KANSAS CITY (AP) —A man has been charged in an April 2019 shooting death in Kansas City based on DNA and ballistics evidence.

Thirty-two-year-old Brandon Hill, of Independence, Mo., was charged Friday with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of 40-year-old Derrick White, whose body was found in a vehicle.

Prosecutors allege that DNA taken from the door handle of the vehicle was later matched to Hill, The Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article242947306.html">reports</a>.

When he was arrested in March in a separate incident he was in possession of a handgun that police believe was loaned to the victim weeks before his death. A bullet found in White’s body also was determined to have been fired by the same handgun, prosecutors said.

Hill remains in federal custody in a separate case, according to prosecutors. He was indicted in April 2019 on a charge of being a felon in possession of firearms, court records show.

Bond has been set at $250,000 in the Jackson County case. An attorney for Hill has not yet been listed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590321595756.png" alt="Hill- photo MODOC" />
 <figcaption>Hill- photo MODOC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —A man has been charged in an April 2019 shooting death in Kansas City based on DNA and ballistics evidence.Thirty-two-year-old Brandon Hill, of Independence, Mo., was charged Friday with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of 40-year-old Derrick White, whose body was found in a vehicle.Prosecutors allege that DNA taken from the door handle of the vehicle was later matched to Hill, The Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article242947306.html">reports</a>.When he was arrested in March in a separate incident he was in possession of a handgun that police believe was loaned to the victim weeks before his death. A bullet found in White’s body also was determined to have been fired by the same handgun, prosecutors said.Hill remains in federal custody in a separate case, according to prosecutors. He was indicted in April 2019 on a charge of being a felon in possession of firearms, court records show.Bond has been set at $250,000 in the Jackson County case. An attorney for Hill has not yet been listed.

DNA, ballistics link man to April 2019 Kansas City killing

KANSAS CITY– A Nogales, Arizona, man pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to his role in a conspiracy to transport large amounts of fentanyl through Kansas City en route to New York City aboard passenger busses, according to the United State's Attorney's office.

Alejandro Rocha, also known as Alejandro Teran, 21, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to participating in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

By pleading guilty, Rocha admitted that, on two separate occasions, he attempted to transport more than three kilograms of fentanyl through Kansas City en route to New York City.

Rocha admitted that he gave more than three kilograms of fentanyl to his girlfriend, Esmeralda Castro, 21, of Perris, California, to carry aboard a bus to New York City. Three fentanyl bricks were placed in a false compartment inside a rolling bag. Castro, who has also pleaded guilty, was arrested at a Kansas City bus station on May 8, 2017, after a police service canine alerted to the bag.

Rocha also admitted that he gave another person 3.6 kilograms of fentanyl to carry aboard a bus from Denver, Colorado, to New York City. However, the bag became separated from the courier at some point on the bus trip. The bag arrived unaccompanied at a Kansas City bus station, where it was intercepted by police.&nbsp;

Under federal statutes, Rocha is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of up to 40 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590263513905.png" alt="Rocha" />
 <figcaption>Rocha</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY– A Nogales, Arizona, man pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to his role in a conspiracy to transport large amounts of fentanyl through Kansas City en route to New York City aboard passenger busses, according to the United State's Attorney's office.Alejandro Rocha, also known as Alejandro Teran, 21, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to participating in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.By pleading guilty, Rocha admitted that, on two separate occasions, he attempted to transport more than three kilograms of fentanyl through Kansas City en route to New York City.Rocha admitted that he gave more than three kilograms of fentanyl to his girlfriend, Esmeralda Castro, 21, of Perris, California, to carry aboard a bus to New York City. Three fentanyl bricks were placed in a false compartment inside a rolling bag. Castro, who has also pleaded guilty, was arrested at a Kansas City bus station on May 8, 2017, after a police service canine alerted to the bag.Rocha also admitted that he gave another person 3.6 kilograms of fentanyl to carry aboard a bus from Denver, Colorado, to New York City. However, the bag became separated from the courier at some point on the bus trip. The bag arrived unaccompanied at a Kansas City bus station, where it was intercepted by police.&nbsp;Under federal statutes, Rocha is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of up to 40 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

Man pleads guilty to transporting fentanyl through KC to New York

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City's smaller colleges and universities say their size could benefit them amid the coronavirus pandemic, unlike many other schools that have been forced to make cuts.

Several Missouri and Kansas colleges believe they could be an attractive option this fall for students who want to continue their education but need to save money or want to avoid overcrowded classrooms.

Donnelly College in Kansas City, for example, isn't worried about having 25 or 30 students in the classroom because classes are already smaller than that, according to Monsignor Stuart Swetland.

“We have small class sizes because pedagogically it's best for our students, but we may even make them smaller if necessary next year,” he said, noting that there will probably be a mix of in-person instruction and remote classes to accommodate professors who may be high-risk for COVID-19.

College officials and administrators, however, expect students are likely reluctant to pay for in-person instruction, uncertain if the pandemic and stay-at-home orders will disrupt the fall semester as well. They also worry the pandemic may have put college out of reach for low-income students.

To hep students struggling financially, schools such as the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences have frozen tuition.

“What we’re facing is potentially a threat to our talent pool as a nation. When these students can’t go to college for financial reasons, they very often don’t ever go to college,” said Elizabeth MacLeod Walls, President at William Jewell College, where students will be able to request a single room, at no additional charge, if they aren't comfortable sharing a dorm.

Metropolitan Community Colleges Chancellor Kimberly Beatty expects many students trying to save money are likely to enroll at one of her system's five campuses. Both Missouri and Kansas community colleges offer a core curriculum that can transfer to four-year universities.

"A lot of the conversations have focused on whether students are going to return to the four-year schools. I think that may be an opportunity (for community colleges)," Beatty said. “We are a local, affordable option for students who still have general education courses to take.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590321253473.png" alt="Photo courtesy Donnelly College" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Donnelly College</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City's smaller colleges and universities say their size could benefit them amid the coronavirus pandemic, unlike many other schools that have been forced to make cuts.Several Missouri and Kansas colleges believe they could be an attractive option this fall for students who want to continue their education but need to save money or want to avoid overcrowded classrooms.Donnelly College in Kansas City, for example, isn't worried about having 25 or 30 students in the classroom because classes are already smaller than that, according to Monsignor Stuart Swetland.“We have small class sizes because pedagogically it's best for our students, but we may even make them smaller if necessary next year,” he said, noting that there will probably be a mix of in-person instruction and remote classes to accommodate professors who may be high-risk for COVID-19.College officials and administrators, however, expect students are likely reluctant to pay for in-person instruction, uncertain if the pandemic and stay-at-home orders will disrupt the fall semester as well. They also worry the pandemic may have put college out of reach for low-income students.To hep students struggling financially, schools such as the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences have frozen tuition.“What we’re facing is potentially a threat to our talent pool as a nation. When these students can’t go to college for financial reasons, they very often don’t ever go to college,” said Elizabeth MacLeod Walls, President at William Jewell College, where students will be able to request a single room, at no additional charge, if they aren't comfortable sharing a dorm.Metropolitan Community Colleges Chancellor Kimberly Beatty expects many students trying to save money are likely to enroll at one of her system's five campuses. Both Missouri and Kansas community colleges offer a core curriculum that can transfer to four-year universities."A lot of the conversations have focused on whether students are going to return to the four-year schools. I think that may be an opportunity (for community colleges)," Beatty said. “We are a local, affordable option for students who still have general education courses to take.”

Kansas City's smaller colleges could benefit amid pandemic

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A man was hospitalized after being shot by two Kansas City, Kansas, police officers early Monday, police said.

The officers suffered minor injuries, police spokeswoman Nancy Chartrand said.

The officers were patrolling near an apartment complex when a combative, armed man approached them, she said. The officers shot the man during the confrontation but further details were not released.

