SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a a fatal shooting have identified the victim as 45-year-old Monzell Brocks of Wichita.

Just after 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, police responded to a shooting call at the Denny’s Restaurant, 4024 E. Harry in Wichita, according to Officer Charley Davidson.

 Upon arrival, officers located Brocks who had been shot.&nbsp; He was taken to an area hospital for medical treatment where he succumbed to his injuries.

The investigation revealed, several men and women arrived at the business and sat at a table.&nbsp; Brocks works at the business and was sitting at their table and associating with the group while they were there.&nbsp; As the group began to leave, Brocks went outside as well and shots were fired striking him and causing his fatal injuries.

Detectives have recovered illegal drugs, two handguns, and shell casings during their investigation, and detectives are still working to learn all the details of what occurred.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636548289424.png" alt="Police at the scene of the fatal shooing in investigation-photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police at the scene of the fatal shooing in investigation-photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a a fatal shooting have identified the victim as 45-year-old Monzell Brocks of Wichita.Just after 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, police responded to a shooting call at the Denny’s Restaurant, 4024 E. Harry in Wichita, according to Officer Charley Davidson. Upon arrival, officers located Brocks who had been shot.&nbsp; He was taken to an area hospital for medical treatment where he succumbed to his injuries.The investigation revealed, several men and women arrived at the business and sat at a table.&nbsp; Brocks works at the business and was sitting at their table and associating with the group while they were there.&nbsp; As the group began to leave, Brocks went outside as well and shots were fired striking him and causing his fatal injuries.Detectives have recovered illegal drugs, two handguns, and shell casings during their investigation, and detectives are still working to learn all the details of what occurred.

Police: Man shot, killed outside Kan. restaurant where he worked

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A coalition of 10 states sued the federal government on Wednesday to try to block a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for health care workers, marking a new front in the resistance by Republican-led states to the pandemic policies of President Joe Biden's administration.

The lawsuit filed in a federal court in Missouri contends that the vaccine requirement threatens the jobs of millions of health care workers and could “exacerbate an alarming shortage” in health care fields, particularly in rural areas where some health workers have been hesitant to get the shots.

The suit follows similar ones by Republican-led states challenging new Biden administration rules that will require federal contractors to ensure their workers are vaccinated and that businesses with more than 100 employees require their workers to get vaccinated or wear masks and get tested weekly for the coronavirus. All of the mandates are scheduled to take effect Jan. 4.

Biden's administration contends that the federal rules supersede state policies prohibiting vaccine mandates and are essential to slowing the pandemic, which has killed more than 755,000 people in the U.S. But the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals already has temporarily blocked the business vaccine rule, saying it raises “grave statutory and constitutional issues.”

A separate rule issued last week by the federal Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services requires COVID-19 vaccinations for more than 17 million workers in about 76,000 health care facilities and home health care providers that get funding from the government health programs.

The new lawsuit contends that the CMS vaccine requirement is unprecedented and unreasonably broad, affecting even volunteers and staff who don’t typically work with patients.

“The mandate is a blatant attempt to federalize public health issues involving vaccination that belong within the States’ police power,” said the suit filed by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican who is running for U.S. Senate.

Joining the lawsuit were the attorneys general of Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. All are Republicans except for Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller of Iowa, whose state is led by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.

While announcing the rule, CMS said that COVID-19 vaccine requirements by private health systems and previous vaccine mandates by states for other diseases have not led to widespread resignations of health care workers.

But the lawsuit contends that numerous health workers are likely to be fired, retire or quit rather than get vaccinated for COVID-19, which it said “jeopardizes the healthcare interests of rural Americans.”

The lawsuit points to concerns from rural hospital administrators in Missouri and Nebraska. For example, it says that Great Plains Health in North Platte, Nebraska, is able to staff only about 70 of its 116 beds because of workforce shortages and has received notice from a majority of personnel in its behavioral health unit that they would resign rather than be vaccinated.

Workplace vaccine mandates have become more common recently and generally have resulted in significant compliance.

In New York City, more than 90% of city employees had received the vaccine before a Nov. 1 mandate began. But The New York Times reported that about 9,000 were placed on paid leave for not complying and thousands of others sought religious or medical exemptions.

In the private sector, United Airlines recently required 67,000 U.S. employees to get vaccinated or face termination. Only a couple hundred refused to do so, although about 2,000 sought exemptions. In August, Tyson Foods told its 120,000 U.S. workers that they must be vaccinated by Nov. 1. As of last week, the company said more than 96% of its workforce was vaccinated, including 60,500 people who got their shots after the August announcement.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635437156930.png" alt="Biden's administration contends that the federal rules supersede state policies prohibiting vaccine mandates and are essential to slowing the pandemic, which has killed more than 755,000 people in the U.S." />
 <figcaption>Biden's administration contends that the federal rules supersede state policies prohibiting vaccine mandates and are essential to slowing the pandemic, which has killed more than 755,000 people in the U.S.</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAVID A. LIEB, Associated PressJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A coalition of 10 states sued the federal government on Wednesday to try to block a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for health care workers, marking a new front in the resistance by Republican-led states to the pandemic policies of President Joe Biden's administration.The lawsuit filed in a federal court in Missouri contends that the vaccine requirement threatens the jobs of millions of health care workers and could “exacerbate an alarming shortage” in health care fields, particularly in rural areas where some health workers have been hesitant to get the shots.The suit follows similar ones by Republican-led states challenging new Biden administration rules that will require federal contractors to ensure their workers are vaccinated and that businesses with more than 100 employees require their workers to get vaccinated or wear masks and get tested weekly for the coronavirus. All of the mandates are scheduled to take effect Jan. 4.Biden's administration contends that the federal rules supersede state policies prohibiting vaccine mandates and are essential to slowing the pandemic, which has killed more than 755,000 people in the U.S. But the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals already has temporarily blocked the business vaccine rule, saying it raises “grave statutory and constitutional issues.”A separate rule issued last week by the federal Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services requires COVID-19 vaccinations for more than 17 million workers in about 76,000 health care facilities and home health care providers that get funding from the government health programs.The new lawsuit contends that the CMS vaccine requirement is unprecedented and unreasonably broad, affecting even volunteers and staff who don’t typically work with patients.“The mandate is a blatant attempt to federalize public health issues involving vaccination that belong within the States’ police power,” said the suit filed by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican who is running for U.S. Senate.Joining the lawsuit were the attorneys general of Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. All are Republicans except for Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller of Iowa, whose state is led by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.While announcing the rule, CMS said that COVID-19 vaccine requirements by private health systems and previous vaccine mandates by states for other diseases have not led to widespread resignations of health care workers.But the lawsuit contends that numerous health workers are likely to be fired, retire or quit rather than get vaccinated for COVID-19, which it said “jeopardizes the healthcare interests of rural Americans.”The lawsuit points to concerns from rural hospital administrators in Missouri and Nebraska. For example, it says that Great Plains Health in North Platte, Nebraska, is able to staff only about 70 of its 116 beds because of workforce shortages and has received notice from a majority of personnel in its behavioral health unit that they would resign rather than be vaccinated.Workplace vaccine mandates have become more common recently and generally have resulted in significant compliance.In New York City, more than 90% of city employees had received the vaccine before a Nov. 1 mandate began. But The New York Times reported that about 9,000 were placed on paid leave for not complying and thousands of others sought religious or medical exemptions.In the private sector, United Airlines recently required 67,000 U.S. employees to get vaccinated or face termination. Only a couple hundred refused to do so, although about 2,000 sought exemptions. In August, Tyson Foods told its 120,000 U.S. workers that they must be vaccinated by Nov. 1. As of last week, the company said more than 96% of its workforce was vaccinated, including 60,500 people who got their shots after the August announcement.

