TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 4,174 to a total of 204,600 the state health department reported Monday afternoon.&nbsp;

Coronavirus deaths were reported at 2,441 an increase of 107

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

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 4,174 to a total of 204,600 the state health department reported Monday afternoon.&nbsp;Coronavirus deaths were reported at 2,441 an increase of 107<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE.<figure>
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KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Jupiter and Saturn will merge in the night sky Monday, appearing closer to one another than they have since Galileo’s time in the 17th century.

Astronomers say so-called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/the-great-conjunction-of-jupiter-and-saturn" target="_blank">conjunctions</a>&nbsp;between the two largest planets in our solar system aren’t particularly rare. Jupiter passes its neighbor Saturn in their respective laps around the sun every 20 years.

But the one coming up is especially close: Jupiter and Saturn will be just one-tenth of a degree apart from our perspective or about one-fifth the width of a full moon. They should be easily visible around the world a little after sunset, weather permitting.

Toss in the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the longest night of the year — and the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere — and this just-in-time-for-Christmas spectacle promises to be one of the greatest of Great Conjunctions.

“What is most rare is a close conjunction that occurs in our nighttime sky,” said Vanderbilt University’s David Weintraub, an astronomy professor. “I think it’s fair to say that such an event typically may occur just once in any one person’s lifetime, and I think ‘once in my lifetime’ is a pretty good test of whether something merits being labeled as rare or special.”

It will be the closest Jupiter-Saturn pairing since July 1623, when the two planets appeared a little nearer. This conjunction was almost impossible to see, however, because of its closeness to the sun.

Considerably closer and in plain view was the March 1226 conjunction of the two planets — when Genghis Khan was conquering Asia. Monday’s conjunction will be the closest pairing that is visible since way back then.

Saturn and Jupiter have been drawing closer in the south-southwest sky for weeks. Jupiter — bigger and closer to Earth — is vastly brighter.

“I love watching them come closer and closer to each other and the fact that I can see it with my naked eyes from my back porch!” Virginia Tech astronomer Nahum Arav said in an email.

To see it, be ready shortly after sunset Monday, looking to the southwest fairly low on the horizon. Saturn will be the smaller, fainter blob at Jupiter’s upper right. Binoculars will be needed to separate the two planets.

Despite appearances, Jupiter and Saturn will actually be more than 450 million miles (730 million kilometers) apart. Earth, meanwhile, will be 550 million miles (890 million kilometers) from Jupiter.

A telescope will not only capture Jupiter and Saturn in the same field of view, but even some of their brightest moons.

Their next super-close pairing: March 15, 2080.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608560680810.png" alt="Image courtesy NASA" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy NASA</figcaption>
 </figure>CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Jupiter and Saturn will merge in the night sky Monday, appearing closer to one another than they have since Galileo’s time in the 17th century.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Skywatchers, you&#39;re in for a once-in-a-lifetime treat! Jupiter &amp; Saturn are doing a planetary dance that will result in the Great Conjunction on Dec 21, just after sunset. Find out: 🤩 When and where to look up 📷 How to photograph the conjunction Visit: <a href="https://t.co/SdQSLex2Ex">https://t.co/SdQSLex2Ex</a> <a href="https://t.co/DkaB5XyO9B">pic.twitter.com/DkaB5XyO9B</a>&mdash; NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1340750321879015425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Astronomers say so-called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/the-great-conjunction-of-jupiter-and-saturn" target="_blank">conjunctions</a>&nbsp;between the two largest planets in our solar system aren’t particularly rare. Jupiter passes its neighbor Saturn in their respective laps around the sun every 20 years.But the one coming up is especially close: Jupiter and Saturn will be just one-tenth of a degree apart from our perspective or about one-fifth the width of a full moon. They should be easily visible around the world a little after sunset, weather permitting.Toss in the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the longest night of the year — and the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere — and this just-in-time-for-Christmas spectacle promises to be one of the greatest of Great Conjunctions.“What is most rare is a close conjunction that occurs in our nighttime sky,” said Vanderbilt University’s David Weintraub, an astronomy professor. “I think it’s fair to say that such an event typically may occur just once in any one person’s lifetime, and I think ‘once in my lifetime’ is a pretty good test of whether something merits being labeled as rare or special.”It will be the closest Jupiter-Saturn pairing since July 1623, when the two planets appeared a little nearer. This conjunction was almost impossible to see, however, because of its closeness to the sun.Considerably closer and in plain view was the March 1226 conjunction of the two planets — when Genghis Khan was conquering Asia. Monday’s conjunction will be the closest pairing that is visible since way back then.Saturn and Jupiter have been drawing closer in the south-southwest sky for weeks. Jupiter — bigger and closer to Earth — is vastly brighter.“I love watching them come closer and closer to each other and the fact that I can see it with my naked eyes from my back porch!” Virginia Tech astronomer Nahum Arav said in an email.To see it, be ready shortly after sunset Monday, looking to the southwest fairly low on the horizon. Saturn will be the smaller, fainter blob at Jupiter’s upper right. Binoculars will be needed to separate the two planets.Despite appearances, Jupiter and Saturn will actually be more than 450 million miles (730 million kilometers) apart. Earth, meanwhile, will be 550 million miles (890 million kilometers) from Jupiter.A telescope will not only capture Jupiter and Saturn in the same field of view, but even some of their brightest moons.Their next super-close pairing: March 15, 2080.___

Jupiter, Saturn closest in centuries Monday evening

SALINE COUNTY —Authorities are working to determine the cause of a fire that destroyed a rural Saline County home.

Just after 11:30p.m. Sunday, crews responded to the fire in the 5200 Block of East Water Well Road, according to&nbsp;Saline County Undersheriff Brent Melander

The homeowners, Connie Thompson-Dupes, 65, and Greg Dupes, 65, both of rural Saline County who drove up to the property and saw the flames.

The couple, who live elsewhere in the county, had been restoring the two-story stone structure and occasionally stayed there while working, according to Melander.

The building had both electric and gas connections, as well as a wood-burning stove.

Both Rural Fire District No. 1 and Rural Fire District No. 2 responded to the blaze. There were no injuries. Authorities did not release an estimated dollar loss early Monday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608566937233.jpeg" alt="Sunday night fire photo courtesy Saline Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Sunday night fire photo courtesy Saline Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Authorities are working to determine the cause of a fire that destroyed a rural Saline County home.Just after 11:30p.m. Sunday, crews responded to the fire in the 5200 Block of East Water Well Road, according to&nbsp;Saline County Undersheriff Brent MelanderThe homeowners, Connie Thompson-Dupes, 65, and Greg Dupes, 65, both of rural Saline County who drove up to the property and saw the flames.The couple, who live elsewhere in the county, had been restoring the two-story stone structure and occasionally stayed there while working, according to Melander.The building had both electric and gas connections, as well as a wood-burning stove.Both Rural Fire District No. 1 and Rural Fire District No. 2 responded to the blaze. There were no injuries. Authorities did not release an estimated dollar loss early Monday.

Sheriff: Fire destroys rural Saline County home

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas First District Congressman Dr. Roger Marshall noted there are several provisions to help the public in the latest COVID-19 relief bill being voted on Monday.

"Most importantly, I think, we would start off with a direct payment to everyone who got a direct payment before from the previous CARES funding," Marshall said. "They'll be getting $600 per person. There's monies in there for the Paycheck Protection Program, so more of the small businesses would have an opportunity for a second bite of the apple. There's some funding in there, significant funding for more unemployment insurance. Those folks that still are not employed, it may be awhile. We've about 14 more weeks of unemployment insurance. There's funding to get the vaccines out, as well."

Regarding the vaccines, Marshall believes herd immunity is possible in 2021.

"I really think we have the potential to have herd immunity by the middle of March," Marshall said. "If the administration does its job, the vaccines are out there to reach herd immunity by the middle of March and that's when we're going to see the economy turn around. When the restaurants can stay open, when we can go to a spring baseball game, March Madness, all those things that we're looking forward to, that's when the economy's going to get cranked up."

Marshall believes they can push out at least 40 million doses in the next weeks.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608567039180.png" alt="Rep. Marshall and Senator Pat Roberts photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Marshall and Senator Pat Roberts photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas First District Congressman Dr. Roger Marshall noted there are several provisions to help the public in the latest COVID-19 relief bill being voted on Monday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">VA just announced the next group of sites to receive vaccine doses - Wichita, Topeka, Leavenworth and KC are all on the list - all will get the Moderna vaccine.&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1341024366507732997?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>"Most importantly, I think, we would start off with a direct payment to everyone who got a direct payment before from the previous CARES funding," Marshall said. "They'll be getting $600 per person. There's monies in there for the Paycheck Protection Program, so more of the small businesses would have an opportunity for a second bite of the apple. There's some funding in there, significant funding for more unemployment insurance. Those folks that still are not employed, it may be awhile. We've about 14 more weeks of unemployment insurance. There's funding to get the vaccines out, as well."Regarding the vaccines, Marshall believes herd immunity is possible in 2021."I really think we have the potential to have herd immunity by the middle of March," Marshall said. "If the administration does its job, the vaccines are out there to reach herd immunity by the middle of March and that's when we're going to see the economy turn around. When the restaurants can stay open, when we can go to a spring baseball game, March Madness, all those things that we're looking forward to, that's when the economy's going to get cranked up."Marshall believes they can push out at least 40 million doses in the next weeks.

