WASHINGTON —President Joe Biden called on Americans to overcome their divisions, declaring in his first address in office that “without unity, there is no peace.”

Members of the Kansas Congressional delegation who attended the Biden inauguration posted their thoughts on social media.

New 2nd District Representative Jake LaTurner has not made a comment on the inauguration.

<p>WASHINGTON —President Joe Biden called on Americans to overcome their divisions, declaring in his first address in office that “without unity, there is no peace.”</p><p>Members of the Kansas Congressional delegation who attended the Biden inauguration posted their thoughts on social media.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Honored to attend the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Inauguration2021?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Inauguration2021</a> Ceremony today for President Joseph R. Biden and to witness this important moment in our nation’s democracy. <a href="https://t.co/KCPOhZuYXh">pic.twitter.com/KCPOhZuYXh</a></p>&mdash; Senator Jerry Moran (@JerryMoran) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryMoran/status/1351977792032923648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thank you to the 273 <a href="https://twitter.com/KansasGuard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KansasGuard</a> Soldiers stationed in Washington, DC to support the peaceful transition of power. I appreciate everything our military does to keep us safe and am proud to represent hardworking Kansans. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KansasGuard?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KansasGuard</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KS01?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KS01</a></p>&mdash; Tracey Mann (@RepMann) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMann/status/1351960668178681856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here we go! #46 <a href="https://t.co/8EPSTnkIfj">pic.twitter.com/8EPSTnkIfj</a></p>&mdash; Rep. Sharice Davids (@RepDavids) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepDavids/status/1351923282107375618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I’m rooting for President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris’ success, and I look forward to working with them and their new Administration to fight this virus and Build Back Better than before. (2/2)</p>&mdash; Rep. Sharice Davids (@RepDavids) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepDavids/status/1351947114746703879?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It is an honor to witness our nation’s tradition of a peaceful transfer of power today.<br><br>I look forward to getting back to work advocating for Kansans – reopening the economy and pushing against radical policies that will hurt families and small businesses.</p>&mdash; Rep. Ron Estes (@RepRonEstes) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepRonEstes/status/1351960447625416705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Laina &amp; I joined Americans to witness Constitutional transition of power to Pres. <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoeBiden</a>. I have hope we can work together to tackle issues facing 🇺🇸: get COVID-19 vaccine in the arms of everyone who wants &amp; needs it, job recovery &amp; opening economy back to pre-pandemic levels. <a href="https://t.co/OQm2hadPaT">pic.twitter.com/OQm2hadPaT</a></p>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1351958054632386561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>New 2nd District Representative Jake LaTurner has not made a comment on the inauguration.</p>

Members of Kan. delegation comment on inauguration 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A proposed pro-life amendment to the Kansas Constitution cleared its first hurdle in the Legislature on Tuesday as abortion opponents moved quickly to try to get it on the ballot.

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/scr1602_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">the measure</a>&nbsp;on a voice vote, sending it to the full Senate for debate, possibly later this week. The proposed amendment would overturn a 2019&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3f479b218a6140719e1694fcfcdb8036">state Supreme Court ruling</a>&nbsp;that access to abortion is a “fundamental” right under the state constitution.

A House committee could vote&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/hcr5003_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">its own version</a>&nbsp;Thursday. It’s the second week of lawmakers’ annual 90-day session.

The measure would declare that the state constitution grants no right to abortion and allows legislators to regulate abortion in line with U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Abortion foes say they’re trying to reaffirm the authority Kansas voters assumed lawmakers always had. Abortion rights groups argue the measure is a step toward a state abortion ban.

Abortion opponents need two-thirds majorities in both chambers for the measure to go on the ballot and are seeking a vote in the August 2022 primary election.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-constitutions-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-us-supreme-court-ba2344ac96f12a6891f24129e4593e4a">They’re moving quickly</a>&nbsp;because they’re worried that the COVID-19 pandemic could cut the Legislature’s session short, as it did last year.

<p>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A proposed pro-life amendment to the Kansas Constitution cleared its first hurdle in the Legislature on Tuesday as abortion opponents moved quickly to try to get it on the ballot.</p><p>The Senate Judiciary Committee approved&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/scr1602_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">the measure</a>&nbsp;on a voice vote, sending it to the full Senate for debate, possibly later this week. The proposed amendment would overturn a 2019&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3f479b218a6140719e1694fcfcdb8036">state Supreme Court ruling</a>&nbsp;that access to abortion is a “fundamental” right under the state constitution.</p><p>A House committee could vote&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/hcr5003_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">its own version</a>&nbsp;Thursday. It’s the second week of lawmakers’ annual 90-day session.</p><p>The measure would declare that the state constitution grants no right to abortion and allows legislators to regulate abortion in line with U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Abortion foes say they’re trying to reaffirm the authority Kansas voters assumed lawmakers always had. Abortion rights groups argue the measure is a step toward a state abortion ban.</p><p>Abortion opponents need two-thirds majorities in both chambers for the measure to go on the ballot and are seeking a vote in the August 2022 primary election.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-constitutions-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-us-supreme-court-ba2344ac96f12a6891f24129e4593e4a">They’re moving quickly</a>&nbsp;because they’re worried that the COVID-19 pandemic could cut the Legislature’s session short, as it did last year.</p><p>___</p>

Proposed pro-life measure takes step toward Kan. Constitution

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 3590 to a total of 263,412, the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;

Coronavirus deaths were reported at 3575 an increase of 50

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

<p>TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 3590 to a total of 263,412, the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;</p><p>Coronavirus deaths were reported at 3575 an increase of 50</p><p><a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611166114849.png" alt="Wednesday Jan. 20, 2021 KDHE image" />
                        <figcaption>Wednesday Jan. 20, 2021 KDHE image</figcaption>
                    </figure>

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

BARTON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 5:30p.m. Tuesday in Barton County.

A 2001 Dodge Dakota driven by James Miller, 53, rural Albert, was traveling in the 700 block of W. Barton County Road, according to Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir.

The driver swerved to avoid striking a deer. The pickup struck two mailboxes, entered the north ditch, struck a culvert and overturned.

The Great Bend Fire Department was able to extract Miller from the vehicle and he was transported to the University of Kansas Health Care Great Bend Campus for non-life-threatening injuries.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611159666346.jpeg" alt="Tuesday rollover accident photo Barton Co. Sheriff" />
                        <figcaption>Tuesday rollover accident photo Barton Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BARTON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 5:30p.m. Tuesday in Barton County.</p><p>A 2001 Dodge Dakota driven by James Miller, 53, rural Albert, was traveling in the 700 block of W. Barton County Road, according to Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir.</p><p>The driver swerved to avoid striking a deer. The pickup struck two mailboxes, entered the north ditch, struck a culvert and overturned.</p><p>The Great Bend Fire Department was able to extract Miller from the vehicle and he was transported to the University of Kansas Health Care Great Bend Campus for non-life-threatening injuries.</p>

Kansas man hospitalized after rollover crash

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump pardoned former chief strategist Steve Bannon as part of a flurry of clemency action in the final hours of his White House term that benefited more than 140 people, including rap performers, ex-members of Congress and other allies of him and his family.

<a href="https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/statement-press-secretary-regarding-executive-grants-clemency-012021/">Click here to see a </a>list of those granted clemency

The last-minute clemency, announced Wednesday morning, follows separate waves of pardons over the past month for Trump associates convicted in the FBI’s Russia investigation as well as for the father of his son-in-law. Taken together, the actions underscore the president’s willingness, all the way through his four years in the White House, to flex his constitutional powers in ways that defy convention and explicitly aid his friends and supporters.

To be sure, the latest list was heavily populated by more conventional candidates whose cases had been championed by criminal justice activists. One man who has spent nearly 24 years in prison on drug and weapons charges but had shown exemplary behavior behind bars had his sentence commuted, as did a former Marine sentenced in 2000 in connection with a cocaine conviction.

But the names of prominent Trump allies nonetheless stood out.

Besides Bannon, other pardon recipients included Elliott Broidy, a Republican fundraiser who pleaded guilty last fall in a scheme to lobby the Trump administration to drop an investigation into the looting of a Malaysian wealth fund, and Ken Kurson, a friend of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner who was charged last October with cyberstalking during a heated divorce.

Bannon’s pardon was especially notable given that the prosecution was still in its early stages and any trial was months away. Whereas pardon recipients are conventionally thought of as defendants who have faced justice, often by having served at least some prison time, the pardon nullifies the prosecution and effectively eliminates any prospect for punishment.

“Steve Bannon is getting a pardon from Trump after defrauding Trump’s own supporters into paying for a wall that Trump promised Mexico would pay for,” Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said on Twitter. “And if that all sounds crazy, that’s because it is. Thank God we have only 12 more hours of this den of thieves.”

And while other presidents have issued controversial pardons at the ends of their administration, perhaps no commander in chief has so enjoyed using the clemency authority to benefit not only friends and acquaintances but also celebrity defendants and those championed by allies.

Wednesday’s list includes its share of high-profile defendants. Among them were rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, both convicted in Florida on weapons charges. Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, has frequently expressed support for Trump and recently met with the president on criminal justice issues. Others on the list included Death Row Records co-founder Michael Harris and New York art dealer and collector Hillel Nahmad.

Other pardon recipients include former Rep. Rick Renzi, an Arizona Republican who served three years for corruption, money laundering and other charges, and former Rep. Duke Cunningham of California, who was convicted of accepting $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors. Cunningham, who was released from prison in 2013, received a conditional pardon.

Trump also commuted the prison sentence of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who has served about seven years behind bars for a racketeering and bribery scheme.

