Tuesday’s program featured a public health update from Pottawatomie County Health Department Director Lisa Kenworthy, RN Liz Parthemer and also from Emergency Management Director Jennifer Merrow.
Author: KMAN Staff
Ascension Via Christi hospital has received unused protective clothing equipment from donating closed businesses during the COVID-19 outbreak. President of Ascension Via Christi Robert Copple says that “the generosity and supportive nature of those who live in our community is amazing”. However the following items are still needed by the hospital isolation gowns, n95 and ear loop masks, hand sanitizer, face shields and goggles, surface disinfectant, powered and controlled air purifying respirators, and non sterile box gloves. To donate items call Executive Director of the Wamego hospital foundation Tina Rockhold at 785-458-7380 or 785-587-5462.
Release from the Riley County Health Department and City of Manhattan. This afternoon the Riley County Health Department launched a drive-thru swabbing station in partnership with Konza Prairie Community Health Center. The station will provide COVID-19 testing for pre-screened patients only. Testing will be available to people who have written orders sent to the Riley County Health Department from a health-care provider. “The swabbing station is being established to provide an additional resource for the community. The goal is to streamline the testing processes and promote a more efficient use of the personal protective equipment (PPE) available in the area,”…
Release from Office of the Governor of Kansas. Governor Laura Kelly signed today executive orders #20-10, #20-11, #20-12, and #20-13, as part of her administration’s comprehensive response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The safety and well-being of Kansans is my top priority,” Kelly said. “During these trying times we need essential services to continue to function to secure our public safety and health. We also need some leniency when it comes to deadlines. These executive orders are necessary steps to help Kansas families during this crisis.” #20-10 Kelly rescinded Executive Order #20-06 and replaced it with Executive Order #20-10, which temporarily…
TOPEKA, Kan. — Shelter-in-place orders are about to take effect for about a third of Kansas’ population to slow the spread of the coronavirus, and more could soon follow. Douglas County, where the college town of Lawrence is located, announced that an order will take effect Tuesday. The announcement came after a man in his 50s who had recently traveled on an international cruise ship tested positive, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the county to four. The order will match soon-to-take-effect orders that were issued in neighboring counties of the Kansas City area, including Johnson, Wyandotte and Leavenworth…
WICHITA, Kan. — The American Civil Liberties Union alleges in a lawsuit that a small community college in Kansas directed its coaches to to recruit more white athletes and targeted black prospective students with excessive scrutiny such as background checks before offering scholarships. The ACLU alleges in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday that Highland Community College instituted a plan six months ago to reduce the number of black students at its campus in northeast Kansas. It contends the college’s strategy included expelling black students for minor or bogus infractions and singling them out for dorm room and vehicle searches and…
Riley County commissioners extended the local disaster emergency declaration to the end of the year. The original declaration was issued on March 18 due to Gov. Laura Kelly’s state of emergency declaration. The declaration was in place for seven days, with the option to extend it. County Counselor Clancy Holeman made the suggestion based on the unknown factors related to the virus. Typically, the commission has extended these declarations by 30 days. In the event the commission cannot meet to extend it, this extension guarantees it stays in place. Holeman says the commission can end the declaration whenever they want…
A Manhattan activist organization is publicly demanding the resignation of the Riley County commission chairman over allegations of racism and misinformation. The group, Manhattan Alliance for Peace and Justice (MAPJ), has called Marvin Rodriguez’s comments at a special meeting of the Riley County commission on Wednesday, March 18 “derogatory,” “misinformed” and “racist” and are petitioning he step down via their social media presence. “A community leader in charge of ensuring the safety of local residents should not respond in such a misinformed and dangerously xenophobic fashion,” the MAPJ board wrote in an official statement to KMAN. MAPJ is a private…