TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 1,328 to a total of 43,940 the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;

Coronavirus deaths were reported at 458, an increase of 12.

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

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 1,328 to a total of 43,940 the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;Coronavirus deaths were reported at 458, an increase of 12.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599066289932.png" alt="Wednesday Sept. 2, 2020 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday Sept. 2, 2020 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

WICHITA, KAN.&nbsp;– A Kansas man pleaded guilty Tuesday to distributing child pornography. As part of a plea agreement in the case, prosecutors agreed to drop charges that the defendant threatened the life of the President of the United States, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Aaron McDowell, 25, Salina, pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography. Investigators discovered the child pornography while investigating charges that McDowell posted a threat to kill the president on social media.

Investigators examining McDowell’s phone found images of child pornography. They went on to discover that for about a year McDowell used an online chat application to trade child pornography with other users.

Sentencing is set for Nov. 20. The plea agreement recommends McDowell be sentenced to not less than 168 months and not more than 216 months in federal prison.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599061569443.png" alt="McDowell remains jailed in Harvey County" />
 <figcaption>McDowell remains jailed in Harvey County</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, KAN.&nbsp;– A Kansas man pleaded guilty Tuesday to distributing child pornography. As part of a plea agreement in the case, prosecutors agreed to drop charges that the defendant threatened the life of the President of the United States, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.Aaron McDowell, 25, Salina, pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography. Investigators discovered the child pornography while investigating charges that McDowell posted a threat to kill the president on social media.Investigators examining McDowell’s phone found images of child pornography. They went on to discover that for about a year McDowell used an online chat application to trade child pornography with other users.Sentencing is set for Nov. 20. The plea agreement recommends McDowell be sentenced to not less than 168 months and not more than 216 months in federal prison.&nbsp;

Kan. man who threatened life of president enters plea deal

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has issued a directive halting the eviction of certain renters though the end of 2020 to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Federal, state and local governments have approved eviction moratoriums during the course of the pandemic for many renters, but those protections are expiring rapidly. A recent report from one think tank, the Aspen Institute, stated that more than 20 million renters live in households that have suffered COVID-19-related job loss and concluded that millions more are at risk of eviction in the next several months.

The administration’s action stems from an executive order that President Donald Trump issued in early August. It instructed federal health officials to consider measures to temporarily halt evictions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention followed up Tuesday by declaring that any landlord shall not evict any “covered person” from any residential property for failure to pay rent.

Senior administration officials explained that the director of the CDC has broad authority to take actions deemed reasonably necessary to prevent the spread of a communicable disease.

Renters covered through the executive order must meet four criteria. They must:

— Have an income of $198,000 or less for couples filing jointly, or $99,000 for single filers.

— Demonstrate they have sought government assistance to make their rental payments.

— Affirmatively declare they are unable to pay rent because of COVID-19 hardships.

— Affirm they are likely to become homeless if they are evicted.

Officials said local courts would still resolve disputes between renters and landowners about whether the moratorium applies in a particular case.

Brian Morgenstern, a deputy White House press secretary, said Tuesday’s announcement means that people struggling to pay rent due to COVID-19 would not have to worry about being evicted and risking the spread of the disease or exposure to it.

Trump’s Democratic rival, Joe Biden, called on Aug. 1 for Congress to enact a “broad emergency housing support program” to prevent evictions and shore up landlords. Congress enacted an unprecedented $2.3 trillion pandemic rescue package in March that paused evictions in most federal subsidized housing, but that moratorium has expired and Congress and the White House have been in a monthslong stalemate over new relief legislation.

Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said the order will provide relief for millions of anxious families, but added that the action delays rather than prevents evictions.

“While an eviction moratorium is essential, it is a half-measure that extends a financial cliff for renters to fall off when the moratorium expires and back rent is owed,” Yentel tweeted.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has issued a directive halting the eviction of certain renters though the end of 2020 to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.Federal, state and local governments have approved eviction moratoriums during the course of the pandemic for many renters, but those protections are expiring rapidly. A recent report from one think tank, the Aspen Institute, stated that more than 20 million renters live in households that have suffered COVID-19-related job loss and concluded that millions more are at risk of eviction in the next several months.The administration’s action stems from an executive order that President Donald Trump issued in early August. It instructed federal health officials to consider measures to temporarily halt evictions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention followed up Tuesday by declaring that any landlord shall not evict any “covered person” from any residential property for failure to pay rent.Senior administration officials explained that the director of the CDC has broad authority to take actions deemed reasonably necessary to prevent the spread of a communicable disease.Renters covered through the executive order must meet four criteria. They must:— Have an income of $198,000 or less for couples filing jointly, or $99,000 for single filers.— Demonstrate they have sought government assistance to make their rental payments.— Affirmatively declare they are unable to pay rent because of COVID-19 hardships.— Affirm they are likely to become homeless if they are evicted.Officials said local courts would still resolve disputes between renters and landowners about whether the moratorium applies in a particular case.Brian Morgenstern, a deputy White House press secretary, said Tuesday’s announcement means that people struggling to pay rent due to COVID-19 would not have to worry about being evicted and risking the spread of the disease or exposure to it.Trump’s Democratic rival, Joe Biden, called on Aug. 1 for Congress to enact a “broad emergency housing support program” to prevent evictions and shore up landlords. Congress enacted an unprecedented $2.3 trillion pandemic rescue package in March that paused evictions in most federal subsidized housing, but that moratorium has expired and Congress and the White House have been in a monthslong stalemate over new relief legislation.Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said the order will provide relief for millions of anxious families, but added that the action delays rather than prevents evictions.“While an eviction moratorium is essential, it is a half-measure that extends a financial cliff for renters to fall off when the moratorium expires and back rent is owed,” Yentel tweeted.

CDC directs stop to renter evictions to prevent virus spread

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A man who provided massages for female athletes at the University of Kansas will have to face trial on charges accusing him of sexually abusing a young girl, a judge determined Tuesday.

Shawn O’Brien, 49, of Lawrence, was charged in February with indecent liberties with a child based on allegations he had sexually abused the girl multiple times when she was 9 or 10 years old.

Based on the girl’s testimony at Tuesday’s preliminary hearing, Douglas County District Court Judge Sally Pokorny found enough evidence existed to take the case to trial on three felony charges of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.

When the allegations were first reported, the University of Kansas canceled its contracts with O’Brien and began an investigation.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/990450b37100ce9c58d130d217b7d86c">Six university female student-athletes</a>&nbsp;told investigators they had experienced “unwarranted touching” during massages by O’Brien.

Amended charges were filed in July against O’Brien adding&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/36836c6e657b6f6ba070d2ad5c712873">six counts of sexual battery</a>, all misdemeanors, involving four individuals. The amended charges do not say if the alleged assaults happened on campus. However, the Douglas County district attorney’s office confirmed that four of the counts are associated with report numbers provided by the university’s Public Safety Office.

Judges do not have to determine probable cause through preliminary hearings for misdemeanor charges, so none of the other alleged victims testified Tuesday.

Defense attorney, Philip Sedgwick, entered not guilty pleas on O’Brien’s behalf.

The girl testified that O’Brien had given her “massages” that started on her head, but he then worked his way down her neck and shoulders to her chest below her shirt and inside her underwear. She said these occurred when she was staying the night at his home, trying to sleep on the living room floor as some of his own children slept nearby.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1583523947471.png" alt="Shawn O'Brien-photo Douglas County" />
 <figcaption>Shawn O'Brien-photo Douglas County</figcaption>
 </figure>LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A man who provided massages for female athletes at the University of Kansas will have to face trial on charges accusing him of sexually abusing a young girl, a judge determined Tuesday.Shawn O’Brien, 49, of Lawrence, was charged in February with indecent liberties with a child based on allegations he had sexually abused the girl multiple times when she was 9 or 10 years old.Based on the girl’s testimony at Tuesday’s preliminary hearing, Douglas County District Court Judge Sally Pokorny found enough evidence existed to take the case to trial on three felony charges of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.When the allegations were first reported, the University of Kansas canceled its contracts with O’Brien and began an investigation.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/990450b37100ce9c58d130d217b7d86c">Six university female student-athletes</a>&nbsp;told investigators they had experienced “unwarranted touching” during massages by O’Brien.Amended charges were filed in July against O’Brien adding&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/36836c6e657b6f6ba070d2ad5c712873">six counts of sexual battery</a>, all misdemeanors, involving four individuals. The amended charges do not say if the alleged assaults happened on campus. However, the Douglas County district attorney’s office confirmed that four of the counts are associated with report numbers provided by the university’s Public Safety Office.Judges do not have to determine probable cause through preliminary hearings for misdemeanor charges, so none of the other alleged victims testified Tuesday.Defense attorney, Philip Sedgwick, entered not guilty pleas on O’Brien’s behalf.The girl testified that O’Brien had given her “massages” that started on her head, but he then worked his way down her neck and shoulders to her chest below her shirt and inside her underwear. She said these occurred when she was staying the night at his home, trying to sleep on the living room floor as some of his own children slept nearby.

