Free webinar by animal sciences faculty slated May 14

MANHATTAN – Registration is now open for a May 14 webinar that will assist Kansas beef cattle producers as they navigate the impacts of COVID-19.

“This webinar is being conducted to help beef producers assess their current nutrition and management strategies in light of the challenges to the beef market created by COVID-19,” said Dale Blasi, a beef cattle specialist with K-State Research and Extension.

“As a consequence of COVID-19, distiller’s grains are in short supply and, as a result, many of the attributes that this co-product provides in protein supply, moisture attributes to the ration and more. The shortage has created challenges for producers as they identify alternative feed ingredients to use in its place.”

The program will feature brief updates on the current market situation from K-State agricultural economist Glynn Tonsor and a discussion on alternative protein sources led by extension specialists Jaymelynn Farney and Justin Waggoner.

Blasi will address nutrition and management considerations that may be implemented by producers growing cattle in these challenging times.

The webinar is hosted by the K-State Department of Animal Sciences and Industry and K-State Research and Extension. The agenda begins at noon on May 14.

Register prior to the event at&nbsp;<a href="https://tinyurl.com/KSUBeef-UncertainTimes">https://tinyurl.com/KSUBeef-UncertainTimes</a>&nbsp;or at<a href="http://www.ksubeef.org/">www.KSUBeef.org</a>.

For questions about the event or to register,&nbsp;please contact Lois Schreiner,&nbsp;<a href="mailto:lschrein@ksu.edu">lschrein@ksu.edu,</a>or 785-532-1267.

<h2>Free webinar by animal sciences faculty slated May 14</h2>K-State Research &amp; ExtensionMANHATTAN – Registration is now open for a May 14 webinar that will assist Kansas beef cattle producers as they navigate the impacts of COVID-19.“This webinar is being conducted to help beef producers assess their current nutrition and management strategies in light of the challenges to the beef market created by COVID-19,” said Dale Blasi, a beef cattle specialist with K-State Research and Extension.“As a consequence of COVID-19, distiller’s grains are in short supply and, as a result, many of the attributes that this co-product provides in protein supply, moisture attributes to the ration and more. The shortage has created challenges for producers as they identify alternative feed ingredients to use in its place.”The program will feature brief updates on the current market situation from K-State agricultural economist Glynn Tonsor and a discussion on alternative protein sources led by extension specialists Jaymelynn Farney and Justin Waggoner.Blasi will address nutrition and management considerations that may be implemented by producers growing cattle in these challenging times.The webinar is hosted by the K-State Department of Animal Sciences and Industry and K-State Research and Extension. The agenda begins at noon on May 14.Register prior to the event at&nbsp;<a href="https://tinyurl.com/KSUBeef-UncertainTimes">https://tinyurl.com/KSUBeef-UncertainTimes</a>&nbsp;or at<a href="http://www.ksubeef.org/">www.KSUBeef.org</a>.For questions about the event or to register,&nbsp;please contact Lois Schreiner,&nbsp;<a href="mailto:lschrein@ksu.edu">lschrein@ksu.edu,</a>or 785-532-1267.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1585403028580.jpeg" alt="K-State Research &amp; Extension" />
 <figcaption>K-State Research &amp; Extension</figcaption>
 </figure>

K-State plans ‘Troubleshooting Uncertain Times in the Beef Industry’

TOPEKA — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a pair of armed robberies at a Sonic location in Topeka and have made two arrests.

At approximately 7:30 pm Saturday, police were called to the Sonic, 1221 SW Gage in Topeka reference an armed robbery to a car hop, according to Lt. Matt Danielson. The suspects were gone upon police arrival. Officers were able to get suspect and vehicle descriptions.

At approximately 9:00 pm, police were notified of a second similar armed robbery at the Sonic located at 2053 SW Western in Topeka, according to Danielson. Officers were able to determine that the suspect and vehicle descriptions matched those of the initial armed robbery.

Shortly after 10:00 pm, police on patrol noticed a vehicle matching the description of the vehicle in both of these previous armed robberies. The vehicle was stopped in the 2700 block of SE California and two subjects were taken into custody and transported to the Law Enforcement Center for questioning.

Following interviews, police arrested 28-year-old Cameron McBee, and 24-year-old Terrinika Smith on requested charges of Aggravated Robbery.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589193848643.png" alt="McBee photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>McBee photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a pair of armed robberies at a Sonic location in Topeka and have made two arrests.At approximately 7:30 pm Saturday, police were called to the Sonic, 1221 SW Gage in Topeka reference an armed robbery to a car hop, according to Lt. Matt Danielson. The suspects were gone upon police arrival. Officers were able to get suspect and vehicle descriptions.At approximately 9:00 pm, police were notified of a second similar armed robbery at the Sonic located at 2053 SW Western in Topeka, according to Danielson. Officers were able to determine that the suspect and vehicle descriptions matched those of the initial armed robbery.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589193904459.png" alt="Smith photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Smith photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>Shortly after 10:00 pm, police on patrol noticed a vehicle matching the description of the vehicle in both of these previous armed robberies. The vehicle was stopped in the 2700 block of SE California and two subjects were taken into custody and transported to the Law Enforcement Center for questioning.Following interviews, police arrested 28-year-old Cameron McBee, and 24-year-old Terrinika Smith on requested charges of Aggravated Robbery.

2 Kan. men jailed after car hop robberies at Sonic

TOPEKA – Congress should investigate the communist Chinese government’s role in the COVID-19 pandemic to help understand how the pandemic began, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt has told the leadership of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

According to a statement from his office, Schmidt, along with 17 other state attorneys general, on Friday sent a letter to U.S. House and Senate leadership, including the chairmen and ranking members of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, asking for a Congressional investigation.

“Recent reports suggest that the communist Chinese government willfully and knowingly concealed information about the severity of the virus while simultaneously stockpiling personal protective equipment,” the attorneys general wrote in the letter. “Congressional hearings are critical to our nation’s understanding of the origins of COVID-19 and efforts by the communist Chinese government to deceive the international community.”

The current U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has exceeded 80,000 and the pandemic’s economic devastation has caused the national unemployment rate to skyrocket to 14.7 percent from 3.5 percent lows in February. Many businesses are expected to close permanently after lockdowns ordered to slow the spread of the virus. In Kansas, the projected state budget shortfall has ballooned to more than $1 billion over the next two years.

“The spread of COVID-19 and actions taken in response are likely to spur widespread litigation,” Schmidt said. “My view is that Congress – not courts throughout the country – needs to take the lead in developing the basic factual record of what the Chinese government knew, when they knew it, and what they did with that information.”

<a href="https://ag.ks.gov/docs/default-source/documents/letter-to-congress---hearings-on-chinese-government-role-in-covid19-pandemic.pdf?sfvrsn=81ccac1a_2">Click here to</a> see a copy of the letter

TOPEKA – Congress should investigate the communist Chinese government’s role in the COVID-19 pandemic to help understand how the pandemic began, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt has told the leadership of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587494259039.png" alt="The letter refers to Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt who filed a lawsuit against the Chinese government April 21, alleging that their actions to suppress information, arrest whistleblowers, and deny the contagious nature of the 2019 novel Coronavirus led to loss of life and severe economic consequences in Missouri." />
 <figcaption>The letter refers to Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt who filed a lawsuit against the Chinese government April 21, alleging that their actions to suppress information, arrest whistleblowers, and deny the contagious nature of the 2019 novel Coronavirus led to loss of life and severe economic consequences in Missouri.</figcaption>
 </figure>According to a statement from his office, Schmidt, along with 17 other state attorneys general, on Friday sent a letter to U.S. House and Senate leadership, including the chairmen and ranking members of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, asking for a Congressional investigation.“Recent reports suggest that the communist Chinese government willfully and knowingly concealed information about the severity of the virus while simultaneously stockpiling personal protective equipment,” the attorneys general wrote in the letter. “Congressional hearings are critical to our nation’s understanding of the origins of COVID-19 and efforts by the communist Chinese government to deceive the international community.”The current U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has exceeded 80,000 and the pandemic’s economic devastation has caused the national unemployment rate to skyrocket to 14.7 percent from 3.5 percent lows in February. Many businesses are expected to close permanently after lockdowns ordered to slow the spread of the virus. In Kansas, the projected state budget shortfall has ballooned to more than $1 billion over the next two years.“The spread of COVID-19 and actions taken in response are likely to spur widespread litigation,” Schmidt said. “My view is that Congress – not courts throughout the country – needs to take the lead in developing the basic factual record of what the Chinese government knew, when they knew it, and what they did with that information.”<a href="https://ag.ks.gov/docs/default-source/documents/letter-to-congress---hearings-on-chinese-government-role-in-covid19-pandemic.pdf?sfvrsn=81ccac1a_2">Click here to</a> see a copy of the letter

Kan. joins call for Congress to investigate China’s role in pandemic

O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — Restaurants in Missouri’s largest city can reopen to in-person dining starting Friday after a lengthy shutdown caused by the coronavirus, and here are some of things patrons can expect to see: Employees wearing face coverings, plenty of space between tables, no bar seating and no buffets.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas on Monday spelled out reopening guidelines for restaurants and other non-essential businesses. The guidelines will remain in place through at least May 31.