The suspect, who has not been identified, was taken to an area hospital for treatment. His condition was not released.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A man was hospitalized after being shot by two Kansas City, Kansas, police officers early Monday, police said.The officers suffered minor injuries, police spokeswoman Nancy Chartrand said.The officers were patrolling near an apartment complex when a combative, armed man approached them, she said. The officers shot the man during the confrontation but further details were not released.The suspect, who has not been identified, was taken to an area hospital for treatment. His condition was not released.

Man wounded in shooting by 2 Kansas officers

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 679 since Friday to a total of 9218, the state health department reported Monday afternoon.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE.

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 679 since Friday to a total of 9218, the state health department reported Monday afternoon.&nbsp;Coronavirus deaths were reported at 188<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590429367020.png" alt="May 25, 2020 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>May 25, 2020 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after an arrest.

Just before 4:30 p.m. Friday, police&nbsp;responded to the 2000 block of SW Gage in Topeka on a report of a possible aggravated battery, according to Lt. Jerry Monasmith.

 On arrival, officers located a victim at a nearby location suffering from what appeared to be a non-life threatening injury. The victim was transported by ambulance to a local hospital for medical treatment.

The active investigation resulted in the arrest of Charles Steele, 29, for Aggravated Battery. 

Steele has previous convictions that include battery of law enforcement officer, criminal threat, burglary, theft, criminal discharge of a firearm and intent remove/disable electronic monitor equipment, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590411313590.png" alt="Steele photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Steele photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after an arrest.Just before 4:30 p.m. Friday, police&nbsp;responded to the 2000 block of SW Gage in Topeka on a report of a possible aggravated battery, according to Lt. Jerry Monasmith. On arrival, officers located a victim at a nearby location suffering from what appeared to be a non-life threatening injury. The victim was transported by ambulance to a local hospital for medical treatment.The active investigation resulted in the arrest of Charles Steele, 29, for Aggravated Battery. Steele has previous convictions that include battery of law enforcement officer, criminal threat, burglary, theft, criminal discharge of a firearm and intent remove/disable electronic monitor equipment, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Kan. felon with history of violence jailed for alleged attack

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — State-owned Kansas casinos plan to check customers’ temperatures as they begin reopening after closing for weeks over concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.

Boot Hill Casino in Dodge City and Pittsburg’s Kansas Crossing Casino opened Friday, and the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane opened Saturday.

Those casinos will take customers’ temperatures and quiz them on recent medical history. Kansas Crossing Casino is banning anyone with a temperature of 99 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Powhattan’s Sac and Fox Casino, reopening June 1, is banning anyone with a temperature above 100 degrees.

Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway reopened slot machines Monday and will take customers’ temperatures with a forehead scanning thermometer.

The number of coronavirus cases in the state rose by 419 cases to 8,958 on Friday, the last day the data was released. State health officials also reported 185 deaths.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590418712800.png" alt="Image courtesy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/HollywoodCKS/?eid=ARArsPibyNc_5kGlkwGIyNsr_tuj0zLYsGjefWuXsDatT2csKBt9flDtp162S4tMhxMP72xPGmTMfErs">Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedwa</a>y" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/HollywoodCKS/?eid=ARArsPibyNc_5kGlkwGIyNsr_tuj0zLYsGjefWuXsDatT2csKBt9flDtp162S4tMhxMP72xPGmTMfErs">Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedwa</a>y</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — State-owned Kansas casinos plan to check customers’ temperatures as they begin reopening after closing for weeks over concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.Boot Hill Casino in Dodge City and Pittsburg’s Kansas Crossing Casino opened Friday, and the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane opened Saturday.Those casinos will take customers’ temperatures and quiz them on recent medical history. Kansas Crossing Casino is banning anyone with a temperature of 99 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Powhattan’s Sac and Fox Casino, reopening June 1, is banning anyone with a temperature above 100 degrees.Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway reopened slot machines Monday and will take customers’ temperatures with a forehead scanning thermometer.The number of coronavirus cases in the state rose by 419 cases to 8,958 on Friday, the last day the data was released. State health officials also reported 185 deaths.For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.

Kansas casinos begin reopening, check temperatures

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Health investigator Mackenzie Bray smiles and chuckles as she chats by phone with a retired Utah man who just tested positive for the coronavirus.

She’s trying to keep the mood light because she needs to find out where he’s been and who he’s been around for the past seven days. She gently peppers him with questions, including where he and his wife stopped to buy flowers on a visit to a cemetery. She encourages him to go through his bank statement to see if it reminds him of any store visits he made.

Midway through the conversation, a possible break: His wife lets slip that they had family over for Mother’s Day, including a grandchild who couldn’t stop slobbering.

“Was there like a shared food platter or something like that?” Bray asks. “There was, OK, yep ... sharing food or sharing drinks, even just being on the same table, it can spread that way.’”

Suddenly, with a shared punch bowl, the web has widened, and Bray has dozens more people to track down.

She is among an army of health professionals around the world filling one of the most important roles in the effort to guard against a resurgence of the coronavirus. The practice of so-called contact tracing requires a hybrid job of interrogator, therapist and nurse as they try coax nervous people to be honest.

The goal: To create a road map of everywhere infected people have been and who they’ve been around.

While other countries have devised national approaches, a patchwork of efforts has emerged in the U.S. where states are left to create their own program.

Bray normally does this type of work to track contacts for people with sexually transmitted diseases. She is now one of 130 people at the Salt Lake County health department assigned to track coronavirus cases in the Salt Lake City area. The investigators, many of them nurses, each juggle 30 to 40 cases, and try to reach everyone the original person was within 6 feet&nbsp; of for 10 minutes or more. They stay in touch with some people throughout the 14-day incubation period, and calls can take 30 minutes or more as they meticulously go through a list of questions.

Some estimate as many as 300,000 contact tracers would be needed in the U.S. to adequately curtail the spread. While some states like Utah have reported having enough contact tracers, others are hundreds or even thousands of people short.

The contact tracers often find themselves in a tangled web of half-truths and facts that don’t match up. Language and cultural barriers arise that require interpreters and taxing conversations that leave the investigators wondering if the person understands what they’re trying to do.

They land on occasion into complicated family dynamics where people are reluctant to tell the truth.

Health investigator Maria DiCaro found out days into a case that a father was sleeping in his car because he and his wife were separating. The man had stopped returning DiCaro’s calls, and that key information came from his child.

“I get people that lie all time,” DiCaro said. “I try to get as much information from the beginning but it’s just not always the case. And time is one of those things you can’t take back when you are trying to prevent and you know do these contact tracing investigations.”

Each call is an exercise in good cop, bad cop. She needs people to cooperate, but no one is legally required to answer the questions. Usually kindness works better than strong words.

Some people lie because they’re scared, or they forget an outing. Construction workers, housekeepers and others without paid sick time may gloss over symptoms so they can get back to work. Some immigrants without documentation brush off testing because they fear it could lead to deportation.

“People sometimes think contact tracing is black and white but there is a lot of gray that goes into it,” said Bray, who often thinks about her parents and 97-year-old grandmother as she works to help stop the spread of the virus. “Our worst fear is that we push too hard and we lose someone. It’s not just their health on the line, it’s the people around them.”

No matter the tension, Bray and DiCaro give frequent reminders of why it all matters: “Thank you for what you’re doing. You’re helping the community,” DiCaro says during one call.

She knows that on the other end of the line, the first call from a tracer can be jarring. Sometimes, DiCaro and Bray have to break the news that someone was exposed or tested positive.

“It’s normal to talk to like your doctor, but you don’t ever expect the health department to call you and be like, ‘You were exposed to a serious disease,’” said Anissa Archuleta.

The 23-year-old got a call from DiCaro after she, her sister and her mother took a rare break from hunkering down to help organize a drive-by birthday party for a young cousin. They dropped off a present, then caved and accepted an impromptu invitation to go inside to grab some food.

What they didn’t know: the father of the birthday boy had the coronavirus, and unknowingly exposed more than a dozen people at the gathering.

