SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect following an alleged domestic incident at a fast food restaurant.

Just before 4p.m. Monday, police responded to Arbys, 5930 SW Huntoon Street in Topeka. on a report of a domestic disturbance involving an armed suspect, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.

 When officers arrived on scene, the suspect later identified as 25-year-old Jalen Malik Gerald-Donaldson of Topeka fled in a vehicle. 

He&nbsp; later crashed the vehicle into another vehicle in the area of SW 6th Avenue and SW Fairlawn Road.&nbsp;

Officers from TPD and a Trooper from the Kansas Highway Patrol were able to locate the Gerald-Donaldson on foot nearby the crash scene. They also retrieved a gun from the scene.

Officers arrested Gerald-Donaldson and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Aggravated Assault, Interference with LEO, Domestic Battery, Criminal Trespass and other&nbsp;traffic charges resulting from the crash, according to Spiker.

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect following an alleged domestic incident at a fast food restaurant.Just before 4p.m. Monday, police responded to Arbys, 5930 SW Huntoon Street in Topeka. on a report of a domestic disturbance involving an armed suspect, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Spiker. When officers arrived on scene, the suspect later identified as 25-year-old Jalen Malik Gerald-Donaldson of Topeka fled in a vehicle. He&nbsp; later crashed the vehicle into another vehicle in the area of SW 6th Avenue and SW Fairlawn Road.&nbsp;Officers from TPD and a Trooper from the Kansas Highway Patrol were able to locate the Gerald-Donaldson on foot nearby the crash scene. They also retrieved a gun from the scene.Officers arrested Gerald-Donaldson and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Aggravated Assault, Interference with LEO, Domestic Battery, Criminal Trespass and other&nbsp;traffic charges resulting from the crash, according to Spiker.

Kan. man jailed after disturbance at fast food restaurant

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Democrats formally nominated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/JoeBiden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;as their presidential candidate, with party elders, a new generation of politicians and voters in every state joining in an extraordinary, pandemic-cramped&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/09785e274676e46351c70644d2b77215">virtual convention</a>&nbsp;to send him into the general election campaign to oust President Donald Trump.

For someone who has spent more than three decades eyeing the presidency, the moment Tuesday night was the realization of a long-sought goal. But it occurred in a way that the 77-year-old Biden couldn’t have imagined just months ago as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">the coronavirus pandemic</a>&nbsp;prompted profound change across the country and in his presidential campaign.

<a href="https://apnews.com/3ba1e5ffbbe6ef247ea9285c6d532736">Instead of a Milwaukee convention hall</a>&nbsp;as initially planned, the roll call of convention delegates played out in a combination of live and recorded video feeds from American landmarks packed with meaning: Alabama’s Edmund Pettus Bridge, the headwaters of the Mississippi River, a Puerto Rican community still recovering from a hurricane and Washington’s Black Lives Matter Plaza.

Biden celebrated his new status as the Democratic nominee alongside his wife and grandchildren in a Delaware school library. His wife of more than 40 years,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/b7592f19299a15f526a8a15c3e367991">Jill Biden</a>, later spoke of her husband in deeply personal terms, reintroducing the lifelong politician as a man of deep empathy, faith and resilience to American voters less than three months before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/Election2020">votes are counted</a>.

“There are times when I couldn’t imagine how he did it — how he put one foot in front of the other and kept going,” she said. “But I’ve always understood why he did it. He does it for you.”

The convention’s most highly anticipated moments will unfold on the next two nights. Kamala Harris will accept&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/5ac8fff8bbe1c70479604e3ff62ecb10">her nomination as Biden’s running mate</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday, the first Black woman to join a major party ticket. Former President Barack Obama will also speak as part of his stepped-up efforts to defeat his successor.

Biden will deliver his acceptance speech Thursday night in a mostly empty convention hall near his Delaware home.

Biden used the second night of the four-day convention to feature a mix of party elders, Republican as well as Democratic, to make the case that he has the experience and energy to repair chaos that Trump has created at home and abroad.

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State John Kerry — and former Republican Secretary of State Colin Powell — were among the heavy hitters on a schedule that emphasized a simple theme: Leadership matters. Former President Jimmy Carter, now 95 years old, also made a brief appearance.

Some of them delivered attacks against Trump that were unusually personal, all in an effort to establish Biden as the competent, moral counter to the Republican president.

“Donald Trump inherited a growing economy and a more peaceful world,” Kerry said. “And like everything else he inherited, he bankrupted it. When this president goes oversees it isn’t a goodwill mission. It’s a blooper reel.”

Clinton said Trump’s Oval Office is a place of chaos, not a command center.

“If you want a president who defines the job as spending hours a day watching TV and zapping people on social media, he’s your man,” Clinton said.

For his part, Trump spent Tuesday courting battleground voters in an effort to distract from Biden’s convention.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/0bc7c76b965205e136e05277911bb2a2">Appearing in Arizona near the Mexican border</a>&nbsp;during the day, the Republican president claimed a Biden presidency would trigger “a flood of illegal immigration like the world has never seen.”

Such divisive rhetoric, which is not supported by Biden’s positions, has become a hallmark of Trump’s presidency, which has inflamed tensions at home and alienated allies around the world.

Biden has the support of a sprawling political coalition, as demonstrated again during Tuesday’s convention, although neither history nor enthusiasm is on his side.

Just one incumbent president has been defeated since 1992, George H.W. Bush. And Biden’s supporters consistently report that they’re motivated more by opposition to Trump than excitement about Biden.

A collection of younger Democrats, including former Georgia lawmaker Stacey Abrams and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, were given a few minutes to shine. But overall, there was little room on Tuesday’s program for the younger stars of the party’s far-left wing.

“In a democracy, we do not elect saviors. We cast our ballots for those who see our struggles and pledge to serve,” said Abrams, 46, who emerged as a national player during her unsuccessful bid for governor in 2018 and was among those considered to be Biden’s running mate.

For a second night, the Democrats featured Republicans.

Powell, who served as secretary of state under George W. Bush and appeared at multiple Republican conventions in years past, endorsed the Democratic candidate. He joined the wife of the late Arizona Sen. John McCain, Cindy McCain, who stopped short of a formal endorsement but spoke in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/2ab413939e3747215da2c34dcbd323cf">a video of the mutual respect and friendship her husband and Biden shared</a>.

While there have been individual members of the opposing party featured at presidential conventions before, a half-dozen Republicans, including a former two-term governor of Ohio, have now spoken for Democrat Biden.

The Democrats’ party elders played a prominent role throughout the night.

Clinton, who turns 74 on Tuesday, hasn’t held office in two decades. Kerry, 76, was the Democratic presidential nominee back in 2004 when the youngest voters this fall were still in diapers. And Carter left office in 1981.

Biden’s team did not give the night’s coveted keynote address to a single fresh face, preferring instead to pack the slot with more than a dozen Democrats in their 20s, 30s and 40s. The younger leaders included Abrams, Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Pa., and the president of the Navajo Nation, Jonathan Nez.

It remains to be seen whether the unconventional convention will give Biden the momentum he’s looking for.

Preliminary estimates show that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/e9f0a6f8412643ec205d53becf29a035">television viewership</a>&nbsp;for the first night of the virtual convention was down compared with the opening of Hillary Clinton’s onsite nominating party four years ago.

An estimated 18.7 million people watched coverage between 10 and 11 p.m. on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC, the Nielsen company said. Four years ago, the opening night drew just under 26 million viewers.

Biden’s campaign said an additional 10.2 million streamed the convention online Monday night.