Lucas encouraged anyone going out in public to wear face protection and continue to maintain social distancing to protect against catching or spreading COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.

“COVID-19 remains present throughout the greater Kansas City region, with serious potential health consequences for those infected,” Lucas said in a statement. “We will continue to balance the public health and economic needs of our community as we continue our road to recovery.”

The guidelines state that restaurant patrons with symptoms shouldn’t be allowed to dine, and workers with symptoms shouldn’t be allowed to work. Patrons must be seated while eating or drinking, and tables should generally be spaced 10 feet apart.

Bar seating is prohibited, and buffets and other self-service food preparation are banned.

Employees must wear protective face coverings in all areas open to the public. Disposable menus are encouraged, otherwise menus should be cleaned and sanitized after each customer’s use. The guidelines also call for frequent cleaning and sanitizing of areas that are frequently touched, including door handles and service counters.

Restaurants reopened to in-person dining last week across most of Missouri, but restrictions remained in place in and around St. Louis and Kansas City — the parts of the state with the highest number of cases and deaths.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported Monday that the state had 9,918 confirmed coronavirus cases, up 74 from Sunday. Deaths increased by four, to 488.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up after two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

Missouri prisoners are producing a variety of products to help government agencies and nonprofit organizations during the pandemic. Three Missouri Vocational Enterprises factories have been modified since March to focus on items of need.

Karen Pojmann, spokeswoman for the corrections department, said that as of May 1, prisoners have manufactured 190,418 reusable fabric face covers, including 1,100 for members of the Missouri General Assembly; 6,383 one-gallon jugs and 17,788 4-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer; and 5,827 protective gowns for veterans homes and nursing home. They're also making 336,000 rolls of toilet paper per week.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589226208948.png" alt="Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas opens his news conference Monday" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas opens his news conference Monday</figcaption>
 </figure>O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — Restaurants in Missouri’s largest city can reopen to in-person dining starting Friday after a lengthy shutdown caused by the coronavirus, and here are some of things patrons can expect to see: Employees wearing face coverings, plenty of space between tables, no bar seating and no buffets.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FKCTV5%2Fvideos%2F2549141882068856%2F&show_text=0&width=560" width="560" height="315" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas on Monday spelled out reopening guidelines for restaurants and other non-essential businesses. The guidelines will remain in place through at least May 31.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1588183540198.png" alt="Kansas City" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City</figcaption>
 </figure>Lucas encouraged anyone going out in public to wear face protection and continue to maintain social distancing to protect against catching or spreading COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.“COVID-19 remains present throughout the greater Kansas City region, with serious potential health consequences for those infected,” Lucas said in a statement. “We will continue to balance the public health and economic needs of our community as we continue our road to recovery.”The guidelines state that restaurant patrons with symptoms shouldn’t be allowed to dine, and workers with symptoms shouldn’t be allowed to work. Patrons must be seated while eating or drinking, and tables should generally be spaced 10 feet apart.Bar seating is prohibited, and buffets and other self-service food preparation are banned.Employees must wear protective face coverings in all areas open to the public. Disposable menus are encouraged, otherwise menus should be cleaned and sanitized after each customer’s use. The guidelines also call for frequent cleaning and sanitizing of areas that are frequently touched, including door handles and service counters.Restaurants reopened to in-person dining last week across most of Missouri, but restrictions remained in place in and around St. Louis and Kansas City — the parts of the state with the highest number of cases and deaths.The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported Monday that the state had 9,918 confirmed coronavirus cases, up 74 from Sunday. Deaths increased by four, to 488.For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up after two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.Missouri prisoners are producing a variety of products to help government agencies and nonprofit organizations during the pandemic. Three Missouri Vocational Enterprises factories have been modified since March to focus on items of need.Karen Pojmann, spokeswoman for the corrections department, said that as of May 1, prisoners have manufactured 190,418 reusable fabric face covers, including 1,100 for members of the Missouri General Assembly; 6,383 one-gallon jugs and 17,788 4-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer; and 5,827 protective gowns for veterans homes and nursing home. They're also making 336,000 rolls of toilet paper per week.

🎥  KC Mayor spells out guidelines for restaurant restarts

MCPHERSON, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have dropped charges against a central Kansas barber who opened his business in defiance of an order from Gov. Laura Kelly. 

Luke Aichele opened his shop in McPherson last week, despite Kelly's order that such businesses stay closed until May 18. McPherson County Attorney Gregory Benefiel said Monday that charges were dropped after Aichele agreed during the weekend to stay closed until May 18. 

Aichele received support Saturday from two U.S. Senate candidates from Kansas. U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall and Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle both said threatening someone with arrest who wanted to go back to work was wrong.

MCPHERSON, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have dropped charges against a central Kansas barber who opened his business in defiance of an order from Gov. Laura Kelly. Luke Aichele opened his shop in McPherson last week, despite Kelly's order that such businesses stay closed until May 18. McPherson County Attorney Gregory Benefiel said Monday that charges were dropped after Aichele agreed during the weekend to stay closed until May 18. Aichele received support Saturday from two U.S. Senate candidates from Kansas. U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall and Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle both said threatening someone with arrest who wanted to go back to work was wrong.

Charges dropped against Kan. barber who opened shop

TOPEKA —Governor Laura Kelly and Dr. Lee Norman, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, discuss the latest updates regarding COVID-19.   

During the press conference, the governor announced that more than $9 million in federal funding will be made available to the state’s Community Development Block Grant program to support community responses to the COVID-19 crisis.

The Kansas Department of Commerce will administer the Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Response Supplement (CDBG-CV, which is part of the state’s allocation from the federal&nbsp;Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

“The Community Development Block Grant program has been a powerful tool in developing communities and expanding economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income Kansans,” Kelly said. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to expand our support to these communities in this time of crisis.”

Grants are available to communities in two categories.

Economic DevelopmentEconomic development grants provide communities with funding to help local businesses retain jobs for low-to-moderate income people. Grant funds can be used for expenses such as working capital (e.g., wages, utilities, rent) or to purchase up to 60 days of inventory needed to reopen, once allowed to reopen.

Meal ProgramsMeal program grants&nbsp;provide communities with funds for various programs that provide access to nutritious foods during the COVID-19 crisis. Grant funds can be directed toward organizations such as Meals on Wheels, local food banks or to support organizations providing meals for children affected by the loss of school meal programs.

“It’s our intent that by infusing an additional $9 million into communities to support urgent needs, we can help alleviate some of the stress caused by the COVID-19 crisis and allow Kansas to return to business as usual as quickly as possible,” Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “What’s great about the CDBG-CV program is that it allows decision making to happen at the local level by the people who know their communities – and their needs – best.”

Applications for CDBG-CV open Tuesday, May 12. Funds will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until all funds have been disbursed.

