TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly held a press conference Wednesday to give an update regarding COVID-19 in Kansas and to announce the framework for Kansas’ new Unified Testing Strategy.

The governor's office released a copy of her comments.

On Tuesday, I brought together a bipartisan group of legislators to ask whether they would support my efforts to call a special session for emergency legislation to implement a statewide mask requirement. I convened the meeting because, as we have discussed previously, case rates and hospitalizations are spiking in counties that opted out of my July mask order, and today Kansas surpassed 1,000 total COVID-19 deaths. To put this into context: the state did not reach five hundred COVID deaths until September, roughly six months after the pandemic began. It took a little over six weeks for another 500 Kansans to die. Yesterday’s call was productive, and I believe both sides were acting in what they felt were the best interests of the State of Kansas. I began the conversation by asking Legislative leadership to reconvene in a special session to pass bi-partisan legislation to restore my ability to require mask wearing across Kansas. In response, Republican leaders asked if - before calling a special session - I would consider a strategy of reaching out to local leaders to implement their own mask requirements. I agreed, with the stipulation that Legislative leaders, in conjunction with their caucuses, reach out with me to county and city leadership, as well as stakeholder groups, and that we move as quickly as possible. We can’t afford to wait another moment to begin this process. I have directed my staff to put all our energy into this strategy. However, if we are unable to convince communities to voluntarily implement a mask mandate, I will move expeditiously to find another way to implement a statewide mask requirement. Now on to the numbers update. Since Monday, Kansas has reported 3,369 positive COVID-19 cases and 31 new deaths.    This brings us to a total of 82,045 cases, 3,752 hospitalizations, and it is with deep sadness that I say we have reached 1,007 deaths. I offer my sincere condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of those who have succumbed to COVID-19. In acknowledgement of their losses, today I ordered flags to be flown at half-staff statewide effective immediately until sundown, Friday, October 30, 2020. Though case numbers I shared moments ago offer some insight into Kansas’ current pandemic response, they do not tell the full story of how the virus is moving through our state. So, before I move into today’s announcement, I want to give a brief recap on what we have learned since my COVID update last Wednesday. Last week, our state’s seven-day rolling average test positivity rate was 10.54% percent - which is just above the 10 percent threshold recommended to open schools and businesses. On Monday, for the third week in a row, Kansas broke the record for the highest number of new cases of any reporting period at nearly 2,500 – which we broke again today at over 3,300. Hospitals - particularly in our rural areas - continue to see increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients, putting a strain on bed capacity and staff. Though case numbers in Kansas may be increasing, as always, there is still time to turn our virus response around. We are learning more every day about the effectiveness of COVID-19 mitigation strategies and public health guidelines - especially mask use. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Kansas found that counties with mask mandates have effectively stopped virus transmission from increasing. Counties with no mandate have seen infection rates climb. A report from the institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington showed that strict adherence to mask orders could save 130,000 American lives by the end of February. If not, United States death toll could reach 500,000 in that time. It’s clear that until a vaccine is available and widely deployed, mask usage is one our most important strategies for keeping Kansas schools and businesses open. But masks are just one piece.

We must also increase testing capacity, isolate those who test positive, identify those who have been in close contact, and communicate the importance of quarantining to keep our communities safe. This brings me to the framework for our new Unified Testing Strategy. Over the last four weeks, a team at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment - under the direction of Special Advisor to the Governor Marci Nielsen, PhD - has been working diligently to develop this strategy in a way that fits Kansas. Broadly speaking, the new strategy identifies where Kansas currently stands, and paints a picture of where we need to go - and how we can get there. To give some background: Since the pandemic began, local and state public health departments have largely focused their efforts on testing only those who have symptoms of COVID-19, or testing in areas where outbreaks are occurring. We have made great strides in improving outbreak response over the past several months. However, to effectively locate the virus in our communities, keep Kansans safe, keep kids in school, and keep our businesses open, we must do more. We need to expand testing to include regular screening for the virus before it spreads. That’s what the new Unified Testing Strategy will allow us to do. It will coordinate both public and private COVID-19 testing efforts across Kansas to allow for broader routine screening in places like schools and nursing homes, to stop community spread before it starts. With the investment of SPARK funding which was recently competitively bid and will soon be announced, we can nearly double the amount of testing we are doing in Kansas by years end. That will move us from a total of 600,000 COVID-19 tests to date, to more than one million by the end of 2020. We will also expand beyond the types of testing we are conducting from just diagnostic to screening and surveillance. KDHE will be working with our partners in the private sector to expand labs and supplies, enhance data and reporting, provide support for isolation and quarantine, and increase our public communications about controlling the virus’ spread. This is especially important for populations at high risk, but also for businesses across the state worried about keeping their workforces safe and their doors open. A unified testing strategy will be resource intensive, but will help us to save lives and rebuild our economy. The graph behind me visually demonstrates how this will work. For those populations at the highest risk, located in the green section, state and local public health officials will continue to investigate outbreaks, but also regularly screen for the virus and isolate those who test positive. For populations at medium risk, in the blue band, health officials will once again continue to investigate outbreaks but also use surveillance testing - which uses methods like testing wastewater for signs of COVID-19. Through the new strategy we have also cast a wider net when it comes to accessing information and resources for our COVID-19 response. If you recall, I recently announced that Kansas had joined the Rockefeller Foundation COVID-19 Testing Solutions Group. Today I am pleased to report that Kansas is now part of collaborative effort funded by the National Institutes of Health to improve COVID-19 testing for underserved and vulnerable populations. The University of Kansas Medical Center is one of 32 institutions across the United States that will focus on increased testing in populations disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Referred to as the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative, 10 counties will be working with a KUMC research team to build a learning collaborative that will help support our most vulnerable populations and help inform the work of Kansas’ unified testing strategy. I know that oftentimes when we think of testing, we may not consider the whole picture. We only think about the test itself and receiving the results on our phones afterward. But there is so much more for our public health officials to consider. We need comprehensive, accurate data that health officials can analyze to determine our most vulnerable populations or locations so that the state can respond accordingly.

We need access to labs that have sufficient testing capacity. We need reliable transportation to move samples from health facilities to labs, where they can be tested for COVID-19. The Unified Testing Strategy has all of that in mind, and more. Through this approach we can work together with local health departments to analyze what we have, what we need, and how we can get it. Last week I visited Salon Chemistry in Wichita to learn more about the owners’ COVID-19 mitigation strategies and commend them for their diligent efforts to keep Kansans safe.&nbsp;

While I was there, we talked about how hard it was for them when virus spread required my administration to close certain businesses last Spring. At that time, our state did not have access to sufficient testing supplies or PPE to ensure customers and employees could stay safe. We had little understanding of how the virus spreads, or how it manifested. We have learned a lot over the past several months.

With that evolving knowledge and understanding, with a unified testing strategy, we can provide businesses like Salon Chemistry with absolute certainty that they will be able to continue operation this winter and beyond. Adding the Unified Testing Strategy to our tool box, along with universal mask usage, social distancing, and avoidance of mass gatherings, we can contain this virus and give our scientists time to develop a vaccine that will allow us to resume our normal activities.