Massage therapist for KU athletes will face trial on child sex charges

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pressed by Democrats to quickly negotiate a new coronavirus relief package, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday the administration remains willing to work on a bipartisan agreement to help small businesses, the unemployed, children and schools. Democratic leaders in Congress are holding it up with hardened positions, he said.

“Let’s move forward on a bipartisan basis on points we can agree upon,” Mnuchin urged at a hearing by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. “The president and I want to move forward.”

Mnuchin made the case that the economy’s recovery has strengthened in recent weeks, citing improved consumer spending, growth in manufacturing and a rebounding housing market. It’s the failure of some states to reopen activity that is holding back the economy, he said.

But Democrats insisted that dire economic conditions persist for many. “Millions of Americans are now facing eviction, debt and hunger,” said the panel’s chairman, Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. “As the pandemic drags on, states, cities and businesses are warning that more layoffs may be coming.”

The subcommittee’s Democratic staff, meanwhile, said it has identified lapses pointing to possible fraud and abuse in a signature piece of the administration’s relief effort, the $660 billion-plus small business loan program — including more than $1 billion awarded to businesses that received multiple loans.

The staff investigators said in a report that a lack of government oversight and accountability for the program “may have led to billions of dollars being diverted to fraud, waste and abuse, rather than reaching small businesses truly in need.”

With bipartisan agreement, Congress enacted an unprecedented $2.3 trillion pandemic rescue package in March. Now the Trump administration and top congressional Democrats have been in a months-long stalemate over new relief legislation, with the two sides trillions of dollars apart. Lawmakers left Washington for the August recess without an agreement.

The impasse left millions of jobless people without a $600-per-week pandemic bonus unemployment benefit that had helped families stay afloat, left state and local governments seeking fiscal relief high and dry, and held back a more than $100 billion school aid package.

An estimated 27 million people are receiving some form of unemployment benefits, according to the Labor Department, though the figure may be inflated by double-counting by states.

Mnuchin identified additional spending on aid to small businesses as the area where Democrats and Republicans are most likely to agree. In sometimes sharp exchanges, he and Democrats on the panel disagreed over the state of the economy and traded blame for the impasse over new rescue legislation.

Mnuchin pinned the blame on a refusal to compromise by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. While touting the economy’s partial recovery, he acknowledged that “we have more work to do.”

Still, Mnuchin showed some openness to negotiating and even agreed, under prodding from Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., to phone Pelosi right after the hearing.

He said he doesn’t support the Democrats’ position for $2.2 trillion in spending in the next package, which contrasts with Republicans’ stance of $1 trillion. He added, however: “What’s more important is ... getting money to American workers, American families, kids. There are tremendous areas of agreement, and that’s what we should be doing right away.”

“I would publicly say I am willing to sit down at the negotiating table with the speaker with no conditions whatsoever any time,” Mnuchin said.

After talking with Mnuchin Tuesday evening, though, Pelosi released a statement saying, “Sadly, this phone call made clear that Democrats and the White House continue to have serious differences understanding the gravity of the situation that America’s working families are facing.”

Under questioning from Democrats on the panel, Mnuchin again denied any involvement in the hiring of new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.

Democrats are looking into how DeJoy was hired as they scrutinize a series of operational changes at the Postal Service that have resulted in widespread mail delays and fears that the agency will not be able to handle an expected surge in mail-in ballots this fall as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Democrats also want to learn more about Mnuchin’s role. The Treasury chief met with members of the Postal Service Board of Governors while the selection of the new postmaster general was underway.

Mnuchin said he knew DeJoy, a former supply chain CEO and a top Republican donor, from the 2016 Trump campaign. But he said he had not seen or spoken to DeJoy before he was hired to lead the Postal Service this spring.

“I had no specific conversations with him about that job until the (search) committee updated me that he was one of the finalists,” Mnuchin said. “I was quite surprised when I found out that he was a candidate. Again I had no involvement in that process whatsoever.’’

The Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program was a key piece of the government’s economic aid program responding to the pandemic. The nation’s small businesses received a gut punch in the spring as huge swaths of the economy were shut down, millions lost jobs and consumers curtailed spending.

Economists generally credit the small business program with helping prevent the job market meltdown from becoming worse. The loans are forgivable if businesses use the money to keep employees on the payroll or rehire workers who have been laid off.

The program ran from April through early August, awarding about 5 million loans totaling some $520 billion.

The program “is supporting an estimated 51 million jobs, representing 80% of small business payroll in all 50 states and six territories,” the Treasury Department and SBA said in statements when asked for comment on the congressional report. “We worked around the clock and launched the program in record time, under one week, because Americans needed immediate economic relief. Any program of this scope and size will encounter issues, and we have moved quickly to respond as they arise.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599044326494.png" alt="Treasury Secretary Mnuchin during Tuesday's testimony before a House committee-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Treasury Secretary Mnuchin during Tuesday's testimony before a House committee-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Pressed by Democrats to quickly negotiate a new coronavirus relief package, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday the administration remains willing to work on a bipartisan agreement to help small businesses, the unemployed, children and schools. Democratic leaders in Congress are holding it up with hardened positions, he said.“Let’s move forward on a bipartisan basis on points we can agree upon,” Mnuchin urged at a hearing by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. “The president and I want to move forward.”Mnuchin made the case that the economy’s recovery has strengthened in recent weeks, citing improved consumer spending, growth in manufacturing and a rebounding housing market. It’s the failure of some states to reopen activity that is holding back the economy, he said.But Democrats insisted that dire economic conditions persist for many. “Millions of Americans are now facing eviction, debt and hunger,” said the panel’s chairman, Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. “As the pandemic drags on, states, cities and businesses are warning that more layoffs may be coming.”The subcommittee’s Democratic staff, meanwhile, said it has identified lapses pointing to possible fraud and abuse in a signature piece of the administration’s relief effort, the $660 billion-plus small business loan program — including more than $1 billion awarded to businesses that received multiple loans.The staff investigators said in a report that a lack of government oversight and accountability for the program “may have led to billions of dollars being diverted to fraud, waste and abuse, rather than reaching small businesses truly in need.”With bipartisan agreement, Congress enacted an unprecedented $2.3 trillion pandemic rescue package in March. Now the Trump administration and top congressional Democrats have been in a months-long stalemate over new relief legislation, with the two sides trillions of dollars apart. Lawmakers left Washington for the August recess without an agreement.The impasse left millions of jobless people without a $600-per-week pandemic bonus unemployment benefit that had helped families stay afloat, left state and local governments seeking fiscal relief high and dry, and held back a more than $100 billion school aid package.An estimated 27 million people are receiving some form of unemployment benefits, according to the Labor Department, though the figure may be inflated by double-counting by states.Mnuchin identified additional spending on aid to small businesses as the area where Democrats and Republicans are most likely to agree. In sometimes sharp exchanges, he and Democrats on the panel disagreed over the state of the economy and traded blame for the impasse over new rescue legislation.Mnuchin pinned the blame on a refusal to compromise by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. While touting the economy’s partial recovery, he acknowledged that “we have more work to do.”Still, Mnuchin showed some openness to negotiating and even agreed, under prodding from Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., to phone Pelosi right after the hearing.He said he doesn’t support the Democrats’ position for $2.2 trillion in spending in the next package, which contrasts with Republicans’ stance of $1 trillion. He added, however: “What’s more important is ... getting money to American workers, American families, kids. There are tremendous areas of agreement, and that’s what we should be doing right away.”“I would publicly say I am willing to sit down at the negotiating table with the speaker with no conditions whatsoever any time,” Mnuchin said.After talking with Mnuchin Tuesday evening, though, Pelosi released a statement saying, “Sadly, this phone call made clear that Democrats and the White House continue to have serious differences understanding the gravity of the situation that America’s working families are facing.”Under questioning from Democrats on the panel, Mnuchin again denied any involvement in the hiring of new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.Democrats are looking into how DeJoy was hired as they scrutinize a series of operational changes at the Postal Service that have resulted in widespread mail delays and fears that the agency will not be able to handle an expected surge in mail-in ballots this fall as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.Democrats also want to learn more about Mnuchin’s role. The Treasury chief met with members of the Postal Service Board of Governors while the selection of the new postmaster general was underway.Mnuchin said he knew DeJoy, a former supply chain CEO and a top Republican donor, from the 2016 Trump campaign. But he said he had not seen or spoken to DeJoy before he was hired to lead the Postal Service this spring.“I had no specific conversations with him about that job until the (search) committee updated me that he was one of the finalists,” Mnuchin said. “I was quite surprised when I found out that he was a candidate. Again I had no involvement in that process whatsoever.’’The Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program was a key piece of the government’s economic aid program responding to the pandemic. The nation’s small businesses received a gut punch in the spring as huge swaths of the economy were shut down, millions lost jobs and consumers curtailed spending.Economists generally credit the small business program with helping prevent the job market meltdown from becoming worse. The loans are forgivable if businesses use the money to keep employees on the payroll or rehire workers who have been laid off.The program ran from April through early August, awarding about 5 million loans totaling some $520 billion.The program “is supporting an estimated 51 million jobs, representing 80% of small business payroll in all 50 states and six territories,” the Treasury Department and SBA said in statements when asked for comment on the congressional report. “We worked around the clock and launched the program in record time, under one week, because Americans needed immediate economic relief. Any program of this scope and size will encounter issues, and we have moved quickly to respond as they arise.”___

