SALINE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 5p.m. Sunday in Saline County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1999 Mazda 8300 pickup driven by Jason Kramer, 50, Kanopolis, was eastbound on Kansas 140 just east of Reese Road.

&nbsp;The driver lost control due to a flat tire. The pickup entered the north ditch, rolled and both occupants were ejected.&nbsp;

A passenger in the pickup Lori A.&nbsp;Wilkett, 53, Panama, Oklahoma, was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Roselawn Mortuary. EMS transported Kramer to Salina Regional Medical Center. They were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

SALINE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 5p.m. Sunday in Saline County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1999 Mazda 8300 pickup driven by Jason Kramer, 50, Kanopolis, was eastbound on Kansas 140 just east of Reese Road.&nbsp;The driver lost control due to a flat tire. The pickup entered the north ditch, rolled and both occupants were ejected.&nbsp;A passenger in the pickup Lori A.&nbsp;Wilkett, 53, Panama, Oklahoma, was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Roselawn Mortuary. EMS transported Kramer to Salina Regional Medical Center. They were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

Woman dead after being ejected in Kan. rollover crash

JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged drug distribution.

On Friday, a sheriff's deputy&nbsp;stopped a Pontiac Bonneville in the entrance of the Prairie Band Casino for allegedly committing traffic infractions, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

 Deputies located substances in the vehicle believed to be methamphetamine and ecstasy. 

It’s alleged that the driver identified as Levi Eisenbarth was in route to make an illegal drug transaction. 

Deputies booked Eisenbarth into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges that include distribute methamphetamine, distribute ecstasy, no drug tax stamp and for using a telecommunications facility; in the commission of a felony drug violation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610970975259.png" alt="Eisenbarth photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Eisenbarth photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged drug distribution.On Friday, a sheriff's deputy&nbsp;stopped a Pontiac Bonneville in the entrance of the Prairie Band Casino for allegedly committing traffic infractions, according to Sheriff Tim Morse. Deputies located substances in the vehicle believed to be methamphetamine and ecstasy. It’s alleged that the driver identified as Levi Eisenbarth was in route to make an illegal drug transaction. Deputies booked Eisenbarth into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges that include distribute methamphetamine, distribute ecstasy, no drug tax stamp and for using a telecommunications facility; in the commission of a felony drug violation.

Sheriff: Kan. man arrested on the way to sell drugs

CRAWFORD COUNTY –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office are searching for a person of interest in a recent death investigation.

Authorities are asking for the public’s assistance to help locate 37-year-old Nicholas Adam Carrillo. 

He is described as a white male, is 6-foot-1, weighs approximately 275 pounds and has brown eyes and brown hair.

He was last seen at 111 S. Kansas in Arcadia, Kan. on Wednesday, Jan. 13, at 11:55 p.m.&nbsp; He was wearing a white sleeveless t-shirt and black sweatpants. Carillo fled the area on foot.

If you see Nicholas Carillo, or have information related his whereabouts, please immediately call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME, or the Crawford County&nbsp;Sheriff’s Office at 620-724-8274.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610630960395.png" alt="Carillo-photo KBI" />
 <figcaption>Carillo-photo KBI</figcaption>
 </figure>CRAWFORD COUNTY –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office are searching for a person of interest in a recent death investigation.Authorities are asking for the public’s assistance to help locate 37-year-old Nicholas Adam Carrillo. He is described as a white male, is 6-foot-1, weighs approximately 275 pounds and has brown eyes and brown hair.He was last seen at 111 S. Kansas in Arcadia, Kan. on Wednesday, Jan. 13, at 11:55 p.m.&nbsp; He was wearing a white sleeveless t-shirt and black sweatpants. Carillo fled the area on foot.If you see Nicholas Carillo, or have information related his whereabouts, please immediately call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME, or the Crawford County&nbsp;Sheriff’s Office at 620-724-8274.

KBI: Search continues for suspect in death investigation

TOPEKA (AP) —Small groups of right-wing protesters — some of them carrying rifles — gathered outside heavily fortified statehouses around the country Sunday, outnumbered by National Guard troops and police brought in to prevent a repeat of the violence that erupted at the U.S. Capitol. As darkness fell, there were no reports of any clashes.

Security was stepped up in recent days after the FBI warned of the potential for armed protests in Washington and at all 50 state capitol buildings ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday.

Crowds of only a dozen or two demonstrated at some boarded-up, cordoned-off statehouses, while the streets in many other capital cities remained empty. Some protesters said they were there to back President Donald Trump. Others said they had instead come to voice their support for gun rights or decry government overreach.

“I don’t trust the results of the election,” said Michigan protester Martin Szelag, a 67-year-old semi-retired window salesman from Dearborn Heights. He wore a sign around his neck that read, in part, “We will support Joe Biden as our President if you can convince us he won legally. Show us the proof! Then the healing can begin.”

As the day wore on with no bloodshed around the U.S., a sense of relief spread among officials, though they were not ready to let their guard down.

The heavy law enforcement presence may have kept turnout down. In the past few days, some extremists had warned others against falling into what they called a law enforcement trap.

Washington State Patrol spokesman Chris Loftis said he hoped the apparently peaceful day reflected some soul-searching among Americans.

“I would love to say that it’s because we’ve all taken a sober look in the mirror and have decided that we are a more unified people than certain moments in time would indicate,” he said.

The security measures were intended to safeguard seats of government from the type of violence that broke out at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, when far-right Trump supporters galvanized by his false claims that the election had been stolen from him overran the police and bashed their way into the building while Congress was certifying the Electoral College vote.

The attack left a Capitol police officer and four others dead. More than 125 people have been arrested over the insurrection.

Dozens of courts, election officials and Trump’s own attorney general have all said there was no evidence of widespread fraud in the presidential race.

On Sunday, some statehouses were surrounded by new security fences, their windows were boarded up, and extra officers were on patrol. Legislatures generally were not in session over the weekend.

Tall fences also surrounded the U.S. Capitol. The National Mall was closed to the public, and the mayor of Washington asked people not to visit. Some 25,000 National Guard troops from around the country are expected to arrive in the city in the coming days.

The roughly 20 protesters who showed up at Michigan’s Capitol, including some who were armed, were significantly outnumbered by law enforcement officers and members of the media. Tensions have been running high in the state since authorities foiled a plot to kidnap Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last year.

At the Ohio Statehouse, about two dozen people, including several carrying long guns, protested outside under the watchful eyes of state troopers before dispersing as it began to snow.

Kathy Sherman, who was wearing a visor with “Trump” printed on it, said she supports the president but distanced herself from the mob that breached the U.S. Capitol.

“I’m here to support the right to voice a political view or opinion without fear of censorship, harassment or the threat of losing my job or being physically assaulted,” she said.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, said he was pleased with the outcome but stressed that authorities “continue to have concerns for potential violence in the coming days, which is why I intend to maintain security levels at the Statehouse as we approach the presidential inauguration.”

Utah’s new governor, Republican Spencer Cox, shared photos on his Twitter account showing him with what appeared to be hundreds of National Guard troops and law enforcement officers standing behind him, all wearing masks. Cox called the quiet protests a best-case scenario and said many ”agitating groups” had canceled their plans for the day.

At Oregon’s Capitol, fewer than a dozen men wearing military-style outfits, black ski masks and helmets stood nearby with semiautomatic weapons slung across their bodies. Some had upside-down American flags and signs reading such things as “Disarm the government.”

At the Texas Capitol, Ben Hawk walked with about a dozen demonstrators up to the locked gates carrying a bullhorn and an AR-15 rifle hanging at the side of his camouflage pants. He condemned the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and said he did not support Trump.

“All we came down here to do today was to discuss, gather, network and hang out. And it got blown and twisted completely out of proportion,” Hawk said.

At Nevada’s Capitol, where demonstrators supporting Trump have flocked most weekends in recent months, all was quiet except for a lone protester with a sign.

“Trump Lost. Be Adults. Go Home,” it read.

More than a third of governors had called out the National Guard to help protect their capitols and assist local law enforcement. Several governors declared states of emergency, and others closed their capitols to the public until after Biden’s inauguration.

Some legislatures also canceled sessions or pared back their work for the coming week.

Even before the violence at the Capitol, some statehouses had been the target of vandals and angry protesters during the past year.

Last spring, armed protesters entered the Michigan Capitol to object to coronavirus lockdowns. People angry over the death of George Floyd under a Minneapolis police officer’s knee vandalized capitols in several states, including Colorado, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin.

Last last month, crowds in Oregon forced their way into the Capitol in Salem to protest its closure to the public during a special legislative session on coronavirus measures.