After that first call, DiCaro checked in every day for two weeks. The fear slowly faded after their tests came back negative and they began building a rapport with DiCaro. She asked about their symptoms and how they were feeling each day and learned about how Archuleta’s mother lost her voice to fibromyalgia. Archuleta would pass along messages her mother whispered in her ear.

And after a while, Archuleta began asking DiCaro about her life and how she was holding up.

About a week in to their calls, on the daily check-in, Archuleta thanked DiCaro for caring about them and checking in every day. Tears welled up in DiCaro’s eyes.

“Ah thanks,” she said as she grabbed a Kleenex to wipe her eyes.

After she hung up, she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a few seconds.

“When you do this like 10-12 hours a day ... It’s nice to get those positive reactions from people that are very grateful who do see the purpose of what we are doing,” said DiCaro. “It’s nice to be appreciated.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1588193586788.png" alt="Kansas Department of Health Secretary Dr. Lee Norman discussed the importance of contact tracers during the governor's press conference last week." />
 <figcaption>Kansas Department of Health Secretary Dr. Lee Norman discussed the importance of contact tracers during the governor's press conference last week.</figcaption>
 </figure>SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Health investigator Mackenzie Bray smiles and chuckles as she chats by phone with a retired Utah man who just tested positive for the coronavirus.She’s trying to keep the mood light because she needs to find out where he’s been and who he’s been around for the past seven days. She gently peppers him with questions, including where he and his wife stopped to buy flowers on a visit to a cemetery. She encourages him to go through his bank statement to see if it reminds him of any store visits he made.Midway through the conversation, a possible break: His wife lets slip that they had family over for Mother’s Day, including a grandchild who couldn’t stop slobbering.“Was there like a shared food platter or something like that?” Bray asks. “There was, OK, yep ... sharing food or sharing drinks, even just being on the same table, it can spread that way.’”Suddenly, with a shared punch bowl, the web has widened, and Bray has dozens more people to track down.She is among an army of health professionals around the world filling one of the most important roles in the effort to guard against a resurgence of the coronavirus. The practice of so-called contact tracing requires a hybrid job of interrogator, therapist and nurse as they try coax nervous people to be honest.The goal: To create a road map of everywhere infected people have been and who they’ve been around.While other countries have devised national approaches, a patchwork of efforts has emerged in the U.S. where states are left to create their own program.Bray normally does this type of work to track contacts for people with sexually transmitted diseases. She is now one of 130 people at the Salt Lake County health department assigned to track coronavirus cases in the Salt Lake City area. The investigators, many of them nurses, each juggle 30 to 40 cases, and try to reach everyone the original person was within 6 feet&nbsp; of for 10 minutes or more. They stay in touch with some people throughout the 14-day incubation period, and calls can take 30 minutes or more as they meticulously go through a list of questions.Some estimate as many as 300,000 contact tracers would be needed in the U.S. to adequately curtail the spread. While some states like Utah have reported having enough contact tracers, others are hundreds or even thousands of people short.The contact tracers often find themselves in a tangled web of half-truths and facts that don’t match up. Language and cultural barriers arise that require interpreters and taxing conversations that leave the investigators wondering if the person understands what they’re trying to do.They land on occasion into complicated family dynamics where people are reluctant to tell the truth.Health investigator Maria DiCaro found out days into a case that a father was sleeping in his car because he and his wife were separating. The man had stopped returning DiCaro’s calls, and that key information came from his child.“I get people that lie all time,” DiCaro said. “I try to get as much information from the beginning but it’s just not always the case. And time is one of those things you can’t take back when you are trying to prevent and you know do these contact tracing investigations.”Each call is an exercise in good cop, bad cop. She needs people to cooperate, but no one is legally required to answer the questions. Usually kindness works better than strong words.Some people lie because they’re scared, or they forget an outing. Construction workers, housekeepers and others without paid sick time may gloss over symptoms so they can get back to work. Some immigrants without documentation brush off testing because they fear it could lead to deportation.“People sometimes think contact tracing is black and white but there is a lot of gray that goes into it,” said Bray, who often thinks about her parents and 97-year-old grandmother as she works to help stop the spread of the virus. “Our worst fear is that we push too hard and we lose someone. It’s not just their health on the line, it’s the people around them.”No matter the tension, Bray and DiCaro give frequent reminders of why it all matters: “Thank you for what you’re doing. You’re helping the community,” DiCaro says during one call.She knows that on the other end of the line, the first call from a tracer can be jarring. Sometimes, DiCaro and Bray have to break the news that someone was exposed or tested positive.“It’s normal to talk to like your doctor, but you don’t ever expect the health department to call you and be like, ‘You were exposed to a serious disease,’” said Anissa Archuleta.The 23-year-old got a call from DiCaro after she, her sister and her mother took a rare break from hunkering down to help organize a drive-by birthday party for a young cousin. They dropped off a present, then caved and accepted an impromptu invitation to go inside to grab some food.What they didn’t know: the father of the birthday boy had the coronavirus, and unknowingly exposed more than a dozen people at the gathering.After that first call, DiCaro checked in every day for two weeks. The fear slowly faded after their tests came back negative and they began building a rapport with DiCaro. She asked about their symptoms and how they were feeling each day and learned about how Archuleta’s mother lost her voice to fibromyalgia. Archuleta would pass along messages her mother whispered in her ear.And after a while, Archuleta began asking DiCaro about her life and how she was holding up.About a week in to their calls, on the daily check-in, Archuleta thanked DiCaro for caring about them and checking in every day. Tears welled up in DiCaro’s eyes.“Ah thanks,” she said as she grabbed a Kleenex to wipe her eyes.After she hung up, she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a few seconds.“When you do this like 10-12 hours a day ... It’s nice to get those positive reactions from people that are very grateful who do see the purpose of what we are doing,” said DiCaro. “It’s nice to be appreciated.”

Detective, nurse, confidant: Virus tracers play many roles

NEW CAMBRIA, Mo. (AP) — Police in northern Missouri have arrested a New Cambria man accused of stealing a dozen beehives over four counties.

Ricky Elam was arrested Wednesday following the execution of a search warrant near his home that turned up the stolen beehives. Authorities in Macon, Linn, Schuyler and Randolph counties said they had fielded numerous reports of stolen hives over the last year.

The search warrant was issued after a beekeeper in Macon County installed a GPS tracker in one of his hives after experiencing a theft, authorities said. On Wednesday, that hive was stolen and traced to Elam’s property, according to deputies.

Elam was charged Thursday with one count of felony stealing, two counts of felony receiving stolen property and four counts of misdemeanor receiving stolen property. He was being held in the Macon County Jail on $15,000 cash-only bond.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590182637388.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Elam photo Macon Co.NEW CAMBRIA, Mo. (AP) — Police in northern Missouri have arrested a New Cambria man accused of stealing a dozen beehives over four counties.Ricky Elam was arrested Wednesday following the execution of a search warrant near his home that turned up the stolen beehives. Authorities in Macon, Linn, Schuyler and Randolph counties said they had fielded numerous reports of stolen hives over the last year.The search warrant was issued after a beekeeper in Macon County installed a GPS tracker in one of his hives after experiencing a theft, authorities said. On Wednesday, that hive was stolen and traced to Elam’s property, according to deputies.Elam was charged Thursday with one count of felony stealing, two counts of felony receiving stolen property and four counts of misdemeanor receiving stolen property. He was being held in the Macon County Jail on $15,000 cash-only bond.

Man arrested, accused of stealing beehives

SHAWNEE COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspects after a Friday standoff in Topeka.

Just after 2 a.m. Friday, sheriff's deputies responded to a disturbance in the 3100 block of NW Rochester Road, according to Shawnee County Deputy Shayna Anderson.

Following an argument, a suspect shot several rounds towards the house while driving away in a vehicle. No one was injured. The suspect vehicle was later found in the Oakland neighborhood of Topeka but the suspect&nbsp;later identified as 24-year-old Trey G. Martinez of Topeka fled.