Bannon has been charged with duping thousands of donors who believed their money would be used to fulfill Trump’s chief campaign promise to build a wall along the southern border. Instead, he allegedly diverted over a million dollars, paying a salary to one campaign official and personal expenses for himself.

Bannon did not respond to questions Tuesday.

Trump has already pardoned a slew of longtime associates and supporters, including his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort; Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law; his longtime friend and adviser Roger Stone; and his former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

A voice of nationalist, outsider conservatism, Bannon — who served in the Navy and worked at Goldman Sachs and as a Hollywood producer before turning to politics — led the conservative Breitbart News before being tapped to serve as chief executive officer of Trump’s 2016 campaign in its critical final months.

He later served as chief strategist to the president during the turbulent early days of Trump’s administration and was at the forefront of many of its most contentious policies, including its travel ban on several majority-Muslim countries.

But Bannon, who clashed with other top advisers, was pushed out after less than a year. And his split with Trump deepened after he was quoted in a 2018 book making critical remarks about some of Trump’s adult children. Bannon apologized and soon stepped down as chairman of Breitbart. He and Trump have recently reconciled.

In August, he was pulled from a luxury yacht off the coast of Connecticut and brought before a judge in Manhattan, where he pleaded not guilty. When he emerged from the courthouse, Bannon tore off his mask, smiled and waved to news cameras. As he went to a waiting vehicle, he shouted, “This entire fiasco is to stop people who want to build the wall.”

The organizers of the “We Build The Wall” group portrayed themselves as eager to help the president build a “big beautiful” barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border, as he promised during the 2016 campaign. They raised more than $25 million from thousands of donors and pledged that 100% of the money would be used for the project.

But according to the criminal charges, much of the money never made it to the wall. Instead, it was used to line the pockets of group members, including Bannon.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611150194519.png" alt="President Trump and the First Lady arrive at Joint Base Andrews prior to leaving Washington Wednesday morning-image courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>President Trump and the First Lady arrive at Joint Base Andrews prior to leaving Washington Wednesday morning-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump pardoned former chief strategist Steve Bannon as part of a flurry of clemency action in the final hours of his White House term that benefited more than 140 people, including rap performers, ex-members of Congress and other allies of him and his family.</p><p><a href="https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/statement-press-secretary-regarding-executive-grants-clemency-012021/">Click here to see a </a>list of those granted clemency</p><p>The last-minute clemency, announced Wednesday morning, follows separate waves of pardons over the past month for Trump associates convicted in the FBI’s Russia investigation as well as for the father of his son-in-law. Taken together, the actions underscore the president’s willingness, all the way through his four years in the White House, to flex his constitutional powers in ways that defy convention and explicitly aid his friends and supporters.</p><p>To be sure, the latest list was heavily populated by more conventional candidates whose cases had been championed by criminal justice activists. One man who has spent nearly 24 years in prison on drug and weapons charges but had shown exemplary behavior behind bars had his sentence commuted, as did a former Marine sentenced in 2000 in connection with a cocaine conviction.</p><p>But the names of prominent Trump allies nonetheless stood out.</p><p>Besides Bannon, other pardon recipients included Elliott Broidy, a Republican fundraiser who pleaded guilty last fall in a scheme to lobby the Trump administration to drop an investigation into the looting of a Malaysian wealth fund, and Ken Kurson, a friend of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner who was charged last October with cyberstalking during a heated divorce.</p><p>Bannon’s pardon was especially notable given that the prosecution was still in its early stages and any trial was months away. Whereas pardon recipients are conventionally thought of as defendants who have faced justice, often by having served at least some prison time, the pardon nullifies the prosecution and effectively eliminates any prospect for punishment.</p><p>“Steve Bannon is getting a pardon from Trump after defrauding Trump’s own supporters into paying for a wall that Trump promised Mexico would pay for,” Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said on Twitter. “And if that all sounds crazy, that’s because it is. Thank God we have only 12 more hours of this den of thieves.”</p><p>And while other presidents have issued controversial pardons at the ends of their administration, perhaps no commander in chief has so enjoyed using the clemency authority to benefit not only friends and acquaintances but also celebrity defendants and those championed by allies.</p><p>Wednesday’s list includes its share of high-profile defendants. Among them were rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, both convicted in Florida on weapons charges. Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, has frequently expressed support for Trump and recently met with the president on criminal justice issues. Others on the list included Death Row Records co-founder Michael Harris and New York art dealer and collector Hillel Nahmad.</p><p>Other pardon recipients include former Rep. Rick Renzi, an Arizona Republican who served three years for corruption, money laundering and other charges, and former Rep. Duke Cunningham of California, who was convicted of accepting $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors. Cunningham, who was released from prison in 2013, received a conditional pardon.</p><p>Trump also commuted the prison sentence of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who has served about seven years behind bars for a racketeering and bribery scheme.</p><p>Bannon has been charged with duping thousands of donors who believed their money would be used to fulfill Trump’s chief campaign promise to build a wall along the southern border. Instead, he allegedly diverted over a million dollars, paying a salary to one campaign official and personal expenses for himself.</p><p>Bannon did not respond to questions Tuesday.</p><p>Trump has already pardoned a slew of longtime associates and supporters, including his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort; Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law; his longtime friend and adviser Roger Stone; and his former national security adviser Michael Flynn.</p><p>A voice of nationalist, outsider conservatism, Bannon — who served in the Navy and worked at Goldman Sachs and as a Hollywood producer before turning to politics — led the conservative Breitbart News before being tapped to serve as chief executive officer of Trump’s 2016 campaign in its critical final months.</p><p>He later served as chief strategist to the president during the turbulent early days of Trump’s administration and was at the forefront of many of its most contentious policies, including its travel ban on several majority-Muslim countries.</p><p>But Bannon, who clashed with other top advisers, was pushed out after less than a year. And his split with Trump deepened after he was quoted in a 2018 book making critical remarks about some of Trump’s adult children. Bannon apologized and soon stepped down as chairman of Breitbart. He and Trump have recently reconciled.</p><p>In August, he was pulled from a luxury yacht off the coast of Connecticut and brought before a judge in Manhattan, where he pleaded not guilty. When he emerged from the courthouse, Bannon tore off his mask, smiled and waved to news cameras. As he went to a waiting vehicle, he shouted, “This entire fiasco is to stop people who want to build the wall.”</p><p>The organizers of the “We Build The Wall” group portrayed themselves as eager to help the president build a “big beautiful” barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border, as he promised during the 2016 campaign. They raised more than $25 million from thousands of donors and pledged that 100% of the money would be used for the project.</p><p>But according to the criminal charges, much of the money never made it to the wall. Instead, it was used to line the pockets of group members, including Bannon.</p><p>___</p>

See who Trump pardoned on final day as President

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — An anonymous couple from Kansas has pledged a $3.5 million estate gift to the Wichita State Foundation. The university announced Tuesday that the money will be used to endow a scholarship fund for students who show financial need. 

Students who have financial need, have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average and hold part-time jobs will be eligible for scholarships that will pay up to half of the cost of their tuition. A preference will be given to students from Kansas. At current tuition rates, the money would provide half-tuition awards for about 35 students annually.

<p>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — An anonymous couple from Kansas has pledged a $3.5 million estate gift to the Wichita State Foundation. The university announced Tuesday that the money will be used to endow a scholarship fund for students who show financial need. </p><p>Students who have financial need, have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average and hold part-time jobs will be eligible for scholarships that will pay up to half of the cost of their tuition. A preference will be given to students from Kansas. At current tuition rates, the money would provide half-tuition awards for about 35 students annually.</p>

Anonymous couple pledges $3.5M to Wichita State

WASHINGTON (AP) —The race against the virus that causes COVID-19 has taken a new turn: Mutations are rapidly popping up, and the longer it takes to vaccinate people, the more likely it is that a variant that can elude current tests, treatments and vaccines could emerge.

The coronavirus is becoming more genetically diverse, and health officials say the high rate of new cases is the main reason. Each new infection gives the virus a chance to mutate as it makes copies of itself, threatening to undo the progress made so far to control the pandemic.

&nbsp;The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a new version first identified in the United Kingdom may become dominant in the U.S. by March. Although it doesn’t cause more severe illness, it will lead to more hospitalizations and deaths just because it spreads much more easily, said the CDC, warning of “a new phase of exponential growth.”

“We’re taking it really very seriously,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“We need to do everything we can now ... to get transmission as low as we possibly can,” said Harvard University’s Dr. Michael Mina. “The best way to prevent mutant strains from emerging is to slow transmission.”

So far, vaccines seem to remain effective, but there are signs that some of the new mutations may undermine tests for the virus and reduce the effectiveness of antibody drugs as treatments.

“We’re in a race against time” because the virus “may stumble upon a mutation” that makes it more dangerous, said Dr. Pardis Sabeti, an evolutionary biologist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

Younger people may be less willing to wear masks, shun crowds and take other steps to avoid infection because the current strain doesn’t seem to make them very sick, but “in one mutational change, it might,” she warned. Sabeti documented a change in the Ebola virus during the 2014 outbreak that made it much worse.

It’s normal for viruses to acquire small changes or mutations in their genetic alphabet as they reproduce. Ones that help the virus flourish give it a competitive advantage and thus crowd out other versions.

In March, just a couple months after the coronavirus was discovered in China, a mutation called D614G emerged that made it more likely to spread. It soon became the dominant version in the world.

Now, after months of relative calm, “we’ve started to see some striking evolution” of the virus, biologist Trevor Bedford of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle wrote on Twitter last week. “The fact that we’ve observed three variants of concern emerge since September suggests that there are likely more to come.”

One was first identified in the United Kingdom and quickly became dominant in parts of England. It has now been reported in at least 30 countries, including the United States.

