JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspects following a chase in Jackson County.

Shortly after 9a.m. Monday a sheriff’s deputy observed a northbound black 2017 Lincoln MKZ passenger car with an expired registration, according to Jackson County Sheriff Time Morse.

The deputy attempted to initiate a car stop on the vehicle. The vehicle continued northbound near 142nd&nbsp;Road and allegedly nearly struck a northbound truck near 150th&nbsp;Road. 

The vehicle traveled west at 174th&nbsp;Road and back to 75 Highway heading southbound at speeds in excess of 100mph, according to Morse. 

A Shawnee County Deputy deployed a tire deflation device rupturing both passenger’s side tires of the suspect vehicle. The vehicle excited 75 Highway at 46th&nbsp;Street and attempted to re-enter the highway on the southbound onramp but came to a stop at that location. Troopers with the Kansas Highway Patrol, deputies with the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office and the Mayetta Police Department assisted with the incident.

Three occupants were taken into custody. A quantity of methamphetamine was seized during the stop. The driver, Michael Gonzales, 32, of Topeka, was arrested for felony fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer, reckless driving, operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license. Gonzales also had an outstanding felony probation warrant from Osage County.

The front seat passenger and owner of the vehicle, Katrina Glaspie, 40, of Manhattan, was arrested on numerous requested charges of identity theft and and outstanding warrants from Riley County.

The rear seat passenger, Evalt Catling Jr., 24, of Topeka was arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana drug paraphernalia. He also had outstanding warrants from the Topeka Police Department.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1606855734832.png" alt="Gonzales photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Gonzales photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspects following a chase in Jackson County.Shortly after 9a.m. Monday a sheriff’s deputy observed a northbound black 2017 Lincoln MKZ passenger car with an expired registration, according to Jackson County Sheriff Time Morse.The deputy attempted to initiate a car stop on the vehicle. The vehicle continued northbound near 142nd&nbsp;Road and allegedly nearly struck a northbound truck near 150th&nbsp;Road. The vehicle traveled west at 174th&nbsp;Road and back to 75 Highway heading southbound at speeds in excess of 100mph, according to Morse. A Shawnee County Deputy deployed a tire deflation device rupturing both passenger’s side tires of the suspect vehicle. The vehicle excited 75 Highway at 46th&nbsp;Street and attempted to re-enter the highway on the southbound onramp but came to a stop at that location. Troopers with the Kansas Highway Patrol, deputies with the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office and the Mayetta Police Department assisted with the incident.Three occupants were taken into custody. A quantity of methamphetamine was seized during the stop. The driver, Michael Gonzales, 32, of Topeka, was arrested for felony fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer, reckless driving, operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license. Gonzales also had an outstanding felony probation warrant from Osage County.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1606855689056.png" alt="Glaspie photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Glaspie photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>The front seat passenger and owner of the vehicle, Katrina Glaspie, 40, of Manhattan, was arrested on numerous requested charges of identity theft and and outstanding warrants from Riley County.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1606855775311.png" alt="Catling -photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Catling -photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>The rear seat passenger, Evalt Catling Jr., 24, of Topeka was arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana drug paraphernalia. He also had outstanding warrants from the Topeka Police Department.

Sheriff: 3 jailed in Kansas after chase at 100mph

By C.J. JANOVY <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/12/02/this-kansas-doctor-watched-a-scary-new-disease-become-manageable-thanks-to-science/">Kansas Reflector</a>

I’m old. Old enough to be among those who <a href="https://www.kcur.org/community/2020-04-11/veterans-of-the-aids-epidemic-in-kansas-city-have-advice-for-coping-during-covid-19">had familiar feelings</a>
 earlier this year when a mysterious disease broke out, and no one was 
sure how it spread, and everyone quickly learned what the letters CDC 
stood for, and we watched the death counts rise, and <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/04/16/834873162/long-before-covid-19-dr-tony-fauci-changed-medicine-in-america-forever">a doctor named Anthony Fauci</a> was the government expert.

Nearly 40 years ago, the disease was AIDS.

<a href="http://wichita.kumc.edu/mpa/donna-sweet-md.html">Donna Sweet</a>, a doctor of internal medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita, remembers those days too.

Now <a href="https://emilytaylorcenter.ku.edu/womens-hall-of-fame/sweet-donna">a legendary figure</a>
 in HIV and AIDS circles, Sweet saw her first patient with the disease 
in 1983. The fact that a doctor in Kansas was seeing such patients in 
those days was extraordinary.

“She and her staff are 
known as huggers, which she said may have done more for 1980s patients 
since so little was understood about the transmission of the AIDS 
virus,” the Wichita Business Journal noted in an article last year 
bestowing upon her <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/c/2019-health-care-heroes/10035/lifetime-achievement-donna-sweet.html">a lifetime achievement award</a> and calling her a health care hero. “Because nobody else would touch them,” Sweet said of her patients.

“I felt very trusted,” 
Sweet told me. “I tried very hard to put into practice what I truly 
believe: All comers need quality health care regardless of their social 
situation or ethnic background and their disease. I felt very good that 
people would share with me their secrets and their lives in order to get
 what little help I could give them at that time.”

Some of the patients who started with her 25 or 30 years ago are still alive, she said.

I was talking with Sweet on Tuesday. It was Dec. 1, the date recognized annually since 1988 as <a href="https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-aids-day/2020">World AIDS Day</a>. Last year, <a href="https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet">38 million people</a> were living with HIV around the world and nearly 700,000 people died of AIDS-related causes.

I asked if she saw parallels between AIDS and COVID-19.

“The stigma is certainly 
there,” she said. “It’s a different kind of stigma, but again people 
have taken to blaming other people for the spread instead of blaming the
 virus. We certainly lived with that stigma, with HIV being sexually 
transmitted as well as by injected drug use. We still haven’t gotten 
completely rid of that stigma, but we still keep trying.”

She also sees parallels with people trying to shelter in place and decrease the spread by changing their behavior.

“It was scary back then 
for the patients and for people everywhere because nobody really knew 
much about it,” she said. “That’s a parallel to COVID — the fear of the 
unknown is what incites a lot of bad, unreasonable behavior.”

“When I was giving 
lectures in the 1980s and ‘90s, trying to get people to treat my 
patients as human beings and get rid of the fear and hysteria,” she 
remembered, “I would say, ‘Thank goodness this is not a respiratory 
virus. If it was, then you could worry about touching the telephone, 
head sets, chairs. AIDS isn’t spread that way — it’s bloodborne and in 
bodily fluids. Avoid blood, avoid sex, and you don’t have to worry about
 it.’ ”

Now, though, someone with their mask down in the vicinity of an ill-timed sneeze could end the lives of many others.

Seven years after she saw her first AIDS patient, Congress passed the <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/08/18/celebrating-30-years-of-ryan-white-care-act.html">Ryan White CARE Act</a> to funnel money into caring for and treating people with HIV and AIDS.

“Kansas got some of that money in 1993-94, and we really started to see a big increase,” Sweet remembered.

She kept working and 
witnessed what had been a lethal disease for which there was no medicine
 to one that is now a chronic, manageable illness.

“Now most people are 
easily treated with one pill once a day and they live to the same age 
they would if they didn’t have HIV,” she said. “It’s truly a remarkable 
change. Now there may be a vaccine in a month that will put this down, 
as it should be, as the last pandemic and not the current pandemic.”

“We know how to help you 
not get infected,” she said. “So I would say to all Kansans: trust 
science, trust doctors. Don’t believe everything you see on social 
media. We have good scientific data on this, but many people are still 
treating this as some kind of political hoax and it’s not.”

She repeated what the doctors always say: Maintain social distance. Wash your hands. <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/23/kansas-chamber-hospitals-make-plea-for-voluntary-mask-use/">Wear masks</a>.

After our conversation, I 
thought about another parallel. Back then, people realized they could 
use a simple but effective form of protection. Condoms might have been a
 weird inconvenience at first, but soon they were party favors and drag 
queens threw them like candy from pride parade floats. We knew they 
saved lives.