Amid the potential for violence in the coming days, the building’s first-floor windows were boarded up and the National Guard was brought in.

“The state Capitol has become a fortress,” said Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney, a Democrat. “I never thought I’d see that. It breaks my heart.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610934546602.png" alt="Photo courtesy Missouri State Highway Patrol" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Missouri State Highway Patrol</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA (AP) —Small groups of right-wing protesters — some of them carrying rifles — gathered outside heavily fortified statehouses around the country Sunday, outnumbered by National Guard troops and police brought in to prevent a repeat of the violence that erupted at the U.S. Capitol. As darkness fell, there were no reports of any clashes.Security was stepped up in recent days after the FBI warned of the potential for armed protests in Washington and at all 50 state capitol buildings ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday.Crowds of only a dozen or two demonstrated at some boarded-up, cordoned-off statehouses, while the streets in many other capital cities remained empty. Some protesters said they were there to back President Donald Trump. Others said they had instead come to voice their support for gun rights or decry government overreach.“I don’t trust the results of the election,” said Michigan protester Martin Szelag, a 67-year-old semi-retired window salesman from Dearborn Heights. He wore a sign around his neck that read, in part, “We will support Joe Biden as our President if you can convince us he won legally. Show us the proof! Then the healing can begin.”As the day wore on with no bloodshed around the U.S., a sense of relief spread among officials, though they were not ready to let their guard down.The heavy law enforcement presence may have kept turnout down. In the past few days, some extremists had warned others against falling into what they called a law enforcement trap.Washington State Patrol spokesman Chris Loftis said he hoped the apparently peaceful day reflected some soul-searching among Americans.“I would love to say that it’s because we’ve all taken a sober look in the mirror and have decided that we are a more unified people than certain moments in time would indicate,” he said.The security measures were intended to safeguard seats of government from the type of violence that broke out at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, when far-right Trump supporters galvanized by his false claims that the election had been stolen from him overran the police and bashed their way into the building while Congress was certifying the Electoral College vote.The attack left a Capitol police officer and four others dead. More than 125 people have been arrested over the insurrection.Dozens of courts, election officials and Trump’s own attorney general have all said there was no evidence of widespread fraud in the presidential race.On Sunday, some statehouses were surrounded by new security fences, their windows were boarded up, and extra officers were on patrol. Legislatures generally were not in session over the weekend.Tall fences also surrounded the U.S. Capitol. The National Mall was closed to the public, and the mayor of Washington asked people not to visit. Some 25,000 National Guard troops from around the country are expected to arrive in the city in the coming days.The roughly 20 protesters who showed up at Michigan’s Capitol, including some who were armed, were significantly outnumbered by law enforcement officers and members of the media. Tensions have been running high in the state since authorities foiled a plot to kidnap Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last year.At the Ohio Statehouse, about two dozen people, including several carrying long guns, protested outside under the watchful eyes of state troopers before dispersing as it began to snow.Kathy Sherman, who was wearing a visor with “Trump” printed on it, said she supports the president but distanced herself from the mob that breached the U.S. Capitol.“I’m here to support the right to voice a political view or opinion without fear of censorship, harassment or the threat of losing my job or being physically assaulted,” she said.Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, said he was pleased with the outcome but stressed that authorities “continue to have concerns for potential violence in the coming days, which is why I intend to maintain security levels at the Statehouse as we approach the presidential inauguration.”Utah’s new governor, Republican Spencer Cox, shared photos on his Twitter account showing him with what appeared to be hundreds of National Guard troops and law enforcement officers standing behind him, all wearing masks. Cox called the quiet protests a best-case scenario and said many ”agitating groups” had canceled their plans for the day.At Oregon’s Capitol, fewer than a dozen men wearing military-style outfits, black ski masks and helmets stood nearby with semiautomatic weapons slung across their bodies. Some had upside-down American flags and signs reading such things as “Disarm the government.”At the Texas Capitol, Ben Hawk walked with about a dozen demonstrators up to the locked gates carrying a bullhorn and an AR-15 rifle hanging at the side of his camouflage pants. He condemned the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and said he did not support Trump.“All we came down here to do today was to discuss, gather, network and hang out. And it got blown and twisted completely out of proportion,” Hawk said.At Nevada’s Capitol, where demonstrators supporting Trump have flocked most weekends in recent months, all was quiet except for a lone protester with a sign.“Trump Lost. Be Adults. Go Home,” it read.More than a third of governors had called out the National Guard to help protect their capitols and assist local law enforcement. Several governors declared states of emergency, and others closed their capitols to the public until after Biden’s inauguration.Some legislatures also canceled sessions or pared back their work for the coming week.Even before the violence at the Capitol, some statehouses had been the target of vandals and angry protesters during the past year.Last spring, armed protesters entered the Michigan Capitol to object to coronavirus lockdowns. People angry over the death of George Floyd under a Minneapolis police officer’s knee vandalized capitols in several states, including Colorado, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin.Last last month, crowds in Oregon forced their way into the Capitol in Salem to protest its closure to the public during a special legislative session on coronavirus measures.Amid the potential for violence in the coming days, the building’s first-floor windows were boarded up and the National Guard was brought in.“The state Capitol has become a fortress,” said Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney, a Democrat. “I never thought I’d see that. It breaks my heart.”___

Heavy fortified statehouses around the US see small protests

KANSAS CITY– A registered sex offender from Kansas pleaded guilty in federal court today to crossing state lines to engage in illicit sexual activity with a 14-year-old Missouri victim he met on Facebook, according to the United State's Attorney.

Montoryon Harris, 44, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to one count of traveling across state lines to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and one count of committing the felony offense while he was required to register as a sex offender.

Harris, who remains in federal custody without bond, has a 1997 felony conviction for aggravated indecent solicitation of a minor.

On Jan. 24, 2019, the Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force received a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Facebook reported that Harris was suspected of engaging in the sexual exploitation of a child victim. Harris began communicating with the child victim via Facebook on Dec. 14, 2018. Soon afterward, he told her that he wanted to see her in person. Harris’s text messages quickly became sexual in nature.

A law enforcement officer contacted the child victim, who confirmed that Harris drove to her house on Dec. 17, 2018. They engaged in sexual activity in his pickup truck while parked outside her house. Afterward, Harris continued to message the child victim for the purpose of arranging another sexual encounter.

Under federal statutes, Harris is subject to a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison without parole on the first count, plus a mandatory consecutive sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole on the second count. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Luna. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, and the Wyandotte County, Kan., Sheriff’s Department.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610820969409.png" alt="Harris photo Kansas Offender Registry" />
 <figcaption>Harris photo Kansas Offender Registry</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY– A registered sex offender from Kansas pleaded guilty in federal court today to crossing state lines to engage in illicit sexual activity with a 14-year-old Missouri victim he met on Facebook, according to the United State's Attorney.Montoryon Harris, 44, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to one count of traveling across state lines to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and one count of committing the felony offense while he was required to register as a sex offender.Harris, who remains in federal custody without bond, has a 1997 felony conviction for aggravated indecent solicitation of a minor.On Jan. 24, 2019, the Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force received a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Facebook reported that Harris was suspected of engaging in the sexual exploitation of a child victim. Harris began communicating with the child victim via Facebook on Dec. 14, 2018. Soon afterward, he told her that he wanted to see her in person. Harris’s text messages quickly became sexual in nature.A law enforcement officer contacted the child victim, who confirmed that Harris drove to her house on Dec. 17, 2018. They engaged in sexual activity in his pickup truck while parked outside her house. Afterward, Harris continued to message the child victim for the purpose of arranging another sexual encounter.Under federal statutes, Harris is subject to a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison without parole on the first count, plus a mandatory consecutive sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole on the second count. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Luna. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, and the Wyandotte County, Kan., Sheriff’s Department.&nbsp;Project Safe Childhood

Kansas sex offender admits to illicit sex with a child

By TOM SHINE <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/sidelined-pandemic-work-plan-wichitas-riverfront-could-resume-year">Kansas News Service</a>

One year ago this week, hundreds of people gathered on the Newman University campus for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unHjJhhmlFE&amp;list=PLoofR9EnhoKrv1dZwHir6vP86HNW9aNKN&amp;index=1&amp;t=1472s" target="_blank">the "big reveal"</a> of a new plan to redevelop Wichita’s downtown riverfront.

The international design firm Populous promised a "bold vision" for what the east bank of the river might look like: The <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/coalition-recommends-more-green-space-no-century-ii-along-east-riverfront" target="_blank">billion-dollar Riverfront Legacy Master Plan</a>
 contained 17 major projects, including a new performing arts center and
 a new convention center. There would be 12 acres of green space, and a 
pedestrian bridge to connect the east bank to the new baseball stadium 
and other development on the west bank.

