TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas ranks last among states in its reported COVID-19 vaccination rate, according to U.S. government data, and state officials attribute it to a lag in reporting by providers of the shots.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations" target="_blank">reported</a>&nbsp;that 12,164 people had received the first of two vaccine doses in Kansas as of Wednesday, or 418 for every 100,000 of its 2.9 million residents. The CDC said Kansas had administered less than 11% of the vaccine doses it had received.

Only Georgia, Mississippi and Ohio also had vaccination rates below 500 people per 100,000 residents, according to the CDC. Missouri’s rate was 1,084 shots for every 100,000 residents, and West Virginia led states with 2,178 per 100,000 residents.

The figures sparked new criticism of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic from the Republican-controlled Legislature after months of conflict between her and top GOP lawmakers. She plans to push legislators to rescind local control over mask mandates and restrictions on businesses after they convene their annual session Jan. 11, but Republicans are likely to resist.

House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, called the state’s low reported vaccination rate “truly disappointing.”

“People are seeking a return to normalcy, and Governor Kelly’s new normal isn’t going to cut it,” he said in a text to The Associated Press.

But Ashley Jones-Wisner, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said Thursday that the vaccination numbers are not current because not all providers are fully trained on using a computer system for reporting inoculations.

“We hope that as this process moves forward, and everyone becomes trained, we will be able to share accurate numbers more readily,” she said in an email.

Across the nation, the race to vaccinate millions of Americans is off to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/public-health-seniors-florida-coronavirus-pandemic-e106ffb05881cd474be554dac055bff6">a slower, messier start</a>&nbsp;than public health officials and leaders of the federal government’s distribution program had expected. Kansas doesn’t expect vaccines to be available for all adults until the end of the spring.

State health department data showed that Kansas averaged 1,821 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases and 33 additional COVID-19 deaths a day for the seven days ending Wednesday. Kansas has reported more than 222,000 cases and more than 2,700 deaths since the pandemic reached the state in early March. That’s one case for every 13 residents and one death for every 1,063.

The CDC said that as of Wednesday, about 115,000 vaccine does had arrived in Kansas, while Dr. Lee Norman, the state health department’s head, said Kansas would have nearly 184,000 doses by Friday, including second doses of a vaccine made by Pfizer for 24,000 people.

The state has yet to report its own data for how many shots have been given.

“We don’t have the exact number because it lags,” Norman said during a Statehouse news conference Wednesday. “The data lags because it has to get into our epidemiology tracking system. The same people that are doing the vaccinations are the ones putting in the data.”

The state’s vaccine distribution plan calls for first giving shots to health care workers, nursing home workers and nursing home residents, then first responders and other essential workers. But Kansas also has a “continuity of operations” plan for state government that led Kelly to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-state-governments-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-topeka-9b2424d88ebeca672c37bf0657ad82f0">get her first vaccine shot</a>&nbsp;Wednesday and to offer shots to 10 other top state officials. State agencies plan vaccinate hundreds of their employees as well.

Norman got his first shot Thursday. Neither he nor Kelly had any reaction to the inoculations, their offices said.

But House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., an Olathe Republican, said it was “sad” to see Kelly take time for a shot when vaccinations aren’t going to “Kansans who need them the most.” Ryckman,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e9197aeed6ae76b393acb96ea31c736b" target="_blank">who was briefly hospitalized</a>&nbsp;with COVID-19 during the summer, passed on a chance to get an early vaccination.

“Leadership is about taking care of others first,” he said.

Meanwhile,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2020s/b2020s/measures/documents/summary_hb_2016_2020special" target="_blank">a law</a>&nbsp;enacted in June ends a state of emergency for the pandemic on Jan. 26 unless the Legislature acts. The deadline is expected to spark a battle over the governor’s authority.

Kelly imposed a statewide stay-at-home order for five weeks, until early May. Top GOP lawmakers saw her as too slow to reopen the economy afterward, and the law enacted in June gave counties the ability to opt out of orders she issued. Key Republicans said GOP lawmakers are unlikely to back off their position that local control is best.

When the governor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/425a488fcf8f16dfb0d7e06a9293b1ff">announced her statewide stay-at-home order</a>&nbsp;in early March, Kansas had reported six COVID-19 deaths and fewer than 300 coronavirus cases and was reporting no cases in 71 of its 105 counties.

But Kelly said in a recent AP interview that she does not regret taking aggressive action early because Kansas had to get more information about the virus. Other Democrats noted other states also closed businesses and schools.

“I don’t think we could have done any different,” Kelly said.

But Republicans contend Kelly acted too aggressively too early and seriously damaged the state’s economy.

“Did we need to be cautious? Absolutely,” said incoming Senate Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop, a Wichita Republican. “Did we need to be irrational? Hell no, and I think she was at that time, and I think it’s proven to be damaging to the state.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609461356237.png" alt="Governor Laura Kelly received the Moderna vaccine Wednesday afternoon in Topeka -photo courtesy office of Kan. Governor" />
 <figcaption>Governor Laura Kelly received the Moderna vaccine Wednesday afternoon in Topeka -photo courtesy office of Kan. Governor</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas ranks last among states in its reported COVID-19 vaccination rate, according to U.S. government data, and state officials attribute it to a lag in reporting by providers of the shots.The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations" target="_blank">reported</a>&nbsp;that 12,164 people had received the first of two vaccine doses in Kansas as of Wednesday, or 418 for every 100,000 of its 2.9 million residents. The CDC said Kansas had administered less than 11% of the vaccine doses it had received.Only Georgia, Mississippi and Ohio also had vaccination rates below 500 people per 100,000 residents, according to the CDC. Missouri’s rate was 1,084 shots for every 100,000 residents, and West Virginia led states with 2,178 per 100,000 residents.The figures sparked new criticism of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic from the Republican-controlled Legislature after months of conflict between her and top GOP lawmakers. She plans to push legislators to rescind local control over mask mandates and restrictions on businesses after they convene their annual session Jan. 11, but Republicans are likely to resist.House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, called the state’s low reported vaccination rate “truly disappointing.”“People are seeking a return to normalcy, and Governor Kelly’s new normal isn’t going to cut it,” he said in a text to The Associated Press.But Ashley Jones-Wisner, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said Thursday that the vaccination numbers are not current because not all providers are fully trained on using a computer system for reporting inoculations.“We hope that as this process moves forward, and everyone becomes trained, we will be able to share accurate numbers more readily,” she said in an email.Across the nation, the race to vaccinate millions of Americans is off to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/public-health-seniors-florida-coronavirus-pandemic-e106ffb05881cd474be554dac055bff6">a slower, messier start</a>&nbsp;than public health officials and leaders of the federal government’s distribution program had expected. Kansas doesn’t expect vaccines to be available for all adults until the end of the spring.State health department data showed that Kansas averaged 1,821 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases and 33 additional COVID-19 deaths a day for the seven days ending Wednesday. Kansas has reported more than 222,000 cases and more than 2,700 deaths since the pandemic reached the state in early March. That’s one case for every 13 residents and one death for every 1,063.The CDC said that as of Wednesday, about 115,000 vaccine does had arrived in Kansas, while Dr. Lee Norman, the state health department’s head, said Kansas would have nearly 184,000 doses by Friday, including second doses of a vaccine made by Pfizer for 24,000 people.The state has yet to report its own data for how many shots have been given.“We don’t have the exact number because it lags,” Norman said during a Statehouse news conference Wednesday. “The data lags because it has to get into our epidemiology tracking system. The same people that are doing the vaccinations are the ones putting in the data.”The state’s vaccine distribution plan calls for first giving shots to health care workers, nursing home workers and nursing home residents, then first responders and other essential workers. But Kansas also has a “continuity of operations” plan for state government that led Kelly to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-state-governments-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-topeka-9b2424d88ebeca672c37bf0657ad82f0">get her first vaccine shot</a>&nbsp;Wednesday and to offer shots to 10 other top state officials. State agencies plan vaccinate hundreds of their employees as well.Norman got his first shot Thursday. Neither he nor Kelly had any reaction to the inoculations, their offices said.But House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., an Olathe Republican, said it was “sad” to see Kelly take time for a shot when vaccinations aren’t going to “Kansans who need them the most.” Ryckman,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e9197aeed6ae76b393acb96ea31c736b" target="_blank">who was briefly hospitalized</a>&nbsp;with COVID-19 during the summer, passed on a chance to get an early vaccination.“Leadership is about taking care of others first,” he said.Meanwhile,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2020s/b2020s/measures/documents/summary_hb_2016_2020special" target="_blank">a law</a>&nbsp;enacted in June ends a state of emergency for the pandemic on Jan. 26 unless the Legislature acts. The deadline is expected to spark a battle over the governor’s authority.Kelly imposed a statewide stay-at-home order for five weeks, until early May. Top GOP lawmakers saw her as too slow to reopen the economy afterward, and the law enacted in June gave counties the ability to opt out of orders she issued. Key Republicans said GOP lawmakers are unlikely to back off their position that local control is best.When the governor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/425a488fcf8f16dfb0d7e06a9293b1ff">announced her statewide stay-at-home order</a>&nbsp;in early March, Kansas had reported six COVID-19 deaths and fewer than 300 coronavirus cases and was reporting no cases in 71 of its 105 counties.But Kelly said in a recent AP interview that she does not regret taking aggressive action early because Kansas had to get more information about the virus. Other Democrats noted other states also closed businesses and schools.“I don’t think we could have done any different,” Kelly said.But Republicans contend Kelly acted too aggressively too early and seriously damaged the state’s economy.“Did we need to be cautious? Absolutely,” said incoming Senate Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop, a Wichita Republican. “Did we need to be irrational? Hell no, and I think she was at that time, and I think it’s proven to be damaging to the state.”___

CDC ranks Kansas last in COVID-19 shots

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is ending a chaotic session like few others, a two-year political firestorm that started with the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history, was riven by impeachment and a pandemic, and now closes with a rare rebuff by Republicans of President Donald Trump.

In the few days remaining, GOP senators are ignoring Trump's demand to increase COVID-19 aid checks to $2,000 and poised to override his veto of a major defense bill, asserting traditional Republican spending and security priorities in defiance of a president who has marched the party in a different direction.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a top Trump ally, tried to bridge the divide Thursday, saying that Congress could try again to approve Trump's push for bigger COVID aid checks in the new session, which opens Sunday.

