LENEXA, Kan. (AP) — A man is hospitalized after being shot by a motorcyclist on Interstate 35 in Johnson County, and police believe road rage was behind the shooting. 

KCTV-TV reports that the incident happened Friday night, causing the shutdown of the interstate near the busy intersection with I-435. 

Lenexa police say the victim was driving northbound on I-35 when a motorcyclist driving the same direction shot him. Police say they’re investigating it as a road rage incident, but provided no additional information. 

The victim drove home and called 911. He was taken to a hospital but details about his condition have not been released.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604149589182.png" alt="Traffic backed up Friday night -image courtesy KC Scout camera" />
 <figcaption>Traffic backed up Friday night -image courtesy KC Scout camera</figcaption>
 </figure>LENEXA, Kan. (AP) — A man is hospitalized after being shot by a motorcyclist on Interstate 35 in Johnson County, and police believe road rage was behind the shooting. KCTV-TV reports that the incident happened Friday night, causing the shutdown of the interstate near the busy intersection with I-435. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604149568426.png" alt="Police searching the area following the reported shooting -image courtesy KC Scout camera" />
 <figcaption>Police searching the area following the reported shooting -image courtesy KC Scout camera</figcaption>
 </figure>Lenexa police say the victim was driving northbound on I-35 when a motorcyclist driving the same direction shot him. Police say they’re investigating it as a road rage incident, but provided no additional information. The victim drove home and called 911. He was taken to a hospital but details about his condition have not been released.

Man injured in suspected road rage shooting near KC

WASHINGTON (AP) — An American citizen kidnapped in the West African nation of Niger this past week has been rescued in a U.S. military operation in neighboring Nigeria, a U.S. official told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Philipe Nathan Walton was taken from his farm in Massalata in southern Niger early Tuesday morning by armed kidnappers who demanded a ransom from the man’s father.

The Defense Department confirmed the operation Saturday, saying it took place in northern Nigeria.

“This American citizen is safe and is now in the care of the U.S. Department of State. No U.S military personnel were injured during the operation,” the department said in a statement.

Niger has faced a growing number of attacks by extremists linked to both the Islamic State group and to al-Qaida. The kidnapping comes two months after IS-linked militants killed six French aid workers and their Niger guide while they were visiting a wildlife park east of the capital.

The U.S. official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the rescue and spoke on condition of anonymity, said there were no solid indications that Walton’s kidnapping was terrorism-related and that it was instead “trending toward a kidnapping for ransom.”

But the official said the U.S. government said it was concerned that the hostage could be passed to another terrorist group, or that the kidnapping could become a prolonged hostage-taking.

Walton is now back in Niger, according to the official, who said no ransom was paid.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly promoted his administration’s focus on securing the release of American hostages held by militant groups abroad as well as others being detained. Earlier this month, two Americans held captive by Iranian-backed militants in Yemen were released, along with a third person, in exchange for the return of about 250 of the Houthi rebels from Oman.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An American citizen kidnapped in the West African nation of Niger this past week has been rescued in a U.S. military operation in neighboring Nigeria, a U.S. official told The Associated Press on Saturday.Philipe Nathan Walton was taken from his farm in Massalata in southern Niger early Tuesday morning by armed kidnappers who demanded a ransom from the man’s father.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Last night, our Country’s brave warriors rescued an American hostage in Nigeria. Our Nation salutes the courageous soldiers behind the daring nighttime rescue operation and celebrates the safe return of yet another American citizen!&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1322568272483475457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Defense Department confirmed the operation Saturday, saying it took place in northern Nigeria.“This American citizen is safe and is now in the care of the U.S. Department of State. No U.S military personnel were injured during the operation,” the department said in a statement.Niger has faced a growing number of attacks by extremists linked to both the Islamic State group and to al-Qaida. The kidnapping comes two months after IS-linked militants killed six French aid workers and their Niger guide while they were visiting a wildlife park east of the capital.The U.S. official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the rescue and spoke on condition of anonymity, said there were no solid indications that Walton’s kidnapping was terrorism-related and that it was instead “trending toward a kidnapping for ransom.”But the official said the U.S. government said it was concerned that the hostage could be passed to another terrorist group, or that the kidnapping could become a prolonged hostage-taking.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Outstanding work by the U.S. military today in freeing a U.S. citizen taken hostage in Niger and reuniting him with his family.&mdash; Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecPompeo/status/1322537249062461440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Walton is now back in Niger, according to the official, who said no ransom was paid.President Donald Trump has repeatedly promoted his administration’s focus on securing the release of American hostages held by militant groups abroad as well as others being detained. Earlier this month, two Americans held captive by Iranian-backed militants in Yemen were released, along with a third person, in exchange for the return of about 250 of the Houthi rebels from Oman.

American hostage in Africa rescued by U.S. Navy Seals

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Family members located Charles Mata and he is safe, according to Kansas City Police. The Silver Alert has been cancelled. Authorities released no additional details.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —The Kansas Bureau of Investigation issued a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Kansas man.

Charles Wesley Mata who is currently missing from his home in the 4900 block of Silver Ave. in Kansas City. Mata was last known driving a dark blue, 4-door 2008 Mazda 3 with KS tag 748-AQD with an unknown direction of travel.

Mata is an 81-year-old Hispanic male, 5 -oot-7 in. tall, who weighs 165 pounds. He has brown eyes, grey hair and glasses. He was last wearing blue jeans, a gray shirt with green trim and glasses.

Mata has early onset dementia. He was last seen in Lenexa at 5:15 a.m. Friday, Oct. 30. He may have traveled near I-35 and Johnson Drive. in Merriam, Kan. If you see Mata or his vehicle, please call 911.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604093676080.png" alt="Mata -photo KCPD" />
 <figcaption>Mata -photo KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Family members located Charles Mata and he is safe, according to Kansas City Police. The Silver Alert has been cancelled. Authorities released no additional details.---------WYANDOTTE COUNTY —The Kansas Bureau of Investigation issued a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Kansas man.Charles Wesley Mata who is currently missing from his home in the 4900 block of Silver Ave. in Kansas City. Mata was last known driving a dark blue, 4-door 2008 Mazda 3 with KS tag 748-AQD with an unknown direction of travel.Mata is an 81-year-old Hispanic male, 5 -oot-7 in. tall, who weighs 165 pounds. He has brown eyes, grey hair and glasses. He was last wearing blue jeans, a gray shirt with green trim and glasses.Mata has early onset dementia. He was last seen in Lenexa at 5:15 a.m. Friday, Oct. 30. He may have traveled near I-35 and Johnson Drive. in Merriam, Kan. If you see Mata or his vehicle, please call 911.

Silver Alert canceled, missing Kan. man found safe

LONDON (AP) — Sean Connery, the charismatic Scottish actor who rose to international superstardom as suave, fearless secret agent James Bond and then abandoned the role to carve out an equally successful, Oscar-winning career playing a variety of leading and character roles, has died. He was 90.

Bond producers EON Productions confirmed his death. Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said they were “devastated” by the news.

“He was and shall always be remembered as the original James Bond whose indelible entrance into cinema history began when he announced those unforgettable words — ‘The name’s Bond... James Bond,’” they said in a statement Saturday.

The producers said Connery’s “gritty and witty portrayal of the sexy and charismatic secret agent” was largely responsible for the success of the series.

Connery’s son Jason said his father died peacefully in his sleep overnight in the Bahamas where he lived, having been “unwell for some time.”

“A sad day for all who knew and loved my dad and a sad loss for all people around the world who enjoyed the wonderful gift he had as an actor,” Jason Connery told the BBC.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was “heartbroken” at the news.

“Our nation today mourns one of her best loved sons,” she said.

A commanding screen presence for some 40 years, Connery was in his early 30s and little known when he starred in the first Bond thriller, 1962’s “Dr. No,” based on the Ian Fleming novel.

Condemned as immoral by the Vatican and the Kremlin, but screened at the White House for Bond fan John F. Kennedy, “Dr. No” was a box office hit and helped Bond become a franchise that long outlasted its Cold War origins.

For decades, with actors from Connery to Daniel Craig in the leading role, filmgoers have loved the outrageous stunts, vicious villains and likable, roguish hero who enjoyed a life of carousing, fast cars, gadgety weapons, elegant clothes and vodka martinis (always shaken, not stirred).

For many, Connery was the definitive James Bonds, his character’s introduction among the most famous in movie history. He is seated at the blackjack table of an upscale casino, seen first from the side and the back. After he wins a couple of hands against a glamorous young woman, she asks for more money to gamble. “I admire your courage, Miss, uh ...” we hear him tell her as the camera shows his hands removing a cigarette from a slender case. She introduces herself as “Trench, Sylvia Trench,” tells him she admires his luck and asks his name. His reply remains a catchphrase decades later. “Bond,” he says, his face finally revealed as he lights a cigarette. “James Bond.”

United Artists couldn’t wait to make more Bond movies, with ever more elaborate stunts and gadgets, along with more exotic locales and more prominent co-stars, among them Lotte Lenya and Jill St. John.

Connery continued as Bond in “From Russia With Love,” “Goldfinger,” “Thunderball,” “You Only Live Twice” and “Diamonds Are Forever,” often performing his own stunts.

“Diamonds Are Forever” came out in 1971 and by then Connery had grown weary of playing 007 and feared he wasn’t being taken seriously despite his dramatic performances in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Marnie” and Sidney Lumet’s “The Hill.”