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly held a press conference Wednesday to give an update regarding COVID-19 in Kansas and to announce the framework for Kansas’ new Unified Testing Strategy.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FGovLauraKelly%2Fvideos%2F982826705547591%2F&show_text=false&width=560" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>The governor's office released a copy of her comments.On Tuesday, I brought together a bipartisan group of legislators to ask whether they would support my efforts to call a special session for emergency legislation to implement a statewide mask requirement. I convened the meeting because, as we have discussed previously, case rates and hospitalizations are spiking in counties that opted out of my July mask order, and today Kansas surpassed 1,000 total COVID-19 deaths. To put this into context: the state did not reach five hundred COVID deaths until September, roughly six months after the pandemic began. It took a little over six weeks for another 500 Kansans to die. Yesterday’s call was productive, and I believe both sides were acting in what they felt were the best interests of the State of Kansas. I began the conversation by asking Legislative leadership to reconvene in a special session to pass bi-partisan legislation to restore my ability to require mask wearing across Kansas. In response, Republican leaders asked if - before calling a special session - I would consider a strategy of reaching out to local leaders to implement their own mask requirements. I agreed, with the stipulation that Legislative leaders, in conjunction with their caucuses, reach out with me to county and city leadership, as well as stakeholder groups, and that we move as quickly as possible. We can’t afford to wait another moment to begin this process. I have directed my staff to put all our energy into this strategy. However, if we are unable to convince communities to voluntarily implement a mask mandate, I will move expeditiously to find another way to implement a statewide mask requirement. Now on to the numbers update. Since Monday, Kansas has reported 3,369 positive COVID-19 cases and 31 new deaths.    This brings us to a total of 82,045 cases, 3,752 hospitalizations, and it is with deep sadness that I say we have reached 1,007 deaths. I offer my sincere condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of those who have succumbed to COVID-19. In acknowledgement of their losses, today I ordered flags to be flown at half-staff statewide effective immediately until sundown, Friday, October 30, 2020. Though case numbers I shared moments ago offer some insight into Kansas’ current pandemic response, they do not tell the full story of how the virus is moving through our state. So, before I move into today’s announcement, I want to give a brief recap on what we have learned since my COVID update last Wednesday. Last week, our state’s seven-day rolling average test positivity rate was 10.54% percent - which is just above the 10 percent threshold recommended to open schools and businesses. On Monday, for the third week in a row, Kansas broke the record for the highest number of new cases of any reporting period at nearly 2,500 – which we broke again today at over 3,300. Hospitals - particularly in our rural areas - continue to see increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients, putting a strain on bed capacity and staff. Though case numbers in Kansas may be increasing, as always, there is still time to turn our virus response around. We are learning more every day about the effectiveness of COVID-19 mitigation strategies and public health guidelines - especially mask use. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Kansas found that counties with mask mandates have effectively stopped virus transmission from increasing. Counties with no mandate have seen infection rates climb. A report from the institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington showed that strict adherence to mask orders could save 130,000 American lives by the end of February. If not, United States death toll could reach 500,000 in that time. It’s clear that until a vaccine is available and widely deployed, mask usage is one our most important strategies for keeping Kansas schools and businesses open. But masks are just one piece.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603905113410.png" alt="Wednesday Oct. 28, 2020 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday Oct. 28, 2020 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>We must also increase testing capacity, isolate those who test positive, identify those who have been in close contact, and communicate the importance of quarantining to keep our communities safe. This brings me to the framework for our new Unified Testing Strategy. Over the last four weeks, a team at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment - under the direction of Special Advisor to the Governor Marci Nielsen, PhD - has been working diligently to develop this strategy in a way that fits Kansas. Broadly speaking, the new strategy identifies where Kansas currently stands, and paints a picture of where we need to go - and how we can get there. To give some background: Since the pandemic began, local and state public health departments have largely focused their efforts on testing only those who have symptoms of COVID-19, or testing in areas where outbreaks are occurring. We have made great strides in improving outbreak response over the past several months. However, to effectively locate the virus in our communities, keep Kansans safe, keep kids in school, and keep our businesses open, we must do more. We need to expand testing to include regular screening for the virus before it spreads. That’s what the new Unified Testing Strategy will allow us to do. It will coordinate both public and private COVID-19 testing efforts across Kansas to allow for broader routine screening in places like schools and nursing homes, to stop community spread before it starts. With the investment of SPARK funding which was recently competitively bid and will soon be announced, we can nearly double the amount of testing we are doing in Kansas by years end. That will move us from a total of 600,000 COVID-19 tests to date, to more than one million by the end of 2020. We will also expand beyond the types of testing we are conducting from just diagnostic to screening and surveillance. KDHE will be working with our partners in the private sector to expand labs and supplies, enhance data and reporting, provide support for isolation and quarantine, and increase our public communications about controlling the virus’ spread. This is especially important for populations at high risk, but also for businesses across the state worried about keeping their workforces safe and their doors open. A unified testing strategy will be resource intensive, but will help us to save lives and rebuild our economy. The graph behind me visually demonstrates how this will work. For those populations at the highest risk, located in the green section, state and local public health officials will continue to investigate outbreaks, but also regularly screen for the virus and isolate those who test positive. For populations at medium risk, in the blue band, health officials will once again continue to investigate outbreaks but also use surveillance testing - which uses methods like testing wastewater for signs of COVID-19. Through the new strategy we have also cast a wider net when it comes to accessing information and resources for our COVID-19 response. If you recall, I recently announced that Kansas had joined the Rockefeller Foundation COVID-19 Testing Solutions Group. Today I am pleased to report that Kansas is now part of collaborative effort funded by the National Institutes of Health to improve COVID-19 testing for underserved and vulnerable populations. The University of Kansas Medical Center is one of 32 institutions across the United States that will focus on increased testing in populations disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Referred to as the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative, 10 counties will be working with a KUMC research team to build a learning collaborative that will help support our most vulnerable populations and help inform the work of Kansas’ unified testing strategy. I know that oftentimes when we think of testing, we may not consider the whole picture. We only think about the test itself and receiving the results on our phones afterward. But there is so much more for our public health officials to consider. We need comprehensive, accurate data that health officials can analyze to determine our most vulnerable populations or locations so that the state can respond accordingly.We need access to labs that have sufficient testing capacity. We need reliable transportation to move samples from health facilities to labs, where they can be tested for COVID-19. The Unified Testing Strategy has all of that in mind, and more. Through this approach we can work together with local health departments to analyze what we have, what we need, and how we can get it. Last week I visited Salon Chemistry in Wichita to learn more about the owners’ COVID-19 mitigation strategies and commend them for their diligent efforts to keep Kansans safe.&nbsp;While I was there, we talked about how hard it was for them when virus spread required my administration to close certain businesses last Spring. At that time, our state did not have access to sufficient testing supplies or PPE to ensure customers and employees could stay safe. We had little understanding of how the virus spreads, or how it manifested. We have learned a lot over the past several months.With that evolving knowledge and understanding, with a unified testing strategy, we can provide businesses like Salon Chemistry with absolute certainty that they will be able to continue operation this winter and beyond. Adding the Unified Testing Strategy to our tool box, along with universal mask usage, social distancing, and avoidance of mass gatherings, we can contain this virus and give our scientists time to develop a vaccine that will allow us to resume our normal activities.

🎥 Gov. on framework for unified virus testing in Kansas

STAFFORD COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on multiple charges after a drug bust on a rural Kansas home.

During the course that investigation in Stafford County it was discovered that an individual may be in possession of drugs and unlawful weapons and a search warrant was obtained for a residence in rural northwestern Stafford County, according to Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir.

Just after 1p.m. Tuesday,&nbsp; multiple law enforcement agencies arrived at 1331 NW. 80th Avenue in Stafford County and executed the warrant. Barton County deputies participated at the request of Stafford County officials.

Law enforcement seized suspected heroin, marijuana and what are believed to be multiple full automatic firearms. A sawed-off shotgun was also located. No federal paperwork was located for the automatic weapons. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has been notified, according to Bellendir.

Deputies arrested 32-year-old Allen E. Standish on requested charges of distribution of marijuana, criminal use of a firearm while addicted to drugs, criminal use of a firearm and possession of methamphetamine. 

Standish is being held in lieu of a $50,000 bond on that case. In a related incident from the day before Standish was charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer when he allegedly swerved his vehicle at a detective conducting surveillance operations. He is being held on an additional $20,000 bond related to that charge, according to Bellendir.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603913453605.jpeg" alt="Deputies at the scene of the drug bust -photo courtesy Barton Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Deputies at the scene of the drug bust -photo courtesy Barton Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>STAFFORD COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on multiple charges after a drug bust on a rural Kansas home.During the course that investigation in Stafford County it was discovered that an individual may be in possession of drugs and unlawful weapons and a search warrant was obtained for a residence in rural northwestern Stafford County, according to Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir.Just after 1p.m. Tuesday,&nbsp; multiple law enforcement agencies arrived at 1331 NW. 80th Avenue in Stafford County and executed the warrant. Barton County deputies participated at the request of Stafford County officials.Law enforcement seized suspected heroin, marijuana and what are believed to be multiple full automatic firearms. A sawed-off shotgun was also located. No federal paperwork was located for the automatic weapons. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has been notified, according to Bellendir.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603913501478.png" alt="Standish" />
 <figcaption>Standish</figcaption>
 </figure>Deputies arrested 32-year-old Allen E. Standish on requested charges of distribution of marijuana, criminal use of a firearm while addicted to drugs, criminal use of a firearm and possession of methamphetamine. Standish is being held in lieu of a $50,000 bond on that case. In a related incident from the day before Standish was charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer when he allegedly swerved his vehicle at a detective conducting surveillance operations. He is being held on an additional $20,000 bond related to that charge, according to Bellendir.

Deputies seize automatic weapons, drugs at Kan. home

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas mother whose estranged husband is charged with killing the couple's two sons before fleeing with their two daughters is thanking the people who helped track down the girls nearly 400 miles away in Oklahoma.

Tara Jackson's attorney, Gary Nelson, also described the deaths of 14-year-old Logan Jackson and 12-year-old Austin Jackson as “traumatic" in a statement released Wednesday. He asked for privacy “during the next very few hard few weeks and months that Tara and her family have ahead of them."

The Leavenworth County Sheriff's Office said she went to the home of Donny Ray Jackson Jr., 40, on Saturday with the children's paternal grandmother after one of the siblings didn't show up for a soccer game. They found one of the boys dead, and law enforcement then discovered the other body.

The boys' younger sisters, 3-year-old Aven Jackson and 7-year-old Nora Jackson, were found unharmed near Erick, Oklahoma, after a massive search. And their father was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-oklahoma-kansas-leavenworth-4f619ac3b5fc3d46e2030cae5fb462f0">charged&nbsp;</a>Tuesday with capital murder and two alternative counts of first-degree murder.

Nelson said there are “a lot of unanswered questions" regarding what happened the day of the killing and in the preceding months. But he said he couldn't answer further questions because the investigation is ongoing.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603742787603.png" alt="The Jackson children photo -GoFundMe" />
 <figcaption>The Jackson children photo -GoFundMe</figcaption>
 </figure>LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas mother whose estranged husband is charged with killing the couple's two sons before fleeing with their two daughters is thanking the people who helped track down the girls nearly 400 miles away in Oklahoma.Tara Jackson's attorney, Gary Nelson, also described the deaths of 14-year-old Logan Jackson and 12-year-old Austin Jackson as “traumatic" in a statement released Wednesday. He asked for privacy “during the next very few hard few weeks and months that Tara and her family have ahead of them."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603712471699.png" alt="Donny Jackson remains jailed in Beckham Co. Oklahoma following his arrest on Saturday evening" />
 <figcaption>Donny Jackson remains jailed in Beckham Co. Oklahoma following his arrest on Saturday evening</figcaption>
 </figure>The Leavenworth County Sheriff's Office said she went to the home of Donny Ray Jackson Jr., 40, on Saturday with the children's paternal grandmother after one of the siblings didn't show up for a soccer game. They found one of the boys dead, and law enforcement then discovered the other body.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603573521812.png" alt="Aven and Nora Jackson -courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Aven and Nora Jackson -courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>The boys' younger sisters, 3-year-old Aven Jackson and 7-year-old Nora Jackson, were found unharmed near Erick, Oklahoma, after a massive search. And their father was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-oklahoma-kansas-leavenworth-4f619ac3b5fc3d46e2030cae5fb462f0">charged&nbsp;</a>Tuesday with capital murder and two alternative counts of first-degree murder.Nelson said there are “a lot of unanswered questions" regarding what happened the day of the killing and in the preceding months. But he said he couldn't answer further questions because the investigation is ongoing.

Mother of slain Kan. boys expresses thanks, asks for privacy

TOPEKA — Kansas surpassed 1,000 Kansas deaths due to COVID-19. In honor of the lives lost and the families they left behind, Gov. Laura Kelly has directed that flags be lowered to half-staff throughout the state effective immediately to sundown, Friday, Oct. 30.

