SEDGWICK —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal motel room shooting have arrested four suspects.

Just before 1a.m. Thursday, police responded to a shooting at the Scotsman Hotel, 5922 W. Kellogg in Wichita, according to Captain Jason Stephens.&nbsp; Upon arrival, officers located 40-year-old William Pottorff with multiple gunshot wounds to his body.&nbsp; He was pronounced deceased on the scene.&nbsp; 

Shortly after arriving on the scene, a 23-year-old man arrived at an area hospital with multiple gunshot wounds and in critical condition.&nbsp; He remains hospitalized.

The investigation revealed, a woman has been staying at the motel for approximately one month and was being visited by Pottorff, who is an acquaintance,&nbsp;according to Captain Stephens.

While in the room, the 23-year-old man and four others later identified as 23-year-old Braxton Cooley, 23-year-old&nbsp; Akakia&nbsp;Farbes, 23-year-old Koby Fisher all of Wichita and 43-year-old Eugene Donnald of O’Fallon, Illinois, forced themselves into the room, and a physical altercation ensued between Pottorff and the 23-year-old shooting suspect.

During the physical altercation, both men pulled out handguns, and there was an exchange of gunfire, leading to Pottorff’s fatal injuries and the 23-year-old’s critical injuries.

The 23-year-old was then taken to the area hospital by Cooley, Farbes, Donald, Fisher, and an additional person that was in a vehicle during the incident.

Following the investigation, police arrested Cooley, Farbes, Fisher and Donnald&nbsp; on requested charges of felony murder and aggravated burglary, according to Stephens.

 Police have not released the identity of the 23-year-old in the hospital.

SEDGWICK —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have identified the victim as 40-year-old William Pottorff.

Just before 1a.m. Thursday, police responded to report of a shooting at the Scottsman Inn, 5922 West Kellogg in Wichita, according to&nbsp;Captain Jason Stephens.

When officers arrived, they found Pottorf dead inside one of the motel rooms. He had been staying there with a woman who had rented the room, according to Stephens.

Shortly after police were sent to the motel, officers learned that a 23-year-old man had arrived at a local hospital with a gunshot wound. Investigators were able to determine that he was involved in this incident at the motel. He remains in critical condition, according to Stephens.

Through interviews and evidence, police learned that the 23-year-old had been at the motel with four other men. They forcibly entered Pottorf's room.&nbsp; A disturbance occurred between the 23-year-old and Pottorf, according to Captain Stephens. Both brandished firearms and there was exchange of gunfire.

Police were continuing to conduct interviews in the case, according to Stephens.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596146101791.png" alt="Cooley photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Cooley photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal motel room shooting have arrested four suspects.Just before 1a.m. Thursday, police responded to a shooting at the Scotsman Hotel, 5922 W. Kellogg in Wichita, according to Captain Jason Stephens.&nbsp; Upon arrival, officers located 40-year-old William Pottorff with multiple gunshot wounds to his body.&nbsp; He was pronounced deceased on the scene.&nbsp; <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596107513157.png" alt="Police on the scene of the fatal shooting investigation early Thursday -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the fatal shooting investigation early Thursday -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>Shortly after arriving on the scene, a 23-year-old man arrived at an area hospital with multiple gunshot wounds and in critical condition.&nbsp; He remains hospitalized.The investigation revealed, a woman has been staying at the motel for approximately one month and was being visited by Pottorff, who is an acquaintance,&nbsp;according to Captain Stephens.While in the room, the 23-year-old man and four others later identified as 23-year-old Braxton Cooley, 23-year-old&nbsp; Akakia&nbsp;Farbes, 23-year-old Koby Fisher all of Wichita and 43-year-old Eugene Donnald of O’Fallon, Illinois, forced themselves into the room, and a physical altercation ensued between Pottorff and the 23-year-old shooting suspect.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596159011888.png" alt="Farbes photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Farbes photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>During the physical altercation, both men pulled out handguns, and there was an exchange of gunfire, leading to Pottorff’s fatal injuries and the 23-year-old’s critical injuries.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596146211661.png" alt="Fisher photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Fisher photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>The 23-year-old was then taken to the area hospital by Cooley, Farbes, Donald, Fisher, and an additional person that was in a vehicle during the incident.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596206388150.png" alt="Donnald- photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Donnald- photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Following the investigation, police arrested Cooley, Farbes, Fisher and Donnald&nbsp; on requested charges of felony murder and aggravated burglary, according to Stephens. Police have not released the identity of the 23-year-old in the hospital.-------------SEDGWICK —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have identified the victim as 40-year-old William Pottorff.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596107513157.png" alt="Police on the scene of the shooting investigation early Thursday photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the shooting investigation early Thursday photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>Just before 1a.m. Thursday, police responded to report of a shooting at the Scottsman Inn, 5922 West Kellogg in Wichita, according to&nbsp;Captain Jason Stephens.When officers arrived, they found Pottorf dead inside one of the motel rooms. He had been staying there with a woman who had rented the room, according to Stephens.Shortly after police were sent to the motel, officers learned that a 23-year-old man had arrived at a local hospital with a gunshot wound. Investigators were able to determine that he was involved in this incident at the motel. He remains in critical condition, according to Stephens.Through interviews and evidence, police learned that the 23-year-old had been at the motel with four other men. They forcibly entered Pottorf's room.&nbsp; A disturbance occurred between the 23-year-old and Pottorf, according to Captain Stephens. Both brandished firearms and there was exchange of gunfire.Police were continuing to conduct interviews in the case, according to Stephens.

4 remain jailed for role in fatal Kansas motel gun fight

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House and its GOP allies appear to be retreating from their opposition to a $600-per-week supplemental unemployment benefit that has propped up the economy and family budgets but is expiring Friday.

President Donald Trump is eager to extend the benefit, undercutting his GOP allies on Capitol Hill who have spent considerable effort devising an alternative that could unite Republicans.

The unemployment insurance is a principal element as talks continue on a COVID-19 relief bill, which is expected to grow considerably from a $1 trillion-plus GOP draft released this week. Top Democrats announced a meeting with administration representatives for Saturday morning after Thursday night talks at the Capitol failed to produce a breakthrough.

The two sides took their case to the media Friday morning, with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows speaking to reporters on short notice at the exact moment House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared at her weekly news conference.

Meadows accused Democrats of refusing to negotiate, saying Trump has instructed him to be “aggressive and forward-leaning” in trying to extend the supplemental jobless benefit.

“Democrats have made zero offers over the last three days,” said Meadows, an inexperienced negotiator and former tea party lawmaker. He said Democrats are “willing to play politics” and are acting like they “hold all the cards.”

The White House on Thursday offered a one-week extension of the $600 weekly unemployment benefit, top Democrats said, but Pelosi rejected it, saying it needs to be addressed as part of a far more sweeping bill that would deliver aid to state and local governments, help for the poor and funding for schools and colleges to address the pandemic. Without action, the unemployment benefit runs out Friday — and both the House and Senate have left Washington.

“Clearly they did not understand the gravity of the situation,” Pelosi said. She said a short-term extension only makes sense if the two sides are close to a deal.

“Why don’t we just get the job done?” she asked.

An aide familiar with the talks said Pelosi rejected an administration offer of a four-month extension of the benefit at $400 per week, combined with additional provisions for particularly hard-hit businesses and a shield against lawsuits for businesses, schools and other entities that reopen as the pandemic continues to rage. The aide wasn’t supposed to divulge contents of the talks and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Pelosi, brimming with confidence, offered a tutorial on negotiating Friday.

“There are two things to remember. One is the person you’re negotiating with has to want something” for the American people, Pelosi said. “And they have to know you will walk” if you don’t get a good enough agreement.

Republicans in the Senate had been fighting to trim back the $600 jobless benefit in the next coronavirus package, but their resolve weakened as the expiration of the popular benefit neared — and as Trump undercut their position by signaling he wants to keep the full $600 benefit for now.

“We want a temporary extension of enhanced unemployment benefits,” Trump said at the White House on Thursday. “This will provide a critical bridge for Americans who lost their jobs to the pandemic through no fault of their own.”

On Friday, Trump took to Twitter to explicitly endorse extending the $600 payment and criticizing top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer.

“Very disappointed in @SenSchumer for blocking the temporary extension of the $600 unemployment benefits. The Do Nothing Democrats are more interested in playing politics than in helping our deserving people,” Trump tweeted.

There continues to be agreement among Washington’s top power players that Congress must pass further relief in the coming days and weeks.

“Do we want to continue to come to an agreement? Absolutely,” Schumer said. “But it’s got to meet the gravity of the problem.”

Democrats hold a strong negotiating hand — exploiting GOP divisions over whether more aid is even needed — and they are expected to deliver a necessary trove of votes.

Both sides say the talks have not produced much progress, but they could be nearing a critical phase over the weekend and into next week. The pending COVID-19 rescue bill, the fifth since the pandemic has struck, is likely the last one before the November election.

Republicans controlling the Senate have kept the relief measure on “pause” in a strategy aimed at reducing its price tag. But as the pandemic has worsened in past weeks — and as fractures inside the GOP have eroded the party’s negotiating position — Republicans have displayed some greater flexibility.

“The Democrats are playing for Nov. 3, and we’re playing for the good of the people. It is a disgrace that they are not negotiating,” Trump said Friday. “I think it’s a bad political game. I think it hurts them.”