“I’d been an actor since I was 25, but the image the press put out was that I just fell into this tuxedo and started mixing vodka martinis,” he once complained.

When he walked away at age 41, Hollywood insiders predicted Connery would soon be washed up. Who would hire a balding, middle-aged actor with a funny accent?

Connery fooled them all, playing a wide range of characters and proving equally adept at comedy, adventure or drama. And age only heightened the appeal of his dark stare and rugged brogue; he set a celebrity record of sorts when at age 59 he was named People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive.”

He won the affection of fans of the “Indiana Jones” franchise when he played Indy’s father opposite Harrison Ford in the third picture, 1989′s “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” He turned in a poignant portrayal of an aging Robin Hood opposite Audrey Hepburn in “Robin and Marian” in 1976 and, 15 years later, was King Richard to Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood in “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.”

He was the lovable English con man who joined Michael Caine in swindling tribal people everywhere in “The Man Who Would Be King” and the bold Russian submarine commander in “The Hunt for Red October.”

He delivered a charming performance as a reclusive writer who mentors a teenage prodigy in 2000′s “Finding Forrester.”

He won his Oscar for supporting actor in 1987 for his portrayal of a tough Chicago cop who joins Elliot Ness’ crime-fighters in “The Untouchables.

By then he was at peace with James Bond, and when he arrived onstage at the Oscar ceremony he declared, “The name’s Connery. Sean Connery.”

He kept his promise not to play Bond again until 1983, when he was lured back by an offbeat script about a middle-aged 007. Based on the only Fleming story that hadn’t been nailed down by the film empire Broccoli and Saltzman created, Connery took the role and helped produce the film. The result was “Never Say Never Again,” a title suggested by his wife, Micheline Roquebrune.

Even as the 007 films made him a millionaire, Connery tried often to separate his own personality from that of Bond. “I’m obviously not Bond,” he once said. “And Bond is obviously not a human being. Fleming invented him after the war, when people were hungry for luxury, gourmet touches, exotic settings. Those were the things the English loved to read about following the privations of the war.”

The “real” Sean Connery had a troubled first marriage and a history of comments justifying domestic violence. In 1962, he married Diane Cilento, an actress best known for her role as Molly in “Tom Jones.” They had a son, Jason, who also became an actor, but the union proved tempestuous and ended in 1974.

Its impact lasted long after. Cilento would allege that he had physically abused her and Connery defended his behavior in interviews. In 1965, he told Playboy magazine that he did not find “anything particularly wrong about hitting a woman — although I don’t recommend doing it in the same way that you’d hit a man. An openhanded slap is justified — if all other alternatives fail and there has been plenty of warning.”

When Barbara Walter brought up those remarks in a 1987 interview, he said his opinion hadn’t changed because “sometimes women just won’t leave things alone.”

Connery was widely criticized, but still received numerous honors, including being chosen as commander (the same rank as Bond) of France’s Order of Arts and Literature and a Kennedy Center honoree in 1999. The following year Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed him a British knight.

In 2005 he was chosen for a lifetime achievement award by the American Film Institute. Thomas Sean Connery was born Aug. 25, 1930, in Edinburgh, Scotland, the first of two sons of a long-distance truck driver and a domestic worker.

He left school at age 13 during World War II to help support his family.

“I was a milkman, laborer, steel bender, cement mixer— virtually anything,” he once said.

Weary of day labor, he joined the British navy and was medically discharged after three years. The ailment: stomach ulcers.

Back in Edinburgh, he lifted weights to build his body and compete in the Mr. Universe contest. He came in third, and briefly considered becoming a professional soccer player, but chose acting because he reasoned his career would last longer.

He got his first big break singing and dancing to “There is Nothing Like a Dame” in “South Pacific” on the London stage and in a road production before going on to act in repertory, television and B movies. He went to Hollywood for two early films, Disney’s “Darby O’Gill and the Little People” and “Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure.”

When he decided to become an actor, he was told that Thomas Sean Connery wouldn’t fit on a theater marquee so he dropped his first name.

Then came the audition that changed his life. American producers Albert “Cubby” Broccoli and Harry Saltzman had bought the film rights to a string of post-World War II spy adventure novels by Fleming. Connery was not their first choice for “Dr. No.”

The producers had looked to Cary Grant, but decided they wanted an actor would commit to a series. The producers also realized they couldn’t afford a big-name star because United Artists had limited their film budget to $1 million a picture, so they started interviewing more obscure British performers.

Among them was the 6-foot-2 Connery. Without a screen test, Broccoli and Saltzman chose the actor, citing his “dark, cruel good looks,” a perfect match for the way Fleming described Bond. When Connery started earning big money, he established his base at a villa in Marbella on the Spanish coast.

He described it as “my sanitarium, where I recover from the madness of the film world.” It also helped him avoid the overwhelming income tax he would have paid had he remained a resident of Britain.

As his acting roles diminished when he reached his 70s, Connery spent much of his time at his tax-free home at Lynford Cay in the Bahamas. He played golf almost every morning, often with his wife. He announced in 2007 that he had retired when he turned down the chance to appear in another “Indiana Jones” movie.

“I thought long and hard about it, and if anything could have pulled me out of retirement it would have been an `Indiana Jones’ film,” he said.

“But in the end, retirement is just too damned much fun.”

LONDON (AP) — Sean Connery, the charismatic Scottish actor who rose to international superstardom as suave, fearless secret agent James Bond and then abandoned the role to carve out an equally successful, Oscar-winning career playing a variety of leading and character roles, has died. He was 90.Bond producers EON Productions confirmed his death. Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said they were “devastated” by the news.“He was and shall always be remembered as the original James Bond whose indelible entrance into cinema history began when he announced those unforgettable words — ‘The name’s Bond... James Bond,’” they said in a statement Saturday.The producers said Connery’s “gritty and witty portrayal of the sexy and charismatic secret agent” was largely responsible for the success of the series.Connery’s son Jason said his father died peacefully in his sleep overnight in the Bahamas where he lived, having been “unwell for some time.”“A sad day for all who knew and loved my dad and a sad loss for all people around the world who enjoyed the wonderful gift he had as an actor,” Jason Connery told the BBC.Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was “heartbroken” at the news.“Our nation today mourns one of her best loved sons,” she said.A commanding screen presence for some 40 years, Connery was in his early 30s and little known when he starred in the first Bond thriller, 1962’s “Dr. No,” based on the Ian Fleming novel.Condemned as immoral by the Vatican and the Kremlin, but screened at the White House for Bond fan John F. Kennedy, “Dr. No” was a box office hit and helped Bond become a franchise that long outlasted its Cold War origins.For decades, with actors from Connery to Daniel Craig in the leading role, filmgoers have loved the outrageous stunts, vicious villains and likable, roguish hero who enjoyed a life of carousing, fast cars, gadgety weapons, elegant clothes and vodka martinis (always shaken, not stirred).For many, Connery was the definitive James Bonds, his character’s introduction among the most famous in movie history. He is seated at the blackjack table of an upscale casino, seen first from the side and the back. After he wins a couple of hands against a glamorous young woman, she asks for more money to gamble. “I admire your courage, Miss, uh ...” we hear him tell her as the camera shows his hands removing a cigarette from a slender case. She introduces herself as “Trench, Sylvia Trench,” tells him she admires his luck and asks his name. His reply remains a catchphrase decades later. “Bond,” he says, his face finally revealed as he lights a cigarette. “James Bond.”United Artists couldn’t wait to make more Bond movies, with ever more elaborate stunts and gadgets, along with more exotic locales and more prominent co-stars, among them Lotte Lenya and Jill St. John.Connery continued as Bond in “From Russia With Love,” “Goldfinger,” “Thunderball,” “You Only Live Twice” and “Diamonds Are Forever,” often performing his own stunts.“Diamonds Are Forever” came out in 1971 and by then Connery had grown weary of playing 007 and feared he wasn’t being taken seriously despite his dramatic performances in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Marnie” and Sidney Lumet’s “The Hill.”“I’d been an actor since I was 25, but the image the press put out was that I just fell into this tuxedo and started mixing vodka martinis,” he once complained.When he walked away at age 41, Hollywood insiders predicted Connery would soon be washed up. Who would hire a balding, middle-aged actor with a funny accent?Connery fooled them all, playing a wide range of characters and proving equally adept at comedy, adventure or drama. And age only heightened the appeal of his dark stare and rugged brogue; he set a celebrity record of sorts when at age 59 he was named People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive.”He won the affection of fans of the “Indiana Jones” franchise when he played Indy’s father opposite Harrison Ford in the third picture, 1989′s “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” He turned in a poignant portrayal of an aging Robin Hood opposite Audrey Hepburn in “Robin and Marian” in 1976 and, 15 years later, was King Richard to Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood in “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.”He was the lovable English con man who joined Michael Caine in swindling tribal people everywhere in “The Man Who Would Be King” and the bold Russian submarine commander in “The Hunt for Red October.”He delivered a charming performance as a reclusive writer who mentors a teenage prodigy in 2000′s “Finding Forrester.”He won his Oscar for supporting actor in 1987 for his portrayal of a tough Chicago cop who joins Elliot Ness’ crime-fighters in “The Untouchables.By then he was at peace with James Bond, and when he arrived onstage at the Oscar ceremony he declared, “The name’s Connery. Sean Connery.”He kept his promise not to play Bond again until 1983, when he was lured back by an offbeat script about a middle-aged 007. Based on the only Fleming story that hadn’t been nailed down by the film empire Broccoli and Saltzman created, Connery took the role and helped produce the film. The result was “Never Say Never Again,” a title suggested by his wife, Micheline Roquebrune.Even as the 007 films made him a millionaire, Connery tried often to separate his own personality from that of Bond. “I’m obviously not Bond,” he once said. “And Bond is obviously not a human being. Fleming invented him after the war, when people were hungry for luxury, gourmet touches, exotic settings. Those were the things the English loved to read about following the privations of the war.”The “real” Sean Connery had a troubled first marriage and a history of comments justifying domestic violence. In 1962, he married Diane Cilento, an actress best known for her role as Molly in “Tom Jones.” They had a son, Jason, who also became an actor, but the union proved tempestuous and ended in 1974.Its impact lasted long after. Cilento would allege that he had physically abused her and Connery defended his behavior in interviews. In 1965, he told Playboy magazine that he did not find “anything particularly wrong about hitting a woman — although I don’t recommend doing it in the same way that you’d hit a man. An openhanded slap is justified — if all other alternatives fail and there has been plenty of warning.”When Barbara Walter brought up those remarks in a 1987 interview, he said his opinion hadn’t changed because “sometimes women just won’t leave things alone.”Connery was widely criticized, but still received numerous honors, including being chosen as commander (the same rank as Bond) of France’s Order of Arts and Literature and a Kennedy Center honoree in 1999. The following year Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed him a British knight.In 2005 he was chosen for a lifetime achievement award by the American Film Institute. Thomas Sean Connery was born Aug. 25, 1930, in Edinburgh, Scotland, the first of two sons of a long-distance truck driver and a domestic worker.He left school at age 13 during World War II to help support his family.“I was a milkman, laborer, steel bender, cement mixer— virtually anything,” he once said.Weary of day labor, he joined the British navy and was medically discharged after three years. The ailment: stomach ulcers.Back in Edinburgh, he lifted weights to build his body and compete in the Mr. Universe contest. He came in third, and briefly considered becoming a professional soccer player, but chose acting because he reasoned his career would last longer.He got his first big break singing and dancing to “There is Nothing Like a Dame” in “South Pacific” on the London stage and in a road production before going on to act in repertory, television and B movies. He went to Hollywood for two early films, Disney’s “Darby O’Gill and the Little People” and “Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure.”When he decided to become an actor, he was told that Thomas Sean Connery wouldn’t fit on a theater marquee so he dropped his first name.Then came the audition that changed his life. American producers Albert “Cubby” Broccoli and Harry Saltzman had bought the film rights to a string of post-World War II spy adventure novels by Fleming. Connery was not their first choice for “Dr. No.”The producers had looked to Cary Grant, but decided they wanted an actor would commit to a series. The producers also realized they couldn’t afford a big-name star because United Artists had limited their film budget to $1 million a picture, so they started interviewing more obscure British performers.Among them was the 6-foot-2 Connery. Without a screen test, Broccoli and Saltzman chose the actor, citing his “dark, cruel good looks,” a perfect match for the way Fleming described Bond. When Connery started earning big money, he established his base at a villa in Marbella on the Spanish coast.He described it as “my sanitarium, where I recover from the madness of the film world.” It also helped him avoid the overwhelming income tax he would have paid had he remained a resident of Britain.As his acting roles diminished when he reached his 70s, Connery spent much of his time at his tax-free home at Lynford Cay in the Bahamas. He played golf almost every morning, often with his wife. He announced in 2007 that he had retired when he turned down the chance to appear in another “Indiana Jones” movie.“I thought long and hard about it, and if anything could have pulled me out of retirement it would have been an `Indiana Jones’ film,” he said.“But in the end, retirement is just too damned much fun.”___