Treasury Secretary: Trump still wants virus relief deal 

KANSAS CITY (AP) — The woman who federal prosecutors said was “most culpable” in the death of a developmentally disabled Missouri man was sentenced Tuesday to 17 1/2 years in prison on federal charges.

Prosecutors said Sherry Paulo&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/0a722778d004ebd03f1e7a7a1a6dc015">led a scheme</a>&nbsp;that caused the death of Carl DeBrodie in Fulton and then persuaded others to help cover up his death.

DeBrodie was a developmentally disabled resident of Second Chance Homes of Fulton when he was reported missing in April 2017. His remains were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/2ea17980f7b74be6be91ed99eadce23b">found</a>&nbsp;a week later in a storage shed in Fulton but investigators determined he had died months earlier.

During the sentencing hearing Tuesday, federal attorney Julia Gegenheimer said Paulo was “the most culpable person” in the events leading to DeBrodie’s death, The Jefferson City News-Tribune&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newstribune.com/news/local/story/2020/sep/01/most-culpable-person-carl-debrodie-death-cover--gets-175-years-prison/839760/" target="_blank">reported</a>.

U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes said Paulo’s case is “one of the most deplorable, depraved and disturbing” he has heard.

He told Paulo that DeBrodie “had the misfortune of being placed with you” and said her sentence was “specific deterrence” to ensure she can never do something like it again.

Paulo’s husband and their two children also have pleaded guilty to federal charges in DeBrodie’s death. Paulo and her husband, Anthony Flores, still face state charges in the case.

They all worked at Second Chance Homes in Fulton when DeBrodie was a resident there. Federal prosecutors said DeBrodie died after months of abuse and being confined to a dark room in Paulo’s house with no running water or fresh air.

He also was not given medication or treatment for his illnesses for months before he died. Paulo told police she watched DeBrodie stop breathing but did not attempt to help him or call for medical help.

She pleaded guilty in November to willfully failing to provide necessary medical care and health care fraud for continuing to submit Medicaid claims after DeBrodie died. Paulo also was ordered to pay the government $106,795 for the Medicaid claims.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A woman should receive the maximum sentence possible for directing a plan to hide the death of a developmentally disabled man whose body was found encased in concrete, a federal prosecutor said in court filings.

Sherry Paulo, of Fulton, is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday on federal charges of health care fraud and failing to provide medical care to Carl DeBrodie, 31, whose body was found in a storage unit in Fulton in April 2017. Investigators believe he died months earlier.

The maximum sentence on those charges is 17.5 years in prison.

Paulo’s husband, Anthony Flores; their daughter, Mary Paulo; and their son, Anthony R.K. Flores, have also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/f5e9285af5f64e56981e416349057c04">pleaded guilty</a>&nbsp;to federal charges in the case.

Sherry Paulo and Anthony Flores still face&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/91f235f8c4814bfca456c9e12667d2eb">state charges</a>, including first-degree involuntary manslaughter and abandonment of a corpse.

All four family members worked at Second Chance Homes in Fulton, a home for developmentally disabled residents where DeBrodie lived.

Federal prosecutor Lucinda Woolery wrote in a court memo filed Aug. 21 that Sherry Paulo was a “controlling matriarch” and the family followed her orders in the family and at work.

Paulo withheld medications from DeBrodie beginning in 2015 and did not take him to a doctor from December 2015 until his death, Woolery wrote. She moved him to her home in September 2016 because his condition was so bad “he would lie in bed howling,” according to the memo.

DeBrodie spent his last days in a small basement room with no access to running water, sunlight, or fresh air, according to the memo.

Paulo and her husband each told police that they eventually asked DeBrodie’s housemate to carry him to an upstairs bathroom and place him under running water. Paulo said she watched DeBrodie stop breathing but neither she nor her husband provided medical aid or called for help, according to memo.

Instead, DeBrodie was left in the bathtub until the smell grew too strong.

In her plea agreement, Mary Paulo admitted to helping Sherry Paulo place DeBrodie into a trash can, which was loaded into a wooden crate and filled with concrete. Sherry Paulo, her husband and their son, Anthony R.K. Flores, took the crate to a storage unit, Anthony R.K. Flores admitted in his plea agreement.

The Callaway County medical examiner’s office was unable to determine an exact cause of death but ruled his death a homicide.

Between September 2016 and April 2017, Sherry Paulo lied about DeBrodie’s whereabouts and filed daily reports on his activities. She also submitted false Medicaid claims worth $106,795, Woolery wrote.

Paulo reported DeBrodie missing in April 2017 when Second Chance Homes was about to be taken over by another company. She also told family members to lie to police by saying they saw DeBrodie at a family Easter celebration on April 16, 2017.

Ultimately, an interview with DeBrodie’s housemate led police to his body, the sentencing memo states.

DeBrodie’s aunt, Carol Samson, said in a victim impact statement that his mother and stepfather both died this year. She asked that all the defendants be given maximum sentences and not ever be given access to vulnerable people again.