“It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of 1,007 Kansans who lost their lives to COVID-19,” Kelly said. “One of the many terrible impacts of this virus has been that families are unable to hold in-person services to mourn the passing of their loved ones. Each one of these Kansans was someone’s child, parent, or grandparent. They were part of a community. Today, I’m directing that flags be lowered to half-staff, so that we may honor and remember them.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603907027503.jpeg" alt="Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash</figcaption>
 </figure>Office of the GovernorTOPEKA — Kansas surpassed 1,000 Kansas deaths due to COVID-19. In honor of the lives lost and the families they left behind, Gov. Laura Kelly has directed that flags be lowered to half-staff throughout the state effective immediately to sundown, Friday, Oct. 30.“It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of 1,007 Kansans who lost their lives to COVID-19,” Kelly said. “One of the many terrible impacts of this virus has been that families are unable to hold in-person services to mourn the passing of their loved ones. Each one of these Kansans was someone’s child, parent, or grandparent. They were part of a community. Today, I’m directing that flags be lowered to half-staff, so that we may honor and remember them.”

Kan. governor orders flags at half-staff to honor COVID victims

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 3,369 to a total of 82,045 the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;

Coronavirus deaths were reported at 1007, an increase of&nbsp; 31.

<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 3,369 to a total of 82,045 the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;Coronavirus deaths were reported at 1007, an increase of&nbsp; 31.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603905113410.png" alt="Wednesday Oct. 28, 2020 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday Oct. 28, 2020 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Kansas City police say a would-be robber is in custody after picking the wrong guy to victimize — a Judo champion.

<a href="https://fox4kc.com/news/kansas-city-judo-champion-foils-armed-robbery-by-grappling-suspect/">WDAF-TV</a>&nbsp;reports that 36-year-old Josh Henges was in the Midtown area Monday night when someone came up from behind, grabbed his shoulder and tried to rob him. Henges has traveled around the world competing in Judo events and training others. He's a former member of the national Judo team.

Henges turned to see a gun pointed directly at him. He took the suspect to the ground, pinned him, and called police.

Henges says he forgives the 20-year-old suspect and he's glad he didn't permanently injure him.

The suspect faces one count of attempted robbery. The gun turned out to be a BB gun.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603899051706.png" alt="Josh Henges photo courtesy&nbsp;Shingitai Jujitsu Association" />
 <figcaption>Josh Henges photo courtesy&nbsp;Shingitai Jujitsu Association</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — Kansas City police say a would-be robber is in custody after picking the wrong guy to victimize — a Judo champion.<a href="https://fox4kc.com/news/kansas-city-judo-champion-foils-armed-robbery-by-grappling-suspect/">WDAF-TV</a>&nbsp;reports that 36-year-old Josh Henges was in the Midtown area Monday night when someone came up from behind, grabbed his shoulder and tried to rob him. Henges has traveled around the world competing in Judo events and training others. He's a former member of the national Judo team.Henges turned to see a gun pointed directly at him. He took the suspect to the ground, pinned him, and called police.Henges says he forgives the 20-year-old suspect and he's glad he didn't permanently injure him.The suspect faces one count of attempted robbery. The gun turned out to be a BB gun.

Suspect in KC picked wrong victim: Judo Champion

By SHERMAN SMITH <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/28/manufactured-crisis-mask-hater-enlists-followers-to-defy-mandates-at-topeka-manhattan-businesses/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The 
facemask-despising owner of a martial arts school in St. Marys is 
enlisting like-minded science deniers to participate in mandate-defying 
flash mobs at Topeka and Manhattan businesses.

Jason Harpe claims 
COVID-19 is a “manufactured crisis” and mask mandates are a plot to test
 the public’s willingness to comply with government demands.

His views are outlined at <a href="http://unmasktogether.com/">unmasktogether.com</a>,
 a new website that directs anti-maskers to sign up for notifications 
for when and where they should show up as a large, unmasked shopping 
group, in open defiance of Shawnee and Riley county public health 
orders.

A notification sent late 
Wednesday directed supporters to show up at 1 p.m. Saturday at the 
Walmart Supercenter on S.W. Wanamaker in Topeka, and then at 2:30 p.m. 
Saturday at the Aldi grocery store nearby.

The goal is to enlist at least 20 people to show up at each demonstration.

“Wearing a mask isn’t 
based on science and is more about submission,” Harpe says on the 
website. “This physical mark dehumanizes people and hides a person of 
their identity and individuality.”

Science shows cloth facemasks restrict the spewing of droplets that transmit the virus from one person to another.

Harpe declined a request 
for an interview, saying he couldn’t find a news story at 
kansasreflector.com that he was interested in adding to the cauldron of 
discredited and murky sources featured on his own website.

In a Sept. 3 introductory 
message, Harpe complained about Gov. Laura Kelly’s early July statewide 
order to wear masks in public. Of the state’s 105 counties, 80 initially
 opted out.

Large counties that 
adopted the mask mandate saw their rate of new infections decrease while
 the spread of the virus in more rural counties remained flat up until 
the return of college students to university campuses in late August. 
Communities across the state suffered unprecedented, widespread 
transmission of the the coronavirus and a spike in deaths from COVID-19 
in the weeks that followed.

As of Monday, the Kansas 
Department of Health and Environment reported 976 Kansans have died 
because they contracted COVID-19. The agency has recorded an additional 
78,676 infections, which can cause long-term damage to brains, hearts 
and lungs.

Faced with the 
increasingly rapid spread of the disease, Kelly called Republican and 
Democratic lawmakers into closed-door meetings Tuesday <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/21/gov-laura-kelly-seeks-bipartisan-house-senate-talks-on-new-mask-mandate/">to discuss the prospects of a new mandate</a> on wearing facemasks in public.

“Legislative leadership 
agreed to work with me through a strategy of engagement with 
municipalities, counties and stakeholders to increase the use of masks 
and mask requirements across the state of Kansas,” Kelly said. “It is my
 hope that this bipartisan outreach strategy will avert the need for 
emergency legislation through a special session.”

House Republican 
leadership issued a joint statement saying all parties agreed to improve
 public education and voluntary cooperation.

“We call on all Kansans to
 practice personal responsibility and compassion for their fellow 
Kansans by wearing a mask, practicing social distancing and proper 
hygiene,” the statement said. “This is the right thing to do. In the 
words of the former U.S. Senate Chaplain, Peter Marshall, ‘May we think 
of freedom not as the right to do as we please but as the opportunity to
 do what is right.’ ”

In recent weeks, infections have surged in <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/21/nortons-covid-19-infection-rate-highest-ever-recorded-in-kansas/">rural areas of the state that had been largely isolated</a>
 from the pandemic. St. Marys straddles the boundary between 
Pottawatomie and Wabaunsee counties, which have recorded fewer than 500 
cases combined.

Harpe said it has been 
“business as usual” at Motion Fitness, his St. Marys martial arts 
school: No social distancing, no masks, and no class-size reductions. He
 relished the lack of precautions in the local chamber’s 4th of July 
celebration.

“I believe this to be a 
manufactured crisis, and it’s being used as a tool for testing 
compliance of the public,” Harpe wrote. “The mask mandate doesn’t make 
sense and takes away our right to make our own decisions regarding our 
health.”

He said he personally has 
friends who had COVID-19 but were all asymptomatic. He falsely claims 
that only 6% of the nation’s 226,000 COVID-19 deaths actually died from 
COVID-19, <a href="https://www.livescience.com/covid-19-comorbidities.html">a discredited but frequently cited misinterpretation</a>
 of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He then 
concludes without explanation that the real number of deaths is 40,000 —
 “much like the seasonal flu.” The CDC <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/2019-2020.html">reported 22,000 influenza deaths</a> for the 2019-2020 flu season.

“There is a cost to remaining silent on the mask wearing issue,” Harpe wrote. “What is next? Mandatory vaccines?”

He urges followers to 
unmask together “by signing up to receive announcements to attend large 
shopping groups at local stores now requiring masks for service.” And, 
if they are interested, he is offering $22 Unmask Together T-shirts.

Followers are supposed to 
enter the store, then unmask together in silence. They are directed not 
to bring signs and to be respectful of others.

It wasn’t clear who else might be associated with Harpe’s movement or his professionally designed website.

Craig Barnes, who serves 
as a spokesman for the Shawnee County Health Department, said public 
officials were aware of the potential demonstrations.

“We’re reaching out to 
those organizations that potentially could be affected to just kind of 
talk with them about the mask mandate, make them aware of the situation 
and how that could potentially expose their staff and the patrons that 
are there shopping,” Barnes said.

Officials were less 
certain about how best to resolve the situation if a large number of 
people refused to put on a mask or leave a business.

“Police would respond to 
calls for service associated with situations like this, particularly in 
the event of a disturbance or if a business was seeking the removal of a
 person,” said Gretchen Spiker, spokeswoman for Topeka police.

Sherman Smith has written award-winning news stories about the instability of the Kansas foster care system, misconduct by government officials, sexual abuse, technology, education, and the Legislature. He spent 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal, where he started on the copy desk, then oversaw digital operations, was the managing editor and reported from the Statehouse.&nbsp;