Kansas cities and counties can find further details and apply for CDBG-CV grants by <a href="https://www.kansascommerce.gov/programs-services/community-development/community-development-block-grant-program/cdbg-cv/">visiting here&nbsp;</a>

TOPEKA —Governor Laura Kelly and Dr. Lee Norman, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, discuss the latest updates regarding COVID-19.   During the press conference, the governor announced that more than $9 million in federal funding will be made available to the state’s Community Development Block Grant program to support community responses to the COVID-19 crisis.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FGovLauraKelly%2Fvideos%2F904749063357797%2F&show_text=0&width=560" width="560" height="315" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>The Kansas Department of Commerce will administer the Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Response Supplement (CDBG-CV, which is part of the state’s allocation from the federal&nbsp;Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.“The Community Development Block Grant program has been a powerful tool in developing communities and expanding economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income Kansans,” Kelly said. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to expand our support to these communities in this time of crisis.”Grants are available to communities in two categories.Economic DevelopmentEconomic development grants provide communities with funding to help local businesses retain jobs for low-to-moderate income people. Grant funds can be used for expenses such as working capital (e.g., wages, utilities, rent) or to purchase up to 60 days of inventory needed to reopen, once allowed to reopen.Meal ProgramsMeal program grants&nbsp;provide communities with funds for various programs that provide access to nutritious foods during the COVID-19 crisis. Grant funds can be directed toward organizations such as Meals on Wheels, local food banks or to support organizations providing meals for children affected by the loss of school meal programs.“It’s our intent that by infusing an additional $9 million into communities to support urgent needs, we can help alleviate some of the stress caused by the COVID-19 crisis and allow Kansas to return to business as usual as quickly as possible,” Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “What’s great about the CDBG-CV program is that it allows decision making to happen at the local level by the people who know their communities – and their needs – best.”Applications for CDBG-CV open Tuesday, May 12. Funds will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until all funds have been disbursed.Kansas cities and counties can find further details and apply for CDBG-CV grants by <a href="https://www.kansascommerce.gov/programs-services/community-development/community-development-block-grant-program/cdbg-cv/">visiting here&nbsp;</a>

🎥  Gov.: $9M in grants to support community responses to coronavirus

SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal weekend crash and have identified the victim as Adrian Garcia, 14, of Topeka.&nbsp;

Just before 9a.m. Sunday, a resident in the 7000 block of SE Highway 40 reported crash debris in their front yard, near the ditch, according to&nbsp;Capt. Danny Lotridge.

Upon arrival deputies located an Infinity G35 with major damage sustained from rolling over multiple times.&nbsp; The vehicle came to rest in a densely wooded area and was not visible from the highway.

Garcia was the lone occupant in the vehicle and was pronounced deceased at the scene.&nbsp;

Deputies determined the vehicle was traveling eastbound on SE Highway 40 and left the roadway for unknown reasons.&nbsp; Deputies gathered information that suggests the accident occurred between 4:30 and 4:45a.m.&nbsp;

SHAWNEE COUNTY — One person died in an accident early Sunday in Shawnee County.

 Upon arrival deputies located an Infinity G35 with major damage sustained from rolling over multiple times.&nbsp; The vehicle came to rest in a densely wooded area and was not visible from the highway.

The driver, and lone occupant in the vehicle, was pronounced deceased at the scene.&nbsp;

The name of the driver, will not be released until deputies make positive identification and notify next of kin, according to Lotridge.

SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal weekend crash and have identified the victim as Adrian Garcia, 14, of Topeka.&nbsp;Just before 9a.m. Sunday, a resident in the 7000 block of SE Highway 40 reported crash debris in their front yard, near the ditch, according to&nbsp;Capt. Danny Lotridge.Upon arrival deputies located an Infinity G35 with major damage sustained from rolling over multiple times.&nbsp; The vehicle came to rest in a densely wooded area and was not visible from the highway.Garcia was the lone occupant in the vehicle and was pronounced deceased at the scene.&nbsp;Deputies determined the vehicle was traveling eastbound on SE Highway 40 and left the roadway for unknown reasons.&nbsp; Deputies gathered information that suggests the accident occurred between 4:30 and 4:45a.m.&nbsp;-------SHAWNEE COUNTY — One person died in an accident early Sunday in Shawnee County.Just before 9a.m. Sunday, a resident in the 7000 block of SE Highway 40 reported crash debris in their front yard, near the ditch, according to&nbsp;Capt. Danny Lotridge. Upon arrival deputies located an Infinity G35 with major damage sustained from rolling over multiple times.&nbsp; The vehicle came to rest in a densely wooded area and was not visible from the highway.The driver, and lone occupant in the vehicle, was pronounced deceased at the scene.&nbsp;Deputies determined the vehicle was traveling eastbound on SE Highway 40 and left the roadway for unknown reasons.&nbsp; Deputies gathered information that suggests the accident occurred between 4:30 and 4:45a.m.&nbsp;The name of the driver, will not be released until deputies make positive identification and notify next of kin, according to Lotridge.

Update: Kan. homeowner finds debris from crash in yard

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ top two contenders in the Senate election and competitive congressional races will be getting majority of their money from out-of-state donors, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.

Democrat Barbara Bollier and Republican Kris Kobach have received roughly two-thirds of their individual contributions from non-Kansan donors. The amount excludes donations from political action committees.

Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids and Republican Rep. Steve Watkins have also received donations from out of state. Both are top targets for the opposing party in 2020.

Kansas Republican chairman Mike Kukelman says he’s concerned that so much money is flowing into the state.

Bollier, a state senator from Johnson County, raised $1.58 million or 63.5% from donors who live outside Kansas.

Kobach, the former Kansas secretary of state, has received less overall out-of-state cash, but it accounts for an even greater percentage of his fundraising with $292,521 or 69.2% of his individual contributions.

“Conservatives nationally are supporting me because they want to help Kansans put someone with a proven conservative record in the Senate,” Kobach said in a statement.

Davids raised $1.14 million or 63.7 % from out of state. Her top metros include Kansas City, New York and Washington.

Watkins, the freshman Republican from Topeka, received $359,568 or 69.2 % from out of state.

Republicans have attacked Bollier and Davids for their out-of-state fundraising, but they’ve largely ignored Kobach and Watkins’ similar reliance on outside largesse.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1585145252311.png" alt=" Barbara Bollier, a former Republican, is running for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat. Credit Jim McLean" />
 <figcaption> Barbara Bollier, a former Republican, is running for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat. Credit Jim McLean</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ top two contenders in the Senate election and competitive congressional races will be getting majority of their money from out-of-state donors, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.Democrat Barbara Bollier and Republican Kris Kobach have received roughly two-thirds of their individual contributions from non-Kansan donors. The amount excludes donations from political action committees.Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids and Republican Rep. Steve Watkins have also received donations from out of state. Both are top targets for the opposing party in 2020.Kansas Republican chairman Mike Kukelman says he’s concerned that so much money is flowing into the state.Bollier, a state senator from Johnson County, raised $1.58 million or 63.5% from donors who live outside Kansas.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574199016738.png" alt="Kris Kobach" />
 <figcaption>Kris Kobach</figcaption>
 </figure>Kobach, the former Kansas secretary of state, has received less overall out-of-state cash, but it accounts for an even greater percentage of his fundraising with $292,521 or 69.2% of his individual contributions.“Conservatives nationally are supporting me because they want to help Kansans put someone with a proven conservative record in the Senate,” Kobach said in a statement.Davids raised $1.14 million or 63.7 % from out of state. Her top metros include Kansas City, New York and Washington.Watkins, the freshman Republican from Topeka, received $359,568 or 69.2 % from out of state.Republicans have attacked Bollier and Davids for their out-of-state fundraising, but they’ve largely ignored Kobach and Watkins’ similar reliance on outside largesse.

Top 2020 Kan. contenders getting out-of-state donations

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 132 to a total of 7116, the state health department reported Monday afternoon.&nbsp;

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

Note: Starting May 11, the KDHE will stop releasing daily updates of counts of coronavirus cases and move to releasing the information on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

He said department employees need a combined total of 10 hours a day to produce the data and post it on its coronavirus website.

“We can spring free our precious epidemiology staff to do their work, which is actually to push down the disease,” Norman said.

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 132 to a total of 7116, the state health department reported Monday afternoon.&nbsp;Coronavirus deaths were reported at 158<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/2020/5/1589217079597.png" alt="May 11, 2020 KDHE Image" />
 <figcaption>May 11, 2020 KDHE Image</figcaption>
 </figure>Note: Starting May 11, the KDHE will stop releasing daily updates of counts of coronavirus cases and move to releasing the information on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.He said department employees need a combined total of 10 hours a day to produce the data and post it on its coronavirus website.“We can spring free our precious epidemiology staff to do their work, which is actually to push down the disease,” Norman said.

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

DEERFIELD, Kan. (AP)— An 8-year-old Garden City boy died when an ATV he was riding on rolled over. 

Kearny County authorities say the crash occurred around noon Sunday about 7 miles northeast of Deerfield. 

Twenty-year-old Daniel Rodriguez and 8-year-old Aiden Hernandez were riding on the ATV in a field next to a house when it rolled at least once. 