“I am with President Trump on this," Graham said on Fox News.

“Our economy is really hurting here,” he said. "There’s no way to get a vote by Jan. 3. The new Congress begins noon Jan. 3. So the new Congress, you could get a vote.’’

As Congress meets for a rare New Year's Eve session, the standoff over the COVID checks and the defense bill punctuates the president’s final days. The one-two rebuke of his demands deepens the divide between the Republican Party's new wing of Trump-styled populists and what had been mainstay conservative views.

The stalemate is expected to drag into the weekend.

An exasperated Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said this week, “After all the insanity that Senate Republicans have tolerated from President Trump — his attacks on the rule of law, an independent judiciary, the conduct that led to his impeachment — is this where Senate Republicans are going to draw the line — $2,000 checks to the American people?”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell all but shut the door on Trump's push for the $2,000 checks, declaring Congress has provided enough pandemic aid as he blocked Democratic attempts to force a vote.

Opening the Senate on Thursday, McConnell called the House-passed bill matching Trump's request “socialism for rich people.”

The GOP leader made clear he is unwilling to budge, despite political pressure from Trump and even fellow Republicans, including the two GOP senators facing runoff elections in Georgia next week that will determine which party controls the Senate.

Trump was making an early return to the White House from his private club in Florida. But rather than take a victory lap over the massive $2 trillion-plus COVID aid and year-end spending package he just signed into law — or other successes this session like the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court — he was berating Republican leaders.

The outgoing president appeared more focused on gathering GOP support for his extraordinary challenge of President-elect Joe Biden’s win when the Electoral College vote is tallied in a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6.

Most GOP senators seemed to accept the inaction on the relief checks, even as a growing number of Republicans agree with Trump's demand, some wary of bucking him.

With the Georgia Senate runoff elections days away, leading Republicans have warned that the GOP’s refusal to provide more aid as the virus worsens could jeopardize the outcome of those races.

Georgia’s GOP Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, who are trying to fend off Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in Tuesday's elections, have announced their support for Trump’s call for more generous checks.

On Wednesday, McConnell unveiled a new bill loaded up with Trump's other priorities as a possible off-ramp for the stalemate. It included the $2,000 checks more narrowly targeted to lower-income households as well as a complicated repeal of protections for tech companies like Facebook or Twitter under Section 230 of a communications law that the president complained is unfair to conservatives. It also tacked on the establishment of a bipartisan commission to review the 2020 presidential election Trump lost to Biden.

If McConnell set a vote on his bill, it could revive Trump's priorities. But because the approach contains the additional tech and elections provisions, Democrats and some Republicans would likely balk and it would be unlikely to have enough support in Congress to pass.

Liberal senators, led by Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who support the relief boost are blocking action on the defense bill until a vote can be taken on Trump’s demand for $2,000 for most Americans.

Republican Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Marco Rubio of Florida, among the party's potential 2024 presidential hopefuls, also pushed in the president's direction for more aid.

Hawley is leading Trump's challenge to the Electoral College result tally in Congress. But he was rebuked Thursday by Sen. Ben Sasse, who warned colleagues off what he called a “dangerous ploy” that could damage trust in elections.

Other Republicans panned the bigger checks, arguing during a lively Senate debate that the nearly $400 billion price tag was too high, the relief was not targeted to those in need and Washington has already dispatched ample sums of COVID-19 aid.

Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., tweeted that “blindly borrowing” billions “so we can send $2,000 checks to millions of people who haven’t lost any income is terrible policy.”

Considered a longshot, Trump's demand gained momentum at the start of the week when dozens of House Republicans helped pass a bill raising the payments with a robust two-thirds vote of approval.

Americans earning up to $75,000 will qualify for the direct $600 payments, which are phased out at higher income levels, and there's an additional $600 payment per dependent child. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the checks were starting to go out this week.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609452944790.png" alt="President Trump and the First Lady returned to Washington on New. Year's Eve photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>President Trump and the First Lady returned to Washington on New. Year's Eve photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is ending a chaotic session like few others, a two-year political firestorm that started with the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history, was riven by impeachment and a pandemic, and now closes with a rare rebuff by Republicans of President Donald Trump.In the few days remaining, GOP senators are ignoring Trump's demand to increase COVID-19 aid checks to $2,000 and poised to override his veto of a major defense bill, asserting traditional Republican spending and security priorities in defiance of a president who has marched the party in a different direction.Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a top Trump ally, tried to bridge the divide Thursday, saying that Congress could try again to approve Trump's push for bigger COVID aid checks in the new session, which opens Sunday.“I am with President Trump on this," Graham said on Fox News.“Our economy is really hurting here,” he said. "There’s no way to get a vote by Jan. 3. The new Congress begins noon Jan. 3. So the new Congress, you could get a vote.’’As Congress meets for a rare New Year's Eve session, the standoff over the COVID checks and the defense bill punctuates the president’s final days. The one-two rebuke of his demands deepens the divide between the Republican Party's new wing of Trump-styled populists and what had been mainstay conservative views.The stalemate is expected to drag into the weekend.An exasperated Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said this week, “After all the insanity that Senate Republicans have tolerated from President Trump — his attacks on the rule of law, an independent judiciary, the conduct that led to his impeachment — is this where Senate Republicans are going to draw the line — $2,000 checks to the American people?”Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell all but shut the door on Trump's push for the $2,000 checks, declaring Congress has provided enough pandemic aid as he blocked Democratic attempts to force a vote.Opening the Senate on Thursday, McConnell called the House-passed bill matching Trump's request “socialism for rich people.”The GOP leader made clear he is unwilling to budge, despite political pressure from Trump and even fellow Republicans, including the two GOP senators facing runoff elections in Georgia next week that will determine which party controls the Senate.Trump was making an early return to the White House from his private club in Florida. But rather than take a victory lap over the massive $2 trillion-plus COVID aid and year-end spending package he just signed into law — or other successes this session like the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court — he was berating Republican leaders.The outgoing president appeared more focused on gathering GOP support for his extraordinary challenge of President-elect Joe Biden’s win when the Electoral College vote is tallied in a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6.Most GOP senators seemed to accept the inaction on the relief checks, even as a growing number of Republicans agree with Trump's demand, some wary of bucking him.With the Georgia Senate runoff elections days away, leading Republicans have warned that the GOP’s refusal to provide more aid as the virus worsens could jeopardize the outcome of those races.Georgia’s GOP Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, who are trying to fend off Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in Tuesday's elections, have announced their support for Trump’s call for more generous checks.On Wednesday, McConnell unveiled a new bill loaded up with Trump's other priorities as a possible off-ramp for the stalemate. It included the $2,000 checks more narrowly targeted to lower-income households as well as a complicated repeal of protections for tech companies like Facebook or Twitter under Section 230 of a communications law that the president complained is unfair to conservatives. It also tacked on the establishment of a bipartisan commission to review the 2020 presidential election Trump lost to Biden.If McConnell set a vote on his bill, it could revive Trump's priorities. But because the approach contains the additional tech and elections provisions, Democrats and some Republicans would likely balk and it would be unlikely to have enough support in Congress to pass.Liberal senators, led by Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who support the relief boost are blocking action on the defense bill until a vote can be taken on Trump’s demand for $2,000 for most Americans.Republican Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Marco Rubio of Florida, among the party's potential 2024 presidential hopefuls, also pushed in the president's direction for more aid.Hawley is leading Trump's challenge to the Electoral College result tally in Congress. But he was rebuked Thursday by Sen. Ben Sasse, who warned colleagues off what he called a “dangerous ploy” that could damage trust in elections.Other Republicans panned the bigger checks, arguing during a lively Senate debate that the nearly $400 billion price tag was too high, the relief was not targeted to those in need and Washington has already dispatched ample sums of COVID-19 aid.Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., tweeted that “blindly borrowing” billions “so we can send $2,000 checks to millions of people who haven’t lost any income is terrible policy.”Considered a longshot, Trump's demand gained momentum at the start of the week when dozens of House Republicans helped pass a bill raising the payments with a robust two-thirds vote of approval.Americans earning up to $75,000 will qualify for the direct $600 payments, which are phased out at higher income levels, and there's an additional $600 payment per dependent child. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the checks were starting to go out this week.

Senate GOP ignores President, ends chaotic session 

TOPEKA - Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt has
named Dan Klucas as acting Securities Commissioner while he awaits Senate
confirmation.&nbsp;

Klucas joins the Securities Commission after serving 16
years in law enforcement and 13 years in various management roles for the state
of Kansas including Deputy Secretary at the Department for Children and
Families and Chief Operating Officer at the Office of Information Technology
Services.

&nbsp;“Dan is a seasoned
leader; he brings a unique blend of managerial and operational expertise to the
role, including strategic planning, project management and a law enforcement
background,” Insurance Commissioner Schmidt said. “I am eager to put his
experience to work in the Securities division of the Insurance Department to
continue improving operations and streamlining services.”

&nbsp;“It’s an honor to be
named Securities Commissioner,” said Klucas. “I look forward to working beside
Commissioner Schmidt to regulate the industry, advocate for those who have
fallen victim to securities fraud and educate Kansans about best practices and
bad actors.” 

In 2017, the Kansas legislature moved the Securities
Commission under the purview of the Insurance Department. The Securities
Commissioner is appointed by the Insurance Commissioner and confirmed by the
Kansas Senate. 

In 2019, Commissioner Schmidt merged the Securities
Commission with the Kansas Insurance Department (KID) to realize additional administrative
efficiencies.