Kan., Mo. AGs sue to stop vaccine mandate for health care workers

By SUZANNE PEREZ <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/education/2021-11-09/goddard-school-district-orders-29-books-removed-from-circulation">Kansas News Service</a>

WICHITA — The Goddard school district has removed more
 than two dozen books from circulation in the district’s school 
libraries, citing national attention and challenges to the books 
elsewhere.

The list of books includes several well-known novels, 
including “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, “The Bluest Eye” by 
Toni Morrison, “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas and “The Perks of Being
 a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky.

It also includes “Fences,” a 
play by August Wilson that won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1987, and
 “They Called Themselves the K.K.K.,” a historical look at how the white
 supremacist group took root in America.

Julie Cannizzo, assistant
 superintendent for academic affairs in Goddard, sent an email to 
principals and librarians last week with the list of 29 books.

“At
 this time, the district is not in a position to know if the books 
contained on this list meet our educational goals or not,” Cannizzo 
wrote in the email. “Additionally, we need to gain a better 
understanding of the processes utilized to select books for our school 
libraries.

“For these reasons, please do not allow any of these 
books to be checked out while we are in the process of gathering more 
information. If a book on this list is currently checked out, please do 
(not) allow it to be checked out again once it's returned.”

Cannizzo
 said in the email that the district is assembling a committee to “rate 
the content of the books on the list” and to review the selection 
process. She did not say how long the process is expected to take.

Cannizzo
 said Tuesday that one parent objected to language he found offensive in
 “The Hate U Give,” a novel about the aftermath of a police officer 
killing a Black teenager. The parent then submitted a list of books he 
questioned, and district officials agreed to halt checkouts and complete
 a review.

"We're not banning these books or anything like that as
 a district," she said. "It was just brought to our attention that that 
list of books may have content that's unsuitable for children."

Cannizzo
 said she plans to meet with school librarians this week. She wouldn't 
say when or if the books would return to circulation.

“We haven’t 
even evaluated these books," she said. "I couldn’t even tell you what 
these books have in them or why someone may find them offensive or not."

<a href="http://library.goddardusd.com/" target="_blank">Library catalogs for all 12 Goddard schools</a> are available on the district’s website.

A <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/scschoolfiles/236/section_i_-_final_copy_-_2020.pdf" target="_blank">Goddard district policy</a>
 adopted in 2016 spells out procedures for challenging textbooks, 
library books or instructional materials. Anyone with a complaint about a
 book is directed to meet first with the school principal and submit a 
“request for review” form.

If a challenge isn’t resolved at the 
school level, it goes to the superintendent and then the school board. 
Board members may forward a complaint to a review committee made up of 
the building principal, media specialist, two subject area specialists 
and two community members.

According to the district’s policy, “Challenged materials shall not be removed from use during the review period.”

The development comes just days after a <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/10/28/1050013664/texas-lawmaker-matt-krause-launches-inquiry-into-850-books" target="_blank">Texas state lawmaker launched an investigation</a>
 into Texas school districts over the type of books they have, 
particularly if they pertain to race or sexuality or “make students feel
 discomfort.”

Goddard’s list includes several books written by 
people of color or featuring characters from diverse backgrounds. Some 
feature LGBTQ protagonists or young people struggling with issues of 
gender or sexuality.

Jaime Prothro, Wichita’s director of libraries, said there’s an increase in challenges to library purchases nationwide.

“What
 we’re seeing in the publishing world is a lot more marginalized voices —
 LGBTQ, Black experiences,” Prothro said. “These are books that people 
have been yearning to read, and they're being published with more 
frequency.

“And when more diverse books are published, that is 
actually going to impact the collection makeup of any library. . . . 
That’s definitely something that’s kind of pushing on a nerve for a 
number of people who are more comfortable with more mainstream 
lifestyles.”

“The Hate U Give” is a young adult novel about the 
aftermath of a police officer killing a Black teenager. “Black Girl 
Unlimited” explores issues of poverty, sexual violence, depression and 
racism. “Blended” is about an 11-year-old biracial girl dealing with her
 parents’ divorce.

Prothro said she can’t speak specifically to 
issues at play in Goddard or other districts. But she worries that 
current debates over books could limit access to diverse stories and 
experiences.

“That one family may choose not to read something 
does not determine whether or not it’s appropriate for another family,” 
she said.

“We really do celebrate the freedom of choice. And in a library situation, if that book isn’t for you, just return it.”