At 7:45a.m., deputies attempted to arrest Martinez at a residence in the 700 block of NE Sumner Street in Topeka. The SWAT team and crisis negotiators were called to the scene. They were able to talk four other individuals out of the house but Martinez remained inside. Shortly after noon he was placed into custody and transported to the Law Enforcement Center for questioning. Authorities have not released the charges against him.

Two of the other individuals inside the house were placed into custody following this incident. Anthony A. Weems, 22, and Michael L. Frederick, 22, both of Topeka were arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections for felony interference with law enforcement. Frederick also had misdemeanor warrants.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590249094319.png" alt="Martinez -photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Martinez -photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspects after a Friday standoff in Topeka.Just after 2 a.m. Friday, sheriff's deputies responded to a disturbance in the 3100 block of NW Rochester Road, according to Shawnee County Deputy Shayna Anderson.Following an argument, a suspect shot several rounds towards the house while driving away in a vehicle. No one was injured. The suspect vehicle was later found in the Oakland neighborhood of Topeka but the suspect&nbsp;later identified as 24-year-old Trey G. Martinez of Topeka fled.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590249348325.png" alt="Frederick -photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Frederick -photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>At 7:45a.m., deputies attempted to arrest Martinez at a residence in the 700 block of NE Sumner Street in Topeka. The SWAT team and crisis negotiators were called to the scene. They were able to talk four other individuals out of the house but Martinez remained inside. Shortly after noon he was placed into custody and transported to the Law Enforcement Center for questioning. Authorities have not released the charges against him.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590249195303.png" alt="Weems- Photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Weems- Photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Two of the other individuals inside the house were placed into custody following this incident. Anthony A. Weems, 22, and Michael L. Frederick, 22, both of Topeka were arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections for felony interference with law enforcement. Frederick also had misdemeanor warrants.

Kansas man fired gun toward house after argument

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A man is hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after a Kansas City, Kansas triple shooting. Police say they responded to the reported shooting Sunday. 

They found evidence at the scene and later located three men apparently hospitalized in connection to the shooting. One man is being treated for life-threatening injuries. Two other men suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

 Police have not yet identified the victims or released any additional information.&nbsp;

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A man is hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after a Kansas City, Kansas triple shooting. Police say they responded to the reported shooting Sunday. They found evidence at the scene and later located three men apparently hospitalized in connection to the shooting. One man is being treated for life-threatening injuries. Two other men suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Police have not yet identified the victims or released any additional information.&nbsp;

Man hospitalized after Kansas triple shooting

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Police say a driver ran a red light, hit a Kansas police SUV and then flipped it on its top Sunday morning.

The driver T-boned a Topeka police vehicle, rolling the SUV upside down, according to police.

The officer who was hit and a passenger from the other car were taken to the hospital for minor injuries.

Police have not yet released the names of the driver or the police officer involved.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590349614759.png" alt="Sunday crash scene photo courtesy <a href="https://www.wibw.com/content/bios/505880751.html">Alyssa Willetts</a>&nbsp;WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Sunday crash scene photo courtesy <a href="https://www.wibw.com/content/bios/505880751.html">Alyssa Willetts</a>&nbsp;WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Police say a driver ran a red light, hit a Kansas police SUV and then flipped it on its top Sunday morning.The driver T-boned a Topeka police vehicle, rolling the SUV upside down, according to police.The officer who was hit and a passenger from the other car were taken to the hospital for minor injuries.Police have not yet released the names of the driver or the police officer involved.

Driver runs red light, flips Kansas police SUV

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A worker at a Frito-Lay plant in Topeka has tested positive for the coronavirus as more Kansas businesses reopened in advance of Memorial Day.

The company said in a statement Friday that it has taken steps to identify and notify employees who had direct contact with the infected worker and asked them to quarantine themselves. Frito-Lay’s Topeka facility employs about 1,000 people, The Topeka Capital-Journal&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cjonline.com/news/20200522/staff-members-at-brewster-place-frito-lay-test-positive-for-coronavirus" target="_blank">reported</a>.

“The employee did not come in contact with product and there is no food safety risk,” the company added. “As a precautionary measure, we have conducted a deep cleaning of the contacted areas and equipment based on CDC guidelines and using EPA-approved registered products for COVID-19.”

According to the company, it has also implemented symptom screenings and temperature checks and provided personal protective equipment for employees at the Topeka facility.

Museums, along with theaters, bowling alleys and other indoor leisure places, were included in the state’s latest reopening phase, which took effect Friday.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A worker at a Frito-Lay plant in Topeka has tested positive for the coronavirus as more Kansas businesses reopened in advance of Memorial Day.The company said in a statement Friday that it has taken steps to identify and notify employees who had direct contact with the infected worker and asked them to quarantine themselves. Frito-Lay’s Topeka facility employs about 1,000 people, The Topeka Capital-Journal&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cjonline.com/news/20200522/staff-members-at-brewster-place-frito-lay-test-positive-for-coronavirus" target="_blank">reported</a>.“The employee did not come in contact with product and there is no food safety risk,” the company added. “As a precautionary measure, we have conducted a deep cleaning of the contacted areas and equipment based on CDC guidelines and using EPA-approved registered products for COVID-19.”According to the company, it has also implemented symptom screenings and temperature checks and provided personal protective equipment for employees at the Topeka facility.Museums, along with theaters, bowling alleys and other indoor leisure places, were included in the state’s latest reopening phase, which took effect Friday.

Frito-Lay worker at Kan. plant tests positive for COVID-19

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a homicide and have two suspects in custody.

Just after p.m. 5p.m. Thursday, police responded to a shooting call at an apartment complex near N. West Street and W. 13th&nbsp;Street in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.

Upon arrival, officers located 21-year-old Earnest Jefferson with multiple gunshot wounds.&nbsp; Jefferson was pronounced dead on the scene.&nbsp;

Police also located&nbsp; 19-year-old man in the parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds.&nbsp; He was transported to an area hospital for medical treatment and remained in critical condition Friday.

At approximately 5:40 p.m., 18-year-old Preston Reynolds arrived at a local hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg.&nbsp;&nbsp; Reynolds was treated and released from the hospital and booked into jail, according to Davidson.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The investigation revealed that 20-year-old Missy Barber and Reynolds drove to the apartment complex to conduct a drug transaction with Jefferson and the 19-year-old victim.&nbsp; 

While they were in a vehicle in the parking lot, a disturbance occurred, and shots were fired, injuring Jefferson, the 19-year-old and Reynolds.&nbsp; Reynolds and Barber left the scene in the vehicle.

Investigators were able to learn of Barber’s involvement in the incident. She was located at an apartment complex in the 1700 block of South Glenn and arrested without incident.

Barber and Reynolds are being held on requested charges&nbsp; of 1st-degree murder and aggravated battery, according to Davidson.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590164086715.png" alt="Reynolds photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Reynolds photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a homicide and have two suspects in custody.Just after p.m. 5p.m. Thursday, police responded to a shooting call at an apartment complex near N. West Street and W. 13th&nbsp;Street in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.Upon arrival, officers located 21-year-old Earnest Jefferson with multiple gunshot wounds.&nbsp; Jefferson was pronounced dead on the scene.&nbsp;Police also located&nbsp; 19-year-old man in the parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds.&nbsp; He was transported to an area hospital for medical treatment and remained in critical condition Friday.At approximately 5:40 p.m., 18-year-old Preston Reynolds arrived at a local hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg.&nbsp;&nbsp; Reynolds was treated and released from the hospital and booked into jail, according to Davidson.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590164510351.png" alt="Barber" />
 <figcaption>Barber</figcaption>
 </figure>The investigation revealed that 20-year-old Missy Barber and Reynolds drove to the apartment complex to conduct a drug transaction with Jefferson and the 19-year-old victim.&nbsp; While they were in a vehicle in the parking lot, a disturbance occurred, and shots were fired, injuring Jefferson, the 19-year-old and Reynolds.&nbsp; Reynolds and Barber left the scene in the vehicle.Investigators were able to learn of Barber’s involvement in the incident. She was located at an apartment complex in the 1700 block of South Glenn and arrested without incident.Barber and Reynolds are being held on requested charges&nbsp; of 1st-degree murder and aggravated battery, according to Davidson.