C.J. Janovy is a veteran journalist with deep roots in the Midwest. Before joining the Kansas Reflector, she was an editor and reporter at Kansas City’s NPR affiliate, KCUR. Before that, she edited the city’s alt-weekly newspaper, The Pitch.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1606925633122.png" alt="Donna Sweet, a doctor of internal medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita and nationally recognized expert on HIV and AIDS, saw her first AIDS patients in Kansas in 1983. (University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita)" />
 <figcaption>Donna Sweet, a doctor of internal medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita and nationally recognized expert on HIV and AIDS, saw her first AIDS patients in Kansas in 1983. (University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita)</figcaption>
 </figure>By C.J. JANOVY <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/12/02/this-kansas-doctor-watched-a-scary-new-disease-become-manageable-thanks-to-science/">Kansas Reflector</a>I’m old. Old enough to be among those who <a href="https://www.kcur.org/community/2020-04-11/veterans-of-the-aids-epidemic-in-kansas-city-have-advice-for-coping-during-covid-19">had familiar feelings</a>
 earlier this year when a mysterious disease broke out, and no one was 
sure how it spread, and everyone quickly learned what the letters CDC 
stood for, and we watched the death counts rise, and <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/04/16/834873162/long-before-covid-19-dr-tony-fauci-changed-medicine-in-america-forever">a doctor named Anthony Fauci</a> was the government expert.Nearly 40 years ago, the disease was AIDS.<a href="http://wichita.kumc.edu/mpa/donna-sweet-md.html">Donna Sweet</a>, a doctor of internal medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita, remembers those days too.Now <a href="https://emilytaylorcenter.ku.edu/womens-hall-of-fame/sweet-donna">a legendary figure</a>
 in HIV and AIDS circles, Sweet saw her first patient with the disease 
in 1983. The fact that a doctor in Kansas was seeing such patients in 
those days was extraordinary.“She and her staff are 
known as huggers, which she said may have done more for 1980s patients 
since so little was understood about the transmission of the AIDS 
virus,” the Wichita Business Journal noted in an article last year 
bestowing upon her <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/c/2019-health-care-heroes/10035/lifetime-achievement-donna-sweet.html">a lifetime achievement award</a> and calling her a health care hero. “Because nobody else would touch them,” Sweet said of her patients.“I felt very trusted,” 
Sweet told me. “I tried very hard to put into practice what I truly 
believe: All comers need quality health care regardless of their social 
situation or ethnic background and their disease. I felt very good that 
people would share with me their secrets and their lives in order to get
 what little help I could give them at that time.”Some of the patients who started with her 25 or 30 years ago are still alive, she said.I was talking with Sweet on Tuesday. It was Dec. 1, the date recognized annually since 1988 as <a href="https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-aids-day/2020">World AIDS Day</a>. Last year, <a href="https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet">38 million people</a> were living with HIV around the world and nearly 700,000 people died of AIDS-related causes.I asked if she saw parallels between AIDS and COVID-19.“The stigma is certainly 
there,” she said. “It’s a different kind of stigma, but again people 
have taken to blaming other people for the spread instead of blaming the
 virus. We certainly lived with that stigma, with HIV being sexually 
transmitted as well as by injected drug use. We still haven’t gotten 
completely rid of that stigma, but we still keep trying.”She also sees parallels with people trying to shelter in place and decrease the spread by changing their behavior.“It was scary back then 
for the patients and for people everywhere because nobody really knew 
much about it,” she said. “That’s a parallel to COVID — the fear of the 
unknown is what incites a lot of bad, unreasonable behavior.”There’s another eerie echo.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1606925703864.jpeg" alt="Donna Sweet in the late 1970s. (University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita)" />
 <figcaption>Donna Sweet in the late 1970s. (University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita)</figcaption>
 </figure>“When I was giving 
lectures in the 1980s and ‘90s, trying to get people to treat my 
patients as human beings and get rid of the fear and hysteria,” she 
remembered, “I would say, ‘Thank goodness this is not a respiratory 
virus. If it was, then you could worry about touching the telephone, 
head sets, chairs. AIDS isn’t spread that way — it’s bloodborne and in 
bodily fluids. Avoid blood, avoid sex, and you don’t have to worry about
 it.’ ”Now, though, someone with their mask down in the vicinity of an ill-timed sneeze could end the lives of many others.Seven years after she saw her first AIDS patient, Congress passed the <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/08/18/celebrating-30-years-of-ryan-white-care-act.html">Ryan White CARE Act</a> to funnel money into caring for and treating people with HIV and AIDS.“Kansas got some of that money in 1993-94, and we really started to see a big increase,” Sweet remembered.She kept working and 
witnessed what had been a lethal disease for which there was no medicine
 to one that is now a chronic, manageable illness.“Now most people are 
easily treated with one pill once a day and they live to the same age 
they would if they didn’t have HIV,” she said. “It’s truly a remarkable 
change. Now there may be a vaccine in a month that will put this down, 
as it should be, as the last pandemic and not the current pandemic.”That will be because of science.“We know how to help you 
not get infected,” she said. “So I would say to all Kansans: trust 
science, trust doctors. Don’t believe everything you see on social 
media. We have good scientific data on this, but many people are still 
treating this as some kind of political hoax and it’s not.”She repeated what the doctors always say: Maintain social distance. Wash your hands. <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/23/kansas-chamber-hospitals-make-plea-for-voluntary-mask-use/">Wear masks</a>.After our conversation, I 
thought about another parallel. Back then, people realized they could 
use a simple but effective form of protection. Condoms might have been a
 weird inconvenience at first, but soon they were party favors and drag 
queens threw them like candy from pride parade floats. We knew they 
saved lives.C.J. Janovy is a veteran journalist with deep roots in the Midwest. Before joining the Kansas Reflector, she was an editor and reporter at Kansas City’s NPR affiliate, KCUR. Before that, she edited the city’s alt-weekly newspaper, The Pitch.

OPINION: Kan. doctor started fighting a scary new disease 40 years ago

TOPEKA&nbsp;– While November tax collections again exceeded estimations, Governor Laura Kelly warned that without federal support, future revenue growth – and our state’s ability to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic – may be compromised, according to a media release from her office.

<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.9uPQvhh-OYKAHWMxpEh7ovA1zCm5V0TchBLiBxWCxQc/s/1303160919/br/90850854484-l" target="_blank">Click here to read the revenue numbers&nbsp;</a>

The State of Kansas saw November total tax collections at $556.8 million; 1.1%, or $6.0 million, more than the estimate. Compared to the same month of last fiscal year, this is a modest growth of 4.3%, or $22.9 million.

"Without economic relief from Washington, there is a growing concern of a national recession in the foreseeable future,"&nbsp;Governor Kelly said.&nbsp;"My administration renews its requests to Congress to prioritize and pass economic relief as the COVID-19 pandemic continues impacting Kansas households and the economic outlook of the state."

Individual income tax collections were $275.4 million. That's an increase of 0.4%, or $1.2 million, over the estimate. Compared to the same month of Fiscal Year 2020, that is an increase of 9.1%, or $22.9 million. Corporate income tax collections were $5.2 million, calculating to 5.7%, or $277,504, more than the estimate. These collections were down $5.4 million, or 51.0%, compared to November of last fiscal year. That decrease is attributable to refunds paid to corporations.

Retail sales tax collections were down $22,770 from the estimate with $201.7 million collected. However, this is $204,966, or 0.1%, more than collected in November of Fiscal Year 2020. Compensating use taxes, which are collected and remitted by online retailers, was $4.1 million, or 9.2%, more than the estimate with $49.2 million collected. That is $7.8 million more than collected last November.

"We have seen that with the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an accelerated change in consumer behavior favoring online purchases,"&nbsp;Secretary of Revenue Mark Burghart said.&nbsp;"This coming legislative session, we will be taking a closer look at the structure of the Kansas tax base. In the interim, the pandemic continues to negatively impact many Kansas-based brick and mortar stores which still need financial relief from the federal level."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/8/1564697584639.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp;– While November tax collections again exceeded estimations, Governor Laura Kelly warned that without federal support, future revenue growth – and our state’s ability to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic – may be compromised, according to a media release from her office.<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.9uPQvhh-OYKAHWMxpEh7ovA1zCm5V0TchBLiBxWCxQc/s/1303160919/br/90850854484-l" target="_blank">Click here to read the revenue numbers&nbsp;</a>The State of Kansas saw November total tax collections at $556.8 million; 1.1%, or $6.0 million, more than the estimate. Compared to the same month of last fiscal year, this is a modest growth of 4.3%, or $22.9 million."Without economic relief from Washington, there is a growing concern of a national recession in the foreseeable future,"&nbsp;Governor Kelly said.&nbsp;"My administration renews its requests to Congress to prioritize and pass economic relief as the COVID-19 pandemic continues impacting Kansas households and the economic outlook of the state."Individual income tax collections were $275.4 million. That's an increase of 0.4%, or $1.2 million, over the estimate. Compared to the same month of Fiscal Year 2020, that is an increase of 9.1%, or $22.9 million. Corporate income tax collections were $5.2 million, calculating to 5.7%, or $277,504, more than the estimate. These collections were down $5.4 million, or 51.0%, compared to November of last fiscal year. That decrease is attributable to refunds paid to corporations.Retail sales tax collections were down $22,770 from the estimate with $201.7 million collected. However, this is $204,966, or 0.1%, more than collected in November of Fiscal Year 2020. Compensating use taxes, which are collected and remitted by online retailers, was $4.1 million, or 9.2%, more than the estimate with $49.2 million collected. That is $7.8 million more than collected last November."We have seen that with the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an accelerated change in consumer behavior favoring online purchases,"&nbsp;Secretary of Revenue Mark Burghart said.&nbsp;"This coming legislative session, we will be taking a closer look at the structure of the Kansas tax base. In the interim, the pandemic continues to negatively impact many Kansas-based brick and mortar stores which still need financial relief from the federal level."