“We are producing a digital convention, and people are watching,” Biden spokesman T.J. Ducklo tweeted.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597804291678.png" alt="Joe Biden and wife Jill celebrate his nomination during Tuesday's virtual convention-image courtesy DNC" />
 <figcaption>Joe Biden and wife Jill celebrate his nomination during Tuesday's virtual convention-image courtesy DNC</figcaption>
 </figure>WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Democrats formally nominated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/JoeBiden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;as their presidential candidate, with party elders, a new generation of politicians and voters in every state joining in an extraordinary, pandemic-cramped&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/09785e274676e46351c70644d2b77215">virtual convention</a>&nbsp;to send him into the general election campaign to oust President Donald Trump.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fdemconvention%2Fvideos%2F590131228331061%2F&show_text=0&width=560" width="560" height="315" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>For someone who has spent more than three decades eyeing the presidency, the moment Tuesday night was the realization of a long-sought goal. But it occurred in a way that the 77-year-old Biden couldn’t have imagined just months ago as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">the coronavirus pandemic</a>&nbsp;prompted profound change across the country and in his presidential campaign.<a href="https://apnews.com/3ba1e5ffbbe6ef247ea9285c6d532736">Instead of a Milwaukee convention hall</a>&nbsp;as initially planned, the roll call of convention delegates played out in a combination of live and recorded video feeds from American landmarks packed with meaning: Alabama’s Edmund Pettus Bridge, the headwaters of the Mississippi River, a Puerto Rican community still recovering from a hurricane and Washington’s Black Lives Matter Plaza.Biden celebrated his new status as the Democratic nominee alongside his wife and grandchildren in a Delaware school library. His wife of more than 40 years,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/b7592f19299a15f526a8a15c3e367991">Jill Biden</a>, later spoke of her husband in deeply personal terms, reintroducing the lifelong politician as a man of deep empathy, faith and resilience to American voters less than three months before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/Election2020">votes are counted</a>.“There are times when I couldn’t imagine how he did it — how he put one foot in front of the other and kept going,” she said. “But I’ve always understood why he did it. He does it for you.”The convention’s most highly anticipated moments will unfold on the next two nights. Kamala Harris will accept&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/5ac8fff8bbe1c70479604e3ff62ecb10">her nomination as Biden’s running mate</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday, the first Black woman to join a major party ticket. Former President Barack Obama will also speak as part of his stepped-up efforts to defeat his successor.Biden will deliver his acceptance speech Thursday night in a mostly empty convention hall near his Delaware home.Biden used the second night of the four-day convention to feature a mix of party elders, Republican as well as Democratic, to make the case that he has the experience and energy to repair chaos that Trump has created at home and abroad.Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State John Kerry — and former Republican Secretary of State Colin Powell — were among the heavy hitters on a schedule that emphasized a simple theme: Leadership matters. Former President Jimmy Carter, now 95 years old, also made a brief appearance.Some of them delivered attacks against Trump that were unusually personal, all in an effort to establish Biden as the competent, moral counter to the Republican president.“Donald Trump inherited a growing economy and a more peaceful world,” Kerry said. “And like everything else he inherited, he bankrupted it. When this president goes oversees it isn’t a goodwill mission. It’s a blooper reel.”Clinton said Trump’s Oval Office is a place of chaos, not a command center.“If you want a president who defines the job as spending hours a day watching TV and zapping people on social media, he’s your man,” Clinton said.For his part, Trump spent Tuesday courting battleground voters in an effort to distract from Biden’s convention.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/0bc7c76b965205e136e05277911bb2a2">Appearing in Arizona near the Mexican border</a>&nbsp;during the day, the Republican president claimed a Biden presidency would trigger “a flood of illegal immigration like the world has never seen.”Such divisive rhetoric, which is not supported by Biden’s positions, has become a hallmark of Trump’s presidency, which has inflamed tensions at home and alienated allies around the world.Biden has the support of a sprawling political coalition, as demonstrated again during Tuesday’s convention, although neither history nor enthusiasm is on his side.Just one incumbent president has been defeated since 1992, George H.W. Bush. And Biden’s supporters consistently report that they’re motivated more by opposition to Trump than excitement about Biden.A collection of younger Democrats, including former Georgia lawmaker Stacey Abrams and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, were given a few minutes to shine. But overall, there was little room on Tuesday’s program for the younger stars of the party’s far-left wing.“In a democracy, we do not elect saviors. We cast our ballots for those who see our struggles and pledge to serve,” said Abrams, 46, who emerged as a national player during her unsuccessful bid for governor in 2018 and was among those considered to be Biden’s running mate.For a second night, the Democrats featured Republicans.Powell, who served as secretary of state under George W. Bush and appeared at multiple Republican conventions in years past, endorsed the Democratic candidate. He joined the wife of the late Arizona Sen. John McCain, Cindy McCain, who stopped short of a formal endorsement but spoke in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/2ab413939e3747215da2c34dcbd323cf">a video of the mutual respect and friendship her husband and Biden shared</a>.While there have been individual members of the opposing party featured at presidential conventions before, a half-dozen Republicans, including a former two-term governor of Ohio, have now spoken for Democrat Biden.The Democrats’ party elders played a prominent role throughout the night.Clinton, who turns 74 on Tuesday, hasn’t held office in two decades. Kerry, 76, was the Democratic presidential nominee back in 2004 when the youngest voters this fall were still in diapers. And Carter left office in 1981.Biden’s team did not give the night’s coveted keynote address to a single fresh face, preferring instead to pack the slot with more than a dozen Democrats in their 20s, 30s and 40s. The younger leaders included Abrams, Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Pa., and the president of the Navajo Nation, Jonathan Nez.It remains to be seen whether the unconventional convention will give Biden the momentum he’s looking for.Preliminary estimates show that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/e9f0a6f8412643ec205d53becf29a035">television viewership</a>&nbsp;for the first night of the virtual convention was down compared with the opening of Hillary Clinton’s onsite nominating party four years ago.An estimated 18.7 million people watched coverage between 10 and 11 p.m. on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC, the Nielsen company said. Four years ago, the opening night drew just under 26 million viewers.Biden’s campaign said an additional 10.2 million streamed the convention online Monday night.“We are producing a digital convention, and people are watching,” Biden spokesman T.J. Ducklo tweeted.___

Democrats nominate Biden for epic challenge to oust Trump

KANSAS CITY&nbsp; (AP) — Prosecutors have charged a man with murder and other counts in the July death of a woman he’s accused of beating and pistol whipping before chasing her down and shooting her to death.

Michael Skinner, 22, Grandview, has been charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the July 24 killing of 21-year-old Chieyenne Wallis outside the Cloverleaf Apartments.

Witnesses told detectives that Skinner and Wallis had been arguing when Skinner pulled different handguns and asked Wallis which one she wanted him to kill her with. Witnesses said he punched and pistol-whipped Wallis inside an apartment unit and, at one point, stomped on her head. She later ran out of the apartment, police said, and Skinner chased her and shot her several times.

Minutes later, Skinner left the apartment with two other men, police said, but before he got in the car, he walked up to Wallis — who was injured and face down on the ground — and shot her again at close range.

Skinner is being held on $500,000 cash bond.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597778483934.png" alt="Chieyenne Wallis -photo courtesy Langsford Funeral Home" />
 <figcaption>Chieyenne Wallis -photo courtesy Langsford Funeral Home</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY&nbsp; (AP) — Prosecutors have charged a man with murder and other counts in the July death of a woman he’s accused of beating and pistol whipping before chasing her down and shooting her to death.Michael Skinner, 22, Grandview, has been charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the July 24 killing of 21-year-old Chieyenne Wallis outside the Cloverleaf Apartments.Witnesses told detectives that Skinner and Wallis had been arguing when Skinner pulled different handguns and asked Wallis which one she wanted him to kill her with. Witnesses said he punched and pistol-whipped Wallis inside an apartment unit and, at one point, stomped on her head. She later ran out of the apartment, police said, and Skinner chased her and shot her several times.Minutes later, Skinner left the apartment with two other men, police said, but before he got in the car, he walked up to Wallis — who was injured and face down on the ground — and shot her again at close range.Skinner is being held on $500,000 cash bond.

Man charged in violent murder of Kansas City woman

SHAWNEE COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged child abuse involving an 18-month-old child and have a suspect in custody.

The incident occurred Monday at a residence in the 5700 Block of North Topeka Boulevard in Topeka, according to Shawnee County Sheriff's Sgt. Todd Stallbaumer.&nbsp;

The child’s injuries included a skull fracture, rib fracture, internal lacerations and internal bleeding.

Detectives arrested Robert H. Mann III, 47, of Topeka. He was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Endangering a Child and Child Abuse.&nbsp;

The child was treated at a local hospital and then transferred to Children's Mercy, according to Deputy Abigail Christian. The child is now safe and in the custody of the Kansas Department of Children and Families.&nbsp; Authorities did not report the relationship between Mann and the child.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597781325583.png" alt="Robert H. Mann III photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Robert H. Mann III photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged child abuse involving an 18-month-old child and have a suspect in custody.The incident occurred Monday at a residence in the 5700 Block of North Topeka Boulevard in Topeka, according to Shawnee County Sheriff's Sgt. Todd Stallbaumer.&nbsp;The child’s injuries included a skull fracture, rib fracture, internal lacerations and internal bleeding.Detectives arrested Robert H. Mann III, 47, of Topeka. He was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Endangering a Child and Child Abuse.&nbsp;The child was treated at a local hospital and then transferred to Children's Mercy, according to Deputy Abigail Christian. The child is now safe and in the custody of the Kansas Department of Children and Families.&nbsp; Authorities did not report the relationship between Mann and the child.