The Kearny County Sheriff's Office says Rodriguez and Aiden were both thrown from the vehicle. They were not wearing helmets. Aiden died at a hospital. Rodriguez was not injured.

DEERFIELD, Kan. (AP)— An 8-year-old Garden City boy died when an ATV he was riding on rolled over. Kearny County authorities say the crash occurred around noon Sunday about 7 miles northeast of Deerfield. Twenty-year-old Daniel Rodriguez and 8-year-old Aiden Hernandez were riding on the ATV in a field next to a house when it rolled at least once. The Kearny County Sheriff's Office says Rodriguez and Aiden were both thrown from the vehicle. They were not wearing helmets. Aiden died at a hospital. Rodriguez was not injured.

8-year-old Kansas boy dies when ATV rolls in field

SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man after a chase and crash into a house in Saline County.

According to Sheriff Roger Soldan, a deputy was eastbound on East Crawford Street shortly before midnight Saturday when he clocked a westbound 2005 Jeep at 60 mph. The deputy attempted to stop the Jeep, which turned south onto Roach Street and was traveling at speeds in excess of 90 mph.

The Jeep left the road in the 2100 block of Roach, where the street curves near Stewart Elementary School,&nbsp; traveled through three yards and took out shrubbery and a rock display. 

The Jeep then crossed Belmont Boulevard and struck a wooden fence and house at 2202 Roach. No one in the house was injured, according to Soldan.

The driver, Nathan Rogers, 27, of Overland Park, fled on foot but was located Sunday and arrested on requested charges include Felony flee and elude, Felony damage to property, Felony interference, Reckless driving, Duty to report an accident and Transporting an open container.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589211771385.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Photo Saline County Sheriff's OfficeSALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man after a chase and crash into a house in Saline County.According to Sheriff Roger Soldan, a deputy was eastbound on East Crawford Street shortly before midnight Saturday when he clocked a westbound 2005 Jeep at 60 mph. The deputy attempted to stop the Jeep, which turned south onto Roach Street and was traveling at speeds in excess of 90 mph.The Jeep left the road in the 2100 block of Roach, where the street curves near Stewart Elementary School,&nbsp; traveled through three yards and took out shrubbery and a rock display. The Jeep then crossed Belmont Boulevard and struck a wooden fence and house at 2202 Roach. No one in the house was injured, according to Soldan.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589199149943.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Nathan Rogers&nbsp;The driver, Nathan Rogers, 27, of Overland Park, fled on foot but was located Sunday and arrested on requested charges include Felony flee and elude, Felony damage to property, Felony interference, Reckless driving, Duty to report an accident and Transporting an open container.

Kansas man arrested after crashing Jeep into house

TOPEKA&nbsp; – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt on Monday said his office has been asked for its formal legal opinion on whether a state law that authorizes criminal prosecution of Kansans who violate emergency orders issued by the governor is constitutional and enforceable. 

&nbsp;The announcement came a day after two business owners in Linn County in eastern Kansas filed a federal lawsuit over an order requiring them to track who enters their premises. County officials did not immediately respond.&nbsp;

The attorney general issued the following statement:

“I continue to encourage all Kansans to follow the recommendations of public health professionals to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 as our economy and communities reopen. At the same time, a local prosecuting attorney has requested our office review whether violations of emergency orders issued by the governor may lawfully be enforced and punished as crimes. We have agreed to conduct that legal review.&nbsp;

“An unprecedented 27 statewide emergency executive orders have been issued in the past eight weeks on subjects ranging widely from stay-home, mass gatherings and business closures to alcohol sales, evictions and trash collection. The Kansas constitution grants the legislature, not the governor, power to define what behavior may subject Kansans to potential arrest, criminal prosecution, fines or imprisonment. No appellate court has determined whether the legislature, through provisions of the Kansas Emergency Management Act, has lawfully delegated that power to the governor. Even if delegation is generally permissible, we have been asked specific legal questions that could affect the ability of law enforcement and prosecutors to&nbsp;criminally enforce emergency orders under authority of K.S.A. 48-939. We are working diligently and will issue our formal legal opinion on these&nbsp;important questions as soon as possible.”

Governor Kelly's office did not immediately respond to the statement from the attorney general.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1585442211571.jpeg" alt="Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly explains her decision to mandate a statewide stay-at-home order -photo by&nbsp; Jim McLean / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly explains her decision to mandate a statewide stay-at-home order -photo by&nbsp; Jim McLean / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp; – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt on Monday said his office has been asked for its formal legal opinion on whether a state law that authorizes criminal prosecution of Kansans who violate emergency orders issued by the governor is constitutional and enforceable. &nbsp;The announcement came a day after two business owners in Linn County in eastern Kansas filed a federal lawsuit over an order requiring them to track who enters their premises. County officials did not immediately respond.&nbsp;The attorney general issued the following statement:“I continue to encourage all Kansans to follow the recommendations of public health professionals to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 as our economy and communities reopen. At the same time, a local prosecuting attorney has requested our office review whether violations of emergency orders issued by the governor may lawfully be enforced and punished as crimes. We have agreed to conduct that legal review.&nbsp;“An unprecedented 27 statewide emergency executive orders have been issued in the past eight weeks on subjects ranging widely from stay-home, mass gatherings and business closures to alcohol sales, evictions and trash collection. The Kansas constitution grants the legislature, not the governor, power to define what behavior may subject Kansans to potential arrest, criminal prosecution, fines or imprisonment. No appellate court has determined whether the legislature, through provisions of the Kansas Emergency Management Act, has lawfully delegated that power to the governor. Even if delegation is generally permissible, we have been asked specific legal questions that could affect the ability of law enforcement and prosecutors to&nbsp;criminally enforce emergency orders under authority of K.S.A. 48-939. We are working diligently and will issue our formal legal opinion on these&nbsp;important questions as soon as possible.”Governor Kelly's office did not immediately respond to the statement from the attorney general.

AG reviews if violations of Gov's executive orders can be prosecuted


HUTCHINSON — 
An economist with the Sandlian Center for Entrepreneurial Government 
with the Kansas Policy Institute believes that the choice of locking 
down the state to stop the spread of COVID-19 has created more economic 
problems than the health problems it has solved.

"Using a lockdown
 to combat COVID-19 is very much like using a sledgehammer to crack a 
nut," said Michael Austin. "Not only is it overkill, but it's such a 
blunt instrument you're guaranteed to have unintended consequences. In 
Kansas, lockdown policy has turned a potential public health crisis, I 
think, into a severe economic recession."

Homebase is a scheduling
 and time-tracking tool used by 100,000 businesses and their hourly 
employees. Some statistics from earlier in the month illustrate how much
 of a slowdown was caused by COVID-19 restrictions.

"As of May 4, 
which is day one of the phasing out lockdown plan, about 31% of all 
Kansas businesses are closed. Roughly 29% of hourly employees are off 
the job. Productivity-wise, hours worked is down about 35%."

Austin
 says Homebase updates its data daily, so we'll be able to tell how 
quickly businesses bounce back as the reopening happens.

"I think 
that the slow approach undertaken by state and local governments here, 
unfortunately, will make the economic recovery take far longer than it 
needs to," Austin said. "When you make public health the sole goal of 
government, I know it most certainly can seem laudable, but there are 
also consequences we just can't ignore. Social gathering restrictions, 
the continued closure of some businesses and the early inability to get 
those unemployment payments out, means a higher chance some families go 
into poverty."