Governor calls on Congress to pass economic relief package

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Anticipated staffing shortages amid surging coronavirus cases could hit rural hospitals especially hard because smaller communities have more limited options for finding providers to cover for sick workers, medical providers say.

“We are doing what we can to make sure our staff are staying healthy and safe and able to be available to treat the community, but we also have heard that with post-holiday, this could be a challenge,” said Cindy Samuelson, senior vice president for the Kansas Hospital Association. “There is lots of potential for community spread.”

About 44% of the state’s hospitals on Monday were anticipating staffing shortages this week with an expected rise in COVID-19 cases following the Thanksgiving holiday, according to the&nbsp;<a href="file:///C:/Users/rhegeman/Downloads/COVID%20KS%20Dashboard%20113020.pdf" target="_blank">association’s COVID-19 dashboard</a>.

“I know that in some of our communities just keeping the providers healthy is something that is an intense focus,” Samuelson said. “We have rural communities where as that number gets higher and more and more of their providers get impacted, that takes them out of service and so this challenge of finding providers to cover is increasing.”

Kansas ranks 13th in the nation with 1,210 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents, according to an analysis by The Associated Press of data collected by the John Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Five rural Kansas counties — Rush, Republic, Ellsworth, Rawlins and Kearny — rank in the top 25 counties in the nation with the most new cases per capita in the past 14 days.

If medical providers in rural areas get COVID-19 it “really puts small rural hospitals at risk” because options in small communities can be challenging and limited, Samuelson said.

Ben Kimball, a physician assistant at Graham County Hospital in Hill City in rural northwest Kansas, said he spent hours on the phone and had to make multiple calls to transfer out three COVID-19 patients and one without the virus from Friday through early Monday.

Two were flown to Kearny Regional Hospital in Nebraska, about 100 miles away, and the other two to the University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City, Kansas, about 275 miles away. One of the patients had to be put on a ventilator.

“We have always been able to send people to a place with an ICU or critical care services if we needed to,” he said. “I think we are are all kind of nervous that that ability is dwindling.”

The hospital normally has just three to six in-patients at a time and doesn’t have the staffing or equipment to handle more complex cases.

“We are small to begin with,” he said. “If we get a couple nurses out or aides out, that makes a difference.”

Even some larger hospitals are struggling with rising patient numbers and staffing challenges.

The intensive care unit and the COVID-19 ward at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center are both full and the hospital’s overflow COVID ward is nearly full, The Hutchinson News&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hutchnews.com/news/20201201/situation-continues-getting-more-critical-at-local-hospital" target="_blank">reported</a>.

There were nine people on ventilators Tuesday morning, and the hospital is running out of specialized equipment for new patients, said Chuck Welch, the hospital’s vice president.

“We’re literally down to a handful of (ventilators) and a handful of beds,” Welch said. “We’re buying everything we can get hands on, but none are available. Shortages are extending past PPE to actual physical machinery.”

The hospital also faces staffing issues with a 35 employees under observation for COVID-19, including 12 who have tested positive and 23 others awaiting test results. More than a dozen are currently working from home.

“We have what I consider, per capita, one of the best health care teams in the region,” he said. “We have four pulmonologists and a team of hospitalists,” Welch said. “For a hospital with a community population of our size, we’re better off than many bigger cities. But that’s not going to help us if we don’t wear masks and distance ourselves. ”

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Anticipated staffing shortages amid surging coronavirus cases could hit rural hospitals especially hard because smaller communities have more limited options for finding providers to cover for sick workers, medical providers say.“We are doing what we can to make sure our staff are staying healthy and safe and able to be available to treat the community, but we also have heard that with post-holiday, this could be a challenge,” said Cindy Samuelson, senior vice president for the Kansas Hospital Association. “There is lots of potential for community spread.”About 44% of the state’s hospitals on Monday were anticipating staffing shortages this week with an expected rise in COVID-19 cases following the Thanksgiving holiday, according to the&nbsp;<a href="file:///C:/Users/rhegeman/Downloads/COVID%20KS%20Dashboard%20113020.pdf" target="_blank">association’s COVID-19 dashboard</a>.“I know that in some of our communities just keeping the providers healthy is something that is an intense focus,” Samuelson said. “We have rural communities where as that number gets higher and more and more of their providers get impacted, that takes them out of service and so this challenge of finding providers to cover is increasing.”Kansas ranks 13th in the nation with 1,210 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents, according to an analysis by The Associated Press of data collected by the John Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1606759816304.png" alt="Monday Nov. 30, 2020 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Monday Nov. 30, 2020 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>Five rural Kansas counties — Rush, Republic, Ellsworth, Rawlins and Kearny — rank in the top 25 counties in the nation with the most new cases per capita in the past 14 days.If medical providers in rural areas get COVID-19 it “really puts small rural hospitals at risk” because options in small communities can be challenging and limited, Samuelson said.Ben Kimball, a physician assistant at Graham County Hospital in Hill City in rural northwest Kansas, said he spent hours on the phone and had to make multiple calls to transfer out three COVID-19 patients and one without the virus from Friday through early Monday.Two were flown to Kearny Regional Hospital in Nebraska, about 100 miles away, and the other two to the University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City, Kansas, about 275 miles away. One of the patients had to be put on a ventilator.“We have always been able to send people to a place with an ICU or critical care services if we needed to,” he said. “I think we are are all kind of nervous that that ability is dwindling.”The hospital normally has just three to six in-patients at a time and doesn’t have the staffing or equipment to handle more complex cases.“We are small to begin with,” he said. “If we get a couple nurses out or aides out, that makes a difference.”Even some larger hospitals are struggling with rising patient numbers and staffing challenges.The intensive care unit and the COVID-19 ward at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center are both full and the hospital’s overflow COVID ward is nearly full, The Hutchinson News&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hutchnews.com/news/20201201/situation-continues-getting-more-critical-at-local-hospital" target="_blank">reported</a>.There were nine people on ventilators Tuesday morning, and the hospital is running out of specialized equipment for new patients, said Chuck Welch, the hospital’s vice president.“We’re literally down to a handful of (ventilators) and a handful of beds,” Welch said. “We’re buying everything we can get hands on, but none are available. Shortages are extending past PPE to actual physical machinery.”The hospital also faces staffing issues with a 35 employees under observation for COVID-19, including 12 who have tested positive and 23 others awaiting test results. More than a dozen are currently working from home.“We have what I consider, per capita, one of the best health care teams in the region,” he said. “We have four pulmonologists and a team of hospitalists,” Welch said. “For a hospital with a community population of our size, we’re better off than many bigger cities. But that’s not going to help us if we don’t wear masks and distance ourselves. ”

Expected staffing shortages could hit rural hospitals hard

NEW YORK (AP) — Health care workers and nursing home residents should be at the front of the line when the first coronavirus vaccine shots become available, an influential government advisory panel said Tuesday.

The panel voted 13-1 to recommend those groups get priority in the first days of any coming vaccination program, when doses are expected to be very limited. The two groups encompass about 24 million people out of a U.S. population of about 330 million.

Later this month, the Food and Drug Administration will consider authorizing emergency use of two vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna. Current estimates project that no more than 20 million doses of each vaccine will be available by the end of 2020. And each product requires two doses. As a result, the shots will be rationed in the early stages.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet again at some point to decide who should be next in line. Among the possibilities: teachers, police, firefighters and workers in other essential fields such as food production and transportation; the elderly; and people with underlying medical conditions.

Tuesday’s action merely designated who should get shots first if a safe and effective vaccine becomes available. The panel did not endorse any particular vaccine. Panel members are waiting to hear FDA’s evaluation and to see more safety and efficacy data before endorsing any particular product.

Experts say the vaccine will probably not become widely available in the U.S. until the spring.

The panel of outside scientific experts, created in 1964, makes recommendations to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who almost always approves them. It normally has 15 voting members, but one seat is vacant.

The recommendations are not binding, but for decades they have been widely heeded by doctors, and they have determined the scope and funding of U.S. vaccination programs.

It will be up to state authorities whether to follow the guidance. It will also be left to them to make further, more detailed decisions if necessary — for example, whether to put emergency room doctors and nurses ahead of other health care workers if vaccine supplies are low.

The outbreak in the U.S. has killed nearly 270,000 people and caused more than 13.5 million confirmed infections, with deaths, hospitalizations and cases rocketing in recent weeks.

As the virtual meeting got underway, panel member Dr. Beth Bell of the University of Washington noted that on average, one person is dying of COVID-19 per minute in the U.S. right now, “so I guess we are acting none too soon.”

About 3 million people are living in nursing homes, long-term chronic care hospitals, and other U.S. long-term care facilities. Those patients and the staff members who care for them have accounted for 6% of the nation’s coronavirus cases and a staggering 39% of the deaths, CDC officials say.