A year later, the downtown riverfront remains unchanged.

Six
 days after the unveiling, the first COVID-19 case in the United States 
was confirmed. The pandemic that followed devastated the Wichita 
economy.

Nine months of work by coalition members who helped 
develop the plan — at a cost of about $700,000 in public and private 
funds — was lost amid concerns about the community’s health and layoffs 
in the aviation industry.

"We know we've lost momentum," said 
Shelly Prichard, president and CEO of the Wichita Community Foundation 
and a member of the coalition.

But, she added, "I have every confidence that Wichitans will be ready for this discussion again."

The big question is when. The pandemic continues to rage, even as the first phase of vaccinations began this month.

The city’s unemployment rate is nearly 8%, double a year ago.

And one of the plan’s most contentious issues — knocking down Century II — remains.

City Council member Brandon Johnson was the city’s representative on 
the coalition. He said fixing the Wichita economy is the city's top 
priority, but he wants discussions about the riverfront plan to resume 
this year.

"For me, the quicker we can get to this in … a way 
that's not economically risky, the better for Wichita," Johnson said. 
"Because if we have a brand new riverfront in the next three to four 
years, and the economy overall here and around here is starting to do 
better, we've already laid the groundwork."

"Number
 one right now, and I think in everybody's world, is people's health and
 then the economy, and probably those two things really work in tandem,"
 she said. "And then we'll work on those things.

"But … we're certainly not going to abandon this discussion."

People
 opposed to the original plan aren’t as anxious to revisit it. They 
argue the coalition’s community engagement process lacked transparency 
and led to a predetermined outcome — namely knocking down Century II.

John Todd describes himself as a community activist. He helped gather
 17,000 signatures in a petition drive to force a public vote on the 
future of Century II. A judge later dismissed the petition after the 
city challenged it in court.

Todd said the group is not opposed to progress, but insists on good government.

"I
 don't believe that the Save Century II people are trying to impede 
anything, but we're interested in transparency," he said. "And since 
they are city-owned buildings, will likely involve city incentives and 
financing of some sort — like they did when they voted to build the 
first Century II — I believe that [people] have the right to have a say 
in these things.

Todd said 
he would like to see the planning process start over, with more 
involvement from those interested in preserving and repurposing Century 
II and the former library building next door. And he would like a public
 vote on the final plan.

"So if you want to get support for the people, let them be a part of voting for these kinds of things," he said.

One
 unforeseen benefit to the delay is that it has allowed the coalition to
 take a step back and see what lasting changes the pandemic might make. 
The convention industry could be altered permanently, which means a 
traditional convention space might not make sense.

And COVID-19 has modified how people work and companies operate. Prichard said that could be incorporated into the plan.

"Most
 offices have proven that you can work in a different place," she said. 
"And so maybe there's a whole outdoor work-from-home … in the riverfront
 area kind of deal that I think COVID has helped us see."

"I think this has really shifted, and we can be really open-minded about what kind of space that can be."

The
 coalition has not formally met since the process was put on hold last 
year, although some members have had informal discussions. And there is 
no official timeline for it to start meeting again, although spokesman 
Evan Rosell thinks that will happen this year.

Prichard also is confident that the work of engaging the community to develop a plan will resume in 2021.

She
 says a vibrant downtown is too important for Wichita’s future, 
especially when it comes to attracting young talent and keeping talent 
already here.

"There's just certain things Wichita’s going to 
have to keep doing, and activating that river is one of them," she said.
 "Maybe it looks different than it did last January, but I think there's
 many of us in town … committed to continue that work.

"And I think the citizens and the economy are going to demand it."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610727990192.png" alt="A rendering of the recommended plan for Wichita's downtown riverfront was released last year. Olin and Populous" />
 <figcaption>A rendering of the recommended plan for Wichita's downtown riverfront was released last year. Olin and Populous</figcaption>
 </figure>By TOM SHINE <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/sidelined-pandemic-work-plan-wichitas-riverfront-could-resume-year">Kansas News Service</a>One year ago this week, hundreds of people gathered on the Newman University campus for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unHjJhhmlFE&amp;list=PLoofR9EnhoKrv1dZwHir6vP86HNW9aNKN&amp;index=1&amp;t=1472s" target="_blank">the "big reveal"</a> of a new plan to redevelop Wichita’s downtown riverfront.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610728041761.jpeg" alt=" A crowd watches a presentation on the new Riverfront Legacy Master Plan last January. Not long after, the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the U.S. Credit Nadya Faulx / KMUW/File photo" />
 <figcaption> A crowd watches a presentation on the new Riverfront Legacy Master Plan last January. Not long after, the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the U.S. Credit Nadya Faulx / KMUW/File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>The international design firm Populous promised a "bold vision" for what the east bank of the river might look like: The <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/coalition-recommends-more-green-space-no-century-ii-along-east-riverfront" target="_blank">billion-dollar Riverfront Legacy Master Plan</a>
 contained 17 major projects, including a new performing arts center and
 a new convention center. There would be 12 acres of green space, and a 
pedestrian bridge to connect the east bank to the new baseball stadium 
and other development on the west bank.A year later, the downtown riverfront remains unchanged.Six
 days after the unveiling, the first COVID-19 case in the United States 
was confirmed. The pandemic that followed devastated the Wichita 
economy.Nine months of work by coalition members who helped 
develop the plan — at a cost of about $700,000 in public and private 
funds — was lost amid concerns about the community’s health and layoffs 
in the aviation industry."We know we've lost momentum," said 
Shelly Prichard, president and CEO of the Wichita Community Foundation 
and a member of the coalition.But, she added, "I have every confidence that Wichitans will be ready for this discussion again."The big question is when. The pandemic continues to rage, even as the first phase of vaccinations began this month.The city’s unemployment rate is nearly 8%, double a year ago.And one of the plan’s most contentious issues — knocking down Century II — remains.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610728075569.png" alt=" A view of the east bank of the Arkansas River. Credit Deborah Shaar / KMUW/File photo" />
 <figcaption> A view of the east bank of the Arkansas River. Credit Deborah Shaar / KMUW/File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>City Council member Brandon Johnson was the city’s representative on 
the coalition. He said fixing the Wichita economy is the city's top 
priority, but he wants discussions about the riverfront plan to resume 
this year."For me, the quicker we can get to this in … a way 
that's not economically risky, the better for Wichita," Johnson said. 
"Because if we have a brand new riverfront in the next three to four 
years, and the economy overall here and around here is starting to do 
better, we've already laid the groundwork."Prichard agrees."Number
 one right now, and I think in everybody's world, is people's health and
 then the economy, and probably those two things really work in tandem,"
 she said. "And then we'll work on those things."But … we're certainly not going to abandon this discussion."People
 opposed to the original plan aren’t as anxious to revisit it. They 
argue the coalition’s community engagement process lacked transparency 
and led to a predetermined outcome — namely knocking down Century II.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610728106305.jpeg" alt=" A $1 billion plan for Wichita's riverfront includes tearing down Century II. Credit Deborah Shaar / KMUW/File photo" />
 <figcaption> A $1 billion plan for Wichita's riverfront includes tearing down Century II. Credit Deborah Shaar / KMUW/File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>John Todd describes himself as a community activist. He helped gather
 17,000 signatures in a petition drive to force a public vote on the 
future of Century II. A judge later dismissed the petition after the 
city challenged it in court.Todd said the group is not opposed to progress, but insists on good government."I
 don't believe that the Save Century II people are trying to impede 
anything, but we're interested in transparency," he said. "And since 
they are city-owned buildings, will likely involve city incentives and 
financing of some sort — like they did when they voted to build the 
first Century II — I believe that [people] have the right to have a say 
in these things."I don't think that's unfair."Todd said 
he would like to see the planning process start over, with more 
involvement from those interested in preserving and repurposing Century 
II and the former library building next door. And he would like a public
 vote on the final plan."So if you want to get support for the people, let them be a part of voting for these kinds of things," he said.One
 unforeseen benefit to the delay is that it has allowed the coalition to
 take a step back and see what lasting changes the pandemic might make. 
The convention industry could be altered permanently, which means a 
traditional convention space might not make sense.And COVID-19 has modified how people work and companies operate. Prichard said that could be incorporated into the plan."Most
 offices have proven that you can work in a different place," she said. 
"And so maybe there's a whole outdoor work-from-home … in the riverfront
 area kind of deal that I think COVID has helped us see.""I think this has really shifted, and we can be really open-minded about what kind of space that can be."The
 coalition has not formally met since the process was put on hold last 
year, although some members have had informal discussions. And there is 
no official timeline for it to start meeting again, although spokesman 
Evan Rosell thinks that will happen this year.Prichard also is confident that the work of engaging the community to develop a plan will resume in 2021.She
 says a vibrant downtown is too important for Wichita’s future, 
especially when it comes to attracting young talent and keeping talent 
already here."There's just certain things Wichita’s going to 
have to keep doing, and activating that river is one of them," she said.
 "Maybe it looks different than it did last January, but I think there's
 many of us in town … committed to continue that work."And I think the citizens and the economy are going to demand it."