The balance between legitimate economic damage 
concerns and the public health threat will continue to be a source of 
tension for as long as COVID-19 continues to shape policy. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589211108733.jpeg" alt="Michael Austin" />
 <figcaption>Michael Austin</figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON — 
An economist with the Sandlian Center for Entrepreneurial Government 
with the Kansas Policy Institute believes that the choice of locking 
down the state to stop the spread of COVID-19 has created more economic 
problems than the health problems it has solved."Using a lockdown
 to combat COVID-19 is very much like using a sledgehammer to crack a 
nut," said Michael Austin. "Not only is it overkill, but it's such a 
blunt instrument you're guaranteed to have unintended consequences. In 
Kansas, lockdown policy has turned a potential public health crisis, I 
think, into a severe economic recession."Homebase is a scheduling
 and time-tracking tool used by 100,000 businesses and their hourly 
employees. Some statistics from earlier in the month illustrate how much
 of a slowdown was caused by COVID-19 restrictions."As of May 4, 
which is day one of the phasing out lockdown plan, about 31% of all 
Kansas businesses are closed. Roughly 29% of hourly employees are off 
the job. Productivity-wise, hours worked is down about 35%."Austin
 says Homebase updates its data daily, so we'll be able to tell how 
quickly businesses bounce back as the reopening happens."I think 
that the slow approach undertaken by state and local governments here, 
unfortunately, will make the economic recovery take far longer than it 
needs to," Austin said. "When you make public health the sole goal of 
government, I know it most certainly can seem laudable, but there are 
also consequences we just can't ignore. Social gathering restrictions, 
the continued closure of some businesses and the early inability to get 
those unemployment payments out, means a higher chance some families go 
into poverty."The balance between legitimate economic damage 
concerns and the public health threat will continue to be a source of 
tension for as long as COVID-19 continues to shape policy.

Austin: Shutdown caused unintended economic consequences

By LYNN HORSLEY <a href="https://www.kcur.org/community/2020-05-11/here-is-what-people-can-and-cant-do-as-johnson-and-wyandotte-counties-begin-to-gradually-reopen">Kansas News Service</a>

Johnson and Wyandotte Counties begin to gradually reopen their 
economies on Monday, May 11, following weeks of stringent stay-home 
orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

They follow Kansas City, Missouri, which began allowing some non-essential businesses to reopen Wednesday, May 6.

<a href="https://www.kcur.org/2020-05-06/heres-what-people-can-do-and-not-do-in-kansas-city-missouri-as-stay-at-home-order-partially-lifts" target="_blank">Read KCUR’s “Here’s What People Can Do – And Not Do – In Kansas City, Missouri, As Stay-At-Home Order Partially Lifts”</a>

Health
 officers in Johnson and Wyandotte counties said they thought a May 11 
start date was safer for their communities. They still are strongly 
urging people who are out and about to wear cloth masks in public 
settings.

Johnson County is mostly following Kansas Gov. Laura 
Kelly’s phased approach in reopening statewide, while Wyandotte County 
is taking a more restrictive approach.

In
 Johnson County, here are some of the places that residents and 
customers can start to visit that they couldn’t before. You can read the
 county’s reopening plan <a href="https://jocogov.org/sites/default/files/documents/CMO/Phased%20opening%20in%20Johnson%20County%202.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.

However, here are the things you still can’t do:

Those types of businesses can’t open at least until May 18 under <a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Reopen-Kansas-Framework.pdf" target="_blank">Kansas’ reopening plan.</a> That second phase depends on virus data trends improving.

Johnson County Library is also developing a phased reopening plan and more information will be <a href="https://www.jocolibrary.org/" target="_blank">at the Library’s website.</a>

Wyandotte County has a more gradual plan for reopening. The details can be read <a href="https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/RestartWYCOGuidanceDocument043020.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.

In the first phase, most people are still urged to stay at home as much as possible. Here are some important details:

As in Johnson County, many 
businesses and functions will remain closed in the first phase, 
including haircare places, gyms, community centers, libraries, museums 
and entertainment venues.

In Wyandotte County, elective dental procedures are discouraged for now.

Government
 offices remain closed although people can do various services online, 
including vehicle titling and registration. More information is at the <a href="https://www.wycokck.org/auto" target="_blank">Unified Government’s website</a>.

Lynn Horsley is a freelance writer in Kansas City. Follow her on Twitter @LynnHorsley.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589205232552.png" alt="Restaurants and many other mom-and-pop stores in downtown Overland Park will be allowed to open Monday, May 11, with some restrictions still in place. Sam Zeff / KCUR" />
 <figcaption>Restaurants and many other mom-and-pop stores in downtown Overland Park will be allowed to open Monday, May 11, with some restrictions still in place. Sam Zeff / KCUR</figcaption>
 </figure>By LYNN HORSLEY <a href="https://www.kcur.org/community/2020-05-11/here-is-what-people-can-and-cant-do-as-johnson-and-wyandotte-counties-begin-to-gradually-reopen">Kansas News Service</a>Johnson and Wyandotte Counties begin to gradually reopen their 
economies on Monday, May 11, following weeks of stringent stay-home 
orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.They follow Kansas City, Missouri, which began allowing some non-essential businesses to reopen Wednesday, May 6.<a href="https://www.kcur.org/2020-05-06/heres-what-people-can-do-and-not-do-in-kansas-city-missouri-as-stay-at-home-order-partially-lifts" target="_blank">Read KCUR’s “Here’s What People Can Do – And Not Do – In Kansas City, Missouri, As Stay-At-Home Order Partially Lifts”</a>Health
 officers in Johnson and Wyandotte counties said they thought a May 11 
start date was safer for their communities. They still are strongly 
urging people who are out and about to wear cloth masks in public 
settings.Johnson County is mostly following Kansas Gov. Laura 
Kelly’s phased approach in reopening statewide, while Wyandotte County 
is taking a more restrictive approach.<h2>Johnson County</h2>In
 Johnson County, here are some of the places that residents and 
customers can start to visit that they couldn’t before. You can read the
 county’s reopening plan <a href="https://jocogov.org/sites/default/files/documents/CMO/Phased%20opening%20in%20Johnson%20County%202.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.<ol>
 <li>Offices
 such as law firms and advertising agencies that don’t usually serve the
 public can open with social distancing among workers.</li><li>Restaurants can offer dine-in service for parties of 10 or fewer people but tables must be at least 6 feet apart.</li><li>Farmers markets are allowed, with social distancing.</li><li>Retail stores such as clothing and gift shops can serve shoppers, with social distancing.</li><li>Churches can hold services with more than 10 people but social distancing is required between families.</li><li>The motor vehicle offices in Olathe and Mission are open on a limited basis, but reservations are required. (You can make them <a href="https://www.jocogov.org/residents/vehicles" target="_blank">here</a> in order to secure a place in line.) Still, the county strongly urges patrons to conduct as much business online as possible.</li><li>The New Century and Executive airports are also open as of Monday, May 11.</li>
 </ol>However, here are the things you still can’t do:<ol>
 <li>Visit a bar or nightclub except for curbside or carryout.</li><li>Get a haircut or a massage.</li><li>Visit a gym, library, playground or community center.</li><li>Attend a theater or other indoor entertainment venue.</li>
 </ol>Those types of businesses can’t open at least until May 18 under <a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Reopen-Kansas-Framework.pdf" target="_blank">Kansas’ reopening plan.</a> That second phase depends on virus data trends improving.Johnson County Library is also developing a phased reopening plan and more information will be <a href="https://www.jocolibrary.org/" target="_blank">at the Library’s website.</a><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589205343951.png" alt="Businesses like this family owned cupcake store in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, have been closed to walk-in business since the shutdown started in mid-March. Laura Ziegler photo" />
 <figcaption>Businesses like this family owned cupcake store in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, have been closed to walk-in business since the shutdown started in mid-March. Laura Ziegler photo</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Wyandotte County</h2>Wyandotte County has a more gradual plan for reopening. The details can be read <a href="https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/RestartWYCOGuidanceDocument043020.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.In the first phase, most people are still urged to stay at home as much as possible. Here are some important details:<ol>
 <li>Offices, manufacturing and logistical businesses can open with social distancing among workers and customers.</li><li>No
 dine-in restaurant service is allowed and farmers markets are 
discouraged. Carry out and curbside service are allowed with 6-foot 
social distancing, as are food trucks.</li><li>Hotels and motels can operate at no more than 25% capacity.</li><li>Church
 services, including weddings and funerals, can only accommodate 10 
percent of capacity as determined by the fire marshal, and personal 
greetings are discouraged.</li>
 </ol>As in Johnson County, many 
businesses and functions will remain closed in the first phase, 
including haircare places, gyms, community centers, libraries, museums 
and entertainment venues.In Wyandotte County, elective dental procedures are discouraged for now.Government
 offices remain closed although people can do various services online, 
including vehicle titling and registration. More information is at the <a href="https://www.wycokck.org/auto" target="_blank">Unified Government’s website</a>.Lynn Horsley is a freelance writer in Kansas City. Follow her on Twitter @LynnHorsley.

What the reopening of Johnson, Wyandotte counties looks like

Sedgwick County agent helping to set up gardeners nationwide for success

WICHITA – When Rebecca McMahon saw a newspaper article in March indicating that garden stores in Wichita were already selling out of supplies, she had an idea what was going on.