Also at issue in the negotiations is an almost $1 trillion Democratic demand for funding for state and local governments, a second $1,200 direct payment to most American adults, more than $100 billion to help schools reopen and a liability shield measure that is essential to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Meadows played a role in killing an increase in food aid during talks on a $2 trillion relief bill in March, but Democrats are pressing hard for a boost in food stamp benefits. Republicans added $20 billion for agribusinesses but nothing for greater food stamp benefits.

“Traditionally we’ve had a partnership between farms and families, and they’ve consistently broken that,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee.

WASHINGTON (AP) — With aid expiring, the White House offered a short-term extension Thursday of a $600 weekly unemployment benefit that has helped keep families and the economy afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Democrats rejected it, saying President Donald Trump’s team failed to grasp the severity of the crisis.

Democratic leaders panned the idea in late-night talks at the Capitol, opting to keep the pressure on for a more sweeping bill that would deliver aid to state and local governments, help for the poor and funding for schools and colleges to address the pandemic. Without action, the benefit runs out Friday.

“They want to do one small thing that won’t solve the problem,” said top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer after meeting with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

“We have to have a bill, but they just don’t realize how big it has to be,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Republicans have been fighting to trim back the $600 jobless benefit in the next coronavirus package, but their resolve weakened with the looming expiration of the popular benefit — and as Trump indicated that he supports keeping the full $600 benefit for now.

“We want a temporary extension of enhanced unemployment benefits,” Trump said at the White House. “This will provide a critical bridge for Americans who lost their jobs to the pandemic through no fault of their own.”

He added: “It has to be substantial.”

During the two-hour meeting at the Capitol, Trump’s team offered a weeklong extension. But Democrats have so far rejected a piecemeal approach, saying the next relief bill needs to move as a complete package. The sides agreed to talk again Friday and into the weekend.

Before Trump spoke, top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell adjourned the chamber for the weekend while taking a procedural step that could allow voting on a potential compromise next week. Negotiators for the first time this week reported at least some progress.

“On certain issues we made progress. On certain issues we’re still very far apart,” Mnuchin said after the two-hour meeting in Pelosi’s office. “The speaker and Sen. Schumer said — and we feel the same way — that it is our objective to try to reach an agreement that’s good for the American people.”

Trump is eager for another round of relief, and it’s also a priority for GOP allies like McConnell, as well as Pelosi and Schumer, D-N.Y. Democrats hold a strong negotiating hand — exploiting GOP divisions over whether more aid is even needed — and they are expected to deliver a necessary trove of votes.

Raising the stakes, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c1878e580f5acd2c0305e5236c4e3197">bleak government report released Thursday</a>&nbsp;said the economy shrank at a 33% annualized rate in the second quarter of the year, a stark reminder of the economic damage afflicting the country as lawmakers debate the size and scope of new relief.

“This jarring news should compel Congress to move swiftly to provide targeted and temporary assistance to unemployed Americans, employers, and state and local governments, and liability protections for businesses who follow public health guidelines,” said Neal Bradley of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the powerful business group.

But bipartisan talks have yet to reach a serious, productive phase. Democrats are playing hardball, insisting on a package that’s far larger than the $1 trillion-plus measure unveiled by McConnell on Monday. Thursday brought more tit-for-tat.

“They won’t engage. Period,” McConnell said as he opened the Senate. “The Democrats are saying, my way or the highway.”

Pelosi and McConnell have an extensive history, however. They often find ways to reach deals, though the process involves intense maneuvering and plenty of cross words.

McConnell showed a willingness in recent days to consider some Democratic priorities, like additional food aid. He and Trump have made plain they are intent on getting a bill.

Schumer continued his daily fusillade against McConnell and Republicans controlling the Senate, noting that McConnell “refuses to go in the room” and join the talks in person, instead transferring ownership of the talks to Meadows, along with Mnuchin, who has been a key architect of previous accords.

In another signal that Republicans are willing to yield on the $600 jobless benefit, Arizona Republican Martha McSally, who is facing a tough reelection race this fall, offered a one-week extension of the benefit on the Senate floor. Schumer blocked the move.

Other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/66df0c4edea8b2d26ffe0c5057b23949">stark differences remain</a>&nbsp;between the $3 trillion proposal from Democrats and $1 trillion counter from Republicans. Money for states and cities is a crucial dividing line as local governments plead for help to shore up budgets and prevent deeper layoffs as they incur COVID-19 costs and lost tax revenue in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/08c609b6bbc516e709211c7e7d984969">shutdown economies</a>.

It’s clear that Democrats are trying to push an advantage in the negotiations because Republicans are so split over the prospect of additional government spending and jobless benefits. Among the issues sure to gather momentum is a Democratic demand for a 15% increase in food stamp benefits.

Trump appears worried about the expiration of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/10e879ce6a528445ca150455f8456c04">$600 unemployment benefit&nbsp;</a>boost as well as an expiring federal eviction moratorium on millions of rental units, potentially sending households into devastating turmoil.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A deadlocked Senate on Thursday exited Washington for the weekend without acting to extend a $600 per-week expanded jobless benefit that has helped keep both families and the economy afloat as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the country.

Friday’s expiration of the $600 jobless benefit sent Republicans controlling the Senate scrambling to respond. Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell made a procedural move to make it easier to reach a potential compromise next week that would extend the bonus unemployment benefit while talks on a broader COVID relief measure grind on.

“We’re so far apart on a longer-term deal right now, that even if we said ‘yes’ to a longer-term deal you could (have) weeks of negotiation without getting to common ground,” said White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

But Democrats have so far rejected this piecemeal approach, saying the next relief bill needs to move as a complete package. Any short-term jobless benefits extension of less than $600 per week is likely to be a non-starter with them.&nbsp;

Talks on the relief bill are at a standstill with few reasons for optimism despite sweeping agreement among Washington’s top power players that Congress must pass further relief in coming days and weeks.

President Donald Trump is eager for another bill, and it’s also a priority for GOP allies like McConnell, as well as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer. Democrats hold a strong negotiating hand, with Republicans badly divided over their own proposal.

Raising the stakes, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c1878e580f5acd2c0305e5236c4e3197">bleak government report released Thursday</a>said the economy shrank at a 33% annualized rate in the second quarter of the year, a stark reminder of the economic damage afflicting the country as lawmakers debate the size and scope of new relief.&nbsp;

“They won’t engage. Period,” McConnell said as he opened the Senate. “The Democrats are saying, my way or the highway.”&nbsp;

In an interview late Wednesday, he showed a willingness to consider some Democratic priorities, like additional food aid. He also said extending the additional jobless benefits was urgent and made clear that he’s standing behind Trump.

“The economy does need more help. We have divided government. We have to talk to each other,” McConnell said on the PBS NewsHour. “And we have to try to get an outcome.”

Schumer continued his daily fusillade against McConnell and Republicans controlling the Senate, noting that McConnell “refuses to go in the room” and join the talks in person, instead transferring ownership of the talks to Meadows, along with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who has been a key architect of previous accords.

“We’re trying to negotiate,” Schumer said. “Who’s holding things up?”

In an earlier piece of legislative theater, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., sought unanimous stand-alone Senate approval of a conservative GOP plan to sharply cut back the $600 per week unemployment benefit to $200, saying that the current amount discourages people from returning to work. Democrats countered with a plan to extend the $600 benefit through January. Both ideas predictably failed, as did an effort by Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., to extend the $600 benefit for just one week.

Meanwhile, in-person talks were briefly on hold as Pelosi traveled to Atlanta for the funeral of Rep. John Lewis, the civil rights icon. Pelosi’s office announced a meeting for Thursday night.

Democrats proposed nearly $1 trillion for the local governments, but Trump and Republicans are resisting sending the states and cities more cash. Instead, the GOP offers states flexibility to use $150 billion previously allotted for the virus on other needs.&nbsp;

It’s clear that Democrats are trying to push an advantage in the negotiations because Republicans are so split over the prospect of additional government spending. Among the issues sure to gather momentum is a Democratic demand for a 15% increase in food stamp benefits — an idea that could gain more momentum as a counter to reduced unemployment checks.

Trump has dismissed the GOP bill as “semi-irrelevant” since it leaves out so many Democratic items.

