credited with the first Republican takeover of Congress in 40 years that the GOP made him an honorary member of the new class.During the 2016 presidential primaries, Limbaugh said he realized early on that Trump would be the nominee, and he likened the candidate’s deep connection with his supporters to his own. In a 2018 interview, he conceded Trump is rude but said that is because he is “fearless and willing to fight against the things that no Republican has been willing to fight against.”Trump, for his part, heaped praise on Limbaugh, and they golfed together. (The president’s Mar-a-Lago estate is eight miles down the same Palm Beach boulevard as Limbaugh’s $40 million beachfront expanse.) In honoring Limbaugh at the State of the Union, Trump called his friend “a special man beloved by millions.”Limbaugh influenced the likes of Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly and countless other conservative commentators who pushed the boundaries of what passes as acceptable public discourse.His brand of blunt, no-gray-area debate spread to cable TV, town hall meetings, political rallies and Congress itself, emerging during the battles over health care and the ascent of the tea party movement.“What he did was to bring a paranoia and really mean, nasty rhetoric and hyperpartisanship into the mainstream,” said Martin Kaplan, a University of Southern California professor who is an expert on the intersection of politics and entertainment and a frequent critic of Limbaugh. “The kind of antagonism and vituperativeness that characterized him instantly became acceptable everywhere.”In one breathless segment in 1991, he railed against the homeless, AIDS patients, criticism of Christopher Columbus, aid to the Soviet Union, condoms in schools, animal rights advocates, multiculturalism and the social safety net.His foes accused him of trafficking in half-truths, bias and outright lies — the very tactics he decried in others. Al Franken, the comedian and one-time senator, came out with a book in 1996 called “Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations.”In 2003, Limbaugh admitted an addiction to painkillers and went into rehab. Authorities opened an investigation into alleged “doctor shopping,” saying he received up to 2,000 pills from four doctors over six months.He ultimately reached a deal with prosecutors in which they agreed to drop the charge if he continued with drug treatment and paid $30,000 toward the cost of the investigation.He lost his hearing around that time. He said it was from an autoimmune disorder, while his critics said hearing loss is a known side effect of painkiller abuse. He received cochlear implants, which restored his hearing and saved his career.A portly, round-faced figure, Limbaugh was divorced three times, after marrying Roxy Maxine McNeely in 1977, Michelle Sixta in 1983 and Marta Fitzgerald in 1994. He married his fourth wife, Kathryn Rogers, in a lavish 2010 ceremony featuring Elton John. He had no children.Rush Hudson Limbaugh III was born Jan. 12, 1951, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. His mother was the former Mildred Armstrong, and his father, Rush Limbaugh Jr., was a lawyer.Rusty, as the younger Limbaugh was known, was chubby and shy, with little interest in school but a passion for broadcasting. He would turn down the radio during St. Louis Cardinals baseball games, offering play-by-play, and gave running commentary during the evening news. By high school, he had snagged a radio job.Limbaugh dropped out of Southeast Missouri State University for a string of DJ gigs, from his hometown, to McKeesport, Pennsylvania, to Pittsburgh and then Kansas City. Known as Rusty Sharpe and then Jeff Christie on the air, he mostly spun Top 40 hits and sprinkled in glimpses of his wit and conservatism.“One of the early reasons radio interested me was that I thought it would make me popular,” he once wrote.But he didn’t gain the following he craved and gave up on radio for several years, beginning in 1979, becoming promotions director for baseball’s Kansas City Royals. He ultimately returned to broadcasting, again in Kansas City and then Sacramento, California.It was there in the early 1980s that Limbaugh really garnered an audience, broadcasting shows dripping with sarcasm and bravado. The stage name was gone.Limbaugh began broadcasting nationally in 1988 from WABC in New York. While his know-it-all commentary quickly gained traction, he was dismayed by his reception in the big city. He thought he would be welcomed by Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather.“I came to New York,” he wrote, “and I immediately became a nothing, a zero.”Ultimately, Limbaugh moved his radio show to Palm Beach and bought his massive estate. Talkers Magazine, which covers the industry, said Limbaugh had the nation’s largest audience in 2019, with 15 million unique listeners each week.“When Rush wants to talk to America, all he has to do is grab his microphone. He attracts more listeners with just his voice than the rest of us could ever imagine,” Beck wrote in Time magazine in 2009. “He is simply on another level.”Limbaugh expounded on his world view in the best-selling books “The Way Things Ought to Be” and “See, I Told You So.”He had a late-night TV show in the 1990s that got decent ratings but lackluster advertising because of his divisive message. When he guest-hosted “The Pat Sajak Show” in 1990, audience members called him a Nazi and repeatedly shouted at him.He was fired from a short-lived job as an NFL commentator on ESPN in 2003 after he said the media had made a star out of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb because it was “very desirous that a black quarterback do well.” His racial remarks also derailed a 2009 bid to become one of the owners of the NFL’s St. Louis Rams.“Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night and just think to yourself, `I am just full of hot gas?’” David Letterman asked him in 1993 on “The Late Show.”“I am a servant of humanity,” Limbaugh replied. “I am in the relentless pursuit of the truth. I actually sit back and think that I’m just so fortunate to have this opportunity to tell people what’s really going on.”--------Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has died at the age of 70, according his wife Kathryn, who announced the news to open her husband's radio show Wednesday.In February of 2020, Limbaugh revealed that he had advanced lung cancer. A few days later, President Trump invited Limbaugh to attend the State of the Union Address.&nbsp;During the address, Limbaugh appeared stunned, when the President announced he was awarding the talk show legend with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.&nbsp; Others sat in silence as first lady Melania Trump draped the medal around his neck on the spot.“Thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country,” Trump told Limbaugh, commending “all that you have done for our Nation, the millions of people a day that you speak to and that you inspire.”-The Associated Press contributed to this report

