As businesses locally begin down the road to normalcy as laid out by local and state plans, Manhattan’s mayor Tuesday raised the idea of requiring masks in public in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19 during the process. Though multiple commissioners expressed misgivings about how enforceable the law would be. Mayor Usha Reddi proposed looking at an ordinance in anticipation of greater numbers of people attending gatherings and patronizing businesses and restaurants as they re-open to the public. Specifics on exactly where masks would be required and for whom and where exceptions would be granted were not discussed.…
Author: KMAN Staff
The Riley County Health Department has reported that there are no new positive cases today, leaving the total at 55. Two more patients have recovered, bringing the total number of people who have recovered to 34 and and lowering the number of active cases to 21. 535 tests have come back negative and 33 test results are pending. There is one positive case and 3 Persons Under Investigation located at Ascension Via Christi Hospital. Pottawatomie County also reported no new positive cases today, keeping their total at 15. 11 of the 15 patients have recovered while the rest remain active.…
The retired Kansas farmer who made headlines in April for sending a letter and an N95 mask to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has received a degree from Kansas State University. Dennis Ruhnke of Troy, Kansas, was just two credits away from graduating with a degree in agriculture in 1971 before leaving school to care for his family and the family farm following his father’s death. He received the degree during a ceremony that included K-State President Richard Myers and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly. In his letter to Cuomo, Ruhnke said the mask was left over from when he used…
Reopening plans The Pottawatomie County Commission approved adding further restrictions to phase one of Gov. Laura Kelly’s reopening plan with a two to one vote during a meeting Monday. While Kelly’s plan doesn’t call for capacity restrictions in restaurants, it allows local governments to take extra steps, opening the door for the commission to restrict restaurants in Pottawatomie County to 50 percent seating capacity. Commissioner Greg Riat opposed the change, saying restaurant owners should be trusted to run their own businesses. Commissioner Pat Weixelman says the capacity limit will allow people to more easily maintain their distance from each other. He also…
Release from the Kansas Corporation Commission. This morning, the Kansas Corporation Commission approved extending its emergency order suspending utility disconnects for nonpayment until May 31. The action, taken during a Commission business meeting, will offer continued relief to those experiencing hardship from the COVID-19 virus. The directive covers all electrical, natural gas, water and telecommunications utilities under the KCC’s jurisdiction. The Commission’s original suspension order was issued on March 16 to expire on April 15. On April 14, Commissioners extended the order to May 15. Today’s order runs concurrently with Executive Order 20-28 issued last week by Governor Laura Kelly.…
WICHITA, Kan. — A friend of the suspect in the April shooting death of a Wichita woman told police his friend chased down the car the woman was in and “unloaded“ a semi-automatic rifle on it. The Wichita Eagle reports that the statement on the April 13 attack that killed 18-year-old Aubrey Resendez is detailed in court records. Prosecutors have charged 32-year-old Joshua Johnson with first-degree murder in the death. Police say a friend of Johnson’s told investigators that Johnson showed up at his home the day of the shooting holding an assault rifle and saying he had argued with…
MISSION, Kan. — The hospital in Lawrence is furloughing more than 220 employees because it is struggling financially after temporarily halting elective surgeries and treatments amid the coronaivurs outbreak. Lawrence Memorial Hospital said Monday in announcing the furloughs that it has experienced revenue declines of more than $1 million per week since the pandemic began, the Lawrence Journal-World reports. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas rose by 4.3% on Monday, up 215 to 5,245 total, though the actual number is thought to be higher because of limited testing and because people can be infected without showing symptoms. Reported COVID-19-related deaths increased…
PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. — Suburban Kansas City police responding to a welfare check found a 19-year-old man dead with a gunshot wound. Prairie Village police said in a news release that they found the teen at 6:18 a.m. on Tuesday lying on the ground. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The ongoing investigation is being conducted by local police as well as the Johnson County crime lab and medical examiner.
MISSION, Kan. — Kansas reported a 4% increase in new cases of the coronavirus Tuesday, with large numbers being reported in communities with meatpacking plants. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas rose by 213, up to 5,458 total, though the actual number is thought to be higher because of limited testing and because people can be infected without showing symptoms. Reported COVID-19-related deaths increased by one to 137. Four counties with meat packing plants Seward, Ford, Finney and Lyon have a combined 2,258 confirmed cases, 41% of the state’s total.
Manhattan City Manager Ron Fehr and Mayor Usha Reddi joined KMAN’s In Focus Tuesday to preview the May 5, 2020 city commission meeting.