Trump appears worried about the expiration of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/10e879ce6a528445ca150455f8456c04">$600 unemployment benefit&nbsp;</a>boost as well as an expiring federal eviction moratorium on millions of rental units, potentially sending households into devastating turmoil.&nbsp;

Trump has bristled at one provision of the GOP bill — he said his GOP allies should “go back to school and learn” after they balked at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6c50a1b700fa4f8227d6777c00076a76">$1.7 billion for FBI headquarters</a>. Trump wants the FBI’s central building to remain in Washington, across the street from his Trump International Hotel. If the FBI moved its headquarters, the site would become prime real estate for a competing hotel.&nbsp;

McConnell has rejected the FBI funding request — added to a $300 billion-plus appropriations package in private talks between Meadows and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala. — since it is unrelated to virus relief.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596190785092.png" alt="President Trump during Thursday Coronavirus Task Force briefing-image courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>President Trump during Thursday Coronavirus Task Force briefing-image courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House and its GOP allies appear to be retreating from their opposition to a $600-per-week supplemental unemployment benefit that has propped up the economy and family budgets but is expiring Friday.President Donald Trump is eager to extend the benefit, undercutting his GOP allies on Capitol Hill who have spent considerable effort devising an alternative that could unite Republicans.The unemployment insurance is a principal element as talks continue on a COVID-19 relief bill, which is expected to grow considerably from a $1 trillion-plus GOP draft released this week. Top Democrats announced a meeting with administration representatives for Saturday morning after Thursday night talks at the Capitol failed to produce a breakthrough.The two sides took their case to the media Friday morning, with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows speaking to reporters on short notice at the exact moment House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared at her weekly news conference.Meadows accused Democrats of refusing to negotiate, saying Trump has instructed him to be “aggressive and forward-leaning” in trying to extend the supplemental jobless benefit.“Democrats have made zero offers over the last three days,” said Meadows, an inexperienced negotiator and former tea party lawmaker. He said Democrats are “willing to play politics” and are acting like they “hold all the cards.”The White House on Thursday offered a one-week extension of the $600 weekly unemployment benefit, top Democrats said, but Pelosi rejected it, saying it needs to be addressed as part of a far more sweeping bill that would deliver aid to state and local governments, help for the poor and funding for schools and colleges to address the pandemic. Without action, the unemployment benefit runs out Friday — and both the House and Senate have left Washington.“Clearly they did not understand the gravity of the situation,” Pelosi said. She said a short-term extension only makes sense if the two sides are close to a deal.“Why don’t we just get the job done?” she asked.An aide familiar with the talks said Pelosi rejected an administration offer of a four-month extension of the benefit at $400 per week, combined with additional provisions for particularly hard-hit businesses and a shield against lawsuits for businesses, schools and other entities that reopen as the pandemic continues to rage. The aide wasn’t supposed to divulge contents of the talks and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.Pelosi, brimming with confidence, offered a tutorial on negotiating Friday.“There are two things to remember. One is the person you’re negotiating with has to want something” for the American people, Pelosi said. “And they have to know you will walk” if you don’t get a good enough agreement.Republicans in the Senate had been fighting to trim back the $600 jobless benefit in the next coronavirus package, but their resolve weakened as the expiration of the popular benefit neared — and as Trump undercut their position by signaling he wants to keep the full $600 benefit for now.“We want a temporary extension of enhanced unemployment benefits,” Trump said at the White House on Thursday. “This will provide a critical bridge for Americans who lost their jobs to the pandemic through no fault of their own.”On Friday, Trump took to Twitter to explicitly endorse extending the $600 payment and criticizing top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer.“Very disappointed in @SenSchumer for blocking the temporary extension of the $600 unemployment benefits. The Do Nothing Democrats are more interested in playing politics than in helping our deserving people,” Trump tweeted.There continues to be agreement among Washington’s top power players that Congress must pass further relief in the coming days and weeks.“Do we want to continue to come to an agreement? Absolutely,” Schumer said. “But it’s got to meet the gravity of the problem.”Democrats hold a strong negotiating hand — exploiting GOP divisions over whether more aid is even needed — and they are expected to deliver a necessary trove of votes.Both sides say the talks have not produced much progress, but they could be nearing a critical phase over the weekend and into next week. The pending COVID-19 rescue bill, the fifth since the pandemic has struck, is likely the last one before the November election.Republicans controlling the Senate have kept the relief measure on “pause” in a strategy aimed at reducing its price tag. But as the pandemic has worsened in past weeks — and as fractures inside the GOP have eroded the party’s negotiating position — Republicans have displayed some greater flexibility.“The Democrats are playing for Nov. 3, and we’re playing for the good of the people. It is a disgrace that they are not negotiating,” Trump said Friday. “I think it’s a bad political game. I think it hurts them.”Also at issue in the negotiations is an almost $1 trillion Democratic demand for funding for state and local governments, a second $1,200 direct payment to most American adults, more than $100 billion to help schools reopen and a liability shield measure that is essential to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.Meadows played a role in killing an increase in food aid during talks on a $2 trillion relief bill in March, but Democrats are pressing hard for a boost in food stamp benefits. Republicans added $20 billion for agribusinesses but nothing for greater food stamp benefits.“Traditionally we’ve had a partnership between farms and families, and they’ve consistently broken that,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee.-------WASHINGTON (AP) — With aid expiring, the White House offered a short-term extension Thursday of a $600 weekly unemployment benefit that has helped keep families and the economy afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Democrats rejected it, saying President Donald Trump’s team failed to grasp the severity of the crisis.Democratic leaders panned the idea in late-night talks at the Capitol, opting to keep the pressure on for a more sweeping bill that would deliver aid to state and local governments, help for the poor and funding for schools and colleges to address the pandemic. Without action, the benefit runs out Friday.“They want to do one small thing that won’t solve the problem,” said top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer after meeting with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.“We have to have a bill, but they just don’t realize how big it has to be,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.Republicans have been fighting to trim back the $600 jobless benefit in the next coronavirus package, but their resolve weakened with the looming expiration of the popular benefit — and as Trump indicated that he supports keeping the full $600 benefit for now.“We want a temporary extension of enhanced unemployment benefits,” Trump said at the White House. “This will provide a critical bridge for Americans who lost their jobs to the pandemic through no fault of their own.”He added: “It has to be substantial.”During the two-hour meeting at the Capitol, Trump’s team offered a weeklong extension. But Democrats have so far rejected a piecemeal approach, saying the next relief bill needs to move as a complete package. The sides agreed to talk again Friday and into the weekend.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596146036048.png" alt="Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sent members of U.S. Senate home Thursday. photo courtesy office of Majority Leader" />
 <figcaption>Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sent members of U.S. Senate home Thursday. photo courtesy office of Majority Leader</figcaption>
 </figure>Before Trump spoke, top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell adjourned the chamber for the weekend while taking a procedural step that could allow voting on a potential compromise next week. Negotiators for the first time this week reported at least some progress.“On certain issues we made progress. On certain issues we’re still very far apart,” Mnuchin said after the two-hour meeting in Pelosi’s office. “The speaker and Sen. Schumer said — and we feel the same way — that it is our objective to try to reach an agreement that’s good for the American people.”There continues to be agreement among Washington’s top power players that Congress must pass further relief in the coming days and weeks.Trump is eager for another round of relief, and it’s also a priority for GOP allies like McConnell, as well as Pelosi and Schumer, D-N.Y. Democrats hold a strong negotiating hand — exploiting GOP divisions over whether more aid is even needed — and they are expected to deliver a necessary trove of votes.Raising the stakes, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c1878e580f5acd2c0305e5236c4e3197">bleak government report released Thursday</a>&nbsp;said the economy shrank at a 33% annualized rate in the second quarter of the year, a stark reminder of the economic damage afflicting the country as lawmakers debate the size and scope of new relief.“This jarring news should compel Congress to move swiftly to provide targeted and temporary assistance to unemployed Americans, employers, and state and local governments, and liability protections for businesses who follow public health guidelines,” said Neal Bradley of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the powerful business group.But bipartisan talks have yet to reach a serious, productive phase. Democrats are playing hardball, insisting on a package that’s far larger than the $1 trillion-plus measure unveiled by McConnell on Monday. Thursday brought more tit-for-tat.“They won’t engage. Period,” McConnell said as he opened the Senate. “The Democrats are saying, my way or the highway.”Pelosi and McConnell have an extensive history, however. They often find ways to reach deals, though the process involves intense maneuvering and plenty of cross words.McConnell showed a willingness in recent days to consider some Democratic priorities, like additional food aid. He and Trump have made plain they are intent on getting a bill.Schumer continued his daily fusillade against McConnell and Republicans controlling the Senate, noting that McConnell “refuses to go in the room” and join the talks in person, instead transferring ownership of the talks to Meadows, along with Mnuchin, who has been a key architect of previous accords.In another signal that Republicans are willing to yield on the $600 jobless benefit, Arizona Republican Martha McSally, who is facing a tough reelection race this fall, offered a one-week extension of the benefit on the Senate floor. Schumer blocked the move.Other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/66df0c4edea8b2d26ffe0c5057b23949">stark differences remain</a>&nbsp;between the $3 trillion proposal from Democrats and $1 trillion counter from Republicans. Money for states and cities is a crucial dividing line as local governments plead for help to shore up budgets and prevent deeper layoffs as they incur COVID-19 costs and lost tax revenue in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/08c609b6bbc516e709211c7e7d984969">shutdown economies</a>.It’s clear that Democrats are trying to push an advantage in the negotiations because Republicans are so split over the prospect of additional government spending and jobless benefits. Among the issues sure to gather momentum is a Democratic demand for a 15% increase in food stamp benefits.Trump appears worried about the expiration of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/10e879ce6a528445ca150455f8456c04">$600 unemployment benefit&nbsp;</a>boost as well as an expiring federal eviction moratorium on millions of rental units, potentially sending households into devastating turmoil.---------WASHINGTON (AP) — A deadlocked Senate on Thursday exited Washington for the weekend without acting to extend a $600 per-week expanded jobless benefit that has helped keep both families and the economy afloat as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the country.Friday’s expiration of the $600 jobless benefit sent Republicans controlling the Senate scrambling to respond. Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell made a procedural move to make it easier to reach a potential compromise next week that would extend the bonus unemployment benefit while talks on a broader COVID relief measure grind on.“We’re so far apart on a longer-term deal right now, that even if we said ‘yes’ to a longer-term deal you could (have) weeks of negotiation without getting to common ground,” said White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.But Democrats have so far rejected this piecemeal approach, saying the next relief bill needs to move as a complete package. Any short-term jobless benefits extension of less than $600 per week is likely to be a non-starter with them.&nbsp;Talks on the relief bill are at a standstill with few reasons for optimism despite sweeping agreement among Washington’s top power players that Congress must pass further relief in coming days and weeks.President Donald Trump is eager for another bill, and it’s also a priority for GOP allies like McConnell, as well as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer. Democrats hold a strong negotiating hand, with Republicans badly divided over their own proposal.Raising the stakes, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c1878e580f5acd2c0305e5236c4e3197">bleak government report released Thursday</a>said the economy shrank at a 33% annualized rate in the second quarter of the year, a stark reminder of the economic damage afflicting the country as lawmakers debate the size and scope of new relief.&nbsp;“This jarring news should compel Congress to move swiftly to provide targeted and temporary assistance to unemployed Americans, employers, and state and local governments, and liability protections for businesses who follow public health guidelines,” said Neal Bradley of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the powerful business group.But bipartisan talks have yet to reach a serious, productive phase. Democrats are playing hardball, insisting on a package that’s far larger than the $1 trillion-plus measure unveiled by McConnell on Monday. Thursday brought more tit-for-tat.“They won’t engage. Period,” McConnell said as he opened the Senate. “The Democrats are saying, my way or the highway.”&nbsp;In an interview late Wednesday, he showed a willingness to consider some Democratic priorities, like additional food aid. He also said extending the additional jobless benefits was urgent and made clear that he’s standing behind Trump.“The economy does need more help. We have divided government. We have to talk to each other,” McConnell said on the PBS NewsHour. “And we have to try to get an outcome.”Schumer continued his daily fusillade against McConnell and Republicans controlling the Senate, noting that McConnell “refuses to go in the room” and join the talks in person, instead transferring ownership of the talks to Meadows, along with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who has been a key architect of previous accords.“We’re trying to negotiate,” Schumer said. “Who’s holding things up?”In an earlier piece of legislative theater, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., sought unanimous stand-alone Senate approval of a conservative GOP plan to sharply cut back the $600 per week unemployment benefit to $200, saying that the current amount discourages people from returning to work. Democrats countered with a plan to extend the $600 benefit through January. Both ideas predictably failed, as did an effort by Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., to extend the $600 benefit for just one week.Meanwhile, in-person talks were briefly on hold as Pelosi traveled to Atlanta for the funeral of Rep. John Lewis, the civil rights icon. Pelosi’s office announced a meeting for Thursday night.Other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/66df0c4edea8b2d26ffe0c5057b23949">stark differences remain</a>&nbsp;between the $3 trillion proposal from Democrats and $1 trillion counter from Republicans. Money for states and cities is a crucial dividing line as local governments plead for help to shore up budgets and prevent deeper layoffs as they incur COVID-19 costs and lost tax revenue in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/08c609b6bbc516e709211c7e7d984969">shutdown economies</a>.Democrats proposed nearly $1 trillion for the local governments, but Trump and Republicans are resisting sending the states and cities more cash. Instead, the GOP offers states flexibility to use $150 billion previously allotted for the virus on other needs.&nbsp;It’s clear that Democrats are trying to push an advantage in the negotiations because Republicans are so split over the prospect of additional government spending. Among the issues sure to gather momentum is a Democratic demand for a 15% increase in food stamp benefits — an idea that could gain more momentum as a counter to reduced unemployment checks.Trump has dismissed the GOP bill as “semi-irrelevant” since it leaves out so many Democratic items.Trump appears worried about the expiration of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/10e879ce6a528445ca150455f8456c04">$600 unemployment benefit&nbsp;</a>boost as well as an expiring federal eviction moratorium on millions of rental units, potentially sending households into devastating turmoil.&nbsp;Trump has bristled at one provision of the GOP bill — he said his GOP allies should “go back to school and learn” after they balked at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6c50a1b700fa4f8227d6777c00076a76">$1.7 billion for FBI headquarters</a>. Trump wants the FBI’s central building to remain in Washington, across the street from his Trump International Hotel. If the FBI moved its headquarters, the site would become prime real estate for a competing hotel.&nbsp;McConnell has rejected the FBI funding request — added to a $300 billion-plus appropriations package in private talks between Meadows and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala. — since it is unrelated to virus relief.&nbsp;