Despite the heavy toll, some board members at Tuesday’s meeting said they hesitated to include such patients in the first group getting shots.

Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot, an infectious diseases researcher at Vanderbilt University who was the lone committee member to vote against the proposal, cited flu research that found vaccinating the staff of such facilities has a greatest impact on preventing its spread there.

Dr. Richard Zimmerman, a University of Pittsburgh flu vaccine researcher who watched the meeting online, echoed Talbot’s concerns.

“I think it was premature” to include nursing home residents as a priority group, said Zimmerman, a former ACIP member. “Their vote seems to assume that these people will respond well to the vaccine. ... I don’t think we know that.”

Committee members were unanimous in voicing support for vaccinating health care workers — about 21 million people, according to CDC officials.

That broad category includes medical staff who care for — or come in contact with — patients in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and doctor’s offices. It also includes home health care workers and paramedics. Depending on how state officials apply the panel’s recommendations, it could also encompass janitorial staff, food service employees and medical records clerks.

The government estimates people working in health care account for 12% of U.S. COVID-19 cases but only about 0.5% of deaths. Experts say it’s imperative to keep health care workers on their feet so they can administer the shots and tend to the booming number of infected Americans.

For months, members of the immunization panel had said they wouldn’t take a vote until the FDA approved a vaccine, as is customary. But late last week, the group scheduled an emergency meeting.

The panel’s chairman, Dr. Jose Romero, said the decision stemmed from a realization that the states are facing a Friday deadline to place initial orders for the Pfizer vaccine and determine where they should be delivered. The committee decided to meet now to give state and local officials guidance, he said.

But some panel members and other experts had also grown concerned by comments from Trump administration officials that suggested differing vaccine priorities.

Dr. Deborah Birx of the White House coronavirus task force said in a meeting with CDC officials last month that people 65 and older should go to the head of the line, according to a federal official who was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Then last week U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar stressed that ultimately governors will decide who in their states gets the shots. Vice President Mike Pence echoed that view.

Asked whether Azar’s comment played a role in the scheduling of the meeting, Romero said; “We don’t live in a bubble. We know what he said. But that wasn’t the primary reason this is being done.”

Jason Schwartz, a professor of health policy at the Yale School of Public Health, said it makes sense for the panel to take the unusual step of getting its recommendation out first.

“Without that formal recommendation, it does create a void from which states could go off in all sorts of different directions,” said Schwartz, who is not on the panel.

HHS officials have said they will distribute initial doses to states based on population, and it’s possible that some states won’t receive enough to cover all of their health care workers and nursing home residents.

CDC officials said they are optimistic such shortages would last only a few weeks.

Still, governors and local officials may have to decide which health care workers or regions get shots first, Schwartz said.

“It’s up to states to figure out the more granular detail,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602590971875.png" alt="Photo courtesy Johnson &amp; Johnson" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Johnson &amp; Johnson</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Health care workers and nursing home residents should be at the front of the line when the first coronavirus vaccine shots become available, an influential government advisory panel said Tuesday.The panel voted 13-1 to recommend those groups get priority in the first days of any coming vaccination program, when doses are expected to be very limited. The two groups encompass about 24 million people out of a U.S. population of about 330 million.Later this month, the Food and Drug Administration will consider authorizing emergency use of two vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna. Current estimates project that no more than 20 million doses of each vaccine will be available by the end of 2020. And each product requires two doses. As a result, the shots will be rationed in the early stages.The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet again at some point to decide who should be next in line. Among the possibilities: teachers, police, firefighters and workers in other essential fields such as food production and transportation; the elderly; and people with underlying medical conditions.Tuesday’s action merely designated who should get shots first if a safe and effective vaccine becomes available. The panel did not endorse any particular vaccine. Panel members are waiting to hear FDA’s evaluation and to see more safety and efficacy data before endorsing any particular product.Experts say the vaccine will probably not become widely available in the U.S. until the spring.The panel of outside scientific experts, created in 1964, makes recommendations to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who almost always approves them. It normally has 15 voting members, but one seat is vacant.The recommendations are not binding, but for decades they have been widely heeded by doctors, and they have determined the scope and funding of U.S. vaccination programs.It will be up to state authorities whether to follow the guidance. It will also be left to them to make further, more detailed decisions if necessary — for example, whether to put emergency room doctors and nurses ahead of other health care workers if vaccine supplies are low.The outbreak in the U.S. has killed nearly 270,000 people and caused more than 13.5 million confirmed infections, with deaths, hospitalizations and cases rocketing in recent weeks.As the virtual meeting got underway, panel member Dr. Beth Bell of the University of Washington noted that on average, one person is dying of COVID-19 per minute in the U.S. right now, “so I guess we are acting none too soon.”About 3 million people are living in nursing homes, long-term chronic care hospitals, and other U.S. long-term care facilities. Those patients and the staff members who care for them have accounted for 6% of the nation’s coronavirus cases and a staggering 39% of the deaths, CDC officials say.Despite the heavy toll, some board members at Tuesday’s meeting said they hesitated to include such patients in the first group getting shots.Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot, an infectious diseases researcher at Vanderbilt University who was the lone committee member to vote against the proposal, cited flu research that found vaccinating the staff of such facilities has a greatest impact on preventing its spread there.Dr. Richard Zimmerman, a University of Pittsburgh flu vaccine researcher who watched the meeting online, echoed Talbot’s concerns.“I think it was premature” to include nursing home residents as a priority group, said Zimmerman, a former ACIP member. “Their vote seems to assume that these people will respond well to the vaccine. ... I don’t think we know that.”Committee members were unanimous in voicing support for vaccinating health care workers — about 21 million people, according to CDC officials.That broad category includes medical staff who care for — or come in contact with — patients in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and doctor’s offices. It also includes home health care workers and paramedics. Depending on how state officials apply the panel’s recommendations, it could also encompass janitorial staff, food service employees and medical records clerks.The government estimates people working in health care account for 12% of U.S. COVID-19 cases but only about 0.5% of deaths. Experts say it’s imperative to keep health care workers on their feet so they can administer the shots and tend to the booming number of infected Americans.For months, members of the immunization panel had said they wouldn’t take a vote until the FDA approved a vaccine, as is customary. But late last week, the group scheduled an emergency meeting.The panel’s chairman, Dr. Jose Romero, said the decision stemmed from a realization that the states are facing a Friday deadline to place initial orders for the Pfizer vaccine and determine where they should be delivered. The committee decided to meet now to give state and local officials guidance, he said.But some panel members and other experts had also grown concerned by comments from Trump administration officials that suggested differing vaccine priorities.Dr. Deborah Birx of the White House coronavirus task force said in a meeting with CDC officials last month that people 65 and older should go to the head of the line, according to a federal official who was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.Then last week U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar stressed that ultimately governors will decide who in their states gets the shots. Vice President Mike Pence echoed that view.Asked whether Azar’s comment played a role in the scheduling of the meeting, Romero said; “We don’t live in a bubble. We know what he said. But that wasn’t the primary reason this is being done.”Jason Schwartz, a professor of health policy at the Yale School of Public Health, said it makes sense for the panel to take the unusual step of getting its recommendation out first.“Without that formal recommendation, it does create a void from which states could go off in all sorts of different directions,” said Schwartz, who is not on the panel.HHS officials have said they will distribute initial doses to states based on population, and it’s possible that some states won’t receive enough to cover all of their health care workers and nursing home residents.CDC officials said they are optimistic such shortages would last only a few weeks.Still, governors and local officials may have to decide which health care workers or regions get shots first, Schwartz said.“It’s up to states to figure out the more granular detail,” he said.

CDC panel: health workers, nursing homes will get Covid vaccine first

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell said he’s largely sticking with a partisan, scaled-back COVID-19 relief bill that has already failed twice this fall, even as Democratic leaders and a bipartisan group of moderates offered concessions in hopes of passing pandemic aid before Congress adjourns for the year.

The Kentucky Republican made the announcement Tuesday after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">President-elect Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;called upon lawmakers to pass a down payment relief bill now with more to come next year. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi resumed talks with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin about a year-end spending package that could include COVID-19 relief provisions. Key Senate moderates rallied behind a scaled-back framework.

It’s unclear whether the flurry of activity will lead to progress. Time is running out on Congress’ lame-duck session and Donald Trump’s presidency,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-pennsylvania-elections-93dbc7576bc75f7d4e2be1cdfedb03c7">many Republicans won’t even acknowledge that Trump has lost the election</a>&nbsp;and good faith between the two parties remains in short supply.

McConnell said that his bill, which only modestly tweaks an earlier plan blocked by Democrats, would be signed by Trump and that additional legislation could pass next year. But his initiative fell flat with Democrats and a key GOP moderate.

“If it’s identical to what (McConnell) brought forth this summer then it’s going to be a partisan bill that is not going to become law,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who joined moderates in unveiling a $908 billion bipartisan package only hours earlier. “And I want a bill that will become law.”