In December, Securities Commissioner Jeff Wagaman retired after 30 years of service to the state of Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609279324512.jpeg" alt="Dan Klucas" />
 <figcaption>Dan Klucas</figcaption>
 </figure>KIDTOPEKA - Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt has
named Dan Klucas as acting Securities Commissioner while he awaits Senate
confirmation.&nbsp;Klucas joins the Securities Commission after serving 16
years in law enforcement and 13 years in various management roles for the state
of Kansas including Deputy Secretary at the Department for Children and
Families and Chief Operating Officer at the Office of Information Technology
Services.&nbsp;“Dan is a seasoned
leader; he brings a unique blend of managerial and operational expertise to the
role, including strategic planning, project management and a law enforcement
background,” Insurance Commissioner Schmidt said. “I am eager to put his
experience to work in the Securities division of the Insurance Department to
continue improving operations and streamlining services.”&nbsp;“It’s an honor to be
named Securities Commissioner,” said Klucas. “I look forward to working beside
Commissioner Schmidt to regulate the industry, advocate for those who have
fallen victim to securities fraud and educate Kansans about best practices and
bad actors.” In 2017, the Kansas legislature moved the Securities
Commission under the purview of the Insurance Department. The Securities
Commissioner is appointed by the Insurance Commissioner and confirmed by the
Kansas Senate. In 2019, Commissioner Schmidt merged the Securities
Commission with the Kansas Insurance Department (KID) to realize additional administrative
efficiencies.In December, Securities Commissioner Jeff Wagaman retired after 30 years of service to the state of Kansas.

Dan Klucas named acting Kansas Securities Commissioner 

JENNINGS, Mo. (AP) — A former church employee has been charged with threatening to “shoot up” the church after he was asked to wear a mask, according to St. Louis County authorities.

Timothy Percy Taylor, 29, was fired from Radiant Life in Christ Church in Jennings on Dec. 6 after he became upset when a co-worker asked him to wear a mask inside the building.

The co-worker told police Taylor threatened to “pop” the employee and “shoot up the whole church," according to court documents.

Taylor returned to sit in the church parking lot several times, according to the documents, and also sent texts threatening the co-worker's family.

When Taylor was arrested Dec. 20 across the street from the church, he had three loaded firearms in his possession, according to the charging documents.

Online court records do not name an attorney for Taylor. He was being held on $50,000 cash only bond. A bond reduction hearing is scheduled for Jan. 5.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609366575892.png" alt="Taylor photo St. Louis Co." />
 <figcaption>Taylor photo St. Louis Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JENNINGS, Mo. (AP) — A former church employee has been charged with threatening to “shoot up” the church after he was asked to wear a mask, according to St. Louis County authorities.Timothy Percy Taylor, 29, was fired from Radiant Life in Christ Church in Jennings on Dec. 6 after he became upset when a co-worker asked him to wear a mask inside the building.The co-worker told police Taylor threatened to “pop” the employee and “shoot up the whole church," according to court documents.Taylor returned to sit in the church parking lot several times, according to the documents, and also sent texts threatening the co-worker's family.When Taylor was arrested Dec. 20 across the street from the church, he had three loaded firearms in his possession, according to the charging documents.Online court records do not name an attorney for Taylor. He was being held on $50,000 cash only bond. A bond reduction hearing is scheduled for Jan. 5.

Man threatens to 'shoot up' church after asked to wear mask

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Authorities arrested a suburban Milwaukee pharmacist Thursday suspected of deliberately ruining hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine by removing them from refrigeration for two nights.

The arrest marks another setback in what has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/public-health-seniors-florida-coronavirus-pandemic-e106ffb05881cd474be554dac055bff6">a slower, messier start&nbsp;</a>to vaccinate Americans than public health officials had expected. Leaders in Wisconsin and other states have been begging the Trump administration for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/general-gustave-perna-vaccine-shipments-6e61f8f1eb9bb0151669d1fe2d9b5646">more doses</a>&nbsp;as health care workers and senior citizens line up for the lifesaving vaccine.

Police in Grafton, about 20 miles&nbsp; north of Milwaukee, said the Advocate Aurora Health pharmacist Steven Brandenburg was arrested on suspicion of reckless endangerment, adulterating a prescription drug and criminal damage to property, all felonies. The pharmacist has been fired and police said in a news release that he was in jail. Police did not identify the pharmacist, saying he has not yet been formally charged.

His motive remains unclear. Police said that detectives believe he knew the spoiled doses would be useless and people who received them would mistakenly think they’d been vaccinated when they hadn’t.

Advocate Aurora Health Care Chief Medical Group Officer Jeff Bahr told reporters during a teleconference Thursday afternoon that the pharmacist deliberately removed 57 vials that held hundreds of doses of the Moderna vaccine from refrigeration at a Grafton medical center overnight on Dec. 24 into Dec. 25, returned them, then left them out again on the night of Dec. 25 into Saturday. The vials contained enough doses to inoculate 570 people.

A pharmacy technician discovered the vials outside the refrigerator on Saturday morning. Bahr said the pharmacist initially said that he had removed the vials to access other items in the refrigerator and had inadvertently failed to put them back.

The Moderna vaccine is viable for 12 hours outside refrigeration, so workers used the vaccine to inoculate 57 people before discarding the rest. Police said the discarded doses were worth between $8,000 and $11,000.

Bahr said health system officials grew more suspicious of the pharmacist as they reviewed the incident. After multiple interviews, the pharmacist acknowledged Wednesday that he removed the vaccine intentionally over the two nights, Bahr said.

That means that the doses people received Saturday are all but useless, he said. Moderna has told Aurora that there’s no safety concerns, but the hospital system is closely monitoring the people who received the spoiled doses, he said.

Bahr declined to comment on the pharmacist’s motive. He said the hospital system’s security protocols are sound.

“This was a situation involving a bad actor,” he said, “as opposed to a bad process.”

The number of COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin has been rising in recent days after dipping in early December. The state Department of Health Services reported 3,810 newly confirmed cases on Thursday, marking the third straight day of rising daily infections. The state has now seen 481,102 cases.

COVID-19 was a factor in 41 more deaths, pushing the state’s overall death toll to 4,859. The survival rate remained unchanged at 99%.

A little more than 47,150 people had been vaccinated in Wisconsin as of Monday morning, according to the latest data from the health agency. The state has been allocated 265,575 doses of both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. As of Monday morning, only about 157,000 doses had arrived.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers wrote a letter to President Donald Trump earlier in December asking him to prioritize more doses for Wisconsin due to high case numbers, swamped hospitals and a lack of statewide mitigation mandates.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Authorities arrested a suburban Milwaukee pharmacist Thursday suspected of deliberately ruining hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine by removing it from refrigeration for two nights.

The Grafton Police Department said the former Advocate Aurora Health pharmacist was arrested on suspicion of reckless endangerment, adulterating a prescription drug and criminal damage to property. The department said in a news release that he was in jail. Police did not identify the pharmacist, saying he has not yet been formally charged.

A pharmacy technician discovered the vials outside the refrigerator on Saturday morning. Bahr said the pharmacist initially said that he had removed the vaccine to access other items in the refrigerator and had inadvertently failed to replace it.

The Moderna vaccine is still viable for 12 hours outside refrigeration, so workers used the vaccine to inoculate 57 people before discarding the rest. Police said the discarded doses were worth between $8,000 and $11,000.

Bahr said health system officials grew more suspicious of the pharmacist as they reviewed the incident. After multiple interviews the pharmacist acknowledged Wednesday that he removed the vaccine deliberately and left it out overnight Dec. 24 into Dec. 25, returned it to the refrigerator at some point and then removed it again overnight Dec. 25 to Dec. 26.

Bahr said that means that the doses people received Saturday are all but useless. Moderna has told Aurora that there’s no safety concerns but the system is monitoring them closely, he said.

Bahr declined to comment on the pharmacist’s motive.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1609679136628.png" alt="Steven Brandenburg photo Ozaukee Co. Jail" />
 <figcaption>Steven Brandenburg photo Ozaukee Co. Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Authorities arrested a suburban Milwaukee pharmacist Thursday suspected of deliberately ruining hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine by removing them from refrigeration for two nights.The arrest marks another setback in what has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/public-health-seniors-florida-coronavirus-pandemic-e106ffb05881cd474be554dac055bff6">a slower, messier start&nbsp;</a>to vaccinate Americans than public health officials had expected. Leaders in Wisconsin and other states have been begging the Trump administration for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/general-gustave-perna-vaccine-shipments-6e61f8f1eb9bb0151669d1fe2d9b5646">more doses</a>&nbsp;as health care workers and senior citizens line up for the lifesaving vaccine.Police in Grafton, about 20 miles&nbsp; north of Milwaukee, said the Advocate Aurora Health pharmacist Steven Brandenburg was arrested on suspicion of reckless endangerment, adulterating a prescription drug and criminal damage to property, all felonies. The pharmacist has been fired and police said in a news release that he was in jail. Police did not identify the pharmacist, saying he has not yet been formally charged.His motive remains unclear. Police said that detectives believe he knew the spoiled doses would be useless and people who received them would mistakenly think they’d been vaccinated when they hadn’t.Advocate Aurora Health Care Chief Medical Group Officer Jeff Bahr told reporters during a teleconference Thursday afternoon that the pharmacist deliberately removed 57 vials that held hundreds of doses of the Moderna vaccine from refrigeration at a Grafton medical center overnight on Dec. 24 into Dec. 25, returned them, then left them out again on the night of Dec. 25 into Saturday. The vials contained enough doses to inoculate 570 people.A pharmacy technician discovered the vials outside the refrigerator on Saturday morning. Bahr said the pharmacist initially said that he had removed the vials to access other items in the refrigerator and had inadvertently failed to put them back.The Moderna vaccine is viable for 12 hours outside refrigeration, so workers used the vaccine to inoculate 57 people before discarding the rest. Police said the discarded doses were worth between $8,000 and $11,000.Bahr said health system officials grew more suspicious of the pharmacist as they reviewed the incident. After multiple interviews, the pharmacist acknowledged Wednesday that he removed the vaccine intentionally over the two nights, Bahr said.That means that the doses people received Saturday are all but useless, he said. Moderna has told Aurora that there’s no safety concerns, but the hospital system is closely monitoring the people who received the spoiled doses, he said.Bahr declined to comment on the pharmacist’s motive. He said the hospital system’s security protocols are sound.“This was a situation involving a bad actor,” he said, “as opposed to a bad process.”The number of COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin has been rising in recent days after dipping in early December. The state Department of Health Services reported 3,810 newly confirmed cases on Thursday, marking the third straight day of rising daily infections. The state has now seen 481,102 cases.COVID-19 was a factor in 41 more deaths, pushing the state’s overall death toll to 4,859. The survival rate remained unchanged at 99%.A little more than 47,150 people had been vaccinated in Wisconsin as of Monday morning, according to the latest data from the health agency. The state has been allocated 265,575 doses of both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. As of Monday morning, only about 157,000 doses had arrived.Democratic Gov. Tony Evers wrote a letter to President Donald Trump earlier in December asking him to prioritize more doses for Wisconsin due to high case numbers, swamped hospitals and a lack of statewide mitigation mandates.___MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Authorities arrested a suburban Milwaukee pharmacist Thursday suspected of deliberately ruining hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine by removing it from refrigeration for two nights.The Grafton Police Department said the former Advocate Aurora Health pharmacist was arrested on suspicion of reckless endangerment, adulterating a prescription drug and criminal damage to property. The department said in a news release that he was in jail. Police did not identify the pharmacist, saying he has not yet been formally charged.His motive remains unclear. Police said that detectives believe he knew the spoiled doses would be useless and people who received them would mistakenly think they’d been vaccinated when they hadn’t.Advocate Aurora Health Care Chief Medical Group Officer Jeff Bahr told reporters during a teleconference Thursday afternoon that the pharmacist deliberately removed 57 vials that held hundreds of doses of the Moderna vaccine from refrigeration at a Grafton medical center overnight on Dec. 24 into Dec. 25, returned them, then left them out again on the night of Dec. 25 into Saturday. The vials contained enough doses to inoculate 570 people.A pharmacy technician discovered the vials outside the refrigerator on Saturday morning. Bahr said the pharmacist initially said that he had removed the vaccine to access other items in the refrigerator and had inadvertently failed to replace it.The Moderna vaccine is still viable for 12 hours outside refrigeration, so workers used the vaccine to inoculate 57 people before discarding the rest. Police said the discarded doses were worth between $8,000 and $11,000.Bahr said health system officials grew more suspicious of the pharmacist as they reviewed the incident. After multiple interviews the pharmacist acknowledged Wednesday that he removed the vaccine deliberately and left it out overnight Dec. 24 into Dec. 25, returned it to the refrigerator at some point and then removed it again overnight Dec. 25 to Dec. 26.Bahr said that means that the doses people received Saturday are all but useless. Moderna has told Aurora that there’s no safety concerns but the system is monitoring them closely, he said.Bahr declined to comment on the pharmacist’s motive.___