The state’s stay-at-home order as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic was inspiring many homeowners to plant their own garden, she thought.

So McMahon, the horticultural food crops agent for K-State Research and Extension’s Sedgwick County office, quickly made plans to help out. In April, she launched an eight-week online gardening course, titled Victory Garden 101, to set up aspiring gardeners for success.

“The topics are geared toward first-time gardeners, or those who have dabbled in the past without a whole of success, and at the time were taking advantage of the stay-at-home order to jump back into vegetable gardening,” McMahon said. “But anyone who gardens knows that there is always something more to learn.”

The live class is being held on Tuesday evenings through the end of May, but all of the lessons are available for free, seven days a week on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sedgwick.k-state.edu/gardening-lawn-care/fruits-vegetables-nuts/victorygarden101.html">Sedgwick County extension office’s website</a>.

As of early May, people from across the United States were still signing up for the course, using the online videos to catch up to current course content. McMahon said there were 820 participants in the class as of May 5.

“Everyone can access the materials on the website, but they need to register if they want email updates and the chance to join the live class,” McMahon said.

The concept of a ‘Victory Garden’ dates back to World War II when Americans were encouraged to plant a home garden to provide a certain amount of their food during a time when many of the country’s agricultural products were being used to support the military.

“I saw a statistic that indicated about 40% of fruits and vegetables consumed by Americans at that time were provided by Victory Gardens during World War II,” McMahon said. “That’s a huge number.”

Similarly, the basis for McMahon’s class is to encourage consumers to grow some of their own food, adding to their community’s food security, while also saving a little money on their grocery bill.

“Gardening is a great thing anytime, pandemic or not,” McMahon said. “I encourage folks to pick up vegetable gardening as a great opportunity for learning for their kids, activity for themselves and a great way to add vegetables and healthy foods to your diet.”

McMahon noted that it doesn’t take a lot of room to grow a few vegetables or other garden crop. People who live in apartments can grow vegetables or other crops in small containers on a balcony or patio, for example.

“Even in a small yard, you can grow a few things,” she said. “You don’t have to till up a rectangular section of your yard in order to have a garden.”

McMahon added that the weekly lessons provide a nifty template for getting started. Starting with week one, Victory Garden 101 is leading gardeners through preparing a site, planning the garden, growing your own salad, tips for great tomatoes, using vertical space, watering, and dealing with insect of disease problems.

It’s also not too late to get some of Kansans’ favorites into the ground.

“Right now is a great time to plant tomatoes and green beans,” McMahon said. “And over the next couple weeks, other warm season vegetables like cucumbers, squash, melons, peppers and eggplant can be planted.”

For ideas on what can be planted in Kansas – and the best time to do so – interested persons should read the&nbsp;<a href="https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/mf315.pdf">Vegetable Garden Planting Guide</a>, published through K-State Research and Extension. McMahon notes that the third page of that guide has a planting calendar that serves as an easy-to-use reference for planting fruits and vegetables.

“I really encourage people to start with some leafy greens because they grow to maturity a lot faster than other crops,” McMahon said. “Plus, they’re a short project. If you grow some lettuce and after harvesting it in 50 to 60 days you decide this gardening thing is not for you, then you haven’t invested too much time and you still got something out of it.

“Tomatoes, potatoes and squash…they’re flashy vegetables, but they are an investment of time, and you have a lot of gardening work to do to get to your harvest endpoint.”

For more information regarding gardening, interested persons are also encouraged to join the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/victorygarden101/">Victory Garden 101 Facebook page</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589312987137.jpeg" alt="Rebecca McMahon" />
 <figcaption>Rebecca McMahon</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Sedgwick County agent helping to set up gardeners nationwide for success</h2>K-State Research &amp; ExtensionWICHITA – When Rebecca McMahon saw a newspaper article in March indicating that garden stores in Wichita were already selling out of supplies, she had an idea what was going on.The state’s stay-at-home order as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic was inspiring many homeowners to plant their own garden, she thought.So McMahon, the horticultural food crops agent for K-State Research and Extension’s Sedgwick County office, quickly made plans to help out. In April, she launched an eight-week online gardening course, titled Victory Garden 101, to set up aspiring gardeners for success.“The topics are geared toward first-time gardeners, or those who have dabbled in the past without a whole of success, and at the time were taking advantage of the stay-at-home order to jump back into vegetable gardening,” McMahon said. “But anyone who gardens knows that there is always something more to learn.”The live class is being held on Tuesday evenings through the end of May, but all of the lessons are available for free, seven days a week on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sedgwick.k-state.edu/gardening-lawn-care/fruits-vegetables-nuts/victorygarden101.html">Sedgwick County extension office’s website</a>.As of early May, people from across the United States were still signing up for the course, using the online videos to catch up to current course content. McMahon said there were 820 participants in the class as of May 5.“Everyone can access the materials on the website, but they need to register if they want email updates and the chance to join the live class,” McMahon said.The concept of a ‘Victory Garden’ dates back to World War II when Americans were encouraged to plant a home garden to provide a certain amount of their food during a time when many of the country’s agricultural products were being used to support the military.“I saw a statistic that indicated about 40% of fruits and vegetables consumed by Americans at that time were provided by Victory Gardens during World War II,” McMahon said. “That’s a huge number.”Similarly, the basis for McMahon’s class is to encourage consumers to grow some of their own food, adding to their community’s food security, while also saving a little money on their grocery bill.“Gardening is a great thing anytime, pandemic or not,” McMahon said. “I encourage folks to pick up vegetable gardening as a great opportunity for learning for their kids, activity for themselves and a great way to add vegetables and healthy foods to your diet.”McMahon noted that it doesn’t take a lot of room to grow a few vegetables or other garden crop. People who live in apartments can grow vegetables or other crops in small containers on a balcony or patio, for example.“Even in a small yard, you can grow a few things,” she said. “You don’t have to till up a rectangular section of your yard in order to have a garden.”McMahon added that the weekly lessons provide a nifty template for getting started. Starting with week one, Victory Garden 101 is leading gardeners through preparing a site, planning the garden, growing your own salad, tips for great tomatoes, using vertical space, watering, and dealing with insect of disease problems.It’s also not too late to get some of Kansans’ favorites into the ground.“Right now is a great time to plant tomatoes and green beans,” McMahon said. “And over the next couple weeks, other warm season vegetables like cucumbers, squash, melons, peppers and eggplant can be planted.”For ideas on what can be planted in Kansas – and the best time to do so – interested persons should read the&nbsp;<a href="https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/mf315.pdf">Vegetable Garden Planting Guide</a>, published through K-State Research and Extension. McMahon notes that the third page of that guide has a planting calendar that serves as an easy-to-use reference for planting fruits and vegetables.“I really encourage people to start with some leafy greens because they grow to maturity a lot faster than other crops,” McMahon said. “Plus, they’re a short project. If you grow some lettuce and after harvesting it in 50 to 60 days you decide this gardening thing is not for you, then you haven’t invested too much time and you still got something out of it.“Tomatoes, potatoes and squash…they’re flashy vegetables, but they are an investment of time, and you have a lot of gardening work to do to get to your harvest endpoint.”For more information regarding gardening, interested persons are also encouraged to join the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/victorygarden101/">Victory Garden 101 Facebook page</a>.

‘Victory Garden’ course draws more than 800…and counting

WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite a century’s progress in science, 2020 is looking a lot like 1918.

In the years between two lethal pandemics, one the misnamed Spanish flu, the other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">COVID-19</a>, the world learned about viruses, cured various diseases, made effective vaccines, developed instant communications and created elaborate public-health networks.

Yet here we are again, face-masked to the max. And still unable to crush an insidious yet avoidable infectious disease before hundreds of thousands die from it.

As in 1918, people are again hearing hollow assurances at odds with the reality of hospitals and morgues filling up and bank accounts draining. The ancient common sense of quarantining is back. So is quackery: Rub raw onions on your chest, they said in 1918. How about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/7f0a9a77dad8c8722aa54fef45e8667b">disinfectant in your veins</a>&nbsp;now? mused President Donald Trump, drawing gasps instead of laughs over what he weakly tried to pass off as a joke.

In 1918, no one had a vaccine, treatment or cure for the great flu pandemic as it ravaged the world and killed more than 50 million people. No one has any of that for the coronavirus, either.