Soon afterward, South Africa and Brazil reported new variants, and the main mutation in the version identified in Britain turned up on a different version “that’s been circulating in Ohio ... at least as far back as September,” said Dr. Dan Jones, a molecular pathologist at Ohio State University who announced that finding last week.

“The important finding here is that this is unlikely to be travel-related” and instead may reflect the virus acquiring similar mutations independently as more infections occur, Jones said.

That also suggests that travel restrictions might be ineffective, Mina said. Because the United States has so many cases, “we can breed our own variants that are just as bad or worse” as those in other countries, he said.

Some lab tests suggest the variants identified in South Africa and Brazil may be less susceptible to antibody drugs or convalescent plasma, antibody-rich blood from COVID-19 survivors — both of which help people fight off the virus.

Government scientists are “actively looking” into that possibility, Dr. Janet Woodcock of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration told reporters Thursday. The government is encouraging development of multi-antibody treatments rather than single-antibody drugs to have more ways to target the virus in case one proves ineffective, she said.

Current vaccines induce broad enough immune responses that they should remain effective, many scientists say. Enough genetic change eventually may require tweaking the vaccine formula, but “it’s probably going to be on the order of years if we use the vaccine well rather than months,” Dr. Andrew Pavia of the University of Utah said Thursday on a webcast hosted by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Health officials also worry that if the virus changes enough, people might get COVID-19 a second time. Reinfection currently is rare, but Brazil already confirmed a case in someone with a new variant who had been sickened with a previous version several months earlier.

“We’re seeing a lot of variants, viral diversity, because there’s a lot of virus out there,” and reducing new infections is the best way to curb it, said Dr. Adam Lauring, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Loyce Pace, who heads the nonprofit Global Health Council and is a member of President-elect Joe Biden’s COVID-19 advisory board, said the same precautions scientists have been advising all along “still work and they still matter.”

“We still want people to be masking up,” she said Thursday on a webcast hosted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“We still need people to limit congregating with people outside their household. We still need people to be washing their hands and really being vigilant about those public health practices, especially as these variants emerge.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608566572342.png" alt="Image courtesy GISAID" />
                        <figcaption>Image courtesy GISAID</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) —The race against the virus that causes COVID-19 has taken a new turn: Mutations are rapidly popping up, and the longer it takes to vaccinate people, the more likely it is that a variant that can elude current tests, treatments and vaccines could emerge.</p><p>The coronavirus is becoming more genetically diverse, and health officials say the high rate of new cases is the main reason. Each new infection gives the virus a chance to mutate as it makes copies of itself, threatening to undo the progress made so far to control the pandemic.</p><p>&nbsp;The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a new version first identified in the United Kingdom may become dominant in the U.S. by March. Although it doesn’t cause more severe illness, it will lead to more hospitalizations and deaths just because it spreads much more easily, said the CDC, warning of “a new phase of exponential growth.”</p><p>“We’re taking it really very seriously,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”</p><p>“We need to do everything we can now ... to get transmission as low as we possibly can,” said Harvard University’s Dr. Michael Mina. “The best way to prevent mutant strains from emerging is to slow transmission.”</p><p>So far, vaccines seem to remain effective, but there are signs that some of the new mutations may undermine tests for the virus and reduce the effectiveness of antibody drugs as treatments.</p><p>“We’re in a race against time” because the virus “may stumble upon a mutation” that makes it more dangerous, said Dr. Pardis Sabeti, an evolutionary biologist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.</p><p>Younger people may be less willing to wear masks, shun crowds and take other steps to avoid infection because the current strain doesn’t seem to make them very sick, but “in one mutational change, it might,” she warned. Sabeti documented a change in the Ebola virus during the 2014 outbreak that made it much worse.</p><p>MUTATIONS ON THE RISE</p><p>It’s normal for viruses to acquire small changes or mutations in their genetic alphabet as they reproduce. Ones that help the virus flourish give it a competitive advantage and thus crowd out other versions.</p><p>In March, just a couple months after the coronavirus was discovered in China, a mutation called D614G emerged that made it more likely to spread. It soon became the dominant version in the world.</p><p>Now, after months of relative calm, “we’ve started to see some striking evolution” of the virus, biologist Trevor Bedford of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle wrote on Twitter last week. “The fact that we’ve observed three variants of concern emerge since September suggests that there are likely more to come.”</p><p>One was first identified in the United Kingdom and quickly became dominant in parts of England. It has now been reported in at least 30 countries, including the United States.</p><p>Soon afterward, South Africa and Brazil reported new variants, and the main mutation in the version identified in Britain turned up on a different version “that’s been circulating in Ohio ... at least as far back as September,” said Dr. Dan Jones, a molecular pathologist at Ohio State University who announced that finding last week.</p><p>“The important finding here is that this is unlikely to be travel-related” and instead may reflect the virus acquiring similar mutations independently as more infections occur, Jones said.</p><p>That also suggests that travel restrictions might be ineffective, Mina said. Because the United States has so many cases, “we can breed our own variants that are just as bad or worse” as those in other countries, he said.</p><p>___</p><p>TREATMENT, VACCINE, REINFECTION RISKS</p><p>Some lab tests suggest the variants identified in South Africa and Brazil may be less susceptible to antibody drugs or convalescent plasma, antibody-rich blood from COVID-19 survivors — both of which help people fight off the virus.</p><p>Government scientists are “actively looking” into that possibility, Dr. Janet Woodcock of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration told reporters Thursday. The government is encouraging development of multi-antibody treatments rather than single-antibody drugs to have more ways to target the virus in case one proves ineffective, she said.</p><p>Current vaccines induce broad enough immune responses that they should remain effective, many scientists say. Enough genetic change eventually may require tweaking the vaccine formula, but “it’s probably going to be on the order of years if we use the vaccine well rather than months,” Dr. Andrew Pavia of the University of Utah said Thursday on a webcast hosted by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.</p><p>Health officials also worry that if the virus changes enough, people might get COVID-19 a second time. Reinfection currently is rare, but Brazil already confirmed a case in someone with a new variant who had been sickened with a previous version several months earlier.</p><p>___</p><p>WHAT TO DO</p><p>“We’re seeing a lot of variants, viral diversity, because there’s a lot of virus out there,” and reducing new infections is the best way to curb it, said Dr. Adam Lauring, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.</p><p>Loyce Pace, who heads the nonprofit Global Health Council and is a member of President-elect Joe Biden’s COVID-19 advisory board, said the same precautions scientists have been advising all along “still work and they still matter.”</p><p>“We still want people to be masking up,” she said Thursday on a webcast hosted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.</p><p>“We still need people to limit congregating with people outside their household. We still need people to be washing their hands and really being vigilant about those public health practices, especially as these variants emerge.”</p><p>___</p>

COVID-19 mutations rise along with cases

WASHINGTON —A <a href="https://www.artskcgo.com/artist/ay-young/">Kansas City native </a>who earned an Associate of Arts Degree in business and marketing from Hesston College, AY Aaron Young is one of a handful of musicians including Akon, Billie Eilish, Bob Weir, Michael Franti, Train and Denise King performing at the Clean Energy for<a href="https://www.cleanenergyforbiden.com/ball"> America Inaugural Ball </a>Wednesday evening. 

On Instagram, Hesston College wrote" Congratulations,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/aymusik/">@aymusik</a>&nbsp;! We’re so proud of you!"

Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, AY is a producer, writer, rapper, and singer/songwriter and sustainability advocate.&nbsp; AY got his musical start in 2012 on the X Factor TV show, receiving four Yes’ from celebrity judges L.A. Reid, Britney Spears, Louis Walsh, and Demi Lovato, according to the singer's bio.

He recently received a Special Action Resolution from Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, Congress, and the State of Missouri, honoring his recognition by the United Nations as "1 of 17" Youth World Leaders. Young powers up his concerts using renewable energy. He was selected from 18,000 nominations from 193 countries, and is the only Youth Leader from the the U.S. Young was also named "40 Under 40" by a national energy magazine. He is the son of Alan Young and State Representative Yolanda Young.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611145249817.png" alt="AY photo courtesy Hesston College" />
                        <figcaption>AY photo courtesy Hesston College</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON —A <a href="https://www.artskcgo.com/artist/ay-young/">Kansas City native </a>who earned an Associate of Arts Degree in business and marketing from Hesston College, AY Aaron Young is one of a handful of musicians including Akon, Billie Eilish, Bob Weir, Michael Franti, Train and Denise King performing at the Clean Energy for<a href="https://www.cleanenergyforbiden.com/ball"> America Inaugural Ball </a>Wednesday evening. </p><p>On Instagram, Hesston College wrote" Congratulations,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/aymusik/">@aymusik</a>&nbsp;! We’re so proud of you!"</p><div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CKKivP0guwB/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CKKivP0guwB/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CKKivP0guwB/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by AY Young (-.-) 🔌 (@aymusik)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div><p>Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, AY is a producer, writer, rapper, and singer/songwriter and sustainability advocate.&nbsp; AY got his musical start in 2012 on the X Factor TV show, receiving four Yes’ from celebrity judges L.A. Reid, Britney Spears, Louis Walsh, and Demi Lovato, according to the singer's bio.</p><p>He recently received a Special Action Resolution from Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, Congress, and the State of Missouri, honoring his recognition by the United Nations as "1 of 17" Youth World Leaders. Young powers up his concerts using renewable energy. He was selected from 18,000 nominations from 193 countries, and is the only Youth Leader from the the U.S. Young was also named "40 Under 40" by a national energy magazine. He is the son of Alan Young and State Representative Yolanda Young.</p>

Former Hesston College student to perform at Biden virtual inaugural

FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged mail theft in Garden City.

Just after 10:30 a.m. Jan. 14,., police Department were dispatched to 1200 East Laurel Street in Garden City in reference to an auto burglary, according to Sgt. Lana Urteaga.