Actor Sean Connery, the 'original' James Bond, dies at 90

By AVIVA OKESON-HABERMAN &amp; PEGGY LOWE <a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2020-10-30/why-these-kansans-votes-didnt-count-two-years-ago-and-why-that-could-be-a-problem-this-year">Kansas News Service</a>

More than a quarter of the 29,000 provisional ballots in Kansas were 
rejected in the 2018 general election because of various errors, leaving
 7,692 voters out of the democratic process.

Provisional ballots 
are supposed to be a fail-safe, protecting voters from 
disenfranchisement due to an administrative error or other problems.

About
 one in four of the 29,000 provisional ballots cast in Kansas in 2018, 
out of more than a million total cast, were not counted because election
 officials found errors with the ballots ranging from a lack of voter 
registration to not signing an envelope, which are required by state 
law.

Yet election experts anticipate higher numbers of provisional
 voting in the Nov. 3 election, partly due to voters requesting an 
advance ballot by mail but then reconsidering and deciding to vote 
in-person. While provisional ballots made up a small slice, about 2.7% 
of all votes cast in Kansas in 2018, they can make a difference in tight
 races. Kansas voters are deciding on a high-stakes U.S. Senate seat, as
 well as all four congressional seats.

Basehor resident Sheila 
May-Turner’s ballot was rejected in 2018 because two ballots were put in
 one envelope, according to election records. She doesn’t recall doing 
that, and is confused about why her ballot was rejected.

“I think 
that's totally unfair that my vote didn't count,” May-Turner said. “I 
mean, it makes me kind of angry actually. It's a crock.”

May-Turner is voting in person this election because she said she distrusts the U.S. Postal Service.

Leavenworth
 resident Louis Givens said he was angry when he heard his 2018 
provisional ballot wasn’t counted. Voting records indicate it was 
rejected because Givens wasn’t registered to vote, although he thought 
he was.

“I look at it like I didn't get the chance to participate, you know?” Givens said.

Provisional
 ballots might be rejected because a voter didn’t provide ID, didn’t 
sign the ballot envelope or the signature didn’t match what’s on record.
 About 80% of ballot rejections in the Kansas 2018 general election were
 the result of a person missing the voter registration deadline, 
according to the federal Election Administration and Voting Survey data.

Kansas Leads U.S. In Use Of Provisional Ballots

Kansas had one of the highest provisional ballot rates in the country
 in the November 2018 election, according to an analysis by KCUR. About 
2.7% of all ballots cast were provisional in Kansas, according to 
Election Administration and Voting Survey data.

But even that 
small number of votes matters when races come down to very tight 
margins. For instance, in a Kansas Legislature primary in August, 
Democrat Aaron Coleman <a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/election/article245023545.html" target="_blank">eked out a win</a>
 by 14 votes after provisionals were counted. (Coleman has admitted to 
bullying and blackmailing girls while in middle school, according to the
 <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-ap-top-news-health-media-kansas-ac948dae17c3dbc36ffe62246925c4f3" target="_blank">Associated Press</a>.)

In Johnson County, more than 3,300 voters had cast provisional 
ballots, as of Oct. 23. About 84% of those voters were mailed a ballot, 
according to Connie Schmidt, Johnson County Election Commissioner.

“If
 there's a close race on election night here in Johnson County, and we 
have, let's say 10,000 to 15,000 provisional ballots then the 
provisional ballots easily could change the outcome of races,” Schmidt 
said.

A federal law <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/stand-up-and-be-counted-maybe" target="_blank">spurred by</a>
 voting issues in the 2000 election requires states to provide 
provisional ballots to any voter whose eligibility is uncertain. This 
protects voters from disenfranchisement due to an administrative error, 
like when Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas was incorrectly told he wasn’t
 on the voter roll <a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2020-03-10/kansas-city-mayor-says-being-mistaken-for-lucas-quinton-points-to-larger-issues-with-voting" target="_blank">earlier this year </a>after a worker accidentally mixed up his first and last name.

Top
 county election officials in Leavenworth, Miami and Johnson counties 
said the biggest misconception about provisions is that they won’t 
count.

“A lot of people are afraid of the term provisional,” 
Schmidt said. “They hear that word and they immediately don't want to 
cast that ballot …There's a perception in the media nationwide that 
provisional ballots are only counted if there's a close race.”

While
 provisional ballots aren’t included in unofficial election night 
results, ballots are counted during the county canvass. The extra time 
allows election officials to verify if a voter is eligible to have their
 ballot counted. It also gives the voter time to bring in their ID if 
they forgot to on Election Day.

“It's just a way to make 100% sure
 that we're doing everything we need to do to make sure everything's 
still safe, secure and lawful,” Miami County Clerk Janet White said.

A
 sharply contested GOP primary for governor in 2018 that included a 
flurry of attention around provisional votes sparked Davis Hammet’s 
interest in the topic. Hammet is the founder of Loud Light, a Topeka, 
Kansas, group focused on voter engagement and increasing the number of 
young people who turn out to the polls.

Hammet wants Kansas 
lawmakers to change state law and allow ballots to count even though a 
voter missed the registration deadline. Hammet wasn’t able to rally 
enough support for this idea during the 2020 legislative session.

Kansans
 fill out a voter registration card if they vote provisionally, Hammet 
reasons, so if a provisional ballot isn’t counted because the voter 
wasn’t registered, the voter is put in the system for the next election.

“I kind of joke that Kansas does have same-day voter registration, but your vote doesn't get to count,” Hammet said.

Eisenhower Middle School teacher Annastasia (Logan) Glover’s 
experience is a good example of Hammett’s concern. Their 2018 ballot 
wasn’t counted after they moved back to Leavenworth County after 
college, but missed the registration deadline.