Pharmacist arrested for deliberately spoiling vaccine doses

TOPEKA — Authorities have made arrests for the fire Tuesday at the nearly abandoned shopping mall in south Topeka known as the White Lakes Mall, according to Fire Marshal Todd Harrison.

On Wednesday, Topeka Fire Department Investigators, following leads from a Crime Stoppers tip, arrested 18-year-old Joel A. Sink and two juveniles on requested charges of Arson, Criminal Damage to Property and Criminal Trespass. 

Investigators have classified the fire as intentionally set, according to Harrison.

Just after 6:30a.m., crews responded in freezing rain to the fire and found smoke coming from the roof of the building, according to Fire Marshall Todd Harrison.

Due to the condemned status of the building, firefighters focused efforts on keeping the fire contained and from spreading to Mainline Printing, the one business that remains in the building.

A primary search of the structure revealed no occupants. Mainline printing, located in the building, sustained minimal damage, according to Harrison.

The Estimated dollar loss – $100,000.00; all of which is associated with structural loss.&nbsp;Working smoke detectors were not located within the structure of fire origin.

TOPEKA — Authorities are working to determine the cause of Tuesday fire at the nearly abandoned shopping mall in south Topeka known as the White Lakes Mall.

A primary search of the structure revealed no occupants. Mainline printing sustained minimal damage, according to Harrison.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609424069864.png" alt="Sink photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Sink photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA — Authorities have made arrests for the fire Tuesday at the nearly abandoned shopping mall in south Topeka known as the White Lakes Mall, according to Fire Marshal Todd Harrison.On Wednesday, Topeka Fire Department Investigators, following leads from a Crime Stoppers tip, arrested 18-year-old Joel A. Sink and two juveniles on requested charges of Arson, Criminal Damage to Property and Criminal Trespass. Investigators have classified the fire as intentionally set, according to Harrison.Just after 6:30a.m., crews responded in freezing rain to the fire and found smoke coming from the roof of the building, according to Fire Marshall Todd Harrison.Due to the condemned status of the building, firefighters focused efforts on keeping the fire contained and from spreading to Mainline Printing, the one business that remains in the building.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609258450755.png" alt="Mall fire-photo by Phil Anderson courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Mall fire-photo by Phil Anderson courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>A primary search of the structure revealed no occupants. Mainline printing, located in the building, sustained minimal damage, according to Harrison.The Estimated dollar loss – $100,000.00; all of which is associated with structural loss.&nbsp;Working smoke detectors were not located within the structure of fire origin.----------TOPEKA — Authorities are working to determine the cause of Tuesday fire at the nearly abandoned shopping mall in south Topeka known as the White Lakes Mall.Just after 6:30a.m., crews responded in freezing rain to the fire and found smoke coming from the roof of the building, according to Fire Marshall Todd Harrison.Due to the condemned status of the building, firefighters focused efforts on keeping the fire contained and from spreading to Mainline Printing, the one business that remains in the building.A primary search of the structure revealed no occupants. Mainline printing sustained minimal damage, according to Harrison.The Estimated dollar loss – $100,000.00; all of which is associated with structural loss.&nbsp;Working smoke detectors were not located within the structure of fire origin.----------

Tip leads to arrests in $100K fire at Kansas mall

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — December was the deadliest month of the coronavirus pandemic in the Kansas City area, where an average of 11 people died each day from COVID-19.

The Kansas City metropolitan area recorded 342 COVID-19 deaths through Dec. 30. All told, 353 area residents have died from the virus since the onset of the pandemic. The metro area includes Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas.

In Missouri, the virus has claimed 5,519 lives, including 28 new deaths reported Thursday by the state Department of Health and Senior Services. The state also cited 3,714 new confirmed cases, bringing the total to 392,570 since the pandemic began.

Hospitalization numbers have improved over the past couple of weeks, but experts worry another surge could follow holiday gatherings. The health department said in-patient bed capacity statewide was at 29%, and intensive care unit bed capacity was at 25%.

The situation was even more concerning in the St. Louis area. Dr. Alex Garza, head of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, said hospitals were at 84% capacity and ICUs were at 90% capacity.

“As we enter this new year our ICUs are still operating at near-full capacity and there is little room left if we were to have a surge in patients,” Garza said at a news conference Wednesday.

Garza said the recent decline in recorded COVID-19 cases in the region may have simply reflected that fewer people were taking the time to get tested around the holidays.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609445654674.png" alt="Photo courtesy St. Luke's" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy St. Luke's</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — December was the deadliest month of the coronavirus pandemic in the Kansas City area, where an average of 11 people died each day from COVID-19.The Kansas City metropolitan area recorded 342 COVID-19 deaths through Dec. 30. All told, 353 area residents have died from the virus since the onset of the pandemic. The metro area includes Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609351693273.png" alt="Wednesday Dec. 30, 2020 Kansas Dept. of Health image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday Dec. 30, 2020 Kansas Dept. of Health image</figcaption>
 </figure>In Missouri, the virus has claimed 5,519 lives, including 28 new deaths reported Thursday by the state Department of Health and Senior Services. The state also cited 3,714 new confirmed cases, bringing the total to 392,570 since the pandemic began.Hospitalization numbers have improved over the past couple of weeks, but experts worry another surge could follow holiday gatherings. The health department said in-patient bed capacity statewide was at 29%, and intensive care unit bed capacity was at 25%.The situation was even more concerning in the St. Louis area. Dr. Alex Garza, head of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, said hospitals were at 84% capacity and ICUs were at 90% capacity.“As we enter this new year our ICUs are still operating at near-full capacity and there is little room left if we were to have a surge in patients,” Garza said at a news conference Wednesday.Garza said the recent decline in recorded COVID-19 cases in the region may have simply reflected that fewer people were taking the time to get tested around the holidays.

Kansas City area sees worst month ever for COVID-19 deaths

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Wednesday received the first of two COVID-19 vaccine shots while some top Republican officials passed, for now, because not all health care workers and nursing home residents have received theirs.

Kelly designated herself and 10 other state officials as eligible to start vaccinations this week in an effort to protect state government’s “continuity of operations” during the coronavirus pandemic. The others are the lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state treasurer, insurance commissioner and Kansas Supreme Court chief justice and four Republican leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature.

The governor also said Wednesday that “hundreds” of other, non-elected state officials have been made eligible for early vaccines by their agencies.

“We’re putting them in line so that we can ensure that state government can continue to function,” Kelly said during a pre-shot Statehouse news conference.

The governor’s staff had said she would get vaccinated when it was “her turn.” However, her office said Wednesday that state government has had a “continuity” plan for years that covered vaccines for key officials during a pandemic. Kelly disclosed last week in an AP interview that she would have a list for coronavirus vaccines.

But the legislative leaders and GOP Attorney General Derek Schmidt said they would wait. Most of those Republicans said they didn’t want to jump in line ahead of health care workers, nursing home residents or other vulnerable Kansans.

The state’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1533/COVID-19-Vaccination-Plan-for-Kansas-Version" target="_blank">vaccine distribution plan</a>&nbsp;calls for first giving shots to health care workers, nursing home workers and nursing home residents, then first responders and other essential workers. State officials aren’t expecting all adults to have access to shots for several months.

“We should not be giving politicians access to scarce vaccine doses until vulnerable Kansans have been protected,” incoming Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican who had COVID-19 this fall, said in a statement that prompted criticism from Kelly’s office over him not consistently wearing a mask at the Statehouse.

Kelly said getting vaccinated now would show that elected officials want to work together to promote efforts to combat the virus.

“I think they ought to step up, but obviously, that’s an individual choice,” she said.

Kelly received her first shot in her left arm Wednesday evening, seated in a room at a Kansas National Guard armory in Topeka.

“Honestly, I didn’t feel anything,” Kelly said. “No pain, but hopefully a lot of gain.”

