"Today we remember the devastating EF-5 tornado that changed Greensburg, Kansas."

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today we remember the devastating EF-5 tornado that changed Greensburg, Kansas. <a href="https://t.co/p2LDH8O7XS">pic.twitter.com/p2LDH8O7XS</a>&mdash; NWS Dodge City (@NWSDodgeCity) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSDodgeCity/status/1257280259600367623?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>"Today we remember the devastating EF-5 tornado that changed Greensburg, Kansas."

NWS on Greensburg anniversary: 'Today we remember ...'

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A shootout in Kansas left both a police officer and a hit-and-run suspect dead, authorities said.

Overland Park police Officer Mike Mosher died at a hospital Sunday evening, Police Chief Frank Donchez said. Mosher was off-duty but in uniform when he saw an apparent hit-and-run and pursued the suspect, which led to a shootout, police spokesman Officer John Lacy told news outlets.

The suspect died at the scene, Donchez said. Police didn’t immediately release a name. An interagency Johnson County team tasked with investigating police shootings will handle the case, the police chief said.

Police didn’t immediately say what led to the exchange of gunfire.

Mosher had been with the Overland Park department for nearly 15 years, and was named officer of the year in 2019. He is survived by a wife and daughter.

“But I know that I speak for Mike when I say that he was proud to be a police officer. It’s all he ever wanted to do. He loved what he did,” Donchez said, adding that Mosher was good at his job.

The police department had not lost an officer in the line of duty since 1985, news outlets reported Lacy said.

Mosher’s death “is a tragic reminder of the enormous debt of gratitude we owe the men and women in law enforcement for protecting our communities,” Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said in a statement.”

Overland Park is near the Missouri state line and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588588773753.png" alt="Police on the scene of the shooting investigation Sunday -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the shooting investigation Sunday -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A shootout in Kansas left both a police officer and a hit-and-run suspect dead, authorities said.Overland Park police Officer Mike Mosher died at a hospital Sunday evening, Police Chief Frank Donchez said. Mosher was off-duty but in uniform when he saw an apparent hit-and-run and pursued the suspect, which led to a shootout, police spokesman Officer John Lacy told news outlets.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FOverlandParkPoliceDepartment%2Fposts%2F1617384548415439%3A0&width=500" width="500" height="752" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></div>The suspect died at the scene, Donchez said. Police didn’t immediately release a name. An interagency Johnson County team tasked with investigating police shootings will handle the case, the police chief said.Police didn’t immediately say what led to the exchange of gunfire.Mosher had been with the Overland Park department for nearly 15 years, and was named officer of the year in 2019. He is survived by a wife and daughter.“But I know that I speak for Mike when I say that he was proud to be a police officer. It’s all he ever wanted to do. He loved what he did,” Donchez said, adding that Mosher was good at his job.The police department had not lost an officer in the line of duty since 1985, news outlets reported Lacy said.Mosher’s death “is a tragic reminder of the enormous debt of gratitude we owe the men and women in law enforcement for protecting our communities,” Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said in a statement.”Overland Park is near the Missouri state line and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area.--------OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A shootout in Kansas left both a police officer and a hit-and-run suspect dead, authorities said.Overland Park police Officer Mike Mosher died at a hospital Sunday evening, Police Chief Frank Donchez said. Mosher was off-duty but in uniform when he saw an apparent hit-and-run and pursued the suspect, which led to a shootout, police spokesman Officer John Lacy told news outlets.The suspect died at the scene, Donchez said. Police didn’t immediately release a name. An interagency Johnson County team tasked with investigating police shootings will handle the case, the police chief said.Police didn’t immediately say what led to the exchange of gunfire.Mosher had been with the Overland Park department for nearly 15 years, and was named officer of the year in 2019. He is survived by a wife and daughter.“But I know that I speak for Mike when I say that he was proud to be a police officer. It’s all he ever wanted to do. He loved what he did,” Donchez said, adding that Mosher was good at his job.The police department had not lost an officer in the line of duty since 1985, news outlets reported Lacy said.Overland Park is near the Missouri state line and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Update: Shootout leaves Kansas officer, suspect dead 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Shuttered retailers, dine-in restaurants and offices in some parts of Kansas are reopening Monday as Gov. Laura Kelly gradually begins lifting the state’s stay-at-home order amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Social distancing still must be observed, and masks are strongly encouraged under the first reopening phase. Many businesses, including bars, gyms, theaters, barbershops, hair and nail salons or state-owned casinos, must remain closed until the second phase, which is expected to begin on May 18. That’s when the 10-person mass gathering limit will begin to gradually increase, rising to 30 until June 1 and 90 until June 15.

Churches, however, will be exempted from the mass-gathering rules, although worshipers must spread out and not pass collection plates.

There will be no immediate change in some counties, including hard-hit Johnson and Wyandotte in the Kansas City area. Kelly’s order allows local officials to set their own stricter rules, and both of those counties chose to keep stay-at-home orders in effect for another week.

The Democratic governor has been under pressure from the Republican-controlled Legislature to lift restrictions as unemployment claims soar and tax revenues drop.

Kelly described her plan last week as an effort to balance “non-negotiable public health considerations with jaw-dropping, unsustainable economic realities.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588352476511.png" alt="Kansas Governor Larua Kelly during her televised address April 30" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Governor Larua Kelly during her televised address April 30</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Shuttered retailers, dine-in restaurants and offices in some parts of Kansas are reopening Monday as Gov. Laura Kelly gradually begins lifting the state’s stay-at-home order amid the coronavirus outbreak.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588351991326.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Social distancing still must be observed, and masks are strongly encouraged under the first reopening phase. Many businesses, including bars, gyms, theaters, barbershops, hair and nail salons or state-owned casinos, must remain closed until the second phase, which is expected to begin on May 18. That’s when the 10-person mass gathering limit will begin to gradually increase, rising to 30 until June 1 and 90 until June 15.Churches, however, will be exempted from the mass-gathering rules, although worshipers must spread out and not pass collection plates.There will be no immediate change in some counties, including hard-hit Johnson and Wyandotte in the Kansas City area. Kelly’s order allows local officials to set their own stricter rules, and both of those counties chose to keep stay-at-home orders in effect for another week.The Democratic governor has been under pressure from the Republican-controlled Legislature to lift restrictions as unemployment claims soar and tax revenues drop.Kelly described her plan last week as an effort to balance “non-negotiable public health considerations with jaw-dropping, unsustainable economic realities.”

Kansas takes first step toward reopening its economy

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials believe China covered up the extent of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">the coronavirus outbreak</a>&nbsp;— and how contagious the disease is — to stock up on medical supplies needed to respond to it, intelligence documents show.

Chinese leaders “intentionally concealed the severity” of the pandemic from the world in early January, according to a four-page Department of Homeland Security intelligence report dated May 1 and obtained by The Associated Press. The revelation comes as the Trump administration has intensified its criticism of China, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying Sunday that that country was responsible for the spread of disease and must be held accountable.

The sharper rhetoric coincides with administration critics saying&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6a8f85aad99607f313cca6ab1398e04d">the government’s response to the virus was slow</a>&nbsp;and inadequate. President Donald Trump’s political opponents have accused him of lashing out at China, a geopolitical foe but critical U.S. trade partner, in an attempt to deflect criticism at home.

Not classified but marked “for official use only,” the DHS analysis states that, while downplaying the severity of the coronavirus, China increased imports and decreased exports of medical supplies. It attempted to cover up doing so by “denying there were export restrictions and obfuscating and delaying provision of its trade data,” the analysis states.

The report also says China held off informing the World Health Organization that the coronavirus “was a contagion” for much of January so it could order medical supplies from abroad — and that its imports of face masks and surgical gowns and gloves increased sharply.

Those conclusions are based on the 95% probability that China’s changes in imports and export behavior were not within normal range, according to the report.

China informed the WHO of the outbreak on Dec. 31. It contacted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on Jan. 3 and publicly identified the pathogen as a novel coronavirus on Jan. 8.

Chinese officials muffled doctors who warned about the virus early on and repeatedly downplayed the threat of the outbreak. However, many of the Chinese government’s missteps appear to have been due to bureaucratic hurdles, tight controls on information and officials hesitant to report bad news. There is no public evidence to suggest it was an intentional plot to buy up the world’s medical supplies.

In a tweet on Sunday, the president appeared to blame U.S. intelligence officials for not making clearer sooner just how dangerous a potential coronavirus outbreak could be. Trump has been defensive over whether he failed to act after receiving early warnings from intelligence officials and others about the coronavirus and its potential impact.

“Intelligence has just reported to me that I was correct, and that they did NOT bring up the CoronaVirus subject matter until late into January, just prior to my banning China from the U.S.,” Trump wrote without citing specifics. “Also, they only spoke of the Virus in a very non-threatening, or matter of fact, manner.”

