TOPEKA, Kan. — Coronavirus cases are increasing faster in Kansas’ four most populous counties than they are in the state as a whole and account for the majority of new cases reported since last week. The state Department of Health and Environment said Monday that Kansas has had 10,650 coronavirus cases since the pandemic arrived in early March. That’s up 257 or 2.5% since Friday. The number of COVID-19-related deaths rose by four to 236 total since early March. The number of cases is growing faster in both Johnson and Wyandotte counties in the Kansas City area, as well as…
Author: KMAN Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly says counties “shouldn’t feel pressure” to loosen restrictions if they aren’t seeing a decline in new coronavirus cases or new hospitalizations. Kelly made the comment Monday with cases increasing faster in the four most populous counties than the state as a whole. Kelly said she’s feeling hopeful because Kansas is making enough progress in containing the novel coronavirus for most of the state’s 105 counties to loosen restrictions further. Her office and the state health department are advising local officials that as of Monday they can allow mass gatherings of up to 45…
MULVANE, Kan. — Authorities in southern Kansas are trying to learn the identity of a person whose badly decomposed body was pulled from the Ninnescah River over the weekend. Sheriff’s deputies were called to an area in northeastern Sumner County, west of the Kansas Turnpike, on Sunday afternoon after someone fishing in the river spotted the body. Authorities say they are unable to speculate how the person died or whether the victim was a man or a woman because of the deteriorated condition of the remains. An autopsy has been scheduled at the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center in…
Riley County commissioners are looking to keep the 2021 budget as flat with 2020 as much as possible. Budget and Finance Officer Tami Robison presented a budget calendar, development worksheet, and the appropriation request history. The commission has voiced their want to keep the budget as flat as possible, even with personnel. The current appropriation requests for 2021 are currently flat with last year, with five agencies asking for increases. ATA Bus is the only agency asking for less since they received 30 thousand dollars in grants. The current value of a mill for Riley County is $669,563. This equates…
Riley County Commissioner John Ford and Riley County Clerk Rich Vargo were our guests on Tuesday morning’s program.
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Health officials are asking everyone who attended a Lawrence protest over the death of George Floyd to monitor for symptoms of the coronavirus after one of the participants tested positive. The Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health said in a news release Friday that the infected person didn’t wear a mask while attending Sunday’s protest, which attracted thousands of people to the downtown. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the person’s sample was taken on Thursday, and Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health epidemiology staff was notified of the positive test on Friday. The patient disclosed during the contact tracing and disease-investigation…
WICHITA, Kan. — Kansas education officials are preparing to reopen the state’s schools in the fall but acknowledged that the coronavirus pandemic will force widespread changes. Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson said in a news release Friday that the department is “prepared to do everything within our power to keep staff, students and families safe.“ Watson assembled a task force in May to develop comprehensive guidance for safely reopening school buildings. One team is working working on guidance about sanitation, social distancing, busing and food served, while another is focused on instruction. The Kansas State Board of Education…
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Wyandotte County’s top elected official has formed a task force to guide discussions between local law enforcement and the community following George Floyd’s death. Mayor and CEO David Alvey of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, announced Monday that he will serve as co-chairman of the new task force. Alvey said he wants to improve the dialogue between law enforcement and the community, particularly black and Hispanic residents. Alvey said the goal is to build trust between the community and law enforcement by identifying issues in policing. Floyd’s death May 25 in…
The following summary of calls for service/reports filed by the Riley County Police Department is a portion of those received by police. Some names, addresses, and case details are withheld to follow local, state, and federal law as well as in an attempt to protect community members from being victimized further. Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. MANHATTAN, KAN. – Officers filed a report for rape in Manhattan on June 6, 2020, at approximately 2:15 AM. Officers listed a 20-year-old female as the victim and an unknown male as the suspect. Due to the…
Dr. Sarah Kaufman from K-State’s College of Veterinary Medicine joined us to discuss pandemic puppies, all the pets that people adopted while they were at home in quarantine. She gave some guidance on vaccinations, social distancing, and other measures to care for those pets. Dr. Robert Smith, Fort Riley Museums Complex Director joined us to discuss the 103rd birthday of the First Infantry Division and the 76th anniversary of D-Day.