Marshall: Relief bill, vaccine good news for the holidays

TOPEKA, Kan. — A FedEx executive says a higher-than-normal volume of Christmas-season package deliveries won’t interfere with the company’s effort to ship coronavirus vaccine doses.

Jenny Robertson, a FedEx senior vice president, said two trucks on Sunday moved doses of a vaccine developed by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health from a factory in Olive Branch, Mississippi, to the company’s world hub in nearby Memphis, Tennessee, so that shipments could be loaded onto its airplanes bound for multiple states.

She said the company is keeping its networks for shipping the vaccine and handling Christmas packages separate.

“Nothing’s more important than the delivery of the vaccine to us, but we have put in place distinct networks that are keeping e-commerce moving through our ground network and vaccines moving through our express network,” she said. “We’re able to manage this volume right now.”

Robertson said the company has seen holiday-level volumes for shipping packages since March because consumers switched how they buy products during the pandemic.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607982153819.png" alt="Photo courtesy Truman Medical Center" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Truman Medical Center</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. — A FedEx executive says a higher-than-normal volume of Christmas-season package deliveries won’t interfere with the company’s effort to ship coronavirus vaccine doses.Jenny Robertson, a FedEx senior vice president, said two trucks on Sunday moved doses of a vaccine developed by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health from a factory in Olive Branch, Mississippi, to the company’s world hub in nearby Memphis, Tennessee, so that shipments could be loaded onto its airplanes bound for multiple states.She said the company is keeping its networks for shipping the vaccine and handling Christmas packages separate.“Nothing’s more important than the delivery of the vaccine to us, but we have put in place distinct networks that are keeping e-commerce moving through our ground network and vaccines moving through our express network,” she said. “We’re able to manage this volume right now.”Robertson said the company has seen holiday-level volumes for shipping packages since March because consumers switched how they buy products during the pandemic.___

FedEx: Holiday shipping won't slow vaccine delivery

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Capitol Hill negotiators sealed a deal on a $900 billion COVID-19 economic relief package, finally delivering long-overdue help to businesses and individuals and providing money to deliver vaccines to a nation eager for them.

The package, expected to draw votes in Congress on Monday, would establish a temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefit and a $600 direct stimulus payment to most Americans, along with a new round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses and money for schools, health care providers and renters facing eviction.

It came together Sunday after months of battling and posturing, but the negotiating dynamic changed in Republicans’ favor after the election and as the end of the congressional session neared. President-elect Joe Biden was eager for a deal to deliver long-awaited help to suffering people and a boost to the economy, even though it was less than half the size that Democrats wanted this fall.

Biden praised the bipartisan spirit that produced the measure, which he called “just the beginning.”

“This is a model for the challenging work ahead for our nation,” Biden said Sunday in a statement.

House leaders informed lawmakers that they would vote on the legislation on Monday, and the Senate was likely to vote on Monday, too. Lawmakers were eager to leave Washington and close out a tumultuous year.

“There will be another major rescue package for the American people,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in announcing the agreement for the relief bill. “It is packed with targeted policies to help struggling Americans who have already waited too long.”

Democrats acknowledged it wasn’t as robust a relief package as they initially sought — or, they say, the country needs. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi vowed more to come once President-elect Joe Biden takes office.

“It is a first step,” she said. “We have to do more.”

A fight over Federal Reserve emergency powers was resolved Saturday night by the Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer of New York, and conservative Republican Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. That breakthrough led to a final round of negotiations Sunday.

Still, delays in finalizing the agreement prompted the House to pass a one-day stopgap spending bill to prevent a government shutdown at midnight Sunday. The Senate was likely to pass the measure Sunday night as well.

The final agreement would be the largest spending measure yet. It combined $900 billion for COVID-19 relief with a $1.4 trillion government-wide funding plan and lots of other unrelated measures on taxes, health, infrastructure and education. The government-wide funding would keep the government open through September.

Passage neared as coronavirus cases and deaths spiked and evidence piled up that the economy was struggling. The legislation had been held up by months of dysfunction, posturing and bad faith. But talks turned serious in recent days as lawmakers on both sides finally faced the deadline of acting before leaving Washington for Christmas.

“This bill is a good bill. Tonight is a good night. But it is not the end of the story, it is not the end of the job,” Schumer told reporters. “Anyone who thinks this bill is enough does not know what’s going on in America.”

The $300 per week bonus jobless benefit was one half the supplemental federal unemployment benefit provided under the $1.8 billion CARES Act in March and would be limited to 11 weeks instead of 16 weeks. The direct $600 stimulus payment to most people would also be half the March payment, subject to the same income limits in which an individual’s payment began to phase out after $75,000.

The CARES Act was credited with keeping the economy from falling off a cliff amid widespread lockdowns this spring, but Republicans controlling the Senate cited debt concerns in pushing against Democratic demands. Republican politicians, starting with President Donald Trump, focused more on reopening the economy and less on taxpayer-financed steps like supplemental jobless benefits.

Progress came after a bipartisan group of pragmatists and moderates devised a $908 billion plan that built a middle ground position that the top four leaders of Congress — the GOP and Democratic leaders of both the House and Senate — used as the basis for their talks. The lawmakers urged leaders on both sides to back off of hard-line positions.

“We put our heads down and worked around the clock for nearly a month to produce a bipartisan, bicameral bill to address the emergency needs of our country,” the bipartisan group of about a dozen lawmakers said in a statement. “Our consensus bill was the foundation of this final package.”

Republicans were most intent on reviving the Paycheck Protection Program with $284 billion, which would cover a second round of PPP grants to especially hard-hit businesses. Democrats won set-asides for low-income and minority communities.

Late-breaking decisions would limit $300 per week bonus jobless benefits — one half the supplemental federal unemployment benefit provided under the CARES Act in March — to 11 weeks instead of 16 weeks as before. The direct $600 stimulus payment to most people would be half the March payment, subject to the same income limits in which an individual’s payment begins to phase out after $75,000.

After the announcement, Schumer and Pelosi, D-Calif., announced additional details, including $25 billion in rental assistance, $15 billion for theaters and other live venues, $82 billion for local schools, colleges and universities, and $10 billion for child care.

The governmentwide appropriations bill would fund agencies through next September. That measure was likely to provide a last $1.4 billion installment for Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border wall as a condition of winning his signature.

The bill was an engine to carry much of Capitol Hill’s unfinished business, including an almost 400-page water resources bill that targets $10 billion for 46 Army Corps of Engineers flood control, environmental and coastal protection projects. Another addition would extend a batch of soon-to-expire tax breaks, including one for craft brewers, wineries and distillers.

It also would carry numerous clean energy provisions, $7 billion to increase access to broadband, $4 billion to help other nations vaccinate their people, $14 billion for cash-starved transit systems, Amtrak and airports.

Democrats failed in a monthslong battle to deliver direct fiscal relief to states and local governments, but they successfully pressed for $22 billion would help states and local governments with COVID-19-related health expenses like testing and vaccines.

The end-of-session rush also promised relief for victims of shockingly steep surprise medical bills, a phenomenon that often occurs when providers drop out of insurance company networks.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top negotiators in Congress have sealed a deal on an almost $1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package. Lawmakers announced the agreement Sunday after days of negotiations, and passage by Congress is expected Monday. 

The agreement would establish a temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefits and $600 direct stimulus payments to most Americans, along with a fresh round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses and funding for schools, health care providers, and renters facing eviction. 

The final agreement was reached after a breakthrough over Federal Reserve emergency powers was resolved by the Senate’s top Democrat and a senior conservative Republican.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top congressional lawmakers struck a late-night agreement on the last major obstacle to a COVID-19 economic relief package costing nearly $1 trillion, clearing the way for votes as early as Sunday.

The breakthrough involved a fight over Federal Reserve emergency powers and was resolved by the Senate’s top Democrat and a senior conservative Republican.

Congressional aides confirmed the agreement late Saturday, which clears the way for an expected deal Sunday on the aid bill. The measure is finally nearing passage amid a frightening spike in cases and deaths and accumulating evidence that the economy is struggling through the pandemic.

“We’re getting very close, very close,” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as he left the Capitol late Saturday. Schumer spent much of the day going back and forth with GOP Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. Toomey had been pressing a provision to close down Fed lending facilities. Democrats and the White House said it was too broadly worded and would have tied the hands of the incoming Biden administration.

The compromise, aides said, preserved Toomey’s goal but retained the Fed’s existing powers to restart similar facilities in the future.

The COVID-19 legislation has been held up after months of dysfunction, posturing and bad faith. But talks turned serious last week as lawmakers on both sides finally faced the deadline of acting before leaving Washington for Christmas.

The relief bill, lawmakers and aides say, would establish a temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefits and $600 direct stimulus payments to most Americans. It would provide a fresh round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses and money for schools, health care providers and renters facing eviction.