Sidelined by pandemic, work on Wichita's riverfront could resume

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A youth basketball coach has been charged with sexually abusing a half-dozen girls over the past 25 years.

&nbsp;Antwuan Looney Sr., 52, Springfield, MO., was charged Thursday with multiple counts of statutory rape, statutory sodomy and child molestation.

Several of Looney’s accusers were girls who played basketball for Looney, according to prosecutors. The allegations go as far back as 1995.

Court documents describe multiple instances where Looney allegedly worked to get children as young as 9 alone and then raped them or touched them inappropriately.

In an interview with police, Looney denied the allegations against him.

Looney is being held in the Greene County Jail without bond. Several of his 10 felony charges carry possible life sentences.

Looney has prior convictions for burglary and stealing.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610891902381.png" alt="Looney photo Greene Co." />
 <figcaption>Looney photo Greene Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A youth basketball coach has been charged with sexually abusing a half-dozen girls over the past 25 years.&nbsp;Antwuan Looney Sr., 52, Springfield, MO., was charged Thursday with multiple counts of statutory rape, statutory sodomy and child molestation.Several of Looney’s accusers were girls who played basketball for Looney, according to prosecutors. The allegations go as far back as 1995.Court documents describe multiple instances where Looney allegedly worked to get children as young as 9 alone and then raped them or touched them inappropriately.In an interview with police, Looney denied the allegations against him.Looney is being held in the Greene County Jail without bond. Several of his 10 felony charges carry possible life sentences.Looney has prior convictions for burglary and stealing.

Youth basketball coach charged with sexual abuse of players

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-01-11/you-now-have-the-right-to-know-your-hospitals-prices-and-heres-how-experts-hope-that-will-help">Kansas News Service</a>

A skin biopsy at <a href="https://www.lmh.org/patients-visitors/understanding-your-hospital-costs/" target="_blank">Lawrence Memorial Hospital</a>
 goes for anywhere from $95 to $600. It all depends on who receives the 
bill. Removing a skin lesion, anywhere from about $120 to $920.

Now, because hospitals <a href="https://www.cms.gov/hospital-price-transparency" target="_blank">had to release</a> millions of previously secret prices on Jan. 1, the public can see just how common price differences like these are.

Health
 care experts say the massive data dump — huge spreadsheets of 
headache-inducing medical jargon and arcane billing codes — will be 
difficult for people to translate into what they’d actually pay. You’d 
still need to understand copays and other factors.

“The vast majority of patients are not equipped to make use of this,” said Amanda Hunt, deputy director of the <a href="https://www.healthcarevaluehub.org/application/files/3015/6322/4395/RB_27_-_Revealing_the_Truth_About_Healthcare_Price_Transparency.pdf" target="_blank">Healthcare Value Hub</a>. “Consumers need to know what the cost of a service is to them.”

One
 saving grace: Hospitals had to put out more easily understandable, 
albeit much shorter price disclosures, to help the public look up 
hundreds of medical services. Some hospitals launched slick <a href="https://mychart.kansashealthsystem.com/MyChart/GuestEstimates/AcceptDisclaimer?svcArea=7kjTk8rQug28NWjTHRZ%2F%2FA%3D%3D&amp;isMultiSA=false" target="_blank">interactive tools</a>.
 You put in your insurance information to find out the price under your 
health plan, and how much might come out of your pocket.

But the 
even bigger news, some say, flows from the potential that employers — 
armed with help from analysts who specialize in making sense of millions
 of data points — could mine the unprecedented trove of prices to press 
for better deals.

The <a href="https://www.aha.org/news/headline/2020-12-18-cms-says-it-will-audit-some-hospitals-january-compliance-price" target="_blank">American Hospital Association</a>
 says the results could be “anticompetitive” once insurers and employers
 can see the rates that others get. Prices might even go up.

Health
 care researchers agree prices could rise in some situations. But 
overall they see potential for the transparency to help rein in 
eye-popping inflation.

“The information should be out there,” said
 Maanasa Kona, a professor at the Georgetown University Center on Health
 Insurance Reforms. “This transparency is an experiment worth 
undertaking.”

From 2003 to 2016, charges to employers <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-09-25/employers-compared-notes-on-secret-prices-at-kansas-hospitals-to-boost-their-leverage-on-costs" target="_blank">rose nearly 75%</a>
 for knee replacements and 135% for appendectomies, compared to broader 
economic inflation of about 30%, the Kaiser Family Foundation says. 
Higher prices, even when ostensibly footed largely by employers, 
ultimately hurt the little guy in the form of smaller paychecks or worse
 benefits.

Which prices became public on Jan. 1, and where can you find them?

Not
 all Kansas hospitals have complied with the Trump administration’s new 
price transparency rule. Some said they are working out the final kinks,
 all while dealing with a global pandemic that has hospitals 
understaffed and reeling.

Others didn’t respond to questions from the Kansas News Service about it.

A
 big caveat: All prices are estimates. Your situation can change. You 
could go in for a routine childbirth and end up having a C-section. The 
estimates also may not include a whole boatload of related fees.

If your hospital has posted the data, it can still be hard to find what you’re looking for.

“I
 looked around at a couple of hospital websites,” said Niall Brennan, 
CEO of the Health Care Cost Institute and former chief data officer for 
the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “I'm pretty data savvy 
and I was, like, ‘Jesus, this is hard.’”

“We’re a long way from achieving that goal,” Brennan said.

I
 ran price checks to see what giving birth costs at two different 
hospitals, because that’s a typical service that people have time to 
shop for in advance. Both websites got me quick answers that showed what
 I and my employer might expect to pay. (Specific to my insurance.)

<a href="https://www.lmh.org/patients-visitors/understanding-your-hospital-costs/" target="_blank">LMH Health</a> showed these options and prices:

<a href="https://mychart.kansashealthsystem.com/MyChart/GuestEstimates/AcceptDisclaimer?svcArea=7kjTk8rQug28NWjTHRZ%2F%2FA%3D%3D&amp;isMultiSA=false" target="_blank">The University of Kansas Health System</a> offered these:

The descriptions and billing codes didn’t match. And
 KU’s estimate displays physician fees, while the LMH site says its 
estimates are “for hospital charges only and (do) not include any 
physician or other professional fees.” A patient would clearly have to 
call the hospitals for more information.

“It’s important to know 
clearly what is included and excluded in the price,” said Bill Kampine, 
cofounder of Healthcare Bluebook. But the explanations aren’t always 
clear. “Many of the sites that I’ve reviewed so far are a little 
inconsistent.”

How might employers end up using this data?

Kampine’s
 company, as implied by its Bluebook name, has spent more than a decade 
piecing together prices from medical claims and other sources to help 
employers peer into the black box and get more for their money.

The
 biggest boon from this month’s data dump could come when companies like
 his, as well as policymakers, academics and nonprofit groups start 
mining the massive spreadsheets.

The data could eventually feed into price tools like those created by <a href="https://www.healthcarebluebook.com/explore-free-tool/" target="_blank">Healthcare Bluebook</a> or <a href="https://www.guroo.com/#!" target="_blank">The Health Care Cost Institute</a>. Researchers could uncover markets with unusually high prices, as <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-09-25/employers-compared-notes-on-secret-prices-at-kansas-hospitals-to-boost-their-leverage-on-costs" target="_blank">RAND</a> did in Indiana. Major employers and health plans could pressure the priciest hospitals to accept less for a hip replacement, <a href="https://www.healthcarevaluehub.org/application/files/3015/6322/4395/RB_27_-_Revealing_the_Truth_About_Healthcare_Price_Transparency.pdf" target="_blank">as the California Public Employees’ Retirement System did</a>. Employers could see when insurers aren’t getting them a good deal.

“Depending on which insurance policy you have,” Brennan said, “we are seeing five-, eight-, tenfold differences in prices.”

Medicare
 and Medicaid prices tend to be the bottom of the range. Prices charged 
to commercial insurers can be “sky high” he said, and vary a lot.

Insight will take time — assuming the prices remain public.

The
 American Hospital Association battled the Trump administration’s new 
rule in court, arguing that publishing prices wouldn’t help patients 
anyway. Billing is complex and so is health care. A surgery involves not
 just a surgeon, but many related expenses.