Kansas man arrested after toddler found with broken bones

On Tuesday, Aug. 18 a crop duster hit power lines and crashed into a corn field in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska.

The accident happened north of the City of Scottsbluff just before 9a.m.

"The plane hit a power line causing the plane to crash into a corn field and the power line to came down on Highway 71," said Region 22 Emergency Management. "Then a cattle truck hit the power line causing poles and lines to come down two miles either side of the highway."

The pilot of the plane and driver of the cattle truck suffered minor injuries, according to Region 22 Emergency Management.

No names have been released at this time.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597777493469.jpeg" alt="Photos courtesy Region 22 Emergency Management" />
 <figcaption>Photos courtesy Region 22 Emergency Management</figcaption>
 </figure>By Kalin Krohe, Panhandle Post&nbsp;On Tuesday, Aug. 18 a crop duster hit power lines and crashed into a corn field in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska.The accident happened north of the City of Scottsbluff just before 9a.m.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597835618856.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>"The plane hit a power line causing the plane to crash into a corn field and the power line to came down on Highway 71," said Region 22 Emergency Management. "Then a cattle truck hit the power line causing poles and lines to come down two miles either side of the highway."The pilot of the plane and driver of the cattle truck suffered minor injuries, according to Region 22 Emergency Management.No names have been released at this time.&nbsp;

Crop Duster hits power line, crashes in Nebraska

WASHINGTON, DC —President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats are at odds over funding for the Postal Service as well as the use of mail-in ballots. 

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said his team across the nation is ready for the election.

“The United States Postal Service will play a critical role this year in delivering election mail for millions of voters across the country. There has been a lot of discussion recently about whether the Postal Service is ready, willing and able to meet this challenge," DeJoy said in a statement from his office.

"The Postal Service is ready today to handle whatever volume of election mail it receives this fall. Even with the challenges of keeping our employees and customers safe and healthy as they operate amid a pandemic, we will deliver the nation’s election mail on time and within our well-established service standards. The American public should know that this is our number one priority between now and election day. The 630,000 dedicated women and men of the Postal Service are committed, ready and proud to meet this sacred duty.

I am announcing today the expansion of our current leadership taskforce on election mail to enhance our ongoing work and partnership with state and local election officials in jurisdictions throughout the country. Leaders of our postal unions and management associations have committed to joining this taskforce to ensure strong coordination throughout our organization. Because of the unprecedented demands of the 2020 election, this taskforce will help ensure that election officials and voters are well informed and fully supported by the Postal Service.

I came to the Postal Service to make changes to secure the success of this organization and its long-term sustainability. I believe significant reforms are essential to that objective, and work toward those reforms will commence after the election. In the meantime, there are some longstanding operational initiatives — efforts that predate my arrival at the Postal Service — that have been raised as areas of concern as the nation prepares to hold an election in the midst of a devastating pandemic. To avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, I am suspending these initiatives until after the election is concluded.

I want to assure all Americans of the following:

In addition, effective Oct. 1, we will engage standby resources in all areas of our operations, including transportation, to satisfy any unforeseen demand.

I am grateful for the commitment and dedication of all the men and women of the Postal Service, and the trust they earn from the American public every day, especially as we continue to contend with the impacts of COVID-19. As we move forward"

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596998697812.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON, DC —President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats are at odds over funding for the Postal Service as well as the use of mail-in ballots. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said his team across the nation is ready for the election.“The United States Postal Service will play a critical role this year in delivering election mail for millions of voters across the country. There has been a lot of discussion recently about whether the Postal Service is ready, willing and able to meet this challenge," DeJoy said in a statement from his office. "The Postal Service is ready today to handle whatever volume of election mail it receives this fall. Even with the challenges of keeping our employees and customers safe and healthy as they operate amid a pandemic, we will deliver the nation’s election mail on time and within our well-established service standards. The American public should know that this is our number one priority between now and election day. The 630,000 dedicated women and men of the Postal Service are committed, ready and proud to meet this sacred duty.I am announcing today the expansion of our current leadership taskforce on election mail to enhance our ongoing work and partnership with state and local election officials in jurisdictions throughout the country. Leaders of our postal unions and management associations have committed to joining this taskforce to ensure strong coordination throughout our organization. Because of the unprecedented demands of the 2020 election, this taskforce will help ensure that election officials and voters are well informed and fully supported by the Postal Service.I came to the Postal Service to make changes to secure the success of this organization and its long-term sustainability. I believe significant reforms are essential to that objective, and work toward those reforms will commence after the election. In the meantime, there are some longstanding operational initiatives — efforts that predate my arrival at the Postal Service — that have been raised as areas of concern as the nation prepares to hold an election in the midst of a devastating pandemic. To avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, I am suspending these initiatives until after the election is concluded.I want to assure all Americans of the following: <ul>
 <li>Retail hours at Post Offices will not change.&nbsp;</li><li>Mail processing equipment and blue collection boxes will remain where they are.</li><li>No mail processing facilities will be closed.</li><li>And we reassert that overtime has, and will continue to be, approved as needed.</li>
 </ul>In addition, effective Oct. 1, we will engage standby resources in all areas of our operations, including transportation, to satisfy any unforeseen demand.I am grateful for the commitment and dedication of all the men and women of the Postal Service, and the trust they earn from the American public every day, especially as we continue to contend with the impacts of COVID-19. As we move forward"

Postmaster General: Post office ready to handle election mail

SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Wichita Police Department needs the public’s assistance in identifying and locating the driver of a Ford F-150 in connection to a fatal shooting, according to officer Kevin Wheeler.

Just after 7:30 a.m. Monday, police responded to a shooting call in the 600 block of South Armour Drive in Wichita.

 Upon arrival, officers located 27-year-old Miguel Tapia outside of a gray Nissan Pathfinder with gunshot wounds. Tapia was transported to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries.

The investigation has revealed that Tapia was inside the Pathfinder when a disturbance broke out, and he was shot.

  The driver of the teal F150 was in the area during the time of the incident and may have information that could help investigators. The truck driver is not a suspect in connection with case, according to Wheeler. 

SEDGWICK COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have identified the victim of as 27-year-old Miguel Tapia of Wichita, according to officer Kevin Wheeler.

Just after 7:30 a.m. Monday, police responded to a shooting call in the 600 block of South Armour Drive in Wichita. Upon arrival, officers located Tapia outside of a gray Nissan Pathfinder with gunshot wounds. Tapia was transported to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries.

This incident was not random, and it remains under investigation, according to Wheeler.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597783835983.png" alt="Photo Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Wichita Police Department needs the public’s assistance in identifying and locating the driver of a Ford F-150 in connection to a fatal shooting, according to officer Kevin Wheeler.Just after 7:30 a.m. Monday, police responded to a shooting call in the 600 block of South Armour Drive in Wichita. Upon arrival, officers located 27-year-old Miguel Tapia outside of a gray Nissan Pathfinder with gunshot wounds. Tapia was transported to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries.The investigation has revealed that Tapia was inside the Pathfinder when a disturbance broke out, and he was shot. The driver of the teal F150 was in the area during the time of the incident and may have information that could help investigators. The truck driver is not a suspect in connection with case, according to Wheeler. ---------<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597701535023.png" alt="Police on the scene of the shooting investigation Monday -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the shooting investigation Monday -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have identified the victim of as 27-year-old Miguel Tapia of Wichita, according to officer Kevin Wheeler.Just after 7:30 a.m. Monday, police responded to a shooting call in the 600 block of South Armour Drive in Wichita. Upon arrival, officers located Tapia outside of a gray Nissan Pathfinder with gunshot wounds. Tapia was transported to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries.The investigation has revealed that Tapia was inside the Pathfinder when a disturbance broke out, and he was shot.This incident was not random, and it remains under investigation, according to Wheeler.

Police look for truck in connection with fatal Kan. shooting

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug charges after a traffic stop.

Just after 9:30 a.m Monday, a deputy conducted a traffic stop in the 3700 block of SW Topeka Boulevard, according to Deputy Abigail Christian. 

The deputy arrested the driver, Angelia M. Irvin, 35, of Topeka,&nbsp; for two outstanding warrants and is she is also facing other drug and traffic related charges including possession of methamphetamine.