The measure is being added to a $1.4 trillion spending bill and lots of other unfinished work, including previously stalled legislation to extend tax breaks, authorize water projects, and address the problem of surprise sky-high medical bills for out-of-network procedures.

It would be virtually impossible for lawmakers to read and fully understand the measure before a House vote expected Sunday night.

Schumer said he hoped both the House and Senate would vote on the measure Sunday. That would take more cooperation than the Senate can usually muster, but a government shutdown deadline loomed at midnight Sunday and all sides were eager to leave for the holiday.

Toomey defended his provision in a Senate speech, saying the emergency powers were designed to stabilize capital markets at the height of the pandemic this spring and were expiring at the end of the month anyway. The language he had sought would block the Biden administration from restarting them.

Toomey has a stubborn streak and Democrats held firm as well, but both sides saw the need for a compromise.

The Fed’s emergency programs provided loans to small and mid-size businesses and bought state and local government bonds. Those bond purchases made it easier for those governments to borrow, at a time when their finances were under pressure from job losses and health costs stemming from the pandemic.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said last month that those programs, along with two that purchased corporate bonds, would close at the end of the year, prompting an initial objection by the Fed. Under the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul law passed after the Great Recession, the Fed can only set up emergency programs with the support of the treasury secretary.

Democrats also said that Toomey was trying to limit the Fed’s ability to boost the economy, just as Biden prepared to take office.

“This is about existing authorities that the Fed has had for a very long time, to be able to use in an emergency,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. “It’s about a lending authority for helping small businesses, state government, local government in the middle of a crisis.”

Toomey disputed that, saying his proposal “is emphatically not a broad overhaul of the Federal Reserve’s emergency lending authority.” His office issued a statement early Sunday calling the compromise with Schumer “an unqualified victory for taxpayers” that met Toomey’s aim of shutting down the emergency facility.

A Senate vote would follow, possibly on Monday. One more short-term funding bill would be needed to avoid the looming deadline — or a partial shutdown of nonessential agencies would start on Monday.

The emerging agreement would deliver more than $300 billion in aid to businesses as well as the extra $300-per-week for the jobless and renewal of state benefits that would otherwise expire right after Christmas. It included $600 direct payments to individuals; vaccine distribution funds; and money for renters, schools, the Postal Service and people needing food aid.

It would be the first significant legislative response to the pandemic since the landmark CARES Act passed virtually unanimously in March, delivering $1.8 trillion in aid, more generous $600 per week bonus jobless benefits and $1,200 direct payments to individuals.

The governmentwide appropriations bill would fund agencies through next September. That measure was likely to provide a last $1.4 billion installment for President Donald Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border wall as a condition of winning his signature.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608550263779.png" alt="22020 Capitol Christmas tree -courtesy Architect of the Capitol" />
 <figcaption>22020 Capitol Christmas tree -courtesy Architect of the Capitol</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Capitol Hill negotiators sealed a deal on a $900 billion COVID-19 economic relief package, finally delivering long-overdue help to businesses and individuals and providing money to deliver vaccines to a nation eager for them.The package, expected to draw votes in Congress on Monday, would establish a temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefit and a $600 direct stimulus payment to most Americans, along with a new round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses and money for schools, health care providers and renters facing eviction.It came together Sunday after months of battling and posturing, but the negotiating dynamic changed in Republicans’ favor after the election and as the end of the congressional session neared. President-elect Joe Biden was eager for a deal to deliver long-awaited help to suffering people and a boost to the economy, even though it was less than half the size that Democrats wanted this fall.Biden praised the bipartisan spirit that produced the measure, which he called “just the beginning.”“This is a model for the challenging work ahead for our nation,” Biden said Sunday in a statement.House leaders informed lawmakers that they would vote on the legislation on Monday, and the Senate was likely to vote on Monday, too. Lawmakers were eager to leave Washington and close out a tumultuous year.“There will be another major rescue package for the American people,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in announcing the agreement for the relief bill. “It is packed with targeted policies to help struggling Americans who have already waited too long.”Democrats acknowledged it wasn’t as robust a relief package as they initially sought — or, they say, the country needs. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi vowed more to come once President-elect Joe Biden takes office.“It is a first step,” she said. “We have to do more.”A fight over Federal Reserve emergency powers was resolved Saturday night by the Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer of New York, and conservative Republican Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. That breakthrough led to a final round of negotiations Sunday.Still, delays in finalizing the agreement prompted the House to pass a one-day stopgap spending bill to prevent a government shutdown at midnight Sunday. The Senate was likely to pass the measure Sunday night as well.The final agreement would be the largest spending measure yet. It combined $900 billion for COVID-19 relief with a $1.4 trillion government-wide funding plan and lots of other unrelated measures on taxes, health, infrastructure and education. The government-wide funding would keep the government open through September.Passage neared as coronavirus cases and deaths spiked and evidence piled up that the economy was struggling. The legislation had been held up by months of dysfunction, posturing and bad faith. But talks turned serious in recent days as lawmakers on both sides finally faced the deadline of acting before leaving Washington for Christmas.“This bill is a good bill. Tonight is a good night. But it is not the end of the story, it is not the end of the job,” Schumer told reporters. “Anyone who thinks this bill is enough does not know what’s going on in America.”The $300 per week bonus jobless benefit was one half the supplemental federal unemployment benefit provided under the $1.8 billion CARES Act in March and would be limited to 11 weeks instead of 16 weeks. The direct $600 stimulus payment to most people would also be half the March payment, subject to the same income limits in which an individual’s payment began to phase out after $75,000.The CARES Act was credited with keeping the economy from falling off a cliff amid widespread lockdowns this spring, but Republicans controlling the Senate cited debt concerns in pushing against Democratic demands. Republican politicians, starting with President Donald Trump, focused more on reopening the economy and less on taxpayer-financed steps like supplemental jobless benefits.Progress came after a bipartisan group of pragmatists and moderates devised a $908 billion plan that built a middle ground position that the top four leaders of Congress — the GOP and Democratic leaders of both the House and Senate — used as the basis for their talks. The lawmakers urged leaders on both sides to back off of hard-line positions.“We put our heads down and worked around the clock for nearly a month to produce a bipartisan, bicameral bill to address the emergency needs of our country,” the bipartisan group of about a dozen lawmakers said in a statement. “Our consensus bill was the foundation of this final package.”Republicans were most intent on reviving the Paycheck Protection Program with $284 billion, which would cover a second round of PPP grants to especially hard-hit businesses. Democrats won set-asides for low-income and minority communities.Late-breaking decisions would limit $300 per week bonus jobless benefits — one half the supplemental federal unemployment benefit provided under the CARES Act in March — to 11 weeks instead of 16 weeks as before. The direct $600 stimulus payment to most people would be half the March payment, subject to the same income limits in which an individual’s payment begins to phase out after $75,000.After the announcement, Schumer and Pelosi, D-Calif., announced additional details, including $25 billion in rental assistance, $15 billion for theaters and other live venues, $82 billion for local schools, colleges and universities, and $10 billion for child care.The governmentwide appropriations bill would fund agencies through next September. That measure was likely to provide a last $1.4 billion installment for Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border wall as a condition of winning his signature.The bill was an engine to carry much of Capitol Hill’s unfinished business, including an almost 400-page water resources bill that targets $10 billion for 46 Army Corps of Engineers flood control, environmental and coastal protection projects. Another addition would extend a batch of soon-to-expire tax breaks, including one for craft brewers, wineries and distillers.It also would carry numerous clean energy provisions, $7 billion to increase access to broadband, $4 billion to help other nations vaccinate their people, $14 billion for cash-starved transit systems, Amtrak and airports.Democrats failed in a monthslong battle to deliver direct fiscal relief to states and local governments, but they successfully pressed for $22 billion would help states and local governments with COVID-19-related health expenses like testing and vaccines.The end-of-session rush also promised relief for victims of shockingly steep surprise medical bills, a phenomenon that often occurs when providers drop out of insurance company networks.----------WASHINGTON (AP) — Top negotiators in Congress have sealed a deal on an almost $1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package. Lawmakers announced the agreement Sunday after days of negotiations, and passage by Congress is expected Monday. The agreement would establish a temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefits and $600 direct stimulus payments to most Americans, along with a fresh round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses and funding for schools, health care providers, and renters facing eviction. The final agreement was reached after a breakthrough over Federal Reserve emergency powers was resolved by the Senate’s top Democrat and a senior conservative Republican.--------WASHINGTON (AP) — Top congressional lawmakers struck a late-night agreement on the last major obstacle to a COVID-19 economic relief package costing nearly $1 trillion, clearing the way for votes as early as Sunday.The breakthrough involved a fight over Federal Reserve emergency powers and was resolved by the Senate’s top Democrat and a senior conservative Republican.Congressional aides confirmed the agreement late Saturday, which clears the way for an expected deal Sunday on the aid bill. The measure is finally nearing passage amid a frightening spike in cases and deaths and accumulating evidence that the economy is struggling through the pandemic.“We’re getting very close, very close,” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as he left the Capitol late Saturday. Schumer spent much of the day going back and forth with GOP Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. Toomey had been pressing a provision to close down Fed lending facilities. Democrats and the White House said it was too broadly worded and would have tied the hands of the incoming Biden administration.The compromise, aides said, preserved Toomey’s goal but retained the Fed’s existing powers to restart similar facilities in the future.The COVID-19 legislation has been held up after months of dysfunction, posturing and bad faith. But talks turned serious last week as lawmakers on both sides finally faced the deadline of acting before leaving Washington for Christmas.The relief bill, lawmakers and aides say, would establish a temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefits and $600 direct stimulus payments to most Americans. It would provide a fresh round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses and money for schools, health care providers and renters facing eviction.The measure is being added to a $1.4 trillion spending bill and lots of other unfinished work, including previously stalled legislation to extend tax breaks, authorize water projects, and address the problem of surprise sky-high medical bills for out-of-network procedures.It would be virtually impossible for lawmakers to read and fully understand the measure before a House vote expected Sunday night.Schumer said he hoped both the House and Senate would vote on the measure Sunday. That would take more cooperation than the Senate can usually muster, but a government shutdown deadline loomed at midnight Sunday and all sides were eager to leave for the holiday.Toomey defended his provision in a Senate speech, saying the emergency powers were designed to stabilize capital markets at the height of the pandemic this spring and were expiring at the end of the month anyway. The language he had sought would block the Biden administration from restarting them.Toomey has a stubborn streak and Democrats held firm as well, but both sides saw the need for a compromise.The Fed’s emergency programs provided loans to small and mid-size businesses and bought state and local government bonds. Those bond purchases made it easier for those governments to borrow, at a time when their finances were under pressure from job losses and health costs stemming from the pandemic.Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said last month that those programs, along with two that purchased corporate bonds, would close at the end of the year, prompting an initial objection by the Fed. Under the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul law passed after the Great Recession, the Fed can only set up emergency programs with the support of the treasury secretary.Democrats also said that Toomey was trying to limit the Fed’s ability to boost the economy, just as Biden prepared to take office.“This is about existing authorities that the Fed has had for a very long time, to be able to use in an emergency,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. “It’s about a lending authority for helping small businesses, state government, local government in the middle of a crisis.”Toomey disputed that, saying his proposal “is emphatically not a broad overhaul of the Federal Reserve’s emergency lending authority.” His office issued a statement early Sunday calling the compromise with Schumer “an unqualified victory for taxpayers” that met Toomey’s aim of shutting down the emergency facility.A Senate vote would follow, possibly on Monday. One more short-term funding bill would be needed to avoid the looming deadline — or a partial shutdown of nonessential agencies would start on Monday.The emerging agreement would deliver more than $300 billion in aid to businesses as well as the extra $300-per-week for the jobless and renewal of state benefits that would otherwise expire right after Christmas. It included $600 direct payments to individuals; vaccine distribution funds; and money for renters, schools, the Postal Service and people needing food aid.It would be the first significant legislative response to the pandemic since the landmark CARES Act passed virtually unanimously in March, delivering $1.8 trillion in aid, more generous $600 per week bonus jobless benefits and $1,200 direct payments to individuals.The governmentwide appropriations bill would fund agencies through next September. That measure was likely to provide a last $1.4 billion installment for President Donald Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border wall as a condition of winning his signature.