Trump had previously speculated that China may have unleashed the coronavirus due to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c9499f7b8ab2ae7097c8588f1ccdddea">some kind of horrible “mistake.”</a>&nbsp;His intelligence agencies say they are still examining a notion put forward by the president and aides that the pandemic may have resulted from an accident at a Chinese lab.

Speaking Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” Pompeo said he had no reason to believe that the virus was deliberately spread. But he added, “Remember, China has a history of infecting the world, and they have a history of running substandard laboratories.”

“These are not the first times that we’ve had a world exposed to viruses as a result of failures in a Chinese lab,” Pompeo said. “And so, while the intelligence community continues to do its work, they should continue to do that, and verify so that we are certain, I can tell you that there is a significant amount of evidence that this came from that laboratory in Wuhan.”

The secretary of state appeared to be referring to previous outbreaks of respiratory viruses, like SARS, which started in China. His remark may be seen as offensive in China. Still, Pompeo repeated the same assertion hours later, via a tweet Sunday afternoon.

Experts say the virus arose naturally in bats, and make it clear that they believe it wasn’t human-made. Many virologists say the chance that the outbreak was caused by a lab accident is very low, though scientists are still working to determine a point at which it may have jumped from animals to humans.

Beijing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/887c6ae4116951bb9bc7375e3dc8b158">has repeatedly pushed back</a>&nbsp;on U.S. accusations that the outbreak was China’s fault, pointing to many missteps made by American officials in their own fight against the outbreak. China’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/68a9e1b91de4ffc166acd6012d82c2f9">public announcement on Jan. 20</a>&nbsp;that the virus was transmissible from person to person left the U.S. nearly two months to prepare for the pandemic, during which the U.S. government failed to bolster medical supplies and deployed flawed testing kits.

“The U.S. government has ignored the facts, diverted public attention and engaged in buck-passing in an attempt to shirk its responsibility for incompetence in the fight against the epidemic,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang said Friday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1586382948325.png" alt="Secretary of State Mike Pompeo greets President Trump during a Coronavirus Task Force briefing last month -White House image" />
 <figcaption>Secretary of State Mike Pompeo greets President Trump during a Coronavirus Task Force briefing last month -White House image</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials believe China covered up the extent of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">the coronavirus outbreak</a>&nbsp;— and how contagious the disease is — to stock up on medical supplies needed to respond to it, intelligence documents show.Chinese leaders “intentionally concealed the severity” of the pandemic from the world in early January, according to a four-page Department of Homeland Security intelligence report dated May 1 and obtained by The Associated Press. The revelation comes as the Trump administration has intensified its criticism of China, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying Sunday that that country was responsible for the spread of disease and must be held accountable.The sharper rhetoric coincides with administration critics saying&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6a8f85aad99607f313cca6ab1398e04d">the government’s response to the virus was slow</a>&nbsp;and inadequate. President Donald Trump’s political opponents have accused him of lashing out at China, a geopolitical foe but critical U.S. trade partner, in an attempt to deflect criticism at home.Not classified but marked “for official use only,” the DHS analysis states that, while downplaying the severity of the coronavirus, China increased imports and decreased exports of medical supplies. It attempted to cover up doing so by “denying there were export restrictions and obfuscating and delaying provision of its trade data,” the analysis states.The report also says China held off informing the World Health Organization that the coronavirus “was a contagion” for much of January so it could order medical supplies from abroad — and that its imports of face masks and surgical gowns and gloves increased sharply.Those conclusions are based on the 95% probability that China’s changes in imports and export behavior were not within normal range, according to the report.China informed the WHO of the outbreak on Dec. 31. It contacted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on Jan. 3 and publicly identified the pathogen as a novel coronavirus on Jan. 8.Chinese officials muffled doctors who warned about the virus early on and repeatedly downplayed the threat of the outbreak. However, many of the Chinese government’s missteps appear to have been due to bureaucratic hurdles, tight controls on information and officials hesitant to report bad news. There is no public evidence to suggest it was an intentional plot to buy up the world’s medical supplies.In a tweet on Sunday, the president appeared to blame U.S. intelligence officials for not making clearer sooner just how dangerous a potential coronavirus outbreak could be. Trump has been defensive over whether he failed to act after receiving early warnings from intelligence officials and others about the coronavirus and its potential impact.“Intelligence has just reported to me that I was correct, and that they did NOT bring up the CoronaVirus subject matter until late into January, just prior to my banning China from the U.S.,” Trump wrote without citing specifics. “Also, they only spoke of the Virus in a very non-threatening, or matter of fact, manner.”Trump had previously speculated that China may have unleashed the coronavirus due to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c9499f7b8ab2ae7097c8588f1ccdddea">some kind of horrible “mistake.”</a>&nbsp;His intelligence agencies say they are still examining a notion put forward by the president and aides that the pandemic may have resulted from an accident at a Chinese lab.Speaking Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” Pompeo said he had no reason to believe that the virus was deliberately spread. But he added, “Remember, China has a history of infecting the world, and they have a history of running substandard laboratories.”“These are not the first times that we’ve had a world exposed to viruses as a result of failures in a Chinese lab,” Pompeo said. “And so, while the intelligence community continues to do its work, they should continue to do that, and verify so that we are certain, I can tell you that there is a significant amount of evidence that this came from that laboratory in Wuhan.”The secretary of state appeared to be referring to previous outbreaks of respiratory viruses, like SARS, which started in China. His remark may be seen as offensive in China. Still, Pompeo repeated the same assertion hours later, via a tweet Sunday afternoon.Experts say the virus arose naturally in bats, and make it clear that they believe it wasn’t human-made. Many virologists say the chance that the outbreak was caused by a lab accident is very low, though scientists are still working to determine a point at which it may have jumped from animals to humans.Beijing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/887c6ae4116951bb9bc7375e3dc8b158">has repeatedly pushed back</a>&nbsp;on U.S. accusations that the outbreak was China’s fault, pointing to many missteps made by American officials in their own fight against the outbreak. China’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/68a9e1b91de4ffc166acd6012d82c2f9">public announcement on Jan. 20</a>&nbsp;that the virus was transmissible from person to person left the U.S. nearly two months to prepare for the pandemic, during which the U.S. government failed to bolster medical supplies and deployed flawed testing kits.“The U.S. government has ignored the facts, diverted public attention and engaged in buck-passing in an attempt to shirk its responsibility for incompetence in the fight against the epidemic,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang said Friday.___

Report: China hid coronavirus' severity to hoard supplies

RENO COUNTY — A Kansas man who was sentenced to life in prison will see his case go before the Kansas Supreme Court on Monday.

Thirty-five-year-old Quinton Moore of Hutchison was sentenced to prison after a conviction of first-degree murder in the shooting death of 42-year-old Clarence Allen in September of 2017. Under the sentence, Moore won't be eligible for parole for 51 1/2 years.

Allen was found shot multiple times at home in his bed in the 1700 block of East 30th in Hutchinson. Moore fled the scene of the shooting but was taken into custody. Under Miranda, Moore admitted to the shooting. Moore had been Allen's on-again, off-again roommate before the shooting.

In his appeal, Moore contends the district court erred by denying his motion to suppress his confession and his request for a voluntary intoxication jury instruction. Moore also claims the state committed a reversible error during closing argument and that those cumulative errors denied him a fair trial.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588538074492.png" alt="Moore is being held in the Lansing Correctional Facility, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Moore is being held in the Lansing Correctional Facility, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY — A Kansas man who was sentenced to life in prison will see his case go before the Kansas Supreme Court on Monday.Thirty-five-year-old Quinton Moore of Hutchison was sentenced to prison after a conviction of first-degree murder in the shooting death of 42-year-old Clarence Allen in September of 2017. Under the sentence, Moore won't be eligible for parole for 51 1/2 years.Allen was found shot multiple times at home in his bed in the 1700 block of East 30th in Hutchinson. Moore fled the scene of the shooting but was taken into custody. Under Miranda, Moore admitted to the shooting. Moore had been Allen's on-again, off-again roommate before the shooting.In his appeal, Moore contends the district court erred by denying his motion to suppress his confession and his request for a voluntary intoxication jury instruction. Moore also claims the state committed a reversible error during closing argument and that those cumulative errors denied him a fair trial.

Court will review case of Kan. man who murdered sleeping roommate

NEW YORK (AP) — Faced with 20,000 coronavirus deaths and counting, the nation’s nursing homes are pushing back against a potential flood of lawsuits with a sweeping lobbying effort to get states to grant them emergency protection from claims of inadequate care.