Here is the list of books ordered to be removed from circulation in Goddard school libraries:

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34521785-murdertrending?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=eUhzvUPTLS&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“#MurderTrending”</a> by Gretchen McNeil

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44280883-all-boys-aren-t-blue?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=i2CuDFYHxR&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“All Boys Aren’t Blue”</a> by George M. Johnson

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36142487-anger-is-a-gift?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=J2u1pJn8TZ&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Anger is a Gift”</a> by Mark Oshiro

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38599259-black-girl-unlimited?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=bnEcc7fJCG&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Black Girl Unlimited”</a> by Echo Brown

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38351370-blended?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=fYMfC3wYTY&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Blended”</a> by Sharon M. Draper

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270730.Crank?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=ODDNTOMarC&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Crank”</a> by Ellen Hopkins

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/539282.Fences?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=y8a28PHiFF&amp;rank=2" target="_blank">“Fences”</a> by August Wilson

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26135825-fun-home?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=0HqwPpVWCi&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic”</a> by Alison Bechdel

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42837514-gender-queer?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=Z6IDJGaKE8&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Gender Queer”</a> by Maia Kobabe

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29430746-heavy?from_search=true&amp;from_srp=true&amp;qid=6ikbGT68Nm&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Heavy”</a> by Kiese Laymon

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35489159-lawn-boy?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=anpBXcmTMP&amp;rank=2" target="_blank">“Lawn Boy”</a> by Jonathan Evison

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23203257-lily-and-dunkin?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=orTTshzqL5&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Lily and Dunkin”</a> by Donna Gephart

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2954411-living-dead-girl?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=J3Em3CqF0u&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Living Dead Girl”</a> by Elizabeth Scott

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35068534-monday-s-not-coming?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=AOad2xpeyH&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Monday’s Not Coming”</a> by Tiffany D. Jackson

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25256386-out-of-darkness?from_search=true&amp;from_srp=true&amp;qid=R7f8mRv70Y&amp;rank=3" target="_blank">“Out of Darkness”</a> by Ashley Hope Perez

<a href="https://www.amazon.com/At-Issue-hardcover-Tamara-Roleff/dp/0737708077" target="_blank">“Satanism”</a> by Tamara L. Roleff

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33155325-the-57-bus?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=7jacyegYWp&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime that Changed Their Lives”</a> by Dashka Slater

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/693208.The_Absolutely_True_Diary_of_a_Part_Time_Indian?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=EdHeX2qKsj&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”</a> by Sherman Alexie

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11337.The_Bluest_Eye?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=MBCTYR23UB&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“The Bluest Eye”</a> by Toni Morrison

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6449290-the-girl-who-fell-from-the-sky?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=p4kt5K6EXg&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“The Girl Who Fell From the Sky”</a> by Heidi W. Durrow

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38447.The_Handmaid_s_Tale?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=vGWGRC5r6k&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“The Handmaid’s Tale”</a> by Margaret Atwood

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40766383-the-handmaid-s-tale?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=p6Ev8vRJra&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel”</a> adapted by Renee Nault

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32075671-the-hate-u-give?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=ObWQru6sLx&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“The Hate U Give”</a> by Angie Thomas

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22628.The_Perks_of_Being_a_Wallflower?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=EUlSZisHmJ&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“The Perks of Being a Wallflower”</a> by Stephen Chbosky

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42975172-the-testaments?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=A9MpVqtVTR&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“The Testaments”</a> by Margaret Atwood

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7029188-they-called-themselves-the-k-k-k?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=56KXirJkW5&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group”</a> by Susan Campbell Bertoletti

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22074335-this-book-is-gay?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=nC5HI6MPpH&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“This Book is Gay”</a> by James Dawson

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465566-this-one-summer?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=uvkSDLcblz&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“This One Summer”</a> (graphic novel) by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34609406-trans-mission?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=bsd6YWj63m&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Trans Mission: My Quest to a Beard”</a> by Alex Bertie

Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636562361011.png" alt="A list of books removed from circulation in Goddard school libraries includes novels by Margaret Atwood and Toni Morrison. Suzanne Perez / KMUW" />
 <figcaption>A list of books removed from circulation in Goddard school libraries includes novels by Margaret Atwood and Toni Morrison. Suzanne Perez / KMUW</figcaption>
 </figure>By SUZANNE PEREZ <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/education/2021-11-09/goddard-school-district-orders-29-books-removed-from-circulation">Kansas News Service</a>WICHITA — The Goddard school district has removed more
 than two dozen books from circulation in the district’s school 
libraries, citing national attention and challenges to the books 
elsewhere.The list of books includes several well-known novels, 
including “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, “The Bluest Eye” by 
Toni Morrison, “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas and “The Perks of Being
 a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky.It also includes “Fences,” a 
play by August Wilson that won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1987, and
 “They Called Themselves the K.K.K.,” a historical look at how the white
 supremacist group took root in America.Julie Cannizzo, assistant
 superintendent for academic affairs in Goddard, sent an email to 
principals and librarians last week with the list of 29 books.“At
 this time, the district is not in a position to know if the books 
contained on this list meet our educational goals or not,” Cannizzo 
wrote in the email. “Additionally, we need to gain a better 
understanding of the processes utilized to select books for our school 
libraries.“For these reasons, please do not allow any of these 
books to be checked out while we are in the process of gathering more 
information. If a book on this list is currently checked out, please do 
(not) allow it to be checked out again once it's returned.”Cannizzo
 said in the email that the district is assembling a committee to “rate 
the content of the books on the list” and to review the selection 
process. She did not say how long the process is expected to take.Cannizzo
 said Tuesday that one parent objected to language he found offensive in
 “The Hate U Give,” a novel about the aftermath of a police officer 
killing a Black teenager. The parent then submitted a list of books he 
questioned, and district officials agreed to halt checkouts and complete
 a review."We're not banning these books or anything like that as
 a district," she said. "It was just brought to our attention that that 
list of books may have content that's unsuitable for children."Cannizzo
 said she plans to meet with school librarians this week. She wouldn't 
say when or if the books would return to circulation.“We haven’t 
even evaluated these books," she said. "I couldn’t even tell you what 
these books have in them or why someone may find them offensive or not."<a href="http://library.goddardusd.com/" target="_blank">Library catalogs for all 12 Goddard schools</a> are available on the district’s website.A <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/scschoolfiles/236/section_i_-_final_copy_-_2020.pdf" target="_blank">Goddard district policy</a>
 adopted in 2016 spells out procedures for challenging textbooks, 
library books or instructional materials. Anyone with a complaint about a
 book is directed to meet first with the school principal and submit a 
“request for review” form.If a challenge isn’t resolved at the 
school level, it goes to the superintendent and then the school board. 
Board members may forward a complaint to a review committee made up of 
the building principal, media specialist, two subject area specialists 
and two community members.According to the district’s policy, “Challenged materials shall not be removed from use during the review period.”The development comes just days after a <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/10/28/1050013664/texas-lawmaker-matt-krause-launches-inquiry-into-850-books" target="_blank">Texas state lawmaker launched an investigation</a>
 into Texas school districts over the type of books they have, 
particularly if they pertain to race or sexuality or “make students feel
 discomfort.”Goddard’s list includes several books written by 
people of color or featuring characters from diverse backgrounds. Some 
feature LGBTQ protagonists or young people struggling with issues of 
gender or sexuality.Jaime Prothro, Wichita’s director of libraries, said there’s an increase in challenges to library purchases nationwide.“What
 we’re seeing in the publishing world is a lot more marginalized voices —
 LGBTQ, Black experiences,” Prothro said. “These are books that people 
have been yearning to read, and they're being published with more 
frequency.“And when more diverse books are published, that is 
actually going to impact the collection makeup of any library. . . . 
That’s definitely something that’s kind of pushing on a nerve for a 
number of people who are more comfortable with more mainstream 
lifestyles.”“The Hate U Give” is a young adult novel about the 
aftermath of a police officer killing a Black teenager. “Black Girl 
Unlimited” explores issues of poverty, sexual violence, depression and 
racism. “Blended” is about an 11-year-old biracial girl dealing with her
 parents’ divorce.Prothro said she can’t speak specifically to 
issues at play in Goddard or other districts. But she worries that 
current debates over books could limit access to diverse stories and 
experiences.“That one family may choose not to read something 
does not determine whether or not it’s appropriate for another family,” 
she said.“We really do celebrate the freedom of choice. And in a library situation, if that book isn’t for you, just return it.”Here is the list of books ordered to be removed from circulation in Goddard school libraries:<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34521785-murdertrending?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=eUhzvUPTLS&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“#MurderTrending”</a> by Gretchen McNeil<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44280883-all-boys-aren-t-blue?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=i2CuDFYHxR&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“All Boys Aren’t Blue”</a> by George M. Johnson<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36142487-anger-is-a-gift?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=J2u1pJn8TZ&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Anger is a Gift”</a> by Mark Oshiro<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38599259-black-girl-unlimited?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=bnEcc7fJCG&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Black Girl Unlimited”</a> by Echo Brown<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38351370-blended?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=fYMfC3wYTY&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Blended”</a> by Sharon M. Draper<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270730.Crank?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=ODDNTOMarC&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Crank”</a> by Ellen Hopkins<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/539282.Fences?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=y8a28PHiFF&amp;rank=2" target="_blank">“Fences”</a> by August Wilson<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26135825-fun-home?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=0HqwPpVWCi&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic”</a> by Alison Bechdel<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42837514-gender-queer?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=Z6IDJGaKE8&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Gender Queer”</a> by Maia Kobabe<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29430746-heavy?from_search=true&amp;from_srp=true&amp;qid=6ikbGT68Nm&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Heavy”</a> by Kiese Laymon<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35489159-lawn-boy?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=anpBXcmTMP&amp;rank=2" target="_blank">“Lawn Boy”</a> by Jonathan Evison<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23203257-lily-and-dunkin?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=orTTshzqL5&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Lily and Dunkin”</a> by Donna Gephart<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2954411-living-dead-girl?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=J3Em3CqF0u&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Living Dead Girl”</a> by Elizabeth Scott<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35068534-monday-s-not-coming?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=AOad2xpeyH&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Monday’s Not Coming”</a> by Tiffany D. Jackson<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25256386-out-of-darkness?from_search=true&amp;from_srp=true&amp;qid=R7f8mRv70Y&amp;rank=3" target="_blank">“Out of Darkness”</a> by Ashley Hope Perez<a href="https://www.amazon.com/At-Issue-hardcover-Tamara-Roleff/dp/0737708077" target="_blank">“Satanism”</a> by Tamara L. Roleff<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33155325-the-57-bus?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=7jacyegYWp&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime that Changed Their Lives”</a> by Dashka Slater<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/693208.The_Absolutely_True_Diary_of_a_Part_Time_Indian?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=EdHeX2qKsj&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”</a> by Sherman Alexie<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11337.The_Bluest_Eye?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=MBCTYR23UB&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“The Bluest Eye”</a> by Toni Morrison<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6449290-the-girl-who-fell-from-the-sky?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=p4kt5K6EXg&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“The Girl Who Fell From the Sky”</a> by Heidi W. Durrow<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38447.The_Handmaid_s_Tale?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=vGWGRC5r6k&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“The Handmaid’s Tale”</a> by Margaret Atwood<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40766383-the-handmaid-s-tale?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=p6Ev8vRJra&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel”</a> adapted by Renee Nault<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32075671-the-hate-u-give?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=ObWQru6sLx&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“The Hate U Give”</a> by Angie Thomas<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22628.The_Perks_of_Being_a_Wallflower?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=EUlSZisHmJ&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“The Perks of Being a Wallflower”</a> by Stephen Chbosky<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42975172-the-testaments?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=A9MpVqtVTR&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“The Testaments”</a> by Margaret Atwood<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7029188-they-called-themselves-the-k-k-k?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=56KXirJkW5&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group”</a> by Susan Campbell Bertoletti<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22074335-this-book-is-gay?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=nC5HI6MPpH&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“This Book is Gay”</a> by James Dawson<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465566-this-one-summer?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=uvkSDLcblz&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“This One Summer”</a> (graphic novel) by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34609406-trans-mission?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=bsd6YWj63m&amp;rank=1" target="_blank">“Trans Mission: My Quest to a Beard”</a> by Alex BertieSuzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.