Democrats declined to release details of their concessions to McConnell.

“Speaker Pelosi and I sent him the proposal in a good faith effort to start, to get him to negotiate in a bipartisan way,” Schumer said.

McConnell’s response was to convene conversations with the Trump team and House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy of California. During the campaign, Trump appeared eager to sign a relief bill and urged lawmakers to “go big” but McConnell said Tuesday’s modest measure is all he’ll go for now.

“We don’t have time for messaging games. We don’t have time for lengthy negotiations,” McConnell said. “I would hope that this is something that could be signed into law by the president, be done quickly, deal with the things we can agree on now.” He added that there would still be talks about “some additional package of some size.”

McConnell’s reworked plan swiftly leaked. A summary ignores key demands of Democrats and moderates such as aid to states and local governments and additional unemployment benefits.

In Wilmington, Delaware, Biden called on lawmakers to approve a down payment on COVID-19 relief, though he cautioned that “any package passed in lame-duck session is — at best -- just a start.”

And a bipartisan group of lawmakers proposed a split-the-difference solution to the protracted impasse over COVID-19 relief in a last-gasp effort to ship overdue help to a hurting nation before Congress adjourns for the holidays. It was a sign that some lawmakers across the spectrum are reluctant to adjourn for the year without approving some COVID-19 aid.

The group includes Senate centrists such as Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Collins, who hope to exert greater influence in a closely divided Congress during the incoming Biden administration.

The proposal by the bipartisan group hit the scales at $908 billion, including $228 billion to extend and upgrade “paycheck protection” subsidies for businesses for a second round of relief to hard-hit businesses like restaurants. It would revive a special jobless benefit, but at a reduced level of $300 per week rather than the $600 benefit enacted in March. State and local governments would receive $160 billion, and there is also money for vaccines.

Previous, larger versions of the proposal — a framework with only limited detail — were rejected by top leaders such as Pelosi, D-Calif., and McConnell. But pressure is building as lawmakers face the prospect of heading home for Christmas and New Year’s without delivering aid to people in need.

Lawmakers’ bipartisan effort comes after a split-decision election delivered the White House to Democrats and gave Republicans down-ballot success. At less than $1 trillion, it is less costly than a proposal meshed together by McConnell this summer. He later abandoned that effort for a considerably less costly measure that failed to advance in two attempts this fall.

“It’s not a time for political brinkmanship,” Manchin said. “Emergency relief is needed now more than ever before. The people need to know that we are not going to leave until we get something accomplished.”

Pelosi and Mnuchin were discussing COVID-19 relief and other end-of-session items, including a $1.4 trillion catchall government funding bill. Mnuchin told reporters as he arrived at a Senate Banking Committee hearing to assess earlier COVID-19 rescue efforts that he and Pelosi are focused primarily on the unfinished appropriations bills, however.

“On COVID relief, we acknowledged the recent positive developments on vaccine development and the belief that it is essential to significantly fund distribution efforts to get us from vaccine to vaccination,” Pelosi said afterward.

Pelosi and Mnuchin grappled over a relief bill for weeks before the November election, discussing legislation of up to $2 trillion. But Senate GOP conservatives opposed their efforts and Pelosi refused to yield on key points.

The bipartisan compromise proposal is virtually free of detail, but includes a temporary shield against COVID-19-related lawsuits against businesses and other organizations that have reopened despite the pandemic.

That’s a priority for McConnell. But his warnings of a wave of destructive lawsuits haven’t been borne out, and it is sure to incite opposition from the trial lawyers’ lobby, which retains considerable influence with top Democratic leaders.

The centrist lawmakers, both moderates and conservatives, billed their proposal as a temporary patch to hold things over until next year. It contains $45 billion for transportation, including aid to transit systems and Amtrak, $82 billion to reopen schools and universities, funding for vaccines and health care providers, and money for food stamps, rental assistance and the Postal Service.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1606913333932.png" alt="GOP Senate leaders ahead of a Tuesday news conference on&nbsp;their legislative agenda for the remainder of the month-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>GOP Senate leaders ahead of a Tuesday news conference on&nbsp;their legislative agenda for the remainder of the month-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell said he’s largely sticking with a partisan, scaled-back COVID-19 relief bill that has already failed twice this fall, even as Democratic leaders and a bipartisan group of moderates offered concessions in hopes of passing pandemic aid before Congress adjourns for the year.The Kentucky Republican made the announcement Tuesday after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">President-elect Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;called upon lawmakers to pass a down payment relief bill now with more to come next year. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi resumed talks with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin about a year-end spending package that could include COVID-19 relief provisions. Key Senate moderates rallied behind a scaled-back framework.It’s unclear whether the flurry of activity will lead to progress. Time is running out on Congress’ lame-duck session and Donald Trump’s presidency,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-pennsylvania-elections-93dbc7576bc75f7d4e2be1cdfedb03c7">many Republicans won’t even acknowledge that Trump has lost the election</a>&nbsp;and good faith between the two parties remains in short supply.McConnell said that his bill, which only modestly tweaks an earlier plan blocked by Democrats, would be signed by Trump and that additional legislation could pass next year. But his initiative fell flat with Democrats and a key GOP moderate.“If it’s identical to what (McConnell) brought forth this summer then it’s going to be a partisan bill that is not going to become law,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who joined moderates in unveiling a $908 billion bipartisan package only hours earlier. “And I want a bill that will become law.”Democrats declined to release details of their concessions to McConnell.“Speaker Pelosi and I sent him the proposal in a good faith effort to start, to get him to negotiate in a bipartisan way,” Schumer said.McConnell’s response was to convene conversations with the Trump team and House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy of California. During the campaign, Trump appeared eager to sign a relief bill and urged lawmakers to “go big” but McConnell said Tuesday’s modest measure is all he’ll go for now.“We don’t have time for messaging games. We don’t have time for lengthy negotiations,” McConnell said. “I would hope that this is something that could be signed into law by the president, be done quickly, deal with the things we can agree on now.” He added that there would still be talks about “some additional package of some size.”McConnell’s reworked plan swiftly leaked. A summary ignores key demands of Democrats and moderates such as aid to states and local governments and additional unemployment benefits.In Wilmington, Delaware, Biden called on lawmakers to approve a down payment on COVID-19 relief, though he cautioned that “any package passed in lame-duck session is — at best -- just a start.”And a bipartisan group of lawmakers proposed a split-the-difference solution to the protracted impasse over COVID-19 relief in a last-gasp effort to ship overdue help to a hurting nation before Congress adjourns for the holidays. It was a sign that some lawmakers across the spectrum are reluctant to adjourn for the year without approving some COVID-19 aid.The group includes Senate centrists such as Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Collins, who hope to exert greater influence in a closely divided Congress during the incoming Biden administration.The proposal by the bipartisan group hit the scales at $908 billion, including $228 billion to extend and upgrade “paycheck protection” subsidies for businesses for a second round of relief to hard-hit businesses like restaurants. It would revive a special jobless benefit, but at a reduced level of $300 per week rather than the $600 benefit enacted in March. State and local governments would receive $160 billion, and there is also money for vaccines.Previous, larger versions of the proposal — a framework with only limited detail — were rejected by top leaders such as Pelosi, D-Calif., and McConnell. But pressure is building as lawmakers face the prospect of heading home for Christmas and New Year’s without delivering aid to people in need.Lawmakers’ bipartisan effort comes after a split-decision election delivered the White House to Democrats and gave Republicans down-ballot success. At less than $1 trillion, it is less costly than a proposal meshed together by McConnell this summer. He later abandoned that effort for a considerably less costly measure that failed to advance in two attempts this fall.“It’s not a time for political brinkmanship,” Manchin said. “Emergency relief is needed now more than ever before. The people need to know that we are not going to leave until we get something accomplished.”Pelosi and Mnuchin were discussing COVID-19 relief and other end-of-session items, including a $1.4 trillion catchall government funding bill. Mnuchin told reporters as he arrived at a Senate Banking Committee hearing to assess earlier COVID-19 rescue efforts that he and Pelosi are focused primarily on the unfinished appropriations bills, however.“On COVID relief, we acknowledged the recent positive developments on vaccine development and the belief that it is essential to significantly fund distribution efforts to get us from vaccine to vaccination,” Pelosi said afterward.Pelosi and Mnuchin grappled over a relief bill for weeks before the November election, discussing legislation of up to $2 trillion. But Senate GOP conservatives opposed their efforts and Pelosi refused to yield on key points.The bipartisan compromise proposal is virtually free of detail, but includes a temporary shield against COVID-19-related lawsuits against businesses and other organizations that have reopened despite the pandemic.That’s a priority for McConnell. But his warnings of a wave of destructive lawsuits haven’t been borne out, and it is sure to incite opposition from the trial lawyers’ lobby, which retains considerable influence with top Democratic leaders.The centrist lawmakers, both moderates and conservatives, billed their proposal as a temporary patch to hold things over until next year. It contains $45 billion for transportation, including aid to transit systems and Amtrak, $82 billion to reopen schools and universities, funding for vaccines and health care providers, and money for food stamps, rental assistance and the Postal Service.