At least 15 states have enacted laws or governors’ orders that explicitly or apparently provide nursing homes and long-term care facilities some protection from lawsuits arising from the crisis. And in the case of New York, which leads the nation in deaths in such facilities, a lobbying group wrote the first draft of a measure that apparently makes it the only state with specific protection from both civil lawsuits and criminal prosecution.

Now the industry is forging ahead with a campaign to get other states on board with a simple argument: This was an unprecedented crisis and nursing homes should not be liable for events beyond their control, such as shortages of protective equipment and testing, shifting directives from authorities, and sicknesses that have decimated staffs.

“As our care providers make these difficult decisions, they need to know they will not be prosecuted or persecuted,” read a letter sent this month from several major hospital and nursing home groups to their next big goal, California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom has yet to make a decision. Other states in their sights include Florida, Pennsylvania and Missouri.

Watchdogs, patient advocates and lawyers argue that immunity orders are misguided. At a time when the crisis is laying bare such chronic industry problems as staffing shortages and poor infection control, they say legal liability is the last safety net to keep facilities accountable.

They also contend nursing homes are taking advantage of the crisis to protect their bottom lines. Almost 70% of the nation’s more than 15,000 nursing homes are run by for-profit companies, and hundreds have been bought and sold in recent years by private-equity firms.

“What you’re really looking at is an industry that always wanted immunity and now has the opportunity to ask for it under the cloak of saying, ‘Let’s protect our heroes,’” said Mike Dark, an attorney for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform.

“This has very little to do with the hard work being done by health care providers,” he said, “and everything to do with protecting the financial interests of these big operators.”

Nowhere have the industry’s efforts played out more starkly than in New York, which has about a fifth of the nation’s known nursing home and long-term care deaths and has had at least seven facilities with outbreaks of 40 deaths or more, including one home in Manhattan&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/0e8c1c97df30f81321fdc114437f268f">that reported&nbsp;</a>

New York’s immunity law signed by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo was drafted by the Greater New York Hospital Association, an influential lobbying group for both hospitals and nursing homes that donated more than $1 million to the state Democratic Party in 2018 and has pumped more than $7 million into lobbying over the past three years.

While the law covering both hospital and nursing care workers doesn’t cover intentional misconduct, gross negligence and other such acts, it makes clear those exceptions don’t include “decisions resulting from a resource or staffing shortage.”

Cuomo’s administration said the measure was a necessary part of getting the state’s entire health care apparatus to work together to respond to the crisis.

“It was a decision made on the merits to help ensure we had every available resource to save lives,” said Rich Azzopardi, a senior advisor to Cuomo. “Suggesting any other motivation is simply grotesque.”

Nationally, the lobbying effort is being led by the American Health Care Association, which represents nearly all of the nation’s nursing homes and has spent $23 million on lobbying efforts in the past six years.

Other states that have emergency immunity measures are Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts; Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, Nevada, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.

Their provisions vary but largely apply to injuries, deaths and care decisions, sometimes even to property damage. But there are limitations: Most make exceptions for gross negligence and willful misconduct, and they generally apply only during the emergency.

Toby Edelman of the Center for Medicare Advocacy is troubled that homes are getting legal protections while family members aren’t being allowed to visit and routine government inspections have been scaled back.

“Nobody is looking at what’s happening,” she said, adding that immunity declarations could make even gross or willful negligence suits harder since homes could argue any deficiencies were somehow tied to the pandemic.

“Everything can’t be blamed on COVID-19. Other things can happen that are terrible,” she said. “Just to say we’re in this pandemic so anything goes, that seems too far.”

Among the situations for which lawyers say nursing homes should be held to account: Homes that flouted federal guidelines to screen workers, cut off visitations and end group activities; those that failed to inform residents and relatives of an outbreak; those that disregarded test results; and homes like one in California, where at least a dozen employees did not show up for work for two straight days,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/55f8d0158d97de75cf138a6ba8198204">prompting residents to be evacuated</a>.

“Just because you have a pandemic doesn’t mean you give a pass on people exercising common sense,” said Dr. Roderick Edmond, an Atlanta lawyer representing families suing over COVID-19 deaths in an assisted-living facility.

“If you take the power of suing away from the families, then anything goes,” said Stella Kazantzas whose husband died in a Massachusetts nursing home with the same owners as the home hit by the nation’s first such outbreak near Seattle, which killed 43 people.

“They already knew in Washington how quickly this would spread,” she said. “They should have taken extreme measures, sensible measures. And they were not taken.”

While the federal government has yet to release numbers on how the coronavirus has ravaged the industry, The Associated Press has been keeping its own tally based on state health departments and media reports, finding 20,058 deaths in nursing homes and long-term care facilities nationwide.

All the new immunity laws notwithstanding, there is a potential wave of lawsuits coming. Illinois lawyer Steven Levin said he’s received dozens of calls from people considering suing homes over the outbreak. Florida lawyer Michael Brevda said his firm gets 10 to 20 calls a day. And a lawyer in Massachusetts said he’s gotten maybe 70 from families with relatives at homes struck by the virus.

“We’re getting inundated,” said David Hoey, whose practice near Boston has been suing homes for 25 years. “They’re grieving and they’re confused. … ‘My loved one just died from COVID. What can I do?’”

American Health Care Association CEO Mark Parkinson said the notion of lawyers gearing up for lawsuits in the “middle of a battle to save the elderly” is “pathetic” and doesn’t consider the hardships nursing home workers have endured.

“The second-guessing of people after a tragedy, if those people did the best that they could under the circumstances, is just wrong,” said Jim Cobb, the New Orleans attorney who successfully defended nursing home owners charged in the deaths of 35 residents who drowned in Hurricane Katrina.