Christmas COVID relief bill includes stimulus checks, much more

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Governor Ralph Northam on Monday announced that Virginia’s statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee was removed from the United States Capitol overnight. A representative from the governor’s office was present for the removal along with United States Senator Tim Kaine and Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton, according to a media release from governor's office.

Each state is entitled to display two statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection, and for 111 years, the Confederate statue has stood along with America’s first president George Washington as Virginia’s contributions. The two statues were added in 1909, which was 44 years after the Confederacy rebelled against the United States and was defeated. The Lee statue had been one among 13 located in the Crypt of the Capitol, representing the 13 original colonies.

“We should all be proud of this important step forward for our Commonwealth and our country,”&nbsp;said Governor Northam. “The Confederacy is a symbol of Virginia’s racist and divisive history, and it is past time we tell our story with images of perseverance, diversity, and inclusion. I look forward to seeing a trailblazing young woman of color represent Virginia in the U.S. Capitol, where visitors will learn about Barbara Johns’ contributions to America and be empowered to create positive change in their communities just like she did.”

Earlier this year, Governor Northam signed legislation establishing the&nbsp;<a href="https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+HB1406">Commission for Historical Statues in the United States Capitol</a>&nbsp;charged with studying the removal and replacement of the Robert E. Lee statue. The eight-member commission, chaired by State Senator Louise Lucas,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/all-releases/2020/july/headline-859644-en.html">voted unanimously</a>&nbsp;on July 24, 2020 to recommend removal of the statue. At the request of the Commission, the Virginia Museum of History and Culture in Richmond, Virginia will&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/VMHC-Letter-to-DHR-August-18-2020.pdf">accept ownership</a>&nbsp;of the statue.

“Confederate images do not represent who we are in Virginia, that’s why we voted unanimously to remove this statue,”&nbsp;said Senator Louise Lucas. “I am thrilled that this day has finally arrived, and I thank Governor Northam and the Commission for their transformative work.”

On December 16, 2020, the Commission&nbsp;<a href="https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/all-releases/2020/december/headline-890268-en.html">selected</a>&nbsp;civil rights icon Barbara Rose Johns to replace the Robert E. Lee statue, after receiving public input from Virginia residents during several virtual public hearings. In 1951, sixteen-year-old Barbara Johns led a student walkout at Robert Russa Moton High School in Farmville, protesting the overcrowded and inferior conditions of the all-Black school compared to those of White students at nearby Farmville High School. This garnered the support of NAACP lawyers Spottswood Robinson and Oliver Hill who took up her cause and filed a lawsuit that would later become one of five cases reviewed by the United States Supreme Court in&nbsp;Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka&nbsp;when it declared segregation unconstitutional in 1954. Historians consider Johns’ protest a pivotal moment that launched the desegregation movement in America.

“As of this morning, Virginia will no longer honor the Confederacy in the halls of the United States Capitol,”&nbsp;said Delegate Jeion Ward, who sponsored legislation creating the Commission. “When I think of Barbara Johns, I am reminded of how brave she was at such a young age. It’s time for us to start singing the songs of some of the Virginians who have done great things that have gone unnoticed. This is a proud moment for our Commonwealth, and I am humbled to have been a part of it.”

The General Assembly must approve the replacement before a sculptor can be commissioned. &nbsp;If approved, Johns would complement the statue of Washington, and would be the only teenager represented in the collection. Governor Northam&nbsp;has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.governor.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/governor-of-virginia/pdf/Highlights-of-Governor-Northam-2021-Budget.pdf">introduced</a>&nbsp;a budget that includes $500,000 to replace the statue.

Images of the statue removal can be found below and should be accompanied by the attribution Jack Mayer, Office of Governor Northam.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608558944797.png" alt="photos by Jack Mayer, Office of Governor Ralph Northam" />
 <figcaption>photos by Jack Mayer, Office of Governor Ralph Northam</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON, D.C.—Governor Ralph Northam on Monday announced that Virginia’s statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee was removed from the United States Capitol overnight. A representative from the governor’s office was present for the removal along with United States Senator Tim Kaine and Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton, according to a media release from governor's office.Each state is entitled to display two statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection, and for 111 years, the Confederate statue has stood along with America’s first president George Washington as Virginia’s contributions. The two statues were added in 1909, which was 44 years after the Confederacy rebelled against the United States and was defeated. The Lee statue had been one among 13 located in the Crypt of the Capitol, representing the 13 original colonies.“We should all be proud of this important step forward for our Commonwealth and our country,”&nbsp;said Governor Northam. “The Confederacy is a symbol of Virginia’s racist and divisive history, and it is past time we tell our story with images of perseverance, diversity, and inclusion. I look forward to seeing a trailblazing young woman of color represent Virginia in the U.S. Capitol, where visitors will learn about Barbara Johns’ contributions to America and be empowered to create positive change in their communities just like she did.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608558421107.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Earlier this year, Governor Northam signed legislation establishing the&nbsp;<a href="https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+HB1406">Commission for Historical Statues in the United States Capitol</a>&nbsp;charged with studying the removal and replacement of the Robert E. Lee statue. The eight-member commission, chaired by State Senator Louise Lucas,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/all-releases/2020/july/headline-859644-en.html">voted unanimously</a>&nbsp;on July 24, 2020 to recommend removal of the statue. At the request of the Commission, the Virginia Museum of History and Culture in Richmond, Virginia will&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/VMHC-Letter-to-DHR-August-18-2020.pdf">accept ownership</a>&nbsp;of the statue.“Confederate images do not represent who we are in Virginia, that’s why we voted unanimously to remove this statue,”&nbsp;said Senator Louise Lucas. “I am thrilled that this day has finally arrived, and I thank Governor Northam and the Commission for their transformative work.”On December 16, 2020, the Commission&nbsp;<a href="https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/all-releases/2020/december/headline-890268-en.html">selected</a>&nbsp;civil rights icon Barbara Rose Johns to replace the Robert E. Lee statue, after receiving public input from Virginia residents during several virtual public hearings. In 1951, sixteen-year-old Barbara Johns led a student walkout at Robert Russa Moton High School in Farmville, protesting the overcrowded and inferior conditions of the all-Black school compared to those of White students at nearby Farmville High School. This garnered the support of NAACP lawyers Spottswood Robinson and Oliver Hill who took up her cause and filed a lawsuit that would later become one of five cases reviewed by the United States Supreme Court in&nbsp;Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka&nbsp;when it declared segregation unconstitutional in 1954. Historians consider Johns’ protest a pivotal moment that launched the desegregation movement in America.“As of this morning, Virginia will no longer honor the Confederacy in the halls of the United States Capitol,”&nbsp;said Delegate Jeion Ward, who sponsored legislation creating the Commission. “When I think of Barbara Johns, I am reminded of how brave she was at such a young age. It’s time for us to start singing the songs of some of the Virginians who have done great things that have gone unnoticed. This is a proud moment for our Commonwealth, and I am humbled to have been a part of it.”The General Assembly must approve the replacement before a sculptor can be commissioned. &nbsp;If approved, Johns would complement the statue of Washington, and would be the only teenager represented in the collection. Governor Northam&nbsp;has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.governor.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/governor-of-virginia/pdf/Highlights-of-Governor-Northam-2021-Budget.pdf">introduced</a>&nbsp;a budget that includes $500,000 to replace the statue.Images of the statue removal can be found below and should be accompanied by the attribution Jack Mayer, Office of Governor Northam.