Virus relief: Senate stuck on plan that failed twice

PRATT COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 9p.m. Tuesday in Pratt County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Toyota RAV4 driven by&nbsp;Hettmansberger, Gregory G.&nbsp;Hettmansberger, 65, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, was westbound on U.S. 54 ten miles east of Pratt and struck a deer in the roadway. 

The Toyota was sitting sideways, disabled in the roadway. A westbound on 1997 HBP&nbsp;Road Trek RV Van driven by Andrew C. Marshall, 26, Shawnee, struck the Toyota on the passenger side.

Hettmansberger was pronounced dead at the scene and was&nbsp; Larrison Mortuary.

EMS transported a passenger in the Toyota Cynthia L&nbsp;Hettmansberger, 70, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, to Wesley Medical Center. Marshall was not injured and properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

PRATT COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 9p.m. Tuesday in Pratt County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Toyota RAV4 driven by&nbsp;Hettmansberger, Gregory G.&nbsp;Hettmansberger, 65, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, was westbound on U.S. 54 ten miles east of Pratt and struck a deer in the roadway. The Toyota was sitting sideways, disabled in the roadway. A westbound on 1997 HBP&nbsp;Road Trek RV Van driven by Andrew C. Marshall, 26, Shawnee, struck the Toyota on the passenger side.Hettmansberger was pronounced dead at the scene and was&nbsp; Larrison Mortuary.EMS transported a passenger in the Toyota Cynthia L&nbsp;Hettmansberger, 70, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, to Wesley Medical Center. Marshall was not injured and properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

1 dead, 1 injured after SUV strikes deer on Kan. highway

LYON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a series of vehicle thefts over the past two weeks and have one suspect in custody.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sometime between November 14 and 17, 2020 a White GMC Sierra single cab truck was stolen from Bushong, KS. This vehicle is still missing. It bears Kansas License Plate 038DYN.

Between November 21 and the early morning hours of November 22, 2020 a yellow Dodge truck was stolen from Morris County. The Americus Police Department located the vehicle on November 22, and attempted to stop the vehicle. A vehicle pursuit ensued, and law enforcement ended the pursuit after losing sight of the vehicle.

This vehicle was located abandoned in the area of the 2200 block of Road U in Lyon County.

On November 23, 2020 someone attempted to steal a truck from the 1500 block of Road 250 in Lyon County. Just after noon on November 25, a white Chevrolet 1500 pickup was stolen from the 500 block of Wilson Street in Emporia.

 A Lyon County deputy located this truck in rural Lyon County and attempted to stop the truck. A vehicle pursuit ensued and then ended after the deputy experienced an issue with his patrol vehicle. Authorities located the vehicle on November 26. It was abandoned in the area of the 1300 block of Road V in Lyon County.

Just after 4p.m. November 25, a Chevrolet 2500 truck was stolen from the 1700 block of Road 120 in Lyon County, KS. This vehicle was located by a Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper on Interstate 35 around mile marker 140. A deputy in the area joined the Trooper and attempted to stop the truck. 

A vehicle pursuit ensued into Emporia where deputies arrested driver identified as Dustin Craige of Council Grove.

Law Enforcement officials believe these cases to all be related and are seeking the public’s help with any information about the stolen vehicles, pursuits or the suspect. Anyone with information is asked to call the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office at 620-341-3205 or Crime Stoppers at 620-342-2273 or use www.p3tips.com.

Authorities remind everyone to be sure to lock your vehicle, do not leave your keys or other valuables inside the vehicle. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1606841288101.png" alt="Craige photo Lyon County" />
 <figcaption>Craige photo Lyon County</figcaption>
 </figure>LYON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a series of vehicle thefts over the past two weeks and have one suspect in custody.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sometime between November 14 and 17, 2020 a White GMC Sierra single cab truck was stolen from Bushong, KS. This vehicle is still missing. It bears Kansas License Plate 038DYN.Between November 21 and the early morning hours of November 22, 2020 a yellow Dodge truck was stolen from Morris County. The Americus Police Department located the vehicle on November 22, and attempted to stop the vehicle. A vehicle pursuit ensued, and law enforcement ended the pursuit after losing sight of the vehicle.This vehicle was located abandoned in the area of the 2200 block of Road U in Lyon County.On November 23, 2020 someone attempted to steal a truck from the 1500 block of Road 250 in Lyon County. Just after noon on November 25, a white Chevrolet 1500 pickup was stolen from the 500 block of Wilson Street in Emporia. A Lyon County deputy located this truck in rural Lyon County and attempted to stop the truck. A vehicle pursuit ensued and then ended after the deputy experienced an issue with his patrol vehicle. Authorities located the vehicle on November 26. It was abandoned in the area of the 1300 block of Road V in Lyon County.Just after 4p.m. November 25, a Chevrolet 2500 truck was stolen from the 1700 block of Road 120 in Lyon County, KS. This vehicle was located by a Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper on Interstate 35 around mile marker 140. A deputy in the area joined the Trooper and attempted to stop the truck. A vehicle pursuit ensued into Emporia where deputies arrested driver identified as Dustin Craige of Council Grove.Law Enforcement officials believe these cases to all be related and are seeking the public’s help with any information about the stolen vehicles, pursuits or the suspect. Anyone with information is asked to call the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office at 620-341-3205 or Crime Stoppers at 620-342-2273 or use www.p3tips.com.Authorities remind everyone to be sure to lock your vehicle, do not leave your keys or other valuables inside the vehicle.

Suspect in series of Kan. vehicle thefts in custody

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Law enforcement officers have finished searching a section of a river for the remains of a missing Chinese woman whose husband is charged in her death.

The search of the Lamine River near Boonville, Missouri did not recover any evidence related to Mengqi Ji, 28, who was reported missing on Oct. 10, 2019, Columbia police said.

Her husband, Joseph Elledge, is charged with first-degree murder in her death and with abusing the couple's young daughter. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3464aeebdecdfb6819997198bbb315e1">pleaded not guilty</a>&nbsp;in both cases. No date has been set for Elledge's murder trial.

Elledge and Ji married in 2017 and attended the University of Missouri.

Authorities conducted aerial and foot searches along the Lamine River outside of Boonville for months after cellphone records showed Elledge was in the area for about 45 minutes around the time his wife disappeared. Cadaver dogs also hit on a scent in the area, police have said.

At one point, the department&nbsp;<a href="https://hosted.ap.org/semissourian/article/bc6f1f2ad82ad48ebb6073cbbf257776/7cad26816fa8b730d9aa0793c5e766fb">built a temporary levee&nbsp;</a>in the river to allow larger equipment farther out into the water. That effort ended in June.

The remaining parts of the levee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boonville-columbia-archive-michael-brown-571b87b76c2bf1a86c0b9a90774c004e">were removed</a>&nbsp;in October and detectives and K9s searched the debris for any evidence Ji had been there

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/10/1572177968305.png" alt="Joseph Elledge-photo Boone County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Joseph Elledge-photo Boone County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — Law enforcement officers have finished searching a section of a river for the remains of a missing Chinese woman whose husband is charged in her death.The search of the Lamine River near Boonville, Missouri did not recover any evidence related to Mengqi Ji, 28, who was reported missing on Oct. 10, 2019, Columbia police said.Her husband, Joseph Elledge, is charged with first-degree murder in her death and with abusing the couple's young daughter. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3464aeebdecdfb6819997198bbb315e1">pleaded not guilty</a>&nbsp;in both cases. No date has been set for Elledge's murder trial.Elledge and Ji married in 2017 and attended the University of Missouri.Authorities conducted aerial and foot searches along the Lamine River outside of Boonville for months after cellphone records showed Elledge was in the area for about 45 minutes around the time his wife disappeared. Cadaver dogs also hit on a scent in the area, police have said.At one point, the department&nbsp;<a href="https://hosted.ap.org/semissourian/article/bc6f1f2ad82ad48ebb6073cbbf257776/7cad26816fa8b730d9aa0793c5e766fb">built a temporary levee&nbsp;</a>in the river to allow larger equipment farther out into the water. That effort ended in June.The remaining parts of the levee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boonville-columbia-archive-michael-brown-571b87b76c2bf1a86c0b9a90774c004e">were removed</a>&nbsp;in October and detectives and K9s searched the debris for any evidence Ji had been there

Authorities end search in river for missing woman

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay filed criminal charges Monday against 66-year-old Charles Eugene Ferrier in relation to the sexual abuse of two minor girls.

 The initial investigation began in 2015 and revealed evidence of sexual abuse of one victim when she was 8-9 years of age, between 2008 and 2009. 