“There’s a lot to be said for someone acting in good faith in the face of a natural disaster and state of emergency, and they should have criminal immunity.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1585657534018.png" alt="Life Care Center of Burlington, Kansas reported dozens of coronavirus infections among residents and staff. One resident with the virus was the 10th&nbsp; reported death in Kansas from the virus. Google image" />
 <figcaption>Life Care Center of Burlington, Kansas reported dozens of coronavirus infections among residents and staff. One resident with the virus was the 10th&nbsp; reported death in Kansas from the virus. Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Faced with 20,000 coronavirus deaths and counting, the nation’s nursing homes are pushing back against a potential flood of lawsuits with a sweeping lobbying effort to get states to grant them emergency protection from claims of inadequate care.At least 15 states have enacted laws or governors’ orders that explicitly or apparently provide nursing homes and long-term care facilities some protection from lawsuits arising from the crisis. And in the case of New York, which leads the nation in deaths in such facilities, a lobbying group wrote the first draft of a measure that apparently makes it the only state with specific protection from both civil lawsuits and criminal prosecution.Now the industry is forging ahead with a campaign to get other states on board with a simple argument: This was an unprecedented crisis and nursing homes should not be liable for events beyond their control, such as shortages of protective equipment and testing, shifting directives from authorities, and sicknesses that have decimated staffs.“As our care providers make these difficult decisions, they need to know they will not be prosecuted or persecuted,” read a letter sent this month from several major hospital and nursing home groups to their next big goal, California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom has yet to make a decision. Other states in their sights include Florida, Pennsylvania and Missouri.Watchdogs, patient advocates and lawyers argue that immunity orders are misguided. At a time when the crisis is laying bare such chronic industry problems as staffing shortages and poor infection control, they say legal liability is the last safety net to keep facilities accountable.They also contend nursing homes are taking advantage of the crisis to protect their bottom lines. Almost 70% of the nation’s more than 15,000 nursing homes are run by for-profit companies, and hundreds have been bought and sold in recent years by private-equity firms.“What you’re really looking at is an industry that always wanted immunity and now has the opportunity to ask for it under the cloak of saying, ‘Let’s protect our heroes,’” said Mike Dark, an attorney for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform.“This has very little to do with the hard work being done by health care providers,” he said, “and everything to do with protecting the financial interests of these big operators.”Nowhere have the industry’s efforts played out more starkly than in New York, which has about a fifth of the nation’s known nursing home and long-term care deaths and has had at least seven facilities with outbreaks of 40 deaths or more, including one home in Manhattan&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/0e8c1c97df30f81321fdc114437f268f">that reported&nbsp;</a>New York’s immunity law signed by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo was drafted by the Greater New York Hospital Association, an influential lobbying group for both hospitals and nursing homes that donated more than $1 million to the state Democratic Party in 2018 and has pumped more than $7 million into lobbying over the past three years.While the law covering both hospital and nursing care workers doesn’t cover intentional misconduct, gross negligence and other such acts, it makes clear those exceptions don’t include “decisions resulting from a resource or staffing shortage.”Cuomo’s administration said the measure was a necessary part of getting the state’s entire health care apparatus to work together to respond to the crisis.“It was a decision made on the merits to help ensure we had every available resource to save lives,” said Rich Azzopardi, a senior advisor to Cuomo. “Suggesting any other motivation is simply grotesque.”Nationally, the lobbying effort is being led by the American Health Care Association, which represents nearly all of the nation’s nursing homes and has spent $23 million on lobbying efforts in the past six years.Other states that have emergency immunity measures are Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts; Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, Nevada, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.Their provisions vary but largely apply to injuries, deaths and care decisions, sometimes even to property damage. But there are limitations: Most make exceptions for gross negligence and willful misconduct, and they generally apply only during the emergency.Toby Edelman of the Center for Medicare Advocacy is troubled that homes are getting legal protections while family members aren’t being allowed to visit and routine government inspections have been scaled back.“Nobody is looking at what’s happening,” she said, adding that immunity declarations could make even gross or willful negligence suits harder since homes could argue any deficiencies were somehow tied to the pandemic.“Everything can’t be blamed on COVID-19. Other things can happen that are terrible,” she said. “Just to say we’re in this pandemic so anything goes, that seems too far.”Among the situations for which lawyers say nursing homes should be held to account: Homes that flouted federal guidelines to screen workers, cut off visitations and end group activities; those that failed to inform residents and relatives of an outbreak; those that disregarded test results; and homes like one in California, where at least a dozen employees did not show up for work for two straight days,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/55f8d0158d97de75cf138a6ba8198204">prompting residents to be evacuated</a>.“Just because you have a pandemic doesn’t mean you give a pass on people exercising common sense,” said Dr. Roderick Edmond, an Atlanta lawyer representing families suing over COVID-19 deaths in an assisted-living facility.“If you take the power of suing away from the families, then anything goes,” said Stella Kazantzas whose husband died in a Massachusetts nursing home with the same owners as the home hit by the nation’s first such outbreak near Seattle, which killed 43 people.“They already knew in Washington how quickly this would spread,” she said. “They should have taken extreme measures, sensible measures. And they were not taken.”While the federal government has yet to release numbers on how the coronavirus has ravaged the industry, The Associated Press has been keeping its own tally based on state health departments and media reports, finding 20,058 deaths in nursing homes and long-term care facilities nationwide.All the new immunity laws notwithstanding, there is a potential wave of lawsuits coming. Illinois lawyer Steven Levin said he’s received dozens of calls from people considering suing homes over the outbreak. Florida lawyer Michael Brevda said his firm gets 10 to 20 calls a day. And a lawyer in Massachusetts said he’s gotten maybe 70 from families with relatives at homes struck by the virus.“We’re getting inundated,” said David Hoey, whose practice near Boston has been suing homes for 25 years. “They’re grieving and they’re confused. … ‘My loved one just died from COVID. What can I do?’”American Health Care Association CEO Mark Parkinson said the notion of lawyers gearing up for lawsuits in the “middle of a battle to save the elderly” is “pathetic” and doesn’t consider the hardships nursing home workers have endured.“The second-guessing of people after a tragedy, if those people did the best that they could under the circumstances, is just wrong,” said Jim Cobb, the New Orleans attorney who successfully defended nursing home owners charged in the deaths of 35 residents who drowned in Hurricane Katrina.“There’s a lot to be said for someone acting in good faith in the face of a natural disaster and state of emergency, and they should have criminal immunity.”

Faced with 20,000 dead, care homes seek shield from lawsuits

Department for Children and Families Secretary Laura Howard&nbsp; today that DCF service centers will remain closed to the public until further notice. The offices have been closed since March 23.

“My first priority is the health and safety of both our clients and employees,” Howard said. “I am committed to implementing a reopening plan that ensures social distancing and other safety requirements set forward by Governor Kelly. We’ll reopen when we can ensure these requirements can be met.”

To help ensure clients have access to services, the agency has implemented a series of new public facing communication channels.

On April 29, the agency opened a virtual call center to answer client questions about agency assistance programs including cash, food and child care assistance. Kansans can call 1-888-369-4777 from anywhere in the state to speak with a DCF representative or connect with their local service center.

DCF also added a chat function to its public website. Visitors can use the chat to get basic information about programs and application processes. DCF encourages Kansans to visit&nbsp;<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcf.ks.gov%2F&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7C76f10ed437db4ee2787208d7ee12fcc9%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637239637617944220&amp;sdata=XrZ98f6sklFTKwte60wRtjTMjPYNNHRTQ6zMsbvQ4Xo%3D&amp;reserved=0">www.dcf.ks.gov&nbsp;</a>for information about programs and to apply for services. Paper applications also are available outside each DCF service center across the state. Completed applications can be left in drop boxes outside each service center.

Additionally, visitors to the DCF website can review guidance from the agency related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit&nbsp;<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcf.ks.gov%2FCOVID19%2FPages%2Fdefault.aspx&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7C76f10ed437db4ee2787208d7ee12fcc9%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637239637617944220&amp;sdata=yY%2F3G6cDGto6yznv00bOCOLRjm9b9QP7En3viWDY8mA%3D&amp;reserved=0">http://www.dcf.ks.gov/COVID19/Pages/default.aspx&nbsp;</a>for all DCF program information.

If someone suspects abuse or neglect, they should call the KPRC at 1-800-922-5330. They also can report allegations online at&nbsp;<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcf.ks.gov%2Fservices%2FPPS%2FPages%2FKIPS%2FKIPSWebIntake.aspx&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7C76f10ed437db4ee2787208d7ee12fcc9%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637239637617944220&amp;sdata=BeE6KJeLMJB0RWLC%2FQjE18s4kPPUZVLyrnf6uNhkOmE%3D&amp;reserved=0">http://www.dcf.ks.gov/services/PPS/Pages/KIPS/KIPSWebIntake.aspx</a>.

DCF encourages Kansans to monitor the agency’s Facebook and Twitter pages for the latest information about office access and services.

For more information on COVID-19 visit:&nbsp;<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.covid.ks.gov%2F&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7C76f10ed437db4ee2787208d7ee12fcc9%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637239637617954213&amp;sdata=3Di6Hdus8etZCTsRuJuH%2FnFrIkjOQHCm5OXofp3NbFE%3D&amp;reserved=0">www.covid.ks.gov</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1584741220594.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>DCFDepartment for Children and Families Secretary Laura Howard&nbsp; today that DCF service centers will remain closed to the public until further notice. The offices have been closed since March 23.“My first priority is the health and safety of both our clients and employees,” Howard said. “I am committed to implementing a reopening plan that ensures social distancing and other safety requirements set forward by Governor Kelly. We’ll reopen when we can ensure these requirements can be met.”To help ensure clients have access to services, the agency has implemented a series of new public facing communication channels.On April 29, the agency opened a virtual call center to answer client questions about agency assistance programs including cash, food and child care assistance. Kansans can call 1-888-369-4777 from anywhere in the state to speak with a DCF representative or connect with their local service center.DCF also added a chat function to its public website. Visitors can use the chat to get basic information about programs and application processes. DCF encourages Kansans to visit&nbsp;<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcf.ks.gov%2F&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7C76f10ed437db4ee2787208d7ee12fcc9%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637239637617944220&amp;sdata=XrZ98f6sklFTKwte60wRtjTMjPYNNHRTQ6zMsbvQ4Xo%3D&amp;reserved=0">www.dcf.ks.gov&nbsp;</a>for information about programs and to apply for services. Paper applications also are available outside each DCF service center across the state. Completed applications can be left in drop boxes outside each service center.Additionally, visitors to the DCF website can review guidance from the agency related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit&nbsp;<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcf.ks.gov%2FCOVID19%2FPages%2Fdefault.aspx&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7C76f10ed437db4ee2787208d7ee12fcc9%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637239637617944220&amp;sdata=yY%2F3G6cDGto6yznv00bOCOLRjm9b9QP7En3viWDY8mA%3D&amp;reserved=0">http://www.dcf.ks.gov/COVID19/Pages/default.aspx&nbsp;</a>for all DCF program information.If someone suspects abuse or neglect, they should call the KPRC at 1-800-922-5330. They also can report allegations online at&nbsp;<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcf.ks.gov%2Fservices%2FPPS%2FPages%2FKIPS%2FKIPSWebIntake.aspx&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7C76f10ed437db4ee2787208d7ee12fcc9%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637239637617944220&amp;sdata=BeE6KJeLMJB0RWLC%2FQjE18s4kPPUZVLyrnf6uNhkOmE%3D&amp;reserved=0">http://www.dcf.ks.gov/services/PPS/Pages/KIPS/KIPSWebIntake.aspx</a>.DCF encourages Kansans to monitor the agency’s Facebook and Twitter pages for the latest information about office access and services.For more information on COVID-19 visit:&nbsp;<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.covid.ks.gov%2F&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7C76f10ed437db4ee2787208d7ee12fcc9%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637239637617954213&amp;sdata=3Di6Hdus8etZCTsRuJuH%2FnFrIkjOQHCm5OXofp3NbFE%3D&amp;reserved=0">www.covid.ks.gov</a>.