Kan. school district orders 29 books removed from circulation

Hospitals using $50M retention program funds in variety of ways

By SHERMAN SMITH <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/11/09/kansas-nurses-lack-voice-in-staff-shortage-crisis-association-director-says/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Kelly Sommers thinks nurses should have a voice in policy discussions about nurses.

If you really want to understand why <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/09/03/kansas-prepares-50m-pay-boost-for-nurses-at-understaffed-hospitals/">a new $50 million retention pay program</a>
 won’t do much to help hospitals address a shortage of registered 
nurses, Sommers says, there are a couple of things you need to know.

As director of the Kansas State Nurses Association, Sommers sounded 
alarms long before the COVID-19 pandemic about a looming staff crisis as
 many nurses approach retirement age. Then, at the start of the 
pandemic, when hospitals halted elective surgeries and struggled to 
secure personal protective equipment, some of them began to lay off 
nurses or force them into early retirement.

Sommers said she tried to tell hospital officials they were making a huge mistake. They told her she was wrong.

“We knew, as an association, that employers who did this just made 
the biggest mistake they could have made for their system — and that is 
to devalue a nurse,” Sommers said. “We know we’re looked at not just for
 what we do, but we also know that we’re looked at as an expense.”

The situation was made worse when nurses on the front lines got 
COVID-19, and some were forced to use personal time off while under 
quarantine.

From her perspective, it’s no wonder hospitals have struggled to find
 enough registered nurses — especially when the highly contagious delta 
variant spread in late summer, and patients who willfully left 
themselves vulnerable filled emergency rooms.

“There’s only so much that a person can take on their shoulders,” 
Sommers said. “There’s only so much that a person can give. There’s only
 so many hours a person can work in a life-saving profession without 
breaking. We’re there 24-7, always.”

State officials in September responded to the staffing shortage by 
funneling $50 million in federal aid into a program specifically 
intended to retain nurses at hospitals. That money is just starting to 
reach hospital employees, depending on where they work and how hospitals
 plan to use the money.

The Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas Taskforce — a panel 
that includes legislative leaders and members of Gov. Laura Kelly’s 
administration — <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/09/10/kansas-oversight-panel-releases-50m-for-nurse-pay-boost/">signed off on the Frontline Hospital Employee Retention Plan on Sept. 9</a>. The first wave of money was allocated a month later.

“This $50 million will help us retain and attract more front line 
hospital workers as we continue to fight his virus,” Kelly said. “For 
over 18 months, our heath care workers have risked their lives every day
 to protect Kansans from COVID-19 — it’s our responsibility to make sure
 they have the support they need to continue.”

The program’s goal was to retain registered nurses at hospitals where
 there were more licensed beds than available staff. The $50 million 
figure was based on an average of $5,000 per registered nurse at 
qualifying hospitals.

Money was allocated to hospitals based on the estimated number of 
nurses needed for licensed hospital beds at each facility. Employees 
could receive up to $13 per hour in bonuses from Sept. 1 to Feb. 28, 
with an individual cap of $25,000.

The program offers wide latitude to hospitals on using the cash. 
Details provided by the Kansas Department of Administration show the 
money may be distributed to “frontline workers,” who aren’t defined, in 
the manner hospitals believe “is most appropriate to ensure the 
retention of critical resources and the maintenance of staffed hospital 
beds.”

Cindy Samuelson, senior vice president and spokeswoman for the Kansas
 Hospital Association, said the money divided among employees at 122 
hospitals over a six-month period isn’t enough to retain staff.

So every hospital is using the money differently, Samuelson said.

For some, that means rewarding lab workers, respiratory therapists 
and others who worked the front lines along with nurses. Some hospitals 
are using the money as a retroactive reward for staff who stayed <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/09/10/inside-mission-control-hospital-capacity-in-kansas-at-its-worst-with-latest-covid-19-surge/">through workforce challenge</a>s. One hospital has decided to use the money as an incentive for workers willing to take holiday shifts.

“I think hospitals are being very frugal and responsible and taking a
 lot of time and thought into what’s going to help keep their 
communities having the best health care they can,” Samuelson said.

As of Monday, state health officials have recorded 442,232 infections
 of COVID-19, resulting in 6,534 deaths and 15,125 hospitalizations.

Sommers said she asked to participate in SPARK meetings when the 
retention program was being discussed, but “it did not happen.” She said
 she was met with resistance when she offered alternative solutions to 
address nursing shortages.

“It’s never a nursing voice that’s heard,” she said. “It’s always 
somebody else speaking on behalf of nursing, that doesn’t know who a 
nurse is, let alone what a nurse does.”

Registered nurses are highly trained. Their value can’t be measured 
in bed ratios. They don’t just give injections and change sheets.

“While I’m listening to somebody’s lung sounds, I am also assessing 
many other things,” Sommers said. “I can see how the person is 
breathing. Are they struggling to get a breath? Decipher what I’m 
hearing. What is the person doing? What does their skin look like? I 
mean, there’s a whole environment, and there’s an assessment piece that 
comes along with that one thing.”

Her ideas include funding a mentorship program for new nurses, drawing on the expertise of retired nurses.

“They need that time to be nurtured,” Sommers said. “They need that 
time to learn and to grow, or they’ll leave. This current environment is
 not healthy for a new graduate.”

She also proposed more succession planning. Hospitals fail to train 
younger nurses to move into positions before more experienced nurses 
retire.

Nurses don’t need a pizza party, Sommers said. They really don’t need
 an email from an administrator that says, “Thank you for what you’re 
doing.”

They need someone to listen to them. They need to be involved in finding solutions.

The $50 million program shows policymakers aren’t looking at the big picture, she said.

“My message is: The voice for nursing has to be a nurse,” Sommers 
said. “This is the time to hear the nurse voice, and not have other 
people who do not understand a nurse speak on our behalf.”