The group lost its court case, but it has called on the incoming Biden administration <a href="https://www.aha.org/lettercomment/2020-12-11-aha-outlines-initial-policy-priorities-biden-administration" target="_blank">to ditch</a> the requirement.

Celia
 Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health and education for the Kansas 
News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at 
celia@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610389572281.png" alt=" Carlos Moreno / KCUR" />
 <figcaption> Carlos Moreno / KCUR</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-01-11/you-now-have-the-right-to-know-your-hospitals-prices-and-heres-how-experts-hope-that-will-help">Kansas News Service</a>A skin biopsy at <a href="https://www.lmh.org/patients-visitors/understanding-your-hospital-costs/" target="_blank">Lawrence Memorial Hospital</a>
 goes for anywhere from $95 to $600. It all depends on who receives the 
bill. Removing a skin lesion, anywhere from about $120 to $920.Now, because hospitals <a href="https://www.cms.gov/hospital-price-transparency" target="_blank">had to release</a> millions of previously secret prices on Jan. 1, the public can see just how common price differences like these are.Health
 care experts say the massive data dump — huge spreadsheets of 
headache-inducing medical jargon and arcane billing codes — will be 
difficult for people to translate into what they’d actually pay. You’d 
still need to understand copays and other factors.“The vast majority of patients are not equipped to make use of this,” said Amanda Hunt, deputy director of the <a href="https://www.healthcarevaluehub.org/application/files/3015/6322/4395/RB_27_-_Revealing_the_Truth_About_Healthcare_Price_Transparency.pdf" target="_blank">Healthcare Value Hub</a>. “Consumers need to know what the cost of a service is to them.”One
 saving grace: Hospitals had to put out more easily understandable, 
albeit much shorter price disclosures, to help the public look up 
hundreds of medical services. Some hospitals launched slick <a href="https://mychart.kansashealthsystem.com/MyChart/GuestEstimates/AcceptDisclaimer?svcArea=7kjTk8rQug28NWjTHRZ%2F%2FA%3D%3D&amp;isMultiSA=false" target="_blank">interactive tools</a>.
 You put in your insurance information to find out the price under your 
health plan, and how much might come out of your pocket.But the 
even bigger news, some say, flows from the potential that employers — 
armed with help from analysts who specialize in making sense of millions
 of data points — could mine the unprecedented trove of prices to press 
for better deals.The <a href="https://www.aha.org/news/headline/2020-12-18-cms-says-it-will-audit-some-hospitals-january-compliance-price" target="_blank">American Hospital Association</a>
 says the results could be “anticompetitive” once insurers and employers
 can see the rates that others get. Prices might even go up.Health
 care researchers agree prices could rise in some situations. But 
overall they see potential for the transparency to help rein in 
eye-popping inflation.“The information should be out there,” said
 Maanasa Kona, a professor at the Georgetown University Center on Health
 Insurance Reforms. “This transparency is an experiment worth 
undertaking.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1601308401778.png" alt="This story is part of the series, Bills of Health. Do you have a medical bill from Kansas that you want to share with a reporter? Email celia@kcur.org." />
 <figcaption>This story is part of the series, Bills of Health. Do you have a medical bill from Kansas that you want to share with a reporter? Email celia@kcur.org.</figcaption>
 </figure>From 2003 to 2016, charges to employers <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-09-25/employers-compared-notes-on-secret-prices-at-kansas-hospitals-to-boost-their-leverage-on-costs" target="_blank">rose nearly 75%</a>
 for knee replacements and 135% for appendectomies, compared to broader 
economic inflation of about 30%, the Kaiser Family Foundation says. 
Higher prices, even when ostensibly footed largely by employers, 
ultimately hurt the little guy in the form of smaller paychecks or worse
 benefits.Which prices became public on Jan. 1, and where can you find them?Not
 all Kansas hospitals have complied with the Trump administration’s new 
price transparency rule. Some said they are working out the final kinks,
 all while dealing with a global pandemic that has hospitals 
understaffed and reeling.Others didn’t respond to questions from the Kansas News Service about it.But hospitals should release:<ul>
 <li>Spreadsheets that reveal 
prices for each service under each health plan in their network. That’s 
where you’ll see that a single hospital can negotiate a wide variety of 
prices with insurers for the same exact brain scan or hernia patch. You 
should also see cash discount prices. Knowing those could help if you 
don’t have insurance or want to sidestep your insurance to get that 
discount.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>A more user-friendly price list or tool that helps patients see what the hospital would charge for at least 300 procedures.</li>
 </ul>A
 big caveat: All prices are estimates. Your situation can change. You 
could go in for a routine childbirth and end up having a C-section. The 
estimates also may not include a whole boatload of related fees.If your hospital has posted the data, it can still be hard to find what you’re looking for.“I
 looked around at a couple of hospital websites,” said Niall Brennan, 
CEO of the Health Care Cost Institute and former chief data officer for 
the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “I'm pretty data savvy 
and I was, like, ‘Jesus, this is hard.’”Can you comparison shop?Not easily.“We’re a long way from achieving that goal,” Brennan said.I
 ran price checks to see what giving birth costs at two different 
hospitals, because that’s a typical service that people have time to 
shop for in advance. Both websites got me quick answers that showed what
 I and my employer might expect to pay. (Specific to my insurance.)<a href="https://www.lmh.org/patients-visitors/understanding-your-hospital-costs/" target="_blank">LMH Health</a> showed these options and prices:<ul>
 <li>“Vaginal delivery W O.R. proc except steril and/OR D&amp;C” ($5,866, of which I might pay an estimated $1,036)</li><li>“Vaginal delivery W sterilization/With complications” ($6,636.21, of which I might pay $1,114)</li><li>“Vaginal delivery W/O sterilization/without complications” ($5,471, of which I might pay an estimated $997)</li>
 </ul><a href="https://mychart.kansashealthsystem.com/MyChart/GuestEstimates/AcceptDisclaimer?svcArea=7kjTk8rQug28NWjTHRZ%2F%2FA%3D%3D&amp;isMultiSA=false" target="_blank">The University of Kansas Health System</a> offered these:<ul>
 <li>“Inpatient
 obstetric care for vaginal delivery, including pre and post-delivery 
care” ($26,173, of which I might pay an estimated $1,696)</li><li>“Inpatient
 obstetric care for vaginal delivery after prior cesarean delivery 
including pre and post-delivery care” ($30,874, of which I might pay 
$1,843)</li>
 </ul>The descriptions and billing codes didn’t match. And
 KU’s estimate displays physician fees, while the LMH site says its 
estimates are “for hospital charges only and (do) not include any 
physician or other professional fees.” A patient would clearly have to 
call the hospitals for more information.“It’s important to know 
clearly what is included and excluded in the price,” said Bill Kampine, 
cofounder of Healthcare Bluebook. But the explanations aren’t always 
clear. “Many of the sites that I’ve reviewed so far are a little 
inconsistent.”He thinks this will get better.How might employers end up using this data?Kampine’s
 company, as implied by its Bluebook name, has spent more than a decade 
piecing together prices from medical claims and other sources to help 
employers peer into the black box and get more for their money.The
 biggest boon from this month’s data dump could come when companies like
 his, as well as policymakers, academics and nonprofit groups start 
mining the massive spreadsheets.The data could eventually feed into price tools like those created by <a href="https://www.healthcarebluebook.com/explore-free-tool/" target="_blank">Healthcare Bluebook</a> or <a href="https://www.guroo.com/#!" target="_blank">The Health Care Cost Institute</a>. Researchers could uncover markets with unusually high prices, as <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-09-25/employers-compared-notes-on-secret-prices-at-kansas-hospitals-to-boost-their-leverage-on-costs" target="_blank">RAND</a> did in Indiana. Major employers and health plans could pressure the priciest hospitals to accept less for a hip replacement, <a href="https://www.healthcarevaluehub.org/application/files/3015/6322/4395/RB_27_-_Revealing_the_Truth_About_Healthcare_Price_Transparency.pdf" target="_blank">as the California Public Employees’ Retirement System did</a>. Employers could see when insurers aren’t getting them a good deal.“Depending on which insurance policy you have,” Brennan said, “we are seeing five-, eight-, tenfold differences in prices.”Medicare
 and Medicaid prices tend to be the bottom of the range. Prices charged 
to commercial insurers can be “sky high” he said, and vary a lot.Insight will take time — assuming the prices remain public.The
 American Hospital Association battled the Trump administration’s new 
rule in court, arguing that publishing prices wouldn’t help patients 
anyway. Billing is complex and so is health care. A surgery involves not
 just a surgeon, but many related expenses.The group lost its court case, but it has called on the incoming Biden administration <a href="https://www.aha.org/lettercomment/2020-12-11-aha-outlines-initial-policy-priorities-biden-administration" target="_blank">to ditch</a> the requirement.Celia
 Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health and education for the Kansas 
News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at 
celia@kcur.org.