When officers arrived, they met with a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service (USPS). 

Officers learned that the mail carrier had parked his postal truck in the 1200 block of East Laurel Street, locked the doors, and began his delivery route. 

Upon return, the mail carrier discovered all remaining mail in the truck had been taken without permission. 

Police remind the public that those expecting mail on or around January 14, 2021, please contact the sender to ensure it was sent. 

If the mail was sent, and you did not receive it, please, notify the United States Postal Service. Please, be aware of potentially fraudulent activity when receiving or cashing checks. As always, contact the Garden City Police Department if you suspect a crime has been committed. 

 The Garden City Police Department is requesting assistance from the community. If you witnessed this incident or have information related to this incident, you should call the Garden City Police Department.<br>

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611097423631.png" alt="Mail truck returns to the post office in Garden City-google image" />
                        <figcaption>Mail truck returns to the post office in Garden City-google image</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged mail theft in Garden City.</p><p>Just after 10:30 a.m. Jan. 14,., police Department were dispatched to 1200 East Laurel Street in Garden City in reference to an auto burglary, according to Sgt. Lana Urteaga.</p><p>When officers arrived, they met with a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service (USPS). </p><p>Officers learned that the mail carrier had parked his postal truck in the 1200 block of East Laurel Street, locked the doors, and began his delivery route. </p><p>Upon return, the mail carrier discovered all remaining mail in the truck had been taken without permission. </p><p>Police remind the public that those expecting mail on or around January 14, 2021, please contact the sender to ensure it was sent. </p><p>If the mail was sent, and you did not receive it, please, notify the United States Postal Service. Please, be aware of potentially fraudulent activity when receiving or cashing checks. As always, contact the Garden City Police Department if you suspect a crime has been committed. </p><p> The Garden City Police Department is requesting assistance from the community. If you witnessed this incident or have information related to this incident, you should call the Garden City Police Department.<br></p>

Police investigate theft from mail carrier in SW Kansas

<b>By AMY RICKER</b><br><a href="https://greatbendpost.com"><i>Great Bend Post</i></a>

GREAT BEND — Barton County 
Attorney Levi Morris presented annual numbers relating to adult and 
juvenile criminal cases and traffic cases filed by his office to the 
County Commissioners.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

In 2018, Morris said the Barton County
 Attorney’s office filed 584 adult criminal cases compared to 476 cases 
filed in 2019.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

“We filed about 100 criminal cases last year, 
which was my first year, and as I said last year, that was on purpose. 
My opinion was that a lot of bad cases get filed, and they chew up a lot
 of time and a lot of resources. I tried to apply a stricter standard. 
Suppose we don’t have enough evidence when we’re looking to file, and we
 know there’s no chance that this will ever win at a jury trial. In that
 case, we need to consider more investigation, to delay charges, or not 
file them,” explained Morris.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

In 2020, even with the pandemic, 
the number of cases filed was almost the same as the prior year, with 
the total count ending at 492.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Morris says that while the 
increase of 16 cases isn’t typically significant in a regular year when 
it comes to traffic cases, COVID had an enormous impact. In 2018, 
approximately 1900 traffic cases were filed. In 2019, there were 1800, 
and in 2020, there was a 17% drop with around 1500 traffic cases 
filed.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I point that out because we see a 17% drop in traffic
 cases, and we see a status quo in adult criminal cases. Frankly, I 
think that the adult criminal cases would have been over 500 this year 
if it weren’t for the fact that I got COVID in December. I had to miss 
ten business days in the office. We’ve been delayed, we’ve had to send 
people home for precautionary reasons, and then ultimately, I had to 
spend two weeks in bed and couldn’t do much more than answer emails. 
Practically speaking, had we not gotten hit with COVID, we would have 
filed more than 500 cases.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Regarding the number of drug 
distribution charges, including the conspiracy to commit drug 
distribution, Morris said that number has increased significantly in the
 last five years. In 2015, there were 42 charges filed, and in 2016, the
 number dropped to 27 cases. In 2017, there were 36 charges and 61 in 
2018. In 2019, there were 76 distribution cases.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

When he 
presented last year, Morris had mentioned that he wanted to talk about 
the possibility of adding a 5th prosecutor at the June budget meeting. 
But after COVID hit, he didn’t mention it due to budget issues. Morris 
explained that while the pandemic may still be an issue this year on 
budgets, he would still like to have the conversation, so it’s not a 
surprise in 2022.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

<p><b>By AMY RICKER</b><br><a href="https://greatbendpost.com"><i>Great Bend Post</i></a></p><p>GREAT BEND — Barton County 
Attorney Levi Morris presented annual numbers relating to adult and 
juvenile criminal cases and traffic cases filed by his office to the 
County Commissioners.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>In 2018, Morris said the Barton County
 Attorney’s office filed 584 adult criminal cases compared to 476 cases 
filed in 2019.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“We filed about 100 criminal cases last year, 
which was my first year, and as I said last year, that was on purpose. 
My opinion was that a lot of bad cases get filed, and they chew up a lot
 of time and a lot of resources. I tried to apply a stricter standard. 
Suppose we don’t have enough evidence when we’re looking to file, and we
 know there’s no chance that this will ever win at a jury trial. In that
 case, we need to consider more investigation, to delay charges, or not 
file them,” explained Morris.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>In 2020, even with the pandemic, 
the number of cases filed was almost the same as the prior year, with 
the total count ending at 492.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Morris says that while the 
increase of 16 cases isn’t typically significant in a regular year when 
it comes to traffic cases, COVID had an enormous impact. In 2018, 
approximately 1900 traffic cases were filed. In 2019, there were 1800, 
and in 2020, there was a 17% drop with around 1500 traffic cases 
filed.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“I point that out because we see a 17% drop in traffic
 cases, and we see a status quo in adult criminal cases. Frankly, I 
think that the adult criminal cases would have been over 500 this year 
if it weren’t for the fact that I got COVID in December. I had to miss 
ten business days in the office. We’ve been delayed, we’ve had to send 
people home for precautionary reasons, and then ultimately, I had to 
spend two weeks in bed and couldn’t do much more than answer emails. 
Practically speaking, had we not gotten hit with COVID, we would have 
filed more than 500 cases.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Regarding the number of drug 
distribution charges, including the conspiracy to commit drug 
distribution, Morris said that number has increased significantly in the
 last five years. In 2015, there were 42 charges filed, and in 2016, the
 number dropped to 27 cases. In 2017, there were 36 charges and 61 in 
2018. In 2019, there were 76 distribution cases.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>When he 
presented last year, Morris had mentioned that he wanted to talk about 
the possibility of adding a 5th prosecutor at the June budget meeting. 
But after COVID hit, he didn’t mention it due to budget issues. Morris 
explained that while the pandemic may still be an issue this year on 
budgets, he would still like to have the conversation, so it’s not a 
surprise in 2022.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

Attorney: Drug distribution charges up in Barton Co.

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Authorities are working to determine the cause of a Tuesday morning house fire in Topeka.

Just after 4a.m., crews responded to the report of a house fire at 1119 SW Clay Street in Topeka, according to Fire Marshal Todd Harrison.

Upon arrival, crews found heavy fire coming from the two stor home. Fire crews made a defensive fire attack, and were able to contain the fire. Witnesses reported that all five adults escaped without injuries.

The preliminary investigation determined the dollar loss – $37,000 damage to the structure; $17,000 dollar loss was associated with loss of contents, according to Harrison.

Working smoke detectors were not located in the home.

Any individuals with information about the circumstances of this fire are being asked to please contact Crime Stoppers at (785)234-0007 or Toll Free at 1-800-222 TIPS (8477).

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611067196201.png" alt="Tuesday morning house fire photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
                        <figcaption>Tuesday morning house fire photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Authorities are working to determine the cause of a Tuesday morning house fire in Topeka.</p><p>Just after 4a.m., crews responded to the report of a house fire at 1119 SW Clay Street in Topeka, according to Fire Marshal Todd Harrison.</p><p>Upon arrival, crews found heavy fire coming from the two stor home. Fire crews made a defensive fire attack, and were able to contain the fire. Witnesses reported that all five adults escaped without injuries.</p><p>The preliminary investigation determined the dollar loss – $37,000 damage to the structure; $17,000 dollar loss was associated with loss of contents, according to Harrison.</p><p>Working smoke detectors were not located in the home.</p><p>Any individuals with information about the circumstances of this fire are being asked to please contact Crime Stoppers at (785)234-0007 or Toll Free at 1-800-222 TIPS (8477).</p>

Family escapes Kan. house fire; cause under investigation

PECOS, Texas. (AP) — Police in west Texas say a woman who drowned in a pool there in 1966 has been identified as a Salina, Kansas, native. Police in Pecos, Texas, announced Tuesday that the drowning victim was 17-year-old Jolaine Hemmy. 

She drowned on July 5, 1966, at the Ropers Motel in Pecos, where she was staying with a man. Police said the man, who has not been identified, was in the couple's motel room when Hemmy died. 

He left with their belongings as emergency responders were trying to revive her. Police reopened the cold case last year and exhumed the body. Pecos police say Hemmy's death remains under investigation.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611107113114.png" alt="Jolaine Hemmy-photo courtesy Pecos Police" />
                        <figcaption>Jolaine Hemmy-photo courtesy Pecos Police</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>PECOS, Texas. (AP) — Police in west Texas say a woman who drowned in a pool there in 1966 has been identified as a Salina, Kansas, native. Police in Pecos, Texas, announced Tuesday that the drowning victim was 17-year-old Jolaine Hemmy. </p><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ftownofpecoscity%2Fvideos%2F834190820521866%2F&show_text=false&width=560" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div><p>She drowned on July 5, 1966, at the Ropers Motel in Pecos, where she was staying with a man. Police said the man, who has not been identified, was in the couple's motel room when Hemmy died. </p><p>He left with their belongings as emergency responders were trying to revive her. Police reopened the cold case last year and exhumed the body. Pecos police say Hemmy's death remains under investigation.</p>

🎥  Woman who drowned in Texas in 1966 identified as Kan. native

LYON COUNTY —The search for a missing a Kansas boy is over and the child is safe, according to Emporia police.