Irvin was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections, according to Christian.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597746715650.png" alt="Irvin-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Irvin-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug charges after a traffic stop.Just after 9:30 a.m Monday, a deputy conducted a traffic stop in the 3700 block of SW Topeka Boulevard, according to Deputy Abigail Christian. The deputy arrested the driver, Angelia M. Irvin, 35, of Topeka,&nbsp; for two outstanding warrants and is she is also facing other drug and traffic related charges including possession of methamphetamine.Irvin was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections, according to Christian.

Deputy arrests wanted Kansas woman after traffic stop

By MICHELLE R. SMITH, Associated Press&nbsp;

As the novel coronavirus began to spread this spring, Health Commissioner Gretchen Musicant tore up her budget to find funds to combat the crisis. Money for test kits. Money to administer tests. Money to hire contact tracers. And yet even more money for a service that helps tracers communicate with residents in dozens of languages.

While Musicant diverted workers from violence prevention and other core programs to the COVID-19 response, state officials debated how to distribute $1.87 billion Minnesota received in federal aid.

As she waited, the&nbsp;<a href="https://mn.gov/mmb-stat/documents/budget/covid19-mn-fund/covid-19-minnesota-fund-notice-of-action-20-06-30-20.pdf" target="_blank">Minnesota Zoo</a>&nbsp;got $6 million in federal money to continue operations, and a debt collection company outside Minneapolis received at least $5 million from the federal Paycheck Protection Program, according to federal data.

It was not until Aug. 5 — months after Congress approved aid for the pandemic — that Musicant’s department finally received $1.7 million, the equivalent of $4 per Minneapolis resident.

“It’s more a hope and a prayer that we’ll have enough money,” Musicant said.

Since the pandemic began, Congress has set aside trillions of dollars to ease the crisis. A joint Kaiser Health News and Associated Press investigation finds that many communities with big outbreaks have spent little of that federal money on local public health departments for work such as testing and contact tracing. Others, like in Minnesota, were slow to do so.

For example, the states, territories and 154 large cities and counties that received allotments from the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund reported spending only 25% of it through June 30, according to reports that recipients submitted to the U.S. Treasury Department.

Many localities have deployed more money since that June 30 reporting deadline, and both Republican and Democratic governors say they need more to avoid layoffs and cuts to vital state services. Still, as cases in the U.S. top 5 million and deaths soar past 165,000, Republicans in Congress are pointing to the slow spending to argue against sending more money to state and local governments to help with their pandemic response.

“States and localities have only spent about a fourth of the money we already sent them in the springtime,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday. Congressional Democrats’ efforts to get more money for states, he said, “aren’t based on math. They aren’t based on the pandemic.”

Negotiations over a new pandemic relief bill broke down last week, in part because Democrats and Republicans could not agree on funding for state and local governments.

KHN and the AP requested detailed spending breakdowns from recipients of money from the Coronavirus Relief Fund — created in March as part of the $1.9 trillion CARES Act — and received responses from 23 states and 62 cities and counties. Those entities dedicated 23% of their spending from the fund through June to public health and 7% to public health and safety payroll.

An additional 22% was transferred to local governments, some of which will eventually pass it down to health departments. The rest went to other priorities, such as distance learning.

So little money has flowed to some local health departments for many reasons: Bureaucracy has bogged things down, politics have crept into the process, and understaffed departments have struggled to take time away from critical needs to navigate the red tape required to justify asking for extra dollars.

“It does not make sense to me how anyone thinks this is a way to do business,” said E. Oscar Alleyne, chief of programs and services at the National Association of County and City Health Officials. “We are never going to get ahead of the pandemic response if we are still handicapped.”

Last month, KHN and the AP detailed how state and local public health departments across the U.S. have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/e28724a125a127f650a9b6f48f7bb938">starved for decades</a>. Over 38,000 public health worker jobs have been lost since 2008, and per capita spending on local health departments has been cut by 18% since 2010. That’s left them underfunded and without adequate resources to confront the coronavirus pandemic.

“Public health has been cut and cut and cut over the years, but we’re so valuable every time you turn on the television,” said Jan Morrow, the director and 41-year veteran of Ripley County health department in rural Missouri. “We are picking up all the pieces, but the money is not there. They’ve cut our budget until there’s nothing left.”

Why did the Minneapolis health department have to wait so long for CARES Act money?

Congress mandated that the Coronavirus Relief Fund be distributed to states and local governments based on population. Minneapolis, with 430,000 residents, missed the threshold of 500,000 people that would have allowed it to receive money directly.

The state of Minnesota, however, received $1.87 billion, a portion of which was meant to be sent to local communities. Lawmakers initially sent some state money to tide communities over until the federal money came through — the Minneapolis health department got about $430,000 in state money to help pay for things like testing.

But when it came time to decide how to use the CARES Act money, lawmakers in Minnesota’s Republican-controlled Senate and Democratic-controlled House were at loggerheads.

Myron Frans, commissioner of Minnesota Management and Budget, said that disagreement, on top of the economic crisis and pandemic, left the legislature in turmoil.

Then following the police killing of George Floyd, the city erupted in protests over racial injustice, making a difficult situation even more challenging.

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz favored targeting some of the money to harder-hit communities, a move that might have helped Minneapolis, where cases have surged since mid-July. But lawmakers couldn’t agree. Negotiations dragged on, and a special session merely prolonged the standoff.

Finally, the governor divvied up the money using a population-based formula developed earlier by Republican and Democratic legislative leaders that did not take into account COVID-19 caseloads or racial disparities.

“We knew we needed to get it out the door,” Frans said.

The state then sent hundreds of millions of dollars to local communities. Still, even after the money got to Minneapolis a month ago, Musicant had to wait as city leaders made difficult choices about how to spend the money as the economy cratered and the list of needs grew.

“Even when it gets to the local government, you still have to figure out how to get it to local public health,” Musicant said.

Meanwhile, some in Minneapolis have noticed a lack of services. Dr. Jackie Kawiecki has been providing help to people at a volunteer medical station near the place where Floyd was killed — an area that at times has drawn hundreds or thousands of people per day. She said the city did not do enough free, easy-to-access testing in its neighborhoods this summer.

“I still don’t think that the amount of testing offered is adequate, from a public health standpoint,” Kawiecki said.

A coalition of groups that includes the National Governors Association has blamed the spending delays on the federal government, saying the final guidance on how states could spend the money came late in June, shortly before the reporting period ended. The coalition said state and local governments had moved “expeditiously and responsibly” to use the money as they deal with skyrocketing costs for health care, emergency response and other vital programs.

New York’s Nassau County was among six counties, cities and states that had spent at least 75% of its funds by June 30.

While most of the money was not spent before then, the National Association of State Budget Officers says a July 23 survey of 45 states and territories found they had allocated, or set aside, an average of 74% of the money.

But if they have, that money has been slow to make it to many local health departments.

As of mid-July in Missouri, at least 50 local health departments had yet to receive any of the federal money they requested, according to a state survey. The money must first flow through local county commissioners, some of whom aren’t keen on sending money to public health agencies.

“You closed their businesses down in order to save their people’s lives and so that hurt the economy,” said Larry Jones, executive director for the Missouri Center for Public Health Excellence, an organization of public health leaders. “So they’re mad at you and don’t want to give you money.”

The winding path federal money takes as it makes its way to states and cities also could exacerbate the stark economic and health inequalities in the U.S. if equity isn’t considered in decision-making, said Wizdom Powell, director of the University of Connecticut Health Disparities Institute.

“Problems are so vast you could unintentionally further entrench inequities just by how you distribute funds,” Powell said.

The amounts eventually distributed can induce head-scratching.

Some cities received large federal grants, including Louisville, Kentucky, whose health department was given $42 million by April, more than doubling its annual budget. Because of the way the money was distributed, Louisville’s health department alone received more money from the CARES Act than the entire government of the city of Minneapolis.

Philadelphia’s health department was awarded $100 million from a separate fund from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Honolulu County, where cases have remained relatively low, received $124,454 for every positive COVID-19 case it had reported as of Aug. 9, while El Paso County in Texas got just $1,685 per case. Multnomah County, Oregon — with nearly a quarter of its state’s COVID-19 cases — landed only 2%, or $28 million, of the state’s $1.6 billion allotment.

Rural Saline County in Missouri received the same funding as counties of similar size, even though the virus hit the area particularly hard. In April, outbreaks began tearing through a Cargill meatpacking plant and a local factory. By late May, the health department confirmed 12 positive cases at the local jail.

Tara Brewer, Saline’s health department administrator, said phone lines were ringing off the hook, jamming the system. Eventually, several department employees handed out their personal cell phone numbers to take calls from residents looking to be tested or seeking care for coronavirus symptoms.

