MISSION, Kan. (AP) – Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are making their tentative first steps toward easing visitor restrictions that were put in place to stem the spread of the coronavirus, as health officials finish the first round of vaccinations. Dr. Lee Norman, head of the state health department, told the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Thursday, that 83% of residents have received a first dose and 53% a second dose, with some turning down the vaccination at least for now. He said the most recent data shows 56% of staff had agreed to the vaccine.
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – Five people prosecutors have linked to a Kansas City metro chapter of the Proud Boys have been arrested on federal charges for their alleged roles in the Jan. 6 breach at the U.S. Capitol. A probable cause affidavit alleges they conspired to impede certification of the Electoral College vote. William Norman Chrestman and Christopher Charles Kuehn, both of Olathe, Kansas, and Louis Enrique Colon, of Blue Springs, Missouri, were charged with conspiracy, civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding, among other charges. Chrestman also separately faces an additional charge of threatening to assault a federal…
The initial results for the Riley County portion of the Regional Business Confidence Survey, which was conducted by the Flint Hills Regional Council in part as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, are now available. About 59 percent of the 39 Riley County businesses that responded saw a decrease in revenue while the remainder reported normal or increased revenue. According to Marissa Jones-Flaget, Flint Hills Regional Council recovery and resiliency planner and grant specialist, the remainder of the survey was a bit of a mixed bag. “81 percent felt that they had the resources to bring employees back (safely),” Flaget-Jones…
Five candidates have been announced as finalists for the principal at USD 383’s new Oliver Brown Elementary School. The district says the finalists include: * K-State professor Dr. Gilbert Davila * Current MTSS Coordinator Erin Lopez * USD 443 Dodge City instructional coach Diana Mendoza * Lee Elementary Assistant Principal Darin Stous * Former USD 335 North Jackson School Superintendent and principal Adrianne Walsh The district says it plans to announce the new principal soon. Oliver Brown Elementary opens in August.
Local businesses have had to comply with Local Health Order 19 since last fall and while many may be tired of restrictions, a lot of local establishments are adapting to the new way of conducting business. Within it, the health order mandates masks be worn in any public space in the county where social distancing can’t be maintained. The City of Manhattan also implemented its own mask mandate last year requiring compliance. It remains in effect until April 1. The health order also restricts gatherings of more than 50 people and requires all dine-in service at restaurants to cease at…
Fort Riley has already vaccinated thousands of those located on the base. Commanding General D.A. Sims says the fort has been fortunate enough to receive a number of vaccines from the Department of Defense. The fort has been following similar phases of the vaccination process as the State of Kansas. They started with their health care workers and first responders, then moved to their deployable personnel. Fort Riley has also been vaccinating those who are 75 and older who are military beneficiaries, such as retirees. However, Sims says they have not vaccinated many people in that group because most have…
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Two people were killed and an 8-year-old girl seriously injured in a head-on crash in north-central Kansas, the Kansas Highway Patrol said. The crash happened around 7 p.m. Wednesday on U.S. 81 north of Salina, investigators said. Officials said it was caused when a sport utility vehicle driven by 96-year-old Thomas Huiett of Salina was traveling the wrong way in the northbound lanes of the highway. His SUV hit another SUV, driven by Tasha Meitler, 30, of Delphos. Both Huiett and Meitler were pronounced dead at the scene. An 8-year-old girl in Meitler’s vehicle was taken…
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Kansas school districts are rushing to vaccinate their teachers in preparation for an eventual return to a full reopening of classrooms and before a more contagious strain of the coronavirus can spread throughout the state. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly told leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature on Wednesday that about 60% of the state’s school districts have started vaccinating their teachers and staff. She met with top lawmakers a day after the state Department of Education recommended that school districts allow middle and high school students resume full-time in-person instruction if precautions are taken. Several of the…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A House committee has advanced a bill to expand Kansas’ recognition of other states’ concealed carry permits. The bill is backed by Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who said in a hearing last month that the bill would help the state maintain reciprocity agreements with other states so that Kansans can carry concealed firearms elsewhere. The House Federal and State Affairs Committee on Wednesday voted 14-5 to advance the bill to the full House for a vote. Schmidt said that when Kansas lawmakers passed a law in 2015 allowing residents to carry concealed firearms without a…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Kansas are struggling to contain their impulses to slash state income taxes, conjuring memories of a past, nationally notorious GOP tax-cutting experiment as they try to enact some reductions over Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s objections. Some Republicans worried Wednesday that action on a tax bill by the GOP-controlled Senate actually moved them a step backward in their efforts to provide relief to individuals and businesses paying higher state taxes because of federal tax changes in 2017. Senators on Tuesday tripled the size of a GOP tax relief bill so that it would cost…