Sherman Smith is the Kansas Press Association’s journalist of the year.&nbsp;He previously spent 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal. &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636487107034.png" alt="Kelly Sommers, director of the Kansas State Nurses Association, says the “voice for nursing needs to be a nurse.” She said she was denied a voice in meetings for a $50 million front line staff retention program that won’t do much to retain staff. (Thad Allton for Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Kelly Sommers, director of the Kansas State Nurses Association, says the “voice for nursing needs to be a nurse.” She said she was denied a voice in meetings for a $50 million front line staff retention program that won’t do much to retain staff. (Thad Allton for Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Hospitals using $50M retention program funds in variety of ways</h2>By SHERMAN SMITH <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/11/09/kansas-nurses-lack-voice-in-staff-shortage-crisis-association-director-says/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Kelly Sommers thinks nurses should have a voice in policy discussions about nurses.If you really want to understand why <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/09/03/kansas-prepares-50m-pay-boost-for-nurses-at-understaffed-hospitals/">a new $50 million retention pay program</a>
 won’t do much to help hospitals address a shortage of registered 
nurses, Sommers says, there are a couple of things you need to know.As director of the Kansas State Nurses Association, Sommers sounded 
alarms long before the COVID-19 pandemic about a looming staff crisis as
 many nurses approach retirement age. Then, at the start of the 
pandemic, when hospitals halted elective surgeries and struggled to 
secure personal protective equipment, some of them began to lay off 
nurses or force them into early retirement.Sommers said she tried to tell hospital officials they were making a huge mistake. They told her she was wrong.“We knew, as an association, that employers who did this just made 
the biggest mistake they could have made for their system — and that is 
to devalue a nurse,” Sommers said. “We know we’re looked at not just for
 what we do, but we also know that we’re looked at as an expense.”The situation was made worse when nurses on the front lines got 
COVID-19, and some were forced to use personal time off while under 
quarantine.From her perspective, it’s no wonder hospitals have struggled to find
 enough registered nurses — especially when the highly contagious delta 
variant spread in late summer, and patients who willfully left 
themselves vulnerable filled emergency rooms.“There’s only so much that a person can take on their shoulders,” 
Sommers said. “There’s only so much that a person can give. There’s only
 so many hours a person can work in a life-saving profession without 
breaking. We’re there 24-7, always.”State officials in September responded to the staffing shortage by 
funneling $50 million in federal aid into a program specifically 
intended to retain nurses at hospitals. That money is just starting to 
reach hospital employees, depending on where they work and how hospitals
 plan to use the money.<div><div class="flourish-embed flourish-table" data-src="visualisation/7699831"><script src="https://public.flourish.studio/resources/embed.js"></script></div></div>The Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas Taskforce — a panel 
that includes legislative leaders and members of Gov. Laura Kelly’s 
administration — <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/09/10/kansas-oversight-panel-releases-50m-for-nurse-pay-boost/">signed off on the Frontline Hospital Employee Retention Plan on Sept. 9</a>. The first wave of money was allocated a month later.“This $50 million will help us retain and attract more front line 
hospital workers as we continue to fight his virus,” Kelly said. “For 
over 18 months, our heath care workers have risked their lives every day
 to protect Kansans from COVID-19 — it’s our responsibility to make sure
 they have the support they need to continue.”The program’s goal was to retain registered nurses at hospitals where
 there were more licensed beds than available staff. The $50 million 
figure was based on an average of $5,000 per registered nurse at 
qualifying hospitals.Money was allocated to hospitals based on the estimated number of 
nurses needed for licensed hospital beds at each facility. Employees 
could receive up to $13 per hour in bonuses from Sept. 1 to Feb. 28, 
with an individual cap of $25,000.The program offers wide latitude to hospitals on using the cash. 
Details provided by the Kansas Department of Administration show the 
money may be distributed to “frontline workers,” who aren’t defined, in 
the manner hospitals believe “is most appropriate to ensure the 
retention of critical resources and the maintenance of staffed hospital 
beds.”Cindy Samuelson, senior vice president and spokeswoman for the Kansas
 Hospital Association, said the money divided among employees at 122 
hospitals over a six-month period isn’t enough to retain staff.So every hospital is using the money differently, Samuelson said.For some, that means rewarding lab workers, respiratory therapists 
and others who worked the front lines along with nurses. Some hospitals 
are using the money as a retroactive reward for staff who stayed <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/09/10/inside-mission-control-hospital-capacity-in-kansas-at-its-worst-with-latest-covid-19-surge/">through workforce challenge</a>s. One hospital has decided to use the money as an incentive for workers willing to take holiday shifts.“I think hospitals are being very frugal and responsible and taking a
 lot of time and thought into what’s going to help keep their 
communities having the best health care they can,” Samuelson said.As of Monday, state health officials have recorded 442,232 infections
 of COVID-19, resulting in 6,534 deaths and 15,125 hospitalizations.Sommers said she asked to participate in SPARK meetings when the 
retention program was being discussed, but “it did not happen.” She said
 she was met with resistance when she offered alternative solutions to 
address nursing shortages.“It’s never a nursing voice that’s heard,” she said. “It’s always 
somebody else speaking on behalf of nursing, that doesn’t know who a 
nurse is, let alone what a nurse does.”Registered nurses are highly trained. Their value can’t be measured 
in bed ratios. They don’t just give injections and change sheets.“While I’m listening to somebody’s lung sounds, I am also assessing 
many other things,” Sommers said. “I can see how the person is 
breathing. Are they struggling to get a breath? Decipher what I’m 
hearing. What is the person doing? What does their skin look like? I 
mean, there’s a whole environment, and there’s an assessment piece that 
comes along with that one thing.”Her ideas include funding a mentorship program for new nurses, drawing on the expertise of retired nurses.“They need that time to be nurtured,” Sommers said. “They need that 
time to learn and to grow, or they’ll leave. This current environment is
 not healthy for a new graduate.”She also proposed more succession planning. Hospitals fail to train 
younger nurses to move into positions before more experienced nurses 
retire.Nurses don’t need a pizza party, Sommers said. They really don’t need
 an email from an administrator that says, “Thank you for what you’re 
doing.”They need someone to listen to them. They need to be involved in finding solutions.The $50 million program shows policymakers aren’t looking at the big picture, she said.“My message is: The voice for nursing has to be a nurse,” Sommers 
said. “This is the time to hear the nurse voice, and not have other 
people who do not understand a nurse speak on our behalf.”Sherman Smith is the Kansas Press Association’s journalist of the year.&nbsp;He previously spent 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal. &nbsp;

Association director: Kan. nurses lack voice in staff shortage crisis

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases* (see below) in Kansas increased by 2,857 to a total of 445,089, the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;

The state reported 79 new COVID-19 deaths for a total of 6,613.