By SHERMAN SMITH <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/28/manufactured-crisis-mask-hater-enlists-followers-to-defy-mandates-at-topeka-manhattan-businesses/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The 
facemask-despising owner of a martial arts school in St. Marys is 
enlisting like-minded science deniers to participate in mandate-defying 
flash mobs at Topeka and Manhattan businesses.Jason Harpe claims 
COVID-19 is a “manufactured crisis” and mask mandates are a plot to test
 the public’s willingness to comply with government demands.His views are outlined at <a href="http://unmasktogether.com/">unmasktogether.com</a>,
 a new website that directs anti-maskers to sign up for notifications 
for when and where they should show up as a large, unmasked shopping 
group, in open defiance of Shawnee and Riley county public health 
orders.A notification sent late 
Wednesday directed supporters to show up at 1 p.m. Saturday at the 
Walmart Supercenter on S.W. Wanamaker in Topeka, and then at 2:30 p.m. 
Saturday at the Aldi grocery store nearby.The goal is to enlist at least 20 people to show up at each demonstration.“Wearing a mask isn’t 
based on science and is more about submission,” Harpe says on the 
website. “This physical mark dehumanizes people and hides a person of 
their identity and individuality.”Science shows cloth facemasks restrict the spewing of droplets that transmit the virus from one person to another.Harpe declined a request 
for an interview, saying he couldn’t find a news story at 
kansasreflector.com that he was interested in adding to the cauldron of 
discredited and murky sources featured on his own website.In a Sept. 3 introductory 
message, Harpe complained about Gov. Laura Kelly’s early July statewide 
order to wear masks in public. Of the state’s 105 counties, 80 initially
 opted out.Large counties that 
adopted the mask mandate saw their rate of new infections decrease while
 the spread of the virus in more rural counties remained flat up until 
the return of college students to university campuses in late August. 
Communities across the state suffered unprecedented, widespread 
transmission of the the coronavirus and a spike in deaths from COVID-19 
in the weeks that followed.As of Monday, the Kansas 
Department of Health and Environment reported 976 Kansans have died 
because they contracted COVID-19. The agency has recorded an additional 
78,676 infections, which can cause long-term damage to brains, hearts 
and lungs.Faced with the 
increasingly rapid spread of the disease, Kelly called Republican and 
Democratic lawmakers into closed-door meetings Tuesday <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/21/gov-laura-kelly-seeks-bipartisan-house-senate-talks-on-new-mask-mandate/">to discuss the prospects of a new mandate</a> on wearing facemasks in public.“Legislative leadership 
agreed to work with me through a strategy of engagement with 
municipalities, counties and stakeholders to increase the use of masks 
and mask requirements across the state of Kansas,” Kelly said. “It is my
 hope that this bipartisan outreach strategy will avert the need for 
emergency legislation through a special session.”House Republican 
leadership issued a joint statement saying all parties agreed to improve
 public education and voluntary cooperation.“We call on all Kansans to
 practice personal responsibility and compassion for their fellow 
Kansans by wearing a mask, practicing social distancing and proper 
hygiene,” the statement said. “This is the right thing to do. In the 
words of the former U.S. Senate Chaplain, Peter Marshall, ‘May we think 
of freedom not as the right to do as we please but as the opportunity to
 do what is right.’ ”In recent weeks, infections have surged in <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/21/nortons-covid-19-infection-rate-highest-ever-recorded-in-kansas/">rural areas of the state that had been largely isolated</a>
 from the pandemic. St. Marys straddles the boundary between 
Pottawatomie and Wabaunsee counties, which have recorded fewer than 500 
cases combined.Harpe said it has been 
“business as usual” at Motion Fitness, his St. Marys martial arts 
school: No social distancing, no masks, and no class-size reductions. He
 relished the lack of precautions in the local chamber’s 4th of July 
celebration.“I believe this to be a 
manufactured crisis, and it’s being used as a tool for testing 
compliance of the public,” Harpe wrote. “The mask mandate doesn’t make 
sense and takes away our right to make our own decisions regarding our 
health.”He said he personally has 
friends who had COVID-19 but were all asymptomatic. He falsely claims 
that only 6% of the nation’s 226,000 COVID-19 deaths actually died from 
COVID-19, <a href="https://www.livescience.com/covid-19-comorbidities.html">a discredited but frequently cited misinterpretation</a>
 of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He then 
concludes without explanation that the real number of deaths is 40,000 —
 “much like the seasonal flu.” The CDC <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/2019-2020.html">reported 22,000 influenza deaths</a> for the 2019-2020 flu season.“There is a cost to remaining silent on the mask wearing issue,” Harpe wrote. “What is next? Mandatory vaccines?”He urges followers to 
unmask together “by signing up to receive announcements to attend large 
shopping groups at local stores now requiring masks for service.” And, 
if they are interested, he is offering $22 Unmask Together T-shirts.Followers are supposed to 
enter the store, then unmask together in silence. They are directed not 
to bring signs and to be respectful of others.It wasn’t clear who else might be associated with Harpe’s movement or his professionally designed website.Craig Barnes, who serves 
as a spokesman for the Shawnee County Health Department, said public 
officials were aware of the potential demonstrations.“We’re reaching out to 
those organizations that potentially could be affected to just kind of 
talk with them about the mask mandate, make them aware of the situation 
and how that could potentially expose their staff and the patrons that 
are there shopping,” Barnes said.Officials were less 
certain about how best to resolve the situation if a large number of 
people refused to put on a mask or leave a business.“Police would respond to 
calls for service associated with situations like this, particularly in 
the event of a disturbance or if a business was seeking the removal of a
 person,” said Gretchen Spiker, spokeswoman for Topeka police.Sherman Smith has written award-winning news stories about the instability of the Kansas foster care system, misconduct by government officials, sexual abuse, technology, education, and the Legislature. He spent 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal, where he started on the copy desk, then oversaw digital operations, was the managing editor and reported from the Statehouse.&nbsp;

Kan. mask opponent enlists followers to defy mandates at businesses

DETROIT (AP) — Volkswagen is recalling more than 218,000 Jetta sedans in the U.S. to fix a fuel leak problem that can cause fires. The recall covers certain cars from the 2016 through 2018 model years. 

Volkswagen says in documents posted Wednesday by U.S. safety regulators that bolts holding some high-pressure tubing can come loose, allowing fuel to leak. The automaker hasn’t figured out how it will fix the problem, but it will start notifying owners around Dec. 20. Affected vehicles have engines built from June 18, 2015 to Dec. 9, 2017. 

The documents don’t say if there have been any fires, but they mention an unspecified number of claims. They say that owners could smell fuel or see leaks. Messages were left seeking comment from Volkswagen.

DETROIT (AP) — Volkswagen is recalling more than 218,000 Jetta sedans in the U.S. to fix a fuel leak problem that can cause fires. The recall covers certain cars from the 2016 through 2018 model years. Volkswagen says in documents posted Wednesday by U.S. safety regulators that bolts holding some high-pressure tubing can come loose, allowing fuel to leak. The automaker hasn’t figured out how it will fix the problem, but it will start notifying owners around Dec. 20. Affected vehicles have engines built from June 18, 2015 to Dec. 9, 2017. The documents don’t say if there have been any fires, but they mention an unspecified number of claims. They say that owners could smell fuel or see leaks. Messages were left seeking comment from Volkswagen.

VW recalls Jettas to fix fuel leaks that can cause fires

WASHINGTON (AP) — Amy Coney Barrett was formally sworn in Tuesday as the Supreme Court’s ninth justice, her oath administered in private by Chief Justice John Roberts. Her first votes on the court could include two big topics affecting the man who appointed her.

The court is weighing a plea from President Donald Trump to prevent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-new-york-city-new-york-subpoenas-trump-investigations-ffdad3a4983088224245dbf761c6d113">the Manhattan district attorney</a>&nbsp;from acquiring his tax returns. It is also considering appeals from the Trump campaign and Republicans to shorten the deadline for receiving and counting absentee ballots in the battleground states of North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

It’s not certain Barrett will take part in any of these issues, but she will make that call.

Barrett&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-virus-outbreak-ruth-bader-ginsburg-amy-coney-barrett-82a02a618343c98b80ca2b6bf9eafe07">was confirmed Monday by the Senate</a>&nbsp;in a 52-48 virtual party line vote. She is expected to begin work as a justice on Tuesday after taking the second of two oaths required of judges by federal law. No justice has assumed office so close to a presidential election or immediately confronted issues so directly tied to the incumbent president’s political and personal fortunes.

At 48, she’s the youngest justice since Clarence Thomas joined the court in 1991 at age 43.

Other election-related issues are pending at the high court, which next week also will hear a clash of LGBTQ rights and religious freedoms.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-supreme-court-amy-coney-barrett-archive-courts-25cdbb056a83aa506af5c5b42943dbf6">The fate of the Affordable Care Act</a>&nbsp;is on the agenda on Nov. 10, and Trump himself last week reiterated his opposition to the Obama-era law. “I hope they end it,” he said in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-posts-unedited-60-minutes-3db1eb99671dc9549bae010ef7d024f2">an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes.”</a>

On Friday, Barrett, the most open opponent of abortion rights to join the court in decades, also could be called upon to weigh in on Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban. The state is appealing lower court rulings invalidating the ban. Abortion opponents in Pittsburgh also are challenging a so-called bubble zone that prevents protesters from getting too close to abortion clinics.

The court put off acting on both cases before Barrett joined the court, without offering any explanation in the Mississippi case. It ordered Pittsburgh to file a response to the appeal filed by the protesters, who call themselves sidewalk counselors.

It’s not clear that the public will know how Barrett voted in the two abortion cases because the court typically doesn’t make the vote counts public when it is considering whether to grant full review to cases.

Barrett declined to commit to Democratic demands that she step aside from any cases on controversial topics, including a potential post-election dispute over the presidential results.

Barrett is joining the court at an unusual moment. The justices are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fe767ffb8833bb059f8eabfd529365a0">meeting remotely by telephone</a>&nbsp;because of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak">the coronavirus pandemic</a>, both for their private conferences and public argument sessions, at least through the end of 2020. The public can listen to the arguments as they take place, a change also resulting from the court’s response to the pandemic.

After her first private conference with her new colleagues on Friday, two weeks of arguments begin on Monday. In an institution that pays strict attention to seniority, Barrett will go last in the private and public sessions.

As she settles into her new office at the court, Barrett will be joined by four law clerks, usually recent law school graduates who have experience working for federal judges.

