WICHITA, Kan. — A civil rights group asked the Kansas Supreme Court to immediately release prisoners who have preexisting medical conditions that make them vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas filed on Thursday the class action petition on behalf of seven inmates housed at Lansing Correctional Facility, the Ellsworth Correctional Facility and the Topeka Correctional Facility. They are seeking an expedited hearing before the state’s highest court on the request by the named plaintiffs and other inmates in a similar situation. The Kansas Department of Corrections says it would comment later on the filing.
Author: KMAN Staff
MISSION, Kan. — A coronavirus faceoff over church services in Kansas just days before Easter weekend is pitting the state’s Republican Legislature against its Democratic governor, and they both generally agree people should stay home to worship. At issue is whether the state has the constitutional authority to order it. A panel of legislative leaders on Wednesday overturned Gov. Laura Kelly’s executive order banning religious and funeral services with more than 10 people amid COVID-19 outbreak. Kelly said Wednesday that the backlash was about politics, calling the vote “shockingly irresponsible.” Kelly said three religious gatherings had led to COVID-19 outbreaks.
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Police in suburban Kansas City are searching for a suspect after finding a man shot to death in Overland Park overnight. Police say officers were called around 9 p.m. Wednesday to an area near the Johnson County Central Resource Library for reports of a shooting. Arriving officers found a 30-year-old man dead in a parking lot near the library. Police identified the victim as Micah Babick of Prairie Village. No arrests have been announced. Police say a red vehicle linked to the shooting left the crime scene. It was driven by a man in his 20s…
Ascension Via Christi Dr. Matt Floersch joined KMAN in the 7 a.m. hour to provide our daily COVID-19 update.
Riley County EMS will be holding an audit for their employees who hold outside jobs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision was made to protect both EMS employees and the public, and affects both part time and full time employees. EMS positions are high risk during the pandemic since they are responding to these calls and getting up close with patients. They have the potential to spread the disease to both co-workers and members of the public if they work another job. EMS Director David Adams will audit those employers and see how well they are following guidelines…
Keep Teaching With in-person classes being cancelled for the rest of the school year, K-State has taken steps to make the transition to remote classes easier for higher-education professional. The Keep Teaching program allows university staff to share information and tools for implementing a successful online-teaching experience. While K-State has a Keep Teaching program for its own employees to use, Katie Linder, the K-State Global Campus executive director for program development, says there is another program available to professionals from several institutions. She says Keep Teaching began as an effort to promote continued education during times of disruption. To access…
Noon Thursday update The amount of positive cases of COVID-19 in Riley County has grown to 20 as health officials continue to urge the public to abide by the stay-at-home order. The latest patient is a 63-year-old man. No further details about his case have been released. Pottawatomie County and Geary County both remained at five as of noon Thursday. Five Riley County residents have since recovered. Statewide, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is reporting 1,106 cases in 57 counties with 42 deaths now attributed to the virus. Additional information from KDHE is below. • There have been…
As many K-12 students are going through their second week of remote classes, school administrators are getting help from local organizations in making sure students have internet access. USD 320 Wamego Superintendent Tim Winter says Wamego Telecommunications Company has helped in these efforts. Winter says another way they tackled this problem was by reaching out to the local community. Despite these measures, obstacles remain as some students live outside the service area of internet providers.
Thursday’s In Focus featured Fort Riley Command Sgt. Major Timothy Speichert, Fort Riley Garrison Command Sergeant Major and Lt. Col. Terry Kelley, 1st Infantry Division Director of Public Affairs discussing Fort Riley’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Manhattan Catholic Schools Principal Scott Hulshoff provided an update on the school’s ongoing continuous learning plan. Konza United Way Executive Director Tara Claussen provided information on the 211 confidential help line for resources and information about the Community Impact Fund and COVID-19 Fund.