Kansas man taken from hospital to jail for fatal shooting

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump’s declaration that religious services should be “essential” comes at a precarious point in the national balancing act that pits the call of worship against the risk of coronavirus.

Even before Trump’s comments Friday, which came alongside the release of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/faith-based.html" target="_blank">guidance</a>&nbsp;for reopening faith organizations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Christian leaders in several states made plans to welcome back congregants on the week of Pentecost, May 31.

The new CDC guidance could energize houses of worship that might want to reopen their doors, despite evidence of ongoing risk of the virus spreading through communal gatherings. While it suggests steps such as asking congregants to cover their faces and limiting the sharing of worship aids, the CDC document says it is “not meant to regulate or prescribe standards for interactions of faith communities.”

The guidance released Friday is similar to draft guidance drawn up by the CDC more than a month ago but shelved by administration officials. One difference: The earlier version discussed opening in stages, such as video streaming and drive-in services, with later phases allowing in-person gatherings limited in size and with social distancing. The guidance released Friday has no discussion of a phased-in opening.

Tension over when and how to reopen houses of worship has varied depending on the state, as different areas set their own pace for easing pandemic stay-at-home orders. Trump called for the resumption of in-person religious services repeatedly this week and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/8a34b6599602dbd751f2c1fcb93387fe">said Friday that</a>&nbsp;he would “override” governors that did not do so, though it’s unclear whether Trump has any authority to supersede state leaders on the issue.

Still, the president’s comments come less than six months ahead of a reelection bid in which turnout from his conservative evangelical Christian base could prove critical. Trump suggested on Thursday that friction over the issue was more common in states run by Democrats because “churches are not being treated with respect” by many their governors.

One of those Democrats, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, was warned this week by Trump’s Justice Department that the state’s phased-in plan to restart economic activity puts an “unfair burden” on worship by not permitting churches to open earlier in the process. More than 1,200 California pastors are planning to restart worship on May 31 despite Newsom’s stay-at-home orders, which he has said would likely allow for religious gatherings within weeks.

Among the California pastors leading the call for resuming in-person gathering is Danny Carroll of Water of Life Community Church in Fontana. State officials “don’t understand that people of faith need contact, that they need to worship together,” Carroll said in an interview. “We’re trying to close the gap – thoughtfully, humbly, nicely.”

Carroll described his effort as disconnected from politics: “We don’t deal with how people vote. We deal with how people live.”

But another pastor involved, Ron Hill of Love and Unity Christian Fellowship, said that he finds “some merit” in Republicans’ claims that blue states have a less keen understanding of religion’s importance in public life.

“I really find it difficult to understand why they’re placing a different rule on the church than on the supermarket, café or restaurant,” said Hill, who added that he had not yet decided whether May 31 would mark the reopening of his church in Compton, Calif.

Pastors in other states, however, have already begun outlining plans to welcome back worshippers in person before the month’s end. Florida’s Rodney Howard-Browne –&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6a6ffcc32101dd3eee86937202a1c7f2">arrested</a>&nbsp;in March for holding a large in-person service at his church, charges that were later dropped – is preparing to reopen with an outdoor service on Pentecost. Catholic and Lutheran churches in Minnesota have notified that state’s Democratic governor that they plan to resume Mass this week, in defiance of his order.

An evangelical pastor who’s been a key Trump backer, Jack Graham, plans to reopen his Texas megachurch on Pentecost weekend. Attendees of those services will be required to make reservations, but masks will not be mandated, according to the church’s website.

Graham told the Faithwire website this week that Pentecost, considered holy by Christians as the birthday of the church, was a fitting moment for “a kind of rebirth of the church” this year.

The momentum toward restarting in-person worship comes amid new reports of church gatherings spreading COVID-19. A CDC report released this week traced the spread of the virus to 35 out of 92 attendees at two March church events in Arkansas that were attended by two symptomatic people.

“Reopening faith communities, let alone reopening any other faith institutions, is unsafe” given the ongoing threat of spreading illness, said Maggie Siddiqi, director of the faith initiative at the liberal Center for American Progress. “My fear is we will learn the hard way and have to close again.”

While Pentecost promises to escalate the number of churches seeking to reopen, many other houses of worship are still expecting to wait until June or beyond to resume in-person services with restrictions aimed at protecting public health. Another prominent conservative evangelical ally of Trump, Pastor Robert Jeffress, said he is eyeing local metrics and could reopen next month.

Speaking before Trump’s Friday announcement, Jeffress said his Dallas-area megachurch would be “data-driven, instead of date-driven, when it comes to reopening.”

A spokeswoman for the ministry of Paula White-Cain, the pastor who leads Trump’s White House faith initiative, said earlier this week that at the moment Pentecost services at her Florida church were slated to be online-only.

The president, however, has projected eagerness to restart religious services. Trump held a Thursday conference call with 1,600 “pastors and faith leaders” to tout the importance of reopening in-person worship, later saying that deeming liquor stores and abortion clinics essential but not worship was an “injustice.”

Some governors designated faith gatherings as essential services in their states’ pandemic stay-at-home orders, although others restricted them as the virus began to spread.

Ralph Reed, chief of the Faith &amp; Freedom Coalition and another conservative evangelical ally of Trump, said before Trump’s Friday announcement that while Pentecost is “an important marker for the church,” he doesn’t expect most Christian leaders would be “guided particularly by that date” in deciding to reopen.