Just after 2:30p.m. Tuesday 41-year-old Jessica Downs, suspect and paternal grandmother of missing 2-year-old Kyrese Cabrera-Downs, was taken into custody at a residence in southwestern Emporia. 

 Downs claimed to have given the child to Devin Downs, Kyrese’s biological father, sometime on Tuesday, in Emporia.  

Devin Downs took Kyrese to his biological mother around 5pm in Emporia.&nbsp; Emporia Police reported they had seen Kyrese and he appears unharmed.  

Jessica Downs was booked into the Lyon County Detention Center on requested charges of Aggravated Interference with Parental Custody.

LYON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities continue their investigation into the report of a missing child and now, Aggravated Interference with Parental Custody, according to&nbsp;Sgt. Lisa Hayes with Emporia police.

In response to the police request for public information Monday, authorities received numerous tips that 4-year-old Kyrese Cabrera-Downs may have been delivered to his father, Devin Downs, in Augusta, Kansas by his grandmother Jessica Downs.

The Augusta Police Department located and interviewed the father and the father allowed officers a search of his home. The child was not located and is believed to still be with Jessica Downs.

Just after 10:30p.m. Monday, Emporia police received a credible tip that Jessica Downs was in Topeka. She was spotted near the Kicks 66 gas station on SW Gage Blvd south of Highway 470, according to Sgt. Hays.

Topeka Police Department responded to this information as soon as it was made available to the Emporia Police Department.&nbsp; They did not locate Jessica Downs or Kyrese.

This investigation is now being treated as a felony level Aggravated Interference with Parental Custody.&nbsp;

Police have had many inquiries about issuing an Amber Alert in this case. Amber Alert has strict criteria and at this time, this case does not meet the criteria. More information about Amber Alerts can be&nbsp;<a href="https://kbi.kansas.gov/ksamber/">found here.</a>

Jessica Downs is a 41-year-old white female. She is 5-foot-8 165 pounds, with blue eyes and blonde hair. She may be driving a black or dark colored 4 door passenger car with a rounded body. Nathan Shown is a white male, 39 years of age, 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, with green eyes and brown hair.&nbsp;

The child, Kyrese Cabrera-Downs, 2-years-old, a mixed race black and white male, approximately 25 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair was last seen wearing a red “Thomas the Tank Engine” pajama shirt and blue pajama pants.

If you have any information, please contact the Emporia Police Department at 620 343-4225 or Lyon County Crime Stoppers at 620 342-2273. You can also submit tips to Lyon County Crime Stoppers via Smartphone or online application by visiting P3&nbsp;<a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftips.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3Q_z1M-mCHOmjWeGlafXzskZi8nMH3PNuGco8kvbQ163kbx-FU9O6jm3E&amp;h=AT1togncYbKoQ9Q3tBJOF5w0pBXF9xml7vdCJWlogzYrj3mNC0jaNCW-9DORh-0GVRkph82E-oNvFw0njpVzs5MNzmw1I_uG1P-lk9MQeqGg6jL-eiOqRsO3pv2en2BngUiAKR8&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT0WKR9WRkRc_UX_GKlgmy0_zcsgD2PMCyZuMIVFqmINtOoJDBDB1KnwlX7eoW1ZiVWvRXfMK2CrEHHaKSK9PbJ0JhXiqnIfya4epIxKjHdAJEfNu83pXXlX6on8GI3Thu5f7nMnCL4h_nO1VUwjU_Tr1ApwvQXYvSbzKFI0HOVR7qA" target="_blank">tips.com</a>

LYON COUNTY —The Emporia Police Department is seeking the public’s help in locating 2-year-old Kyrese Cabrera-Downs, a mixed race black and white boy last seen with his grandmother, Jessica S. Downs&nbsp; and possibly Nathan Shown, according to a media release from police.

Police believe Downs could be traveling to Augusta, KS with the child. EPD is currently investigating this case as a missing child and Interference with Parental Custody.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611105365287.png" alt="Jessica Downs, the grandmother of the missing boy is being held in the Lyon Co. Jail." />
                        <figcaption>Jessica Downs, the grandmother of the missing boy is being held in the Lyon Co. Jail.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>LYON COUNTY —The search for a missing a Kansas boy is over and the child is safe, according to Emporia police.</p><p>Just after 2:30p.m. Tuesday 41-year-old Jessica Downs, suspect and paternal grandmother of missing 2-year-old Kyrese Cabrera-Downs, was taken into custody at a residence in southwestern Emporia. </p><p> Downs claimed to have given the child to Devin Downs, Kyrese’s biological father, sometime on Tuesday, in Emporia.  </p><p>Devin Downs took Kyrese to his biological mother around 5pm in Emporia.&nbsp; Emporia Police reported they had seen Kyrese and he appears unharmed.  </p><p>Jessica Downs was booked into the Lyon County Detention Center on requested charges of Aggravated Interference with Parental Custody.</p><p>----------</p><p>LYON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities continue their investigation into the report of a missing child and now, Aggravated Interference with Parental Custody, according to&nbsp;Sgt. Lisa Hayes with Emporia police.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611018035850.png" alt="Kyrese, Jessica Downs and Nathan Shown-photo Emporia police. Shown has various convictions that include for robbery, driving while suspended, giving worthless checks and for drugs, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections." />
                        <figcaption>Kyrese, Jessica Downs and Nathan Shown-photo Emporia police. Shown has various convictions that include for robbery, driving while suspended, giving worthless checks and for drugs, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>In response to the police request for public information Monday, authorities received numerous tips that 4-year-old Kyrese Cabrera-Downs may have been delivered to his father, Devin Downs, in Augusta, Kansas by his grandmother Jessica Downs.</p><p>The Augusta Police Department located and interviewed the father and the father allowed officers a search of his home. The child was not located and is believed to still be with Jessica Downs.</p><p>Just after 10:30p.m. Monday, Emporia police received a credible tip that Jessica Downs was in Topeka. She was spotted near the Kicks 66 gas station on SW Gage Blvd south of Highway 470, according to Sgt. Hays.</p><p>Topeka Police Department responded to this information as soon as it was made available to the Emporia Police Department.&nbsp; They did not locate Jessica Downs or Kyrese.</p><p>This investigation is now being treated as a felony level Aggravated Interference with Parental Custody.&nbsp;</p><p>Police have had many inquiries about issuing an Amber Alert in this case. Amber Alert has strict criteria and at this time, this case does not meet the criteria. More information about Amber Alerts can be&nbsp;<a href="https://kbi.kansas.gov/ksamber/">found here.</a></p><p>Jessica Downs is a 41-year-old white female. She is 5-foot-8 165 pounds, with blue eyes and blonde hair. She may be driving a black or dark colored 4 door passenger car with a rounded body. Nathan Shown is a white male, 39 years of age, 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, with green eyes and brown hair.&nbsp;</p><p>The child, Kyrese Cabrera-Downs, 2-years-old, a mixed race black and white male, approximately 25 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair was last seen wearing a red “Thomas the Tank Engine” pajama shirt and blue pajama pants.</p><p>If you have any information, please contact the Emporia Police Department at 620 343-4225 or Lyon County Crime Stoppers at 620 342-2273. You can also submit tips to Lyon County Crime Stoppers via Smartphone or online application by visiting P3&nbsp;<a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftips.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3Q_z1M-mCHOmjWeGlafXzskZi8nMH3PNuGco8kvbQ163kbx-FU9O6jm3E&amp;h=AT1togncYbKoQ9Q3tBJOF5w0pBXF9xml7vdCJWlogzYrj3mNC0jaNCW-9DORh-0GVRkph82E-oNvFw0njpVzs5MNzmw1I_uG1P-lk9MQeqGg6jL-eiOqRsO3pv2en2BngUiAKR8&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT0WKR9WRkRc_UX_GKlgmy0_zcsgD2PMCyZuMIVFqmINtOoJDBDB1KnwlX7eoW1ZiVWvRXfMK2CrEHHaKSK9PbJ0JhXiqnIfya4epIxKjHdAJEfNu83pXXlX6on8GI3Thu5f7nMnCL4h_nO1VUwjU_Tr1ApwvQXYvSbzKFI0HOVR7qA" target="_blank">tips.com</a></p><p>----------</p><p>LYON COUNTY —The Emporia Police Department is seeking the public’s help in locating 2-year-old Kyrese Cabrera-Downs, a mixed race black and white boy last seen with his grandmother, Jessica S. Downs&nbsp; and possibly Nathan Shown, according to a media release from police.</p><p>Jessica Downs is a 41-year-old white female. She is 5-foot-8 165 pounds, with blue eyes and blonde hair. She may be driving a black or dark colored 4 door passenger car with a rounded body. Nathan Shown is a white male, 39 years of age, 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, with green eyes and brown hair.&nbsp;</p><p>The child, Kyrese Cabrera-Downs, 2-years-old, a mixed race black and white male, approximately 25 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair was last seen wearing a red “Thomas the Tank Engine” pajama shirt and blue pajama pants.</p><p>Police believe Downs could be traveling to Augusta, KS with the child. EPD is currently investigating this case as a missing child and Interference with Parental Custody.</p><p>If you have any information, please contact the Emporia Police Department at 620 343-4225 or Lyon County Crime Stoppers at 620 342-2273. You can also submit tips to Lyon County Crime Stoppers via Smartphone or online application by visiting P3&nbsp;<a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftips.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3Q_z1M-mCHOmjWeGlafXzskZi8nMH3PNuGco8kvbQ163kbx-FU9O6jm3E&amp;h=AT1togncYbKoQ9Q3tBJOF5w0pBXF9xml7vdCJWlogzYrj3mNC0jaNCW-9DORh-0GVRkph82E-oNvFw0njpVzs5MNzmw1I_uG1P-lk9MQeqGg6jL-eiOqRsO3pv2en2BngUiAKR8&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT0WKR9WRkRc_UX_GKlgmy0_zcsgD2PMCyZuMIVFqmINtOoJDBDB1KnwlX7eoW1ZiVWvRXfMK2CrEHHaKSK9PbJ0JhXiqnIfya4epIxKjHdAJEfNu83pXXlX6on8GI3Thu5f7nMnCL4h_nO1VUwjU_Tr1ApwvQXYvSbzKFI0HOVR7qA" target="_blank">tips.com</a></p>

Police: Grandmother in jail, missing Kan. boy safe

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a theft and have a suspect in custody.