DCF Service Centers remain closed; new communication channels open

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on drug distribution allegations.&nbsp;

Just after 8:30 a.m. Friday, the Wichita Police Department Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team executed a search warrant at a room at the Afton Motel, 855 South Broadway, regarding an ongoing narcotics investigation, according to officer Charley Davidson.

Police located 32-year-old Sterling Flemming inside and arrested him&nbsp; without further incident.&nbsp; During the investigation, officers recovered crack cocaine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, a handgun, ammunition, and cash.

He is being held on requested charges that include&nbsp;possession of narcotics with the intent to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana with the intent to sell.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588364728529.png" alt="Flemming photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Flemming photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on drug distribution allegations.&nbsp;Just after 8:30 a.m. Friday, the Wichita Police Department Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team executed a search warrant at a room at the Afton Motel, 855 South Broadway, regarding an ongoing narcotics investigation, according to officer Charley Davidson.Police located 32-year-old Sterling Flemming inside and arrested him&nbsp; without further incident.&nbsp; During the investigation, officers recovered crack cocaine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, a handgun, ammunition, and cash.He is being held on requested charges that include&nbsp;possession of narcotics with the intent to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana with the intent to sell.

SWAT team helps arrest alleged Kan. drug dealer

For millions of people around the world dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, sleep brings no relief.

The horrors of COVID-19, and the surreal and frightening ways it has upended daily life, are infecting dreams and exposing feelings of fear, loss, isolation and grief that transcend culture, language and national boundaries.

Everyone from a college teacher in Pakistan to a mall cashier in Canada to an Episcopalian priest in Florida is confronting the same daytime demon. Each is waking up in a sweat in the dead of night.

Experts say humanity has rarely experienced “collective dreaming” on such a broad scale in recorded history — and certainly never while also being able to share those nightmares in real time.

“It’s that alarming feeling of when you wake up and think, ‘Thank heavens I woke up,’” said Holly Smith, an elementary school librarian in Detroit. “Once it hits your dreams, you think, ‘Great, now I can’t even escape there.’”

The psychological toll is staggering, particularly for health care workers whose dreams show similarities to those of combat veterans and 9/11 responders, said Deirdre Barrett, a Harvard University professor who is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/B8S75CN" target="_blank">surveying</a>&nbsp;COVID dreamers worldwide. She has collected 6,000 dream samples from about 2,400 people.

So many people are sharing accounts of dreams online that there’s a Twitter account dedicated to gathering them in a virtual library under the handle “I Dream of COVID.”

“As far as I know, no one has dream samples from the flu pandemic of 1918 — and that would probably be the most comparable thing,” said Barrett, who has studied the dreams of 9/11 survivors and British prisoners of war in World War II. “Now we just all have our smartphones by our bed, so you can just reach over and speak it or type it down. Recording our dreams has never been easier.”

The dreams are also exposing what is bothering us the most about the pandemic. The themes seem universal.

Dreams of a safe place suddenly overtaken by the virus speak to contagion’s terrifying invisibility, says Cathy Caruth, a professor at Cornell University who has studied trauma for 30 years. Pandemic dreams, she says, are reminiscent of the experience of Hiroshima survivors, who worried about invisible radiation exposure, and also of some nightmares described by Vietnam veterans.

“They seem to be in part about things that are hard to grasp, what it means that anybody can be a threat and you can be a threat to everybody,” Caruth said.

Episcopalian priest Mary Alice Mathison dreamed 500 people showed up for a funeral in her church and wouldn’t go home. Other dreams underscore that no one knows how the pandemic will end. In those, the dreamer wakes with a start before learning how it turned out.

Ashley Trevino is still trying to process one terrifying dream. The 24-year-old barista is out of work due to the pandemic and was spooked when officials announced the first COVID-19 death in her central Texas county.

A few days later, she dreamed she and her girlfriend were in line to enter a dark, metal warehouse where they’d be injected with the new coronavirus by government workers wearing Hazmat suits. Fluorescent lights in the parking lot cast an eerie glow as she watched her partner get the shot and gasp for breath. Then she got the shot, too.

“I watched her kind of collapse against the wall and while I was trying to fight the effects of it and not pass out myself, I was like ... ‘Is she dead now?’”

Trevino woke up whimpering. She immediately felt an impulse to share her nightmare with someone — anyone — and tweeted it to the world from her bed.

In Pakistan’s Punjab province, a college literature teacher described dreaming she was one of only 100 people left on the planet who didn’t have COVID-19. The infected population had gained political control and was chasing the uninfected “so the world would become the same for everyone,” said Roha Rafiq, 28.

Rafiq is terrified for her elderly father, who insists on going to prayers every day despite a cough and a stay-at-home order. “I think,” she said in a Twitter direct message, “this anxiety has given me this dream.”

According to Barrett, many people dream they are sick with COVID-19 or of being overcome by what seem to be stand-ins for the virus: swarms of bugs, slithering worms, witches, grasshoppers with fangs. Others dream of being in crowded public places without a mask or proper social distancing.

Still others dream of losing control. In one such dream, the dreamer was held down by infected people who coughed on her. In another, the dreamer came across bands of people shooting at random strangers.

Most are lower-level anxiety dreams, not trauma-induced nightmares. But that changes dramatically for frontline health workers, Barrett says.

“The health care providers are the ones who look like a trauma population. They are having flat-out nightmares that reenact the things they’re experiencing and … they all have the theme that ‘I am responsible for saving this person’s life and I’m not succeeding and this person is about to die,’” she said.

“And when they dream about their child or parent getting it, for the care providers there’s always the next step in the dream where they realize ... ‘I gave it to them.’”

Even the simple, unadorned dreams — far from the drama of the ICU — seem poignant right now. Some people dream of getting a hug, attending a party, getting a haircut, going to the library.

Lauren Nickols, 30, an avid reader, stocked up on library books before Ohio’s stay-at-home order. Now her supply is running low. She recently dreamed her dresser was piled with books. She found the dream reassuring, but a reminder of the mundane things that have been lost.

“I guess it’s a bit of a sense of shared community, but it’s also really sad that we’re all missing things. It really shows you all the things you do without realizing it,” she says. “And now that you can’t, it’s a shock to the system.”