When the court reopens to the public and the justices return to the courtroom, Barrett is expected to assume several duties reserved for the court’s junior justice. She will be a member of the committee that oversees the court’s public cafeteria, and the person who takes notes and answers the door when someone knocks during the justices’ private conferences.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603812401665.png" alt="&nbsp;During a formal ceremony Tuesday, Chief Justice John Roberts administers the Judicial Oath to Judge Amy Coney Barrett in the East Conference Room of the Supreme Court Building as Judge Barrett's husband, Jesse M. Barrett, holds the Bible -photo courtesy Fred Schilling/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;During a formal ceremony Tuesday, Chief Justice John Roberts administers the Judicial Oath to Judge Amy Coney Barrett in the East Conference Room of the Supreme Court Building as Judge Barrett's husband, Jesse M. Barrett, holds the Bible -photo courtesy Fred Schilling/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Amy Coney Barrett was formally sworn in Tuesday as the Supreme Court’s ninth justice, her oath administered in private by Chief Justice John Roberts. Her first votes on the court could include two big topics affecting the man who appointed her.The court is weighing a plea from President Donald Trump to prevent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-new-york-city-new-york-subpoenas-trump-investigations-ffdad3a4983088224245dbf761c6d113">the Manhattan district attorney</a>&nbsp;from acquiring his tax returns. It is also considering appeals from the Trump campaign and Republicans to shorten the deadline for receiving and counting absentee ballots in the battleground states of North Carolina and Pennsylvania.It’s not certain Barrett will take part in any of these issues, but she will make that call.Barrett&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-virus-outbreak-ruth-bader-ginsburg-amy-coney-barrett-82a02a618343c98b80ca2b6bf9eafe07">was confirmed Monday by the Senate</a>&nbsp;in a 52-48 virtual party line vote. She is expected to begin work as a justice on Tuesday after taking the second of two oaths required of judges by federal law. No justice has assumed office so close to a presidential election or immediately confronted issues so directly tied to the incumbent president’s political and personal fortunes.At 48, she’s the youngest justice since Clarence Thomas joined the court in 1991 at age 43.Other election-related issues are pending at the high court, which next week also will hear a clash of LGBTQ rights and religious freedoms.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-supreme-court-amy-coney-barrett-archive-courts-25cdbb056a83aa506af5c5b42943dbf6">The fate of the Affordable Care Act</a>&nbsp;is on the agenda on Nov. 10, and Trump himself last week reiterated his opposition to the Obama-era law. “I hope they end it,” he said in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-posts-unedited-60-minutes-3db1eb99671dc9549bae010ef7d024f2">an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes.”</a>On Friday, Barrett, the most open opponent of abortion rights to join the court in decades, also could be called upon to weigh in on Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban. The state is appealing lower court rulings invalidating the ban. Abortion opponents in Pittsburgh also are challenging a so-called bubble zone that prevents protesters from getting too close to abortion clinics.The court put off acting on both cases before Barrett joined the court, without offering any explanation in the Mississippi case. It ordered Pittsburgh to file a response to the appeal filed by the protesters, who call themselves sidewalk counselors.It’s not clear that the public will know how Barrett voted in the two abortion cases because the court typically doesn’t make the vote counts public when it is considering whether to grant full review to cases.Barrett declined to commit to Democratic demands that she step aside from any cases on controversial topics, including a potential post-election dispute over the presidential results.Barrett is joining the court at an unusual moment. The justices are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fe767ffb8833bb059f8eabfd529365a0">meeting remotely by telephone</a>&nbsp;because of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak">the coronavirus pandemic</a>, both for their private conferences and public argument sessions, at least through the end of 2020. The public can listen to the arguments as they take place, a change also resulting from the court’s response to the pandemic.After her first private conference with her new colleagues on Friday, two weeks of arguments begin on Monday. In an institution that pays strict attention to seniority, Barrett will go last in the private and public sessions.As she settles into her new office at the court, Barrett will be joined by four law clerks, usually recent law school graduates who have experience working for federal judges.When the court reopens to the public and the justices return to the courtroom, Barrett is expected to assume several duties reserved for the court’s junior justice. She will be a member of the committee that oversees the court’s public cafeteria, and the person who takes notes and answers the door when someone knocks during the justices’ private conferences.

Supreme Court considers high profile cases as Barrett begins

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and top Republican legislators agreed Tuesday to try for now to encourage Kansas counties to adopt local mask mandates rather than consider a statewide rule as the state experiences its biggest surge in new coronavirus cases of the pandemic.

Kelly had a private Zoom meeting with eight leaders of the GOP-controlled Legislature, six of them Republicans, and participants said afterward that they discussed encouraging greater mask use. The state health department reported Monday that the state’s rolling seven-day average for new cases&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-kansas-topeka-e17aa8c98f333b072eb5c3431496c044">set a record&nbsp;</a>of 815 a day for the seven days ending Monday.

Kelly issued&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d205da04a32ace8ecffd4b5e8a6fb481">a statewide mask mandate</a>&nbsp;July 2, but a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2020s/b2020s/measures/documents/summary_hb_2016_2020special" target="_blank">state law&nbsp;</a>enacted only the month before allowed the state’s 105 counties to opt out, and most did. The Democratic governor said last week that she wanted to work with top Republican lawmakers on a bipartisan mandate to require people to wear masks in public.

An agenda for the meeting prepared by the governor’s office said participants would discuss mask legislation having a special session of the Legislature. Kelly’s chief spokesman acknowledged Monday that legislators might have to rewrite the law enacted in June to allow a statewide mandate, and lawmakers are not scheduled to reconvene until January.

But participants in Tuesday’s meeting said they agreed to work with the Kansas Association of Counties and Kansas League of Municipalities to encourage local officials to consider mask mandates in coronavirus hot spots. In a statement, Kelly called it “a strategy of engagement.”

“It is my hope that this bipartisan outreach strategy will avert the need for emergency legislation through a special session,” Kelly said.

Top Republican lawmakers and the Democratic governor had been at odds for months over her handling of the pandemic. Kelly imposed a statewide stay-at-home order for five weeks, ending in early May, but then compromised on the law enacted in June to ensure that a state of emergency she declared for the pandemic could last through the rest of the year.

Republicans hold two-thirds majorities in both legislative chambers and forced Kelly to accept local control over mask mandates, restrictions on businesses, limits on public gatherings and reopening K-12 schools. They’ve argued that the state should not impose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-kansas-wichita-f9ad7a79caa07a3422cc5f926bd2919a">“one size fits all” rules&nbsp;</a>in a diverse state.

“Going in and passing a statewide mask mandate without understanding why there’s reluctance or what strategies could be used to overcome that reluctance probably doesn’t solve the problem because people are going to rebel,” said Senate Vice President Jeff Longbine, an Emporia Republican.

The House’s top three Republicans issued a statement noting an agreement to promote public education to increase mask use, then called on Kansas residents to follow public health officials’ advice because, “This is the right thing to do.”

Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, an Overland Park Republican, said: “I think that the special session is off the table.”

But House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat, said rewriting the law to allow a statewide mask mandate could be an option if the leaders’ approach “if this doesn’t work.”

“Hopefully, this does work and solves the problem,” Sawyer said.

The meeting was private even though a majority of the lawmakers serve on one state council that handles some financial decisions when lawmakers are not in session and another that makes administrative decisions for the Legislature. The meeting’s agenda said the state’s Open Meetings Act wouldn’t be violated if participants avoided issues either council would handle, and participants said they were careful to do so.

But Emily Bradbury, executive director of the Kansas Press Association said in an email: “This is the public’s business. It is a disservice to Kansans when officials tie themselves in knots to avoid openness.”

The state health department reported Monday that Kansas has had 78,676 confirmed and probable coronavirus cases since the pandemic reached the state in early March, up 2,446 from only Friday. The state also is reporting 976 COVID-19-related deaths.

Nursing homes are facing an increasing strain combatting the coronavirus as cases rise statewide and residents and families grow distressed about limits on visits. The state health department reports 250 clusters associated with long-term care, accounting for more than 3,800 cases of COVID-19, along with 440 deaths.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603360957118.png" alt="Governor Kelly had a private Zoom meeting with eight leaders of the GOP-controlled Legislature Tuesday." />
 <figcaption>Governor Kelly had a private Zoom meeting with eight leaders of the GOP-controlled Legislature Tuesday.</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNATOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and top Republican legislators agreed Tuesday to try for now to encourage Kansas counties to adopt local mask mandates rather than consider a statewide rule as the state experiences its biggest surge in new coronavirus cases of the pandemic.Kelly had a private Zoom meeting with eight leaders of the GOP-controlled Legislature, six of them Republicans, and participants said afterward that they discussed encouraging greater mask use. The state health department reported Monday that the state’s rolling seven-day average for new cases&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-kansas-topeka-e17aa8c98f333b072eb5c3431496c044">set a record&nbsp;</a>of 815 a day for the seven days ending Monday.Kelly issued&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d205da04a32ace8ecffd4b5e8a6fb481">a statewide mask mandate</a>&nbsp;July 2, but a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2020s/b2020s/measures/documents/summary_hb_2016_2020special" target="_blank">state law&nbsp;</a>enacted only the month before allowed the state’s 105 counties to opt out, and most did. The Democratic governor said last week that she wanted to work with top Republican lawmakers on a bipartisan mandate to require people to wear masks in public.An agenda for the meeting prepared by the governor’s office said participants would discuss mask legislation having a special session of the Legislature. Kelly’s chief spokesman acknowledged Monday that legislators might have to rewrite the law enacted in June to allow a statewide mandate, and lawmakers are not scheduled to reconvene until January.But participants in Tuesday’s meeting said they agreed to work with the Kansas Association of Counties and Kansas League of Municipalities to encourage local officials to consider mask mandates in coronavirus hot spots. In a statement, Kelly called it “a strategy of engagement.”“It is my hope that this bipartisan outreach strategy will avert the need for emergency legislation through a special session,” Kelly said.Top Republican lawmakers and the Democratic governor had been at odds for months over her handling of the pandemic. Kelly imposed a statewide stay-at-home order for five weeks, ending in early May, but then compromised on the law enacted in June to ensure that a state of emergency she declared for the pandemic could last through the rest of the year.Republicans hold two-thirds majorities in both legislative chambers and forced Kelly to accept local control over mask mandates, restrictions on businesses, limits on public gatherings and reopening K-12 schools. They’ve argued that the state should not impose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-kansas-wichita-f9ad7a79caa07a3422cc5f926bd2919a">“one size fits all” rules&nbsp;</a>in a diverse state.“Going in and passing a statewide mask mandate without understanding why there’s reluctance or what strategies could be used to overcome that reluctance probably doesn’t solve the problem because people are going to rebel,” said Senate Vice President Jeff Longbine, an Emporia Republican.The House’s top three Republicans issued a statement noting an agreement to promote public education to increase mask use, then called on Kansas residents to follow public health officials’ advice because, “This is the right thing to do.”Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, an Overland Park Republican, said: “I think that the special session is off the table.”But House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat, said rewriting the law to allow a statewide mask mandate could be an option if the leaders’ approach “if this doesn’t work.”“Hopefully, this does work and solves the problem,” Sawyer said.The meeting was private even though a majority of the lawmakers serve on one state council that handles some financial decisions when lawmakers are not in session and another that makes administrative decisions for the Legislature. The meeting’s agenda said the state’s Open Meetings Act wouldn’t be violated if participants avoided issues either council would handle, and participants said they were careful to do so.But Emily Bradbury, executive director of the Kansas Press Association said in an email: “This is the public’s business. It is a disservice to Kansans when officials tie themselves in knots to avoid openness.”The state health department reported Monday that Kansas has had 78,676 confirmed and probable coronavirus cases since the pandemic reached the state in early March, up 2,446 from only Friday. The state also is reporting 976 COVID-19-related deaths.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603731923091.png" alt="Monday Oct. 26, 2020 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Monday Oct. 26, 2020 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>Nursing homes are facing an increasing strain combatting the coronavirus as cases rise statewide and residents and families grow distressed about limits on visits. The state health department reports 250 clusters associated with long-term care, accounting for more than 3,800 cases of COVID-19, along with 440 deaths.