Just before 11:30a.m. Jan. 14, police observed a suspect later identified as 25-year-old&nbsp;Kevin Blanton of Wichita exit and employee entrance at Target in the 7500 Block of West Maple in Wichita, according to officer Paul Cruz.

Blanton ran to a Grey Infiniti Q50, threw a vacuum and other items from the store into the SUV and drove from the parking lot at a hight rate of speed. Police attempted to stop Blanton.&nbsp; He failed to stop, drove the SUV over a curb and ran from the vehicle while leaving it in drive, according to Cruz.

The officer tracked Blanton down at a residence in the 8000 Block of West Maple and took him into custody. He remains in the Sedgwick County jail on requested charges of theft, criminal damage to property and flee and elude and a misdemeanor warrant.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610805284587.png" alt="Blanton photo Sedgwick Co." />
                        <figcaption>Blanton photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a theft and have a suspect in custody.</p><p>Just before 11:30a.m. Jan. 14, police observed a suspect later identified as 25-year-old&nbsp;Kevin Blanton of Wichita exit and employee entrance at Target in the 7500 Block of West Maple in Wichita, according to officer Paul Cruz.</p><p>Blanton ran to a Grey Infiniti Q50, threw a vacuum and other items from the store into the SUV and drove from the parking lot at a hight rate of speed. Police attempted to stop Blanton.&nbsp; He failed to stop, drove the SUV over a curb and ran from the vehicle while leaving it in drive, according to Cruz.</p><p>The officer tracked Blanton down at a residence in the 8000 Block of West Maple and took him into custody. He remains in the Sedgwick County jail on requested charges of theft, criminal damage to property and flee and elude and a misdemeanor warrant.&nbsp;</p>

Kan. man jailed after police watch him run with items from store

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Four nurses at a rural health department in Kansas are refusing to administer any COVID-19 vaccines, citing the fast development and production of the shots.

Coffey County Public Health Administrator Lindsay Payer said the nurses made their own decisions and expressed their concerns one by one. She called the vaccine documents concerning.

“I strongly feel that if people want this vaccine, they should receive it. Absolutely,” Payer said. “But just like it’s their choice to receive it or not, I feel like it should also be my choice to give it or not.”

None of the nurses, including Payer, feel “comfortable” administering a vaccine that has gone through a speedy testing process with new technology, the Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article248535290.html" target="_blank">reported</a>.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-health-workers-676e03a99badfd5ce3a6cfafe383f6af">Studies involving tens of thousands of people</a>&nbsp;found that the two vaccines approved for emergency use in the U.S. are nearly 95% effective at preventing COVID-19 illness. The studies discovered no major safety problems, although the vaccines do come with a caution about rare, serious allergic reactions. That’s why people are supposed to be observed for 15 minutes after the injection, so any adverse reactions can be treated promptly.

But because very rare side effects sometimes can’t be detected until vaccines are given to millions of people, multiple systems now are tracking recipients’ health so authorities can rapidly investigate any reported problems and determine if they’re related to the shots. So far, the vaccines have been given to more than 10 million people in the U.S. with no additional warnings issued.

“Vaccination of Kansans is critical to reach the end of this pandemic,” Kristi Zears, a spokeswoman with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said in an email. “We are not aware of any other health departments who have expressed concerns regarding the vaccine and would point them to the safety data.”

The Coffey County Health Department posted on its Facebook page Friday that it had received a shipment of COVID-19 vaccines a day earlier and was able to safely vaccinate 36 health care workers. It did not mention who administered the shots.

“I would suggest there are parts of the state that are definitely embracing the vaccine,” said Linda MowBray, president of the Kansas Health Care Association, a nursing home advocacy group. “But they also embrace social distancing, masks and whatnot. There are still parts of the state denying this is a crisis.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611091546005.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Four nurses at a rural health department in Kansas are refusing to administer any COVID-19 vaccines, citing the fast development and production of the shots.</p><p>Coffey County Public Health Administrator Lindsay Payer said the nurses made their own decisions and expressed their concerns one by one. She called the vaccine documents concerning.</p><p>“I strongly feel that if people want this vaccine, they should receive it. Absolutely,” Payer said. “But just like it’s their choice to receive it or not, I feel like it should also be my choice to give it or not.”</p><p>None of the nurses, including Payer, feel “comfortable” administering a vaccine that has gone through a speedy testing process with new technology, the Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article248535290.html" target="_blank">reported</a>.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-health-workers-676e03a99badfd5ce3a6cfafe383f6af">Studies involving tens of thousands of people</a>&nbsp;found that the two vaccines approved for emergency use in the U.S. are nearly 95% effective at preventing COVID-19 illness. The studies discovered no major safety problems, although the vaccines do come with a caution about rare, serious allergic reactions. That’s why people are supposed to be observed for 15 minutes after the injection, so any adverse reactions can be treated promptly.</p><p>But because very rare side effects sometimes can’t be detected until vaccines are given to millions of people, multiple systems now are tracking recipients’ health so authorities can rapidly investigate any reported problems and determine if they’re related to the shots. So far, the vaccines have been given to more than 10 million people in the U.S. with no additional warnings issued.</p><p>“Vaccination of Kansans is critical to reach the end of this pandemic,” Kristi Zears, a spokeswoman with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said in an email. “We are not aware of any other health departments who have expressed concerns regarding the vaccine and would point them to the safety data.”</p><p>The Coffey County Health Department posted on its Facebook page Friday that it had received a shipment of COVID-19 vaccines a day earlier and was able to safely vaccinate 36 health care workers. It did not mention who administered the shots.</p><p>“I would suggest there are parts of the state that are definitely embracing the vaccine,” said Linda MowBray, president of the Kansas Health Care Association, a nursing home advocacy group. “But they also embrace social distancing, masks and whatnot. There are still parts of the state denying this is a crisis.”</p>

Nurses in Kansas county refuse to give COVID-19 vaccine

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump offered rare, kind words to his successor in a farewell video, while failing to address him by name, as he spent his final full day in office preparing to issue a flurry of pardons in a near-deserted White House, surrounded by an extraordinary security presence outside.

“This week we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous,” Trump said in the video “farewell address,” released by the White House Tuesday afternoon. “We extend our best wishes. And we also want them to have luck. A very important word.”

Trump, who spent months trying to delegitimize President-elect Joe Biden’s win with baseless allegations of mass voter fraud, referenced the “next administration,” but declined to utter Biden’s name. Many of Trump’s supporters continue to believe the election was stolen from him, even though a long list of judges, Republican state officials and even Trump’s own government have said there is no evidence to support that claim.

The American public — regular people who have spent years languishing in prison — as well as politically connected friends and allies like those he’s pardoned in the past.

Trump spent much of the address trumpeting what he sees as his top achievements, including efforts to normalize relations in the Middle East, the development of coronavirus vaccinations and the creation of a new Space Force.

“We did what we came here to do — and so much more,” he said in the nearly 20-minute address.

Trump has remained largely out of sight since his supporters stormed the Capitol building earlier this month, trying to halt the peaceful transfer of power. Aides had urged him to spend his final days in office participating in a series of legacy-burnishing events. But Trump, who remains consumed with anger and grievance over his election loss, largely refused. He has not been seen in public since last week, when he traveled to Texas for one last photo opportunity at the border wall he pushed so adamantly throughout his presidency. In the end, he spent less than 45 minutes on the ground there and spoke just 21 minutes.

Trump is set to leave Washington early Wednesday morning and has been planning a grand farewell event at nearby Joint Base Andrews. Once there, he will board Air Force One for a final time, flying to Florida and becoming the first outgoing president in more than a century to skip the inauguration of his successor.

Trump has also refused to take part in any of the symbolic passing-of-the-torch traditions that have been the capstones of the peaceful transition of power from one administration to the next. He is boycotting not just the ceremony at the Capitol, but also passed on inviting the Bidens to the White House for a get-to-know-you meeting. And it remains unclear whether he will write Biden a personal welcome letter, like the one he received from former President Obama when he moved in.

Denied his Twitter bullhorn and with little else planned, Trump did participate in multiple meetings over the long weekend to discuss pending clemency actions, according to a White House official, who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity because the action had yet to be made public.

Trump was personally involved in the effort to sift through requests, mostly from first-time drug offenders sentenced to life, rejecting some applications and greenlighting others, according to one of the people involved in the effort. Also playing a key role has been the president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, who personally met with advocates, reviewed cases and brought them to the Department of Justice and pardon attorney.