Paulo’s attorney, Christopher Slusher, filed a sentencing memorandum Tuesday, but it is sealed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574539388449.png" alt="Sherry Paulo" />
 <figcaption>Sherry Paulo</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — The woman who federal prosecutors said was “most culpable” in the death of a developmentally disabled Missouri man was sentenced Tuesday to 17 1/2 years in prison on federal charges.Prosecutors said Sherry Paulo&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/0a722778d004ebd03f1e7a7a1a6dc015">led a scheme</a>&nbsp;that caused the death of Carl DeBrodie in Fulton and then persuaded others to help cover up his death.DeBrodie was a developmentally disabled resident of Second Chance Homes of Fulton when he was reported missing in April 2017. His remains were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/2ea17980f7b74be6be91ed99eadce23b">found</a>&nbsp;a week later in a storage shed in Fulton but investigators determined he had died months earlier.During the sentencing hearing Tuesday, federal attorney Julia Gegenheimer said Paulo was “the most culpable person” in the events leading to DeBrodie’s death, The Jefferson City News-Tribune&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newstribune.com/news/local/story/2020/sep/01/most-culpable-person-carl-debrodie-death-cover--gets-175-years-prison/839760/" target="_blank">reported</a>.U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes said Paulo’s case is “one of the most deplorable, depraved and disturbing” he has heard.He told Paulo that DeBrodie “had the misfortune of being placed with you” and said her sentence was “specific deterrence” to ensure she can never do something like it again.Paulo’s husband and their two children also have pleaded guilty to federal charges in DeBrodie’s death. Paulo and her husband, Anthony Flores, still face state charges in the case.They all worked at Second Chance Homes in Fulton when DeBrodie was a resident there. Federal prosecutors said DeBrodie died after months of abuse and being confined to a dark room in Paulo’s house with no running water or fresh air.He also was not given medication or treatment for his illnesses for months before he died. Paulo told police she watched DeBrodie stop breathing but did not attempt to help him or call for medical help.She pleaded guilty in November to willfully failing to provide necessary medical care and health care fraud for continuing to submit Medicaid claims after DeBrodie died. Paulo also was ordered to pay the government $106,795 for the Medicaid claims.-------KANSAS CITY (AP) — A woman should receive the maximum sentence possible for directing a plan to hide the death of a developmentally disabled man whose body was found encased in concrete, a federal prosecutor said in court filings.Sherry Paulo, of Fulton, is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday on federal charges of health care fraud and failing to provide medical care to Carl DeBrodie, 31, whose body was found in a storage unit in Fulton in April 2017. Investigators believe he died months earlier.The maximum sentence on those charges is 17.5 years in prison.Paulo’s husband, Anthony Flores; their daughter, Mary Paulo; and their son, Anthony R.K. Flores, have also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/f5e9285af5f64e56981e416349057c04">pleaded guilty</a>&nbsp;to federal charges in the case.Sherry Paulo and Anthony Flores still face&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/91f235f8c4814bfca456c9e12667d2eb">state charges</a>, including first-degree involuntary manslaughter and abandonment of a corpse.All four family members worked at Second Chance Homes in Fulton, a home for developmentally disabled residents where DeBrodie lived.Federal prosecutor Lucinda Woolery wrote in a court memo filed Aug. 21 that Sherry Paulo was a “controlling matriarch” and the family followed her orders in the family and at work.Paulo withheld medications from DeBrodie beginning in 2015 and did not take him to a doctor from December 2015 until his death, Woolery wrote. She moved him to her home in September 2016 because his condition was so bad “he would lie in bed howling,” according to the memo.DeBrodie spent his last days in a small basement room with no access to running water, sunlight, or fresh air, according to the memo.Paulo and her husband each told police that they eventually asked DeBrodie’s housemate to carry him to an upstairs bathroom and place him under running water. Paulo said she watched DeBrodie stop breathing but neither she nor her husband provided medical aid or called for help, according to memo.Instead, DeBrodie was left in the bathtub until the smell grew too strong.In her plea agreement, Mary Paulo admitted to helping Sherry Paulo place DeBrodie into a trash can, which was loaded into a wooden crate and filled with concrete. Sherry Paulo, her husband and their son, Anthony R.K. Flores, took the crate to a storage unit, Anthony R.K. Flores admitted in his plea agreement.The Callaway County medical examiner’s office was unable to determine an exact cause of death but ruled his death a homicide.Between September 2016 and April 2017, Sherry Paulo lied about DeBrodie’s whereabouts and filed daily reports on his activities. She also submitted false Medicaid claims worth $106,795, Woolery wrote.Paulo reported DeBrodie missing in April 2017 when Second Chance Homes was about to be taken over by another company. She also told family members to lie to police by saying they saw DeBrodie at a family Easter celebration on April 16, 2017.Ultimately, an interview with DeBrodie’s housemate led police to his body, the sentencing memo states.DeBrodie’s aunt, Carol Samson, said in a victim impact statement that his mother and stepfather both died this year. She asked that all the defendants be given maximum sentences and not ever be given access to vulnerable people again.Paulo’s attorney, Christopher Slusher, filed a sentencing memorandum Tuesday, but it is sealed.

Woman sentenced in death of man found in concrete

BROWN COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 5p.m. Tuesday in Brown County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Dodge Avenger driven by Terry Robert Rush, 35, Hiram, Georgia, was southbound on U.S. 75 twelve miles south of Fairview attempting to make a U-turn. A southbound 2017 Kenworth semi driven by Edwardo Torres, 60, Eagle Pass, Texas,&nbsp;struck the Dodge.

Rush and a passenger&nbsp;McEwen, Mary Katherine McEwen, 37, Topeka, to Stormont Vail in Topeka where Rush died.

Torres was not injured.&nbsp; All three were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

BROWN COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 5p.m. Tuesday in Brown County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Dodge Avenger driven by Terry Robert Rush, 35, Hiram, Georgia, was southbound on U.S. 75 twelve miles south of Fairview attempting to make a U-turn. A southbound 2017 Kenworth semi driven by Edwardo Torres, 60, Eagle Pass, Texas,&nbsp;struck the Dodge.Rush and a passenger&nbsp;McEwen, Mary Katherine McEwen, 37, Topeka, to Stormont Vail in Topeka where Rush died.Torres was not injured.&nbsp; All three were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

Man dies after crash while attempting U-turn on Kan. highway

TOPEKA —A lightning strike is blamed for a house fire in Topeka.

Just after 5:30a.m. Tuesday, fire crews&nbsp;responded to the report of a fire at a home at 7400 SW 22nd Court. Upon arrival, crews found smoke and fire coming from the attic of the two story wood frame duplex structure, according to&nbsp; Fire Marshal Todd Harrison.

 A search of the duplex revealed that all occupants on both sides of the structure were able to escape prior to fire department’s arrival. 

Firefighters&nbsp;contained the fire to the structure of fire origin with some extension to the adjoining duplex and were able to quickly extinguish the fire.

The preliminary investigation indicates the cause of the fire was a lighting strike, according to Harrison. The estimated structural damage is listed at $20,000 with an additional $5000.00 in content loss.

Smoke detectors were present but not working within the residence, according to Harrison.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599042187595.png" alt="Crews on the scene of the fire blamed for a lightning strike photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Crews on the scene of the fire blamed for a lightning strike photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA —A lightning strike is blamed for a house fire in Topeka.Just after 5:30a.m. Tuesday, fire crews&nbsp;responded to the report of a fire at a home at 7400 SW 22nd Court. Upon arrival, crews found smoke and fire coming from the attic of the two story wood frame duplex structure, according to&nbsp; Fire Marshal Todd Harrison. A search of the duplex revealed that all occupants on both sides of the structure were able to escape prior to fire department’s arrival. Firefighters&nbsp;contained the fire to the structure of fire origin with some extension to the adjoining duplex and were able to quickly extinguish the fire.The preliminary investigation indicates the cause of the fire was a lighting strike, according to Harrison. The estimated structural damage is listed at $20,000 with an additional $5000.00 in content loss.Smoke detectors were present but not working within the residence, according to Harrison.

Lightning strike blamed for a fire at Kansas home

JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas woman on drug charges after a unique traffic stop.

Just after 4:30a.m. Monday,&nbsp; the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a truck parked in the middle of Highway 16 near W. Road. Deputies found the truck running, parked in the middle of the highway and a woman later identified as Marcy Jean Bowen, 37, McLouth, asleep behind the steering wheel, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

The deputies also discovered drug a substance believed to be methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. 

Deputies arrested Bowen and booked her into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and two misdemeanor drug charges.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1598965415979.png" alt="Bowen" />
 <figcaption>Bowen</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas woman on drug charges after a unique traffic stop.Just after 4:30a.m. Monday,&nbsp; the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a truck parked in the middle of Highway 16 near W. Road. Deputies found the truck running, parked in the middle of the highway and a woman later identified as Marcy Jean Bowen, 37, McLouth, asleep behind the steering wheel, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.The deputies also discovered drug a substance believed to be methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Deputies arrested Bowen and booked her into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and two misdemeanor drug charges.