“It was very disappointing to see that despite so much effort on my part, my voice wasn't heard,” Glover said.

If
 you move to another county, even if it’s a couple of miles away, and 
don’t update your registration then your vote won’t count. Almost 4,000 
ballots were tossed out for that reason in the 2018 general election. 
There’s an exception if you changed counties within 30 days of the 
election.

But if you move within a county and forget to update 
your registration, your provisional ballot will count for the races 
you’re eligible to vote in.

Kansans have to be registered 21 days 
before an election. Twenty-one states offer same-day voter registration,
 but not Kansas, according to the <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/same-day-registration.aspx" target="_blank">National Conference of State Legislatures.</a>

Johnson
 County’s Schmidt said same-day registration requires a “different model
 of election administration” because of processing work. It can also be a
 challenge for election officials trying to figure out turnout and 
staffing plans with voter registrations numbers in flex.

“If 
anybody can come and they don't have to be a registered voter, we don't 
have a good way of knowing how many people are coming to each voting 
location,” Schmidt said.

The
 surge in mail ballot requests because of the pandemic might end up 
translating to more provisional votes if voters change their mind and 
decide to vote in-person, according to Eliza Sweren-Becker, a lawyer 
focused on voting rights at the Brennan Center for Justice.

“Jurisdictions
 should prepare for a surge in provisional voting due to delays in 
processing of voter registration applications, voter confusion resulting
 from polling site closures and consolidation, and unfamiliarity with 
absentee voting,” according to a <a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/policy-solutions/how-protect-2020-vote-coronavirus" target="_blank">March report</a> from the Brennan Center.

Kansas’
 August primary saw a 66% increase in provisional voting compared to the
 August 2018 election, according to data from the Secretary of State’s 
office. That’s because the recent election saw higher turnout numbers, 
and the overall share of votes cast provisionally, however, only ticked 
up slightly.

On a chilly Saturday morning a week before the election, a steady 
flow of voters cast provisional ballots at the Johnson County Election 
Office. This included first-time voter Marvelin Umeh. After getting a 
mail ballot she decided to vote in-person instead because she was 
worried her ballot might get lost in the mail.

“I've been a 
citizen since 2015, but I've never voted,” Umeh said. “So I decided it's
 something I need to do to change the country.”

A little less than
 half of registered voters weren’t confident in the United States Postal
 Services delivering election mail in a timely manner, according to a <a href="http://maristpoll.marist.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/NPR_PBS-NewsHour_Marist-Poll_USA-NOS-and-Tables_202009171415.pdf#page=3" target="_blank">September</a> NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.

Not
 every county is reporting increases in provisional voting. The Kansas 
Secretary of State’s office won’t have statewide numbers on provisionals
 until after the canvass, according to a spokeswoman. Leavenworth County
 Clerk Janet Klasinski said while she’s gotten calls from people about 
switching from a mail ballot to voting in-person, the county hasn’t seen
 a surge in provisional voting.

“Our voters have been fine with 
waiting until they received their ballot, voting their ballot that they 
received in the mail and possibly bringing it directly to the county 
clerk's office,” Klasinski said.

In Johnson County, voter Yuri Regondola has been “checking the mail 
every day” for his advance ballot but said it hasn’t arrived. With a 
little more than a week left before the election, Regondola decided to 
vote in person provisionally at the Johnson County Election Office.

“I
 was determined to vote — like no matter what,” Regondola said. “And I 
know voting in-person would increase the risk [of contracting 
coronavirus], but I said that I have to.”

· Return your mail ballot in a county election drop box if you’re worried about mail delays. · Check your voter registration status and polling locations at the <a href="https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/voterview/" target="_blank">Kansas Secretary of State’s website</a>. · Bring a valid ID when voting, like a driver’s license, passport, student ID card or public assistance card (a full list is <a href="https://sos.ks.gov/elections/photo-id.html" target="_blank">available here</a>). · If you cast a provisional ballot, make sure to sign the envelope and follow instructions from an election worker.