Jessica Jackson, a lawyer and criminal justice advocate who has been working with the administration, said that she came to Ivanka Trump with the case of Darrell Frazier, who has served more than 29 years of a life sentence with no parole for his role in a drug conspiracy. While incarcerated, he founded a non-profit foundation in Tennessee that teaches tennis to 100-200 kids a week.

“I heard his story and brought it to Ivanka,” said Jackson. “Once she heard the story, she took it to the DOJ, she took it to the pardon attorney.”

Trump had been expected to move forward with additional pardons and commutations earlier this month, but discussions were put on hold after the insurrection at the Capitol by pro-Trump rioters incited by the president’s fiery and baseless election challenges. That threw an already paralyzed White House into even further chaos.

Trump has since been impeached for a second time and a sense of wariness has set in, with the president’s inner circle fearful of doing anything that could provoke a conviction in the Senate that would potentially bar him from ever holding office again.

That would curtail any chance of a 2024 comeback run that Trump had hoped would at least stoke the rumors of a campaign to remain relevant and a GOP kingmaker. Trump aides nervously watched Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Tuesday denunciation of the president’s words that incited the riot; if McConnell, who has not signaled how he will vote in the trial, opts to convict, enough Republicans may follow suit to oust Trump, who does not have his Twitter account to keep his adopted party in line.

A long list of Trump staffers have already packed their offices and departed the White House, leaving the West Wing deserted — a warren of empty offices and bare walls — surrounded by an unprecedented security apparatus with National Guard troops, military vehicles and checkpoints aimed at staving off further violence.

Moving trucks were spotted in Florida on Monday arriving at Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago club.

As advocates and prisoners await Trump’s clemency decisions, it remains unclear whether Trump will pardon Steve Bannon, his former top strategist, or offer pre-emptive reprieves to his attorney, Rudy Giuliani, his adult children and or even himself — uncharted legal territory.

Bannon has been charged with duping thousands of investors who believed their money would be used to fulfill Trump’s chief campaign promise to build a wall along the southern border. Instead, Bannon is charged with diverting over a million dollars, paying a salary to one campaign official and personal expenses for himself.

Giuliani said on his Sunday radio show that, while he fears that prosecutors might “try to frame me,” he is “willing to run that risk.”

“I do not need a pardon. I don’t commit crimes,” he said.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who speaks often with Trump, said on Fox’s Sunday Morning Futures that there are also “a lot of people” urging the president to pardon those who participated in the storming of the Capitol building — pleas he urged the president to swiftly reject.

“I don’t care if you went there and spread flowers on the floor, you breached the security of the Capitol, you interrupted a joint session of Congress, you tried to intimidate us all. You should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and to seek a pardon of these people would be wrong,” he said. He warned that such a move “would destroy President Trump and I hope we don’t go down that road.”

In addition to the bold-faced names, Trump’s list is expected to include people whose cases have been championed by criminal justice reform advocates. They are people like Chris Young, who was sentenced to life in prison for drug possession because of federal sentencing minimums and whose case has been championed by reality TV star Kim Kardashian West.

“Our nation is not well served by spending millions of taxpayer dollars burying people alive under outdated federal drug laws,” said his attorney, Brittany K. Barnett, who is co-founder of the Buried Alive Project, a criminal justice reform advocacy group.

Trump has already pardoned a number of longtime associates and supporters, including his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort; the father of his son-in-law, Charles Kushner; his longtime friend and adviser Roger Stone and his former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611096506367.png" alt="President Trump is scheduled to leave Washington Wednesday morning -image courtesy White House" />
                        <figcaption>President Trump is scheduled to leave Washington Wednesday morning -image courtesy White House</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump offered rare, kind words to his successor in a farewell video, while failing to address him by name, as he spent his final full day in office preparing to issue a flurry of pardons in a near-deserted White House, surrounded by an extraordinary security presence outside.</p><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F270628861310657%2F&show_text=false&width=560" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div><p>“This week we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous,” Trump said in the video “farewell address,” released by the White House Tuesday afternoon. “We extend our best wishes. And we also want them to have luck. A very important word.”</p><p>Trump, who spent months trying to delegitimize President-elect Joe Biden’s win with baseless allegations of mass voter fraud, referenced the “next administration,” but declined to utter Biden’s name. Many of Trump’s supporters continue to believe the election was stolen from him, even though a long list of judges, Republican state officials and even Trump’s own government have said there is no evidence to support that claim.</p><p>The American public — regular people who have spent years languishing in prison — as well as politically connected friends and allies like those he’s pardoned in the past.</p><p>Trump spent much of the address trumpeting what he sees as his top achievements, including efforts to normalize relations in the Middle East, the development of coronavirus vaccinations and the creation of a new Space Force.</p><p>“We did what we came here to do — and so much more,” he said in the nearly 20-minute address.</p><p>Trump has remained largely out of sight since his supporters stormed the Capitol building earlier this month, trying to halt the peaceful transfer of power. Aides had urged him to spend his final days in office participating in a series of legacy-burnishing events. But Trump, who remains consumed with anger and grievance over his election loss, largely refused. He has not been seen in public since last week, when he traveled to Texas for one last photo opportunity at the border wall he pushed so adamantly throughout his presidency. In the end, he spent less than 45 minutes on the ground there and spoke just 21 minutes.</p><p>Trump is set to leave Washington early Wednesday morning and has been planning a grand farewell event at nearby Joint Base Andrews. Once there, he will board Air Force One for a final time, flying to Florida and becoming the first outgoing president in more than a century to skip the inauguration of his successor.</p><p>Trump has also refused to take part in any of the symbolic passing-of-the-torch traditions that have been the capstones of the peaceful transition of power from one administration to the next. He is boycotting not just the ceremony at the Capitol, but also passed on inviting the Bidens to the White House for a get-to-know-you meeting. And it remains unclear whether he will write Biden a personal welcome letter, like the one he received from former President Obama when he moved in.</p><p>Denied his Twitter bullhorn and with little else planned, Trump did participate in multiple meetings over the long weekend to discuss pending clemency actions, according to a White House official, who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity because the action had yet to be made public.</p><p>Trump was personally involved in the effort to sift through requests, mostly from first-time drug offenders sentenced to life, rejecting some applications and greenlighting others, according to one of the people involved in the effort. Also playing a key role has been the president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, who personally met with advocates, reviewed cases and brought them to the Department of Justice and pardon attorney.</p><p>Jessica Jackson, a lawyer and criminal justice advocate who has been working with the administration, said that she came to Ivanka Trump with the case of Darrell Frazier, who has served more than 29 years of a life sentence with no parole for his role in a drug conspiracy. While incarcerated, he founded a non-profit foundation in Tennessee that teaches tennis to 100-200 kids a week.</p><p>“I heard his story and brought it to Ivanka,” said Jackson. “Once she heard the story, she took it to the DOJ, she took it to the pardon attorney.”</p><p>Trump had been expected to move forward with additional pardons and commutations earlier this month, but discussions were put on hold after the insurrection at the Capitol by pro-Trump rioters incited by the president’s fiery and baseless election challenges. That threw an already paralyzed White House into even further chaos.</p><p>Trump has since been impeached for a second time and a sense of wariness has set in, with the president’s inner circle fearful of doing anything that could provoke a conviction in the Senate that would potentially bar him from ever holding office again.</p><p>That would curtail any chance of a 2024 comeback run that Trump had hoped would at least stoke the rumors of a campaign to remain relevant and a GOP kingmaker. Trump aides nervously watched Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Tuesday denunciation of the president’s words that incited the riot; if McConnell, who has not signaled how he will vote in the trial, opts to convict, enough Republicans may follow suit to oust Trump, who does not have his Twitter account to keep his adopted party in line.</p><p>A long list of Trump staffers have already packed their offices and departed the White House, leaving the West Wing deserted — a warren of empty offices and bare walls — surrounded by an unprecedented security apparatus with National Guard troops, military vehicles and checkpoints aimed at staving off further violence.</p><p>Moving trucks were spotted in Florida on Monday arriving at Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago club.</p><p>As advocates and prisoners await Trump’s clemency decisions, it remains unclear whether Trump will pardon Steve Bannon, his former top strategist, or offer pre-emptive reprieves to his attorney, Rudy Giuliani, his adult children and or even himself — uncharted legal territory.</p><p>Bannon has been charged with duping thousands of investors who believed their money would be used to fulfill Trump’s chief campaign promise to build a wall along the southern border. Instead, Bannon is charged with diverting over a million dollars, paying a salary to one campaign official and personal expenses for himself.</p><p>Giuliani said on his Sunday radio show that, while he fears that prosecutors might “try to frame me,” he is “willing to run that risk.”</p><p>“I do not need a pardon. I don’t commit crimes,” he said.</p><p>Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who speaks often with Trump, said on Fox’s Sunday Morning Futures that there are also “a lot of people” urging the president to pardon those who participated in the storming of the Capitol building — pleas he urged the president to swiftly reject.</p><p>“I don’t care if you went there and spread flowers on the floor, you breached the security of the Capitol, you interrupted a joint session of Congress, you tried to intimidate us all. You should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and to seek a pardon of these people would be wrong,” he said. He warned that such a move “would destroy President Trump and I hope we don’t go down that road.”</p><p>In addition to the bold-faced names, Trump’s list is expected to include people whose cases have been championed by criminal justice reform advocates. They are people like Chris Young, who was sentenced to life in prison for drug possession because of federal sentencing minimums and whose case has been championed by reality TV star Kim Kardashian West.</p><p>“Our nation is not well served by spending millions of taxpayer dollars burying people alive under outdated federal drug laws,” said his attorney, Brittany K. Barnett, who is co-founder of the Buried Alive Project, a criminal justice reform advocacy group.</p><p>Trump has already pardoned a number of longtime associates and supporters, including his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort; the father of his son-in-law, Charles Kushner; his longtime friend and adviser Roger Stone and his former national security adviser Michael Flynn.</p>

🎥  Pres. Trump wishes Biden luck in farewell video

CRAWFORD COUNTY –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Crawford County Sheriff are investigating a&nbsp; suspicious death investigation that took place in Arcadia, Kansas.<b></b>

Just before midnight Jan. 13, deputies from the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office&nbsp; received a tip indicating that a body could be located at 111 S. Kansas in Arcadia, according to a media release from the KBI.