Sheriff: Kan. woman was asleep at wheel, parked on highway

SEDGWICK COUNTY A 45-year-old Kansas man who stabbed his roommate to death while police were outside his house has been sentenced to life in prison, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.

Prosecutors said Jason Leigh McCaleb stabbed 28-year-old Devin Andrea Cook up to 50 times in November 2019. The stabbing occurred right after police suggested McCaleb evict Cook if he wanted her out of the home.

Police went to the home after McCaleb called 911 to say he had let her “keep her stuff at his house,” but that she was refusing to leave. At a news briefing after the slaying, police had said officers told McCaleb he had to use legal channels to evict her if he wanted her gone.

Officer were leaving the scene when they heard Cook calling for help but were not able to get back into the home. 

On July 22, McCaleb pleaded guilty to first-degree premeditated murder. He will be eligible for parole in 25 years.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574616803861.png" alt="MCCALEB photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>MCCALEB photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY A 45-year-old Kansas man who stabbed his roommate to death while police were outside his house has been sentenced to life in prison, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.Prosecutors said Jason Leigh McCaleb stabbed 28-year-old Devin Andrea Cook up to 50 times in November 2019. The stabbing occurred right after police suggested McCaleb evict Cook if he wanted her out of the home.Police went to the home after McCaleb called 911 to say he had let her “keep her stuff at his house,” but that she was refusing to leave. At a news briefing after the slaying, police had said officers told McCaleb he had to use legal channels to evict her if he wanted her gone.Officer were leaving the scene when they heard Cook calling for help but were not able to get back into the home. On July 22, McCaleb pleaded guilty to first-degree premeditated murder. He will be eligible for parole in 25 years.---------

Kan. man admits stabbing roommate with cops outside

Kansas City (AP) — The scenes have become commonplace in 2020: People gathered at state Capitols with semiautomatic long guns strapped across their chests. 

A couple near St. Louis emerging from their mansion brandishing firearms as Black Lives Matter demonstrators marched by the house. Men roaming the streets with rifles during protests over racial inequality, punctuated by two people being killed in Wisconsin and another in Portland over the weekend.

The coronavirus pandemic, protests against racism and police killings, a rancorous election year and a perception that cities are being overrun by violent mobs have brought about a markedly more aggressive stance by some gun owners and widened the divide over firearms in America.

Americans are turning out more often and more visibly with guns, a sign of the tension engulfing the country.

Last week's arrest of a 17-year-old accused of killing two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with a semiautomatic rifle is just the latest flashpoint. Then over the weekend, a caravan of President Donald Trump supporters streamed into Portland, resulting in a clash with protesters in which a supporter of a right-wing group was fatally shot.

The teenager and other gun-toting protesters have been denounced as radical vigilantes who benefit from a double-standard — that if they were Black gun owners brandishing their firearms, the police would use deadly force against them.

To others, they are patriots seeking to bring law and order to cities that have been overtaken by extremists.

“I would have done the same thing, to be honest with you,” Todd Scott, of Covington, Georgia, said of the teenager in Kenosha. He's viewed video of the teen, Kyle Rittenhouse, being chased by protesters and believes he was acting in self-defense.

Scott himself once used his gun to break up violence, becoming a bit of a local hero in 2015 after a gunman killed a clerk and a customer at the liquor store where he was picking up beer. Scott fired on the suspect before he fled.

Kat Ellsworth, who heads the Liberal Gun Owners club in Illinois and who lives in Chicago, is appalled by those who have converged on protests and are openly carrying firearms. She believes those gun owners have been emboldened by Trump, who has made law and order a central part of his re-election bid.

The scenes of primarily white men walking around city streets openly carrying firearms, or of those who have flocked to state Capitols to protest pandemic business restrictions, are a demonstration, she believes, of white privilege. She’s convinced that a group of Black gun owners with AR-15s in public would be dealt with much differently.

“I view them as instigators and I view them as people looking for an excuse to shoot people of color,” said Ellsworth, who is white.

The killings in Kenosha almost immediately opened up a new front in the culture wars over guns. Fox News’ Tucker Carlson called the episode a result of authorities refusing to bring law and order to the city.

“How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with rifles decided they had to maintain order when no one else would?”

Around the same time last week, Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who were seen outside their St. Louis home brandishing a rifle and a handgun, were given a coveted prime-time slot at the Republican National Convention, where they defended their right to bear arms.

In the first half of this year, the turmoil has fueled an unprecedented buying spree of firearms.

Every month so far has smashed last year’s numbers of background checks. In a few instances, the number of background checks have soared past previous records set by a background check system that began in 1998.

So far this year, nearly 23 million background checks have been conducted, though not all checks were for firearm purchases. Still, the gun industry estimates that 40% of firearm purchases have been made by first-time buyers, or about 5 million people.

Ed Turner, a former police officer from metro Atlanta who now owns gun shops in Georgia, said he cringes seeing people openly carrying firearms. If someone is truly worried about their own safety, he said, concealing the weapon is “a much better approach than walking around like John Wayne.”

Among the people flocking to his gun shops, he has seen mostly women, African Americans and Latinos concerned about their personal safety and buying a firearm for the first time. He considers their concerns justified amid calls to “defund the police" and riots that have some cases led to police stations being attacked.

“I am stunned that that behavior is allowed to go on,” he said.

Gun-control activists have viewed the situation in Kenosha, as well as the other protests that have drawn people openly carrying firearms, as a direct result of Trump's firebrand rhetoric.

“It is because of an extreme world view that has been only encouraged at the highest levels of government, and by the gun lobby that has condoned their presence there,” said Nick Suplina, the managing director of law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety. “The presence of armed militia at these protests are not there merely to protect property but are there to intimidate protesters, to chill speech and sometimes worse."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590977417965.png" alt="Protest near the Plaza in Kansas City in May -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Protest near the Plaza in Kansas City in May -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas City (AP) — The scenes have become commonplace in 2020: People gathered at state Capitols with semiautomatic long guns strapped across their chests. A couple near St. Louis emerging from their mansion brandishing firearms as Black Lives Matter demonstrators marched by the house. Men roaming the streets with rifles during protests over racial inequality, punctuated by two people being killed in Wisconsin and another in Portland over the weekend.The coronavirus pandemic, protests against racism and police killings, a rancorous election year and a perception that cities are being overrun by violent mobs have brought about a markedly more aggressive stance by some gun owners and widened the divide over firearms in America.Americans are turning out more often and more visibly with guns, a sign of the tension engulfing the country.Last week's arrest of a 17-year-old accused of killing two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with a semiautomatic rifle is just the latest flashpoint. Then over the weekend, a caravan of President Donald Trump supporters streamed into Portland, resulting in a clash with protesters in which a supporter of a right-wing group was fatally shot.The teenager and other gun-toting protesters have been denounced as radical vigilantes who benefit from a double-standard — that if they were Black gun owners brandishing their firearms, the police would use deadly force against them.To others, they are patriots seeking to bring law and order to cities that have been overtaken by extremists.“I would have done the same thing, to be honest with you,” Todd Scott, of Covington, Georgia, said of the teenager in Kenosha. He's viewed video of the teen, Kyle Rittenhouse, being chased by protesters and believes he was acting in self-defense.Scott himself once used his gun to break up violence, becoming a bit of a local hero in 2015 after a gunman killed a clerk and a customer at the liquor store where he was picking up beer. Scott fired on the suspect before he fled.Kat Ellsworth, who heads the Liberal Gun Owners club in Illinois and who lives in Chicago, is appalled by those who have converged on protests and are openly carrying firearms. She believes those gun owners have been emboldened by Trump, who has made law and order a central part of his re-election bid.The scenes of primarily white men walking around city streets openly carrying firearms, or of those who have flocked to state Capitols to protest pandemic business restrictions, are a demonstration, she believes, of white privilege. She’s convinced that a group of Black gun owners with AR-15s in public would be dealt with much differently.“I view them as instigators and I view them as people looking for an excuse to shoot people of color,” said Ellsworth, who is white.The killings in Kenosha almost immediately opened up a new front in the culture wars over guns. Fox News’ Tucker Carlson called the episode a result of authorities refusing to bring law and order to the city.“How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with rifles decided they had to maintain order when no one else would?”Around the same time last week, Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who were seen outside their St. Louis home brandishing a rifle and a handgun, were given a coveted prime-time slot at the Republican National Convention, where they defended their right to bear arms.In the first half of this year, the turmoil has fueled an unprecedented buying spree of firearms.Every month so far has smashed last year’s numbers of background checks. In a few instances, the number of background checks have soared past previous records set by a background check system that began in 1998.So far this year, nearly 23 million background checks have been conducted, though not all checks were for firearm purchases. Still, the gun industry estimates that 40% of firearm purchases have been made by first-time buyers, or about 5 million people.Ed Turner, a former police officer from metro Atlanta who now owns gun shops in Georgia, said he cringes seeing people openly carrying firearms. If someone is truly worried about their own safety, he said, concealing the weapon is “a much better approach than walking around like John Wayne.”Among the people flocking to his gun shops, he has seen mostly women, African Americans and Latinos concerned about their personal safety and buying a firearm for the first time. He considers their concerns justified amid calls to “defund the police" and riots that have some cases led to police stations being attacked.“I am stunned that that behavior is allowed to go on,” he said.Gun-control activists have viewed the situation in Kenosha, as well as the other protests that have drawn people openly carrying firearms, as a direct result of Trump's firebrand rhetoric.“It is because of an extreme world view that has been only encouraged at the highest levels of government, and by the gun lobby that has condoned their presence there,” said Nick Suplina, the managing director of law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety. “The presence of armed militia at these protests are not there merely to protect property but are there to intimidate protesters, to chill speech and sometimes worse."