Trump, GOP soften on opposition to $600 jobless benefit

RILEY COUNTY —An adult female body found at Konza Prairie Nature Trail on July 22,&nbsp; has been identified as Nicole Grothe, 38, of Manhattan, according to RCPD spokesperson Rachel Pate.

 Follow-up conducted by detectives and crime scene investigators revealed information that suggested the body was that of Grothe, and the results of the autopsy and dental analysis confirmed the identification today. 

There is no indication of suspicious circumstances. The investigation is still ongoing, according to RCPD.

Riley County police said an adult woman's body was found at Konza Prairie Nature Trail on Wednesday at approximately 10 a.m. The investigation is ongoing and an autopsy is pending. Early indications do not suggest the death to be suspicious. There is no indication of danger to the public in the area.

Providing recovery assistance in the case were the Manhattan Fire Department Rescue Team, Konza Prairie Nature Trail staff, Riley County Fire District #1, the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, Kansas State University Police Department, Kansas Highway Patrol, Shawnee County Fire Department, Salina Fire Department and Kansas City Kansas Fire Department.

RILEY COUNTY —A body was found on the Konza Prairie Nature Trail Wednesday, according to the Riley County Police Department. 

Earlier, the agency asked information on the whereabouts of Nicole Grothe. She was believed to have been hiking on the Konza Prairie Nature Trail. 

Nicole has brown hair, brown eyes, is 5-foot-4 and 130 pounds.

If you have any information call the RCPD at 911 or (785)537-2112.

Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596225690667.png" alt="Nicole Grothe- photo courtesy RCPD" />
 <figcaption>Nicole Grothe- photo courtesy RCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>RILEY COUNTY —An adult female body found at Konza Prairie Nature Trail on July 22,&nbsp; has been identified as Nicole Grothe, 38, of Manhattan, according to RCPD spokesperson Rachel Pate. Follow-up conducted by detectives and crime scene investigators revealed information that suggested the body was that of Grothe, and the results of the autopsy and dental analysis confirmed the identification today. There is no indication of suspicious circumstances. The investigation is still ongoing, according to RCPD.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595442054259.png" alt="Authorities near the scene of the July 22, investigation -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Authorities near the scene of the July 22, investigation -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>-------Riley County police said an adult woman's body was found at Konza Prairie Nature Trail on Wednesday at approximately 10 a.m. The investigation is ongoing and an autopsy is pending. Early indications do not suggest the death to be suspicious. There is no indication of danger to the public in the area.Providing recovery assistance in the case were the Manhattan Fire Department Rescue Team, Konza Prairie Nature Trail staff, Riley County Fire District #1, the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, Kansas State University Police Department, Kansas Highway Patrol, Shawnee County Fire Department, Salina Fire Department and Kansas City Kansas Fire Department.---RILEY COUNTY —A body was found on the Konza Prairie Nature Trail Wednesday, according to the Riley County Police Department. Earlier, the agency asked information on the whereabouts of Nicole Grothe. She was believed to have been hiking on the Konza Prairie Nature Trail. Nicole has brown hair, brown eyes, is 5-foot-4 and 130 pounds.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">MISSING PERSON: We are looking for information on the whereabouts of Nicole Grothe. Nicole is believed to have been hiking on the Konza Prairie Nature Trail. Nicole has brown hair, brown eyes, is 5’4” and 130 lbs. If you have any information call the RCPD at 911 or (785)537-2112. <a href="https://t.co/tu5cwR7tcV">pic.twitter.com/tu5cwR7tcV</a>&mdash; RCPD (@RileyCountyPD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RileyCountyPD/status/1285937855064412165?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>If you have any information call the RCPD at 911 or (785)537-2112.Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

Police ID body found on Kansas nature trail

Kansas City, Kan. —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a case of alleged road rage and have made an arrest.

Just after 5:30 p.m. Thursday emergency crews were called to the area of eastbound Interstate 470 near the Pryor Road- 50 Highway exit ramp south of Kansas City on the report of a motor vehicle crash with injuries, according to Lee's Summit Police.

The call was upgraded to a shooting while officers were en route to the scene. 

When officers arrived on scene they were able to determine that two vehicles had been involved in a road rage incident while traveling eastbound on Interstate 470. 

As both vehicles were exiting onto 50 highway/ Pryor Road the defendant pulled in front of the victim and braked hard; the victim was unable to stop on the wet pavement and rear ended the defendant and spun out to the shoulder of the roadway. 

The defendant then accelerated and rammed the driver’s side door of the victim’s vehicle. 

While the victim was still in his vehicle, the defendant then fired several shots from a handgun into the victim’s vehicle. 

The victim suffered only minor injuries from the crash and a small graze wound from a single round. 

The defendant was taken into custody without incident. Detectives were working to gather statements and evidence and will present the case to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, according to police.&nbsp; Police did not release the name of the driver in custody.