Governor, top lawmakers agree: No Kansas mask rule for now

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A growing number of GOP leaders in Kansas are calling for the resignation of three elected officials who were recorded planning a cover-up of their role in a plot to smear the Democratic mayor of the state’s largest city.

The controversy stems from an ad that falsely suggested Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple was accused of sexual harassment when he served in the Kansas Legislature. The ad was published on YouTube during the mayoral election last year.

The calls for the resignation of Sedgwick County Commissioner Michael O’Donnell, Wichita City Council member James Clendenin and state Rep. Michael Capps have increased following the release of a pair of recordings made last November. In one of them, which was released Monday, Capps is heard threatening to bring down the entire party if county Republican leadership were to carry through with a call for him to resign after his role in the Whipple smear was revealed. The party released the statement anyway, but Capps remained in office.

The three GOP officials have repeatedly denied and downplayed their parts in the conspiracy. None of them have returned calls for comment from The Associated Press or The Wichita Eagle, which has been reporting on the smear video for more than a year.

“What I heard on the recording represents the very worst of politics and shows they have abused the positions entrusted to them by Kansas voters,” Republican U.S. Rep. Ron Estes said in a Facebook post on Monday night.

Also Monday, Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said that he is investigating whether the three can be ousted from their elected positions. Of the three, only O’Donnell is up for reelection. The Sedgwick County Republican Party, the majority on the Sedgwick County Commission and the Wichita Chamber of Commerce also are demanding resignations.

Pressure began to mount last week after the first recording was released. In it, the three can be heard plotting to frame Sedgwick County Republican Party Chairman Dalton Glasscock for the Whipple smear video. The recording was made on Nov. 3, 2019, which is the very day Capps went on a radio show and publicly accused Glasscock of approving the anti-Whipple ad. That would have been a violation of campaign-finance laws because Glasscock worked as a media consultant on the campaign of then-mayor Jeff Longwell.

Longwell said in an email Saturday night that the ad did nothing to help him. “I could make the argument that because of the media and speculation of who was involved that I was hurt by the fabricated video and had nothing to do with any of it,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603846337934.png" alt="Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple during Tuesday's city council meeting.-image courtesy city of Wichita" />
 <figcaption>Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple during Tuesday's city council meeting.-image courtesy city of Wichita</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A growing number of GOP leaders in Kansas are calling for the resignation of three elected officials who were recorded planning a cover-up of their role in a plot to smear the Democratic mayor of the state’s largest city.The controversy stems from an ad that falsely suggested Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple was accused of sexual harassment when he served in the Kansas Legislature. The ad was published on YouTube during the mayoral election last year.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603722521631.png" alt="From left: Sedgwick County Commissioner Michael O'Donnell, Kansas House Rep. Michael Capps and Wichita City Councilman James Clendenin. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>From left: Sedgwick County Commissioner Michael O'Donnell, Kansas House Rep. Michael Capps and Wichita City Councilman James Clendenin. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>The calls for the resignation of Sedgwick County Commissioner Michael O’Donnell, Wichita City Council member James Clendenin and state Rep. Michael Capps have increased following the release of a pair of recordings made last November. In one of them, which was released Monday, Capps is heard threatening to bring down the entire party if county Republican leadership were to carry through with a call for him to resign after his role in the Whipple smear was revealed. The party released the statement anyway, but Capps remained in office.The three GOP officials have repeatedly denied and downplayed their parts in the conspiracy. None of them have returned calls for comment from The Associated Press or The Wichita Eagle, which has been reporting on the smear video for more than a year.“What I heard on the recording represents the very worst of politics and shows they have abused the positions entrusted to them by Kansas voters,” Republican U.S. Rep. Ron Estes said in a Facebook post on Monday night.Also Monday, Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said that he is investigating whether the three can be ousted from their elected positions. Of the three, only O’Donnell is up for reelection. The Sedgwick County Republican Party, the majority on the Sedgwick County Commission and the Wichita Chamber of Commerce also are demanding resignations.Pressure began to mount last week after the first recording was released. In it, the three can be heard plotting to frame Sedgwick County Republican Party Chairman Dalton Glasscock for the Whipple smear video. The recording was made on Nov. 3, 2019, which is the very day Capps went on a radio show and publicly accused Glasscock of approving the anti-Whipple ad. That would have been a violation of campaign-finance laws because Glasscock worked as a media consultant on the campaign of then-mayor Jeff Longwell.Longwell said in an email Saturday night that the ad did nothing to help him. “I could make the argument that because of the media and speculation of who was involved that I was hurt by the fabricated video and had nothing to do with any of it,” he said.

GOP leaders want 3 Kan. officials to resign over false ad plot

WASHINGTON (AP) — Medicare will cover the yet-to-be approved coronavirus vaccine free for older people under a policy change expected to be announced shortly, a senior Trump administration official said Tuesday.

The coming announcement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services aims to align the time-consuming process for securing Medicare coverage of a new vaccine, drug or treatment with the rapid campaign to have a coronavirus vaccine ready for initial distribution once it is ready, possibly as early as the end of the year.

It’s questionable under normal circumstances if Medicare can pay for a drug that receives emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, as expected for the eventual coronavirus vaccine. Emergency use designation is a step short of full approval.

The administration official said Medicare’s announcement will try to resolve several legal technicalities that could conceivably get in the way of delivering free vaccines to millions of seniors, a high-risk group for COVID-19, the disease caused by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak">the coronavirus</a>. The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss a pending regulation.

President Donald Trump and lawmakers of both parties in Congress have spelled out their intention that all Americans will be able to get the vaccine for free. But the official said a series of potential legal obstacles that could get in the way of Medicare payment never got unscrambled.

Earlier this month, Medicare administrator&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/seema-verma">Seema Verma</a>&nbsp;said her agency was close to resolving the issue.

“I think we’ve figured out a path forward,” Verma said at the HLTH conference, a forum for innovators. “It was very clear that Congress wants to make sure that Medicare beneficiaries have this vaccine and that there isn’t any cost-sharing.”

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/c3988cd848c818b3e7317df306b926cc">$1.8 trillion CARES Act</a>&nbsp;passed by Congress in March called for free vaccination for all Americans, from seniors covered by Medicare to families with employer-sponsored health insurance.

A White House-backed initiative called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/756e5b743058701c4a2ebefd0af1ade4">“Operation Warp Speed”</a>&nbsp;is pushing to have a vaccine ready for distribution in the coming months. The government is spending billions of dollars to manufacture vaccines even before they receive FDA approval, thereby cutting the timeline for delivery. Officials at the FDA have committed that the program will not interfere with their own science-based decisions. Vaccines that don’t meet the test for approval would be discarded.

States have already begun submitting their plans for vaccine distribution to the federal government.

Initially, it’s expected vaccines will go to people in high-risk groups such as medical personnel, frontline workers and nursing home residents and staff. Older people are also high on the priority list because their risks of serious illness and death from the coronavirus — which has&nbsp;<a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" target="_blank">killed more than 225,000 people</a>&nbsp;in the United States — are much higher. It could be well into next year before a vaccine is widely available.

Medicare’s impending announcement was first reported by Politico.

<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>WASHINGTON (AP) — Medicare will cover the yet-to-be approved coronavirus vaccine free for older people under a policy change expected to be announced shortly, a senior Trump administration official said Tuesday.The coming announcement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services aims to align the time-consuming process for securing Medicare coverage of a new vaccine, drug or treatment with the rapid campaign to have a coronavirus vaccine ready for initial distribution once it is ready, possibly as early as the end of the year.It’s questionable under normal circumstances if Medicare can pay for a drug that receives emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, as expected for the eventual coronavirus vaccine. Emergency use designation is a step short of full approval.The administration official said Medicare’s announcement will try to resolve several legal technicalities that could conceivably get in the way of delivering free vaccines to millions of seniors, a high-risk group for COVID-19, the disease caused by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak">the coronavirus</a>. The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss a pending regulation.President Donald Trump and lawmakers of both parties in Congress have spelled out their intention that all Americans will be able to get the vaccine for free. But the official said a series of potential legal obstacles that could get in the way of Medicare payment never got unscrambled.Earlier this month, Medicare administrator&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/seema-verma">Seema Verma</a>&nbsp;said her agency was close to resolving the issue.“I think we’ve figured out a path forward,” Verma said at the HLTH conference, a forum for innovators. “It was very clear that Congress wants to make sure that Medicare beneficiaries have this vaccine and that there isn’t any cost-sharing.”“Stay tuned,” she added.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/c3988cd848c818b3e7317df306b926cc">$1.8 trillion CARES Act</a>&nbsp;passed by Congress in March called for free vaccination for all Americans, from seniors covered by Medicare to families with employer-sponsored health insurance.A White House-backed initiative called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/756e5b743058701c4a2ebefd0af1ade4">“Operation Warp Speed”</a>&nbsp;is pushing to have a vaccine ready for distribution in the coming months. The government is spending billions of dollars to manufacture vaccines even before they receive FDA approval, thereby cutting the timeline for delivery. Officials at the FDA have committed that the program will not interfere with their own science-based decisions. Vaccines that don’t meet the test for approval would be discarded.States have already begun submitting their plans for vaccine distribution to the federal government.Initially, it’s expected vaccines will go to people in high-risk groups such as medical personnel, frontline workers and nursing home residents and staff. Older people are also high on the priority list because their risks of serious illness and death from the coronavirus — which has&nbsp;<a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" target="_blank">killed more than 225,000 people</a>&nbsp;in the United States — are much higher. It could be well into next year before a vaccine is widely available.Medicare’s impending announcement was first reported by Politico.

Medicare finalizing coverage policy for coronavirus vaccine

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The civilian board that oversees the Kansas City Police Department went into a closed session on Tuesday after civil rights activists repeatedly called for a public vote on whether to fire the city's police chief.