During a separate investigation that began in 2020, law enforcement learned of new allegations of sexual abuse with a different girl when she was 8-9 years of age, between 2019 and 2020. 

Both investigations were concluded a few weeks ago and sent to the DA for review. 

 Kagay announced on Monday that his office has filed four charges against Ferrier: Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child under 14 (Off-Grid Felony); Lew &amp; Lascivious Behavior with a Child under 16 (Level 9 Felony); Rape of Child under 14 (Level 1 Felony); and Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child under 14 (Level 3 Felony).

Police arrested Ferrier over the weekend and he is being held on a $1,000,000 bond.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1606754146248.png" alt="Ferrier-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Ferrier-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay filed criminal charges Monday against 66-year-old Charles Eugene Ferrier in relation to the sexual abuse of two minor girls. The initial investigation began in 2015 and revealed evidence of sexual abuse of one victim when she was 8-9 years of age, between 2008 and 2009. During a separate investigation that began in 2020, law enforcement learned of new allegations of sexual abuse with a different girl when she was 8-9 years of age, between 2019 and 2020. Both investigations were concluded a few weeks ago and sent to the DA for review. Kagay announced on Monday that his office has filed four charges against Ferrier: Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child under 14 (Off-Grid Felony); Lew &amp; Lascivious Behavior with a Child under 16 (Level 9 Felony); Rape of Child under 14 (Level 1 Felony); and Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child under 14 (Level 3 Felony).Police arrested Ferrier over the weekend and he is being held on a $1,000,000 bond.&nbsp;

Kan. man accused of sex crimes with 8-year-olds

HUTCHINSON— A man who entered a guilty plea in October in connection with the 2017 shooting and robbery of his uncle was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday in Reno County.

Maique Rodriguez, 28,&nbsp; was originally charged with attempted first-degree murder in the shooting of 46-year-old Jesus Faudoa Reyes.

&nbsp;Rodriguez pleaded guilty to aggravated battery and robbery. He was given five years on the battery charge and another 32 months for robbery with the sentences running concurrently.

The victim was agreeable to the sentence, according to&nbsp;District Attorney Tom Stanton and didn’t attend Tuesday’s hearing.

In May of 2017, Police found Faudoa Reyes in the 700 block of East 7th Avenue in Hutchinson. He had been shot multiple time. Rodriguez then took the victim's cell phone and pickup. Faudoa was hospitalized in critical condition but recovered.

Authorities arrested him in El Paso, Texas, earlier this year and as he was being booked in Sedgwick County learned he was wanted in Reno County.&nbsp;

HUTCHINSON— A Kansas man arrested in January for a 2017 shooting and robbery waived his right to a preliminary hearing and entered guilty pleas to lesser charges.

Maique Rodriguez-Faudoa was charged with attempted first degree murder in the May 2017 shooting of his uncle, Jesus Faudoa.&nbsp; Police found Faudoa shot multiple times at a home in the 700 block of E. 7th Avenue in Hutchinson.&nbsp;

Rodriguez Faudoa then took the victim's cell phone and pickup

Despite his injuries Faudoa was able to recover.&nbsp;

On Wednesday, Rodriguez-Faudoa pleaded guilty to aggravated battery and robbery.&nbsp; &nbsp;Sentencing is set for November 4.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602102069124.jpeg" alt="Rodriguez-photo Reno Co." />
 <figcaption>Rodriguez-photo Reno Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON— A man who entered a guilty plea in October in connection with the 2017 shooting and robbery of his uncle was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday in Reno County.Maique Rodriguez, 28,&nbsp; was originally charged with attempted first-degree murder in the shooting of 46-year-old Jesus Faudoa Reyes.&nbsp;Rodriguez pleaded guilty to aggravated battery and robbery. He was given five years on the battery charge and another 32 months for robbery with the sentences running concurrently.The victim was agreeable to the sentence, according to&nbsp;District Attorney Tom Stanton and didn’t attend Tuesday’s hearing.In May of 2017, Police found Faudoa Reyes in the 700 block of East 7th Avenue in Hutchinson. He had been shot multiple time. Rodriguez then took the victim's cell phone and pickup. Faudoa was hospitalized in critical condition but recovered.Authorities arrested him in El Paso, Texas, earlier this year and as he was being booked in Sedgwick County learned he was wanted in Reno County.&nbsp;--------HUTCHINSON— A Kansas man arrested in January for a 2017 shooting and robbery waived his right to a preliminary hearing and entered guilty pleas to lesser charges.Maique Rodriguez-Faudoa was charged with attempted first degree murder in the May 2017 shooting of his uncle, Jesus Faudoa.&nbsp; Police found Faudoa shot multiple times at a home in the 700 block of E. 7th Avenue in Hutchinson.&nbsp;Rodriguez Faudoa then took the victim's cell phone and pickupDespite his injuries Faudoa was able to recover.&nbsp;On Wednesday, Rodriguez-Faudoa pleaded guilty to aggravated battery and robbery.&nbsp; &nbsp;Sentencing is set for November 4.

Man sentenced for shooting, robbery of his uncle in Kansas

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A disgraced politician in Kansas will be replaced on a county commission by the man he and two other Republican officials allegedly tried to frame in order to hide their roles in a smear campaign against a Democratic mayoral candidate.

Republican Party stalwarts on Monday selected Dalton Glasscock to fill the remaining term of former Sedgwick County Commissioner Michael O’Donnell, the Wichita Eagle&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article247510145.html" target="_blank">reported</a>. Glasscock, until recently the chairman of the local Republican Party, will hold the seat until Jan. 10.

“Thanks for your trust over the next 40 days,” Glasscock told the Republican precinct committee members. “Let’s get to work.”

O’Donnell resigned last month after the local district attorney concluded there was sufficient evidence to begin proceedings to oust him.

The scandal stems from the release of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/campaigns-wichita-0fe70e4768b8d9923f366d07aa0a1b4f">a recording&nbsp;</a>made in November 2019, just two days before then-Democratic state Rep. Brandon Whipple won the Wichita mayor’s race.

On the recording, O’Donnell, Republican state Rep. Michael Capps and Wichita City Council member James Clendenin could be heard plotting to frame Glasscock for a YouTube ad that falsely suggested that Whipple was accused of sexual harassment while serving in the Legislature.

David Thorne, who took over the chairmanship of the county GOP about three weeks ago, called the actions of the three “a stain on the integrity of the Republican Party.”

Democrat Sarah Lopez defeated O’Donnell in the general election amid the backlash.

The local district attorney’s office has filed a civil court petition seeking the ouster of a Clendenin. The investigation against Capps has been referred to the Kansas attorney general’s office.

O’Donnell won the county commission seat in 2016 after serving four years in the Kansas Senate.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1606842199735.png" alt="Dalton Glasscock speaks during the Sedgwick County Republic Party meeting on Monday -" />
 <figcaption>Dalton Glasscock speaks during the Sedgwick County Republic Party meeting on Monday -</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A disgraced politician in Kansas will be replaced on a county commission by the man he and two other Republican officials allegedly tried to frame in order to hide their roles in a smear campaign against a Democratic mayoral candidate.Republican Party stalwarts on Monday selected Dalton Glasscock to fill the remaining term of former Sedgwick County Commissioner Michael O’Donnell, the Wichita Eagle&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article247510145.html" target="_blank">reported</a>. Glasscock, until recently the chairman of the local Republican Party, will hold the seat until Jan. 10.“Thanks for your trust over the next 40 days,” Glasscock told the Republican precinct committee members. “Let’s get to work.”O’Donnell resigned last month after the local district attorney concluded there was sufficient evidence to begin proceedings to oust him.The scandal stems from the release of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/campaigns-wichita-0fe70e4768b8d9923f366d07aa0a1b4f">a recording&nbsp;</a>made in November 2019, just two days before then-Democratic state Rep. Brandon Whipple won the Wichita mayor’s race.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603901453104.png" alt="O'Donnell wiping away tears following a censure vote by the Sedgwick County Commission in October. At that time, he refused to apologize." />
 <figcaption>O'Donnell wiping away tears following a censure vote by the Sedgwick County Commission in October. At that time, he refused to apologize.</figcaption>
 </figure>On the recording, O’Donnell, Republican state Rep. Michael Capps and Wichita City Council member James Clendenin could be heard plotting to frame Glasscock for a YouTube ad that falsely suggested that Whipple was accused of sexual harassment while serving in the Legislature.David Thorne, who took over the chairmanship of the county GOP about three weeks ago, called the actions of the three “a stain on the integrity of the Republican Party.”Democrat Sarah Lopez defeated O’Donnell in the general election amid the backlash.The local district attorney’s office has filed a civil court petition seeking the ouster of a Clendenin. The investigation against Capps has been referred to the Kansas attorney general’s office.O’Donnell won the county commission seat in 2016 after serving four years in the Kansas Senate.