“Everything fell behind,” Brewer said.

The school vaccination clinic in April was canceled, and a staffer who works as a Spanish translator for the Women, Infants and Children nutritional program was enlisted to contact trace for additional coronavirus exposures. All food inspections stopped.

It was late July when $250,000 in federal CARES Act money finally reached the 11-person health department, Brewer said — four months after Congress approved the spending and three months after the county’s first outbreak.

That was far too late for Brewer to hire the army of contact tracers that might have helped slow the spread of the virus back in April. She said the money already has been spent on antibody testing and reimbursements for groceries and medical equipment the department had bought for quarantined residents.

Another problem: Some local health officials say that the laborious process required to qualify for some of the federal aid discourages overworked public health officials from even trying to secure more money and that funds can be uneven in arriving.

Lisa Macon Harrison, public health director for Granville Vance Public Health in rural Oxford, North Carolina, said it’s tough to watch major hospital systems — some of which are sitting on billions in reserves — receive direct deposits, while her department received only about $122,000 through three grants by the end of July. Her team filled out a 25-page application just to get one of them.

She is now waiting to receive an estimated $400,000 more. By contrast, the Duke University Hospital System, which includes a facility that serves Granville, already has received over $67.3 million from the federal Provider Relief Fund.

“I just don’t understand the extra layers of onus for the bureaucracy, especially if hundreds of millions of dollars are going to the hospitals and we have to be responsible to apply for 50 grants,” she said.

The money comes from dozens of funds, including several programs within the CARES Act. Nebraska alone&nbsp;<a href="https://budget.nebraska.gov/assets/COVID-19/StateofNebraskaCovid-19andContacts.pdf" target="_blank">received money from</a>&nbsp;76 federal COVID relief funding sources.

Robert Miller, director of health for the Eastern Highlands Health District in Connecticut, which covers 10 towns, received $29,596 of the $2.5 million the state distributed to local departments from the CDC fund and nothing from CARES. It was only enough to pay for some contact tracing and employee mileage.

Miller said that he could theoretically apply for a little more from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but that the reporting requirements — which include collecting every receipt — are extremely cumbersome for an already overburdened department.

So he wonders: “Is the squeeze worth the juice?”

Back in Minneapolis, Musicant said the new money from CARES allowed the department to run a free COVID-19 testing site Saturday, at a church that serves the Hispanic community about a mile from the site of Floyd’s killing.

It will take more money to do everything the community needs, she says, but with Congress deadlocked, she’s not sure they’ll get it anytime soon.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1588175688546.png" alt="A health care worker at a drive-through coronavirus testing center in April in Garden City. photo by Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>A health care worker at a drive-through coronavirus testing center in April in Garden City. photo by Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By MICHELLE R. SMITH, Associated Press&nbsp;As the novel coronavirus began to spread this spring, Health Commissioner Gretchen Musicant tore up her budget to find funds to combat the crisis. Money for test kits. Money to administer tests. Money to hire contact tracers. And yet even more money for a service that helps tracers communicate with residents in dozens of languages.While Musicant diverted workers from violence prevention and other core programs to the COVID-19 response, state officials debated how to distribute $1.87 billion Minnesota received in federal aid.As she waited, the&nbsp;<a href="https://mn.gov/mmb-stat/documents/budget/covid19-mn-fund/covid-19-minnesota-fund-notice-of-action-20-06-30-20.pdf" target="_blank">Minnesota Zoo</a>&nbsp;got $6 million in federal money to continue operations, and a debt collection company outside Minneapolis received at least $5 million from the federal Paycheck Protection Program, according to federal data.It was not until Aug. 5 — months after Congress approved aid for the pandemic — that Musicant’s department finally received $1.7 million, the equivalent of $4 per Minneapolis resident.“It’s more a hope and a prayer that we’ll have enough money,” Musicant said.Since the pandemic began, Congress has set aside trillions of dollars to ease the crisis. A joint Kaiser Health News and Associated Press investigation finds that many communities with big outbreaks have spent little of that federal money on local public health departments for work such as testing and contact tracing. Others, like in Minnesota, were slow to do so.For example, the states, territories and 154 large cities and counties that received allotments from the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund reported spending only 25% of it through June 30, according to reports that recipients submitted to the U.S. Treasury Department.Many localities have deployed more money since that June 30 reporting deadline, and both Republican and Democratic governors say they need more to avoid layoffs and cuts to vital state services. Still, as cases in the U.S. top 5 million and deaths soar past 165,000, Republicans in Congress are pointing to the slow spending to argue against sending more money to state and local governments to help with their pandemic response.“States and localities have only spent about a fourth of the money we already sent them in the springtime,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday. Congressional Democrats’ efforts to get more money for states, he said, “aren’t based on math. They aren’t based on the pandemic.”Negotiations over a new pandemic relief bill broke down last week, in part because Democrats and Republicans could not agree on funding for state and local governments.KHN and the AP requested detailed spending breakdowns from recipients of money from the Coronavirus Relief Fund — created in March as part of the $1.9 trillion CARES Act — and received responses from 23 states and 62 cities and counties. Those entities dedicated 23% of their spending from the fund through June to public health and 7% to public health and safety payroll.An additional 22% was transferred to local governments, some of which will eventually pass it down to health departments. The rest went to other priorities, such as distance learning.So little money has flowed to some local health departments for many reasons: Bureaucracy has bogged things down, politics have crept into the process, and understaffed departments have struggled to take time away from critical needs to navigate the red tape required to justify asking for extra dollars.“It does not make sense to me how anyone thinks this is a way to do business,” said E. Oscar Alleyne, chief of programs and services at the National Association of County and City Health Officials. “We are never going to get ahead of the pandemic response if we are still handicapped.”Last month, KHN and the AP detailed how state and local public health departments across the U.S. have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/e28724a125a127f650a9b6f48f7bb938">starved for decades</a>. Over 38,000 public health worker jobs have been lost since 2008, and per capita spending on local health departments has been cut by 18% since 2010. That’s left them underfunded and without adequate resources to confront the coronavirus pandemic.“Public health has been cut and cut and cut over the years, but we’re so valuable every time you turn on the television,” said Jan Morrow, the director and 41-year veteran of Ripley County health department in rural Missouri. “We are picking up all the pieces, but the money is not there. They’ve cut our budget until there’s nothing left.”POLITICS AND RED TAPEWhy did the Minneapolis health department have to wait so long for CARES Act money?Congress mandated that the Coronavirus Relief Fund be distributed to states and local governments based on population. Minneapolis, with 430,000 residents, missed the threshold of 500,000 people that would have allowed it to receive money directly.The state of Minnesota, however, received $1.87 billion, a portion of which was meant to be sent to local communities. Lawmakers initially sent some state money to tide communities over until the federal money came through — the Minneapolis health department got about $430,000 in state money to help pay for things like testing.But when it came time to decide how to use the CARES Act money, lawmakers in Minnesota’s Republican-controlled Senate and Democratic-controlled House were at loggerheads.Myron Frans, commissioner of Minnesota Management and Budget, said that disagreement, on top of the economic crisis and pandemic, left the legislature in turmoil.Then following the police killing of George Floyd, the city erupted in protests over racial injustice, making a difficult situation even more challenging.Democratic Gov. Tim Walz favored targeting some of the money to harder-hit communities, a move that might have helped Minneapolis, where cases have surged since mid-July. But lawmakers couldn’t agree. Negotiations dragged on, and a special session merely prolonged the standoff.Finally, the governor divvied up the money using a population-based formula developed earlier by Republican and Democratic legislative leaders that did not take into account COVID-19 caseloads or racial disparities.“We knew we needed to get it out the door,” Frans said.The state then sent hundreds of millions of dollars to local communities. Still, even after the money got to Minneapolis a month ago, Musicant had to wait as city leaders made difficult choices about how to spend the money as the economy cratered and the list of needs grew.“Even when it gets to the local government, you still have to figure out how to get it to local public health,” Musicant said.Meanwhile, some in Minneapolis have noticed a lack of services. Dr. Jackie Kawiecki has been providing help to people at a volunteer medical station near the place where Floyd was killed — an area that at times has drawn hundreds or thousands of people per day. She said the city did not do enough free, easy-to-access testing in its neighborhoods this summer.“I still don’t think that the amount of testing offered is adequate, from a public health standpoint,” Kawiecki said.A coalition of groups that includes the National Governors Association has blamed the spending delays on the federal government, saying the final guidance on how states could spend the money came late in June, shortly before the reporting period ended. The coalition said state and local governments had moved “expeditiously and responsibly” to use the money as they deal with skyrocketing costs for health care, emergency response and other vital programs.New York’s Nassau County was among six counties, cities and states that had spent at least 75% of its funds by June 30.While most of the money was not spent before then, the National Association of State Budget Officers says a July 23 survey of 45 states and territories found they had allocated, or set aside, an average of 74% of the money.But if they have, that money has been slow to make it to many local health departments.As of mid-July in Missouri, at least 50 local health departments had yet to receive any of the federal money they requested, according to a state survey. The money must first flow through local county commissioners, some of whom aren’t keen on sending money to public health agencies.“You closed their businesses down in order to save their people’s lives and so that hurt the economy,” said Larry Jones, executive director for the Missouri Center for Public Health Excellence, an organization of public health leaders. “So they’re mad at you and don’t want to give you money.”The winding path federal money takes as it makes its way to states and cities also could exacerbate the stark economic and health inequalities in the U.S. if equity isn’t considered in decision-making, said Wizdom Powell, director of the University of Connecticut Health Disparities Institute.“Problems are so vast you could unintentionally further entrench inequities just by how you distribute funds,” Powell said.‘EVERYTHING FELL BEHIND’The amounts eventually distributed can induce head-scratching.Some cities received large federal grants, including Louisville, Kentucky, whose health department was given $42 million by April, more than doubling its annual budget. Because of the way the money was distributed, Louisville’s health department alone received more money from the CARES Act than the entire government of the city of Minneapolis.Philadelphia’s health department was awarded $100 million from a separate fund from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Honolulu County, where cases have remained relatively low, received $124,454 for every positive COVID-19 case it had reported as of Aug. 9, while El Paso County in Texas got just $1,685 per case. Multnomah County, Oregon — with nearly a quarter of its state’s COVID-19 cases — landed only 2%, or $28 million, of the state’s $1.6 billion allotment.Rural Saline County in Missouri received the same funding as counties of similar size, even though the virus hit the area particularly hard. In April, outbreaks began tearing through a Cargill meatpacking plant and a local factory. By late May, the health department confirmed 12 positive cases at the local jail.Tara Brewer, Saline’s health department administrator, said phone lines were ringing off the hook, jamming the system. Eventually, several department employees handed out their personal cell phone numbers to take calls from residents looking to be tested or seeking care for coronavirus symptoms.“Everything fell behind,” Brewer said.The school vaccination clinic in April was canceled, and a staffer who works as a Spanish translator for the Women, Infants and Children nutritional program was enlisted to contact trace for additional coronavirus exposures. All food inspections stopped.It was late July when $250,000 in federal CARES Act money finally reached the 11-person health department, Brewer said — four months after Congress approved the spending and three months after the county’s first outbreak.That was far too late for Brewer to hire the army of contact tracers that might have helped slow the spread of the virus back in April. She said the money already has been spent on antibody testing and reimbursements for groceries and medical equipment the department had bought for quarantined residents.Another problem: Some local health officials say that the laborious process required to qualify for some of the federal aid discourages overworked public health officials from even trying to secure more money and that funds can be uneven in arriving.Lisa Macon Harrison, public health director for Granville Vance Public Health in rural Oxford, North Carolina, said it’s tough to watch major hospital systems — some of which are sitting on billions in reserves — receive direct deposits, while her department received only about $122,000 through three grants by the end of July. Her team filled out a 25-page application just to get one of them.She is now waiting to receive an estimated $400,000 more. By contrast, the Duke University Hospital System, which includes a facility that serves Granville, already has received over $67.3 million from the federal Provider Relief Fund.“I just don’t understand the extra layers of onus for the bureaucracy, especially if hundreds of millions of dollars are going to the hospitals and we have to be responsible to apply for 50 grants,” she said.The money comes from dozens of funds, including several programs within the CARES Act. Nebraska alone&nbsp;<a href="https://budget.nebraska.gov/assets/COVID-19/StateofNebraskaCovid-19andContacts.pdf" target="_blank">received money from</a>&nbsp;76 federal COVID relief funding sources.Robert Miller, director of health for the Eastern Highlands Health District in Connecticut, which covers 10 towns, received $29,596 of the $2.5 million the state distributed to local departments from the CDC fund and nothing from CARES. It was only enough to pay for some contact tracing and employee mileage.Miller said that he could theoretically apply for a little more from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but that the reporting requirements — which include collecting every receipt — are extremely cumbersome for an already overburdened department.So he wonders: “Is the squeeze worth the juice?”Back in Minneapolis, Musicant said the new money from CARES allowed the department to run a free COVID-19 testing site Saturday, at a church that serves the Hispanic community about a mile from the site of Floyd’s killing.It will take more money to do everything the community needs, she says, but with Congress deadlocked, she’s not sure they’ll get it anytime soon.___