<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas" target="_blank">Kansas Department of Health and Environment data</a>&nbsp;showed the state averaged 1,821 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases and 33 additional COVID-19 deaths a day for the seven days ending Wednesday.

Norman said Kansas will have received almost 184,000 vaccine doses by Friday, including second doses for 24,000 people.

The University of Kansas Health System might need until the end of March to vaccinate its 14,000 health care workers, according to spokeswoman Jill Chadwick. And about one-third of the roughly 6,000 health care workers in Douglas County in northeast Kansas have been inoculated, said Charlie Bryan, business systems analyst with the local health department.

In Ford County in southwest Kansas, about 200 health care and ambulance workers had received shots as of Tuesday afternoon, said Angela Sowers, the county Health Department administrator. But she said about 250 hospital and EMS staff must be vaccinated before the county can move to the next group, including people 75 and older and essential workers such as grocery store clerks, teachers, and others who can’t work from home.

In Wilson County in southeast Kansas, Health Officer Jennifer Bacani McKenney wasn’t sure when the county would get more vaccine doses. Its supply was running out Tuesday.

McKenney said all health workers who wanted a vaccine had been inoculated. However, she said, about 40% of those eligible for shots so far have declined, something she called “disheartening.” With about 30 of roughly 225 vaccines left, Wilson County began inoculating essential workers, putting a priority on local government and teaching staff, McKenney said.

“But it just goes to show even people who live in what we’re dealing with every day still are not jumping at the vaccine,” McKenney said.

She added: “When I work at the ER, I’ve had somebody say: ‘Well, I don’t want to get it. I’ll get it in a year and see what happens,’ or, ‘I’ve already had COVID, so I don’t need it.’”

Even some of Kelly’s fellow Democrats were wary of how prioritizing state officials for vaccination would play with constituents. Rep. Jason Probst, a Hutchinson Democrat, said lawmakers “shouldn’t be bumped to the front of the line,” but that the state should “make sure that the key players are able to continue to do their work.”

The state health department added 6,371 coronavirus cases since Monday to the state’s pandemic tally, bringing it to 222,433, or one for every 13 of the state’s 2.9 million residents. The department added 193 deaths to the state’s tally, to bring it to 2,741, or one for every 1,063 residents.

The governor and top GOP lawmakers have been at odds frequently for months over her handling of the pandemic.

But Tim Shallenburger, a former state treasurer, Kansas House speaker and state Republican Party chairman, said legislative leaders should get vaccinated now, and he would if he were in that position.

“I know that the Facebook crazies would complain about it, but, you know, they need to stay well, and they have jobs to do,” Shallenburger said.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Wednesday received the first of two COVID-19 vaccine shots while some top Republican officials passed, for now, because not all health care workers and nursing home residents have received theirs.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FGovLauraKelly%2Fvideos%2F1296780270694520%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>Kelly designated herself and 10 other state officials as eligible to start vaccinations this week in an effort to protect state government’s “continuity of operations” during the coronavirus pandemic. The others are the lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state treasurer, insurance commissioner and Kansas Supreme Court chief justice and four Republican leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature.The governor also said Wednesday that “hundreds” of other, non-elected state officials have been made eligible for early vaccines by their agencies.“We’re putting them in line so that we can ensure that state government can continue to function,” Kelly said during a pre-shot Statehouse news conference.The governor’s staff had said she would get vaccinated when it was “her turn.” However, her office said Wednesday that state government has had a “continuity” plan for years that covered vaccines for key officials during a pandemic. Kelly disclosed last week in an AP interview that she would have a list for coronavirus vaccines.But the legislative leaders and GOP Attorney General Derek Schmidt said they would wait. Most of those Republicans said they didn’t want to jump in line ahead of health care workers, nursing home residents or other vulnerable Kansans.The state’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1533/COVID-19-Vaccination-Plan-for-Kansas-Version" target="_blank">vaccine distribution plan</a>&nbsp;calls for first giving shots to health care workers, nursing home workers and nursing home residents, then first responders and other essential workers. State officials aren’t expecting all adults to have access to shots for several months.“We should not be giving politicians access to scarce vaccine doses until vulnerable Kansans have been protected,” incoming Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican who had COVID-19 this fall, said in a statement that prompted criticism from Kelly’s office over him not consistently wearing a mask at the Statehouse.Kelly said getting vaccinated now would show that elected officials want to work together to promote efforts to combat the virus.“I think they ought to step up, but obviously, that’s an individual choice,” she said.Kelly received her first shot in her left arm Wednesday evening, seated in a room at a Kansas National Guard armory in Topeka.“Honestly, I didn’t feel anything,” Kelly said. “No pain, but hopefully a lot of gain.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609351693273.png" alt="Dec. 30, 2020 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Dec. 30, 2020 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas" target="_blank">Kansas Department of Health and Environment data</a>&nbsp;showed the state averaged 1,821 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases and 33 additional COVID-19 deaths a day for the seven days ending Wednesday.Norman said Kansas will have received almost 184,000 vaccine doses by Friday, including second doses for 24,000 people.The University of Kansas Health System might need until the end of March to vaccinate its 14,000 health care workers, according to spokeswoman Jill Chadwick. And about one-third of the roughly 6,000 health care workers in Douglas County in northeast Kansas have been inoculated, said Charlie Bryan, business systems analyst with the local health department.In Ford County in southwest Kansas, about 200 health care and ambulance workers had received shots as of Tuesday afternoon, said Angela Sowers, the county Health Department administrator. But she said about 250 hospital and EMS staff must be vaccinated before the county can move to the next group, including people 75 and older and essential workers such as grocery store clerks, teachers, and others who can’t work from home.In Wilson County in southeast Kansas, Health Officer Jennifer Bacani McKenney wasn’t sure when the county would get more vaccine doses. Its supply was running out Tuesday.McKenney said all health workers who wanted a vaccine had been inoculated. However, she said, about 40% of those eligible for shots so far have declined, something she called “disheartening.” With about 30 of roughly 225 vaccines left, Wilson County began inoculating essential workers, putting a priority on local government and teaching staff, McKenney said.“But it just goes to show even people who live in what we’re dealing with every day still are not jumping at the vaccine,” McKenney said.She added: “When I work at the ER, I’ve had somebody say: ‘Well, I don’t want to get it. I’ll get it in a year and see what happens,’ or, ‘I’ve already had COVID, so I don’t need it.’”Even some of Kelly’s fellow Democrats were wary of how prioritizing state officials for vaccination would play with constituents. Rep. Jason Probst, a Hutchinson Democrat, said lawmakers “shouldn’t be bumped to the front of the line,” but that the state should “make sure that the key players are able to continue to do their work.”The state health department added 6,371 coronavirus cases since Monday to the state’s pandemic tally, bringing it to 222,433, or one for every 13 of the state’s 2.9 million residents. The department added 193 deaths to the state’s tally, to bring it to 2,741, or one for every 1,063 residents.The governor and top GOP lawmakers have been at odds frequently for months over her handling of the pandemic.But Tim Shallenburger, a former state treasurer, Kansas House speaker and state Republican Party chairman, said legislative leaders should get vaccinated now, and he would if he were in that position.“I know that the Facebook crazies would complain about it, but, you know, they need to stay well, and they have jobs to do,” Shallenburger said.___

🎥 GOP officials in Kan. will wait to get COVID vaccination

RENO COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after a high-speed chase through Reno and McPherson counties.

&nbsp;Justin Walker, 31, of Basehor fled from authorities after being stopped at 108th and K-61 Highway, according to the Reno County Sheriff's Department.

Walker fled from the stop into McPherson County at speeds of over 100 miles per hour.

McPherson police officers attempted to stop the Walker's vehicle by using stop sticks to deflate the tires just outside the McPherson city limits.&nbsp;

Walker eventually drove through a dead end where the vehicle became stuck in a field. He was captured without incident after a short foot chase and booked into the Reno County Correctional Facility on requested charges of felony flee and elude, possession of stolen property, criminal possession of a firearm, along with drug possession and drug distribution.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609429473526.jpeg" alt="Walker was on parole after 15 convictions that include theft, aggravated assault, driving while suspended, flee or attempt to elude law enforcement, obstruction, criminal possession of a firearm and for drugs, according the Kansas Dept. of Corrections." />
 <figcaption>Walker was on parole after 15 convictions that include theft, aggravated assault, driving while suspended, flee or attempt to elude law enforcement, obstruction, criminal possession of a firearm and for drugs, according the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.</figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after a high-speed chase through Reno and McPherson counties.&nbsp;Justin Walker, 31, of Basehor fled from authorities after being stopped at 108th and K-61 Highway, according to the Reno County Sheriff's Department.Walker fled from the stop into McPherson County at speeds of over 100 miles per hour.McPherson police officers attempted to stop the Walker's vehicle by using stop sticks to deflate the tires just outside the McPherson city limits.&nbsp;Walker eventually drove through a dead end where the vehicle became stuck in a field. He was captured without incident after a short foot chase and booked into the Reno County Correctional Facility on requested charges of felony flee and elude, possession of stolen property, criminal possession of a firearm, along with drug possession and drug distribution.

Sheriff: Kan. man's car gets stuck during 100 mph chase

By COLLEEN SLEVIN and CARLA K. JOHNSON, Associated Press

California on Wednesday announced the nation’s second confirmed case of the new and apparently more contagious variant of the coronavirus, offering a strong indication that the infection is spreading more widely in the United States.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the infection found in Southern California during an online conversation with Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

“I don’t think Californians should think that this is odd. It’s to be expected,” Fauci said.

Newsom did not provide any details about the person who was infected.

The announcement came 24 hours after word of the first reported U.S. variant infection, which emerged in Colorado. That person was identified Wednesday as a Colorado National Guardsman who had been sent to help out at a nursing home struggling with an outbreak. Health officials said a second Guard member may have it too.

The cases triggered a host of questions about how the version circulating in England arrived in the U.S. and whether it is too late to stop it now, with top experts saying it is probably already spreading elsewhere in the United States.

“The virus is becoming more fit, and we’re like a deer in the headlights,” warned Dr. Eric Topol, head of Scripps Research Translational Institute. He noted that the U.S. does far less genetic sequencing of virus samples to discover variants than other developed nations, and thus was probably slow to detect this new mutation.