But Reed lauded the growing push in that direction. “Churches are doing a good job” adapting to necessary public health constraints, he said, “but I do think it’s time for the country to reopen.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590173193204.png" alt="President Trump opened Friday's press briefing with comments on religious services." />
 <figcaption>President Trump opened Friday's press briefing with comments on religious services.</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump’s declaration that religious services should be “essential” comes at a precarious point in the national balancing act that pits the call of worship against the risk of coronavirus.Even before Trump’s comments Friday, which came alongside the release of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/faith-based.html" target="_blank">guidance</a>&nbsp;for reopening faith organizations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Christian leaders in several states made plans to welcome back congregants on the week of Pentecost, May 31.The new CDC guidance could energize houses of worship that might want to reopen their doors, despite evidence of ongoing risk of the virus spreading through communal gatherings. While it suggests steps such as asking congregants to cover their faces and limiting the sharing of worship aids, the CDC document says it is “not meant to regulate or prescribe standards for interactions of faith communities.”The guidance released Friday is similar to draft guidance drawn up by the CDC more than a month ago but shelved by administration officials. One difference: The earlier version discussed opening in stages, such as video streaming and drive-in services, with later phases allowing in-person gatherings limited in size and with social distancing. The guidance released Friday has no discussion of a phased-in opening.Tension over when and how to reopen houses of worship has varied depending on the state, as different areas set their own pace for easing pandemic stay-at-home orders. Trump called for the resumption of in-person religious services repeatedly this week and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/8a34b6599602dbd751f2c1fcb93387fe">said Friday that</a>&nbsp;he would “override” governors that did not do so, though it’s unclear whether Trump has any authority to supersede state leaders on the issue.Still, the president’s comments come less than six months ahead of a reelection bid in which turnout from his conservative evangelical Christian base could prove critical. Trump suggested on Thursday that friction over the issue was more common in states run by Democrats because “churches are not being treated with respect” by many their governors.One of those Democrats, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, was warned this week by Trump’s Justice Department that the state’s phased-in plan to restart economic activity puts an “unfair burden” on worship by not permitting churches to open earlier in the process. More than 1,200 California pastors are planning to restart worship on May 31 despite Newsom’s stay-at-home orders, which he has said would likely allow for religious gatherings within weeks.Among the California pastors leading the call for resuming in-person gathering is Danny Carroll of Water of Life Community Church in Fontana. State officials “don’t understand that people of faith need contact, that they need to worship together,” Carroll said in an interview. “We’re trying to close the gap – thoughtfully, humbly, nicely.”Carroll described his effort as disconnected from politics: “We don’t deal with how people vote. We deal with how people live.”But another pastor involved, Ron Hill of Love and Unity Christian Fellowship, said that he finds “some merit” in Republicans’ claims that blue states have a less keen understanding of religion’s importance in public life.“I really find it difficult to understand why they’re placing a different rule on the church than on the supermarket, café or restaurant,” said Hill, who added that he had not yet decided whether May 31 would mark the reopening of his church in Compton, Calif.Pastors in other states, however, have already begun outlining plans to welcome back worshippers in person before the month’s end. Florida’s Rodney Howard-Browne –&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6a6ffcc32101dd3eee86937202a1c7f2">arrested</a>&nbsp;in March for holding a large in-person service at his church, charges that were later dropped – is preparing to reopen with an outdoor service on Pentecost. Catholic and Lutheran churches in Minnesota have notified that state’s Democratic governor that they plan to resume Mass this week, in defiance of his order.An evangelical pastor who’s been a key Trump backer, Jack Graham, plans to reopen his Texas megachurch on Pentecost weekend. Attendees of those services will be required to make reservations, but masks will not be mandated, according to the church’s website.Graham told the Faithwire website this week that Pentecost, considered holy by Christians as the birthday of the church, was a fitting moment for “a kind of rebirth of the church” this year.The momentum toward restarting in-person worship comes amid new reports of church gatherings spreading COVID-19. A CDC report released this week traced the spread of the virus to 35 out of 92 attendees at two March church events in Arkansas that were attended by two symptomatic people.“Reopening faith communities, let alone reopening any other faith institutions, is unsafe” given the ongoing threat of spreading illness, said Maggie Siddiqi, director of the faith initiative at the liberal Center for American Progress. “My fear is we will learn the hard way and have to close again.”While Pentecost promises to escalate the number of churches seeking to reopen, many other houses of worship are still expecting to wait until June or beyond to resume in-person services with restrictions aimed at protecting public health. Another prominent conservative evangelical ally of Trump, Pastor Robert Jeffress, said he is eyeing local metrics and could reopen next month.Speaking before Trump’s Friday announcement, Jeffress said his Dallas-area megachurch would be “data-driven, instead of date-driven, when it comes to reopening.”A spokeswoman for the ministry of Paula White-Cain, the pastor who leads Trump’s White House faith initiative, said earlier this week that at the moment Pentecost services at her Florida church were slated to be online-only.The president, however, has projected eagerness to restart religious services. Trump held a Thursday conference call with 1,600 “pastors and faith leaders” to tout the importance of reopening in-person worship, later saying that deeming liquor stores and abortion clinics essential but not worship was an “injustice.”Some governors designated faith gatherings as essential services in their states’ pandemic stay-at-home orders, although others restricted them as the virus began to spread.Ralph Reed, chief of the Faith &amp; Freedom Coalition and another conservative evangelical ally of Trump, said before Trump’s Friday announcement that while Pentecost is “an important marker for the church,” he doesn’t expect most Christian leaders would be “guided particularly by that date” in deciding to reopen.But Reed lauded the growing push in that direction. “Churches are doing a good job” adapting to necessary public health constraints, he said, “but I do think it’s time for the country to reopen.”___

Trump’s urging stokes furor in debate over in-person worship

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — The founder of a Kansas City-area plumbing company who is running for an open U.S. Senate seat in Kansas acknowledged Saturday that he would love to have a highly coveted seat on the Senate Agriculture Committee but doesn’t know how he’d go about getting it.

<a href="https://www.facebook.com/kansasrepublicanparty/videos/195421514855059/">Click here to watch</a> the debate.

The question to Bob Hamilton and four other Republicans during a debate was a natural one, given the importance of farm policy to Kansas and the fact that retiring GOP Sen. Pat Roberts has served as chairman of both the Senate and House agriculture committees.

“I am an outsider, and you’ve just got to show me how to do that,” said Hamilton, who was participating in his first debate in Manhattan, home to the Kansas Farm Bureau’s headquarters and the state’s only agriculture college at Kansas State University.

Republicans both in Kansas and Washington are watching to see whether the 60-year-old Hamilton’s late-entry candidacy takes off in what had seemed increasingly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/4c401c53183b8f7c2b8aa4e1eecd9811">like a two-person primary race</a>&nbsp;between U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall of western Kansas and former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, nationally known for advocating tough immigration policies.

Hamilton opened by saying that Republicans watching the livestream of the audience-less event didn’t know much about him, though he’s been running television ads for weeks. He sometimes seemed to search for words and phrases and focused on broad themes as other candidates touched on policy specifics.

“Finding the words and that kind of thing, you know, I’ll get better at that, and I don’t ever want to be a professional politician,” he said after the debate. “I want to be the guy who will help fix problems.”

Hamilton was able to match Marshall’s $2 million-plus in fundraising by the end of March with his own money. The possibility that he could self-fund a campaign — and a flood of ads telling his story as someone who with his wife raised 12 children while building a company from scratch — have caught many Republicans’ attention.

Many Republicans are nervous about Kobach winning the GOP nomination because he alienated moderate voters in the 2018 governor’s race and lost to Democrat Laura Kelly after emerging from another crowded GOP field. With the GOP worried about keeping its U.S. Senate majority, the party doesn’t need a money-pit race in Kansas when Republicans have won every U.S. Senate race there since 1932.

Hamilton’s story seems designed to appeal to President Donald Trump’s base, just as Trump’s business credentials and outsider status did in 2016. The Hamiltons started their plumbing company in 1983, from nothing, he says, with him making the calls and his wife answering the phone. He eventually had about 160 employees and sold the firm in 2017, though it still carries his name and appears in ads.

There are plenty of skeptics. Kansas Republican Party Chairman Mike Kuckelman said said Hamilton has a “bright future” but that “I don’t think this race is the right race for him to be starting in.”

Knuckelman has sought to narrow the field before the June 1 candidate filing deadline, including by urging state Senate President Susan Wagle and Dave Lindstrom, a Kansas City-area businessman and former Kansas City Chiefs professional football player, to drop out.

Marshall touted his work on the House Agriculture Committee in four years in Congress and endorsements from the Kansas Farm Bureau and Kansas Livestock Association. Kobach noted that he has been an informal adviser to Trump and promised to push the president’s immigration agenda. Wagle and touted a long list of initiatives from her nearly three decades in the Legislature that she said show she can deliver.

Lindstrom also described himself as a businessman-outsider, but he has served on an elected community college board and the Kansas Turnpike Authority. He also was the GOP nominee for lieutenant governor in 2002.

For his part, Hamilton said he wasn’t intimidated during his first debate. Asked whether someone with no experience in politics could handle work in Washington — just as he perhaps wouldn’t send someone with no training to fix a sink — he didn’t hesitate.