<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a> about the COVID-19 vaccine.

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

As of August 1, 2021, in accordance with an&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">updated CDC/CSTE surveillance case definition</a>, a confirmed case is defined as a person who tested positive by molecular detection (e.g., PCR, NAA) or identification of SARS-CoV-2 through genetic sequencing. A probable case is defined as a person with: a) presumptive lab evidence (antigen) or b) no lab testing but meeting clinical case criteria and is epi-linked. A person will be counted as a new surveillance case (e.g. reinfection) if they test positive for SARS-CoV-2 by a diagnostic test (i.e., molecular, antigen) and it has been greater than 90 days since the previous positive diagnostic test. In addition, a person with sequencing results identifying different SARS-CoV-2 lineages regardless of the time since the previous specimen sequenced will be counted as a new surveillance case.&nbsp;

Cases occurring between&nbsp;September 1, 2020&nbsp;and July 29, 2021 were classified by&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">previous CDC/CSTE case definition,&nbsp;</a>and cases prior to September 1, 2020 were classified by the&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/case-definitions/coronavirus-disease-2019-2020/" target="_blank">original case definition</a>.

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases* (see below) in Kansas increased by 2,857 to a total of 445,089, the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;The state reported 79 new COVID-19 deaths for a total of 6,613.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636569327538.png" alt="Wednesday November 10, 2021 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday November 10, 2021 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a> about the COVID-19 vaccine.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.As of August 1, 2021, in accordance with an&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">updated CDC/CSTE surveillance case definition</a>, a confirmed case is defined as a person who tested positive by molecular detection (e.g., PCR, NAA) or identification of SARS-CoV-2 through genetic sequencing. A probable case is defined as a person with: a) presumptive lab evidence (antigen) or b) no lab testing but meeting clinical case criteria and is epi-linked. A person will be counted as a new surveillance case (e.g. reinfection) if they test positive for SARS-CoV-2 by a diagnostic test (i.e., molecular, antigen) and it has been greater than 90 days since the previous positive diagnostic test. In addition, a person with sequencing results identifying different SARS-CoV-2 lineages regardless of the time since the previous specimen sequenced will be counted as a new surveillance case.&nbsp;Cases occurring between&nbsp;September 1, 2020&nbsp;and July 29, 2021 were classified by&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">previous CDC/CSTE case definition,&nbsp;</a>and cases prior to September 1, 2020 were classified by the&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/case-definitions/coronavirus-disease-2019-2020/" target="_blank">original case definition</a>.

KDHE: 2,800 new cases, 79 more COVID deaths

WASHINGTON (AP) —Prices for U.S. consumers jumped 6.2 percent in October compared with a year earlier as surging costs for food, gas and housing left Americans grappling with the highest inflation rate since 1990.

The year-over-year increase in the consumer price index exceeded the 5.4 percent rise in September, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. From September to October, prices jumped 0.9 percent, the highest month-over-month increase since June.

Inflation is eroding the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-wages-salaries-increase-8ce98ea3bcc14c4810eb5a1111e1df49" target="_blank">strong gains in wages and salaries&nbsp;</a>that have flowed to America’s workers in recent months, creating political headaches for the Biden administration and congressional Democrats and intensifying pressure on the Federal Reserve as it considers how fast to withdraw its efforts to boost the economy.

Job gains and pay raises have been much healthier during the pandemic recovery than they were after the Great Recession roughly a decade ago. But in contrast to the years that followed that downturn, inflation is now accelerating and diminishing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-prices-inflation-d98e33f5f024e5109486b70662196ed7" target="_blank">Americans’ confidence in the economy, surveys have found</a>.

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, so-called core prices rose 0.6% in from September to October. Core prices are now up 4.6 percent compared with a year ago.

Energy costs soared 4.8 percent just from September to October, with gasoline, natural gas and heating oil surging for the same reason that many other commodities have grown more expensive: Demand has risen sharply as Americans are driving and flying more, but supplies haven’t kept up.

Economists still expect inflation to slow once supply bottlenecks are cleared and Americans shift more of their consumption back to pre-pandemic norms. As COVID-19 fades, consumers should spend more on travel, entertainment and other services and less on goods such as cars, furniture, and appliances, which would reduce pressure on supply chains.

But no one knows how long that might take. Higher inflation has persisted much longer than most economists had expected. And inflation is spreading well beyond items like appliances and new and used vehicles that are directly affected by the pandemic.

“The inflation overshoot will likely get worse before it gets better,” said Goldman Sachs economists in a research note Sunday.

For months, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell had described inflation as “transitory,” a short-term phenomenon linked to labor and supply shortages resulting from the speed with which the economy rebounded from the pandemic recession. But last week,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-economy-inflation-e4993a475b31c2e82efe788ff8b47c68" target="_blank">Powell acknowledged</a>&nbsp;that higher prices could last well into next summer.

The Fed chair announced that the central bank will start reducing the monthly bond purchases it began last year as an emergency measure to boost the economy. Investors now expect the Fed to raise its benchmark interest rate twice next year from its record-low level near zero — much earlier than they had predicted a few months ago.

Many large companies are passing on the cost of higher pay to their customers, and in some cases, consumers are paying up rather than cutting back.

To attract workers, for example, McDonald’s boosted hourly pay 10 percent to 15 percent over the past year. To help cover those higher labor costs as well as more expensive food and paper, the company said last month that it raised prices 6 percent in the July-September quarter from a year earlier. Yet even so, company sales leapt 14 percent as virus restrictions eased.