Source: Kansas Secretary of State

Aviva Okeson-Haberman is the Missouri government and politics reporter at KCUR 89.3. Email her at aviva@kcur.org.&nbsp;Peggy Lowe is a veteran investigative reporter based at KCUR, NPR’s member station in Kansas City. She also serves as a correspondent for Marketplace, public media’s national business show.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604077280974.png" alt="Connie Schmidt, Johnson County Election Commissioner, leads a training on July 11 in Olathe for poll workers who will be dealing with provisional ballots. Peggy Lowe" />
 <figcaption>Connie Schmidt, Johnson County Election Commissioner, leads a training on July 11 in Olathe for poll workers who will be dealing with provisional ballots. Peggy Lowe</figcaption>
 </figure>By AVIVA OKESON-HABERMAN &amp; PEGGY LOWE <a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2020-10-30/why-these-kansans-votes-didnt-count-two-years-ago-and-why-that-could-be-a-problem-this-year">Kansas News Service</a>More than a quarter of the 29,000 provisional ballots in Kansas were 
rejected in the 2018 general election because of various errors, leaving
 7,692 voters out of the democratic process.Provisional ballots 
are supposed to be a fail-safe, protecting voters from 
disenfranchisement due to an administrative error or other problems.About
 one in four of the 29,000 provisional ballots cast in Kansas in 2018, 
out of more than a million total cast, were not counted because election
 officials found errors with the ballots ranging from a lack of voter 
registration to not signing an envelope, which are required by state 
law.Yet election experts anticipate higher numbers of provisional
 voting in the Nov. 3 election, partly due to voters requesting an 
advance ballot by mail but then reconsidering and deciding to vote 
in-person. While provisional ballots made up a small slice, about 2.7% 
of all votes cast in Kansas in 2018, they can make a difference in tight
 races. Kansas voters are deciding on a high-stakes U.S. Senate seat, as
 well as all four congressional seats.Basehor resident Sheila 
May-Turner’s ballot was rejected in 2018 because two ballots were put in
 one envelope, according to election records. She doesn’t recall doing 
that, and is confused about why her ballot was rejected.“I think 
that's totally unfair that my vote didn't count,” May-Turner said. “I 
mean, it makes me kind of angry actually. It's a crock.”May-Turner is voting in person this election because she said she distrusts the U.S. Postal Service.Leavenworth
 resident Louis Givens said he was angry when he heard his 2018 
provisional ballot wasn’t counted. Voting records indicate it was 
rejected because Givens wasn’t registered to vote, although he thought 
he was.“I look at it like I didn't get the chance to participate, you know?” Givens said.Provisional
 ballots might be rejected because a voter didn’t provide ID, didn’t 
sign the ballot envelope or the signature didn’t match what’s on record.
 About 80% of ballot rejections in the Kansas 2018 general election were
 the result of a person missing the voter registration deadline, 
according to the federal Election Administration and Voting Survey data.<h2>Kansas Leads U.S. In Use Of Provisional Ballots</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604077410493.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas had one of the highest provisional ballot rates in the country
 in the November 2018 election, according to an analysis by KCUR. About 
2.7% of all ballots cast were provisional in Kansas, according to 
Election Administration and Voting Survey data.But even that 
small number of votes matters when races come down to very tight 
margins. For instance, in a Kansas Legislature primary in August, 
Democrat Aaron Coleman <a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/election/article245023545.html" target="_blank">eked out a win</a>
 by 14 votes after provisionals were counted. (Coleman has admitted to 
bullying and blackmailing girls while in middle school, according to the
 <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-ap-top-news-health-media-kansas-ac948dae17c3dbc36ffe62246925c4f3" target="_blank">Associated Press</a>.)<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604077464930.png" alt="Johnson County election worker Larry Wagner hands a provisional ballot to a voter Oct. 24. Aviva Okeson-Haberman" />
 <figcaption>Johnson County election worker Larry Wagner hands a provisional ballot to a voter Oct. 24. Aviva Okeson-Haberman</figcaption>
 </figure>In Johnson County, more than 3,300 voters had cast provisional 
ballots, as of Oct. 23. About 84% of those voters were mailed a ballot, 
according to Connie Schmidt, Johnson County Election Commissioner.“If
 there's a close race on election night here in Johnson County, and we 
have, let's say 10,000 to 15,000 provisional ballots then the 
provisional ballots easily could change the outcome of races,” Schmidt 
said.A federal law <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/stand-up-and-be-counted-maybe" target="_blank">spurred by</a>
 voting issues in the 2000 election requires states to provide 
provisional ballots to any voter whose eligibility is uncertain. This 
protects voters from disenfranchisement due to an administrative error, 
like when Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas was incorrectly told he wasn’t
 on the voter roll <a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2020-03-10/kansas-city-mayor-says-being-mistaken-for-lucas-quinton-points-to-larger-issues-with-voting" target="_blank">earlier this year </a>after a worker accidentally mixed up his first and last name.Top
 county election officials in Leavenworth, Miami and Johnson counties 
said the biggest misconception about provisions is that they won’t 
count.“A lot of people are afraid of the term provisional,” 
Schmidt said. “They hear that word and they immediately don't want to 
cast that ballot …There's a perception in the media nationwide that 
provisional ballots are only counted if there's a close race.”While
 provisional ballots aren’t included in unofficial election night 
results, ballots are counted during the county canvass. The extra time 
allows election officials to verify if a voter is eligible to have their
 ballot counted. It also gives the voter time to bring in their ID if 
they forgot to on Election Day.“It's just a way to make 100% sure
 that we're doing everything we need to do to make sure everything's 
still safe, secure and lawful,” Miami County Clerk Janet White said.<h2>Worries Of Voter Disenfranchisement</h2>A
 sharply contested GOP primary for governor in 2018 that included a 
flurry of attention around provisional votes sparked Davis Hammet’s 
interest in the topic. Hammet is the founder of Loud Light, a Topeka, 
Kansas, group focused on voter engagement and increasing the number of 
young people who turn out to the polls.Hammet wants Kansas 
lawmakers to change state law and allow ballots to count even though a 
voter missed the registration deadline. Hammet wasn’t able to rally 
enough support for this idea during the 2020 legislative session.Kansans
 fill out a voter registration card if they vote provisionally, Hammet 
reasons, so if a provisional ballot isn’t counted because the voter 
wasn’t registered, the voter is put in the system for the next election.“I kind of joke that Kansas does have same-day voter registration, but your vote doesn't get to count,” Hammet said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604077511269.png" alt="Annastasia (Logan) Glover cast a provisional ballot in the Nov. 2018 election that wasn't counted because they weren't registered to vote in Leavenworth County. Aviva Okeson-Haberman" />
 <figcaption>Annastasia (Logan) Glover cast a provisional ballot in the Nov. 2018 election that wasn't counted because they weren't registered to vote in Leavenworth County. Aviva Okeson-Haberman</figcaption>
 </figure>Eisenhower Middle School teacher Annastasia (Logan) Glover’s 
experience is a good example of Hammett’s concern. Their 2018 ballot 
wasn’t counted after they moved back to Leavenworth County after 
college, but missed the registration deadline.“It was very disappointing to see that despite so much effort on my part, my voice wasn't heard,” Glover said.If
 you move to another county, even if it’s a couple of miles away, and 
don’t update your registration then your vote won’t count. Almost 4,000 
ballots were tossed out for that reason in the 2018 general election. 
There’s an exception if you changed counties within 30 days of the 
election.But if you move within a county and forget to update 
your registration, your provisional ballot will count for the races 
you’re eligible to vote in.Kansans have to be registered 21 days 
before an election. Twenty-one states offer same-day voter registration,
 but not Kansas, according to the <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/same-day-registration.aspx" target="_blank">National Conference of State Legislatures.</a>Johnson
 County’s Schmidt said same-day registration requires a “different model
 of election administration” because of processing work. It can also be a
 challenge for election officials trying to figure out turnout and 
staffing plans with voter registrations numbers in flex.“If 
anybody can come and they don't have to be a registered voter, we don't 
have a good way of knowing how many people are coming to each voting 
location,” Schmidt said.<h2>‘I Was Determined To Vote’</h2>The
 surge in mail ballot requests because of the pandemic might end up 
translating to more provisional votes if voters change their mind and 
decide to vote in-person, according to Eliza Sweren-Becker, a lawyer 
focused on voting rights at the Brennan Center for Justice.“Jurisdictions
 should prepare for a surge in provisional voting due to delays in 
processing of voter registration applications, voter confusion resulting
 from polling site closures and consolidation, and unfamiliarity with 
absentee voting,” according to a <a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/policy-solutions/how-protect-2020-vote-coronavirus" target="_blank">March report</a> from the Brennan Center.Kansas’
 August primary saw a 66% increase in provisional voting compared to the
 August 2018 election, according to data from the Secretary of State’s 
office. That’s because the recent election saw higher turnout numbers, 
and the overall share of votes cast provisionally, however, only ticked 
up slightly.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604077554783.png" alt="Marvelin Umeh requested an advance ballot by mail but decided to vote provisionally in-person instead because of concerns about the United States Postal Service. Aviva Okeson-Haberman" />
 <figcaption>Marvelin Umeh requested an advance ballot by mail but decided to vote provisionally in-person instead because of concerns about the United States Postal Service. Aviva Okeson-Haberman</figcaption>
 </figure>On a chilly Saturday morning a week before the election, a steady 
flow of voters cast provisional ballots at the Johnson County Election 
Office. This included first-time voter Marvelin Umeh. After getting a 
mail ballot she decided to vote in-person instead because she was 
worried her ballot might get lost in the mail.“I've been a 
citizen since 2015, but I've never voted,” Umeh said. “So I decided it's
 something I need to do to change the country.”A little less than
 half of registered voters weren’t confident in the United States Postal
 Services delivering election mail in a timely manner, according to a <a href="http://maristpoll.marist.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/NPR_PBS-NewsHour_Marist-Poll_USA-NOS-and-Tables_202009171415.pdf#page=3" target="_blank">September</a> NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.Not
 every county is reporting increases in provisional voting. The Kansas 
Secretary of State’s office won’t have statewide numbers on provisionals
 until after the canvass, according to a spokeswoman. Leavenworth County
 Clerk Janet Klasinski said while she’s gotten calls from people about 
switching from a mail ballot to voting in-person, the county hasn’t seen
 a surge in provisional voting.“Our voters have been fine with 
waiting until they received their ballot, voting their ballot that they 
received in the mail and possibly bringing it directly to the county 
clerk's office,” Klasinski said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604077591796.png" alt="Voter Yuri Regondola cast a provisional ballot Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020 at the Johnson County Election Office. Aviva Okeson-Haberman" />
 <figcaption>Voter Yuri Regondola cast a provisional ballot Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020 at the Johnson County Election Office. Aviva Okeson-Haberman</figcaption>
 </figure>In Johnson County, voter Yuri Regondola has been “checking the mail 
every day” for his advance ballot but said it hasn’t arrived. With a 
little more than a week left before the election, Regondola decided to 
vote in person provisionally at the Johnson County Election Office.“I
 was determined to vote — like no matter what,” Regondola said. “And I 
know voting in-person would increase the risk [of contracting 
coronavirus], but I said that I have to.”<h2>How To Make Sure Your Vote Counts</h2>· Return your mail ballot in a county election drop box if you’re worried about mail delays. · Check your voter registration status and polling locations at the <a href="https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/voterview/" target="_blank">Kansas Secretary of State’s website</a>. · Bring a valid ID when voting, like a driver’s license, passport, student ID card or public assistance card (a full list is <a href="https://sos.ks.gov/elections/photo-id.html" target="_blank">available here</a>). · If you cast a provisional ballot, make sure to sign the envelope and follow instructions from an election worker.Source: Kansas Secretary of StateAviva Okeson-Haberman is the Missouri government and politics reporter at KCUR 89.3. Email her at aviva@kcur.org.&nbsp;Peggy Lowe is a veteran investigative reporter based at KCUR, NPR’s member station in Kansas City. She also serves as a correspondent for Marketplace, public media’s national business show.

Why Kansans' votes didn't count — and why that could be a problem this year 

LEAVENWORTH COUNTY—A Kansas sheriff's deputy died in an accident just before 4p.m. Friday in Leavenworth County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Bluebird school bus with USD 464 Tonganoxie and driven by Cherie L. Williams, 62, Tonganoxie, was northbound on 211th Street at McIntyre Road. The driver failed to yield while continuing to drive north. 

A westbound unmarked 2014 Leavenworth County Sheriff's Department Ford Explorer driven by Cpl. Daniel R. Abramovitz, 59, Leavenworth, struck the passenger's side of the bus.

The bus traveled off the roadway to the northwest overturned and struck a stop sign and a fence line. The SUV rotated and came to rest to the north of the intersection.

&nbsp;Abramovitz was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported Williams to Providence Medical Center. One passenger on the bus Kaleb D. Seifkas, 8, Leavenworth, was not injured.

Abramovitz had worked at the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office for 26 years and was looking forward to retirement on March 1, 2021, according to a media release from the sheriff's department.&nbsp; He was most recently assigned to the Investigations Division, where his focus was sex crimes and child sexual abuse cases.

“Abramovitz was well-respected and much loved. He leaves to mourn his loss Carol and three adult children, Chrissy, Randi and Raymond as well as two siblings," according to Sheriff Andrew Dedeke.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604144148154.png" alt="Cpl. Daniel Abramovitz-courtesy Leavenworth Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Cpl. Daniel Abramovitz-courtesy Leavenworth Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>LEAVENWORTH COUNTY—A Kansas sheriff's deputy died in an accident just before 4p.m. Friday in Leavenworth County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Bluebird school bus with USD 464 Tonganoxie and driven by Cherie L. Williams, 62, Tonganoxie, was northbound on 211th Street at McIntyre Road. The driver failed to yield while continuing to drive north. A westbound unmarked 2014 Leavenworth County Sheriff's Department Ford Explorer driven by Cpl. Daniel R. Abramovitz, 59, Leavenworth, struck the passenger's side of the bus.The bus traveled off the roadway to the northwest overturned and struck a stop sign and a fence line. The SUV rotated and came to rest to the north of the intersection.&nbsp;Abramovitz was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported Williams to Providence Medical Center. One passenger on the bus Kaleb D. Seifkas, 8, Leavenworth, was not injured.Abramovitz had worked at the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office for 26 years and was looking forward to retirement on March 1, 2021, according to a media release from the sheriff's department.&nbsp; He was most recently assigned to the Investigations Division, where his focus was sex crimes and child sexual abuse cases.“Abramovitz was well-respected and much loved. He leaves to mourn his loss Carol and three adult children, Chrissy, Randi and Raymond as well as two siblings," according to Sheriff Andrew Dedeke.