Statue of Robert E. Lee removed from U.S. Capitol overnight

COWLEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect after an alleged altercation involving a gun.

Just after 3p.m. Dec. 16, a 55-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman, who live together in Arkansas City came to the police department at 3:13 p.m. Wednesday to report having had a firearm pointed at them according to a media release.

Officers interviewed both victims and learned an altercation had ensued in which the suspect, later identified as 60-year-old T.J. Hollins, Jr. had emerged from a home while brandishing a firearm at the couple.

He allegedly leveled the weapon at the pair as they fled the neighborhood and returned to their vehicle.

Police gathered sufficient information to apply for a search warrant for the residence, where they retrieved the weapon in question following a search and then took Hollins into custody without incident.

Hollins remains jailed on two requested charges of felony&nbsp; aggravated assault and criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on a $25,000 bond.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608390677478.png" alt="Hollins photo Cowley Co." />
 <figcaption>Hollins photo Cowley Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>COWLEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect after an alleged altercation involving a gun.Just after 3p.m. Dec. 16, a 55-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman, who live together in Arkansas City came to the police department at 3:13 p.m. Wednesday to report having had a firearm pointed at them according to a media release.Officers interviewed both victims and learned an altercation had ensued in which the suspect, later identified as 60-year-old T.J. Hollins, Jr. had emerged from a home while brandishing a firearm at the couple.He allegedly leveled the weapon at the pair as they fled the neighborhood and returned to their vehicle.Police gathered sufficient information to apply for a search warrant for the residence, where they retrieved the weapon in question following a search and then took Hollins into custody without incident.Hollins remains jailed on two requested charges of felony&nbsp; aggravated assault and criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on a $25,000 bond.

Kansas man allegedly threatened couple with gun

SALINE COUNTY —The Rolling Hills Zoo (RHZ) family is mourning the loss of Darius, their 18 year old Amur leopard.

According to a media release from the zoo, Darius has been treated for renal failure over the past year and while his kidney function was declining, it was within the last week that his blood work indicated he was in stage 4 kidney failure. 

Unfortunately kidney failure is relatively common in big cats as part of the aging process, as it is in domestic cats. While one can only “buy” a little more time with supportive care, chronic kidney failure is not reversible.

Once Darius became more lethargic and stopped eating, combined with the lab findings, it was decided that humanely euthanizing him was the kindest option available. Darius’ body has been transported to K-State for a necropsy.

Born at the Erie Zoo, Erie, Pa., on June 30, 2002, Darius moved to Roosevelt Park Zoo in Minot, N.D., in October 2003. Then in June 2011, due to the floods in Minot, Darius was transferred to the Tanganyika Wild Animal Park before coming to Rolling Hills Zoo in December 2011.

At RHZ, Darius was a master artist who loved to play with the keepers. Darius did take his time in warming up to the keepers though, but once they earned his trust they saw a very different side of him. Since he was also a bit camera shy and didn’t like to be watched when eating or getting enrichment, he made getting great photos that much more special.

“Being solitary by nature, it was always a highlight of my day when Darius would come over and lay down in front of me or roll over and show me his stomach and reach his paws out toward me,” said Head Keeper Devney Olson-Bowen. “Many saw what they thought was a grumpy old man, but I saw a very sweet and good natured handsome boy. I will miss him running up to meet me, and his calls out to the other animals in the park every day. He always let everyone know he was there. He will forever hold a very dear place in my heart, and I am a better keeper and a better person for having worked with him."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608523925714.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy Rolling Hills Zoo" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Rolling Hills Zoo</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —The Rolling Hills Zoo (RHZ) family is mourning the loss of Darius, their 18 year old Amur leopard.According to a media release from the zoo, Darius has been treated for renal failure over the past year and while his kidney function was declining, it was within the last week that his blood work indicated he was in stage 4 kidney failure. Unfortunately kidney failure is relatively common in big cats as part of the aging process, as it is in domestic cats. While one can only “buy” a little more time with supportive care, chronic kidney failure is not reversible.Once Darius became more lethargic and stopped eating, combined with the lab findings, it was decided that humanely euthanizing him was the kindest option available. Darius’ body has been transported to K-State for a necropsy.Born at the Erie Zoo, Erie, Pa., on June 30, 2002, Darius moved to Roosevelt Park Zoo in Minot, N.D., in October 2003. Then in June 2011, due to the floods in Minot, Darius was transferred to the Tanganyika Wild Animal Park before coming to Rolling Hills Zoo in December 2011.At RHZ, Darius was a master artist who loved to play with the keepers. Darius did take his time in warming up to the keepers though, but once they earned his trust they saw a very different side of him. Since he was also a bit camera shy and didn’t like to be watched when eating or getting enrichment, he made getting great photos that much more special.“Being solitary by nature, it was always a highlight of my day when Darius would come over and lay down in front of me or roll over and show me his stomach and reach his paws out toward me,” said Head Keeper Devney Olson-Bowen. “Many saw what they thought was a grumpy old man, but I saw a very sweet and good natured handsome boy. I will miss him running up to meet me, and his calls out to the other animals in the park every day. He always let everyone know he was there. He will forever hold a very dear place in my heart, and I am a better keeper and a better person for having worked with him."

Rolling Hills Zoo mourns loss of Amur leopard

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Authorities are still working to confirm the exact cause of a Saturday night fire at a home in Topeka.

Just after 7:30p.m. Saturday, crews&nbsp;responded to a fire at a home at 1406 SW Polk Street in Topeka, according to Fire Marshal Todd Harrison.&nbsp;

The fire had fully involved the two-story residence.&nbsp; Firefighters began a defensive fire attack and the blaze spread to one additional house directly to the south, 1408 SW Polk, causing significant damage.

A preliminary investigation from the State Fire Marshal indicates the cause of the fire as undetermined; cause is more likely than not related to a wood burning stove, according to Harrison.&nbsp; The occupants of the home escaped with no injures.

The estimated dollar loss on 1406 SW Polk was – $10,000.00; of which $5,000.00 is associated with structural loss and $5,000.00 is associated with content’s loss. The estimated dollar loss on 1408 SW Polk was – $15,000.00; of which $10,000.00 is associated with structural loss and $5,000.00 associated with content’s loss.

Working smoke detectors were not located within home at 1406 Polk, according to Harrison.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608489858732.png" alt="Saturday night fire photo courtesy WIBW-TV" />
 <figcaption>Saturday night fire photo courtesy WIBW-TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Authorities are still working to confirm the exact cause of a Saturday night fire at a home in Topeka.Just after 7:30p.m. Saturday, crews&nbsp;responded to a fire at a home at 1406 SW Polk Street in Topeka, according to Fire Marshal Todd Harrison.&nbsp;The fire had fully involved the two-story residence.&nbsp; Firefighters began a defensive fire attack and the blaze spread to one additional house directly to the south, 1408 SW Polk, causing significant damage.A preliminary investigation from the State Fire Marshal indicates the cause of the fire as undetermined; cause is more likely than not related to a wood burning stove, according to Harrison.&nbsp; The occupants of the home escaped with no injures.The estimated dollar loss on 1406 SW Polk was – $10,000.00; of which $5,000.00 is associated with structural loss and $5,000.00 is associated with content’s loss. The estimated dollar loss on 1408 SW Polk was – $15,000.00; of which $10,000.00 is associated with structural loss and $5,000.00 associated with content’s loss.Working smoke detectors were not located within home at 1406 Polk, according to Harrison.