Kan. official replaced by man he allegedly tried to frame

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal crash involving a reported stolen vehicle have identified the man who dies as&nbsp;36-year-old Donald Tucker, Jr. of Wichita.&nbsp;

Just 6:05 a.m., Tuesday, police responded to the theft of a red 2016 red Chevrolet Cruze that had just occurred in the 700 block of West Lockwood in Wichita, according to officer Kevin Wheeler.

 The vehicle stolen was left running in the driveway of a residence. While the police report was being made, an officer located the car near West 55th Street South and South West Street. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but Tucker refused and led officers on a vehicle pursuit that lasted less than a mile.

Tucker traveled north on South Meridian Avenue and collided with a 2014 Toyota Corolla in the intersection at West McArthur Road as the Corolla was turning to travel east.

The Cruze then struck a utility pole and flipped multiple times, ejecting Tucker from the vehicle. 

EMS responded to perform life-saving measures but were unsuccessful, and Tucker was pronounced deceased at the scene. 

EMS transported the 64-year-old driver of the Corolla to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) was asked to investigate this incident to avoid conflicts of interest, according to Wheeler.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police say a man died when a stolen car he was driving crashed during a police pursuit. 

Wichita police Capt. Wendell Nicholson says the vehicle was stolen about 6 a.m. Tuesday after it was left running to warm up. Police saw the vehicle and began a pursuit. Nicholson says the driver eventually clipped another vehicle in an intersection and the car crashed into a telephone pole. 

The driver was ejected and died at the scene. The driver's name has not been released. Wichita police and the Kansas Highway Patrol are investigating.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1606861729473.png" alt="Donald Tucker had a previous conviction for&nbsp;Flee or elude law enforcement with five or more moving violations, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Donald Tucker had a previous conviction for&nbsp;Flee or elude law enforcement with five or more moving violations, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal crash involving a reported stolen vehicle have identified the man who dies as&nbsp;36-year-old Donald Tucker, Jr. of Wichita.&nbsp;Just 6:05 a.m., Tuesday, police responded to the theft of a red 2016 red Chevrolet Cruze that had just occurred in the 700 block of West Lockwood in Wichita, according to officer Kevin Wheeler. The vehicle stolen was left running in the driveway of a residence. While the police report was being made, an officer located the car near West 55th Street South and South West Street. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but Tucker refused and led officers on a vehicle pursuit that lasted less than a mile.Tucker traveled north on South Meridian Avenue and collided with a 2014 Toyota Corolla in the intersection at West McArthur Road as the Corolla was turning to travel east.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1606835879481.png" alt="Fatal crash scene Tuesday morning -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Fatal crash scene Tuesday morning -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>The Cruze then struck a utility pole and flipped multiple times, ejecting Tucker from the vehicle. EMS responded to perform life-saving measures but were unsuccessful, and Tucker was pronounced deceased at the scene. EMS transported the 64-year-old driver of the Corolla to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.The Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) was asked to investigate this incident to avoid conflicts of interest, according to Wheeler.----------WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police say a man died when a stolen car he was driving crashed during a police pursuit. Wichita police Capt. Wendell Nicholson says the vehicle was stolen about 6 a.m. Tuesday after it was left running to warm up. Police saw the vehicle and began a pursuit. Nicholson says the driver eventually clipped another vehicle in an intersection and the car crashed into a telephone pole. The driver was ejected and died at the scene. The driver's name has not been released. Wichita police and the Kansas Highway Patrol are investigating.

Police ID Kan. man who died after stolen car crash

By JODI FORTINO <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-12-01/coronavirus-deaths-in-missouri-top-4-000-as-hospitals-worry-about-capacity-for-rising-number-of-patients">Kansas News Service</a>

COVID-19-related deaths in Missouri hit 4,006 in updated data 
released by the state Tuesday, as officials on both sides of the state 
line worried that hospitals in rural and metropolitan areas were 
reaching capacity.

In Missouri, 19,716 new cases, including 60 deaths, were reported in the last seven days, according to <a href="https://showmestrong.mo.gov/data/public-health/" target="_blank">a public health dashboard run by the state</a>. In all, there have been nearly 303,000 total cases. In Kansas, there have been a total of 157,446 cases and 1,560 deaths, <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1529/Nov-30-case-summary?bidId=" target="_blank">according to a state website</a>.

In the nine-county Kansas City area (which encompasses both sides of the state line) 1,088 have died, according to the <a href="https://marc2.org/covidhub/" target="_blank">Kansas City Region COVID-19 Data Hub</a>.

The
 University of Kansas Health System announced at its daily briefing 
Tuesday that 101 patients have active COVID-19 cases, of which 53 are in
 the intensive care unit and 24 are on ventilators.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1606851264919.png" alt="Health experts in rural counties of Kansas said routine treatment and care is being put on hold because of the number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized. Carlos Moreno / KCUR 89.3" />
 <figcaption>Health experts in rural counties of Kansas said routine treatment and care is being put on hold because of the number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized. Carlos Moreno / KCUR 89.3</figcaption>
 </figure>By JODI FORTINO <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-12-01/coronavirus-deaths-in-missouri-top-4-000-as-hospitals-worry-about-capacity-for-rising-number-of-patients">Kansas News Service</a>COVID-19-related deaths in Missouri hit 4,006 in updated data 
released by the state Tuesday, as officials on both sides of the state 
line worried that hospitals in rural and metropolitan areas were 
reaching capacity.In Missouri, 19,716 new cases, including 60 deaths, were reported in the last seven days, according to <a href="https://showmestrong.mo.gov/data/public-health/" target="_blank">a public health dashboard run by the state</a>. In all, there have been nearly 303,000 total cases. In Kansas, there have been a total of 157,446 cases and 1,560 deaths, <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1529/Nov-30-case-summary?bidId=" target="_blank">according to a state website</a>. In the nine-county Kansas City area (which encompasses both sides of the state line) 1,088 have died, according to the <a href="https://marc2.org/covidhub/" target="_blank">Kansas City Region COVID-19 Data Hub</a>. The
 University of Kansas Health System announced at its daily briefing 
Tuesday that 101 patients have active COVID-19 cases, of which 53 are in
 the intensive care unit and 24 are on ventilators.KU experts 
said the increase of patients in the intensive care unit was a reason 
for concern as the hospital’s capacity continues to dwindle. Around 47% 
of ICU beds in Kansas City are taken up by coronavirus patients, 
according to the <a href="https://marc2.org/covidhub/" target="_blank">Kansas City Region COVID-19 Data Hub</a>.“In
 general, the data tells us that we're in for at least a couple of weeks
 more of challenges with the hospitalizations at this point,” said David
 Wild, KU’s vice president of performance improvement.Wild said 
he believes the dip in the case numbers the week of Thanksgiving was 
likely a result of less people getting tested over the holiday weekend. 
The hospital tested around 1,000 over the four-day period, a number it 
normally tests in a day.Now that people are back to work, Wild 
said lines are forming at the system’s testing centers. If case numbers 
don’t begin to decrease soon, he anticipates another lockdown will take 
place.“I think that there's a need for further intervention for 
our community risk mitigation and whether that's a full lockdown or 
whether that's additional sort of restrictions on how we move and 
gather, especially in the places that we know by data are likely to be 
hotspots for transmission,” said Wild.Rural counties, many of 
which still do not have mask mandates, will have a harder time accepting
 more restrictions, said Bob Moser, dean of the University of Kansas 
School of Medicine-Salina.While the university has managed to keep case numbers down through mask-wearing and social-distancing, <a href="https://www.saline.org/Coronavirus" target="_blank">Saline County</a> jumped from five to 34 hospitalizations in just four weeks.As
 Kansas City-area hospitals also begin to fill up, Moser said rural 
hospitals are struggling to find open rooms for critical patients. <a href="https://www.kansashealthsystem.com/about-us/community/care-collaborative" target="_blank">The University of Kansas Health System Care Collaborative</a> spent nearly eight hours this month finding an available hospital for just one patient, said Moser.As a result, smaller hospitals are holding on to more COVID-19 patients rather than facing the challenges of transferring.“That
 means other health conditions, chronic conditions that we deal with 
every day, may have to suffer because they don’t have the capacity for 
that. It's getting pretty critical,” said Moser.Moser said 
another one of his biggest concerns is how rural communities will fit 
into the state’s plan to distribute vaccines. During the H1N1 crisis, 
Moser said rural counties were given very few vaccines because the state
 based area’s needs on their population size.There is no plan yet
 for when rural areas will receive the vaccine, but KU health experts 
said it will first go to those at highest risk, first responders and 
healthcare workers.“That's why we need more companies, because we
 know that through Operation Warp Speed, there has been a buildup of 
supply from those other companies that will help as well, if they do get
 approved. So this first batch is going to be a range, but it will be a 
small range,” said Dr. Dana Hawkinson, an infectious disease expert at 
the University of Kansas Health System.Hawkinson said the system 
is now working with Wyandotte County on a plan to get vaccinations to 
the area’s most vulnerable populations.