By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated PressFor millions of people around the world dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, sleep brings no relief.The horrors of COVID-19, and the surreal and frightening ways it has upended daily life, are infecting dreams and exposing feelings of fear, loss, isolation and grief that transcend culture, language and national boundaries.Everyone from a college teacher in Pakistan to a mall cashier in Canada to an Episcopalian priest in Florida is confronting the same daytime demon. Each is waking up in a sweat in the dead of night.Experts say humanity has rarely experienced “collective dreaming” on such a broad scale in recorded history — and certainly never while also being able to share those nightmares in real time.“It’s that alarming feeling of when you wake up and think, ‘Thank heavens I woke up,’” said Holly Smith, an elementary school librarian in Detroit. “Once it hits your dreams, you think, ‘Great, now I can’t even escape there.’”The psychological toll is staggering, particularly for health care workers whose dreams show similarities to those of combat veterans and 9/11 responders, said Deirdre Barrett, a Harvard University professor who is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/B8S75CN" target="_blank">surveying</a>&nbsp;COVID dreamers worldwide. She has collected 6,000 dream samples from about 2,400 people.So many people are sharing accounts of dreams online that there’s a Twitter account dedicated to gathering them in a virtual library under the handle “I Dream of COVID.”“As far as I know, no one has dream samples from the flu pandemic of 1918 — and that would probably be the most comparable thing,” said Barrett, who has studied the dreams of 9/11 survivors and British prisoners of war in World War II. “Now we just all have our smartphones by our bed, so you can just reach over and speak it or type it down. Recording our dreams has never been easier.”The dreams are also exposing what is bothering us the most about the pandemic. The themes seem universal.Dreams of a safe place suddenly overtaken by the virus speak to contagion’s terrifying invisibility, says Cathy Caruth, a professor at Cornell University who has studied trauma for 30 years. Pandemic dreams, she says, are reminiscent of the experience of Hiroshima survivors, who worried about invisible radiation exposure, and also of some nightmares described by Vietnam veterans.“They seem to be in part about things that are hard to grasp, what it means that anybody can be a threat and you can be a threat to everybody,” Caruth said.Episcopalian priest Mary Alice Mathison dreamed 500 people showed up for a funeral in her church and wouldn’t go home. Other dreams underscore that no one knows how the pandemic will end. In those, the dreamer wakes with a start before learning how it turned out.Ashley Trevino is still trying to process one terrifying dream. The 24-year-old barista is out of work due to the pandemic and was spooked when officials announced the first COVID-19 death in her central Texas county.A few days later, she dreamed she and her girlfriend were in line to enter a dark, metal warehouse where they’d be injected with the new coronavirus by government workers wearing Hazmat suits. Fluorescent lights in the parking lot cast an eerie glow as she watched her partner get the shot and gasp for breath. Then she got the shot, too.“I watched her kind of collapse against the wall and while I was trying to fight the effects of it and not pass out myself, I was like ... ‘Is she dead now?’”Trevino woke up whimpering. She immediately felt an impulse to share her nightmare with someone — anyone — and tweeted it to the world from her bed.In Pakistan’s Punjab province, a college literature teacher described dreaming she was one of only 100 people left on the planet who didn’t have COVID-19. The infected population had gained political control and was chasing the uninfected “so the world would become the same for everyone,” said Roha Rafiq, 28.Rafiq is terrified for her elderly father, who insists on going to prayers every day despite a cough and a stay-at-home order. “I think,” she said in a Twitter direct message, “this anxiety has given me this dream.”According to Barrett, many people dream they are sick with COVID-19 or of being overcome by what seem to be stand-ins for the virus: swarms of bugs, slithering worms, witches, grasshoppers with fangs. Others dream of being in crowded public places without a mask or proper social distancing.Still others dream of losing control. In one such dream, the dreamer was held down by infected people who coughed on her. In another, the dreamer came across bands of people shooting at random strangers.Most are lower-level anxiety dreams, not trauma-induced nightmares. But that changes dramatically for frontline health workers, Barrett says.“The health care providers are the ones who look like a trauma population. They are having flat-out nightmares that reenact the things they’re experiencing and … they all have the theme that ‘I am responsible for saving this person’s life and I’m not succeeding and this person is about to die,’” she said.“And when they dream about their child or parent getting it, for the care providers there’s always the next step in the dream where they realize ... ‘I gave it to them.’”Even the simple, unadorned dreams — far from the drama of the ICU — seem poignant right now. Some people dream of getting a hug, attending a party, getting a haircut, going to the library.Lauren Nickols, 30, an avid reader, stocked up on library books before Ohio’s stay-at-home order. Now her supply is running low. She recently dreamed her dresser was piled with books. She found the dream reassuring, but a reminder of the mundane things that have been lost.“I guess it’s a bit of a sense of shared community, but it’s also really sad that we’re all missing things. It really shows you all the things you do without realizing it,” she says. “And now that you can’t, it’s a shock to the system.”

`Infecting our dreams': Pandemic sabotages sleep worldwide

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary and have made an arrest.

&nbsp;Just after 10:00p.m. Thursday, deputies responded to a vehicle burglary that had just occurred in the 3500 block of SE 2nd Street in Shawnee County, according to Deputy Shayna Anderson.

The reporting party was able to give a detailed description of the suspect's vehicle.

 Approximately one hour later a deputy stopped a vehicle matching that description at SE 2nd Terrace and High Street in Topeka. 

The deputy located a stolen item inside and arrested Erick M. Weems Jr., 25, of Topeka and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on the requested charges of burglary and driving with a suspended license.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588446054044.png" alt="Weems photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Weems photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary and have made an arrest.&nbsp;Just after 10:00p.m. Thursday, deputies responded to a vehicle burglary that had just occurred in the 3500 block of SE 2nd Street in Shawnee County, according to Deputy Shayna Anderson.The reporting party was able to give a detailed description of the suspect's vehicle. Approximately one hour later a deputy stopped a vehicle matching that description at SE 2nd Terrace and High Street in Topeka. The deputy located a stolen item inside and arrested Erick M. Weems Jr., 25, of Topeka and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on the requested charges of burglary and driving with a suspended license.

Sheriff: Kansas burglary suspect had stolen items in vehicle

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (AP) — One Missouri man died and three others were injured when a boat exploded at the Lake of the Ozarks.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said Shawn Carroll, 53, of Richmond Heights, died in the explosion Saturday afternoon at the Ridgeview Marina. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two other men were hospitalized with serious injuries and a third suffered minor injuries.

The patrol said the boat exploded after it had been fueled and the engines were restarted.

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (AP) — One Missouri man died and three others were injured when a boat exploded at the Lake of the Ozarks.The Missouri State Highway Patrol said Shawn Carroll, 53, of Richmond Heights, died in the explosion Saturday afternoon at the Ridgeview Marina. He was pronounced dead at the scene.Two other men were hospitalized with serious injuries and a third suffered minor injuries.The patrol said the boat exploded after it had been fueled and the engines were restarted.

Boat explosion at Lake of The Ozarks leaves 1 dead, 3 hurt

By STEPHAN BISAHA <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/coronavirus-leaves-kansas-international-students-tough-choice-stay-or-go">Kansas News Service</a>

WICHITA, Kansas — The coronavirus has left Kansas’ 
international college students with a choice: Stay in the United States,
 even if it hurts them financially, or leave and risk not being allowed 
back into the United States.

Either choice is tough for some of 
the more than 9,000 students, because nobody knows what campus life and 
global travel will look like come August when the next academic year 
starts up.

“If students have to find a way to fend themselves for
 a couple months, that’s one thing,” said Dick Startz, a professor of 
economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. “But they 
don’t know if it’s a couple months or through the end of the summer or 
what’s going to happen in the fall.”

Those that stay in the U.S. 
face strict restrictions when it comes to getting a job to pay for an 
unplanned, expensive summer. Plus, they don’t have the same financial 
lifeline, like stimulus and unemployment checks, that domestic students 
do. Leaving means dealing with closed borders, canceled flights and the 
possibility of not being able to re-enter the U.S. in the fall.

Jinwen Liu’s family 
wants him back in China. The liberal arts student at Wichita State 
University might not get another chance to see his grandfather, whose 
health has worsened after a car accident in March.

But Liu worries about leaving the United States in the middle of a global pandemic.

“I don’t know what to do because family matters,” Liu said. “But now it seems like it is not a smart move to go back.”

Wichita
 State and Fort Hays State recommended students stay for several 
reasons: Students could get stuck overseas with expired visas as long as
 U.S. consulates remain closed. Travel restrictions may keep 
international students from returning to the United States. There’s also
 the health risk of flying during a pandemic and exposing family members
 to the virus.

“We really advised them against travel,” said 
Carol Solko-Olliff, director of international student services at Fort 
Hays State. “We tried to outline all of those reasons for students.”

But many students had no choice between staying and going. India <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/coronavirus-travel-restrictions-border-shutdowns-country-200318091505922.html" target="_blank">closed its borders</a>. Many airlines <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-airlines-factbox/factbox-airlines-suspend-flights-due-to-coronavirus-outbreak-idUSKBN20W350" target="_blank">stopped flights to China</a>. Students say flights to other countries have been canceled, too.

Hana
 Shahin is a Ph.D. candidate at Wichita State. She said the coronavirus 
forced her to change her plans to fly home to Egypt over the summer.

It’s
 exhausting being far from her family, she said, and the culture she 
described as more communal than the United States — where cooking meals 
for a stressed friend is common and not met with confusion.

“I’m 
all alone here and going home is really the only rejuvenating time of 
the year when I can get some energy,” Shahin said. “Not being able to go
 back home — it’s heartbreaking.”

She recently bought a plane 
ticket home for December; she did not want to deal with the stress of 
worrying about whether her flight would get canceled.

International
 students don’t have to tell their university when they leave the 
country, leaving schools with a vague idea of what choices they made. 
Wichita State University estimates that the majority of its nearly 1,200
 international students have stayed in the country. Kansas State said 
most of its more than 1,400 students had stayed as of April 24.

Colleges
 are also still deciding whether it’s practical to open in the fall. If 
classes stay online instead of in-person, spotty internet service in 
some countries would make remote learning difficult — not to mention the
 13-hour time difference for students in Malaysia. And returning for 
in-person lessons could mean students would have to quarantine and miss 
at least two weeks of classes.

Nizam Uddin was a few 
months away from graduating with a doctorate in mechanical engineering 
from Wichita State. But the university closed campus and its labs, which
 made conducting the experiment he needs to finish impossible.

He’ll
 have to wait until the fall semester to earn his Ph.D. That’s an 
additional six months in the country with extra expenses he wasn’t 
counting on —and not just tuition. The U.S. is more expensive than life 
in his home country of Bangladesh.