Kansas City, Kan. —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a case of alleged road rage and have made an arrest.Just after 5:30 p.m. Thursday emergency crews were called to the area of eastbound Interstate 470 near the Pryor Road- 50 Highway exit ramp south of Kansas City on the report of a motor vehicle crash with injuries, according to Lee's Summit Police.The call was upgraded to a shooting while officers were en route to the scene. When officers arrived on scene they were able to determine that two vehicles had been involved in a road rage incident while traveling eastbound on Interstate 470. As both vehicles were exiting onto 50 highway/ Pryor Road the defendant pulled in front of the victim and braked hard; the victim was unable to stop on the wet pavement and rear ended the defendant and spun out to the shoulder of the roadway. The defendant then accelerated and rammed the driver’s side door of the victim’s vehicle. While the victim was still in his vehicle, the defendant then fired several shots from a handgun into the victim’s vehicle. The victim suffered only minor injuries from the crash and a small graze wound from a single round. The defendant was taken into custody without incident. Detectives were working to gather statements and evidence and will present the case to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, according to police.&nbsp; Police did not release the name of the driver in custody.

1 in custody after road rage shooting near Kansas City 

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 942 to a total of 27,812 the state health department reported Friday afternoon.&nbsp;

Coronavirus deaths were reported at 358, an increase of 9 since the last report.

<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 942 to a total of 27,812 the state health department reported Friday afternoon.&nbsp;Coronavirus deaths were reported at 358, an increase of 9 since the last report.<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/2020/7/1596214992689.png" alt="July 31, 2020 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>July 31, 2020 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

KANSAS CITY&nbsp; (AP) — A former defensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks again faces criminal charges, this time after being accused of stealing purses from a western Missouri property.

Saousoalii Siavii Jr., 41, is charged in Cass County with second-degree burglary and a misdemeanor count of stealing.

A warrant was issued for Siavii’s arrest in June after police say he took two totes, with several purses inside, valued at more than $150 from a shed on someone’s property in Belton.

Last August, Siavii was arrested and later charged with illegally possessing firearms after suburban Kansas City police say he was spotted exiting a vehicle reported stolen and fighting with officers, who used a stun gun on him twice during the arrest.

No attorney was listed for Siavii in online court records on Friday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596211438483.png" alt="Saousoalii Siavii, Jr. booking photo from a previous arrest by Independence, Missouri Police" />
 <figcaption>Saousoalii Siavii, Jr. booking photo from a previous arrest by Independence, Missouri Police</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY&nbsp; (AP) — A former defensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks again faces criminal charges, this time after being accused of stealing purses from a western Missouri property.Saousoalii Siavii Jr., 41, is charged in Cass County with second-degree burglary and a misdemeanor count of stealing.A warrant was issued for Siavii’s arrest in June after police say he took two totes, with several purses inside, valued at more than $150 from a shed on someone’s property in Belton.Last August, Siavii was arrested and later charged with illegally possessing firearms after suburban Kansas City police say he was spotted exiting a vehicle reported stolen and fighting with officers, who used a stun gun on him twice during the arrest.No attorney was listed for Siavii in online court records on Friday.

Ex-Chiefs player again faces charges, this time for burglary

By MARTY SCHLADEN <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/07/31/14000-attempts-balky-technology-expiring-benefits-worry-workers-state-leaders/">Ohio Capital Journal</a>

Congress
 is continuing to squabble over whether to extend a federal supplement 
to unemployment insurance and, if they do, by how much.

But
 as they argue over whether to continue the supplement at its current 
$600-per-week level or some fraction of that, out-of-work Americans are 
left to worry whether they can survive on state benefits that often are a
 small part of their normal pay — pay that for many was inadequate in 
the first place.&nbsp;

Creaking
 technology has already forced millions to wait on badly needed 
unemployment checks. Now state officials who run unemployment systems 
worry whether they can adjust to any changes or delays and keep the 
money flowing through their overwhelmed infrastructure.

And
 economists worry that if a big part of the 32 million Americans now 
qualified for unemployment insurance can’t pay their bills, the economic
 pain will metastasize, with lenders, landlords and local businesses 
also shouldering the loss.

But for many, the worries are much closer to home.

As
 they sat in their minivan in a long line of cars waiting for free 
produce on Tuesday, Columbus, Ohio, residents Crystal Herrera and Donald
 Robinson said the federal unemployment supplement is the only thing 
separating them from desperation.

Robinson
 had worked in fast food. But after Herrera suffered severe 
complications — including a lengthy coma — in childbirth earlier this 
year, he can’t safely do that and be around Herrera and their five 
children.

“We
 need something,” Herrera said. “He can’t go to work because I’m high 
risk. Very high risk. I don’t know what they expect from us. We didn’t 
put the virus here. I know they didn’t either, but why are they going to
 so abruptly stop giving out the help to the people who need it?”

Their
 future, and that of millions of other Americans, remained murky 
Thursday. The benefits expire on Friday, although the last supplement 
many recipients will receive was processed a week before that.

The Republican-controlled Senate on Monday rolled out <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/27/us/politics/republicans-jobless-aid.html">a $1 trillion coronavirus relief plan</a>
 that would cut the federal unemployment supplement by two-thirds, to 
$200 per week. It then would phase in a more complex scheme that many 
experts fear aging state unemployment systems can’t accommodate.

House Democrats on May 15 passed the $3 trillion <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/07/27/us/politics/27reuters-health-coronavirus-usa-legislation-factbox.html">HEROES Act</a>, which would keep the supplement at $600 per week.&nbsp;

This
 week, they called the GOP proposal a nonstarter. And Senate Majority 
Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, acknowledged that he didn’t even 
have the support of much of his caucus for the plan.

“I think it’s a statement of the obvious, that I have members who are all over the lot on this,” the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2020/07/28/gop-bailout-coronavirus/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_bailouthill-535pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans">Washington Post </a>quoted him as saying.

With
 such differences of opinion, the most likely scenario might be that the
 unemployment supplements will expire, pain across the country will rise
 and create pressure for a bipartisan compromise. But how long will that
 take?

“I
 am very concerned about that,” said Maureen Conway, executive director 
of the Economic opportunities program at the Aspen Institute. “With 
nearly 32 million people receiving unemployment benefits, this is a 
huge, huge problem for so many families. And we know that the people who
 lost employment disproportionately are lower-wage workers with not very
 much to fall back on.”

That pain already is being felt by workers across the country.

Last
 week, outside the headquarters of the Colorado Department of Labor and 
Employment in Denver, unemployed restaurant workers and labor groups 
held a mock funeral to protest the expiration of the $600-per-week 
federal unemployment benefit authorized by the CARES Act. They held 
cardboard coffins and gravestones bearing slogans like “R.I.P. My 
Ability to Feed My Kids” and “R.I.P. Having a Roof Over My Head.”

Elise
 Gantzler was laid off from her restaurant job in March and then had to 
wait a month for her first check. People in her industry work for low 
hourly pay supplemented by tips, so under normal circumstances their 
unemployment compensation is paltry. The prospective loss of the $600 
weekly supplement is beyond ominous, Gantzler said.

“Death,” she said. “That’s why we’re doing this funeral. This is literally a matter of life and death.”

Inside the Senate GOP Caucus, much of the debate over benefits concerns <a href="https://www.floridaphoenix.com/2020/07/28/division-over-unemployment-heats-up-as-gop-proposes-to-cut-600-supplement-for-jobless-workers-by-two-thirds/">whether people are staying home</a> because they’re getting more from the federal unemployment supplement than they would returning to work.

“Businesses
 looking to reopen are telling us their employees don’t want to come 
back to work because they collect more on unemployment,” Sen. Rick 
Scott, R-Fla., said in a <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/04/24/rick-scott-says-americans-would-rather-collect-unemployment-than-go-to-work/">fundraising email</a>. “And who can blame them?”

But data to support that claim can be hard to find.

A <a href="https://news.yale.edu/2020/07/27/yale-study-finds-expanded-jobless-benefits-did-not-reduce-employment">report </a>released
 last week by a group of Yale University economists reviewed 
small-business scheduling and timesheet information and concluded “the
 expanded benefits neither encouraged layoffs during the pandemic’s 
onset nor deterred people from returning to work once businesses began 
reopening.”

Similarly, 39 prominent economists <a href="http://www.igmchicago.org/surveys/jobs-and-unemployment-insurance/">surveyed </a>earlier
 this month by the University of Chicago said a lack of jobs was more 
likely keeping people out of the workplace than the extra pay afforded 
by the unemployment supplement.

Other factors also are keeping people at home, said Conway, of the Aspen Institute.&nbsp;

“There
 are fears for their own health,” she said. “There are fears for their 
families’ health. People not having care for their children. 
Transportation problems.”

Those
 people include Auburn, Maine, resident Heather Finley. She was laid off
 from her job as a customer service representative on April 10. At the 
same, time her husband, an essential worker, has seen his hours — and 
his pay — cut.

“If
 Congress lets the $600 expire, we might not starve, but I can’t pay for
 daycare,” Finley said. “And I can’t go and find a job when I am taking 
care of my daughter full-time.”&nbsp;

The
 assumption that the federal unemployment supplement is keeping people 
out of work is faulty for another reason, said Michele Evermore, senior 
analyst for the National Employment Law Project. It ignores federal 
requirements that those receiving benefits must look for work, and that 
they can’t refuse an offer of “suitable” work and keep their benefits, 
she said.