It was the latest salvo in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-kansas-city-health-kansas-racial-injustice-02d510348e588646ec876a492b281809">months-long effort&nbsp;</a>by civil rights activists to force Chief Rick Smith to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/8fd5d3554646ec3a353ebd16e96e4359">resign or be fired</a>&nbsp;over the police department's handling of excessive force complaints and fatal shootings of Black men by officers.

After several people spoke about Smith, board president Don Wagner decided to close the meeting to the public. That led the Rev. Vernon Howard, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City, to stand and yell for the board to vote on Smith.

The board, which is comprised of four members of the public and the mayor, then met in a closed session before reconvening briefly and then adjourning.

“The gallery became too disruptive to continue business,” police spokesman Capt. David Jackson said. “We constantly weigh the balance of allowing and respecting and promoting people’s First Amendment (rights) with also conducting business."

When the board reconvened, Mayor Quinton Lucas called the activists' actions “a personal insult” that were "totally uncalled for, but I am used to that. But hopefully we will get to a place where we can try to do better for the safety of our community long term.”

Lucas, who has also been strongly criticized by many civil rights activists, said he and Smith are always willing to meet with community groups and their leaders.

Smith has said repeatedly that he won't resign. Lucas and several police board members have publicly supported him.

Howard said the group plans to attend the police board meetings every month until a decision is made on Smith's employment.

"We can no longer allow business as usual,” Howard said afterward. “We will not betray the fallen victims of KCPD violence, brutality, and racism.”

“We will defend their civil rights, their humanity, and their equal protections under the law. And that starts with the dismissal of the chief who is the protector and sustainer of the oppression.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603879916573.png" alt="Tuesday's KCMO police board meeting photo courtesy KSHB TV" />
 <figcaption>Tuesday's KCMO police board meeting photo courtesy KSHB TV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The civilian board that oversees the Kansas City Police Department went into a closed session on Tuesday after civil rights activists repeatedly called for a public vote on whether to fire the city's police chief.It was the latest salvo in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-kansas-city-health-kansas-racial-injustice-02d510348e588646ec876a492b281809">months-long effort&nbsp;</a>by civil rights activists to force Chief Rick Smith to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/8fd5d3554646ec3a353ebd16e96e4359">resign or be fired</a>&nbsp;over the police department's handling of excessive force complaints and fatal shootings of Black men by officers.After several people spoke about Smith, board president Don Wagner decided to close the meeting to the public. That led the Rev. Vernon Howard, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City, to stand and yell for the board to vote on Smith.The board, which is comprised of four members of the public and the mayor, then met in a closed session before reconvening briefly and then adjourning.“The gallery became too disruptive to continue business,” police spokesman Capt. David Jackson said. “We constantly weigh the balance of allowing and respecting and promoting people’s First Amendment (rights) with also conducting business."When the board reconvened, Mayor Quinton Lucas called the activists' actions “a personal insult” that were "totally uncalled for, but I am used to that. But hopefully we will get to a place where we can try to do better for the safety of our community long term.”Lucas, who has also been strongly criticized by many civil rights activists, said he and Smith are always willing to meet with community groups and their leaders.Smith has said repeatedly that he won't resign. Lucas and several police board members have publicly supported him.Howard said the group plans to attend the police board meetings every month until a decision is made on Smith's employment."We can no longer allow business as usual,” Howard said afterward. “We will not betray the fallen victims of KCPD violence, brutality, and racism.”“We will defend their civil rights, their humanity, and their equal protections under the law. And that starts with the dismissal of the chief who is the protector and sustainer of the oppression.”

Activists again call for Kansas City police chief's ouster

LEAVENWORTH COUNTY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man accused of killing his two sons and taking his two daughters from their home before being stopped in Oklahoma was charged Tuesday with capital murder in the boys’ deaths.

Donny Ray Jackson Jr., 40, was also charged Tuesday with two alternative counts of first-degree murder, Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said at a news conference.

The capital murder count covers both boys’ deaths and, if Jackson is convicted, could result either in the death penalty or life in prison without parole. Thompson said his office is still considering whether to seek the death penalty.

Thompson said he had discussed the charges with the children’s family, who he said were “doing as well as can be expected.”

Law enforcement officers went to the family home&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-kansas-leavenworth-c03f7c571db80021218b3f96f4b21c72">Saturday afternoon</a>&nbsp;in Leavenworth after one of the siblings didn’t show up for a soccer game. The bodies of 14-year-old Logan Jackson and 12-year-old Austin Jackson were found and their two younger sisters, 3-year-old Aven Jackson and 7-year-old Nora Jackson, were missing.

After an Amber Alert was issued, Jackson was arrested Saturday night near Erick, Oklahoma, and the girls were returned to their family.

Jackson remained jailed in Beckham County, Oklahoma, Tuesday awaiting extradition proceedings.

Thompson declined to discuss any details of the case, including a possible motive, how the boys were killed or where Jackson might have been heading when he was stopped.

“In fairness to the justice system, the defendant has a right to have the facts presented to a jury and we would hate to taint that,” he said in an interview.

There are no charges related to the girls’ abduction because law enforcement is seeking to determine whether Jackson had legal custody of the children when they were taken from the home, authorities said.

Maj. James Sherley, of the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Department, said Monday that Jackson and his wife were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-us-news-4eda8ef4a3153d355abc27941dd89ad4">going through a divorce</a>&nbsp;and Donny Jackson had “on-again, off-again access to the children.”

Gary Nelson, the attorney handling the divorce for the children’s mother, Tara Jackson, didn’t immediately respond to an email message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Jackson was stopped in Oklahoma after a truck driver notified Beckham County authorities that he was following a car with tags mentioned in the Amber Alert.

Officer Jonathan Burrow, with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, said he spotted the car a short time later and was able to pull over the driver and call for backup, KFOR-TV&nbsp;<a href="https://kfor.com/news/national/kansas-man-accused-of-murder-kidnapping-in-oklahoma-jail-awaiting-extradition/" target="_blank">reported</a>.

“I feel happy that the girls are safe. That was my main thing the day that it happened,” Burrow said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603742787603.png" alt="The Jackson children photo GoFundMe" />
 <figcaption>The Jackson children photo GoFundMe</figcaption>
 </figure>LEAVENWORTH COUNTY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man accused of killing his two sons and taking his two daughters from their home before being stopped in Oklahoma was charged Tuesday with capital murder in the boys’ deaths.Donny Ray Jackson Jr., 40, was also charged Tuesday with two alternative counts of first-degree murder, Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said at a news conference.The capital murder count covers both boys’ deaths and, if Jackson is convicted, could result either in the death penalty or life in prison without parole. Thompson said his office is still considering whether to seek the death penalty.Thompson said he had discussed the charges with the children’s family, who he said were “doing as well as can be expected.”Law enforcement officers went to the family home&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-kansas-leavenworth-c03f7c571db80021218b3f96f4b21c72">Saturday afternoon</a>&nbsp;in Leavenworth after one of the siblings didn’t show up for a soccer game. The bodies of 14-year-old Logan Jackson and 12-year-old Austin Jackson were found and their two younger sisters, 3-year-old Aven Jackson and 7-year-old Nora Jackson, were missing.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603573521812.png" alt="Aven and Nora Jackson photo courtesy KBI" />
 <figcaption>Aven and Nora Jackson photo courtesy KBI</figcaption>
 </figure>After an Amber Alert was issued, Jackson was arrested Saturday night near Erick, Oklahoma, and the girls were returned to their family.Jackson remained jailed in Beckham County, Oklahoma, Tuesday awaiting extradition proceedings.Thompson declined to discuss any details of the case, including a possible motive, how the boys were killed or where Jackson might have been heading when he was stopped.“In fairness to the justice system, the defendant has a right to have the facts presented to a jury and we would hate to taint that,” he said in an interview.There are no charges related to the girls’ abduction because law enforcement is seeking to determine whether Jackson had legal custody of the children when they were taken from the home, authorities said.Maj. James Sherley, of the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Department, said Monday that Jackson and his wife were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-us-news-4eda8ef4a3153d355abc27941dd89ad4">going through a divorce</a>&nbsp;and Donny Jackson had “on-again, off-again access to the children.”Gary Nelson, the attorney handling the divorce for the children’s mother, Tara Jackson, didn’t immediately respond to an email message from The Associated Press seeking comment.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603712471699.png" alt="Donny Jackson-photo Beckham County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Donny Jackson-photo Beckham County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>Jackson was stopped in Oklahoma after a truck driver notified Beckham County authorities that he was following a car with tags mentioned in the Amber Alert.Officer Jonathan Burrow, with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, said he spotted the car a short time later and was able to pull over the driver and call for backup, KFOR-TV&nbsp;<a href="https://kfor.com/news/national/kansas-man-accused-of-murder-kidnapping-in-oklahoma-jail-awaiting-extradition/" target="_blank">reported</a>.“I feel happy that the girls are safe. That was my main thing the day that it happened,” Burrow said._____

Kan. Amber Alert suspect charged with murder in sons’ deaths

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect after a 3-hour standoff at a home in Topeka.

Just after 5p.m. Monday,&nbsp;the United States Marshals Service responded to a residence in the 500 block of SE Lamar Street in Topeka on a report of a suspect with multiple felony warrants who they had been trying to locate, according to Topeka Lt. John Trimble.

After making multiple attempts to speak with the suspect identified as Logan Bartley, 21, Topeka, the suspect barricaded himself inside a home.

At the request of the US Marshals Service, the Topeka Police Department’s Crisis Negotiators and Response Team responded to the scene and made contact with Bartley.

After over 3 hours, negotiators were able to peacefully talk him out of the home. Officers then took Bartley into custody without incident at around 8:30 p.m.