Conservative talk radio legend Rush Limbaugh dead at 70

KANSAS CITY (AP) — As more coronavirus vaccine doses become available in the weeks and months ahead, many business owners face a difficult decision: whether to require employees to be inoculated.

And if they decide “yes,” they have to be ready for the possibility that some staffers will refuse.

Dentist Andrew Geller initially didn’t feel comfortable with requiring his staff to get the shots because of the many unknowns about the vaccine. But he did extensive research and concluded that the 23 employees at Geller Family Dental should be vaccinated. Turns out most were grateful that as health workers they could receive the vaccine when it first arrived.

However, Geller did have more difficult conversations with a handful of employees who were uneasy about getting the shots.

“I did my best to ensure them that this was going to maintain the health and safety of their families. It took a little bit longer for some to make an appointment, but they did, thankfully,” says Geller, whose practice is located in Bronxville, New York.

State governments determine who can be vaccinated and when; in most states, priority has been given to health workers, first responders and older people, but employees of some businesses — for example, restaurant workers in New York — are eligible. The general population isn’t expected to be vaccinated until the spring at the earliest, so most business owners still must decide what their policy on vaccinations will be.

It’s not known how many employers will require staffers to get the vaccine — and many companies likely haven’t made a decision. About two-thirds of Americans say they plan to get vaccinated or have already done so, according to a poll released Wednesday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The survey also found that 15% of Americans say they will definitely not get the vaccine and another 17% say they probably will not.

Employers can require many staffers to be vaccinated under guidelines from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. They can’t require inoculations for employees with medical conditions protected by the Americans with Disability Act or those who object to vaccinations for religious reasons. The ADA covers employers with 15 or more workers, and some state and municipal laws cover smaller businesses. Owners must find what the law calls a reasonable accommodation to allow these staffers to keep working. One example during the pandemic would be an assignment that could be done in a space a safe distance from co-workers or customers.

Employers have been contacting attorneys and human resources consultants and asking, what should we do?

“We are having some very honest and real conversations with clients to make sure it’s the right decision for them,” says Fernanda Anzek, a consultant with the human resources provider Insperity.

A frequently asked question is whether an employer can dismiss a staffer who refuses to be vaccinated and who isn’t protected by law. The short answer is yes.

“The employer has the latitude under the EEOC to keep the workplace safe,” says Jerry Maatman, an employment law attorney with Seyfarth Shaw in Chicago. But Maatman cautions that while the EEOC has released guidelines about the vaccine, issues over employers’ rights to dismiss staffers who don’t comply are likely to end up in court.

“These rulings are going to take place in the second and third quarters,” he says.

Maatman and Anzek advise businesses to seek legal or human resources advice before disciplining or dismissing employees over vaccinations, whether or not the staffers are in what’s called a protected class.

Legal and HR experts also recommend employers create companywide policies on vaccinations, provide each staffer with a copy and explain to everyone why the shots are necessary. And owners should keep in mind that this is a subject that requires sensitivity and understanding — an overbearing approach can be a morale buster.

“The best plan is education and policies and letting employees know that everything is uniform and you’re not singling anyone out,” says Andrew Zelmanowitz, an employment attorney with Berger Singerman in Fort Launderdale, Florida.

Owners may feel some trepidation before broaching the topic. Joann Butler decided to ask her 10 staffers how they felt about getting vaccinated, and “fortunately, everyone agreed it was something we need to do.”

“It’s always a slippery slope when you mandate something like this — with religious and health issues, not everyone is gung-ho,” says Butler, owner of Consultancy Media, a broadcast and production studio in New York.

The circumstances of a particular workplace can make the conversations easier. When Denise Buzy-Pucheu talked to the three staffers at her Newtown, Connecticut, bridal shop, “they were very on board — they want to keep safe,” she said. While in many stores the sales associates can keep a safe distance from shoppers, or have plastic barriers at checkout counters, employees of The Persnickety Bride have to help customers get in and out of gowns. There’s no way to do that without being right next to a bride.

“They understand the severity of this,” Buzy-Pucheu says of her staffers. “We are physically in touch with people.”