Federal virus money slow to trickle to local public health

KINGMAN COUNTY — A suspect arrested in Montana&nbsp;who was wanted for questioning in connection with the death of a Kansas woman made a virtual appearance before a Kansas judge on Monday.

Clinton Rogers, 34, was charged with Felony Theft during the&nbsp; Zoom court appearance, according to Sheriff Randy Hill. He is being held on a $50,000 bond.

Rogers is a person of interest who authorities believe is connected to the homicide of 61-year-old Joyce Foulkrod in Medicine Lodge on July 27, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Deputies in Montana arrested Rogers on August 11 on a warrant for theft out of Kingman County, Kansas, according to the KBI. Investigators believe Rogers stole a 1995 Chevrolet Camaro in Kingman County on August 2 on his way to Montana.

On Friday Rogers made a court appearance in Montana and waived extradition, according to Dawson County, Montana jail warden Tom Green.

Officials transported Rogers back to Kingman County over the weekend, according to Melissa Underwood with the KBI.&nbsp;

&nbsp;On July 27, a family member found Foulkrod deceased inside her home at 3 Whitney Lane in Medicine Lodge.&nbsp;

Preliminary information leads investigators to believe Foulkrod’s death was a homicide.

GLENDIVE, Mont. –A suspect arrested in Montana who was wanted for questioning in connection with the July 27 death of a Kansas woman is back in a Kansas jail.

Deputies in Montana arrested 34-year-old Clinton W. Rogers on August 11 on a warrant for theft out of Kingman County, Kansas, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The KBI believes Rogers stole a 1995 Chevrolet Camaro in Kingman County on August 2 on his way to Montana.

Rogers is a person of interest who authorities believe is connected to the homicide of 61-year-old Joyce Foulkrod in Medicine Lodge.

On Friday Rogers made a court appearance in Montana and waived extradition, according to Dawson County jail warden Tom Green.

Officials transported Rogers back to Kingman County over the weekend, according to Melissa Underwood with the KBI. He is being held on the theft charges.

Preliminary information leads investigators to believe Foulkrod’s death was a homicide

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597699107893.png" alt="Rogers is being held on a $50,000 bond in Kingman County" />
 <figcaption>Rogers is being held on a $50,000 bond in Kingman County</figcaption>
 </figure>KINGMAN COUNTY — A suspect arrested in Montana&nbsp;who was wanted for questioning in connection with the death of a Kansas woman made a virtual appearance before a Kansas judge on Monday.Clinton Rogers, 34, was charged with Felony Theft during the&nbsp; Zoom court appearance, according to Sheriff Randy Hill. He is being held on a $50,000 bond.Rogers is a person of interest who authorities believe is connected to the homicide of 61-year-old Joyce Foulkrod in Medicine Lodge on July 27, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.Deputies in Montana arrested Rogers on August 11 on a warrant for theft out of Kingman County, Kansas, according to the KBI. Investigators believe Rogers stole a 1995 Chevrolet Camaro in Kingman County on August 2 on his way to Montana.On Friday Rogers made a court appearance in Montana and waived extradition, according to Dawson County, Montana jail warden Tom Green.Officials transported Rogers back to Kingman County over the weekend, according to Melissa Underwood with the KBI.&nbsp;&nbsp;On July 27, a family member found Foulkrod deceased inside her home at 3 Whitney Lane in Medicine Lodge.&nbsp;Preliminary information leads investigators to believe Foulkrod’s death was a homicide.--------------GLENDIVE, Mont. –A suspect arrested in Montana who was wanted for questioning in connection with the July 27 death of a Kansas woman is back in a Kansas jail.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597423172012.png" alt="Rogers-photo Dawson County." />
 <figcaption>Rogers-photo Dawson County.</figcaption>
 </figure>Deputies in Montana arrested 34-year-old Clinton W. Rogers on August 11 on a warrant for theft out of Kingman County, Kansas, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The KBI believes Rogers stole a 1995 Chevrolet Camaro in Kingman County on August 2 on his way to Montana.Rogers is a person of interest who authorities believe is connected to the homicide of 61-year-old Joyce Foulkrod in Medicine Lodge.On Friday Rogers made a court appearance in Montana and waived extradition, according to Dawson County jail warden Tom Green.Officials transported Rogers back to Kingman County over the weekend, according to Melissa Underwood with the KBI. He is being held on the theft charges.&nbsp;On July 27, a family member found Foulkrod deceased inside her home at 3 Whitney Lane in Medicine Lodge.&nbsp;Preliminary information leads investigators to believe Foulkrod’s death was a homicide&nbsp;

Suspect in Kan. woman's murder charged with felony theft

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Authorities have identified the man who died in an accident just before 8p.m. Sunday in Sedgwick County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Ford Fusion driven by Landon Scott Semsroth, 28, Wichita, was eastbound on 13th and lost control of the car.