You have the right to know hospital prices; here's how experts hope it helps

By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/01/14/kansas-nursing-homes-working-to-address-staffing-and-safety-problems-agency-official-says/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — A Kansas senator 
says federal pandemic aid has not been enough to alleviate ongoing 
issues with staffing and funding at Kansas nursing homes and long-term 
care facilities across the state.

Sen. Pat Pettey, a Kansas 
City Democrat serving on the Senate Public Health Committee, said 
Thursday that issues like low wages and high exposure to COVID-19 have 
made it difficult for these facilities to weather the pandemic.

“It’s almost a no-win 
situation,” Pettey said. “The CARES money has tried to provide them with
 funding to address some issues, but it’s still going to have the issue 
like low-income workers that may have more exposure because they are 
coming in and out.”

The Kansas Department of 
Health and Environment has recorded 590 outbreaks of COVID-19 at 
long-term care facilities, accounting for more than 12,000 cases and 
1,408 deaths.

Scott Brunner, deputy 
secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, 
outlined to members of a Senate health panel on Thursday the guidelines 
for visiting with nursing home residents.

According to updated 
guidance issued on Sept. 17 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 
Services, or CMS, indoor visitation is permitted if there has been no 
new onset of COVID-19 cases in the previous 14 days. An&nbsp;Oct. 19 guidance
 issued by KDADS added that visitation should be allowed if community 
spread of the virus is low and social distancing practices are in place.

“We have tried to be as 
permissive as possible but then also letting the facilities decide what 
they are comfortable doing,” Brunner said. “We also recognized that’s 
going to take staff time, so we’re also sensitive to this being a demand
 on somebody’s time to facilitate.”

Sen. Richard Hildebrand, a
 Galena Republican and chairman of the Senate panel, raised another 
concern he had heard regarding regulatory agencies entering these 
facilities to conduct infection control surveys.

“They had no idea what 
their testing was, when the last time they were tested, and that was a 
big concern for some of them because you have someone outside coming 
into the facility,” Hildebrand said.

Brunner said testing of 
surveyors is a challenge DADS is actively working to address. He said 
one change the agency made to address the concern was requiring those 
conducting the surveys to wear personal protective equipment, including 
gowns, gloves and N95 masks.

While CMS has not provided guidance to require testing of surveyors, Brunner said KDADS is working to ensure routine testing.

“I’m hoping by early next 
week we’ll be testing surveyors before they enter,” Brunner said. “These
 surveyors are all nurses so they can conduct these tests on themselves.
 They need to be observed conducting the test and we’re trying to figure
 out how to do that, but we should be testing surveyors on a regular 
basis before they begin.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610662538668.png" alt="Sen. Pat Petty and other members of the Senate Public Health Committee spoke Thursday with a representative of KDADS to address concerns with COVID-19 and nursing homes. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Sen. Pat Petty and other members of the Senate Public Health Committee spoke Thursday with a representative of KDADS to address concerns with COVID-19 and nursing homes. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/01/14/kansas-nursing-homes-working-to-address-staffing-and-safety-problems-agency-official-says/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — A Kansas senator 
says federal pandemic aid has not been enough to alleviate ongoing 
issues with staffing and funding at Kansas nursing homes and long-term 
care facilities across the state.Sen. Pat Pettey, a Kansas 
City Democrat serving on the Senate Public Health Committee, said 
Thursday that issues like low wages and high exposure to COVID-19 have 
made it difficult for these facilities to weather the pandemic.“It’s almost a no-win 
situation,” Pettey said. “The CARES money has tried to provide them with
 funding to address some issues, but it’s still going to have the issue 
like low-income workers that may have more exposure because they are 
coming in and out.”The Kansas Department of 
Health and Environment has recorded 590 outbreaks of COVID-19 at 
long-term care facilities, accounting for more than 12,000 cases and 
1,408 deaths.Scott Brunner, deputy 
secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, 
outlined to members of a Senate health panel on Thursday the guidelines 
for visiting with nursing home residents.According to updated 
guidance issued on Sept. 17 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 
Services, or CMS, indoor visitation is permitted if there has been no 
new onset of COVID-19 cases in the previous 14 days. An&nbsp;Oct. 19 guidance
 issued by KDADS added that visitation should be allowed if community 
spread of the virus is low and social distancing practices are in place.“We have tried to be as 
permissive as possible but then also letting the facilities decide what 
they are comfortable doing,” Brunner said. “We also recognized that’s 
going to take staff time, so we’re also sensitive to this being a demand
 on somebody’s time to facilitate.”Sen. Richard Hildebrand, a
 Galena Republican and chairman of the Senate panel, raised another 
concern he had heard regarding regulatory agencies entering these 
facilities to conduct infection control surveys.“They had no idea what 
their testing was, when the last time they were tested, and that was a 
big concern for some of them because you have someone outside coming 
into the facility,” Hildebrand said.Brunner said testing of 
surveyors is a challenge DADS is actively working to address. He said 
one change the agency made to address the concern was requiring those 
conducting the surveys to wear personal protective equipment, including 
gowns, gloves and N95 masks.While CMS has not provided guidance to require testing of surveyors, Brunner said KDADS is working to ensure routine testing.“I’m hoping by early next 
week we’ll be testing surveyors before they enter,” Brunner said. “These
 surveyors are all nurses so they can conduct these tests on themselves.
 They need to be observed conducting the test and we’re trying to figure
 out how to do that, but we should be testing surveyors on a regular 
basis before they begin.”

Official: Kan. nursing homes working to address staffing, safety

TOPEKA (AP) —Responding to warnings of potentially violent demonstrations, governors across the nation are calling out National Guard troops, declaring states of emergency and closing their capitols to the public ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.

Though details remain murky, demonstrations are expected at state capitols beginning Sunday and leading up to Biden's succession of President Donald Trump on Wednesday. State officials hope to avoid the type of violence that occurred Jan. 6, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, leaving a Capitol Police officer and four others dead.

The FBI has warned of the potential for violence at all state capitols and has said it is tracking an “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-inauguration-capitol-siege-michael-pence-d3cc3004a5a1be9bd0a9cb8193d7d974">extensive amount of concerning online chatter,</a>&nbsp;” including calls for armed protests.

Governors across the country are sending thousands of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., where the National Mall has been closed to the general public as part of an intense security effort. More than a dozen governors also have called out the Guard to protect their own state capitols and aid local law enforcement officers.

"We are prepared for the worst, but we remain hopeful that those who choose to demonstrate at our Capitol do so peacefully, without violence or destruction of property,” Michigan State Police Col. Joe Gasper said Friday, as Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the Guard's role.

Crews installed a six-foot fence around the Michigan Capitol ahead of expected protests, and ground-level windows were boarded up at a nearby building that houses the governor’s office. Gasper said an increased state police presence would remain at the statehouse at least through mid-February.

Some windows also were boarded at capitols in Wisconsin and Illinois, both of which activated the National Guard to help with security. Though the Wisconsin Capitol already was closed to the public because of the coronavirus, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' administration told those who had been coming into the Capitol to instead work remotely for the rest of the month.

Law enforcement officials were reducing parking around the capitol building in Madison this weekend and urging people to avoid the area as they braced for potential unrest. There was only one known organized event for the day, an anti-fascist demonstration where free food, drinks and clothes were to be distributed.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is mobilizing up to 1,000 National Guard members over concerns of civil unrest. State officials on Thursday erected a chain link fence around the Capitol, bolstering other temporary and permanent barriers. The California Highway Patrol is refusing to issue permits for rallies at the Capitol.

“We’re treating this very seriously and deploying significant resources to protect public safety, critical infrastructure and First Amendment Rights,” Newsom said in a video message. “But let me be clear: There will be no tolerance for violence."

Other governors were encouraging people to stay away from capitol buildings during the coming days. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, closed the Capitol until after Biden's inauguration and activated hundreds of National Guard members.

Citing the possibility of armed protests, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Friday began a one-week restriction on public access to the Capitol. Only those who have business with the Legislature or governor's office will be allowed inside, and they will have to provide an email showing they have a meeting or are testifying to a legislative committee.

Kelly and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf closed their Capitol buildings for a couple days next week, coinciding with the presidential inauguration. The Pennsylvania Capitol complex already had been closed to the general public because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the new order advises state employees who work in person to take off Tuesday and Wednesday; Monday is the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

“While we are not aware of any specific threats at this time, we want to act with an abundance of caution to keep employees safe,” Wolf’s administration said on its website.