 Kansas sheriff's deputy dies in crash with school bus 

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart has reversed course, announcing it is returning ammunition and firearms to their displays in its U.S. stores.

On Thursday the nation’s largest retailer said it had removed the items from displays due to “civil unrest” in some areas of the country. Guns and ammunition, however, had remained for sale at the stores, just not visible to shoppers.

But on Friday Walmart said the items had been restored to displays because the unrest has remained isolated.

The moves come after several days of protests, vandalism, and an overnight curfew in Philadelphia after police fatally shot a Black man with a history of mental health problems.

“After civil unrest earlier this week resulted in damage to several of our stores, consistent with actions we took over the summer, we asked stores to move firearms and ammunition from the sales floor to a secure location in the back of the store in an abundance of caution, “ Walmart said in a statement. “As the current incidents have remained geographically isolated, we have made the decision to begin returning these products to the sales floor today.”

The retailer based in Bentonville, Arkansas, sells firearms in about half of its 4,700 stores.

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart says it has removed ammunition and firearms from displays at its U.S. stores, citing “civil unrest” in some areas.

The nation’s largest retailer, based in Bentonville, Arkansas, sells firearms in about half of its 4,700 stores.

“We have seen some isolated civil unrest and as we have done on several occasions over the last few years, we have moved our firearms and ammunition off the sales floor as a precaution for the safety of our associates and customers,” Walmart said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press on Thursday.

The discounter said the items remain available for purchase by customers.

The move comes after several days of protests, widespread vandalism and an overnight curfew in Philadelphia before Election Day after police fatally shot a Black man with a history of mental health problems.

Walmart made a a similar move in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd that set off sometimes violent demonstrations against police brutality and injustice against African Americans.

Last year, Walmart stopped selling handgun and short-barrel rifle ammunition while requesting that customers not openly carry firearms in its stores, even where state laws allow it. The company also ended the sale of handguns in Alaska, the only state where the discounter sold them.

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart has reversed course, announcing it is returning ammunition and firearms to their displays in its U.S. stores.On Thursday the nation’s largest retailer said it had removed the items from displays due to “civil unrest” in some areas of the country. Guns and ammunition, however, had remained for sale at the stores, just not visible to shoppers.But on Friday Walmart said the items had been restored to displays because the unrest has remained isolated.The moves come after several days of protests, vandalism, and an overnight curfew in Philadelphia after police fatally shot a Black man with a history of mental health problems.“After civil unrest earlier this week resulted in damage to several of our stores, consistent with actions we took over the summer, we asked stores to move firearms and ammunition from the sales floor to a secure location in the back of the store in an abundance of caution, “ Walmart said in a statement. “As the current incidents have remained geographically isolated, we have made the decision to begin returning these products to the sales floor today.”The retailer based in Bentonville, Arkansas, sells firearms in about half of its 4,700 stores._____NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart says it has removed ammunition and firearms from displays at its U.S. stores, citing “civil unrest” in some areas.The nation’s largest retailer, based in Bentonville, Arkansas, sells firearms in about half of its 4,700 stores.“We have seen some isolated civil unrest and as we have done on several occasions over the last few years, we have moved our firearms and ammunition off the sales floor as a precaution for the safety of our associates and customers,” Walmart said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press on Thursday.The discounter said the items remain available for purchase by customers.The move comes after several days of protests, widespread vandalism and an overnight curfew in Philadelphia before Election Day after police fatally shot a Black man with a history of mental health problems.Walmart made a a similar move in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd that set off sometimes violent demonstrations against police brutality and injustice against African Americans.Last year, Walmart stopped selling handgun and short-barrel rifle ammunition while requesting that customers not openly carry firearms in its stores, even where state laws allow it. The company also ended the sale of handguns in Alaska, the only state where the discounter sold them.

Walmart returns guns and ammunition to US store displays

By DAN MARGOLIES <a href="https://www.kcur.org/health/2020-10-29/ku-med-resumes-clinical-trials-for-covid-19-vaccine">Kansas News Service</a>

The University of Kansas Medical Center has resumed Phase III 
clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine that was halted last month after 
an enrollee in the United Kingdom developed an adverse reaction.

“We
 literally just got released by the FDA on Friday and then yesterday we 
got released from the IRB [Institutional Review Board], so we couldn’t 
start actually enrolling until today,” said Dr. Mario Castro, vice chair
 for clinical and translational research at KU Med and a co-principal 
investigator for the local trials.

The trials had barely gotten 
underway when the AZ1222 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford 
and purchased by drug maker AstraZeneca was temporarily paused late last
 month. But after the FDA reviewed safety data from trials around the 
world, it concluded last week that it was safe to resume them.

KU,
 along with its partner in the trials, Children’s Mercy Hospital, hopes 
to enroll 1,250 volunteers. So far they’ve enrolled five.

“We’ve 
got a ways to go,” Castro acknowledged, adding he was hopeful the 
hospitals could reach the target number in the next 60 days.

“The 
important thing is that we enroll the at-risk population that is being 
impacted by COVID-19. So we’re targeting that at least 25% of our 
enrollees will be elderly over the age of 65, at least 20% African 
American involvement and 20% Hispanics,” Castro said.

AZ1222 uses a
 genetically engineered virus taken from chimpanzees that carries a gene
 for one protein in the novel coronavirus, the cause of COVID-19. The 
virus is inserted into patients’ cells, causing them to manufacture the 
protein, which triggers an immune response.

A Different COVID-19 Trial at KU Med

Another
 trial underway at KU is not for a vaccine but for a drug to treat 
outpatients experiencing mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms. That trial,
 called ACTIV-2, involves the use of monoclonal antibodies that target 
the spike proteins of COVID-19.

The drug is made by Eli Lilly, 
which is ending a clinical trial of a related drug for hospitalized 
COVID-19 patients after researchers concluded it did not produce 
significant improvement.

Castro said KU was actively enrolling volunteers for the outpatient treatment.

“If
 this works it would be tremendous because not only would we have a 
treatment for these patients, but we would also potentially change the 
long-term consequences of having a COVID-19 infection,” he said.

“
 … So I’m very hopeful that this ACTIV-2 study will give us a tool to 
hit COVID-19 when it’s in a much milder stage and prevent those 
long-term complications.”

KU hopes to enroll 50 to 60 patients for that trial. Right now, 11 patients are enrolled.

Dan Margolies is senior reporter and editor at KCUR. He can be reached by email at dan@kcur.org or on Twitter @DanMargolies.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604066883057.jpeg" alt="National Cancer Institute / Unsplash" />
 <figcaption>National Cancer Institute / Unsplash</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAN MARGOLIES <a href="https://www.kcur.org/health/2020-10-29/ku-med-resumes-clinical-trials-for-covid-19-vaccine">Kansas News Service</a>The University of Kansas Medical Center has resumed Phase III 
clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine that was halted last month after 
an enrollee in the United Kingdom developed an adverse reaction.“We
 literally just got released by the FDA on Friday and then yesterday we 
got released from the IRB [Institutional Review Board], so we couldn’t 
start actually enrolling until today,” said Dr. Mario Castro, vice chair
 for clinical and translational research at KU Med and a co-principal 
investigator for the local trials.The trials had barely gotten 
underway when the AZ1222 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford 
and purchased by drug maker AstraZeneca was temporarily paused late last
 month. But after the FDA reviewed safety data from trials around the 
world, it concluded last week that it was safe to resume them.KU,
 along with its partner in the trials, Children’s Mercy Hospital, hopes 
to enroll 1,250 volunteers. So far they’ve enrolled five.“We’ve 
got a ways to go,” Castro acknowledged, adding he was hopeful the 
hospitals could reach the target number in the next 60 days.“The 
important thing is that we enroll the at-risk population that is being 
impacted by COVID-19. So we’re targeting that at least 25% of our 
enrollees will be elderly over the age of 65, at least 20% African 
American involvement and 20% Hispanics,” Castro said.AZ1222 uses a
 genetically engineered virus taken from chimpanzees that carries a gene
 for one protein in the novel coronavirus, the cause of COVID-19. The 
virus is inserted into patients’ cells, causing them to manufacture the 
protein, which triggers an immune response.A Different COVID-19 Trial at KU MedAnother
 trial underway at KU is not for a vaccine but for a drug to treat 
outpatients experiencing mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms. That trial,
 called ACTIV-2, involves the use of monoclonal antibodies that target 
the spike proteins of COVID-19.The drug is made by Eli Lilly, 
which is ending a clinical trial of a related drug for hospitalized 
COVID-19 patients after researchers concluded it did not produce 
significant improvement.Castro said KU was actively enrolling volunteers for the outpatient treatment.“If
 this works it would be tremendous because not only would we have a 
treatment for these patients, but we would also potentially change the 
long-term consequences of having a COVID-19 infection,” he said.“
 … So I’m very hopeful that this ACTIV-2 study will give us a tool to 
hit COVID-19 when it’s in a much milder stage and prevent those 
long-term complications.”KU hopes to enroll 50 to 60 patients for that trial. Right now, 11 patients are enrolled.Dan Margolies is senior reporter and editor at KCUR. He can be reached by email at dan@kcur.org or on Twitter @DanMargolies.&nbsp;

KU Med resumes clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccine 

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and after asking the public for help to locate two suspects have reported an arrest.