The vehicle jumped the curb, struck a tree, fence line, traveled down a ravine, struck a drainage culvert, went airborne and landed on a 2020 Ram 2500 Van driven by Rosendo Neftali Gonzalez Hernandez, 36, Kansas City, Missouri, that was southbound on Interstate 35.

The Ford then rolled off the van and landed on its top.

&nbsp;A passenger in the van identified as Josue David Elena, 33, Kansas City, Missouri, was pronounced dead at the scene.

EMS transported Hernandez and Semsroth to Wesley Medical Center.&nbsp; Semsroth was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.&nbsp;The agency did not report seat belt usage for the occupants in the van.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597771256673.png" alt="First responders on the scene of Sunday's fatal crash -photo courtesy KAKE" />
 <figcaption>First responders on the scene of Sunday's fatal crash -photo courtesy KAKE</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — Authorities have identified the man who died in an accident just before 8p.m. Sunday in Sedgwick County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Ford Fusion driven by Landon Scott Semsroth, 28, Wichita, was eastbound on 13th and lost control of the car.The vehicle jumped the curb, struck a tree, fence line, traveled down a ravine, struck a drainage culvert, went airborne and landed on a 2020 Ram 2500 Van driven by Rosendo Neftali Gonzalez Hernandez, 36, Kansas City, Missouri, that was southbound on Interstate 35.The Ford then rolled off the van and landed on its top.&nbsp;A passenger in the van identified as Josue David Elena, 33, Kansas City, Missouri, was pronounced dead at the scene.EMS transported Hernandez and Semsroth to Wesley Medical Center.&nbsp; Semsroth was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.&nbsp;The agency did not report seat belt usage for the occupants in the van.

KHP IDs man who died in violent crash onto Turnpike

SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for alleged assault after a weekend chase with police.

Just after 4p.m. Saturday, police responded to&nbsp;the area behind the Community Theater in the 300 Block of East Iron in Salina&nbsp; for a report that Cody Espinosa, 37, of Salina, who had an outstanding warrant for his arrest, was there, according to&nbsp; Police Captain Paul Forrester.

An officer located Espinosa in the 100 block of South Fourth Street, and as the officer parked his patrol car, Espinosa ran along an alley between Fourth and Fifth streets. 

The officer yelled for Espinosa to stop, but he continued and ran around a corner of a building.&nbsp; As the officer turned the corner, Espinosa stopped, turned back to face the officer, pulled a cell phone out, and threw it in the direction of the officer, according to Forrester. The cell phone sailed over the officer’s head.

Espinosa was then arrested on the probation violation warrant and on requested charges of assault of a law enforcement office and interference with a law enforcement officer, according to Forrester.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597683321832.jpeg" alt="Espinosa photo Saline Co." />
 <figcaption>Espinosa photo Saline Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for alleged assault after a weekend chase with police.Just after 4p.m. Saturday, police responded to&nbsp;the area behind the Community Theater in the 300 Block of East Iron in Salina&nbsp; for a report that Cody Espinosa, 37, of Salina, who had an outstanding warrant for his arrest, was there, according to&nbsp; Police Captain Paul Forrester.An officer located Espinosa in the 100 block of South Fourth Street, and as the officer parked his patrol car, Espinosa ran along an alley between Fourth and Fifth streets. The officer yelled for Espinosa to stop, but he continued and ran around a corner of a building.&nbsp; As the officer turned the corner, Espinosa stopped, turned back to face the officer, pulled a cell phone out, and threw it in the direction of the officer, according to Forrester. The cell phone sailed over the officer’s head.Espinosa was then arrested on the probation violation warrant and on requested charges of assault of a law enforcement office and interference with a law enforcement officer, according to Forrester.

Police: Wanted Kan. man throws cell phone at officer 

By
NICK GOSNELL <a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch Post</a>


HUTCHINSON —&nbsp;You may be able to hold on to a few more coins at the pump in the coming days, according to AAA Kansas.

"Recent
 trends have us thinking that gas prices may have peaked this year," 
said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. "The national average has pushed 
only as high as $2.20 a gallon, the Kansas average top end was $1.98. 
That happened about a month ago. In the last four weeks, motorists have 
been seeing the gas price average slowly decrease."

It looks like there is still more gas in the system than people are using.

"Our
 extremely healthy supply amid lower seasonal demand right now is paving
 the way for one of the lowest annual gas price averages this decade," 
Steward said. "There's a good chance that we've likely seen gas prices 
peak for 2020, barring any major hurricanes or any other disruptions in 
the supply."

In Kansas, prices are below $2 a gallon in most places.

"At
 $1.95 a gallon, Kansas ranks as the 10th cheapest in the U.S.," Steward
 said.

As we get closer to fall, prices typically drop 
once refineries switch from summer to winter blends of gasoline as the 
winter blend is less expensive to refine.

By
NICK GOSNELL <a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch Post</a>
HUTCHINSON —&nbsp;You may be able to hold on to a few more coins at the pump in the coming days, according to AAA Kansas."Recent
 trends have us thinking that gas prices may have peaked this year," 
said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. "The national average has pushed 
only as high as $2.20 a gallon, the Kansas average top end was $1.98. 
That happened about a month ago. In the last four weeks, motorists have 
been seeing the gas price average slowly decrease."It looks like there is still more gas in the system than people are using."Our
 extremely healthy supply amid lower seasonal demand right now is paving
 the way for one of the lowest annual gas price averages this decade," 
Steward said. "There's a good chance that we've likely seen gas prices 
peak for 2020, barring any major hurricanes or any other disruptions in 
the supply."In Kansas, prices are below $2 a gallon in most places."At
 $1.95 a gallon, Kansas ranks as the 10th cheapest in the U.S.," Steward
 said.As we get closer to fall, prices typically drop 
once refineries switch from summer to winter blends of gasoline as the 
winter blend is less expensive to refine.

AAA Kansas: Gas prices may have peaked, if no supply interruptions

By BRIAN GRIMMETT <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/horns-down-masks-challenges-holding-band-camp-during-pandemic">Kansas News Service</a>

VALLEY CENTER, Kansas — On its face, band camp at 
Valley Center High School looks pretty normal: Lines of students with 
instruments march up and down a football field while the color guard 
practices throwing flags into the air.

Band director Jan Verboom drills the horn section on technique.

“Keep the eighth notes together, guys,” he said. “Vertical alignment.”

Other
 things are very different. You don’t see the whole band together, just 
small groups. Trumpets, saxophones and clarinets cover their horns with 
nylons. And for the most part, when the instruments go down, the masks 
come up.

They’re changes that not only band directors, but also 
football coaches and choir directors are being asked to make as they 
prepare for the beginning of a school year under the shadow of the 
coronavirus pandemic. They say they’re doing the best they can, but many
 have unanswered questions about whether they’ll be able to continue — 
and if they do, what’s the best way to keep students and staff safe.

Already, at least one school district, in <a href="https://kckps.org/kckps-suspends-fall-sports/" target="_blank">Kansas City, Kansas, canceled all fall activities</a>, including marching band.

Verboom
 is doing what he can. At camp, at the end of a morning session with 
brass players, he shouted, “Band meeting around me. Take a seat and have
 your mask on.”

After going over a few issues discovered during practice, he gives 
the group a pep talk — one with a very coronavirus-centric message.

“I
 don’t want you to ask yourselves, ‘What’s the point, we don’t really 
have a season coming up,’” he said. “We don’t know that yet.”