Americans divided over armed civilians who flock to protests

A handful of the dozens of experimental COVID-19 vaccines in human testing have reached the last and biggest hurdle — looking for the needed proof that they really work as a U.S. advisory panel suggested Tuesday a way to ration the first limited doses once a vaccine wins approval.

AstraZeneca announced Monday its vaccine candidate has entered the final testing stage in the U.S. The Cambridge, England-based company said the study will involve up to 30,000 adults from various racial, ethnic and geographic groups.

Two other vaccine candidates began final testing this summer in tens of thousands of people in the U.S. One was created by the National Institutes of Health and manufactured by Moderna Inc., and the other developed by Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech.

“To have just one vaccine enter the final stage of trials eight months after discovering a virus would be a remarkable achievement; to have three at that point with more on the way is extraordinary,” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement.

NIH Director Francis Collins tweeted that his agency "is supporting several vaccine trials since more than one may be needed. We have all hands on deck."

AstraZeneca said development of the vaccine, known as AZD1222, is moving ahead globally with late-stage trials in the U.K., Brazil and South Africa. Further trials are planned in Japan and Russia. The potential vaccine was invented by the University of Oxford and an associated company, Vaccitech.

Meanwhile, a U.S. advisory panel released a draft plan Tuesday for how to ration the first doses of vaccine. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine proposed giving the first vaccine doses — initial supplies are expected to be limited to up to 15 million people — to high-risk health care workers and first responders.

Next, older residents of nursing homes and other crowded facilities and people of all ages with health conditions that put them at significant danger would be given priority. In following waves of vaccination, teachers, other school staff, workers in essential industries, and people living in homeless shelters, group homes, prisons and other facilities would get the shots.

Healthy children, young adults and everyone else would not get the first vaccinations, but would be able to get them once supplies increase.

The panel of experts described “a moral imperative” to lessen the heavy disease burden of COVID-19 on Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and Alaska Natives, and suggested state and local authorities could target vulnerable neighborhoods using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The National Academies will solicit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nap.edu/vaccine/">public comments</a>&nbsp;on the plan through Friday.

There’s a good reason so many COVID-19 vaccines are in development.

“The first vaccines that come out are probably not going to be the best vaccines,” Dr. Nicole Lurie, who helped lead pandemic planning under the Obama administration, said at a University of Minnesota vaccine symposium.

There’s no guarantee that any of the leading candidates will pan out — and the bar is higher than for COVID-19 treatments, because these vaccines will be given to healthy people. Final testing, experts stress, must be in large numbers of people to know if they’re safe enough for mass vaccinations.

They’re made in a wide variety of ways, each with pros and cons. One problem: Most of the leading candidates are being tested with two doses, which lengthens the time required to get an answer — and, if one works, to fully vaccinate people.

Another: They’re all shots. Vaccine experts are closely watching development of some nasal-spray alternatives that just might begin the first step of human testing later this year — late to the race, but possibly advantageous against a virus that sneaks into the airways.

For now, here’s a scorecard of vaccines that already have begun or are getting close to final-stage tests:

The Moderna and Pfizer candidates began Phase 3 testing in late July.

Neither uses the actual coronavirus. Instead, they’re made with the genetic code for the aptly named “spike” protein that coats the surface of the coronavirus. Inject the vaccine containing that code, called mRNA, and the body’s cells will make some harmless spike protein — just enough for the immune system to respond, priming it to react if it later encounters the real virus.

These mRNA vaccines are easier and faster to make than traditional vaccines, but it’s a new and unproven technology.

Britain’s Oxford University and AstraZeneca are making what scientists call a “viral vector” vaccine but a good analogy is the Trojan horse. The shots are made with a harmless virus — a cold virus that normally infects chimpanzees — that carries the spike protein’s genetic material into the body. Once again, the body produces some spike protein and primes the immune system, but it, too, is a fairly new technology.

Two possible competitors are made with different human cold viruses.

Shots made by Johnson &amp; Johnson began initial human studies in late July. The company plans to begin Phase 3 testing in September in as many as 60,000 people in the U.S. and elsewhere.

China’s government authorized emergency use of CanSino Biologics’ adenovirus shots in the military ahead of any final testing.

Making vaccines by growing a disease-causing virus and then killing it is a tried-and-true approach — it’s the way Jonas Salk’s famed polio shots were made. China has three so-called “inactivated” vaccine candidates against COVID-19 made this way.

Sinovac has final studies of its candidate underway in Brazil and Indonesia. Competitor SinoPharm has announced plans for final testing in some other countries.

Safely brewing and then killing the virus takes longer than newer technologies. But inactivated vaccines give the body a sneak peek at the germ itself rather than just that single spike protein.

Novavax makes “protein subunit” vaccines, growing harmless copies of the coronavirus spike protein in the laboratory and packaging them into virus-sized nanoparticles.

There are protein-based vaccines against other diseases, so it’s not as novel a technology as some of its competitors. But it only recently finished its first-step study; the U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed aims for advanced testing later in the fall.