Uncertainty heading into the weekend was a common theme among state officials and law enforcement officers. Many were enhancing security based on past demonstrations or general warnings but without specific expectations about how many protesters, if any, would show up outside state capitol buildings in the coming days.

The National Guard is supplementing security at Washington's capitol, where people broke a gate and entered the grounds of the governor's mansion last week. But Washington State Patrol spokesman Chris Loftis said Friday that there are “no known explicit threats" detailing the time, place and action of future demonstrations.

“We cannot be dismissive of the possible dangers but we should not be alarmists either,” Loftis said in an email to media. The state patrol “has been directed to meet this discomforting uncertainty with caution, preparedness, resolve, and calm — certainly, a wise course of action for all.”

Legislatures in several states, including Michigan, also were canceling or limiting their work next week.

Oregon’s Legislature will convene Tuesday. But the House and Senate have canceled floor sessions and committee hearings, and there will be no in-person meetings. Senate President Peter Courtney, a Democrat from Salem, said the decision was made after consulting with police. Last month, a violent crowd entered the Oregon Capitol, fought with police and damaged the building.

The Republican-led South Carolina House and Senate won't convene in full session next Tuesday or Wednesday, and committees will meet virtually. The Capitol building will be closed from Saturday through Wednesday “out of an abundance of caution,” state and local authorities said in a joint statement.

Republican leaders of the Missouri House also canceled session for next week. Though several House members had expressed security concerns following the unrest in the nation’s capitol, a written statement from GOP leadership cited a rising number of COVID-19 cases in the Capitol building as a reason for the cancellation.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, both declared states of emergency on Thursday ahead of potential demonstrations at their capitols. Fencing was installed in a wide radius around the New Mexico Capitol.

Cox’s order allows authorities to close the Utah Capitol grounds through next Thursday, the day after Biden’s inauguration.

“We respect the right of Utah residents to peaceably assemble as guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution,” Cox said in a statement. “But we draw the line at threats to physical safety or to the Utah Capitol building. No violence of any kind will be tolerated.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610659131053.png" alt="Photo courtesy Kansas Capitol Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Kansas Capitol Police</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA (AP) —Responding to warnings of potentially violent demonstrations, governors across the nation are calling out National Guard troops, declaring states of emergency and closing their capitols to the public ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.Though details remain murky, demonstrations are expected at state capitols beginning Sunday and leading up to Biden's succession of President Donald Trump on Wednesday. State officials hope to avoid the type of violence that occurred Jan. 6, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, leaving a Capitol Police officer and four others dead.The FBI has warned of the potential for violence at all state capitols and has said it is tracking an “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-inauguration-capitol-siege-michael-pence-d3cc3004a5a1be9bd0a9cb8193d7d974">extensive amount of concerning online chatter,</a>&nbsp;” including calls for armed protests.Governors across the country are sending thousands of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., where the National Mall has been closed to the general public as part of an intense security effort. More than a dozen governors also have called out the Guard to protect their own state capitols and aid local law enforcement officers."We are prepared for the worst, but we remain hopeful that those who choose to demonstrate at our Capitol do so peacefully, without violence or destruction of property,” Michigan State Police Col. Joe Gasper said Friday, as Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the Guard's role.Crews installed a six-foot fence around the Michigan Capitol ahead of expected protests, and ground-level windows were boarded up at a nearby building that houses the governor’s office. Gasper said an increased state police presence would remain at the statehouse at least through mid-February.Some windows also were boarded at capitols in Wisconsin and Illinois, both of which activated the National Guard to help with security. Though the Wisconsin Capitol already was closed to the public because of the coronavirus, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' administration told those who had been coming into the Capitol to instead work remotely for the rest of the month.Law enforcement officials were reducing parking around the capitol building in Madison this weekend and urging people to avoid the area as they braced for potential unrest. There was only one known organized event for the day, an anti-fascist demonstration where free food, drinks and clothes were to be distributed.California Gov. Gavin Newsom is mobilizing up to 1,000 National Guard members over concerns of civil unrest. State officials on Thursday erected a chain link fence around the Capitol, bolstering other temporary and permanent barriers. The California Highway Patrol is refusing to issue permits for rallies at the Capitol.“We’re treating this very seriously and deploying significant resources to protect public safety, critical infrastructure and First Amendment Rights,” Newsom said in a video message. “But let me be clear: There will be no tolerance for violence."Other governors were encouraging people to stay away from capitol buildings during the coming days. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, closed the Capitol until after Biden's inauguration and activated hundreds of National Guard members.Citing the possibility of armed protests, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Friday began a one-week restriction on public access to the Capitol. Only those who have business with the Legislature or governor's office will be allowed inside, and they will have to provide an email showing they have a meeting or are testifying to a legislative committee.Kelly and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf closed their Capitol buildings for a couple days next week, coinciding with the presidential inauguration. The Pennsylvania Capitol complex already had been closed to the general public because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the new order advises state employees who work in person to take off Tuesday and Wednesday; Monday is the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.“While we are not aware of any specific threats at this time, we want to act with an abundance of caution to keep employees safe,” Wolf’s administration said on its website.Uncertainty heading into the weekend was a common theme among state officials and law enforcement officers. Many were enhancing security based on past demonstrations or general warnings but without specific expectations about how many protesters, if any, would show up outside state capitol buildings in the coming days.The National Guard is supplementing security at Washington's capitol, where people broke a gate and entered the grounds of the governor's mansion last week. But Washington State Patrol spokesman Chris Loftis said Friday that there are “no known explicit threats" detailing the time, place and action of future demonstrations.“We cannot be dismissive of the possible dangers but we should not be alarmists either,” Loftis said in an email to media. The state patrol “has been directed to meet this discomforting uncertainty with caution, preparedness, resolve, and calm — certainly, a wise course of action for all.”Legislatures in several states, including Michigan, also were canceling or limiting their work next week.Oregon’s Legislature will convene Tuesday. But the House and Senate have canceled floor sessions and committee hearings, and there will be no in-person meetings. Senate President Peter Courtney, a Democrat from Salem, said the decision was made after consulting with police. Last month, a violent crowd entered the Oregon Capitol, fought with police and damaged the building.The Republican-led South Carolina House and Senate won't convene in full session next Tuesday or Wednesday, and committees will meet virtually. The Capitol building will be closed from Saturday through Wednesday “out of an abundance of caution,” state and local authorities said in a joint statement.Republican leaders of the Missouri House also canceled session for next week. Though several House members had expressed security concerns following the unrest in the nation’s capitol, a written statement from GOP leadership cited a rising number of COVID-19 cases in the Capitol building as a reason for the cancellation.New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, both declared states of emergency on Thursday ahead of potential demonstrations at their capitols. Fencing was installed in a wide radius around the New Mexico Capitol.Cox’s order allows authorities to close the Utah Capitol grounds through next Thursday, the day after Biden’s inauguration.“We respect the right of Utah residents to peaceably assemble as guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution,” Cox said in a statement. “But we draw the line at threats to physical safety or to the Utah Capitol building. No violence of any kind will be tolerated.”

States declare emergencies, close capitols ahead of rallies

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Rex Buchanan, retired from the Kansas Geological Survey noted that several things all came together to allow for the gas explosions in the city of Hutchinson on January 17 and 18, 2001.

"I looked at some of those old maps of Hutch in that process," Buchanan said. "Maps of where those old drill holes were that people knew about. That didn't count the ones they didn't know about. It was...everybody will use that Swiss cheese analogy and that was really true, there were holes all over the place that allowed that gas to do what it did."

According to a paper published in 2003, the Geological Survey said on the morning of January 17, 2001, a gas explosion occurred in downtown Hutchinson, Kansas. Later that day, gas geysers began erupting 2 miles to the east along the eastern edge of Hutchinson. The following day, a gas explosion at a trailer park near the geysers in eastern Hutchinson led to the death of two people.

"Initially there was an awful lot of confusion about exactly what the cause of that was," Buchanan said. "It really took, sort of an improbable series of events and circumstances for that to come together and occur, but over time it was pretty clear what those circumstances were."

The outgassing in the city began two days after a major gas leak in a natural gas storage well, S-1, at the Yaggy gas-storage facility seven miles northwest of Hutchinson.

"When those were reopened, one of the well bores was damaged in some drilling and when that gas was under pressure, it went out through that damaged spot, found a rock unit it could move through, went out through the city of Hutch and, unfortunately, found some old well bores, mostly from salt mining or other activity days and moved up those and created the situation that you saw 20 years ago."