Drumming
 up motivation among his students is a top priority this year. That’s 
because this school, which is about 20 minutes north of Wichita, already
 has lost a lot. The band was supposed to perform at the <a href="https://www.americanveteranscenter.org/avc-events/parade/" target="_blank">National Memorial Day parade</a> in Washington, D.C., in May, but that was canceled. Annual state marching band competitions <a href="http://kansasbandmasters.com/events/marching-championship/" target="_blank">are also canceled</a>. And while football is still on, there’s no guarantee that won’t change or that the band will be allowed to play at halftime.

Verboom said it’s hard to make a plan when there’s still so much uncertainty. His <a href="https://www.usd262.net/cms/One.aspx?portalId=257107&amp;pageId=13231404" target="_blank">district moved the start date for school back</a>
 to Sept. 9. It’s also left open the possibility that not every student 
will be able to come to campus daily if the spread of the coronavirus 
becomes a problem. A block schedule would make coordinating rehearsal 
even more challenging, he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597674218613.png" alt=" A student's mellophone horn is covered to prevent the spread of airborne respiratory droplets at Valley Center High School band camp. Brian Grimmett / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> A student's mellophone horn is covered to prevent the spread of airborne respiratory droplets at Valley Center High School band camp. Brian Grimmett / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRIAN GRIMMETT <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/horns-down-masks-challenges-holding-band-camp-during-pandemic">Kansas News Service</a>VALLEY CENTER, Kansas — On its face, band camp at 
Valley Center High School looks pretty normal: Lines of students with 
instruments march up and down a football field while the color guard 
practices throwing flags into the air.Band director Jan Verboom drills the horn section on technique.“Keep the eighth notes together, guys,” he said. “Vertical alignment.”Other
 things are very different. You don’t see the whole band together, just 
small groups. Trumpets, saxophones and clarinets cover their horns with 
nylons. And for the most part, when the instruments go down, the masks 
come up.They’re changes that not only band directors, but also 
football coaches and choir directors are being asked to make as they 
prepare for the beginning of a school year under the shadow of the 
coronavirus pandemic. They say they’re doing the best they can, but many
 have unanswered questions about whether they’ll be able to continue — 
and if they do, what’s the best way to keep students and staff safe.Already, at least one school district, in <a href="https://kckps.org/kckps-suspends-fall-sports/" target="_blank">Kansas City, Kansas, canceled all fall activities</a>, including marching band.Verboom
 is doing what he can. At camp, at the end of a morning session with 
brass players, he shouted, “Band meeting around me. Take a seat and have
 your mask on.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597674270877.jpeg" alt=" Valley Center High School band director Jan Verboom speaks to brass players after a morning band camp session. Credit Brian Grimmett / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> Valley Center High School band director Jan Verboom speaks to brass players after a morning band camp session. Credit Brian Grimmett / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>After going over a few issues discovered during practice, he gives 
the group a pep talk — one with a very coronavirus-centric message.“I
 don’t want you to ask yourselves, ‘What’s the point, we don’t really 
have a season coming up,’” he said. “We don’t know that yet.”Drumming
 up motivation among his students is a top priority this year. That’s 
because this school, which is about 20 minutes north of Wichita, already
 has lost a lot. The band was supposed to perform at the <a href="https://www.americanveteranscenter.org/avc-events/parade/" target="_blank">National Memorial Day parade</a> in Washington, D.C., in May, but that was canceled. Annual state marching band competitions <a href="http://kansasbandmasters.com/events/marching-championship/" target="_blank">are also canceled</a>. And while football is still on, there’s no guarantee that won’t change or that the band will be allowed to play at halftime.Verboom said it’s hard to make a plan when there’s still so much uncertainty. His <a href="https://www.usd262.net/cms/One.aspx?portalId=257107&amp;pageId=13231404" target="_blank">district moved the start date for school back</a>
 to Sept. 9. It’s also left open the possibility that not every student 
will be able to come to campus daily if the spread of the coronavirus 
becomes a problem. A block schedule would make coordinating rehearsal 
even more challenging, he said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597674302883.jpeg" alt=" Valley Center High School band members stand at attention during camp. Credit Brian Grimmett / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> Valley Center High School band members stand at attention during camp. Credit Brian Grimmett / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>Faced with similar uncertainty and safety concerns, Wichita’s East 
High School Band Director Maranda Wilson moved band camp online.“I
 know that my students overwhelmingly wanted to do band camp,” she said.
 “But when I thought about what that would look like at a time of such 
high risk in our community, it just wouldn’t be a traditional band 
camp.”Knowing that remote band camp likely wouldn’t sound as 
exciting, Wilson tried to make it more attractive&nbsp; by inviting guest 
performers to offer training and encouragement. She also tried to find 
online team-building exercises.But even with the workarounds, 
she’s worried about what she’ll do once school starts. Wilson wonders 
how many students can safely gather at one time or whether rehearsals 
will have to be held outside.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597674327600.jpeg" alt=" A student plays a snare drum during band camp at Valley Center High School. Credit Brian Grimmett / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> A student plays a snare drum during band camp at Valley Center High School. Credit Brian Grimmett / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>Whatever the fall ends up looking like though, she said she’ll do 
everything she can to make sure band students get some experience 
performing music together — even if that’s in groups of 10-15 on the 
front lawn of the school.“It’s such an important part of their 
high school experience,” Wilson said. “For a lot of our kids, that’s the
 one really great thing about school.”<h2>Finding alternatives</h2>Back
 at Valley Center for another morning of small group practice, student 
drum majors take the temperature of each arriving student.“We’re
 definitely more of enforcers now,” said Timothy McHatten, who’s a drum 
major and a senior. “We have to make sure everyone is doing everything 
right.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597674356872.jpeg" alt=" The Valley Center High School drumline waits for instructions during rehearsal. Credit Bran Grimmett / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> The Valley Center High School drumline waits for instructions during rehearsal. Credit Bran Grimmett / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>He said being split up into smaller groups isn’t nearly as fun as 
getting together as a full band. It lacks the one-big-family energy 
that’s usually there. But Teagan Horning, another senior drum major, 
said with all of the craziness of the past several months, everyone is 
mostly just happy to be here.“I’ve been trying not to dwell on 
(canceled events) and just look forward to what new opportunities we can
 have and what new experiences we can have,” she said.Because of
 concerns about the coronavirus,&nbsp; band camp wasn’t mandatory. In the 
past, Verboom said, camp is generally a way to see who’s really 
committed, but that mentality just didn’t make sense this year.He
 even considered canceling it on several occasions, knowing how dicey it
 could be to gather a bunch of teenagers to blow into instruments when 
an infectious and dangerous respiratory illness is spreading out of 
control.“There’s days I walk in here and you wonder as a teacher
 if you’re doing the right thing because we want to keep the kids safe,”
 he said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597674383018.jpeg" alt=" Masked band members try to keep their distance during band camp at Valley Center High School. Credit Brian Grimmett / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> Masked band members try to keep their distance during band camp at Valley Center High School. Credit Brian Grimmett / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>Ultimately, he felt following the guidelines given by the <a href="http://www.kshsaa.org/Public/music/PDF/SummerGuidelines-Marching%20Bands.pdf" target="_blank">Kansas State High School Activities Association</a> and the <a href="https://www.nfhs.org/articles/unprecedented-international-coalition-led-by-performing-arts-organizations-to-commission-covid-19-study/" target="_blank">National Federation of State High School Associations</a>
 were enough to keep the kids safe. He also felt that if Valley Center’s
 athletes were doing conditioning work, his band students deserved 
something, too.Preliminary research from NFHS and the University
 of Colorado shows playing instruments is akin to coughing or sneezing 
when it comes to spreading respiratory droplets. The study suggested 
students wear masks (even while playing, by creating a small slit for 
their mouthpiece) and put one on their instruments. It also suggests any
 indoor rehearsal should be limited to 30 minutes.Band camp is 
different in other ways, too. Instead of a full marching program, 
Verboom is having small ensemble groups prepare for winter performances,
 potentially at basketball games. One morning at camp, the drumline and 
pit-instrument players were even practicing Christmas music.“We 
want the kids to enjoy playing music just for the sake of playing 
music,” Verboom said. “Whether we’re trying to go for a big halftime 
show at a football game or playing in a competition representing Valley 
Center, it still goes back to the bare thing of appreciating playing 
music.”Brian Grimmett reports on the environment, energy and
 natural resources for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You 
can follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/briangrimmett?lang=en" target="_blank">@briangrimmett</a> or email him at grimmett@kmuw.org.