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and CARLA K. JOHNSONAP Medical WritersA handful of the dozens of experimental COVID-19 vaccines in human testing have reached the last and biggest hurdle — looking for the needed proof that they really work as a U.S. advisory panel suggested Tuesday a way to ration the first limited doses once a vaccine wins approval.AstraZeneca announced Monday its vaccine candidate has entered the final testing stage in the U.S. The Cambridge, England-based company said the study will involve up to 30,000 adults from various racial, ethnic and geographic groups.Two other vaccine candidates began final testing this summer in tens of thousands of people in the U.S. One was created by the National Institutes of Health and manufactured by Moderna Inc., and the other developed by Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech.“To have just one vaccine enter the final stage of trials eight months after discovering a virus would be a remarkable achievement; to have three at that point with more on the way is extraordinary,” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement.NIH Director Francis Collins tweeted that his agency "is supporting several vaccine trials since more than one may be needed. We have all hands on deck."AstraZeneca said development of the vaccine, known as AZD1222, is moving ahead globally with late-stage trials in the U.K., Brazil and South Africa. Further trials are planned in Japan and Russia. The potential vaccine was invented by the University of Oxford and an associated company, Vaccitech.Meanwhile, a U.S. advisory panel released a draft plan Tuesday for how to ration the first doses of vaccine. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine proposed giving the first vaccine doses — initial supplies are expected to be limited to up to 15 million people — to high-risk health care workers and first responders.Next, older residents of nursing homes and other crowded facilities and people of all ages with health conditions that put them at significant danger would be given priority. In following waves of vaccination, teachers, other school staff, workers in essential industries, and people living in homeless shelters, group homes, prisons and other facilities would get the shots.Healthy children, young adults and everyone else would not get the first vaccinations, but would be able to get them once supplies increase.The panel of experts described “a moral imperative” to lessen the heavy disease burden of COVID-19 on Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and Alaska Natives, and suggested state and local authorities could target vulnerable neighborhoods using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The National Academies will solicit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nap.edu/vaccine/">public comments</a>&nbsp;on the plan through Friday.There’s a good reason so many COVID-19 vaccines are in development.“The first vaccines that come out are probably not going to be the best vaccines,” Dr. Nicole Lurie, who helped lead pandemic planning under the Obama administration, said at a University of Minnesota vaccine symposium.There’s no guarantee that any of the leading candidates will pan out — and the bar is higher than for COVID-19 treatments, because these vaccines will be given to healthy people. Final testing, experts stress, must be in large numbers of people to know if they’re safe enough for mass vaccinations.They’re made in a wide variety of ways, each with pros and cons. One problem: Most of the leading candidates are being tested with two doses, which lengthens the time required to get an answer — and, if one works, to fully vaccinate people.Another: They’re all shots. Vaccine experts are closely watching development of some nasal-spray alternatives that just might begin the first step of human testing later this year — late to the race, but possibly advantageous against a virus that sneaks into the airways.For now, here’s a scorecard of vaccines that already have begun or are getting close to final-stage tests:GENETIC CODE VACCINESThe Moderna and Pfizer candidates began Phase 3 testing in late July.Neither uses the actual coronavirus. Instead, they’re made with the genetic code for the aptly named “spike” protein that coats the surface of the coronavirus. Inject the vaccine containing that code, called mRNA, and the body’s cells will make some harmless spike protein — just enough for the immune system to respond, priming it to react if it later encounters the real virus.These mRNA vaccines are easier and faster to make than traditional vaccines, but it’s a new and unproven technology.TROJAN HORSE VACCINESBritain’s Oxford University and AstraZeneca are making what scientists call a “viral vector” vaccine but a good analogy is the Trojan horse. The shots are made with a harmless virus — a cold virus that normally infects chimpanzees — that carries the spike protein’s genetic material into the body. Once again, the body produces some spike protein and primes the immune system, but it, too, is a fairly new technology.Two possible competitors are made with different human cold viruses.Shots made by Johnson &amp; Johnson began initial human studies in late July. The company plans to begin Phase 3 testing in September in as many as 60,000 people in the U.S. and elsewhere.China’s government authorized emergency use of CanSino Biologics’ adenovirus shots in the military ahead of any final testing.‘KILLED’ VACCINESMaking vaccines by growing a disease-causing virus and then killing it is a tried-and-true approach — it’s the way Jonas Salk’s famed polio shots were made. China has three so-called “inactivated” vaccine candidates against COVID-19 made this way.Sinovac has final studies of its candidate underway in Brazil and Indonesia. Competitor SinoPharm has announced plans for final testing in some other countries.Safely brewing and then killing the virus takes longer than newer technologies. But inactivated vaccines give the body a sneak peek at the germ itself rather than just that single spike protein.PROTEIN VACCINESNovavax makes “protein subunit” vaccines, growing harmless copies of the coronavirus spike protein in the laboratory and packaging them into virus-sized nanoparticles.There are protein-based vaccines against other diseases, so it’s not as novel a technology as some of its competitors. But it only recently finished its first-step study; the U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed aims for advanced testing later in the fall.___

Third virus vaccine reaches major hurdle: final US testing

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly announced Tuesday that in its second month of Fiscal Year 2021, the State of Kansas continued to see total tax collections performing above estimates.

Total tax collections for August were $543.5 million.&nbsp;<a>That is</a>&nbsp;$40.2 million, or 8.0%, more than the estimate. That is 9.3%, or $46.3 million, ahead of last August, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Revenue.

“While this news shows that the steps we have taken to protect our economy are working, we have to remain fiscally cautious,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said. “The state of Kansas is still recovering from COVID-19 and we have to stay vigilant. That means all Kansans should wear a mask, practice social distancing and avoid mass gatherings so we can keep our schools and our businesses open.”

August's individual income tax collections were 12.9%, or $31.0 million, more than the estimate with $271.0 million collected. Compared to the same month last fiscal year, that is a 17.2%, or $39.7 million in growth. Corporate income tax collections were 10.5% more than August of last fiscal year with $7.3 million collected. That is $2.3 million, or 46.9%, more than the estimate.

Retail sales tax collections were 2.5%, or $5.1 million, more than the estimate with $207.1 million collected. That is a $1.8 million growth compared to the same month of last fiscal year. Compensating use tax collections were $12.7 million, or 38.9%, more than last August with $45.3 million collected. That is $9.3 million more than estimated.

So far, the state has collected $95.7 million in compensating use taxes for the fiscal year; a $24.0 million, or 33.6%, increase compared to the same two months of last fiscal year.

"The year-over-year increase in compensating use tax collections demonstrates the importance of increasing the number of registrations by remote sellers,"&nbsp;Secretary Mark Burghart said.&nbsp;"By increasing the number of out-of-state retailer registrations, we create fairness between out-of-state online retailers and main street Kansas."

The state is $35.6 million, or 2.4%, ahead of projections for the year with $1.5 billion in total tax collections for the fiscal year. When comparing total tax collections over the same timeframe to the previous fiscal year, the State of Kansas is $531.0 million, or 53.5%, ahead of Fiscal Year 2020.

Click here to<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgovernor.kansas.gov%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F09%2F02_August_Revenue_FY2021_09-01-2020_Final.pdf&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7C763d5f3043fe4b96b1dc08d84eb5ffd6%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637345890872644213&amp;sdata=pCfg3yBXRgaqee3IfrSFoLwXxlScKM9TwNgUzuJBZ3I%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">&nbsp;find the revenue numbers&nbsp;</a>

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly announced Tuesday that in its second month of Fiscal Year 2021, the State of Kansas continued to see total tax collections performing above estimates. Total tax collections for August were $543.5 million.&nbsp;<a>That is</a>&nbsp;$40.2 million, or 8.0%, more than the estimate. That is 9.3%, or $46.3 million, ahead of last August, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Revenue.“While this news shows that the steps we have taken to protect our economy are working, we have to remain fiscally cautious,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said. “The state of Kansas is still recovering from COVID-19 and we have to stay vigilant. That means all Kansans should wear a mask, practice social distancing and avoid mass gatherings so we can keep our schools and our businesses open.”August's individual income tax collections were 12.9%, or $31.0 million, more than the estimate with $271.0 million collected. Compared to the same month last fiscal year, that is a 17.2%, or $39.7 million in growth. Corporate income tax collections were 10.5% more than August of last fiscal year with $7.3 million collected. That is $2.3 million, or 46.9%, more than the estimate.Retail sales tax collections were 2.5%, or $5.1 million, more than the estimate with $207.1 million collected. That is a $1.8 million growth compared to the same month of last fiscal year. Compensating use tax collections were $12.7 million, or 38.9%, more than last August with $45.3 million collected. That is $9.3 million more than estimated.So far, the state has collected $95.7 million in compensating use taxes for the fiscal year; a $24.0 million, or 33.6%, increase compared to the same two months of last fiscal year."The year-over-year increase in compensating use tax collections demonstrates the importance of increasing the number of registrations by remote sellers,"&nbsp;Secretary Mark Burghart said.&nbsp;"By increasing the number of out-of-state retailer registrations, we create fairness between out-of-state online retailers and main street Kansas."The state is $35.6 million, or 2.4%, ahead of projections for the year with $1.5 billion in total tax collections for the fiscal year. When comparing total tax collections over the same timeframe to the previous fiscal year, the State of Kansas is $531.0 million, or 53.5%, ahead of Fiscal Year 2020.Click here to<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgovernor.kansas.gov%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F09%2F02_August_Revenue_FY2021_09-01-2020_Final.pdf&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7C763d5f3043fe4b96b1dc08d84eb5ffd6%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637345890872644213&amp;sdata=pCfg3yBXRgaqee3IfrSFoLwXxlScKM9TwNgUzuJBZ3I%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">&nbsp;find the revenue numbers&nbsp;</a>

Kansas tax collections $40.2 million above estimates

By NOMIN UJIYEDIIN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-09-01/kansas-foster-families-are-still-adjusting-to-the-pandemics-technological-demands">Kansas News Service</a>

LAWRENCE — When school buildings across Kansas shut 
down in March, parents and students had to adjust to shorter class 
times, Zoom sessions and take-home packets.