The two Guard members had been dispatched Dec. 23 to work at the Good Samaritan Society nursing home in the small town of Simla, in a mostly rural area about 90 miles outside Denver, said Dr. Rachel Herlihy, state epidemiologist. They were among six Guard members sent to the home.

Nasal swab samples taken from the two as part of the Guard’s routine coronavirus testing were sent to the state laboratory, which began looking for the variant after its spread was announced in Britain earlier this month, Herlihy said. Samples from staff and residents at the nursing home are also being screened for the variant at the lab, but so far no evidence of it has been found, she said.

The Colorado case announced Tuesday involves a man in his 20s who had not traveled recently, officials said. He has mild symptoms and is isolating at his home near Denver, while the person with the suspected case is isolating at a Colorado hotel while further genetic analysis is done on his sample, officials said.

The nursing home said it is working closely with the state and is also looking forward to beginning vaccinations next week.

Several states, including California, Massachusetts and Delaware, are also analyzing suspicious virus samples for the variant, said Dr. Greg Armstrong, who directs genetic sequencing at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He said the CDC is working with a national lab that gets samples from around the country to broaden that search, with results expected within days.

The discovery in Colorado has added urgency to the nation’s vaccination drive against COVID-19, which has killed more than 340,000 people in the U.S.

Britain is seeing infections soar and hospitalizations climb to their highest levels on record. The variant has also been found in several other countries.

Scientists have found no evidence that it is more lethal or causes more severe illness, and they believe the vaccines now being dispensed will be effective against it. But a faster-spreading virus could swamp hospitals with seriously ill patients.

The discovery overseas led the CDC to issue rules on Christmas Day requiring travelers arriving from Britain to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test. But U.S. health officials said the Colorado patient’s lack of travel history suggests the new variant is already spreading in this country.

Topol said it is too late for travel bans.

“We’re behind in finding it. Colorado is likely one of many places it’s landed here,” he said. “It’s all over the place. How can you ban travel from everywhere?”

Colorado public health officials are conducting contact tracing to determine its spread.

Researchers estimate the variant is 50% to 70% more contagious, said Dr. Eric France, Colorado’s chief medical officer.

“Instead of only making two or three other people sick, you might actually spread it to four or five people,” France said. “That means we’ll have more cases in our communities. Those number of cases will rise quickly and, of course, with more cases come more hospitalizations.”

London and southeast England were placed under strict lockdown measures earlier this month because of the variant, and dozens of countries banned flights from Britain. France also briefly barred trucks from Britain before allowing them back in, provided the drivers got tested for the virus.

New versions of the virus have been seen almost since it was first detected in China a year ago. It is common for viruses to undergo minor changes as they reproduce and move through a population. The fear is that mutations at some point will become significant enough to defeat the vaccines.

South Africa has also discovered a highly contagious COVID-19 variant that is driving the country’s latest spike of cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608566572342.png" alt="image courtesy GISAID" />
 <figcaption>image courtesy GISAID</figcaption>
 </figure>By COLLEEN SLEVIN and CARLA K. JOHNSON, Associated PressCalifornia on Wednesday announced the nation’s second confirmed case of the new and apparently more contagious variant of the coronavirus, offering a strong indication that the infection is spreading more widely in the United States.Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the infection found in Southern California during an online conversation with Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.“I don’t think Californians should think that this is odd. It’s to be expected,” Fauci said.Newsom did not provide any details about the person who was infected.The announcement came 24 hours after word of the first reported U.S. variant infection, which emerged in Colorado. That person was identified Wednesday as a Colorado National Guardsman who had been sent to help out at a nursing home struggling with an outbreak. Health officials said a second Guard member may have it too.The cases triggered a host of questions about how the version circulating in England arrived in the U.S. and whether it is too late to stop it now, with top experts saying it is probably already spreading elsewhere in the United States.“The virus is becoming more fit, and we’re like a deer in the headlights,” warned Dr. Eric Topol, head of Scripps Research Translational Institute. He noted that the U.S. does far less genetic sequencing of virus samples to discover variants than other developed nations, and thus was probably slow to detect this new mutation.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fjaredpolis%2Fvideos%2F1622822051256882%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>The two Guard members had been dispatched Dec. 23 to work at the Good Samaritan Society nursing home in the small town of Simla, in a mostly rural area about 90 miles outside Denver, said Dr. Rachel Herlihy, state epidemiologist. They were among six Guard members sent to the home.Nasal swab samples taken from the two as part of the Guard’s routine coronavirus testing were sent to the state laboratory, which began looking for the variant after its spread was announced in Britain earlier this month, Herlihy said. Samples from staff and residents at the nursing home are also being screened for the variant at the lab, but so far no evidence of it has been found, she said.The Colorado case announced Tuesday involves a man in his 20s who had not traveled recently, officials said. He has mild symptoms and is isolating at his home near Denver, while the person with the suspected case is isolating at a Colorado hotel while further genetic analysis is done on his sample, officials said.The nursing home said it is working closely with the state and is also looking forward to beginning vaccinations next week.Several states, including California, Massachusetts and Delaware, are also analyzing suspicious virus samples for the variant, said Dr. Greg Armstrong, who directs genetic sequencing at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He said the CDC is working with a national lab that gets samples from around the country to broaden that search, with results expected within days.The discovery in Colorado has added urgency to the nation’s vaccination drive against COVID-19, which has killed more than 340,000 people in the U.S.Britain is seeing infections soar and hospitalizations climb to their highest levels on record. The variant has also been found in several other countries.Scientists have found no evidence that it is more lethal or causes more severe illness, and they believe the vaccines now being dispensed will be effective against it. But a faster-spreading virus could swamp hospitals with seriously ill patients.The discovery overseas led the CDC to issue rules on Christmas Day requiring travelers arriving from Britain to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test. But U.S. health officials said the Colorado patient’s lack of travel history suggests the new variant is already spreading in this country.Topol said it is too late for travel bans.“We’re behind in finding it. Colorado is likely one of many places it’s landed here,” he said. “It’s all over the place. How can you ban travel from everywhere?”Colorado public health officials are conducting contact tracing to determine its spread.Researchers estimate the variant is 50% to 70% more contagious, said Dr. Eric France, Colorado’s chief medical officer.“Instead of only making two or three other people sick, you might actually spread it to four or five people,” France said. “That means we’ll have more cases in our communities. Those number of cases will rise quickly and, of course, with more cases come more hospitalizations.”London and southeast England were placed under strict lockdown measures earlier this month because of the variant, and dozens of countries banned flights from Britain. France also briefly barred trucks from Britain before allowing them back in, provided the drivers got tested for the virus.New versions of the virus have been seen almost since it was first detected in China a year ago. It is common for viruses to undergo minor changes as they reproduce and move through a population. The fear is that mutations at some point will become significant enough to defeat the vaccines.South Africa has also discovered a highly contagious COVID-19 variant that is driving the country’s latest spike of cases, hospitalizations and deaths.___

Highly infectious COVID-19 variant spreading in US

AVA, Mo. (AP) — The human remains found last weekend in a rural area of southwestern Missouri have been identified as those of a man who was reported missing five years ago.

Relatives of Brandon Wood of Mountain Grove reported him missing in September 2015. The skeletal remains were found in Douglas County in an area that had been previously searched.

Authorities say recent home construction turned up new evidence. The remains were identified through dental records.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said it has identified three people of interest in Wood's death, but so far, no arrests have been made.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609423623202.png" alt="Brandon Wood was reported missing in 2015 -photo Douglas Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Brandon Wood was reported missing in 2015 -photo Douglas Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>AVA, Mo. (AP) — The human remains found last weekend in a rural area of southwestern Missouri have been identified as those of a man who was reported missing five years ago.Relatives of Brandon Wood of Mountain Grove reported him missing in September 2015. The skeletal remains were found in Douglas County in an area that had been previously searched.Authorities say recent home construction turned up new evidence. The remains were identified through dental records.The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said it has identified three people of interest in Wood's death, but so far, no arrests have been made.

Remains found in southwest Missouri identified

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States flew strategic bombers over the Persian Gulf on Wednesday for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-afghanistan-iran-persian-gulf-tensions-middle-east-0dba244ea2d84d462f0cf42fbf2c43c7">second time</a>&nbsp;this month, a show of force meant to deter Iran from attacking American or allied targets in the Middle East.

One senior U.S. military officer said the flight by two Air Force B-52 bombers was in response to signals that Iran may be planning attacks against U.S. allied targets in neighboring Iraq or elsewhere in the region in coming days, even as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office. The officer was not authorized to publicly discuss internal assessments based on sensitive intelligence and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The B-52 bomber mission, flown round trip from an Air Force base in North Dakota, reflects growing concern in Washington, in the final weeks of President Donald Trump’s administration, that Iran will order further military retaliation for the U.S. killing last Jan. 3 of top Iranian military commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Iran’s initial response, five days after the deadly U.S. drone strike, was a ballistic missile attack on a military base in Iraq that caused brain concussion injuries to about 100 U.S. troops.

Iran, however, has appeared wary of Trump’s intentions in his final weeks in office, given his focus on pressuring Tehran with sanctions and other moves that have further damaged the Islamic Republic’s economy.

“Trump will bear full responsibility for any adventurism on his way out,” Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, wrote on Twitter Dec. 24.

Adding to the tension was a Dec. 20&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-middle-east-baghdad-iraq-qassim-soleimani-90fd5a96e2fa0fdd08c7dbd3f362d467">rocket attack</a>&nbsp;on the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad by Iranian-supported Shiite militia groups. No one was killed, but the volume of rockets fired — possibly 21, with about nine landing on the Embassy compound — was unusually large. Days later, Trump tweeted that Iran was on notice.

“Some friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over,” Trump wrote on Dec. 23. He added, ”We hear chatter of additional attacks against Americans in Iraq.”

Because of the potential for escalation that could lead to a wider war, the U.S. has sought to deter Iran from additional attacks. Strategic calculations on both sides are further complicated by the political transition in Washington to a Biden administration that may seek new paths to dealing with Iran. Biden has said, for example, that he hopes to return the U.S. to a 2015 agreement with world powers in which Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.

In announcing Wednesday’s bomber flight, the head of U.S. Central Command said it was a defensive move.