It
 also assumes that people would trade a steady job for a benefit that, 
as this week’s events demonstrate, is far from certain, Evermore said.

“People
 are smart. They get that the stability of a job is worth more than a 
temporary benefit,” she said, adding that for those fortunate enough to 
have employer-based health care, that’s especially true.&nbsp;

There
 have been unintended consequences of the unemployment supplements, said
 Wells Fargo Senior Economist Mark Vitner. When the funds started 
hitting people’s checking accounts, stock brokers reported a surge in 
new accounts and they created more options to trade in fractions of 
shares, Vintner said.&nbsp;

But he said that’s not a reason to kill the benefits.

“It’s
 better to have that unintended spillover into the stock market and have
 far fewer people falling behind in their rent and have far more people 
able to put groceries on the table,” he said.

If,
 as seems likely, there will be a lengthy disruption of the unemployment
 supplement, there probably will be additional pain for the unemployed 
beyond losing the benefit for a week, or two, or three.

Most states pay maximum weekly benefits that are far below what most would consider a living wage.&nbsp;

And,
 coming out of the 2007-2009 Great Recession, many slashed program 
funding so that benefits in some states are, to put it mildly, miserly.&nbsp;

In Florida, the maximum benefit is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/23/us/florida-coronavirus-unemployment.html">$275 per week</a>. In Arizona, it’s $240. In Louisiana it’s $247. The Kansas benefit ranges from $122 to $488.

Minnesota’s relatively generous maximum benefit is $740 per week — which on an annual basis amounts to $38,000.

Evermore,
 the analyst for the National Employment Law Project, said that a decade
 ago, as states tried to replenish depleted unemployment trust funds, 
widespread cuts became an obvious — if not responsible — way to do it.

“As
 the unemployment rate declined, people stopped needing unemployment 
insurance, so it was pretty easy to push through massive cuts in the 
programs,” she said.

That left state unemployment systems using antiquated equipment, including <a href="https://devops.com/why-cobol-still-matters-after-60-years/">COBOL computer programs </a>whose
 roots trace back to the 1940s. Also, the agencies shrank staffing along
 with benefits in an effort to cut costs, Evermore said.

When
 coronavirus hit, they were swamped. So freaked-out, newly unemployed 
people across the country made it their new job trying to get what they 
were owed.

“Every
 state has very little administrative funding going into this 
recession,” Evermore, said. “In every state there is a backlog. … 
They’re still getting over 2 million initial claims every week that they
 have to process.”

Part
 of the problem is that state unemployment systems are legitimately 
overwhelmed. For example, the 1.5 million claims Ohio received in 18 
weeks were more than the previous three years combined, the state’s 
Department of Job and Family Services said.

Exploding demand on undersized, decrepit unemployment systems led to delays that lasted weeks and even months.

The pain caused by the delays has been felt across the country.

When
 Richard Williams of Powder Springs, Georgia, went to the doctor this 
spring with difficulty breathing, he thought it might have been 
COVID-19. Tests showed it was lung cancer. He applied for state 
unemployment benefits March 30.&nbsp;

Now his wife, Cindy Williams, spends much of her day on hold with the Department of Labor, hoping somebody will pick up.

“I
 start at 7:59 and call up until 3:59, off and on, all day long, except 
when I’m at the hospital with my husband, and I can’t get a signal,” she
 said.&nbsp;

They
 have been living on no income since April and have been relying on 
family and charity to make ends meet “and when that’s gone, we don’t 
have nothing,” Williams said.

In
 Kansas, the state agency’s computer system — a vestige of the 1970s 
patched together to deal with 2,500 jobless claims a week — sagged and 
shattered as more than 200,000 people tried to register for benefits.

“Fourteen
 thousand attempts to call the call center, starting at 7:59 a.m. and 
ending at 4:15 p.m. Not once did I get through,” said Andreas Vandever, a
 Herington, Kansas, veteran who was sacked in January during a 
management shakeup. “The biggest enemy we have in this state is the 
Kansas Department of Labor.”

Beth Bell, an out-of-work mechanic, called Maryland Department of Labor’s phone system “soul-crushing.”

TaShyra
 Marshall, a single mother from New Orleans, told state lawmakers she 
hasn’t been able to figure out how she can afford the laptop or internet
 service her children will need for remote learning.

“I
 can’t provide for my kids off of the regular wage that I get. School is
 coming up. I’ll probably be working at home with my children for 
school,’’ Marshall said. “… With the wage that I’m getting, it’s like 
$118, I can’t provide a laptop for my kids, can’t provide the internet 
for my kids, can’t provide the rent for my kids. … Till we figure out a 
better way how to maneuver around this thing … we need the $600.”

Problems
 in the Pelican State prompted state Rep. Ted James, D-Baton Rouge, to 
introduce a resolution on behalf of the Louisiana Legislature calling on
 <a href="https://legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1183476">Congress to extend the $600 payments</a> beyond Friday.

The maneuver seemed unlikely on Thursday to break the D.C. logjam.

Many
 people who are dreading the loss — or even the interruption — of the 
$600 weekly unemployment supplement wouldn’t have been considered part 
of the “working poor” when they still had jobs.

They include Kelly Cruse, 45, of Columbus, Ohio.&nbsp;

She
 was self-employed, selling annuities and cash-value life insurance 
until business dried up when the pandemic struck. Now she’s concerned 
that she won’t be able to keep up the rent on her $1,300-per-month 
apartment.

“It’s stressful,” she said. “I’m so used to working every day and doing my thing and setting my appointments.”

And
 if there are many more like her, that means evictions will go up. 
Homelessness would make job-finding harder and more of their landlords 
will lose rent checks and be foreclosed upon.

Vintner, the Wells Fargo economist, said such knock-on effects to ending the unemployment supplement could be widespread.

“Certainly,
 if it’s not extended at all, if they let it just go away entirely, we 
would see economic activity … which is already paused a little bit in a 
lot of states when we saw a resurgence in COVID cases. … Economic 
activity would fall back a little bit and put the recovery at risk,” he 
said. “I think it’s a risk not worth taking.”

That
 would be a risk to an economy that already isn’t working well for a 
huge segment of the country, Conway, of the Aspen Institute, said. A 
disproportionate share of the people who are now unemployed had service 
jobs that paid so poorly that they still needed government benefits and 
food banks just to survive.

“The truth is that work has not been enough to support a very large proportion of working families,” she said.

Marty Schladen has been a reporter for decades, working in Indiana, Texas and other places before returning to his native Ohio to work at The Columbus Dispatch in 2017 and coming to the Ohio Capital Journal in 2020. He's won state and national journalism awards for investigations into utility regulation, public corruption, the environment, prescription drug spending and other matters.