Fire Marshal: Fire damages 2 Kansas homes

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects after a drug raid in Shawnee County.

On December 17, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office Drug Enforcement Task Force conducted a search warrant in the 300 block of SE Lake Street, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

Deputies seized seven long guns, including assault rifles during this investigation.

They arrested Mary Coleman, 65, of Topeka, on requested charges of possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia. They also arrested Torrello K. Cameron, 26, of Topeka, of requested charges for felon in possession of firearms and other narcotics violations. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608313562995.png" alt="Cameron photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Cameron photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects after a drug raid in Shawnee County.On December 17, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office Drug Enforcement Task Force conducted a search warrant in the 300 block of SE Lake Street, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.Deputies seized seven long guns, including assault rifles during this investigation.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608313519805.png" alt="Coleman-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Coleman-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>They arrested Mary Coleman, 65, of Topeka, on requested charges of possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia. They also arrested Torrello K. Cameron, 26, of Topeka, of requested charges for felon in possession of firearms and other narcotics violations.

Kan. woman jailed, assault rifles seized during drug bust

KANSAS CITY– A Fort Smith, Arkansas, man was charged in federal court Thursday with fentanyl trafficking after law enforcement officers found seven pounds of fentanyl in his backpack when he arrived at a Kansas City&nbsp; bus station, according to the United State's Attorney.

Daniel Bonilla, 26, was charged with possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City.

According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s federal criminal complaint, a police service dog indicated the presence of illegal drugs in the luggage stored underneath a bus at a local bus station on Wednesday, Dec. 16. When Bonilla picked up the luggage, a Kansas City police detective contacted him for questioning. Bonilla was acting suspiciously, the affidavit says, and a police service dog indicated the presence of illegal drugs in a backpack he was carrying. When a detective searched the backpack, he found three packages that contained a total of seven pounds of fentanyl.

The charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608245358476.png" alt="Photo courtesy WJTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy WJTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY– A Fort Smith, Arkansas, man was charged in federal court Thursday with fentanyl trafficking after law enforcement officers found seven pounds of fentanyl in his backpack when he arrived at a Kansas City&nbsp; bus station, according to the United State's Attorney.Daniel Bonilla, 26, was charged with possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City.According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s federal criminal complaint, a police service dog indicated the presence of illegal drugs in the luggage stored underneath a bus at a local bus station on Wednesday, Dec. 16. When Bonilla picked up the luggage, a Kansas City police detective contacted him for questioning. Bonilla was acting suspiciously, the affidavit says, and a police service dog indicated the presence of illegal drugs in a backpack he was carrying. When a detective searched the backpack, he found three packages that contained a total of seven pounds of fentanyl.The charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

Officers seized 7 pounds of fentanyl at KC bus station

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — One man died in a fire in south Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday.

Kansas City Fire Department Assistant Chief Jimmy Walker said firefighters were called to the home shortly before 9 a.m. Sunday. The fire in a south Kansas City neighborhood was in the 10400 block of Tullis Avenue.

Walker said the person who died in the fire was an older man, but his name and age were not immediately released.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608500352623.png" alt="Crews on the scene of Sunday's fatal fire -Photo courtesy KCFD" />
 <figcaption>Crews on the scene of Sunday's fatal fire -Photo courtesy KCFD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — One man died in a fire in south Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday.Kansas City Fire Department Assistant Chief Jimmy Walker said firefighters were called to the home shortly before 9 a.m. Sunday. The fire in a south Kansas City neighborhood was in the 10400 block of Tullis Avenue.Walker said the person who died in the fire was an older man, but his name and age were not immediately released.

Man dies in Kansas City house fire 

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly and Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz announced Thursday that KDOT and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have finalized an agreement to establish the Kansas Supersonic Transportation Corridor (SSTC) for use in testing non-military aircraft that fly faster than the speed of sound (“mach” speed), according to a media release from the KDOT.

“To be able to deliver this new opportunity for our country is yet another example of Kansas cementing its reputation as a national leader in the aviation industry,”&nbsp;Governor Kelly said.&nbsp;“This high-altitude flight corridor gives Kansas a strategic advantage in attracting companies involved in the development of supersonic aircraft, and will play a significant role in our state’s ability to encourage economic development as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

KDOT Secretary Lorenz, who chairs the Aviation Committee for AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials), commended the collaborative efforts resulting in Kansas securing the SSTC. She acknowledged Kansas Senator Jerry Moran’s involvement in the process in coordination with the FAA, NASA, the Air Route Traffic Control Center and the National Institute of Aviation Research at Wichita State University.

Senator Moran said industry forecasts show a market for as many as 300 sophisticated supersonic aircraft over a 10-year period, representing as much as $40 billion in revenue and requiring a “deep bench of skilled manufacturing talent.”

“This year marks 73 years since Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, and with this supersonic flight corridor Kansas will have a unique role in the next generation of supersonic transportation,”&nbsp;Senator Moran said.

The Kansas SSTC is a 770-nautical-mile racetrack-shaped corridor at or above an altitude of 39,000 feet. The FAA’s Kansas City Air Route Traffic Control Center assessed this route to protect the safety and efficiency of the National Airspace system. This corridor is entirely in federal airspace above Kansas, running the length of the state, just north of the Kansas-Oklahoma border. The route will support sustained flight up to Mach 3 and is within reach of numerous airports equipped to provide fuel, ground and technical support.&nbsp;

Bob Brock, KDOT Director of Aviation, said the SSTC gives innovators like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Aerion, Spike and Boom Aerospace the airspace necessary to test aircraft designs that reduce the impact of sound on nearby communities. Brock said the Kansas supersonic corridor also offers logistical advantages by being the first and only such commercial supersonic flight test route in the nation’s interior.

“I’m really excited about quiet supersonic technology and its ability to be transformative for flight and our economy,”&nbsp;said Jim Bridenstine, Administrator of NASA.&nbsp;

Bridenstine said NASA is working with industry to build supersonic aircraft with “low-boom” or “no boom” flight characteristics.&nbsp;

To provide safety margins for these operations, the KDOT Division of Aviation, FAA Central Region, Air Route Traffic Control Center and Lemasters Group Consulting wrote new procedures for operators. Aircraft will only enter the SSTC at specific points and will be required to clear flight routes prior to takeoff. The SSTC is located in generally low-volume airspace, which will minimize any effect on existing flight routes and airports.

KDOT has partnered with Wichita State University’s National Institute of Aviation Research (NIAR) to collect noise data and live telemetry from the aircraft that will be used by both the FAA and aircraft manufacturers to evaluate performance.

“We help manufacturers refine aircraft designs every day and flight tests are one of our core strengths,” said Dr. John Tomblin, WSU Senior Vice President for Industry and Defense Programs and NIAR Executive Director.&nbsp;“This partnership with KDOT provides a sophisticated and cost-effective flight test capability within reach of every major aircraft manufacturer in the country.”

The FAA recently proposed a new rule that modernizes the procedure for requesting special flight authorizations to operate at supersonic speeds over the United States. Kansas state officials are hopeful data from the Kansas corridor will help policymakers and the FAA make informed rulings on issues that will drive the future of the aviation industry.

Kansas has consistently served in a leadership role for the aviation industry. Research efforts such as these may shape the future of air travel in ways that both reduce impact on the environment and facilitate global travel in a far more efficient and affordable manner