Modern science quickly identified&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak">today’s new coronavirus</a>, mapped its genetic code and developed a diagnostic test, tapping knowledge no one had in 1918. That has given people more of a fighting chance to stay out of harm’s way, at least in countries that deployed tests quickly, which the U.S. didn’t.

But the ways to avoid getting sick and what to do when sick are little changed. The failure of U.S. presidents to take the threat seriously from the start also joins past to present.

Trump all but declared victory before infection took root in his country and he’s delivered a stream of misinformation ever since. President Woodrow Wilson’s principal failure was his silence.

Not once, historians say, did Wilson publicly speak about a disease that was killing Americans grotesquely and in huge numbers, even though he contracted it himself and was never the same after. Wilson fixated on America’s parallel fight in World War I like “a dog with a bone,” says John M. Barry, author of “The Great Influenza.”

The suspected ground zero of the Spanish flu ranges from Kansas to China. But it was clear to U.S. officials even in 1918 that it didn’t start in Spain.

The pandemic took on Spain’s name only because its free press ambitiously reported the devastation in the disease’s early 1918 wave while government officials and a complicit press in countries at war — the U.S. among them — played it down in a time of jingoism, censorship and denial.

Like COVID-19, the 1918 pandemic came from a respiratory virus that jumped from animals to people, was transmitted the same way, and had similar pathology, Barry said by email. Social distancing, hand-washing and masks were leading control measures then and now.

<a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-opinion-flashback-1918-flu-pandemic-timeline-htmlstory.html" target="_blank">Medical advice from then&nbsp;</a>also resonates today: “If you get it, stay at home, rest in bed, keep warm, drink hot drinks and stay quiet until the symptoms are past,” said Dr. John Dill Robertson, Chicago health commissioner in 1918. “Then continue to be careful, for the greatest danger is from pneumonia or some kindred disease after the influenza is gone.”

In the manner of the day, there just had to be a catchy rhyme in circulation, too: “Cover up each cough and sneeze. If you don’t you’ll spread disease.”

But there were also marked differences between the viruses of 1918 and 2020. The Spanish flu was particularly dangerous to healthy people aged 20 to 40 — the prime generation of military service — paradoxically because of their vibrant immune systems.

When such people got infected, their antibodies went after the virus like soldiers spilling from the trenches of Europe’s killing fields.

“The immune system was throwing every weapon it had at the virus,” Barry said. “The battlefield was the lung. The lung was being destroyed in that battle.”

Young soldiers and sailors&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-commemoration/pandemic-timeline-1918.htm" target="_blank">massed at military camps</a>&nbsp;in the U.S., sailed for Europe on ships stuffed to the gunwales with humanity, fought side by side in the trenches and came home in victory to adoring crowds. The toll was enormous, on them and the people they infected. The Spanish flu could just as easily have been called the U.S. Army or U.S. Navy flu instead. Or the German or British flu, for that matter.

Among those who died in the pandemic was Friedrich Trump, Donald Trump’s paternal grandfather. Among those who contracted it and recovered were the wartime leaders of Britain and Germany as well as of the United States, British and Spanish kings and the future U.S. president, Franklin Roosevelt, when he was assistant Navy secretary.

But the toll was heavier on average people and the poor, crowded in tenements, street cars and sweaty factories.

They could not all live by the words of the 1918 U.S. surgeon general, Rupert Blue: “Keep out of crowds and stuffy places as much as possible. ... The value of fresh air through open windows cannot be overemphasized. ... Make every possible effort to breath as much pure air as possible.”

An estimated 675,000 Americans died in the pandemic, which is thought to have infected one-third of the global population.&nbsp;<a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" target="_blank">Tracking by Johns Hopkins University</a>&nbsp;shows the continuing COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 250,000 people globally, more than 68,000 in the United States.

In 1918, the surgeon general noted in a handbill that “a person who has only a mild attack of the disease himself may give a very severe attack to others.” The warning is just as applicable to the coronavirus, especially as scientists learned large numbers of people with COVID-19 may spread it despite no obvious symptoms. Exactly how often the new virus kills can’t be determined without better counts of the infected; some estimates&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3291398/" target="_blank">put the 1918 flu’s death rate at 2.5%.</a>

Blue’s public notice also warned people to avoid charlatans and only get medicine from doctors.

Physicians, though, didn’t always know what they were doing. Medical journals at the time describe a rash of unusual treatments, some in the league of Trump’s amateur theories about disinfectant, blasts of lights and an unapproved drug that has both potential benefits and risks.

One 1918-era doctor recommended that people sniff a boric acid and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) powder to rinse out nasal passages. Others prescribed quinine, strychnine and a poisonous garden plant called Digitalis to help circulation, as well as drugs derived from iodine for “internal disinfection,” according to Laura Spinney, who wrote the 2017 book “Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World.”

Popular theories spread that warming your feet would prevent infection, or gobbling brown sugar, or getting the onion rubdown. A “clean heart” was one supposed preventive, though it is not clear whether that meant the organ or the heart of love.

“There was no Tony Fauci back then,” Barry said in a remote&nbsp;<a href="https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-9104/" target="_blank">Library of Congress interview</a>&nbsp;in April.

We have Fauci now — a federal immunologist who has been regarded as the truth-teller in White House briefings, singularly immune to Trump’s positive spin and falsehoods. Plus, we know so much more than people did in 1918.

Yet we’re still hearing lots of Dark Ages nonsense.

Conspiracy theorists have blamed COVID-19 on the development of 5G networks, just as they say radio waves caused the 1918 flu. Arsonists recently torched more than a dozen British cell towers after that falsehood circulated.

Over the months of this pandemic, The Associated Press has debunked a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/Fact-checking">series of bogus remedies&nbsp;</a>that spread on Facebook, Twitter and the like. No, blasting hot air up your nose from a hair dryer won’t protect you. Nor will drinking tonic water, eating high-alkaline foods, stuffing antibiotic ointment up your nose, downing vodka or any home elixir.

No, it’s not true that if you can’t hold your breath very long, you have COVID-19. Or that a vaccine from a lab only works on a disease created by a lab.

Social distancing has not come with social-media distancing. Over a century of science, we haven’t gone back to the future, but ahead to the past.

In September 1918, as the Spanish flu’s second and by far deadliest wave hit in the U.S., Philadelphia’s public health chief disregarded advisers and let a massive war-bond parade proceed through downtown. The H1N1 virus raced through the masses in what has been called the world’s deadliest parade. As officials insisted there was nothing to be alarmed about, people were seeing neighbors sicken and die with astonishing speed and mass graves being dug.

“It’s just the flu” had worn thin as the mantra of officialdom.

Late that November, sirens wailed in San Francisco to sound the all-clear after six weeks of lockdown and tell people they could remove their masks. San Francisco, like many cities in the West, had been largely spared the first wave and spent the interval preparing for Round 2, mandating masks and jailing people who didn’t comply.

They had a rhyme for that, too, of course: “Obey the laws, and wear the gauze. Protect your jaws from septic paws.”

<a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/influenza-san-francisco/" target="_blank">The precautions paid off&nbsp;</a>with a death rate lower than in afflicted cities elsewhere. But the city relaxed too soon.

In December, thousands of new cases erupted. A wave spilling into the new year was underway. San Francisco’s death toll mounted by more than 1,000. It was the last lashing by the Spanish flu, and a less lethal one.

The brutal lessons of 1918 and 1919? To Barry, who was enlisted 15 years ago in a Bush administration drive to prepare all levels of government for pandemics, they are to respond early, relax cautiously, tell people the truth.

Instead he has seen denial followed by a chaotic federal response and leadership vacuum as Washington and the states compete for the same medical essentials and now move fitfully toward reopening.