Reporting contributors 
include: Jerod MacDonald-Evoy of Arizona Mirror; Chase Woodruff of 
Colorado Newsline; Laura Cassels of Florida Phoenix; Ross Williams of 
Georgia Recorder; Clark Kauffman of the Iowa Capital Dispatch; Tim 
Carpenter of Kansas Reflector; Jarvis DeBerry of Louisiana Illuminator; 
Dan Neumann of Maine Beacon; Bruce DePuyt of Maryland Matters; C.J.
 Moore and Allison Donahue of Michigan Advance; Ricardo Lopez of 
Minnesota Reformer; Hugh Jackson of Nevada Current; Rob Schofield of 
N.C. Policy Watch; Stephen Caruso of Pennsylvania Capital-Star; Holly 
McCall of Tennessee Lookout; Ned Oliver of Virginia Mercury; and Erik 
Gunn of Wisconsin Examiner.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596205799339.jpeg" alt="Crystal Hererra sits for a portrait in the passenger seat of her husband’s car as they wait in the drive-through pickup area of the All People’s Fresh Market food pantry in Columbus, Ohio. Hererra’s husband has been receiving the $600 weekly unemployment bonus subsidy that has been helping to support Crystal and their five children. She is unsure how they will be able to survive once it ends this week. (Brooke LaValley/Ohio Capital Journal)" />
 <figcaption>Crystal Hererra sits for a portrait in the passenger seat of her husband’s car as they wait in the drive-through pickup area of the All People’s Fresh Market food pantry in Columbus, Ohio. Hererra’s husband has been receiving the $600 weekly unemployment bonus subsidy that has been helping to support Crystal and their five children. She is unsure how they will be able to survive once it ends this week. (Brooke LaValley/Ohio Capital Journal)</figcaption>
 </figure>By MARTY SCHLADEN <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/07/31/14000-attempts-balky-technology-expiring-benefits-worry-workers-state-leaders/">Ohio Capital Journal</a> Congress
 is continuing to squabble over whether to extend a federal supplement 
to unemployment insurance and, if they do, by how much.But
 as they argue over whether to continue the supplement at its current 
$600-per-week level or some fraction of that, out-of-work Americans are 
left to worry whether they can survive on state benefits that often are a
 small part of their normal pay — pay that for many was inadequate in 
the first place.&nbsp;Creaking
 technology has already forced millions to wait on badly needed 
unemployment checks. Now state officials who run unemployment systems 
worry whether they can adjust to any changes or delays and keep the 
money flowing through their overwhelmed infrastructure.And
 economists worry that if a big part of the 32 million Americans now 
qualified for unemployment insurance can’t pay their bills, the economic
 pain will metastasize, with lenders, landlords and local businesses 
also shouldering the loss.But for many, the worries are much closer to home.As
 they sat in their minivan in a long line of cars waiting for free 
produce on Tuesday, Columbus, Ohio, residents Crystal Herrera and Donald
 Robinson said the federal unemployment supplement is the only thing 
separating them from desperation.Robinson
 had worked in fast food. But after Herrera suffered severe 
complications — including a lengthy coma — in childbirth earlier this 
year, he can’t safely do that and be around Herrera and their five 
children.“We
 need something,” Herrera said. “He can’t go to work because I’m high 
risk. Very high risk. I don’t know what they expect from us. We didn’t 
put the virus here. I know they didn’t either, but why are they going to
 so abruptly stop giving out the help to the people who need it?”<h2>Gridlock</h2>Their
 future, and that of millions of other Americans, remained murky 
Thursday. The benefits expire on Friday, although the last supplement 
many recipients will receive was processed a week before that.The Republican-controlled Senate on Monday rolled out <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/27/us/politics/republicans-jobless-aid.html">a $1 trillion coronavirus relief plan</a>
 that would cut the federal unemployment supplement by two-thirds, to 
$200 per week. It then would phase in a more complex scheme that many 
experts fear aging state unemployment systems can’t accommodate.House Democrats on May 15 passed the $3 trillion <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/07/27/us/politics/27reuters-health-coronavirus-usa-legislation-factbox.html">HEROES Act</a>, which would keep the supplement at $600 per week.&nbsp;This
 week, they called the GOP proposal a nonstarter. And Senate Majority 
Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, acknowledged that he didn’t even 
have the support of much of his caucus for the plan.“I think it’s a statement of the obvious, that I have members who are all over the lot on this,” the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2020/07/28/gop-bailout-coronavirus/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_bailouthill-535pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans">Washington Post </a>quoted him as saying.With
 such differences of opinion, the most likely scenario might be that the
 unemployment supplements will expire, pain across the country will rise
 and create pressure for a bipartisan compromise. But how long will that
 take?“I
 am very concerned about that,” said Maureen Conway, executive director 
of the Economic opportunities program at the Aspen Institute. “With 
nearly 32 million people receiving unemployment benefits, this is a 
huge, huge problem for so many families. And we know that the people who
 lost employment disproportionately are lower-wage workers with not very
 much to fall back on.”That pain already is being felt by workers across the country.Last
 week, outside the headquarters of the Colorado Department of Labor and 
Employment in Denver, unemployed restaurant workers and labor groups 
held a mock funeral to protest the expiration of the $600-per-week 
federal unemployment benefit authorized by the CARES Act. They held 
cardboard coffins and gravestones bearing slogans like “R.I.P. My 
Ability to Feed My Kids” and “R.I.P. Having a Roof Over My Head.”Elise
 Gantzler was laid off from her restaurant job in March and then had to 
wait a month for her first check. People in her industry work for low 
hourly pay supplemented by tips, so under normal circumstances their 
unemployment compensation is paltry. The prospective loss of the $600 
weekly supplement is beyond ominous, Gantzler said.“Death,” she said. “That’s why we’re doing this funeral. This is literally a matter of life and death.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596205950632.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>A deterrent from working?</h2>Inside the Senate GOP Caucus, much of the debate over benefits concerns <a href="https://www.floridaphoenix.com/2020/07/28/division-over-unemployment-heats-up-as-gop-proposes-to-cut-600-supplement-for-jobless-workers-by-two-thirds/">whether people are staying home</a> because they’re getting more from the federal unemployment supplement than they would returning to work.“Businesses
 looking to reopen are telling us their employees don’t want to come 
back to work because they collect more on unemployment,” Sen. Rick 
Scott, R-Fla., said in a <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/04/24/rick-scott-says-americans-would-rather-collect-unemployment-than-go-to-work/">fundraising email</a>. “And who can blame them?”But data to support that claim can be hard to find.A <a href="https://news.yale.edu/2020/07/27/yale-study-finds-expanded-jobless-benefits-did-not-reduce-employment">report </a>released
 last week by a group of Yale University economists reviewed 
small-business scheduling and timesheet information and concluded “the
 expanded benefits neither encouraged layoffs during the pandemic’s 
onset nor deterred people from returning to work once businesses began 
reopening.”Similarly, 39 prominent economists <a href="http://www.igmchicago.org/surveys/jobs-and-unemployment-insurance/">surveyed </a>earlier
 this month by the University of Chicago said a lack of jobs was more 
likely keeping people out of the workplace than the extra pay afforded 
by the unemployment supplement.Other factors also are keeping people at home, said Conway, of the Aspen Institute.&nbsp;“There
 are fears for their own health,” she said. “There are fears for their 
families’ health. People not having care for their children. 
Transportation problems.”Those
 people include Auburn, Maine, resident Heather Finley. She was laid off
 from her job as a customer service representative on April 10. At the 
same, time her husband, an essential worker, has seen his hours — and 
his pay — cut.“If
 Congress lets the $600 expire, we might not starve, but I can’t pay for
 daycare,” Finley said. “And I can’t go and find a job when I am taking 
care of my daughter full-time.”&nbsp;The
 assumption that the federal unemployment supplement is keeping people 
out of work is faulty for another reason, said Michele Evermore, senior 
analyst for the National Employment Law Project. It ignores federal 
requirements that those receiving benefits must look for work, and that 
they can’t refuse an offer of “suitable” work and keep their benefits, 
she said.It
 also assumes that people would trade a steady job for a benefit that, 
as this week’s events demonstrate, is far from certain, Evermore said.“People
 are smart. They get that the stability of a job is worth more than a 
temporary benefit,” she said, adding that for those fortunate enough to 
have employer-based health care, that’s especially true.&nbsp;There
 have been unintended consequences of the unemployment supplements, said
 Wells Fargo Senior Economist Mark Vitner. When the funds started 
hitting people’s checking accounts, stock brokers reported a surge in 
new accounts and they created more options to trade in fractions of 
shares, Vintner said.&nbsp;But he said that’s not a reason to kill the benefits.“It’s
 better to have that unintended spillover into the stock market and have
 far fewer people falling behind in their rent and have far more people 
able to put groceries on the table,” he said.<h2>Painful disruption</h2>If,
 as seems likely, there will be a lengthy disruption of the unemployment
 supplement, there probably will be additional pain for the unemployed 
beyond losing the benefit for a week, or two, or three.Most states pay maximum weekly benefits that are far below what most would consider a living wage.&nbsp;And,
 coming out of the 2007-2009 Great Recession, many slashed program 
funding so that benefits in some states are, to put it mildly, miserly.&nbsp;In Florida, the maximum benefit is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/23/us/florida-coronavirus-unemployment.html">$275 per week</a>. In Arizona, it’s $240. In Louisiana it’s $247. The Kansas benefit ranges from $122 to $488.Minnesota’s relatively generous maximum benefit is $740 per week — which on an annual basis amounts to $38,000.Evermore,
 the analyst for the National Employment Law Project, said that a decade
 ago, as states tried to replenish depleted unemployment trust funds, 
widespread cuts became an obvious — if not responsible — way to do it.“As
 the unemployment rate declined, people stopped needing unemployment 
insurance, so it was pretty easy to push through massive cuts in the 
programs,” she said.That left state unemployment systems using antiquated equipment, including <a href="https://devops.com/why-cobol-still-matters-after-60-years/">COBOL computer programs </a>whose
 roots trace back to the 1940s. Also, the agencies shrank staffing along
 with benefits in an effort to cut costs, Evermore said.When
 coronavirus hit, they were swamped. So freaked-out, newly unemployed 
people across the country made it their new job trying to get what they 
were owed.“Every
 state has very little administrative funding going into this 
recession,” Evermore, said. “In every state there is a backlog. … 
They’re still getting over 2 million initial claims every week that they
 have to process.”Part
 of the problem is that state unemployment systems are legitimately 
overwhelmed. For example, the 1.5 million claims Ohio received in 18 
weeks were more than the previous three years combined, the state’s 
Department of Job and Family Services said.Exploding demand on undersized, decrepit unemployment systems led to delays that lasted weeks and even months.Among the problems:<ul>
 <li>Kansas had to hire a consulting firm to deal with the backlog of cases. The
 mainframe system crashed repeatedly and the telephone hotline was 
overwhelmed for months. A groundswell of anger contributed to the 
resignation in June of Labor secretary Delia Garcia.</li><li>In Florida, there
 have been technical malfunctions, issues with language access, and 
fraud schemes that resulted in thousands of legitimate claims being 
rejected.</li><li>Pennsylvania’s system is so old that it cannot process applications from people who made six-digit salaries.</li><li>In
 Iowa, dozens of unemployment offices were closed in 2011 and replaced 
with 700 self-help computer kiosks in public locations. Then those were 
removed in 2017.</li><li>In Arizona, divorced parents were overcharged for their child support payments.</li><li>Maine had only 13 case workers when the pandemic started.</li><li>Maryland transitioned to a new system in the middle of the crisis.</li><li>Minnesota,
 whose system has been mostly stable, still had to add two servers to 
manage the website load, hired 50 new staff, and asked customers to 
apply on particular days.</li><li>Nevada, Georgia and other states had to create a new system to pay gig workers.</li>
 </ul><h2>Horror stories</h2>The pain caused by the delays has been felt across the country.When
 Richard Williams of Powder Springs, Georgia, went to the doctor this 
spring with difficulty breathing, he thought it might have been 
COVID-19. Tests showed it was lung cancer. He applied for state 
unemployment benefits March 30.&nbsp;Now his wife, Cindy Williams, spends much of her day on hold with the Department of Labor, hoping somebody will pick up.“I
 start at 7:59 and call up until 3:59, off and on, all day long, except 
when I’m at the hospital with my husband, and I can’t get a signal,” she
 said.&nbsp;They
 have been living on no income since April and have been relying on 
family and charity to make ends meet “and when that’s gone, we don’t 
have nothing,” Williams said.In
 Kansas, the state agency’s computer system — a vestige of the 1970s 
patched together to deal with 2,500 jobless claims a week — sagged and 
shattered as more than 200,000 people tried to register for benefits.“Fourteen
 thousand attempts to call the call center, starting at 7:59 a.m. and 
ending at 4:15 p.m. Not once did I get through,” said Andreas Vandever, a
 Herington, Kansas, veteran who was sacked in January during a 
management shakeup. “The biggest enemy we have in this state is the 
Kansas Department of Labor.”Beth Bell, an out-of-work mechanic, called Maryland Department of Labor’s phone system “soul-crushing.”TaShyra
 Marshall, a single mother from New Orleans, told state lawmakers she 
hasn’t been able to figure out how she can afford the laptop or internet
 service her children will need for remote learning.“I
 can’t provide for my kids off of the regular wage that I get. School is
 coming up. I’ll probably be working at home with my children for 
school,’’ Marshall said. “… With the wage that I’m getting, it’s like 
$118, I can’t provide a laptop for my kids, can’t provide the internet 
for my kids, can’t provide the rent for my kids. … Till we figure out a 
better way how to maneuver around this thing … we need the $600.”Problems
 in the Pelican State prompted state Rep. Ted James, D-Baton Rouge, to 
introduce a resolution on behalf of the Louisiana Legislature calling on
 <a href="https://legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1183476">Congress to extend the $600 payments</a> beyond Friday.The maneuver seemed unlikely on Thursday to break the D.C. logjam.<h2>Bigger implications</h2>Many
 people who are dreading the loss — or even the interruption — of the 
$600 weekly unemployment supplement wouldn’t have been considered part 
of the “working poor” when they still had jobs.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596206048285.jpeg" alt="Kelly Cruse of Reynoldsburg poses for a portrait near Parsons Avenue in Columbus, Ohio on July 28, 2020. Cruse is self-employed as an insurance salesperson and survives on the $600 subsidy that has been added to unemployment payments but will end this week. (Brooke LaValley/ Ohio Capital Journal)" />
 <figcaption>Kelly Cruse of Reynoldsburg poses for a portrait near Parsons Avenue in Columbus, Ohio on July 28, 2020. Cruse is self-employed as an insurance salesperson and survives on the $600 subsidy that has been added to unemployment payments but will end this week. (Brooke LaValley/ Ohio Capital Journal)</figcaption>
 </figure>They include Kelly Cruse, 45, of Columbus, Ohio.&nbsp;She
 was self-employed, selling annuities and cash-value life insurance 
until business dried up when the pandemic struck. Now she’s concerned 
that she won’t be able to keep up the rent on her $1,300-per-month 
apartment.“It’s stressful,” she said. “I’m so used to working every day and doing my thing and setting my appointments.”And
 if there are many more like her, that means evictions will go up. 
Homelessness would make job-finding harder and more of their landlords 
will lose rent checks and be foreclosed upon.Vintner, the Wells Fargo economist, said such knock-on effects to ending the unemployment supplement could be widespread.“Certainly,
 if it’s not extended at all, if they let it just go away entirely, we 
would see economic activity … which is already paused a little bit in a 
lot of states when we saw a resurgence in COVID cases. … Economic 
activity would fall back a little bit and put the recovery at risk,” he 
said. “I think it’s a risk not worth taking.”That
 would be a risk to an economy that already isn’t working well for a 
huge segment of the country, Conway, of the Aspen Institute, said. A 
disproportionate share of the people who are now unemployed had service 
jobs that paid so poorly that they still needed government benefits and 
food banks just to survive.“The truth is that work has not been enough to support a very large proportion of working families,” she said.Marty Schladen has been a reporter for decades, working in Indiana, Texas and other places before returning to his native Ohio to work at The Columbus Dispatch in 2017 and coming to the Ohio Capital Journal in 2020. He's won state and national journalism awards for investigations into utility regulation, public corruption, the environment, prescription drug spending and other matters.Reporting contributors 
include: Jerod MacDonald-Evoy of Arizona Mirror; Chase Woodruff of 
Colorado Newsline; Laura Cassels of Florida Phoenix; Ross Williams of 
Georgia Recorder; Clark Kauffman of the Iowa Capital Dispatch; Tim 
Carpenter of Kansas Reflector; Jarvis DeBerry of Louisiana Illuminator; 
Dan Neumann of Maine Beacon; Bruce DePuyt of Maryland Matters; C.J.
 Moore and Allison Donahue of Michigan Advance; Ricardo Lopez of 
Minnesota Reformer; Hugh Jackson of Nevada Current; Rob Schofield of 
N.C. Policy Watch; Stephen Caruso of Pennsylvania Capital-Star; Holly 
McCall of Tennessee Lookout; Ned Oliver of Virginia Mercury; and Erik 
Gunn of Wisconsin Examiner.