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608240633013.png" alt="SSTC photo courtesy office of Kansas Governor" />
 <figcaption>SSTC photo courtesy office of Kansas Governor</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly and Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz announced Thursday that KDOT and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have finalized an agreement to establish the Kansas Supersonic Transportation Corridor (SSTC) for use in testing non-military aircraft that fly faster than the speed of sound (“mach” speed), according to a media release from the KDOT.“To be able to deliver this new opportunity for our country is yet another example of Kansas cementing its reputation as a national leader in the aviation industry,”&nbsp;Governor Kelly said.&nbsp;“This high-altitude flight corridor gives Kansas a strategic advantage in attracting companies involved in the development of supersonic aircraft, and will play a significant role in our state’s ability to encourage economic development as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.”KDOT Secretary Lorenz, who chairs the Aviation Committee for AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials), commended the collaborative efforts resulting in Kansas securing the SSTC. She acknowledged Kansas Senator Jerry Moran’s involvement in the process in coordination with the FAA, NASA, the Air Route Traffic Control Center and the National Institute of Aviation Research at Wichita State University.Senator Moran said industry forecasts show a market for as many as 300 sophisticated supersonic aircraft over a 10-year period, representing as much as $40 billion in revenue and requiring a “deep bench of skilled manufacturing talent.”“This year marks 73 years since Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, and with this supersonic flight corridor Kansas will have a unique role in the next generation of supersonic transportation,”&nbsp;Senator Moran said.The Kansas SSTC is a 770-nautical-mile racetrack-shaped corridor at or above an altitude of 39,000 feet. The FAA’s Kansas City Air Route Traffic Control Center assessed this route to protect the safety and efficiency of the National Airspace system. This corridor is entirely in federal airspace above Kansas, running the length of the state, just north of the Kansas-Oklahoma border. The route will support sustained flight up to Mach 3 and is within reach of numerous airports equipped to provide fuel, ground and technical support.&nbsp;Bob Brock, KDOT Director of Aviation, said the SSTC gives innovators like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Aerion, Spike and Boom Aerospace the airspace necessary to test aircraft designs that reduce the impact of sound on nearby communities. Brock said the Kansas supersonic corridor also offers logistical advantages by being the first and only such commercial supersonic flight test route in the nation’s interior.Lowering the boom“I’m really excited about quiet supersonic technology and its ability to be transformative for flight and our economy,”&nbsp;said Jim Bridenstine, Administrator of NASA.&nbsp;Bridenstine said NASA is working with industry to build supersonic aircraft with “low-boom” or “no boom” flight characteristics.&nbsp;To provide safety margins for these operations, the KDOT Division of Aviation, FAA Central Region, Air Route Traffic Control Center and Lemasters Group Consulting wrote new procedures for operators. Aircraft will only enter the SSTC at specific points and will be required to clear flight routes prior to takeoff. The SSTC is located in generally low-volume airspace, which will minimize any effect on existing flight routes and airports.KDOT has partnered with Wichita State University’s National Institute of Aviation Research (NIAR) to collect noise data and live telemetry from the aircraft that will be used by both the FAA and aircraft manufacturers to evaluate performance.“We help manufacturers refine aircraft designs every day and flight tests are one of our core strengths,” said Dr. John Tomblin, WSU Senior Vice President for Industry and Defense Programs and NIAR Executive Director.&nbsp;“This partnership with KDOT provides a sophisticated and cost-effective flight test capability within reach of every major aircraft manufacturer in the country.”The FAA recently proposed a new rule that modernizes the procedure for requesting special flight authorizations to operate at supersonic speeds over the United States. Kansas state officials are hopeful data from the Kansas corridor will help policymakers and the FAA make informed rulings on issues that will drive the future of the aviation industry.Kansas has consistently served in a leadership role for the aviation industry. Research efforts such as these may shape the future of air travel in ways that both reduce impact on the environment and facilitate global travel in a far more efficient and affordable manner

Supersonic test flights coming to Kansas 

OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. (AP) — Initial shipments of the second COVID-19 vaccine authorized in the U.S. left a distribution center Sunday, a desperately needed boost as the nation works to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control.

The trucks left the factory in the Memphis area with the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health. The much-needed shots are expected to be given starting Monday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-michael-pence-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-0689620e4207b39cfbbf301f02b6b843">just three days</a>&nbsp;after the Food and Drug Administration authorized their emergency rollout.

Later Sunday, an expert committee will debate who should be next in line for early doses of the Moderna vaccine and a similar one from Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech. Pfizer’s shots&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-united-states-d4525c56fd2606f1c0dae46ac3c96405">were first shipped out</a>&nbsp;a week ago and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-health-workers-coronavirus-vaccine-56df745388a9fc12ae93c6f9a0d0e81f">started being used&nbsp;</a>the next day, kicking off the nation’s biggest vaccination drive.

Public health experts say the shots — and others in the pipeline — are the only way to stop a virus that has been spreading wildly. Nationwide, more than 219,000 people per day on average test positive for the virus, which has killed at least 314,000 in the U.S. and upwards of 1.7 million worldwide.

The Pfizer and Moderna shots shipped so far and going out over the next few weeks are nearly all going to health care workers and residents of long-term care homes, based on the advice of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

That panel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-next-in-line-0020fe73d46c7e1edef12fd6573ef49b">meets Sunday</a>&nbsp;to debate who should get the doses available after those early shots are given.

There won’t be enough shots for the general population until spring, so doses will be rationed at least for the next several months.

The panel members are leaning toward putting “essential workers” next in line, because people like bus drivers, grocery store clerks and others are the ones getting infected most often. But other experts say people 65 and older should be next, along with people with certain medical conditions, because those are the Americans who are dying at the highest rates.

The expert panel’s advice is almost always endorsed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No matter what the CDC says, there will be differences from state to state, because their health departments have different ideas about who should be closer to the front of the line.

Both the new Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech shot require two doses several weeks apart. The second dose must be from the same company as the first. Both vaccines appeared safe and strongly protective in large, still unfinished studies.

OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. (AP) — Workers on Sunday began packaging shipments of the second COVID-19 vaccine authorized in the U.S., a desperately needed boost to efforts to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control.

Employees at a factory in the Memphis area were boxing up the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health. The much-needed shots are expected to be given starting Monday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-michael-pence-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-0689620e4207b39cfbbf301f02b6b843">just three days</a>&nbsp;after the Food and Drug Administration authorized their emergency rollout.

Public health experts say the shots — and others in the pipeline — are the only way to stop a virus that has been spreading wildly. Nationwide, more than 219,000 people per day on average test positive for the virus, which has killed more than 314,000 in the U.S. and nearly 1.7 million worldwide.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608469304954.png" alt="Workers at McKesson Vaccine Distribution Center in Olive Branch, Mississippi, pack doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine into boxes early Sunday -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Workers at McKesson Vaccine Distribution Center in Olive Branch, Mississippi, pack doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine into boxes early Sunday -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. (AP) — Initial shipments of the second COVID-19 vaccine authorized in the U.S. left a distribution center Sunday, a desperately needed boost as the nation works to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control.The trucks left the factory in the Memphis area with the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health. The much-needed shots are expected to be given starting Monday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-michael-pence-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-0689620e4207b39cfbbf301f02b6b843">just three days</a>&nbsp;after the Food and Drug Administration authorized their emergency rollout.Later Sunday, an expert committee will debate who should be next in line for early doses of the Moderna vaccine and a similar one from Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech. Pfizer’s shots&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-united-states-d4525c56fd2606f1c0dae46ac3c96405">were first shipped out</a>&nbsp;a week ago and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-health-workers-coronavirus-vaccine-56df745388a9fc12ae93c6f9a0d0e81f">started being used&nbsp;</a>the next day, kicking off the nation’s biggest vaccination drive.Public health experts say the shots — and others in the pipeline — are the only way to stop a virus that has been spreading wildly. Nationwide, more than 219,000 people per day on average test positive for the virus, which has killed at least 314,000 in the U.S. and upwards of 1.7 million worldwide.The Pfizer and Moderna shots shipped so far and going out over the next few weeks are nearly all going to health care workers and residents of long-term care homes, based on the advice of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.That panel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-next-in-line-0020fe73d46c7e1edef12fd6573ef49b">meets Sunday</a>&nbsp;to debate who should get the doses available after those early shots are given.There won’t be enough shots for the general population until spring, so doses will be rationed at least for the next several months.The panel members are leaning toward putting “essential workers” next in line, because people like bus drivers, grocery store clerks and others are the ones getting infected most often. But other experts say people 65 and older should be next, along with people with certain medical conditions, because those are the Americans who are dying at the highest rates.The expert panel’s advice is almost always endorsed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No matter what the CDC says, there will be differences from state to state, because their health departments have different ideas about who should be closer to the front of the line.Both the new Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech shot require two doses several weeks apart. The second dose must be from the same company as the first. Both vaccines appeared safe and strongly protective in large, still unfinished studies.---------OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. (AP) — Workers on Sunday began packaging shipments of the second COVID-19 vaccine authorized in the U.S., a desperately needed boost to efforts to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control.Employees at a factory in the Memphis area were boxing up the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health. The much-needed shots are expected to be given starting Monday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-michael-pence-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-0689620e4207b39cfbbf301f02b6b843">just three days</a>&nbsp;after the Food and Drug Administration authorized their emergency rollout.Later Sunday, an expert committee will debate who should be next in line for early doses of the Moderna vaccine and a similar one from Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech. Pfizer’s shots&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-united-states-d4525c56fd2606f1c0dae46ac3c96405">were first shipped out</a>&nbsp;a week ago and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-health-workers-coronavirus-vaccine-56df745388a9fc12ae93c6f9a0d0e81f">started being used&nbsp;</a>the next day, kicking off the nation’s biggest vaccination drive.Public health experts say the shots — and others in the pipeline — are the only way to stop a virus that has been spreading wildly. Nationwide, more than 219,000 people per day on average test positive for the virus, which has killed more than 314,000 in the U.S. and nearly 1.7 million worldwide.The Pfizer and Moderna shots shipped so far and going out over the next few weeks are nearly all going to health care workers and residents of long-term care homes, based on the advice of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.That panel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-next-in-line-0020fe73d46c7e1edef12fd6573ef49b">meets Sunday</a>&nbsp;to debate who should get the doses available after those early shots are given.There won’t be enough shots for the general population until spring, so doses will be rationed at least for the next several months.The panel members are leaning toward putting “essential workers” next in line, because people like bus drivers, grocery store clerks and others are the ones getting infected most often. But other experts say people 65 and older should be next, along with people with certain medical conditions, because those are the Americans who are dying at the highest rates.The expert panel’s advice is almost always endorsed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No matter what the CDC says, there will be differences from state to state, because their health departments have different ideas about who should be closer to the front of the line.Both the new Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech shot require two doses several weeks apart. The second dose must be from the same company as the first. Both vaccines appeared safe and strongly protective in large, still unfinished studies.