On Thursday, authorities in Seattle, Washington arrested&nbsp;31-year-old Latrelle Sheneice Praylow 

A second suspect Todge Anderson is still outstanding, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.

Just after 11:30a.m. October 3, police responded to a call for service at a home in the 300 Block of SW Polk in Topeka for a check welfare, according to&nbsp;LT Jerry Monasmith.

On arrival, officers found 38-year-old Christopher McMillon with what appeared to be a gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.&nbsp;

Praylow is being held without bond in King County until she is returned to Kansas.&nbsp;

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have identified the victim as&nbsp; Christopher McMillon, 38, of Topeka. 

Just after 11:30a.m. Saturday, police responded to a call for service at a home in the 300 Block of SW Polk for a check welfare, according to&nbsp;LT Jerry Monasmith.

On arrival, officers found McMillon with what appeared to be a gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. Police released no additional details early Sunday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603125505902.png" alt="Praylow has previous convictions for theft, forgery and criminal possession of a weapon by a felon, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections -photo Topeka Police" />
 <figcaption>Praylow has previous convictions for theft, forgery and criminal possession of a weapon by a felon, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections -photo Topeka Police</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and after asking the public for help to locate two suspects have reported an arrest.On Thursday, authorities in Seattle, Washington arrested&nbsp;31-year-old Latrelle Sheneice Praylow <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603125537277.png" alt="Anderson-photo Topeka Police" />
 <figcaption>Anderson-photo Topeka Police</figcaption>
 </figure>A second suspect Todge Anderson is still outstanding, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.Just after 11:30a.m. October 3, police responded to a call for service at a home in the 300 Block of SW Polk in Topeka for a check welfare, according to&nbsp;LT Jerry Monasmith.On arrival, officers found 38-year-old Christopher McMillon with what appeared to be a gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.&nbsp;Praylow is being held without bond in King County until she is returned to Kansas.&nbsp;---------SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have identified the victim as&nbsp; Christopher McMillon, 38, of Topeka. Just after 11:30a.m. Saturday, police responded to a call for service at a home in the 300 Block of SW Polk for a check welfare, according to&nbsp;LT Jerry Monasmith.On arrival, officers found McMillon with what appeared to be a gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. Police released no additional details early Sunday.-----------

Suspect wanted for Kan. man's murder jailed in Seattle

SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Wichita Police Department (WPD) is investigating the report of a possible sexual assault involving multiple individuals following baseball tournament.

It incident was reported to have occurred on Aug. 10 at the Towne Place Suites, 9444 E. 29th&nbsp;Street North, and investigators need more information to corroborate what was reported, according to officer Charley Davidson.

Wichita Police sexual assault investigators received information of a video being shared on Snapchat by students of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) that included two females engaging in sexual acts with several males.&nbsp; The individuals were in Wichita for a baseball tournament, and the males involved may or may not have violated Kansas criminal statutes.

The incident was not reported to be associated with the tournament or facilities and was reported to have occurred after the completion of the tournament.&nbsp; UCLA police have been assisting with the investigation.&nbsp;

WPD is asking if anyone has any information regarding this case to please contact Detective Melissa Burns at&nbsp;<a href="tel:316-268-4512" target="_blank">316-268-4512,</a>&nbsp;<a href="mailto:MBurns@wichita.gov" target="_blank">MBurns@wichita.gov,</a>&nbsp;or Crime Stoppers at&nbsp;<a href="tel:316-267-2111" target="_blank">316-267-2111.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1578090484280.jpeg" alt="\" />
 <figcaption>\</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Wichita Police Department (WPD) is investigating the report of a possible sexual assault involving multiple individuals following baseball tournament.It incident was reported to have occurred on Aug. 10 at the Towne Place Suites, 9444 E. 29th&nbsp;Street North, and investigators need more information to corroborate what was reported, according to officer Charley Davidson.Wichita Police sexual assault investigators received information of a video being shared on Snapchat by students of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) that included two females engaging in sexual acts with several males.&nbsp; The individuals were in Wichita for a baseball tournament, and the males involved may or may not have violated Kansas criminal statutes.The incident was not reported to be associated with the tournament or facilities and was reported to have occurred after the completion of the tournament.&nbsp; UCLA police have been assisting with the investigation.&nbsp;WPD is asking if anyone has any information regarding this case to please contact Detective Melissa Burns at&nbsp;<a href="tel:316-268-4512" target="_blank">316-268-4512,</a>&nbsp;<a href="mailto:MBurns@wichita.gov" target="_blank">MBurns@wichita.gov,</a>&nbsp;or Crime Stoppers at&nbsp;<a href="tel:316-267-2111" target="_blank">316-267-2111.</a>

Police: Alleged sex assault in Kan. after baseball tourney

SEDGWICK COUNTY&nbsp; —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have a shooting that fatally injured 34-year-old Stephen Muriithi of Wichita.

Just after 2 a.m. Friday, police responded to a shooting at an apartment complex in the 500 block of North Nims in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.&nbsp;

 Upon arrival, officers located 34-year-old Stephen Muriithi who had been shot.&nbsp; Officers began life-saving measures, but Muriithi succumbed to his injuries on the scene.

The investigation revealed a disturbance ensued at one of the apartments involving multiple individuals, stemming from an earlier physical disturbance.&nbsp; A shot was fired that struck Muriithi.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604070334075.png" alt="Investigators on the scene of the shooting early Friday photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Investigators on the scene of the shooting early Friday photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY&nbsp; —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have a shooting that fatally injured 34-year-old Stephen Muriithi of Wichita.Just after 2 a.m. Friday, police responded to a shooting at an apartment complex in the 500 block of North Nims in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.&nbsp; Upon arrival, officers located 34-year-old Stephen Muriithi who had been shot.&nbsp; Officers began life-saving measures, but Muriithi succumbed to his injuries on the scene.The investigation revealed a disturbance ensued at one of the apartments involving multiple individuals, stemming from an earlier physical disturbance.&nbsp; A shot was fired that struck Muriithi.Police have not reported an arrest.

Police: 34-year-old Kan. man died after reported fight

TOPEKA, Kansas –&nbsp;A Hutchinson Correctional Facility resident who died Thursday, Oct. 29, had tested positive for COVID-19. 

This is the second COVID-19-related resident death at HCF, and the eighth resident death related to COVID-19 for the department, according to a media release from the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.

The resident tested positive for the virus on Oct. 16 and was transferred to the hospital on Oct. 19.&nbsp; He was a 50-year old Asian or Pacific Islander male with underlying medical concerns that contributed to his condition.

The resident was serving a 195-month sentence for aggravated criminal sodomy. He had been imprisoned with the Kansas Department of Corrections since September 2015.

TOPEKA, Kansas –&nbsp;A Hutchinson Correctional Facility resident who died Thursday, Oct. 29, had tested positive for COVID-19. This is the second COVID-19-related resident death at HCF, and the eighth resident death related to COVID-19 for the department, according to a media release from the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.The resident tested positive for the virus on Oct. 16 and was transferred to the hospital on Oct. 19.&nbsp; He was a 50-year old Asian or Pacific Islander male with underlying medical concerns that contributed to his condition.The resident was serving a 195-month sentence for aggravated criminal sodomy. He had been imprisoned with the Kansas Department of Corrections since September 2015.

Eighth Kan. inmate dies after positive COVID-19 test

By NOMIN UJIYEDIIN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-10-30/western-kansas-is-full-of-coronavirus-hot-spots-tying-up-icu-beds">Kansas News Service</a>

For the first time during the pandemic. Dr. Drew Miller was unable to
 send a severely ill COVID patient to the intensive care unit.

Miller
 and other staff at the Kearny County Hospital, in southwestern Kansas, 
had done what they could last weekend, putting the patient on a maximum 
oxygen flow. But the closest ICU in the area was one county over — St. 
Catherine Hospital in Garden City — and it was full. The nearest open 
ICU bed was in Kansas City, seven hours away.

By the time an ICU bed opened up at St. Catherine, the patient needed to be intubated and was in much worse condition.

The
 experience was “uncomfortable. And unwanted,” said Miller, who is the 
hospital’s chief of staff and the county’s lead medical officer.

It
 brought home a reality that many in western Kansas have been trying to 
avoid: The coronavirus is here, it is getting worse and it will put a 
strain on a rural health care system that is already sparse and 
understaffed. 

Overall, Kansas has more than 85,000 cases. And as 
of Friday, five rural Kansas counties were among the top 20 U.S. 
counties with the highest number of COVID-19 cases per resident, 
according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.

Kearny
 County is not one of them. It had opted out of the state’s mask 
mandate, as permitted this summer. But on Oct. 14, the county began <a href="https://www.kearnycountykansas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Resolution-20-2110142020.pdf" target="_blank">requiring masks</a> in public spaces and limiting mass gatherings to 25% occupancy.

As of Friday, the county has seen 160 <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas" target="_blank">COVID-19 cases</a> over the course of the pandemic, 58 of them diagnosed in October. It’s <a href="https://www.kearnycountyhospital.com/covid-19-public-risk-level-guidelines/" target="_blank">currently</a> at Level 4, the highest level on a county-created <a href="http://www.kearnycountyhospital.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Alert-Guidelines.pdf" target="_blank">rubric</a>
 of pandemic severity, indicating a rapidly increasing number of people 
are testing positive for COVID-19 and seeking medical treatment.

Even so, Miller said, it’s been hard to convey the growing threat of the virus, especially with such widespread misinformation.