Bartley was later arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Assault, Felony Obstruction, Felon in Possession of a Firearm and 2 Felony Warrants, according to Trimble. He has a previous theft conviction from 2018, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603803197275.png" alt="Bartley photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Bartley photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect after a 3-hour standoff at a home in Topeka.Just after 5p.m. Monday,&nbsp;the United States Marshals Service responded to a residence in the 500 block of SE Lamar Street in Topeka on a report of a suspect with multiple felony warrants who they had been trying to locate, according to Topeka Lt. John Trimble.After making multiple attempts to speak with the suspect identified as Logan Bartley, 21, Topeka, the suspect barricaded himself inside a home.At the request of the US Marshals Service, the Topeka Police Department’s Crisis Negotiators and Response Team responded to the scene and made contact with Bartley.After over 3 hours, negotiators were able to peacefully talk him out of the home. Officers then took Bartley into custody without incident at around 8:30 p.m.Bartley was later arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Assault, Felony Obstruction, Felon in Possession of a Firearm and 2 Felony Warrants, according to Trimble. He has a previous theft conviction from 2018, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

U.S. Marshals catch wanted Kan. man after 3-hour standoff

Deep support in poll for recreational marijuana, Medicaid expansion

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/27/fhsu-survey-finds-trump-leading-in-kansas-half-say-blm-deepens-racial-divide/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — A <a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/docking/Kansas-Speaks/2020-kansas-speaks-report-v7">statewide poll of Kansans</a>
 revealed a majority support re-election of President Donald Trump, 
nearly half believe the Black Lives Matter movement deepened the 
nation’s racial divide and two-thirds endorse legalization of 
recreational marijuana.

The annual survey by the 
Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University 
indicated 68.5% believe the state was heading in the right direction, 
which was a decline from 77% last year. Six of 10 people want Kansas 
political leaders to expand eligibility for Medicaid, and a comparable 
percentage wouldn’t complain if cigarette and alcohol taxes were 
increased.

Brett Zollinger, the 
Docking Institute’s director and a co-author of the polling report, said
 the pre-election timing of the release Monday could be of benefit to 
voters.

“We hope that findings 
released ahead of the election are particularly interesting to Kansans 
now when so many of the public affairs issues covered in the survey are 
on Kansans’ minds as they solidify their voting intentions,” he said.

The survey of 417 adult 
Kansas residents from Sept. 21 to Oct. 1 showed that Trump had a 14.4% 
lead over Democratic nominee Joe Biden among registered voters who 
planned to cast a ballot. The margin of error for the poll was 4.8%.

The protests of Black 
Lives Matter left an impression on Kansans with 49% concluding that 
bringing attention to use of lethal force by law enforcement officers 
against Blacks made racial issues worse in the country. Only 17% in the 
survey said Black Lives Matter had improved race relations.

The new survey of Kansans 
said 66.9% of participants would back legalizing recreational marijuana 
for people 21 years of age. On raising alcohol taxes, 62.5% said that 
wouldn’t be a terrible development. And, 66.1% didn’t have strong 
objection to higher cigarette taxes.

In a repeat of last year’s
 Kansas Speaks question about Medicaid expansion, 63.5% would applaud 
broadening eligibility for the national health program serving 
low-income Kansans. Nearly 72% of people surveyed said the additional 
federal and state expenditures to health care providers would benefit 
Kansas hospitals.

On the COVID-19 pandemic, 
the highest marks in the survey went to Anthony Fauci, director of the 
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, with 51.5% 
approving of his leadership. Trump’s approval rating in terms of the 
coronavirus that has killed an estimated 220,000 in the United States 
was 42.9%, while the work of Congress netted endorsement from just 16.9%
 of poll participants.

Gov. Laura Kelly’s 
approval rating was 47.5% on the pandemic, while the Kansas Legislature 
was held in high regard on the issue by 26.7% of those polled. People in
 the survey said “their county” deserved a 38.6% approval rating. The 
same question of “my city” elicited a positive response from 42.3%.

More than 70% agreed 
wearing a mask or face covering helped reduce the spread of COVID-19, 
but nearly 15% were convinced of the opposite.

Tim Carpenter has reported on Kansas for 35 years. He covered the Capitol for 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal and previously worked for the Lawrence Journal-World and United Press International.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603818848868.png" alt="Law enforcement supporters and Black Lives Matter activists converged outside Topeka's city hall during August. Fort Hays State University's statewide survey shows 49% of Kansans believe Black Lives Matter sharpened the racial divide in the United States. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Law enforcement supporters and Black Lives Matter activists converged outside Topeka's city hall during August. Fort Hays State University's statewide survey shows 49% of Kansans believe Black Lives Matter sharpened the racial divide in the United States. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Deep support in poll for recreational marijuana, Medicaid expansion</h2>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/27/fhsu-survey-finds-trump-leading-in-kansas-half-say-blm-deepens-racial-divide/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — A <a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/docking/Kansas-Speaks/2020-kansas-speaks-report-v7">statewide poll of Kansans</a>
 revealed a majority support re-election of President Donald Trump, 
nearly half believe the Black Lives Matter movement deepened the 
nation’s racial divide and two-thirds endorse legalization of 
recreational marijuana.The annual survey by the 
Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University 
indicated 68.5% believe the state was heading in the right direction, 
which was a decline from 77% last year. Six of 10 people want Kansas 
political leaders to expand eligibility for Medicaid, and a comparable 
percentage wouldn’t complain if cigarette and alcohol taxes were 
increased.Brett Zollinger, the 
Docking Institute’s director and a co-author of the polling report, said
 the pre-election timing of the release Monday could be of benefit to 
voters.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603818914724.jpeg" alt="The annual survey of Kansans by Fort Hays State University indicates 66.9% of those polled are supportive of legalizing recreational marijuana for people 21 years of age or older. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>The annual survey of Kansans by Fort Hays State University indicates 66.9% of those polled are supportive of legalizing recreational marijuana for people 21 years of age or older. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>“We hope that findings 
released ahead of the election are particularly interesting to Kansans 
now when so many of the public affairs issues covered in the survey are 
on Kansans’ minds as they solidify their voting intentions,” he said.The survey of 417 adult 
Kansas residents from Sept. 21 to Oct. 1 showed that Trump had a 14.4% 
lead over Democratic nominee Joe Biden among registered voters who 
planned to cast a ballot. The margin of error for the poll was 4.8%.The protests of Black 
Lives Matter left an impression on Kansans with 49% concluding that 
bringing attention to use of lethal force by law enforcement officers 
against Blacks made racial issues worse in the country. Only 17% in the 
survey said Black Lives Matter had improved race relations.The new survey of Kansans 
said 66.9% of participants would back legalizing recreational marijuana 
for people 21 years of age. On raising alcohol taxes, 62.5% said that 
wouldn’t be a terrible development. And, 66.1% didn’t have strong 
objection to higher cigarette taxes.In a repeat of last year’s
 Kansas Speaks question about Medicaid expansion, 63.5% would applaud 
broadening eligibility for the national health program serving 
low-income Kansans. Nearly 72% of people surveyed said the additional 
federal and state expenditures to health care providers would benefit 
Kansas hospitals.On the COVID-19 pandemic, 
the highest marks in the survey went to Anthony Fauci, director of the 
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, with 51.5% 
approving of his leadership. Trump’s approval rating in terms of the 
coronavirus that has killed an estimated 220,000 in the United States 
was 42.9%, while the work of Congress netted endorsement from just 16.9%
 of poll participants.Gov. Laura Kelly’s 
approval rating was 47.5% on the pandemic, while the Kansas Legislature 
was held in high regard on the issue by 26.7% of those polled. People in
 the survey said “their county” deserved a 38.6% approval rating. The 
same question of “my city” elicited a positive response from 42.3%.More than 70% agreed 
wearing a mask or face covering helped reduce the spread of COVID-19, 
but nearly 15% were convinced of the opposite.Tim Carpenter has reported on Kansas for 35 years. He covered the Capitol for 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal and previously worked for the Lawrence Journal-World and United Press International.

FHSU survey: Trump leading in Kan., half say BLM deepens racial divide

TOPEKA, Kansas –&nbsp;A Hutchinson Correctional Facility resident who died Tuesday, Oct. 27 had tested positive for COVID-19. This is the seventh resident death related to COVID-19.

The resident tested positive for the virus on Oct. 13 and was transferred to the hospital on Oct. 16.&nbsp; The resident’s family has asked that his name not be released. He was a 66-year old while male with underlying medical concerns that contributed to his condition.

The resident was serving an indeterminate life sentence for aggravated sodomy. He had been imprisoned with the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) since August 1988.

TOPEKA, Kansas –&nbsp;A Hutchinson Correctional Facility resident who died Tuesday, Oct. 27 had tested positive for COVID-19. This is the seventh resident death related to COVID-19.The resident tested positive for the virus on Oct. 13 and was transferred to the hospital on Oct. 16.&nbsp; The resident’s family has asked that his name not be released. He was a 66-year old while male with underlying medical concerns that contributed to his condition.The resident was serving an indeterminate life sentence for aggravated sodomy. He had been imprisoned with the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) since August 1988.

7th Kan. inmate dies after positive COVID-19 test

KANSAS CITY (AP) — The Kansas City area over the past week recorded its highest number of deaths over a one-week period, with more than 80 people dying from COVID-19.

Missouri is among several states across the U.S. seeing a spike in confirmed cases and hospitalizations related to the coronavirus. The state health department on Tuesday announced 1,695 additional confirmed cases and 28 more deaths. The state has reported 172,717 cases and 2,838 deaths since the pandemic began.

Hospitalizations statewide remain high, with 1,407 people in Missouri hospitals with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 illnesses as of Saturday, the most recent date available.

&nbsp;Kansas City along with Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas has recorded 735 deaths since the pandemic began. But The most recent seven-day period was the most deadly.

The health department reported 81 deaths for the period of Oct. 20-26, and 163 deaths since the start of October.

“We are now what looks like moving into our third wave of this outbreak and that’s very, very concerning,” said Rex Archer, director of the Kansas City Health Department. “We’re very concerned about this surge and as we move more and more indoors, this is going to become even more problematic.”

KANSAS CITY (AP) — The Kansas City area over the past week recorded its highest number of deaths over a one-week period, with more than 80 people dying from COVID-19.Missouri is among several states across the U.S. seeing a spike in confirmed cases and hospitalizations related to the coronavirus. The state health department on Tuesday announced 1,695 additional confirmed cases and 28 more deaths. The state has reported 172,717 cases and 2,838 deaths since the pandemic began.Hospitalizations statewide remain high, with 1,407 people in Missouri hospitals with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 illnesses as of Saturday, the most recent date available.&nbsp;Kansas City along with Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas has recorded 735 deaths since the pandemic began. But The most recent seven-day period was the most deadly.The health department reported 81 deaths for the period of Oct. 20-26, and 163 deaths since the start of October.“We are now what looks like moving into our third wave of this outbreak and that’s very, very concerning,” said Rex Archer, director of the Kansas City Health Department. “We’re very concerned about this surge and as we move more and more indoors, this is going to become even more problematic.”