“Staying six months more is a huge cost,” Uddin said.

International
 students won’t receive the $1,200 federal stimulus checks. And stimulus
 grants specifically directed to in-need college students must go to 
domestic students.

“I don’t qualify for that support,” Uddin said, “but I need that, to be honest.”

Kansas
 universities, including Wichita State, have been using their own 
emergency funds to help international students, but those grants usually
 cap out at a few hundred dollars. Uddin called the help insufficient.

Some
 families have sent their international students money, but the economic
 toll of the coronavirus shutdown is apparent in other countries as 
well. And a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/20/investing/strong-dollar-coronavirus/index.html" target="_blank">strong U.S. dollar</a> makes exchanging currency costly.

“Even
 if our parents have to send us money it’s way expensive,” said Avantika
 Ramekar, a student from India enrolled at K-State. “So that has added a
 little bit to our stress.”

While getting a job could help, 
that’s not an option for most international students. Their visas 
restrict them from working off-campus, and many lost on-campus jobs when
 things shut down. K-State will pay student workers who were laid off 
until May 16.

And like many domestic students, international 
students are concerned about social isolation and the quality of online 
lessons. Many already had plans to stay in the United States over the 
summer and are disappointed that their American excursions may now be 
restricted to their dorm rooms.

Doris Udenze, a Fort Hays State 
student from Nigeria, says she’s the only person in her residence hall. 
But she’s enjoying the quiet and taking the time to learn the piano 
without any judgmental ears nearby.

“That’s the fun part,” Udenze said. “I can play as loud as I want without anyone complaining.”

Stephan Bisaha reports on education and young adult life for KMUW and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/stevebisaha?lang=en">@stevebisaha</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588348546827.png" alt=" International students at Wichita State University attend a welcome party. Ming Chang Chay / For Wichita State University" />
 <figcaption> International students at Wichita State University attend a welcome party. Ming Chang Chay / For Wichita State University</figcaption>
 </figure>By STEPHAN BISAHA <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/coronavirus-leaves-kansas-international-students-tough-choice-stay-or-go">Kansas News Service</a>WICHITA, Kansas — The coronavirus has left Kansas’ 
international college students with a choice: Stay in the United States,
 even if it hurts them financially, or leave and risk not being allowed 
back into the United States.Either choice is tough for some of 
the more than 9,000 students, because nobody knows what campus life and 
global travel will look like come August when the next academic year 
starts up.“If students have to find a way to fend themselves for
 a couple months, that’s one thing,” said Dick Startz, a professor of 
economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. “But they 
don’t know if it’s a couple months or through the end of the summer or 
what’s going to happen in the fall.”Those that stay in the U.S. 
face strict restrictions when it comes to getting a job to pay for an 
unplanned, expensive summer. Plus, they don’t have the same financial 
lifeline, like stimulus and unemployment checks, that domestic students 
do. Leaving means dealing with closed borders, canceled flights and the 
possibility of not being able to re-enter the U.S. in the fall.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588348608421.jpeg" alt=" International students attend orientation at Wichita State University. Credit Ming Chang Chay / Wichita State University" />
 <figcaption> International students attend orientation at Wichita State University. Credit Ming Chang Chay / Wichita State University</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Leave at your own risk</h2>Jinwen Liu’s family 
wants him back in China. The liberal arts student at Wichita State 
University might not get another chance to see his grandfather, whose 
health has worsened after a car accident in March.But Liu worries about leaving the United States in the middle of a global pandemic.“I don’t know what to do because family matters,” Liu said. “But now it seems like it is not a smart move to go back.”Wichita
 State and Fort Hays State recommended students stay for several 
reasons: Students could get stuck overseas with expired visas as long as
 U.S. consulates remain closed. Travel restrictions may keep 
international students from returning to the United States. There’s also
 the health risk of flying during a pandemic and exposing family members
 to the virus.“We really advised them against travel,” said 
Carol Solko-Olliff, director of international student services at Fort 
Hays State. “We tried to outline all of those reasons for students.”But many students had no choice between staying and going. India <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/coronavirus-travel-restrictions-border-shutdowns-country-200318091505922.html" target="_blank">closed its borders</a>. Many airlines <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-airlines-factbox/factbox-airlines-suspend-flights-due-to-coronavirus-outbreak-idUSKBN20W350" target="_blank">stopped flights to China</a>. Students say flights to other countries have been canceled, too.Hana
 Shahin is a Ph.D. candidate at Wichita State. She said the coronavirus 
forced her to change her plans to fly home to Egypt over the summer.It’s
 exhausting being far from her family, she said, and the culture she 
described as more communal than the United States — where cooking meals 
for a stressed friend is common and not met with confusion.“I’m 
all alone here and going home is really the only rejuvenating time of 
the year when I can get some energy,” Shahin said. “Not being able to go
 back home — it’s heartbreaking.”She recently bought a plane 
ticket home for December; she did not want to deal with the stress of 
worrying about whether her flight would get canceled.International
 students don’t have to tell their university when they leave the 
country, leaving schools with a vague idea of what choices they made. 
Wichita State University estimates that the majority of its nearly 1,200
 international students have stayed in the country. Kansas State said 
most of its more than 1,400 students had stayed as of April 24.Colleges
 are also still deciding whether it’s practical to open in the fall. If 
classes stay online instead of in-person, spotty internet service in 
some countries would make remote learning difficult — not to mention the
 13-hour time difference for students in Malaysia. And returning for 
in-person lessons could mean students would have to quarantine and miss 
at least two weeks of classes.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588348638504.jpeg" alt=" International students attend orientation at Wichita State University. Credit Ming Chang Chay / For Wichita State University" />
 <figcaption> International students attend orientation at Wichita State University. Credit Ming Chang Chay / For Wichita State University</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>What it costs to stay</h2>Nizam Uddin was a few 
months away from graduating with a doctorate in mechanical engineering 
from Wichita State. But the university closed campus and its labs, which
 made conducting the experiment he needs to finish impossible.He’ll
 have to wait until the fall semester to earn his Ph.D. That’s an 
additional six months in the country with extra expenses he wasn’t 
counting on —and not just tuition. The U.S. is more expensive than life 
in his home country of Bangladesh.“Staying six months more is a huge cost,” Uddin said.International
 students won’t receive the $1,200 federal stimulus checks. And stimulus
 grants specifically directed to in-need college students must go to 
domestic students.“I don’t qualify for that support,” Uddin said, “but I need that, to be honest.”Kansas
 universities, including Wichita State, have been using their own 
emergency funds to help international students, but those grants usually
 cap out at a few hundred dollars. Uddin called the help insufficient.Some
 families have sent their international students money, but the economic
 toll of the coronavirus shutdown is apparent in other countries as 
well. And a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/20/investing/strong-dollar-coronavirus/index.html" target="_blank">strong U.S. dollar</a> makes exchanging currency costly.“Even
 if our parents have to send us money it’s way expensive,” said Avantika
 Ramekar, a student from India enrolled at K-State. “So that has added a
 little bit to our stress.”While getting a job could help, 
that’s not an option for most international students. Their visas 
restrict them from working off-campus, and many lost on-campus jobs when
 things shut down. K-State will pay student workers who were laid off 
until May 16.And like many domestic students, international 
students are concerned about social isolation and the quality of online 
lessons. Many already had plans to stay in the United States over the 
summer and are disappointed that their American excursions may now be 
restricted to their dorm rooms.Doris Udenze, a Fort Hays State 
student from Nigeria, says she’s the only person in her residence hall. 
But she’s enjoying the quiet and taking the time to learn the piano 
without any judgmental ears nearby.“That’s the fun part,” Udenze said. “I can play as loud as I want without anyone complaining.”Stephan Bisaha reports on education and young adult life for KMUW and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/stevebisaha?lang=en">@stevebisaha</a>.

Virus leaves Kansas’ international students with tough choice

DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 16-year-old boy is in custody after he led authorities on a chase through several counties in a stolen school bus. 

Ford County authorities say they were notified Saturday about the bus being stolen out of Cheney in Sedgwick County. 

Sheriff Bill Carr says the driver evaded deputies for several miles, driving west on and off county roads and Highway 54. The driver eventually stopped and surrendered near Kingsdown in Ford County. 