Balky technology, expiring benefits worry workers, state leaders

By
NICK GOSNELL <a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch Post</a>


HUTCHINSON —&nbsp;Former Kansas Gov. Dr. Jeff Colyer sees the COVID-19 response 
from the state as being more localized than one size fits all.

"We
 don't need to do this as one big sledgehammer," Colyer said. "This is a
 surgical operation. Working by individual county for schools, for 
businesses, is the best way of doing this. That way, you don't close 
down things that don't need to be closed and wear people out."

Colyer
 acknowledges the seriousness of the COVID-19 issue, but it's also 
important to use the new knowledge we're getting about the virus over 
the last several months to guide that response.

"We understand 
about distancing," Colyer said. "You and I are distancing now. You can 
have an interaction. We can work. We've learned so much about 
telehealth. We know how restaurants can work better with having some 
simple barriers and some spacing. There are a lot of things that we can 
do that have a big impact without making everybody sit at home. That's 
the problem. We need to isolate the few to protect the many."

Colyer
 also is confident we will get to therapies that work, but that it's 
likely there will be no single silver bullet for COVID-19.

"I'm 
currently on the scientific board for a company that has a vaccine," 
Colyer said. "We actually begin our human trials here in the next week 
or two. It's going to be important that we get several vaccines. You're 
probably going to need three or four different kind of vaccines to make 
sure they're absolutely safe. Certain vaccines may work better, say, in 
an older population, or another one in kids. Spending a lot of effort on
 that is very important."

Colyer was announced earlier this month 
as a member of the Arcturus Therapeutics Vaccine Platform Scientific 
Advisory Board. The key to the vaccine Arcturus is proposing is that it 
would be a single dose, while other candidates would require booster 
shots to work.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596202109798.jpeg" alt="Colyer" />
 <figcaption>Colyer</figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL <a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch Post</a>
HUTCHINSON —&nbsp;Former Kansas Gov. Dr. Jeff Colyer sees the COVID-19 response 
from the state as being more localized than one size fits all."We
 don't need to do this as one big sledgehammer," Colyer said. "This is a
 surgical operation. Working by individual county for schools, for 
businesses, is the best way of doing this. That way, you don't close 
down things that don't need to be closed and wear people out."Colyer
 acknowledges the seriousness of the COVID-19 issue, but it's also 
important to use the new knowledge we're getting about the virus over 
the last several months to guide that response."We understand 
about distancing," Colyer said. "You and I are distancing now. You can 
have an interaction. We can work. We've learned so much about 
telehealth. We know how restaurants can work better with having some 
simple barriers and some spacing. There are a lot of things that we can 
do that have a big impact without making everybody sit at home. That's 
the problem. We need to isolate the few to protect the many."Colyer
 also is confident we will get to therapies that work, but that it's 
likely there will be no single silver bullet for COVID-19."I'm 
currently on the scientific board for a company that has a vaccine," 
Colyer said. "We actually begin our human trials here in the next week 
or two. It's going to be important that we get several vaccines. You're 
probably going to need three or four different kind of vaccines to make 
sure they're absolutely safe. Certain vaccines may work better, say, in 
an older population, or another one in kids. Spending a lot of effort on
 that is very important."Colyer was announced earlier this month 
as a member of the Arcturus Therapeutics Vaccine Platform Scientific 
Advisory Board. The key to the vaccine Arcturus is proposing is that it 
would be a single dose, while other candidates would require booster 
shots to work.<a href="https://usave.it/1154172/bw-news-special-reports/">Colyer
 had a lot to say, including campaigning for his former Lt. Gov. Tracey 
Mann, who is running for the First District seat in Congress. Click here
 to hear the bonus podcast with Colyer</a>.