Deputies went to the address and made contact with 37-year-old Nicholas Adam Carrillo. He gave permission for them to look around the property. When searching, deputies discovered a deceased subject in the backyard. Carrillo fled from the area on foot.

Just after 1a.m. on Jan. 14, the KBI was asked to assist in the case. Special agents and the Crime Scene Response Team responded to Arcadia to investigate.

Authorities located Carrillo was located on the evening of Jan. 15, in Arcadia and booked him into the Crawford County Jail at around 10 p.m. Carrillo was arrested on requested charges of criminal desecration of a body, possession of opiates, opium, narcotic drugs or certain stimulants, possession of drug paraphernalia, and interference with law enforcement. He is currently being held on $15,000 bond.

The deceased is a male subject reported missing to the Kansas City Missouri Police Department (KCPD). Investigators believe the death occurred in Kansas City, Mo., and as such they will be conducting further investigation into the man’s death, according to the KBI.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611093365128.png" alt="Carrillo-photo Crawford Co. Sheriff" />
                        <figcaption>Carrillo-photo Crawford Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>CRAWFORD COUNTY –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Crawford County Sheriff are investigating a&nbsp; suspicious death investigation that took place in Arcadia, Kansas.<b></b></p><p>Just before midnight Jan. 13, deputies from the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office&nbsp; received a tip indicating that a body could be located at 111 S. Kansas in Arcadia, according to a media release from the KBI.</p><p>Deputies went to the address and made contact with 37-year-old Nicholas Adam Carrillo. He gave permission for them to look around the property. When searching, deputies discovered a deceased subject in the backyard. Carrillo fled from the area on foot.</p><p>Just after 1a.m. on Jan. 14, the KBI was asked to assist in the case. Special agents and the Crime Scene Response Team responded to Arcadia to investigate.</p><p>Authorities located Carrillo was located on the evening of Jan. 15, in Arcadia and booked him into the Crawford County Jail at around 10 p.m. Carrillo was arrested on requested charges of criminal desecration of a body, possession of opiates, opium, narcotic drugs or certain stimulants, possession of drug paraphernalia, and interference with law enforcement. He is currently being held on $15,000 bond.</p><p>The deceased is a male subject reported missing to the Kansas City Missouri Police Department (KCPD). Investigators believe the death occurred in Kansas City, Mo., and as such they will be conducting further investigation into the man’s death, according to the KBI.</p>

KBI: Suspect in death investigation in custody

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is a big fan of the Chiefs, but he couldn't help but worry as he watched news coverage of fans celebrating close together after the team's 22-17 NFL playoff game win over Cleveland.

Now, with the Chiefs hosting Buffalo in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, Lucas is urging fans to keep COVID-19 preventative measures in mind as they gather to watch.

Lucas noticed that some celebrating fans were not wearing masks and not following social distancing guidelines.

He said the city will touch base with entertainment districts to make sure crowds next weekend don't leave “a lot of people sick around the Super Bowl.”

The AFC winner earns a spot in the Super Bowl on Feb. 7 against the NFC winner. Tampa Bay plays at Green Bay in the NFC game on Sunday.

Lucas said it's safer to watch and celebrate with family rather than high-fiving strangers, and safer to watch outside if the weather allows.

“We all have to celebrate responsibly,” Lucas said, adding that the city has “a lot more work to do as we fight COVID.”

Missouri has reported 440,197 confirmed cases and 6,263 deaths since the coronavirus pandemic began early last year. The state health department's COVID-19 dashboard on Tuesday offered some reason for hope: The number of new cases dropped 40% over the past seven days compared to the previous seven-day period, and deaths dropped 50%.

But hospitals across Missouri are still dangerously full. The state dashboard showed that just 22% of in-patient beds were available, and 21% of intensive care unit beds were available.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611090275778.png" alt="Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas" />
                        <figcaption>Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>KANSAS CITY (AP) — Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is a big fan of the Chiefs, but he couldn't help but worry as he watched news coverage of fans celebrating close together after the team's 22-17 NFL playoff game win over Cleveland.</p><p>Now, with the Chiefs hosting Buffalo in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, Lucas is urging fans to keep COVID-19 preventative measures in mind as they gather to watch.</p><p>Lucas noticed that some celebrating fans were not wearing masks and not following social distancing guidelines.</p><p>He said the city will touch base with entertainment districts to make sure crowds next weekend don't leave “a lot of people sick around the Super Bowl.”</p><p>The AFC winner earns a spot in the Super Bowl on Feb. 7 against the NFC winner. Tampa Bay plays at Green Bay in the NFC game on Sunday.</p><p>Lucas said it's safer to watch and celebrate with family rather than high-fiving strangers, and safer to watch outside if the weather allows.</p><p>“We all have to celebrate responsibly,” Lucas said, adding that the city has “a lot more work to do as we fight COVID.”</p><p>Missouri has reported 440,197 confirmed cases and 6,263 deaths since the coronavirus pandemic began early last year. The state health department's COVID-19 dashboard on Tuesday offered some reason for hope: The number of new cases dropped 40% over the past seven days compared to the previous seven-day period, and deaths dropped 50%.</p><p>But hospitals across Missouri are still dangerously full. The state dashboard showed that just 22% of in-patient beds were available, and 21% of intensive care unit beds were available.</p>

KC Mayor to Chiefs fans: Celebrate with COVID-19 in mind

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — State office buildings near the Statehouse have been closed to the public and the Legislature has curtailed its meetings due to security concerns ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration in Washington, D.C.

The closures came in response to an FBI warning about the potential for armed protests nationwide following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/14c73ee280c256ab4ec193ac0f49ad54">mob violence&nbsp;</a>Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol. Supporters of President Donald Trump, encouraged by unfounded allegations of election fraud, stormed the building, interrupting Congress’ certification of Biden’s victory over Trump.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610659131053.png" alt="Photo courtesy Kansas Capitol Police" />
                        <figcaption>Photo courtesy Kansas Capitol Police</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — State office buildings near the Statehouse have been closed to the public and the Legislature has curtailed its meetings due to security concerns ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration in Washington, D.C.</p><p>The closures came in response to an FBI warning about the potential for armed protests nationwide following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/14c73ee280c256ab4ec193ac0f49ad54">mob violence&nbsp;</a>Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol. Supporters of President Donald Trump, encouraged by unfounded allegations of election fraud, stormed the building, interrupting Congress’ certification of Biden’s victory over Trump.</p><p>“We encourage everyone to work remotely as much as possible Tuesday and Wednesday to limit traffic in the statehouse,” House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., an Olathe Republican, said in an email to colleagues Monday evening. “We encourage you to have your staff work remotely on Tuesday and Wednesday as well.”</p><p>Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s office&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-legislature-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-0764f55150f44c985034289ff8b0ded9">told lawmakers last week&nbsp;</a>that it had information about potential events at the Kansas Statehouse on Sunday and later in the week, including Wednesday, the day of Biden’s inauguration. The Sunday event did not materialize.</p><p>Kelly restricted access to the Statehouse and increased security in the area, then decided to close the offices near the Statehouse on Tuesday and Wednesday. Leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature said their chambers would conduct no major business on those days, and most committees postponed meetings.</p><p>The office of Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, also emailed senators Monday evening, urging them not to come to the chamber Tuesday and saying they would be marked present for the daily roll call. Both chambers scheduled only housekeeping sessions for Wednesday so most members would not have to be present.</p><p>About 200 Trump supporters&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-kansas-elections-coronavirus-pandemic-1d62ac6c2ee8ea226b8fbbc1cdd20939">rallied at the Kansas Statehouse</a>&nbsp;on Jan. 6, but their event was peaceful, and they entered the building through its main security checkpoint. There were no arrests or problems reported.</p><p>Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat, was working from home.</p><p>“If there is an issue, I would rather be overly cautious than to have something happen where people are injured or severely hurt,” she said.</p><p>Kelly said the buildings closed include the three largest ones housing state agencies near the Statehouse. The state Department for Children and Families announced that it was closing its service centers in Topeka and Kansas City, Kansas, both days as well.</p><p>State Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert announced that the Kansas Judicial Center also would be closed Tuesday and Wednesday due to security concerns.</p><p>-------</p><p>TOPEKA&nbsp;- Governor Laura Kelly announced the State Office Buildings in the Capitol Complex, which includes Curtis, Landon, and Eisenhower, will be closed starting Tuesday, January 19, and Wednesday, January 20. Additional administration buildings will also be closed including the Kansas Department for Children and Families service centers in Topeka and Kansas City, Kansas.<br><br>“The safety and wellbeing of our employees is my top priority,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“These steps are taken out of an abundance of caution – and I thank all employees for their patience and understanding during this time.”<br><br>Employees are instructed to work remotely. If an employee’s regular duties require them to be in the office – and they cannot work from home – they are instructed not to report to work Tuesday, January 19 or Wednesday, January 20.<br><br>Governor Kelly encourages agency heads with offices in the immediate surrounding area beyond the State Office Buildings to follow similar procedure.<br><br>The Statehouse will be open for individuals having business with the Legislature, Governor’s or Lt. Governor’s Offices. All Statehouse access will be through the Visitor Center entrance only.</p>