“The United States continues to deploy combat-ready capabilities into the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to deter any potential adversary, and make clear that we are ready and able to respond to any aggression directed at Americans or our interests,” said Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of Central Command. “We do not seek conflict, but no one should underestimate our ability to defend our forces or to act decisively in response to any attack.”

In advance of the announcement, the senior U.S. military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said that U.S. intelligence has detected recent signs of “fairly substantive threats” from Iran, and that included planning for possible rocket attacks against U.S. interests in Iraq in connection with the one-year anniversary of the Soleimani killing.

The U.S. is in the process of reducing its troop presence in Iraq from 3,000 to about 2,500. Trump ordered that the reduction be achieved by Jan. 15; officials say it is likely to be reached as early as next week.

The United States also has picked up signs that Iran may be considering or planning “more complex” and broader attacks against American targets or interests in the Middle East, the senior U.S. military officer said, adding that it represented the most concerning signs since the days immediately following the Soleimani killing. The officer cited indications that advanced weaponry has been flowing from Iran into Iraq recently and that Shiite militia leaders in Iraq may have met with officers of Iran’s Quds force, previously commanded by Soleimani.

The U.S. officer said Iran might have its eye on economic targets, noting the September 2019 missile and drone attack on Saudi oil processing facilities. Iran denied involvement but was blamed by the United States for that attack.

In recent weeks the U.S. military has taken a range of steps designed to deter Iran, while publicly emphasizing that it is not planning, and has not been instructed, to take unprovoked action against Iran.

Last week, a U.S. Navy guided-missile submarine made an unusual transit of the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. Earlier in December, a pair of B-52 bombers from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana flew what the military calls a “presence” mission over the Gulf — a demonstration of U.S. force and a signal of U.S. commitment to the region, but not an attack mission. That flight was repeated this week, with two B-52s flying nonstop from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and heading home Wednesday after cruising over the western side of the Gulf.

Tensions with Iran escalated with the killing in November of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an Iranian scientist named by the West as the leader of the Islamic Republic’s disbanded military nuclear program. Iran has blamed Israel for the killing, but U.S. officials are concerned that any Iranian retaliation could hit U.S. interests.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609419164077.png" alt="U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon is aerial refueled by a KC-135 “Stratotanker” over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Dec. 30, 2020 as part of an escort mission in support of the B-52 “Stratofortress” deployment. The short-notice deployment underscores the U.S. military's commitment to regional security and demonstrates a unique ability to rapidly deploy overwhelming combat power on short notice. The B-52H is a long-range, heavy bomber that is capable of flying at high subsonic speeds at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet and provides the United States with immediate global strike capability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Roslyn Ward)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon is aerial refueled by a KC-135 “Stratotanker” over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Dec. 30, 2020 as part of an escort mission in support of the B-52 “Stratofortress” deployment. The short-notice deployment underscores the U.S. military's commitment to regional security and demonstrates a unique ability to rapidly deploy overwhelming combat power on short notice. The B-52H is a long-range, heavy bomber that is capable of flying at high subsonic speeds at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet and provides the United States with immediate global strike capability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Roslyn Ward)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States flew strategic bombers over the Persian Gulf on Wednesday for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-afghanistan-iran-persian-gulf-tensions-middle-east-0dba244ea2d84d462f0cf42fbf2c43c7">second time</a>&nbsp;this month, a show of force meant to deter Iran from attacking American or allied targets in the Middle East.One senior U.S. military officer said the flight by two Air Force B-52 bombers was in response to signals that Iran may be planning attacks against U.S. allied targets in neighboring Iraq or elsewhere in the region in coming days, even as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office. The officer was not authorized to publicly discuss internal assessments based on sensitive intelligence and spoke on condition of anonymity.The B-52 bomber mission, flown round trip from an Air Force base in North Dakota, reflects growing concern in Washington, in the final weeks of President Donald Trump’s administration, that Iran will order further military retaliation for the U.S. killing last Jan. 3 of top Iranian military commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Iran’s initial response, five days after the deadly U.S. drone strike, was a ballistic missile attack on a military base in Iraq that caused brain concussion injuries to about 100 U.S. troops.Iran, however, has appeared wary of Trump’s intentions in his final weeks in office, given his focus on pressuring Tehran with sanctions and other moves that have further damaged the Islamic Republic’s economy.“Trump will bear full responsibility for any adventurism on his way out,” Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, wrote on Twitter Dec. 24.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609419291133.png" alt="U.S. Air Force B-52 from Minot Air Force Base is aerial refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Dec. 30, 2020. The B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, heavy bomber that is capable of flying at high subsonic speeds at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet and can carry nuclear or precision guided conventional ordnance with global reach precision navigation capability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Roslyn Ward)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Air Force B-52 from Minot Air Force Base is aerial refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Dec. 30, 2020. The B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, heavy bomber that is capable of flying at high subsonic speeds at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet and can carry nuclear or precision guided conventional ordnance with global reach precision navigation capability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Roslyn Ward)</figcaption>
 </figure>Adding to the tension was a Dec. 20&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-middle-east-baghdad-iraq-qassim-soleimani-90fd5a96e2fa0fdd08c7dbd3f362d467">rocket attack</a>&nbsp;on the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad by Iranian-supported Shiite militia groups. No one was killed, but the volume of rockets fired — possibly 21, with about nine landing on the Embassy compound — was unusually large. Days later, Trump tweeted that Iran was on notice.“Some friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over,” Trump wrote on Dec. 23. He added, ”We hear chatter of additional attacks against Americans in Iraq.”Because of the potential for escalation that could lead to a wider war, the U.S. has sought to deter Iran from additional attacks. Strategic calculations on both sides are further complicated by the political transition in Washington to a Biden administration that may seek new paths to dealing with Iran. Biden has said, for example, that he hopes to return the U.S. to a 2015 agreement with world powers in which Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.In announcing Wednesday’s bomber flight, the head of U.S. Central Command said it was a defensive move.“The United States continues to deploy combat-ready capabilities into the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to deter any potential adversary, and make clear that we are ready and able to respond to any aggression directed at Americans or our interests,” said Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of Central Command. “We do not seek conflict, but no one should underestimate our ability to defend our forces or to act decisively in response to any attack.”He did not mention Iran by name.In advance of the announcement, the senior U.S. military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said that U.S. intelligence has detected recent signs of “fairly substantive threats” from Iran, and that included planning for possible rocket attacks against U.S. interests in Iraq in connection with the one-year anniversary of the Soleimani killing.The U.S. is in the process of reducing its troop presence in Iraq from 3,000 to about 2,500. Trump ordered that the reduction be achieved by Jan. 15; officials say it is likely to be reached as early as next week.The United States also has picked up signs that Iran may be considering or planning “more complex” and broader attacks against American targets or interests in the Middle East, the senior U.S. military officer said, adding that it represented the most concerning signs since the days immediately following the Soleimani killing. The officer cited indications that advanced weaponry has been flowing from Iran into Iraq recently and that Shiite militia leaders in Iraq may have met with officers of Iran’s Quds force, previously commanded by Soleimani.The U.S. officer said Iran might have its eye on economic targets, noting the September 2019 missile and drone attack on Saudi oil processing facilities. Iran denied involvement but was blamed by the United States for that attack.In recent weeks the U.S. military has taken a range of steps designed to deter Iran, while publicly emphasizing that it is not planning, and has not been instructed, to take unprovoked action against Iran.Last week, a U.S. Navy guided-missile submarine made an unusual transit of the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. Earlier in December, a pair of B-52 bombers from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana flew what the military calls a “presence” mission over the Gulf — a demonstration of U.S. force and a signal of U.S. commitment to the region, but not an attack mission. That flight was repeated this week, with two B-52s flying nonstop from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and heading home Wednesday after cruising over the western side of the Gulf.Tensions with Iran escalated with the killing in November of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an Iranian scientist named by the West as the leader of the Islamic Republic’s disbanded military nuclear program. Iran has blamed Israel for the killing, but U.S. officials are concerned that any Iranian retaliation could hit U.S. interests.