“I guess we can ask President Trump how he did it,” Hamilton said. “Politics and problems — it’s not rocket science. We need business people that actually know how to fix problems to get up there and fix problems.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590268976772.png" alt="Kansas GOP Senate debate in Manhattan&nbsp; with Dave Lindstrom, Senate president Susan Wagle, Kris Kobach, Bob Hamilton and&nbsp; Rep. Roger Marshall" />
 <figcaption>Kansas GOP Senate debate in Manhattan&nbsp; with Dave Lindstrom, Senate president Susan Wagle, Kris Kobach, Bob Hamilton and&nbsp; Rep. Roger Marshall</figcaption>
 </figure>MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — The founder of a Kansas City-area plumbing company who is running for an open U.S. Senate seat in Kansas acknowledged Saturday that he would love to have a highly coveted seat on the Senate Agriculture Committee but doesn’t know how he’d go about getting it.<a href="https://www.facebook.com/kansasrepublicanparty/videos/195421514855059/">Click here to watch</a> the debate.The question to Bob Hamilton and four other Republicans during a debate was a natural one, given the importance of farm policy to Kansas and the fact that retiring GOP Sen. Pat Roberts has served as chairman of both the Senate and House agriculture committees.“I am an outsider, and you’ve just got to show me how to do that,” said Hamilton, who was participating in his first debate in Manhattan, home to the Kansas Farm Bureau’s headquarters and the state’s only agriculture college at Kansas State University.Republicans both in Kansas and Washington are watching to see whether the 60-year-old Hamilton’s late-entry candidacy takes off in what had seemed increasingly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/4c401c53183b8f7c2b8aa4e1eecd9811">like a two-person primary race</a>&nbsp;between U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall of western Kansas and former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, nationally known for advocating tough immigration policies.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590269441213.png" alt="Candidate Bob Hamilton" />
 <figcaption>Candidate Bob Hamilton</figcaption>
 </figure>Hamilton opened by saying that Republicans watching the livestream of the audience-less event didn’t know much about him, though he’s been running television ads for weeks. He sometimes seemed to search for words and phrases and focused on broad themes as other candidates touched on policy specifics.“Finding the words and that kind of thing, you know, I’ll get better at that, and I don’t ever want to be a professional politician,” he said after the debate. “I want to be the guy who will help fix problems.”Hamilton was able to match Marshall’s $2 million-plus in fundraising by the end of March with his own money. The possibility that he could self-fund a campaign — and a flood of ads telling his story as someone who with his wife raised 12 children while building a company from scratch — have caught many Republicans’ attention.Many Republicans are nervous about Kobach winning the GOP nomination because he alienated moderate voters in the 2018 governor’s race and lost to Democrat Laura Kelly after emerging from another crowded GOP field. With the GOP worried about keeping its U.S. Senate majority, the party doesn’t need a money-pit race in Kansas when Republicans have won every U.S. Senate race there since 1932.Hamilton’s story seems designed to appeal to President Donald Trump’s base, just as Trump’s business credentials and outsider status did in 2016. The Hamiltons started their plumbing company in 1983, from nothing, he says, with him making the calls and his wife answering the phone. He eventually had about 160 employees and sold the firm in 2017, though it still carries his name and appears in ads.There are plenty of skeptics. Kansas Republican Party Chairman Mike Kuckelman said said Hamilton has a “bright future” but that “I don’t think this race is the right race for him to be starting in.”Knuckelman has sought to narrow the field before the June 1 candidate filing deadline, including by urging state Senate President Susan Wagle and Dave Lindstrom, a Kansas City-area businessman and former Kansas City Chiefs professional football player, to drop out.Marshall touted his work on the House Agriculture Committee in four years in Congress and endorsements from the Kansas Farm Bureau and Kansas Livestock Association. Kobach noted that he has been an informal adviser to Trump and promised to push the president’s immigration agenda. Wagle and touted a long list of initiatives from her nearly three decades in the Legislature that she said show she can deliver.Lindstrom also described himself as a businessman-outsider, but he has served on an elected community college board and the Kansas Turnpike Authority. He also was the GOP nominee for lieutenant governor in 2002.For his part, Hamilton said he wasn’t intimidated during his first debate. Asked whether someone with no experience in politics could handle work in Washington — just as he perhaps wouldn’t send someone with no training to fix a sink — he didn’t hesitate.“I guess we can ask President Trump how he did it,” Hamilton said. “Politics and problems — it’s not rocket science. We need business people that actually know how to fix problems to get up there and fix problems.”____

 🎥 Kan. GOP waits to see whether plumber's Senate bid surges

MONTGOMERY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after a high-speed chase.

Just after 5p.m. Wednesday, sheriff's deputies were notified of a pursuit that was taking place in Coffeyville with a subject who had fired shots at a law enforcement Officer, according to Sheriff Ron Wade.

This pursuit continued into rural Montgomery county. 

Deputies picked up the pursuit of the maroon minivan at Highway 160 and County Road 4900.

 The vehicle being pursued was a maroon minivan. During pursuit the vehicle committed multiple traffic infractions and reached speeds of up to 90 mph. 

This pursuit proceeded through Wilson County and into Labette County where spike strips were deployed and the pursuit ended near Cherokee, Kansas. 

The driver of the vehicle was identified as 27-year-old Brice Bethel of Coffeyville. Bethel also had two children in the vehicle. 

Authorities also recovered several firearms that were recovered from vehicle.

Bethel was brought back to Montgomery county jail for Coffeyville PD and booked on requested charges of Aggravated Assault of LEO; us of a deadly weapon, Stalking after being served a protection order, Criminal Possession of a weapon by a felon, Criminal discharge of a firearm, Flee or attempt to elude LEO by engaging in reckless driving, Aggravated endangering a child and numerous traffic violations, according to Wade.

Bethel has a previous burglary conviction in 2016, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590091908216.png" alt="Bethel -photo Montgomery County" />
 <figcaption>Bethel -photo Montgomery County</figcaption>
 </figure>MONTGOMERY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after a high-speed chase.Just after 5p.m. Wednesday, sheriff's deputies were notified of a pursuit that was taking place in Coffeyville with a subject who had fired shots at a law enforcement Officer, according to Sheriff Ron Wade.This pursuit continued into rural Montgomery county. Deputies picked up the pursuit of the maroon minivan at Highway 160 and County Road 4900. The vehicle being pursued was a maroon minivan. During pursuit the vehicle committed multiple traffic infractions and reached speeds of up to 90 mph. This pursuit proceeded through Wilson County and into Labette County where spike strips were deployed and the pursuit ended near Cherokee, Kansas. The driver of the vehicle was identified as 27-year-old Brice Bethel of Coffeyville. Bethel also had two children in the vehicle. Authorities also recovered several firearms that were recovered from vehicle.Bethel was brought back to Montgomery county jail for Coffeyville PD and booked on requested charges of Aggravated Assault of LEO; us of a deadly weapon, Stalking after being served a protection order, Criminal Possession of a weapon by a felon, Criminal discharge of a firearm, Flee or attempt to elude LEO by engaging in reckless driving, Aggravated endangering a child and numerous traffic violations, according to Wade.Bethel has a previous burglary conviction in 2016, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Sheriff: 2 kids in car during high-speed chase with Kan. felon

Hertz filed for bankruptcy protection Friday, unable to withstand&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">the coronavirus pandemic</a>&nbsp;that has crippled global travel and with it, the heavily indebted 102-year-old car rental company’s business.

The Estero, Florida-based company’s lenders were unwilling to grant it another extension on its auto lease debt payments past a Friday deadline, triggering the filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.

Hertz and its subsidiaries will continue to operate, according to a release from the company. Hertz’s principal international operating regions and franchised locations are not included in the filing, the statement said.

By the end of March, Hertz Global Holdings Inc. had racked up more than $24 billion in debt, according to the bankruptcy filing, with only $1 billion of available cash.

Starting in mid-March, the company — whose car-rental brands also include Dollar and Thrifty — lost all revenue when travel shut down due to the coronavirus. The company made “significant efforts” but couldn’t raise money on the capital markets, so it started missing payments to creditors in April, the filing said. Hertz has also been plagued by management upheaval, naming its fourth CEO in six years on May 18.

“No business is built for zero revenue,” former CEO Kathryn Marinello said on the company’s first-quarter earnings conference call May 12. “There’s only so long that companies’ reserves will carry them.”

In late March, Hertz shed 12,000 workers and put another 4,000 on furlough, cut vehicle acquisitions by 90% and stopped all nonessential spending. The company said the moves would save $2.5 billion per year.