2nd COVID-19 vaccine authorized in US ships out

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Ryan Bowser looked somber as he sat in his cramped Oregon apartment, worried whether he, his pregnant girlfriend and her 10-year-old daughter would have a roof over their heads in the new year. It may well depend on state lawmakers.

The family is three months behind on the $1,165 in rent they pay for their two-bedroom unit in the college town of Corvallis. Bowser, a custodian at Oregon State University, took eight weeks off because he was sick and couldn’t afford child care.

They’re among thousands hoping Oregon extends an eviction moratorium until July 1 in a special legislative session next week. The proposal also would create a $200 million fund mainly to compensate landlords. If passed, it would go further than a one-month extension of a federal eviction moratorium expected in a coronavirus relief package nearing consensus in Congress.

“We are forced to make decisions between which bills to pay — rent, car or groceries,” said Bowser, adding that they may have to sleep in their car, stay on friends’ couches or move to another state to crash with distant relatives. “We don’t know if we will have a home next year.”

The plight of Bowser and other renters on the edge foreshadows a national crisis that’s expected to grow next year, with states and cities that granted renters a reprieve amid the coronavirus-battered economy now wrestling with what comes next. While states like Oregon and California are trying to pass much longer moratoriums, some don’t have more protections in the works.

“This has the potential of being the biggest housing crisis of our lifetime,” said David Dworkin, president and CEO of the National Housing Conference, a nonprofit dedicated to affordable housing for all Americans.

About one-third of U.S. households say they’re behind on rent or mortgage payments and likely to face eviction or foreclosure in the next two months, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.census.gov/data-tools/demo/hhp/#/?measures=EVR" target="_blank">data</a>&nbsp;collected by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Eyes are on congressional leaders who are closing in on a massive COVID-19 relief package, including an extension of the federal eviction moratorium until February and $25 billion in rental assistance as well as a new round of stimulus checks, bonus unemployment benefits and many other efforts to deliver aid.

Eviction moratoriums instituted by 44 states beginning in March have mostly expired. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the federal moratorium in September that broadly prevents evictions through the end of 2020. The nationwide directive was seen as the best hope to prevent more than 23 million renters from being displaced.

Now, some states want to extend eviction bans further than the federal government. Lawmakers in heavily Democratic California are proposing their moratorium last until 2022, as long as renters pay at least 25% of their rent and attest to financial hardship.

And a six-month extension is the top issue for the Democratic-led Oregon Legislature in a special session Monday. Its one of 15 states where eviction moratoriums are now in place through year’s end, according to the Eviction Lab at Princeton University.

“The consequences of not acting before the expiration of the eviction moratorium would be catastrophic,” said Rep. Julie Fahey, a Democrat from the city of Eugene who helped write the proposal.

A main sticking point is that for landlords to receive back rent through a proposed compensation fund, they must forgo 20% of past-due payments. A Republican leader called it “dramatically unfair.”

“It’s not right to tell (landlords) that they have to pay to get support when the government is the one who asked them to share this responsibility and bear this burden to keep renters housed, which they have done that,” said Rep. Christine Drazan, leader of the House Republican Caucus.

Democratic Senate President Peter Courtney said there will be “some concerns, but I am convinced that we will pass something.”

While moratoriums have helped people stay in their homes during the pandemic, experts warn that extending them isn’t a long-term solution.

“This is just kicking the can down the road, because it doesn’t actually pay the rent,” Dworkin said. “If a tenant cannot afford to pay three months of rent or one month of rent, then they are not going to be able to pay nine or 12 months of rent — and they are eventually going to get evicted unless we pay their rent.”

He suggests states fund efforts that cover both rent and back payments for landlords. Through October, the National Low Income Housing Coalition estimated states and cities have set aside over $4 billion for rental assistance — far less than what they say is needed.

Like Oregon, Hawaii, Nebraska and New Jersey are among those offering payments to landlords for missed rent.

But with states’ tax revenue shrinking during the pandemic and recession, expensive efforts to combat the eviction crisis are further straining resources.

“States are under severe stress themselves financially,” Dworkin said. “In many ways, the states are being put in the situation of robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

Bowser said delays by lawmakers, locally and nationally, have crippled his family.

“All (lawmakers) have to do right now in this situation is the bare minimum to keep people in their homes,” Bowser said.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Ryan Bowser looked somber as he sat in his cramped Oregon apartment, worried whether he, his pregnant girlfriend and her 10-year-old daughter would have a roof over their heads in the new year. It may well depend on state lawmakers.The family is three months behind on the $1,165 in rent they pay for their two-bedroom unit in the college town of Corvallis. Bowser, a custodian at Oregon State University, took eight weeks off because he was sick and couldn’t afford child care.They’re among thousands hoping Oregon extends an eviction moratorium until July 1 in a special legislative session next week. The proposal also would create a $200 million fund mainly to compensate landlords. If passed, it would go further than a one-month extension of a federal eviction moratorium expected in a coronavirus relief package nearing consensus in Congress.“We are forced to make decisions between which bills to pay — rent, car or groceries,” said Bowser, adding that they may have to sleep in their car, stay on friends’ couches or move to another state to crash with distant relatives. “We don’t know if we will have a home next year.”The plight of Bowser and other renters on the edge foreshadows a national crisis that’s expected to grow next year, with states and cities that granted renters a reprieve amid the coronavirus-battered economy now wrestling with what comes next. While states like Oregon and California are trying to pass much longer moratoriums, some don’t have more protections in the works.“This has the potential of being the biggest housing crisis of our lifetime,” said David Dworkin, president and CEO of the National Housing Conference, a nonprofit dedicated to affordable housing for all Americans.About one-third of U.S. households say they’re behind on rent or mortgage payments and likely to face eviction or foreclosure in the next two months, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.census.gov/data-tools/demo/hhp/#/?measures=EVR" target="_blank">data</a>&nbsp;collected by the U.S. Census Bureau.Eyes are on congressional leaders who are closing in on a massive COVID-19 relief package, including an extension of the federal eviction moratorium until February and $25 billion in rental assistance as well as a new round of stimulus checks, bonus unemployment benefits and many other efforts to deliver aid.Eviction moratoriums instituted by 44 states beginning in March have mostly expired. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the federal moratorium in September that broadly prevents evictions through the end of 2020. The nationwide directive was seen as the best hope to prevent more than 23 million renters from being displaced.Now, some states want to extend eviction bans further than the federal government. Lawmakers in heavily Democratic California are proposing their moratorium last until 2022, as long as renters pay at least 25% of their rent and attest to financial hardship.And a six-month extension is the top issue for the Democratic-led Oregon Legislature in a special session Monday. Its one of 15 states where eviction moratoriums are now in place through year’s end, according to the Eviction Lab at Princeton University.“The consequences of not acting before the expiration of the eviction moratorium would be catastrophic,” said Rep. Julie Fahey, a Democrat from the city of Eugene who helped write the proposal.A main sticking point is that for landlords to receive back rent through a proposed compensation fund, they must forgo 20% of past-due payments. A Republican leader called it “dramatically unfair.”“It’s not right to tell (landlords) that they have to pay to get support when the government is the one who asked them to share this responsibility and bear this burden to keep renters housed, which they have done that,” said Rep. Christine Drazan, leader of the House Republican Caucus.Democratic Senate President Peter Courtney said there will be “some concerns, but I am convinced that we will pass something.”While moratoriums have helped people stay in their homes during the pandemic, experts warn that extending them isn’t a long-term solution.“This is just kicking the can down the road, because it doesn’t actually pay the rent,” Dworkin said. “If a tenant cannot afford to pay three months of rent or one month of rent, then they are not going to be able to pay nine or 12 months of rent — and they are eventually going to get evicted unless we pay their rent.”He suggests states fund efforts that cover both rent and back payments for landlords. Through October, the National Low Income Housing Coalition estimated states and cities have set aside over $4 billion for rental assistance — far less than what they say is needed.Like Oregon, Hawaii, Nebraska and New Jersey are among those offering payments to landlords for missed rent.But with states’ tax revenue shrinking during the pandemic and recession, expensive efforts to combat the eviction crisis are further straining resources.“States are under severe stress themselves financially,” Dworkin said. “In many ways, the states are being put in the situation of robbing Peter to pay Paul.”Bowser said delays by lawmakers, locally and nationally, have crippled his family.“All (lawmakers) have to do right now in this situation is the bare minimum to keep people in their homes,” Bowser said.He and his girlfriend, Taylor Wood, have closely followed updates on possible extensions to state and federal moratoriums as they debate which bills to pay that month and which necessities to sacrifice. They’re desperately developing a plan for what to do if they find an eviction notice tacked to their door in the new year.“It’s frustrating, and I know we are not the only people in this situation — there are thousands like us,” Wood said. “I just keep thinking, ‘Well, (lawmakers) won’t just let us go homeless ... right?’”___