“Our
 county health voice has just been drowned out,” Miller said. “It’s hard
 to get people to wear a mask when they don’t feel it, when they don’t 
see what we see every day, which is more sick people and more severe 
cases.”

In nearby Finney County, <a href="https://www.finneycounty.org/755/Coronavirus-COVID-19" target="_blank">positivity rates</a>
 for the coronavirus reached 31% between Oct. 12-16. As of Friday, there
 had been 2,766 cases in the county, 700 of them reported since Sept. 
30.

The virus is spreading widely throughout the community, Finney County Health Department Director Colleen Drees said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604085345802.png" alt="The coronavirus positivity rate in southwestern Kansas' Finney County was 31% from Oct. 12-16. The county's has added 700 cases in a month. Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>The coronavirus positivity rate in southwestern Kansas' Finney County was 31% from Oct. 12-16. The county's has added 700 cases in a month. Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By NOMIN UJIYEDIIN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-10-30/western-kansas-is-full-of-coronavirus-hot-spots-tying-up-icu-beds">Kansas News Service</a>For the first time during the pandemic. Dr. Drew Miller was unable to
 send a severely ill COVID patient to the intensive care unit.Miller
 and other staff at the Kearny County Hospital, in southwestern Kansas, 
had done what they could last weekend, putting the patient on a maximum 
oxygen flow. But the closest ICU in the area was one county over — St. 
Catherine Hospital in Garden City — and it was full. The nearest open 
ICU bed was in Kansas City, seven hours away.By the time an ICU bed opened up at St. Catherine, the patient needed to be intubated and was in much worse condition.The
 experience was “uncomfortable. And unwanted,” said Miller, who is the 
hospital’s chief of staff and the county’s lead medical officer.It
 brought home a reality that many in western Kansas have been trying to 
avoid: The coronavirus is here, it is getting worse and it will put a 
strain on a rural health care system that is already sparse and 
understaffed. Overall, Kansas has more than 85,000 cases. And as 
of Friday, five rural Kansas counties were among the top 20 U.S. 
counties with the highest number of COVID-19 cases per resident, 
according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.Kearny
 County is not one of them. It had opted out of the state’s mask 
mandate, as permitted this summer. But on Oct. 14, the county began <a href="https://www.kearnycountykansas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Resolution-20-2110142020.pdf" target="_blank">requiring masks</a> in public spaces and limiting mass gatherings to 25% occupancy.As of Friday, the county has seen 160 <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas" target="_blank">COVID-19 cases</a> over the course of the pandemic, 58 of them diagnosed in October. It’s <a href="https://www.kearnycountyhospital.com/covid-19-public-risk-level-guidelines/" target="_blank">currently</a> at Level 4, the highest level on a county-created <a href="http://www.kearnycountyhospital.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Alert-Guidelines.pdf" target="_blank">rubric</a>
 of pandemic severity, indicating a rapidly increasing number of people 
are testing positive for COVID-19 and seeking medical treatment.Even so, Miller said, it’s been hard to convey the growing threat of the virus, especially with such widespread misinformation.“Our
 county health voice has just been drowned out,” Miller said. “It’s hard
 to get people to wear a mask when they don’t feel it, when they don’t 
see what we see every day, which is more sick people and more severe 
cases.”<h2>The absence of mask mandates</h2>In nearby Finney County, <a href="https://www.finneycounty.org/755/Coronavirus-COVID-19" target="_blank">positivity rates</a>
 for the coronavirus reached 31% between Oct. 12-16. As of Friday, there
 had been 2,766 cases in the county, 700 of them reported since Sept. 
30.The virus is spreading widely throughout the community, Finney County Health Department Director Colleen Drees said.“I
 wouldn’t say that there’s any specific outbreaks that are causing it,” 
Drees said. “We’ve had several people that have reported that they’re 
not sure where they contracted COVID because they’re unsure of who near 
them was sick.”Earlier this year, Finney, Ford and Seward counties — home to four meatpacking plants and 25% of the nation’s beef processing — <a href="https://www.hppr.org/post/emails-show-kansas-agencies-helped-keep-meatpacking-plants-open-despite-concerns-about" target="_blank">saw a massive spike in cases</a>. According to <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas" target="_blank">state data</a>,
 21 clusters have been linked to meatpacking plants, as well as more 
than 3,600 cases, 113 hospitalizations and 19 deaths. Unlike in other 
places, the plants in western Kansas did not close.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604085485371.png" alt="The National Beef plant in Dodge City was the site of coronavirus cases earlier this year. Bethany Wood" />
 <figcaption>The National Beef plant in Dodge City was the site of coronavirus cases earlier this year. Bethany Wood</figcaption>
 </figure>Dr. R.C. Trotter, an advisor for Ford County, said its numbers (3,491
 as of Oct. 30) are no longer as concerning. To his knowledge, the 
county does not track current moving averages of positivity rates or 
case numbers, which are common measures for COVID severity.Ford 
County does not have a mask order, but Trotter said he sees most people 
wearing masks in public places, and many indoor gatherings have been 
cancelled. He called the question of a mandate “political.”“I sit
 on the fence, I’ll be honest,” he said. “Is it worth it for me to go 
out and fall on the sword, which quite honestly, a lot of public health 
officers are? We’re seeing the rebuttal for that.”While other 
health officials have warned for months that the fall and winter would 
bring a rise in cases — which appears to be happening across a large 
swath of the country — Trotter said he doesn’t think there’s any 
scientific evidence that the colder weather increases cases.“It’s conjecture. We don’t know,” he said.Officials
 in the Finney County government and in Garden City, the largest city 
and county seat, have yet to issue any orders relating to coronavirus 
precautions, such as a mask mandate, gathering ban or social distancing 
rules. Leaders opted out of Gov. Laura Kelly’s statewide mask mandate in
 the summer.The county’s medical director has asked the county and city governments for a mask order through the summer and fall.The
 county commission meets next on Monday, Nov. 2. Commissioner Dave Jones
 said COVID would likely be on the agenda, but he wasn’t sure whether a 
mask order would be. Jones also said he was concerned a mask mandate 
would be too overbearing on local schools, and preferred to let the 
districts make that decision.Finney County Commissioner Duane 
Drees supports mask wearing, social distancing and other recommendations
 of doctors, but said he doesn’t feel a mandate is necessary or even 
enforceable.“There is a limit to what common sense and the public
 will tolerate,” he said. “You don’t need a law to protect people from 
their own self. That’s why God gave us common sense.”Drees said 
social distancing and gathering limits also would be hard to enforce, 
especially in a county with such a large population of people from 
different ethnicities.“African cultures, Asian cultures, 
Hispanic. Family unit is very important to most of these cultures,” he 
said. “And they tend to get together as a family unit more than the 
traditional resident.”Families who have been in the area for "100
 years," Drees continued, “we tend to have assimilated much more and 
drifted away from the family orientation.”He believes it’s harder to tell recent immigrants to follow social distancing rules.“Are they going to pay attention? I doubt it,” Drees said.Garden
 City Manager Matt Allen said the municipal government decided at the 
beginning of the pandemic to defer to the county government for a 
unified message.While a mask mandate is tentatively on the agenda
 for the city’s Nov. 3 meeting, he said it was unclear whether the city 
would decide to depart from the county.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604085530551.png" alt="St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City has eight ICU beds. Corinne Boyer" />
 <figcaption>St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City has eight ICU beds. Corinne Boyer</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>‘We are desperate’</h2>Finney County Medical 
Director, Dr. Lindsay Byrnes, said she often observes people going 
unmasked in public spaces. When she went to the county administration 
building to vote this week, only one poll worker was wearing a mask, she
 said. Most government employees were not.“I think our leadership failed to take a strong stance and encourage it,” she said.She
 pushed for a mask mandate through the summer and fall. It’s the best 
way, she said, to ensure county residents comply with health precautions
 during a critical time.A recently published <a href="https://ipsr.ku.edu/covid19/images/MaskMandateUpdate.pdf" target="_blank">study from the University of Kansas</a>
 shows counties with mask mandates decreased their seven-day rolling 
averages of daily cases per 100,000 people, while counties without 
mandates have seen those averages increase.“We are desperate to 
explain that this must be a community-wide effort,” Byrnes said. “It 
cannot be only the burden of the health care system. It cannot be the 
burden of a few, it has to be everyone working in concert.”Byrnes
 said school teachers and hospital staff in the county have had to stay 
home from work because they’ve caught the virus out in the community, 
not at their workplaces. That indicates that the virus is widespread, 
and that schools and hospitals may be incapacitated just when the 
community needs them, she said.St. Catherine Hospital in Garden 
City only has eight ICU beds. Patients in serious condition are 
sometimes transferred to facilities in Wichita, Denver or other large 
cities within a few hours’ flight, Byrnes said.If hospitals in those areas also become full, Finney County won’t have any other options.“It’s not sustainable,” she said. “My colleagues are saying, ‘Please, anybody do something. We can’t do this by ourselves.’”It
 feels like health care providers have been abandoned, Byrnes said. She 
used to believe southwest Kansas, where she grew up, was a place where 
neighbors helped each other, no questions asked. But the resistance to 
masks has led her to question her community.“These are the people
 that would go out and cut your wheat if you were in the hospital or had
 a problem in the family,” she said. “Why is this different now? What 
happened? Why aren’t people willing to take care of each other?”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>.