Meanwhile, families in the foster care system faced <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-05-07/coronavirus-is-the-latest-strain-on-kansas-foster-families" target="_blank">extra challenges</a>: keeping up with training sessions, therapy appointments and social worker visits.

School
 is already hard enough for many foster kids. They’re more likely to 
have mental health concerns that need treatment, and learning disorders 
or disabilities that require special education plans.

Many of 
those families found themselves struggling to take care of those needs 
online, Kansas foster care agencies report. Some families relied on 
their phones for internet access, while others used hotspots provided by
 schools. And kinship families — they take in foster children who are 
relatives — are even more likely to struggle with finding the technology
 they need.

At first, many families struggled with having fast 
enough internet to access virtual classes and appointments, said Denise 
Cross, president and CEO of Cornerstones of Care, an organization that 
contracts with the state to provide foster care services. On top of 
that, many parents taking care of foster kids didn’t have computers and 
had to rely on their cellphones for internet access and potential costs 
for using more data.

Kinship families are especially likely to 
lack laptops or other devices for school because they tend to be 
lower-income. While the state has strict income requirements for foster 
families who aren’t related to the children they take care of, those 
requirements aren’t as strict kinship families.

“There’s a set of... relative homes that really do not have that consistent access,” Cross said.

The
 end result could be that children with high needs fall even further 
behind than their peers during a time of disrupted routines and limited 
social interaction.

“Our foster youth … tend to have widening 
learning gaps just because of the disruption and the trauma that they’ve
 experienced,” Cross said. “The platforms that everyone is pivoting and 
turning to, it just creates additional challenges.”

Adequate <a href="https://sunflowerstateradio.com/2019/08/05/new-kansas-broadband-map-shows-internet-accessibility-and-the-areas-sans-service-may-surprise-you/" target="_blank">access to broadband</a>
 is a prominent issue in the rural parts of Kansas, where some residents
 don’t have internet service fast enough to support video conferencing. 
Service can also be patchy in some of the state’s largest urban 
counties. A <a href="https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-19-44A1.pdf" target="_blank">2019 report</a>
 from the Federal Communications Commission shows that 28% of rural 
Kansas households surveyed didn’t have internet speeds faster than 25 
megabits per second, compared to only 2% of urban Kansas households.

But
 through the spring and summer, many school districts gave Wi-Fi 
hotspots, computers or tablets to families who needed them, foster care 
agencies said. Districts also gave assignments on paper to students who 
didn’t have internet access. Plus, many schools in rural areas are 
holding at least some in-person classes because the number of cases in 
those places is relatively low.

While access to devices has 
improved, children with special needs and mental health conditions — 
including many foster children — still might have trouble getting the 
help they need, said Jessica Lane, an assistant professor of special 
education, counseling and student affairs at Kansas State University.

“Schools have naturally become the de facto mental health provider,” she said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1598974145804.png" alt="Many school districts have provided families with Wi-fi hotspots and other devices to help with online learning. But foster children are more likely to have learning disorders or mental health conditions that make virtual learning hard. Nomin Ujiyediin / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Many school districts have provided families with Wi-fi hotspots and other devices to help with online learning. But foster children are more likely to have learning disorders or mental health conditions that make virtual learning hard. Nomin Ujiyediin / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By NOMIN UJIYEDIIN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-09-01/kansas-foster-families-are-still-adjusting-to-the-pandemics-technological-demands">Kansas News Service</a>LAWRENCE — When school buildings across Kansas shut 
down in March, parents and students had to adjust to shorter class 
times, Zoom sessions and take-home packets.Meanwhile, families in the foster care system faced <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-05-07/coronavirus-is-the-latest-strain-on-kansas-foster-families" target="_blank">extra challenges</a>: keeping up with training sessions, therapy appointments and social worker visits.School
 is already hard enough for many foster kids. They’re more likely to 
have mental health concerns that need treatment, and learning disorders 
or disabilities that require special education plans.Many of 
those families found themselves struggling to take care of those needs 
online, Kansas foster care agencies report. Some families relied on 
their phones for internet access, while others used hotspots provided by
 schools. And kinship families — they take in foster children who are 
relatives — are even more likely to struggle with finding the technology
 they need.At first, many families struggled with having fast 
enough internet to access virtual classes and appointments, said Denise 
Cross, president and CEO of Cornerstones of Care, an organization that 
contracts with the state to provide foster care services. On top of 
that, many parents taking care of foster kids didn’t have computers and 
had to rely on their cellphones for internet access and potential costs 
for using more data.Kinship families are especially likely to 
lack laptops or other devices for school because they tend to be 
lower-income. While the state has strict income requirements for foster 
families who aren’t related to the children they take care of, those 
requirements aren’t as strict kinship families.“There’s a set of... relative homes that really do not have that consistent access,” Cross said.The
 end result could be that children with high needs fall even further 
behind than their peers during a time of disrupted routines and limited 
social interaction.“Our foster youth … tend to have widening 
learning gaps just because of the disruption and the trauma that they’ve
 experienced,” Cross said. “The platforms that everyone is pivoting and 
turning to, it just creates additional challenges.”<h2>Mental health and special ed</h2>Adequate <a href="https://sunflowerstateradio.com/2019/08/05/new-kansas-broadband-map-shows-internet-accessibility-and-the-areas-sans-service-may-surprise-you/" target="_blank">access to broadband</a>
 is a prominent issue in the rural parts of Kansas, where some residents
 don’t have internet service fast enough to support video conferencing. 
Service can also be patchy in some of the state’s largest urban 
counties. A <a href="https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-19-44A1.pdf" target="_blank">2019 report</a>
 from the Federal Communications Commission shows that 28% of rural 
Kansas households surveyed didn’t have internet speeds faster than 25 
megabits per second, compared to only 2% of urban Kansas households.But
 through the spring and summer, many school districts gave Wi-Fi 
hotspots, computers or tablets to families who needed them, foster care 
agencies said. Districts also gave assignments on paper to students who 
didn’t have internet access. Plus, many schools in rural areas are 
holding at least some in-person classes because the number of cases in 
those places is relatively low.While access to devices has 
improved, children with special needs and mental health conditions — 
including many foster children — still might have trouble getting the 
help they need, said Jessica Lane, an assistant professor of special 
education, counseling and student affairs at Kansas State University.“Schools have naturally become the de facto mental health provider,” she said.Students’ mental health may have been hurt by the pandemic, Lane said, even if it may be too early to tell exactly how.“Teachers are seeing that there’s a growing level of trauma,” she said.Some
 schools have been providing mental health services over video, Lane 
said. And some have been providing counseling and special ed lessons in 
person in a socially distanced way, said Linda Arthington of St. Francis
 Ministries, one of the state’s largest foster care providers. Students 
with learning disorders or trauma in their pasts, who may already have 
trouble focusing, might be struggling even more with learning from home.“Sometimes they just need that one-on-one,” Arthington said. “A lot of them need structure.”For
 now, she said, so much has changed since the spring that it’s hard to 
tell how foster students will fare in school, whether they attend in 
person, online or in a combination of the two Families with multiple 
kids and adults working from home will soon find out whether their 
internet speeds can handle the new school year.“Over the next month,” Arthington said, “we’ll start learning a lot more.”Nomin
 Ujiyediin reports on criminal justice and social welfare for the Kansas
 News Service. You can email her at nomin@kcur.org and follow
 her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/nominuj" target="_blank">@NominUJ</a>.