Some employers have opted to let staffers make their own decisions. Finally Restaurant Group, which operates 15 restaurants in four western states and Louisiana, is offering information about the vaccines and time off for employees to get them, but isn’t requiring shots.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — As more coronavirus vaccine doses become available in the weeks and months ahead, many business owners face a difficult decision: whether to require employees to be inoculated.And if they decide “yes,” they have to be ready for the possibility that some staffers will refuse.Dentist Andrew Geller initially didn’t feel comfortable with requiring his staff to get the shots because of the many unknowns about the vaccine. But he did extensive research and concluded that the 23 employees at Geller Family Dental should be vaccinated. Turns out most were grateful that as health workers they could receive the vaccine when it first arrived.However, Geller did have more difficult conversations with a handful of employees who were uneasy about getting the shots.“I did my best to ensure them that this was going to maintain the health and safety of their families. It took a little bit longer for some to make an appointment, but they did, thankfully,” says Geller, whose practice is located in Bronxville, New York.State governments determine who can be vaccinated and when; in most states, priority has been given to health workers, first responders and older people, but employees of some businesses — for example, restaurant workers in New York — are eligible. The general population isn’t expected to be vaccinated until the spring at the earliest, so most business owners still must decide what their policy on vaccinations will be.It’s not known how many employers will require staffers to get the vaccine — and many companies likely haven’t made a decision. About two-thirds of Americans say they plan to get vaccinated or have already done so, according to a poll released Wednesday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The survey also found that 15% of Americans say they will definitely not get the vaccine and another 17% say they probably will not.Employers can require many staffers to be vaccinated under guidelines from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. They can’t require inoculations for employees with medical conditions protected by the Americans with Disability Act or those who object to vaccinations for religious reasons. The ADA covers employers with 15 or more workers, and some state and municipal laws cover smaller businesses. Owners must find what the law calls a reasonable accommodation to allow these staffers to keep working. One example during the pandemic would be an assignment that could be done in a space a safe distance from co-workers or customers.Employers have been contacting attorneys and human resources consultants and asking, what should we do?“We are having some very honest and real conversations with clients to make sure it’s the right decision for them,” says Fernanda Anzek, a consultant with the human resources provider Insperity.A frequently asked question is whether an employer can dismiss a staffer who refuses to be vaccinated and who isn’t protected by law. The short answer is yes.“The employer has the latitude under the EEOC to keep the workplace safe,” says Jerry Maatman, an employment law attorney with Seyfarth Shaw in Chicago. But Maatman cautions that while the EEOC has released guidelines about the vaccine, issues over employers’ rights to dismiss staffers who don’t comply are likely to end up in court.“These rulings are going to take place in the second and third quarters,” he says.Maatman and Anzek advise businesses to seek legal or human resources advice before disciplining or dismissing employees over vaccinations, whether or not the staffers are in what’s called a protected class.Legal and HR experts also recommend employers create companywide policies on vaccinations, provide each staffer with a copy and explain to everyone why the shots are necessary. And owners should keep in mind that this is a subject that requires sensitivity and understanding — an overbearing approach can be a morale buster.“The best plan is education and policies and letting employees know that everything is uniform and you’re not singling anyone out,” says Andrew Zelmanowitz, an employment attorney with Berger Singerman in Fort Launderdale, Florida.Owners may feel some trepidation before broaching the topic. Joann Butler decided to ask her 10 staffers how they felt about getting vaccinated, and “fortunately, everyone agreed it was something we need to do.”“It’s always a slippery slope when you mandate something like this — with religious and health issues, not everyone is gung-ho,” says Butler, owner of Consultancy Media, a broadcast and production studio in New York.The circumstances of a particular workplace can make the conversations easier. When Denise Buzy-Pucheu talked to the three staffers at her Newtown, Connecticut, bridal shop, “they were very on board — they want to keep safe,” she said. While in many stores the sales associates can keep a safe distance from shoppers, or have plastic barriers at checkout counters, employees of The Persnickety Bride have to help customers get in and out of gowns. There’s no way to do that without being right next to a bride.“They understand the severity of this,” Buzy-Pucheu says of her staffers. “We are physically in touch with people.”Some employers have opted to let staffers make their own decisions. Finally Restaurant Group, which operates 15 restaurants in four western states and Louisiana, is offering information about the vaccines and time off for employees to get them, but isn’t requiring shots.“We’re letting them know what their options are, and they can make choices themselves,” says Ashley O’Bryan, director of human resources for the Bozeman, Montana-based company.At Knead Hospitality &amp; Design, a restaurant group in Washington, D.C., hourly employees are being offered four hours pay and those on salary will get a day of paid time off if they are inoculated.While co-founders Jason Berry and Michael Reginbogin want their employees to be vaccinated and are offering them incentives to get the shots, they’re stopping short of requiring inoculations.“There are a lot of people out there who are vaccine hesitant for religious and ethical reasons. I don‘t think it‘s our job to tell people how to live their life,” Berry says.Restaurant workers come in close contact with diners, but “we hope there’ll be enough peer pressure or excitement to get people on board on their own volition,” Berry says.