In response to the explosions, 57 vent wells and five observation wells were drilled in the city of Hutchinson and westward towards the Yaggy storage facility.

Three HutchCC Fire Science instructors were on the department during the explosions. Former McPherson Fire Chief Jeff Deal was Fire Training Captain on the Hutchinson Fire Department in January of 2001.

"We were sitting in the training office at 18 East B Street, Chief Patterson and I, and we heard the explosion," Deal said. "Pictures on the wall rattled. He and I looked at each other and we said, something's going on. We both got up and jumped in our vehicles and just headed out even before the tones went off. You could see a column of smoke just northwest of us."

Mike McCandless was the driver on one of the first responding engines to the explosion.

"By the time we got around the corner to Decor, there was brick scattered throughout the street and people were running from the building, getting in their cars and leaving," McCandless said. "There was a big column of smoke and fire at the back of the building. We pulled up, set our ladder up and started throwing water on it."

It took awhile before firefighters knew that the gas was not coming from a gas line.

"We got a hold of the utilities company and said shut all the gas off," Deal said. "You could tell by the back of the building that this was a pressure fed fire. We said, we've broken a gas line, shut all the gas down. I remember them shutting all the gas down and one of my superiors yelled at me and said, go get with those guys. They're telling me the gas is shut off. How come this thing isn't getting any smaller? I went and personally met with a couple of the utility guys in the alley behind the Decor building and said, what is going on? They said, we've shut everything off in like a two block area and I said, shut it off wider then, because it ain't working. After they went out another level, we realized. This isn't local gas. We don't have any control over whatever this is."

Because of the lack of other fire activity in the city at the time, at least initially, Hutchinson firefighters didn't ask for a lot of outside help.

"I was on a reserve apparatus," said Jason Holland, who had actually worked the night before, but came back in to help. "We have reserve engines. I stayed at the fire station. We shut off all medical responses and then we protected the rest of the city with four firefighters and one fire truck while everyone else was down at the explosion."

As the fire stretched into its second day, the department called on help from outside.

"I don't know who made the call, but we actually brought in HCC Fire Science students who came and manned some of our stationary monitors, our stationary hand lines that don't move, spraying water," Deal said. "We just had them come sit on the hand lines so that we could get some of our guys out of the cold and get them to rehab."

Part of the reason the second explosion happened at the trailer home of John and Mary Hahn in the Big Chief Mobile Home Park, is because the gas that was coming up out of the ground was not odorized.

"Those people couldn't smell it at all," McCandless said. "They didn't know it was there until the trailer blew up."

It is presumed that an attempt to cook is what ignited the gas.

"They skirt these trailers," Deal said. "They put this skirting around the trailers in order to insulate them and that's what trapped the gas. If it had been an unskirted trailer, it may have just dissipated."

The Hahns both died from their injuries. Getting rid of the gas so similar incidents couldn't happen changed the landscape of the city for months.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610803169745.jpeg" alt="January 2001 Photo from Hutchinson Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>January 2001 Photo from Hutchinson Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Rex Buchanan, retired from the Kansas Geological Survey noted that several things all came together to allow for the gas explosions in the city of Hutchinson on January 17 and 18, 2001."I looked at some of those old maps of Hutch in that process," Buchanan said. "Maps of where those old drill holes were that people knew about. That didn't count the ones they didn't know about. It was...everybody will use that Swiss cheese analogy and that was really true, there were holes all over the place that allowed that gas to do what it did."According to a paper published in 2003, the Geological Survey said on the morning of January 17, 2001, a gas explosion occurred in downtown Hutchinson, Kansas. Later that day, gas geysers began erupting 2 miles to the east along the eastern edge of Hutchinson. The following day, a gas explosion at a trailer park near the geysers in eastern Hutchinson led to the death of two people."Initially there was an awful lot of confusion about exactly what the cause of that was," Buchanan said. "It really took, sort of an improbable series of events and circumstances for that to come together and occur, but over time it was pretty clear what those circumstances were."The outgassing in the city began two days after a major gas leak in a natural gas storage well, S-1, at the Yaggy gas-storage facility seven miles northwest of Hutchinson."When those were reopened, one of the well bores was damaged in some drilling and when that gas was under pressure, it went out through that damaged spot, found a rock unit it could move through, went out through the city of Hutch and, unfortunately, found some old well bores, mostly from salt mining or other activity days and moved up those and created the situation that you saw 20 years ago."In response to the explosions, 57 vent wells and five observation wells were drilled in the city of Hutchinson and westward towards the Yaggy storage facility.Three HutchCC Fire Science instructors were on the department during the explosions. Former McPherson Fire Chief Jeff Deal was Fire Training Captain on the Hutchinson Fire Department in January of 2001.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610803143730.jpeg" alt="Photo from Kansas Geological Survey Powerpoint Presentation" />
 <figcaption>Photo from Kansas Geological Survey Powerpoint Presentation</figcaption>
 </figure>"We were sitting in the training office at 18 East B Street, Chief Patterson and I, and we heard the explosion," Deal said. "Pictures on the wall rattled. He and I looked at each other and we said, something's going on. We both got up and jumped in our vehicles and just headed out even before the tones went off. You could see a column of smoke just northwest of us."Mike McCandless was the driver on one of the first responding engines to the explosion."By the time we got around the corner to Decor, there was brick scattered throughout the street and people were running from the building, getting in their cars and leaving," McCandless said. "There was a big column of smoke and fire at the back of the building. We pulled up, set our ladder up and started throwing water on it."It took awhile before firefighters knew that the gas was not coming from a gas line."We got a hold of the utilities company and said shut all the gas off," Deal said. "You could tell by the back of the building that this was a pressure fed fire. We said, we've broken a gas line, shut all the gas down. I remember them shutting all the gas down and one of my superiors yelled at me and said, go get with those guys. They're telling me the gas is shut off. How come this thing isn't getting any smaller? I went and personally met with a couple of the utility guys in the alley behind the Decor building and said, what is going on? They said, we've shut everything off in like a two block area and I said, shut it off wider then, because it ain't working. After they went out another level, we realized. This isn't local gas. We don't have any control over whatever this is."Because of the lack of other fire activity in the city at the time, at least initially, Hutchinson firefighters didn't ask for a lot of outside help."I was on a reserve apparatus," said Jason Holland, who had actually worked the night before, but came back in to help. "We have reserve engines. I stayed at the fire station. We shut off all medical responses and then we protected the rest of the city with four firefighters and one fire truck while everyone else was down at the explosion."As the fire stretched into its second day, the department called on help from outside."I don't know who made the call, but we actually brought in HCC Fire Science students who came and manned some of our stationary monitors, our stationary hand lines that don't move, spraying water," Deal said. "We just had them come sit on the hand lines so that we could get some of our guys out of the cold and get them to rehab."Part of the reason the second explosion happened at the trailer home of John and Mary Hahn in the Big Chief Mobile Home Park, is because the gas that was coming up out of the ground was not odorized."Those people couldn't smell it at all," McCandless said. "They didn't know it was there until the trailer blew up."It is presumed that an attempt to cook is what ignited the gas."They skirt these trailers," Deal said. "They put this skirting around the trailers in order to insulate them and that's what trapped the gas. If it had been an unskirted trailer, it may have just dissipated."The Hahns both died from their injuries. Getting rid of the gas so similar incidents couldn't happen changed the landscape of the city for months.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610803186041.jpeg" alt="Vent Well photo Kansas Geological Survey" />
 <figcaption>Vent Well photo Kansas Geological Survey</figcaption>
 </figure>"If you flew over Hutchinson, you would see us look like the top of a birthday cake," Holland said. "We had flares, six, eight, ten flares."Those flares were important because you can't smell the gas, and you could only sometimes see where it was seeping."The way you fix this problem is you burn it off," Deal said. "Consume it. Any place that they found gas that was seeping up, like they said, they would drill a hole, they would actually concentrate that gas and then they would put a flare on it. If you go by the refinery in McPherson, you will see flares at the top of stacks, they're doing the same thing."An archived article from April of that year from the Oil and Gas Journal noted nine flares still active at the writing of that piece."It was scary," Holland said. "It really was a scary situation, because you never knew. You have to look back in history in Hutchinson. When they did the salt mining, they would go and put in brine wells. You would go and you would have all these abandoned pipes stuck in the ground, three, four hundred, five hundred feet deep. It's just an open hole for that gas to find, like a chimney and, boom, whatever is sitting on top of it, if it's an ignition source, look out."According to a report from the Kansas Gas Service, after the gas flow from the vent wells subsided, the KGS coordinated two NASA flights over Hutchinson and Reno County to make sure no gas leaks had gone undetected.