Carr says the teenager was a runaway from another county.&nbsp;

DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 16-year-old boy is in custody after he led authorities on a chase through several counties in a stolen school bus. Ford County authorities say they were notified Saturday about the bus being stolen out of Cheney in Sedgwick County. Sheriff Bill Carr says the driver evaded deputies for several miles, driving west on and off county roads and Highway 54. The driver eventually stopped and surrendered near Kingsdown in Ford County. Carr says the teenager was a runaway from another county.&nbsp;

Sheriff: Kan. teen arrested after chase in stolen school bus

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 284 to a total of 5030, the state health department reported Sunday afternoon.&nbsp;

<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 284 to a total of 5030, the state health department reported Sunday afternoon.&nbsp;Coronavirus deaths were reported at 134<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/2020/5/1588526177376.png" alt="Sunday May 3, 2020 KDHE" />
 <figcaption>Sunday May 3, 2020 KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Joe Biden overwhelmingly won a Democratic presidential primary in Kansas conducted exclusively by mail balloting by the state party because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The former vice president had been expected to prevail and capture a majority of the state’s delegates to the Democrats’ national nominating commission. He captured 77% of Saturday's vote. Vermont Sen. 

Bernie Sanders was still in the race when the Kansas party began mailing ballots at the end of March, but he suspended his campaign and endorsed Biden. The primary determined how 39 of the state’s 45 national convention delegates would be allocated. The remaining six are party leaders.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1583675671957.png" alt="Biden during a campaign stop in Kansas City-photo courtesy Biden for President" />
 <figcaption>Biden during a campaign stop in Kansas City-photo courtesy Biden for President</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Joe Biden overwhelmingly won a Democratic presidential primary in Kansas conducted exclusively by mail balloting by the state party because of the coronavirus pandemic. The former vice president had been expected to prevail and capture a majority of the state’s delegates to the Democrats’ national nominating commission. He captured 77% of Saturday's vote. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was still in the race when the Kansas party began mailing ballots at the end of March, but he suspended his campaign and endorsed Biden. The primary determined how 39 of the state’s 45 national convention delegates would be allocated. The remaining six are party leaders.

Biden wins Kansas primary conducted with all-mail balloting

WASHINGTON (AP) — At greater risk from COVID-19, some seniors now face added anxiety due to delays obtaining Medicare coverage.

Advocates for older people say the main problem involves certain applications for Medicare’s “Part B” coverage for outpatient care. It stems from the closure of local Social Security offices in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">the coronavirus pandemic</a>.

Part B is particularly important these days because it covers lab tests, like ones for the coronavirus.

Social Security handles eligibility determinations for Medicare, and while many issues can still be resolved online, some require personal attention. That can now entail hold times of 90 minutes or more to reach Social Security on its national 800 number, according to the agency’s website.

Even in normal times, signing up for Part B could be tricky for people who worked past age 65 and kept their workplace coverage. People need to apply separately for the outpatient coverage, and provide Social Security with documentation of their employer policy, to avoid hefty late-enrollment penalties.

Fred Riccardi, president of the advocacy group Medicare Rights Center, said an already cumbersome process has been exacerbated by the pandemic shutdown, raising the risk that some seniors will fall into a coverage gap or end up owing penalties.

“We are concerned that people who are eligible will go without coverage due to unnecessary administrative barriers and the lack of information from federal agencies,” said Riccardi. “The problem is serious.”

His organization is among groups asking Congress to hold seniors harmless from Medicare application problems during the coronavirus emergency. It’s unclear how many are affected.

Social Security declined several interview requests and instead sent The Associated Press written responses to questions. The agency said it has seen an increase in requests for Part B enrollment because of older workers losing job-based coverage.

Social Security said it worked with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to waive certain signature requirements for Part B forms during the pandemic and has set up a dedicated fax number to receive applications.

Social Security gets credit for trying, said Leslie Fried of the National Council on Aging, but that “I don’t know anyone who has a fax machine anymore.”

With the economy shedding millions of jobs, older workers going from employer coverage to Medicare can find themselves in a holding pattern.

Carol Berul of Sacramento, California, retired from state government on Feb. 1. She said she’s still trying to figure out what happened to her Medicare Part B application, which she mailed in January. In her early 70s, Berul said she’s worried her health could be jeopardized by bogged-down paperwork. She has an immune system disorder triggered by a medication that she once took.

“I’ve been avoiding going anywhere,” she said.

Berul said she’s faced hold times of more than an hour trying to call Social Security. When she finally got through, she learned the agency had no record of her Part B application. She resubmitted it.

Berul said Social Security employees she’s talked with have been helpful and empathetic but “with all the people working from home trying to get information from point to point, it’s like a pyramid, and they haven’t connected all the dots.”

For John Breithart of Grand Haven, Michigan, it was a different Medicare issue but a similar experience.

Breithart, who works for an oil and gas delivery company, turns 65 this year and becomes eligible for Medicare’s Part A inpatient coverage.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587590671442.png" alt="Sema Verma&nbsp;Administrator of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid during a Coronavirus Task Force briefing -photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>Sema Verma&nbsp;Administrator of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid during a Coronavirus Task Force briefing -photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — At greater risk from COVID-19, some seniors now face added anxiety due to delays obtaining Medicare coverage.Advocates for older people say the main problem involves certain applications for Medicare’s “Part B” coverage for outpatient care. It stems from the closure of local Social Security offices in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">the coronavirus pandemic</a>.Part B is particularly important these days because it covers lab tests, like ones for the coronavirus.Social Security handles eligibility determinations for Medicare, and while many issues can still be resolved online, some require personal attention. That can now entail hold times of 90 minutes or more to reach Social Security on its national 800 number, according to the agency’s website.Even in normal times, signing up for Part B could be tricky for people who worked past age 65 and kept their workplace coverage. People need to apply separately for the outpatient coverage, and provide Social Security with documentation of their employer policy, to avoid hefty late-enrollment penalties.Fred Riccardi, president of the advocacy group Medicare Rights Center, said an already cumbersome process has been exacerbated by the pandemic shutdown, raising the risk that some seniors will fall into a coverage gap or end up owing penalties.“We are concerned that people who are eligible will go without coverage due to unnecessary administrative barriers and the lack of information from federal agencies,” said Riccardi. “The problem is serious.”His organization is among groups asking Congress to hold seniors harmless from Medicare application problems during the coronavirus emergency. It’s unclear how many are affected.Social Security declined several interview requests and instead sent The Associated Press written responses to questions. The agency said it has seen an increase in requests for Part B enrollment because of older workers losing job-based coverage.Social Security said it worked with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to waive certain signature requirements for Part B forms during the pandemic and has set up a dedicated fax number to receive applications.Social Security gets credit for trying, said Leslie Fried of the National Council on Aging, but that “I don’t know anyone who has a fax machine anymore.”With the economy shedding millions of jobs, older workers going from employer coverage to Medicare can find themselves in a holding pattern.Carol Berul of Sacramento, California, retired from state government on Feb. 1. She said she’s still trying to figure out what happened to her Medicare Part B application, which she mailed in January. In her early 70s, Berul said she’s worried her health could be jeopardized by bogged-down paperwork. She has an immune system disorder triggered by a medication that she once took.“I’ve been avoiding going anywhere,” she said.Berul said she’s faced hold times of more than an hour trying to call Social Security. When she finally got through, she learned the agency had no record of her Part B application. She resubmitted it.Berul said Social Security employees she’s talked with have been helpful and empathetic but “with all the people working from home trying to get information from point to point, it’s like a pyramid, and they haven’t connected all the dots.”For John Breithart of Grand Haven, Michigan, it was a different Medicare issue but a similar experience.Breithart, who works for an oil and gas delivery company, turns 65 this year and becomes eligible for Medicare’s Part A inpatient coverage.He’s covered through this wife’s retiree health plan and earlier this month the insurer sent him a letter saying he’d be kicked off if he didn’t provide a Medicare number.Breithart started calling Social Security. He said on one occasion he was on hold for an hour and 52 minutes. Another time a returned call fell through and the case worker didn’t leave a callback number.The logjam finally broke after he contacted his two U.S. senators. Social Security confirmed that his Medicare application had been approved. Breithart quickly called Medicare. After asking a litany of questions, an agent read him his Medicare number over the phone. He was able to complete the relay to his wife’s insurer.“You don’t think of people who don’t have health insurance when you’ve had it all your life,” said Breithart. “Then you get ready to retire and someone says you need a number you don’t have, and it gets stressful.”Social Security said the pandemic did lead lead to much longer telephone holds, but its latest weekly average was down to 45 minutes, depending on when a person calls and whether others are trying at the same time. Agency employees have been able to continue to serve the public by teleworking.According to Webster Phillips, a policy expert with the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, wait times before the pandemic averaged around 20 minutes. Social Security has an option to leave your number for a callback.Natalie Kean, a lawyer with the advocacy group Justice in Aging, said, “Going through the normal channels is just going to be slow, and it’s not responsive to the increased need right now.”On Capitol Hill, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee said the committee is trying to assess what’s going on.“Seniors should not be penalized for disruptions in service due to the crisis,” Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., said in a statement.