But the cuts came too late to save Hertz, the nation’s No. 2 auto rental company founded in 1918 by Walter L. Jacobs, who started in Chicago with a fleet of a dozen Ford Model Ts. Jacobs sold the company, initially called Rent-A-Car Inc., to John D. Hertz in 1923.

In a note to investors in late April, Jefferies analyst Hamzah Mazari predicted that rival Avis would survive the coronavirus crisis but Hertz had only a 50-50 chance “given it was slower to cut costs.”

On May 18, Hertz named operations chief Paul Stone as CEO and announced that Marinello would step down as CEO and from the company’s board. Mazari called the step unusual just days before a potential bankruptcy filing. He also noted that CEO changes have been common at Hertz since financier Carl Icahn entered the company in 2014.

Icahn’s holding company is Hertz’s largest shareholder, with a 38.9% stake in the company, according to FactSet.

Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Woronka credited Marinello with reigniting Hertz’s revenue growth, writing in a note to investors that it rose 16% in 2018 and 2019 combined.

Hertz’s bankruptcy protection filing was hardly a surprise. In its first-quarter report filed earlier in May with securities regulators, the company said it may not be able to repay or refinance debt and may not have enough cash to keep operating.

“Management has concluded there is substantial doubt regarding the company’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year from the issuance date of this quarterly report,” it said.

Under a Chapter 11 restructuring, creditors will have to settle for less than full repayment. Its biggest creditors are banks, but the filing lists IBM, Lyft, United and Southwest Airlines as others owed between $6 million and $23 million each.

Hertz isn’t the first struggling company to be pushed into bankruptcy by the coronavirus crisis. The company joins&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c1c81cf36150f0586993e8bd15410b10">department store chain J.C. Penney,&nbsp;</a>as well as Neiman Marcus, J.Crew and Stage Stores.

By TOM KRISHER, Associated PressHertz filed for bankruptcy protection Friday, unable to withstand&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">the coronavirus pandemic</a>&nbsp;that has crippled global travel and with it, the heavily indebted 102-year-old car rental company’s business.The Estero, Florida-based company’s lenders were unwilling to grant it another extension on its auto lease debt payments past a Friday deadline, triggering the filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.Hertz and its subsidiaries will continue to operate, according to a release from the company. Hertz’s principal international operating regions and franchised locations are not included in the filing, the statement said.By the end of March, Hertz Global Holdings Inc. had racked up more than $24 billion in debt, according to the bankruptcy filing, with only $1 billion of available cash.Starting in mid-March, the company — whose car-rental brands also include Dollar and Thrifty — lost all revenue when travel shut down due to the coronavirus. The company made “significant efforts” but couldn’t raise money on the capital markets, so it started missing payments to creditors in April, the filing said. Hertz has also been plagued by management upheaval, naming its fourth CEO in six years on May 18.“No business is built for zero revenue,” former CEO Kathryn Marinello said on the company’s first-quarter earnings conference call May 12. “There’s only so long that companies’ reserves will carry them.”In late March, Hertz shed 12,000 workers and put another 4,000 on furlough, cut vehicle acquisitions by 90% and stopped all nonessential spending. The company said the moves would save $2.5 billion per year.But the cuts came too late to save Hertz, the nation’s No. 2 auto rental company founded in 1918 by Walter L. Jacobs, who started in Chicago with a fleet of a dozen Ford Model Ts. Jacobs sold the company, initially called Rent-A-Car Inc., to John D. Hertz in 1923.In a note to investors in late April, Jefferies analyst Hamzah Mazari predicted that rival Avis would survive the coronavirus crisis but Hertz had only a 50-50 chance “given it was slower to cut costs.”On May 18, Hertz named operations chief Paul Stone as CEO and announced that Marinello would step down as CEO and from the company’s board. Mazari called the step unusual just days before a potential bankruptcy filing. He also noted that CEO changes have been common at Hertz since financier Carl Icahn entered the company in 2014.Icahn’s holding company is Hertz’s largest shareholder, with a 38.9% stake in the company, according to FactSet.Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Woronka credited Marinello with reigniting Hertz’s revenue growth, writing in a note to investors that it rose 16% in 2018 and 2019 combined.Hertz’s bankruptcy protection filing was hardly a surprise. In its first-quarter report filed earlier in May with securities regulators, the company said it may not be able to repay or refinance debt and may not have enough cash to keep operating.“Management has concluded there is substantial doubt regarding the company’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year from the issuance date of this quarterly report,” it said.Under a Chapter 11 restructuring, creditors will have to settle for less than full repayment. Its biggest creditors are banks, but the filing lists IBM, Lyft, United and Southwest Airlines as others owed between $6 million and $23 million each.Hertz isn’t the first struggling company to be pushed into bankruptcy by the coronavirus crisis. The company joins&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c1c81cf36150f0586993e8bd15410b10">department store chain J.C. Penney,&nbsp;</a>as well as Neiman Marcus, J.Crew and Stage Stores.___

Debt and coronavirus push Hertz into bankruptcy protection

PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. (AP) — A suburban Kansas City nursing home with 81 coronavirus cases and 15 deaths allowed a nurse’s aide to work despite having symptoms of the illness, a new state report shows.

The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services cited Brighton Gardens in Prairie Village, Kansas, on May 11 after finding that it placed residents in “immediate jeopardy related to the spread of COVID-19.”

Records show that the aide recorded having positive symptoms of COVID-19 on a screening form on April 16 and April 17 but was still allowed to care for residents in seven rooms. The employee, along with three residents, then tested positive for COVID-19 on April 22.

The documents also cited issues with improper use of personal protective equipment and inadequate cleaning. Additionally, a staff member said that sometimes the person taking employees’ temperatures at the start of each shift “did not wipe off the temporal thermometer before taking the next person’s,” the records said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589905440854.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. (AP) — A suburban Kansas City nursing home with 81 coronavirus cases and 15 deaths allowed a nurse’s aide to work despite having symptoms of the illness, a new state report shows.The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services cited Brighton Gardens in Prairie Village, Kansas, on May 11 after finding that it placed residents in “immediate jeopardy related to the spread of COVID-19.”Records show that the aide recorded having positive symptoms of COVID-19 on a screening form on April 16 and April 17 but was still allowed to care for residents in seven rooms. The employee, along with three residents, then tested positive for COVID-19 on April 22.The documents also cited issues with improper use of personal protective equipment and inadequate cleaning. Additionally, a staff member said that sometimes the person taking employees’ temperatures at the start of each shift “did not wipe off the temporal thermometer before taking the next person’s,” the records said.The “Immediate Jeopardy” tag, which is the most severe citation, describes a provider’s noncompliance that “has caused or is likely to cause serious injury, harm, impairment, or death to a resident,” according to the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services. The tag was removed after the facility addressed concerns related to the screening of employees for COVID-19.Denise Falco, regional vice president of operations for Sunrise Senior Living, which owns Brighton Gardens, said Thursday evening in an emailed statement that it “swiftly” took steps to retrain staff on screening protocols.“We take our responsibility to our residents seriously and move decisively whenever improvements may be needed,” she said.Meanwhile, Kansas was beginning to reopen further Friday as unemployment numbers soared to 11.2% in April from a historical low of 2.8% in March, according to preliminary estimates reported by the Kansas Department of Labor.Seasonally adjusted job estimates indicate total Kansas nonfarm jobs decreased by 130,400 from March. Private sector jobs, a subset of total nonfarm jobs, decreased by 121,600 from the previous month, while government decreased by 8,800 jobs.The maximum size of mass gatherings has increased from 10 to 15 people, and state-owned casinos can reopen, along with theaters, museums, bowling alleys and other indoor leisure places. Sports tournaments and practices also can resume, with some exceptions. But bars, nightclubs and swimming pools must stay closed for now, and individual communities can approve stricter rules.Johns Hopkins University reported 204 deaths and 8,600 cases, although the number is believed to be higher because of limits in testing.