US sends bombers to Persian Gulf in warning to Iran 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell all but shut the door on President Donald Trump’s push for $2,000&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak?fbclid=IwAR1iY8Og9l5MgoWl2QT7qg-J-RAYwmCqfGNbO_JPyLNY2ggdJwJsB9n4M68">COVID-19&nbsp;</a>relief checks, declaring Congress has provided enough pandemic aid as he blocked another attempt by Democrats to force a vote.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609367223551.png" alt="Kansas Senator Jerry Moran and other members of the U.S. Senate&nbsp; visit Wednesday afternoon -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Senator Jerry Moran and other members of the U.S. Senate&nbsp; visit Wednesday afternoon -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell all but shut the door on President Donald Trump’s push for $2,000&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak?fbclid=IwAR1iY8Og9l5MgoWl2QT7qg-J-RAYwmCqfGNbO_JPyLNY2ggdJwJsB9n4M68">COVID-19&nbsp;</a>relief checks, declaring Congress has provided enough pandemic aid as he blocked another attempt by Democrats to force a vote.The GOP leader made clear Wednesday he is unwilling to budge, despite political pressure from Trump and even some fellow Republican senators demanding action. Trump wants the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-health-care-reform-legislation-immigration-coronavirus-pandemic-3ba55f6ae819ad2be2319dfa218012b8">recent $600 in aid&nbsp;</a>increased threefold. But McConnell dismissed the idea of bigger “survival checks” approved by the House, saying the money would go to plenty of American households that just don’t need it.McConnell’s refusal to act means the additional relief Trump wanted is all but dead.“We just approved almost a trillion dollars in aid a few days ago,” McConnell said, referring to the year-end package Trump signed into law.McConnell added, “if specific, struggling households still need more help,” the Senate will consider “smart targeted aid. Not another firehose of borrowed money.”The showdown between the outgoing president and his own Republican Party over the $2,000 checks has thrown Congress into a chaotic year-end session just days before new lawmakers are set to be sworn into office.It’s one last standoff, together with the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-media-social-media-elections-1f623a6e996dd56fdc238eb02b2d4f24">override of Trump’s veto&nbsp;</a>of a sweeping defense bill, that will punctuate the president’s final days and deepen the GOP’s divide between its new wing of Trump-styled populists and what had been mainstay conservative views against government spending.Trump has been berating the GOP leaders, and tweeted, “$2000 ASAP!”President-elect Joe Biden also supports the payments and wants to build on what he calls a “downpayment” on relief.“In this moment of historic crisis and untold economic pain for countless American families, the President-elect supports $2,000 direct payments as passed by the House,” said Biden transition spokesman Andrew Bates.The roadblock set by Senate Republicans appears insurmountable. Most GOP senators seemed to accept the inaction even as a growing number of Republicans, including two senators in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/senate-elections">runoff elections&nbsp;</a>on Jan. 5 in Georgia, agree with Trump’s demand, some wary of bucking him.Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the $600 checks would begin to go out Wednesday. Congress had settled on smaller payments in a compromise over the big, year-end&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-health-care-reform-legislation-immigration-coronavirus-pandemic-3ba55f6ae819ad2be2319dfa21801">COVID-19 relief and government funding bill</a>&nbsp;that Trump reluctantly signed into law. Before signing, though, Trump demanded more.For a second day in a row, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer tried to force a vote on the bill approved by the House meeting Trump’s demand for the $2,000 checks.“What we’re seeing right now is Leader McConnell trying to kill the checks — the $2,000 checks desperately needed by so many American families,” Schumer said.With the Georgia Senate runoff elections days away, leading Republicans warned that the GOP’s refusal to provide more aid as the virus worsens could jeopardize the outcome of those races.Georgia’s GOP Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are trying to fend off Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-georgia-coronavirus-pandemic-campaigns-03de68a2ec810ec4fbfedb63da72052c">runoff elections</a>&nbsp;that will determine which party has the Senate majority. The two Republicans announced support for Trump’s call for more generous checks.“The Senate Republicans risk throwing away two seats and control of the Senate,” Newt Gingrich, the former congressional leader, said on Fox News.McConnell has tried to shield his divided Republicans from a difficult vote. On Wednesday he suggested he had kept his word to start a “process” to address Trump’s demands, even if it means no votes will actually be taken.“It’s no secret Republicans have a diversity of views,” he said.Earlier, McConnell had unveiled a new bill loaded up with Trump’s other priorities as a possible off-ramp for the stalemate. It included the $2,000 checks more narrowly targeted to lower-income households as well as a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d3e09c4037e2fc17558492b9bdce1ecc">complicated repeal&nbsp;</a>of protections for tech companies like Facebook or Twitter under Section 230 of a communications law that the president complained is unfair to conservatives. It also tacked on the establishment of a bipartisan commission to review&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">the 2020 presidential election&nbsp;</a>Trump lost to President-elect Joe Biden.If McConnell sets a vote on his bill, it could revive Trump’s priorities. But because the approach contains the additional tech and elections provisions, Democrats and some Republicans will likely balk and it’s unlikely to have enough support in Congress to pass.No additional votes on COVID-19 aid have been scheduled at this point. For McConnell, the procedural moves allowed him to check the box over the commitments he made when Trump was defiantly refusing to sign off on the big year-end package last weekend. “That was a commitment, and that’s what happened,” he said.Liberal senators, led by Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who support the relief boost are blocking action on a defense bill until a vote can be taken on Trump’s demand for $2,000 for most Americans.Sanders thundered on the floor that McConnell should call his own constituents in the GOP leader’s home state of Kentucky “and find out how they feel about the need for immediate help in terms of a $2,000 check.”Republican Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Marco Rubio of Florida, among the party’s potential 2024 presidential hopefuls, also pushed in the president’s direction. Hawley is also leading Trump’s challenge Jan. 6 to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-michael-brown-josh-hawley-8d868c985792e932f9bc527ec2f2ab30">Electoral College result tally&nbsp;</a>in Congress.Other Republicans panned the bigger checks, arguing during a lively Senate debate that the nearly $400 billion price tag was too high, the relief is not targeted to those in need and Washington has already dispatched ample sums on COVID-19 aid.Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., tweeted that “blindly borrowing” billions “so we can send $2,000 checks to millions of people who haven’t lost any income is terrible policy.”Considered a longshot, Trump’s demand gained momentum at the start of the week when dozens of House Republicans calculated it was better to link with most Democrats than defy the outgoing president. They helped pass a bill raising the payments with a robust two-thirds vote of approval.As Trump’s push fizzles out, his attempt to amend the year-end package — $900 billion in COVID-19 aid and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-health-care-reform-legislation-immigration-coronavirus-pandemic-3ba55f6ae819ad2be2319dfa218012b8">$1.4 trillion to fund government&nbsp;</a>agencies through September — will linger as potentially one last confrontation before the new Congress is sworn in Sunday.The COVID-19 portion of the bill revives a weekly pandemic jobless benefit boost — this time $300, through March 14 — as well as the popular Paycheck Protection Program of grants to businesses to keep workers on payrolls. It extends eviction protections, adding a new rental assistance fund.Americans earning up to $75,000 will qualify for the direct $600 payments, which are phased out at higher income levels, and there’s an additional $600 payment per dependent child.___WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s push for $2,000&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak?fbclid=IwAR1iY8Og9l5MgoWl2QT7qg-J-RAYwmCqfGNbO_JPyLNY2ggdJwJsB9n4M68">COVID-19&nbsp;</a>relief checks all but died Wednesday as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell proposed an alternative approach of loading up the bill with other White House priorities that appeared destined to fail.The roadblock set by Senate Republicans appears unsurmountable, even as pressure builds to approve the bigger checks. Trump wants the Republican-led chamber to follow the House and increase the checks from $600 for millions of Americans. A growing number of Republicans, including two senators in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/senate-elections">runoff elections&nbsp;</a>on Jan. 5 in Georgia, agree. But most GOP senators oppose more spending, even if they are also wary of bucking Trump.Senators will be back at it after McConnell blocked a vote Tuesday, but his new bill — which includes the formation of a commission to investigate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">the 2020 election&nbsp;</a>as well as a complicated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d3e09c4037e2fc17558492b9bdce1ecc">repeal of big tech liability&nbsp;</a>protections — does not have enough support to pass. No votes are scheduled.“What we’re seeing right now is Leader McConnell trying to kill the checks — the $2,000 checks desperately needed by so many American families,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said at the Capitol.The showdown over the $2,000 checks has thrown Congress into a chaotic year-end session just days before new lawmakers are set to be sworn into office for the new year. It’s preventing action on another priority —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-media-social-media-elections-ca674c06608a72802f0bc878a331041f">overturning Trump’s veto&nbsp;</a>on a sweeping defense bill that has been approved every year for 60 years.Trump has berated Republican leaders for the stonewalling, finding rare common cause with the Democrats pushing them to act. Leading Republicans warned that the GOP’s refusal to provide more aid as the virus worsens will jeopardize next week’s Senate election in Georgia.“The Senate Republicans risk throwing away two seats and control of the Senate,” said Newt Gingrich, the former congressional leader, on Fox News. He called on Senate Republicans to “get a grip and not try to play cute parliamentary games with the president’s $2,000 payment.”House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “These Republicans in the Senate seem to have an endless tolerance for other people’s sadness.”Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said some of the $600 payments were being sent by direct deposit to Americans’ bank accounts Tuesday night. Mnuchin tweeted that paper checks will begin to go out Wednesday.Saying little, McConnell is trying to provide an offramp for GOP senators to avoid a tough vote. Republicans are split between those who align with Trump’s populist instincts and those who adhere to what had been more traditional conservative views against government spending.Congress had settled on smaller $600 payments in a compromise over the big, year-end relief bill Trump reluctantly signed into law.The GOP leader filed new legislation late Tuesday linking the president’s demand for bigger checks with two other Trump priorities —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d3e09c4037e2fc17558492b9bdce1ecc">repealing protections&nbsp;</a>for tech companies like Facebook or Twitter that the president complained are unfair to conservatives as well the establishment of a bipartisan commission to review the 2020 presidential election he lost to President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>.Liberal senators led by Bernie Sanders of Vermont who support the relief aid are blocking action on the defense bill until a vote can be taken on Trump’s demand for $2,000 for most Americans.“The working class of this country today faces more economic desperation than at any time since the Great Depression of the 1930s,” Sanders said. “Working families need help now.” He also tried to force a vote on the relief checks, but McConnell objected a second time.The GOP blockade is causing turmoil for some as the virus crisis worsens nationwide and Trump amplifies his unexpected demands.The two GOP senators from Georgia, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, announced Tuesday they support Trump’s plan for bigger checks as they face Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in runoff elections that will determine which party controls the Senate.Republican Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Marco Rubio of Florida, among the party’s potential 2024 presidential hopefuls, also are pushing the party in the president’s direction.Other Republicans panned the bigger checks, saying the nearly $400 billion price tag was too high, the relief is not targeted to those in need and Washington has already dispatched ample sums on COVID aid.Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Penn., tweeted that he would block the House bill. He said “blindly borrowing” billions “so we can send $2,000 checks to millions of people who haven’t lost any income is terrible policy.”In the House, dozens of Republicans calculated it was better to link with Democrats to increase the pandemic payments rather than buck the outgoing president and constituents counting on the money. House Democrats led passage, 275-134, but 44 Republicans joined almost all Democrats on Monday for a robust two-thirds vote of approval.No votes are scheduled in the Senate on either the House-passed measure supporting Trump’s $2,000 checks or McConnell’s new version. With time running out, it’s almost ensures neither bill will pass.Trump’s push could fizzle out in the Senate but the debate over the size and scope of the year-end package — $900 billion in COVID-19 aid and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-health-care-reform-legislation-immigration-coronavirus-pandemic-3ba55f6ae819ad2be2319dfa218012b8">$1.4 trillion to fund government&nbsp;</a>agencies through September — is potentially one last confrontation before the new Congress is sworn in Sunday.The COVID-19 portion of the bill revives a weekly pandemic jobless benefit boost — this time $300, through March 14 — as well as the popular Paycheck Protection Program of grants to businesses to keep workers on payrolls. It extends eviction protections, adding a new rental assistance fund.Americans earning up to $75,000 will qualify for the direct $600 payments, which are phased out at higher income levels, and there’s an additional $600 payment per dependent child.___