“Now we have plans, even war-gamed the plans, spent billions preparing for just what is happening, federal agencies have been tasked to handle all these things, and we get ... next to nothing,” he said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite a century’s progress in science, 2020 is looking a lot like 1918.In the years between two lethal pandemics, one the misnamed Spanish flu, the other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">COVID-19</a>, the world learned about viruses, cured various diseases, made effective vaccines, developed instant communications and created elaborate public-health networks.Yet here we are again, face-masked to the max. And still unable to crush an insidious yet avoidable infectious disease before hundreds of thousands die from it.As in 1918, people are again hearing hollow assurances at odds with the reality of hospitals and morgues filling up and bank accounts draining. The ancient common sense of quarantining is back. So is quackery: Rub raw onions on your chest, they said in 1918. How about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/7f0a9a77dad8c8722aa54fef45e8667b">disinfectant in your veins</a>&nbsp;now? mused President Donald Trump, drawing gasps instead of laughs over what he weakly tried to pass off as a joke.In 1918, no one had a vaccine, treatment or cure for the great flu pandemic as it ravaged the world and killed more than 50 million people. No one has any of that for the coronavirus, either.Modern science quickly identified&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak">today’s new coronavirus</a>, mapped its genetic code and developed a diagnostic test, tapping knowledge no one had in 1918. That has given people more of a fighting chance to stay out of harm’s way, at least in countries that deployed tests quickly, which the U.S. didn’t.But the ways to avoid getting sick and what to do when sick are little changed. The failure of U.S. presidents to take the threat seriously from the start also joins past to present.Trump all but declared victory before infection took root in his country and he’s delivered a stream of misinformation ever since. President Woodrow Wilson’s principal failure was his silence.Not once, historians say, did Wilson publicly speak about a disease that was killing Americans grotesquely and in huge numbers, even though he contracted it himself and was never the same after. Wilson fixated on America’s parallel fight in World War I like “a dog with a bone,” says John M. Barry, author of “The Great Influenza.”The suspected ground zero of the Spanish flu ranges from Kansas to China. But it was clear to U.S. officials even in 1918 that it didn’t start in Spain.The pandemic took on Spain’s name only because its free press ambitiously reported the devastation in the disease’s early 1918 wave while government officials and a complicit press in countries at war — the U.S. among them — played it down in a time of jingoism, censorship and denial.Like COVID-19, the 1918 pandemic came from a respiratory virus that jumped from animals to people, was transmitted the same way, and had similar pathology, Barry said by email. Social distancing, hand-washing and masks were leading control measures then and now.<a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-opinion-flashback-1918-flu-pandemic-timeline-htmlstory.html" target="_blank">Medical advice from then&nbsp;</a>also resonates today: “If you get it, stay at home, rest in bed, keep warm, drink hot drinks and stay quiet until the symptoms are past,” said Dr. John Dill Robertson, Chicago health commissioner in 1918. “Then continue to be careful, for the greatest danger is from pneumonia or some kindred disease after the influenza is gone.”In the manner of the day, there just had to be a catchy rhyme in circulation, too: “Cover up each cough and sneeze. If you don’t you’ll spread disease.”But there were also marked differences between the viruses of 1918 and 2020. The Spanish flu was particularly dangerous to healthy people aged 20 to 40 — the prime generation of military service — paradoxically because of their vibrant immune systems.When such people got infected, their antibodies went after the virus like soldiers spilling from the trenches of Europe’s killing fields.“The immune system was throwing every weapon it had at the virus,” Barry said. “The battlefield was the lung. The lung was being destroyed in that battle.”Young soldiers and sailors&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-commemoration/pandemic-timeline-1918.htm" target="_blank">massed at military camps</a>&nbsp;in the U.S., sailed for Europe on ships stuffed to the gunwales with humanity, fought side by side in the trenches and came home in victory to adoring crowds. The toll was enormous, on them and the people they infected. The Spanish flu could just as easily have been called the U.S. Army or U.S. Navy flu instead. Or the German or British flu, for that matter.Among those who died in the pandemic was Friedrich Trump, Donald Trump’s paternal grandfather. Among those who contracted it and recovered were the wartime leaders of Britain and Germany as well as of the United States, British and Spanish kings and the future U.S. president, Franklin Roosevelt, when he was assistant Navy secretary.But the toll was heavier on average people and the poor, crowded in tenements, street cars and sweaty factories.They could not all live by the words of the 1918 U.S. surgeon general, Rupert Blue: “Keep out of crowds and stuffy places as much as possible. ... The value of fresh air through open windows cannot be overemphasized. ... Make every possible effort to breath as much pure air as possible.”An estimated 675,000 Americans died in the pandemic, which is thought to have infected one-third of the global population.&nbsp;<a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" target="_blank">Tracking by Johns Hopkins University</a>&nbsp;shows the continuing COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 250,000 people globally, more than 68,000 in the United States.___BAD SCIENCEIn 1918, the surgeon general noted in a handbill that “a person who has only a mild attack of the disease himself may give a very severe attack to others.” The warning is just as applicable to the coronavirus, especially as scientists learned large numbers of people with COVID-19 may spread it despite no obvious symptoms. Exactly how often the new virus kills can’t be determined without better counts of the infected; some estimates&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3291398/" target="_blank">put the 1918 flu’s death rate at 2.5%.</a>Blue’s public notice also warned people to avoid charlatans and only get medicine from doctors.Physicians, though, didn’t always know what they were doing. Medical journals at the time describe a rash of unusual treatments, some in the league of Trump’s amateur theories about disinfectant, blasts of lights and an unapproved drug that has both potential benefits and risks.One 1918-era doctor recommended that people sniff a boric acid and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) powder to rinse out nasal passages. Others prescribed quinine, strychnine and a poisonous garden plant called Digitalis to help circulation, as well as drugs derived from iodine for “internal disinfection,” according to Laura Spinney, who wrote the 2017 book “Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World.”Popular theories spread that warming your feet would prevent infection, or gobbling brown sugar, or getting the onion rubdown. A “clean heart” was one supposed preventive, though it is not clear whether that meant the organ or the heart of love.“There was no Tony Fauci back then,” Barry said in a remote&nbsp;<a href="https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-9104/" target="_blank">Library of Congress interview</a>&nbsp;in April.We have Fauci now — a federal immunologist who has been regarded as the truth-teller in White House briefings, singularly immune to Trump’s positive spin and falsehoods. Plus, we know so much more than people did in 1918.Yet we’re still hearing lots of Dark Ages nonsense.Conspiracy theorists have blamed COVID-19 on the development of 5G networks, just as they say radio waves caused the 1918 flu. Arsonists recently torched more than a dozen British cell towers after that falsehood circulated.Over the months of this pandemic, The Associated Press has debunked a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/Fact-checking">series of bogus remedies&nbsp;</a>that spread on Facebook, Twitter and the like. No, blasting hot air up your nose from a hair dryer won’t protect you. Nor will drinking tonic water, eating high-alkaline foods, stuffing antibiotic ointment up your nose, downing vodka or any home elixir.No, it’s not true that if you can’t hold your breath very long, you have COVID-19. Or that a vaccine from a lab only works on a disease created by a lab.Social distancing has not come with social-media distancing. Over a century of science, we haven’t gone back to the future, but ahead to the past.___LESSONS OF 1918 (and 1919)In September 1918, as the Spanish flu’s second and by far deadliest wave hit in the U.S., Philadelphia’s public health chief disregarded advisers and let a massive war-bond parade proceed through downtown. The H1N1 virus raced through the masses in what has been called the world’s deadliest parade. As officials insisted there was nothing to be alarmed about, people were seeing neighbors sicken and die with astonishing speed and mass graves being dug.“It’s just the flu” had worn thin as the mantra of officialdom.Late that November, sirens wailed in San Francisco to sound the all-clear after six weeks of lockdown and tell people they could remove their masks. San Francisco, like many cities in the West, had been largely spared the first wave and spent the interval preparing for Round 2, mandating masks and jailing people who didn’t comply.They had a rhyme for that, too, of course: “Obey the laws, and wear the gauze. Protect your jaws from septic paws.”<a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/influenza-san-francisco/" target="_blank">The precautions paid off&nbsp;</a>with a death rate lower than in afflicted cities elsewhere. But the city relaxed too soon.In December, thousands of new cases erupted. A wave spilling into the new year was underway. San Francisco’s death toll mounted by more than 1,000. It was the last lashing by the Spanish flu, and a less lethal one.The brutal lessons of 1918 and 1919? To Barry, who was enlisted 15 years ago in a Bush administration drive to prepare all levels of government for pandemics, they are to respond early, relax cautiously, tell people the truth.Instead he has seen denial followed by a chaotic federal response and leadership vacuum as Washington and the states compete for the same medical essentials and now move fitfully toward reopening.“Now we have plans, even war-gamed the plans, spent billions preparing for just what is happening, federal agencies have been tasked to handle all these things, and we get ... next to nothing,” he said.Not even a jingle.