Kansas has set records again for new coronavirus cases and COVID-19-related hospitalizations as some local officials report having trouble getting people to cooperate in finding others who’ve been exposed. Several counties are reporting having trouble tracing who has been exposed to the virus because other people won’t provide enough or even any information about their close contacts. The state health department added another 5,672 confirmed and probable coronavirus cases since Monday to the state’s tally for the pandemic, increasing it to 109,225. The state saw a record average of 2,430 new cases a day for the seven days ending Wednesday.
Author: KMAN Staff
U.S. Senator-Elect Roger Marshall announced several senior staff hires Wednesday as he prepares to take office in January. Brent Robertson will serve as Marshall’s Chief of Staff, a role Robertson has held with the Senator-elect since he was elected to the U.S. House in 2016. Katie Sawyer will serve as State Director for the Senator-elect. Sawyer has served as Marshall’s District Director for the First Congressional District since January 2017. Marshall’s office says additional key senior staff will be named at a later date.
Two readings instead of one The Manhattan City Commission discussed Tuesday the possibility of extending a temporary measure that allows ordinances to be passed after one reading instead of two. The measure was put in place earlier this year in response to the pandemic so that the city could make decisions quickly in emergency situations. Wynn Butler, city commissioner, says he is in favor of one reading, unless two readings are requested, so that routine decisions can be made quickly and discussions about what defines an emergency can be avoided. “A lot of these things are routine and there’s no sense having…
The Riley County health department has reported the county’s 13th COVID related death since the beginning of the pandemic. A 63 year-old Riley County resident died Wednesday morning after testing positive for coronavirus on Nov 2. He lived at Via Christi Village and passed away at Ascension Via Christi hospital. Riley County has 114 new positive cases and 20 additional recoveries since Monday’s report. There are currently 351 active coronavirus cases in the county. This adds to a total of 2,637 positive cases reported in the county since Mar. There has also been a total of 2,273 recoveries. Ascension Via…
Speed-limit discussion The Pottawatomie County Commission voted 2-1 on Monday to lower the speed limit from 55 miles-per-hour to 40 miles-per-hour on gravel roads. The vote was in response to concerns about safety and enforcement. Pat Weixelman, the only county commissioner who voted against the measure, says that while he is in favor of the change, he does not think posting speed-limit signs will make much of a difference. “People are going to drive what they want to drive,” Weixelman said. “You can put 30 miles-per-hour speed limits out there or you can run 60 miles-per-hour speed limits out there,…
On Tuesday’s edition of In Focus we spoke with Riley County Commissioner Marvin Rodriguez.
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — A 40-year-old man charged with killing his two sons is being held without bond after being returned to Kansas. A judge ordered Donald R. Jackson Jr. to remain in the Leavenworth County Jail without bond during Jackson’s first court appearance on Friday. Jackson is charged with capital murder in the deaths of his 12- and 14-year-old sons. Their bodies were found Oct. 24 at their home in Leavenworth. Authorities say Jackson fled with his two young daughters, who were with him when he was arrested in Oklahoma. He was returned to Kansas on Thursday.
ASHLAND, Kan. — Authorities are investigating the shooting death of a 13-year-old girl while she was at a friend’s house in southwest Kansas. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says the Clark County Sheriff’s Office was called to a home in Ashland Friday afternoon. Officers found the teenager suffering from a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at a hospital. The KBI says the girl was at a friend’s house with four other juveniles when the shooting occurred. No other information is being released.
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Lawrence police say a 29-year-old woman died after she was trapped under her car while it was being towed. Police spokesman Patrick Compton said the vehicle was being placed on the tow truck at the woman’s home Monday when it began to roll. Compton said the car was in neutral and it’s unclear why it rolled. The woman was behind it and became trapped underneath. She was pulled from underneath the car but lifesaving measures failed and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Compton said the death appeared to be a “tragic accident.”
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas has reported another record seven-day spike in coronavirus cases to push the state past 100,000 as officials wrestle with getting more residents to wear masks. The state health department on Monday added 5,920 new confirmed and probable cases to the state’s tally since Friday, bringing the total to 103,553 since the pandemic began. The state averaged 2,047 new cases a day for the seven days ending Monday. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s staff, legislative leaders and local officials have launched discussions about encouraging mask use before last week’s elections. There’s still resistance to mask mandates from many…