Other companies have been more cautious. One of them, Wayfair, an online furniture retailer, said last week that its costs are rising as factories in Asia have shut down amid COVID outbreaks, ports are jammed, and labor costs have surged. But the company isn’t necessarily passing along all those higher costs.

“We are in a mass-oriented business where the average customer does not have an unlimited discretionary budget,” said Michael Fleisher, Wayfair’s chief financial officer. “Inflation is rampant across the economy, and there are competing demands for their time and wallet share.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625744811390.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —Prices for U.S. consumers jumped 6.2 percent in October compared with a year earlier as surging costs for food, gas and housing left Americans grappling with the highest inflation rate since 1990.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨🚨🚨 BIDENFLATION SURGES TO 31 YEAR HIGH! It’s here to stay so long as the left continues to throw gasoline on the fire with their reckless taxing, reckless borrowing, and reckless spending agenda. <a href="https://t.co/k2wDdlSKkV">https://t.co/k2wDdlSKkV</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1458456925943762949?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The year-over-year increase in the consumer price index exceeded the 5.4 percent rise in September, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. From September to October, prices jumped 0.9 percent, the highest month-over-month increase since June.Inflation is eroding the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-wages-salaries-increase-8ce98ea3bcc14c4810eb5a1111e1df49" target="_blank">strong gains in wages and salaries&nbsp;</a>that have flowed to America’s workers in recent months, creating political headaches for the Biden administration and congressional Democrats and intensifying pressure on the Federal Reserve as it considers how fast to withdraw its efforts to boost the economy.Job gains and pay raises have been much healthier during the pandemic recovery than they were after the Great Recession roughly a decade ago. But in contrast to the years that followed that downturn, inflation is now accelerating and diminishing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-prices-inflation-d98e33f5f024e5109486b70662196ed7" target="_blank">Americans’ confidence in the economy, surveys have found</a>.Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, so-called core prices rose 0.6% in from September to October. Core prices are now up 4.6 percent compared with a year ago.Energy costs soared 4.8 percent just from September to October, with gasoline, natural gas and heating oil surging for the same reason that many other commodities have grown more expensive: Demand has risen sharply as Americans are driving and flying more, but supplies haven’t kept up.Economists still expect inflation to slow once supply bottlenecks are cleared and Americans shift more of their consumption back to pre-pandemic norms. As COVID-19 fades, consumers should spend more on travel, entertainment and other services and less on goods such as cars, furniture, and appliances, which would reduce pressure on supply chains.But no one knows how long that might take. Higher inflation has persisted much longer than most economists had expected. And inflation is spreading well beyond items like appliances and new and used vehicles that are directly affected by the pandemic.“The inflation overshoot will likely get worse before it gets better,” said Goldman Sachs economists in a research note Sunday.For months, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell had described inflation as “transitory,” a short-term phenomenon linked to labor and supply shortages resulting from the speed with which the economy rebounded from the pandemic recession. But last week,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-economy-inflation-e4993a475b31c2e82efe788ff8b47c68" target="_blank">Powell acknowledged</a>&nbsp;that higher prices could last well into next summer.The Fed chair announced that the central bank will start reducing the monthly bond purchases it began last year as an emergency measure to boost the economy. Investors now expect the Fed to raise its benchmark interest rate twice next year from its record-low level near zero — much earlier than they had predicted a few months ago.Many large companies are passing on the cost of higher pay to their customers, and in some cases, consumers are paying up rather than cutting back.To attract workers, for example, McDonald’s boosted hourly pay 10 percent to 15 percent over the past year. To help cover those higher labor costs as well as more expensive food and paper, the company said last month that it raised prices 6 percent in the July-September quarter from a year earlier. Yet even so, company sales leapt 14 percent as virus restrictions eased.Other companies have been more cautious. One of them, Wayfair, an online furniture retailer, said last week that its costs are rising as factories in Asia have shut down amid COVID outbreaks, ports are jammed, and labor costs have surged. But the company isn’t necessarily passing along all those higher costs.“We are in a mass-oriented business where the average customer does not have an unlimited discretionary budget,” said Michael Fleisher, Wayfair’s chief financial officer. “Inflation is rampant across the economy, and there are competing demands for their time and wallet share.”

Kan. senator responds as U.S. inflation hits 30-year high, prices keep rising

By KEN CARPENTER <a href="https://greatbendpost.com">Great Bend Post</a>

GREAT BEND — Members of 
St.&nbsp;Johns&nbsp;Episcopal Church in Great Bend have been worshipping in their 
church building on the corner of 17th and Adams streets for about 70 
years. Now a "For Sale" sign has been placed in front of the church.&nbsp;

Rev.
 Teresa Lahar, St. Johns' priest, said it is not economically feasible 
for the congregation to remain at the current location and continue some
 of the church's outreach programs.&nbsp;

"We decided that if we move, we would have the funds that we could put into missional work," Lahar noted.&nbsp;

The
 church supports foster families, offers a Shrove Tuesday pancake dinner
 and provides assistance to people who need help with utility bills, 
housewares and appliances.&nbsp;&nbsp;Helping the ministry at the Dream Center in 
downtown Great Bend is one of the projects that church members want to 
continue.  

"We are doing the third Sunday every other month, feeding a Sunday evening meal," Lahar said.&nbsp;

The
 St. Johns congregation will continue to worship at the current location
 until the building is sold. After that, they will move to the chapel at
 First Congregational United Church of Christ.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636565315285.jpeg" alt="Rose Kelly, left, senior warden, and Teresa Lahar, priest, at St. Johns Episcopal Church." />
 <figcaption>Rose Kelly, left, senior warden, and Teresa Lahar, priest, at St. Johns Episcopal Church.</figcaption>
 </figure>By KEN CARPENTER <a href="https://greatbendpost.com">Great Bend Post</a>GREAT BEND — Members of 
St.&nbsp;Johns&nbsp;Episcopal Church in Great Bend have been worshipping in their 
church building on the corner of 17th and Adams streets for about 70 
years. Now a "For Sale" sign has been placed in front of the church.&nbsp;Rev.
 Teresa Lahar, St. Johns' priest, said it is not economically feasible 
for the congregation to remain at the current location and continue some
 of the church's outreach programs.&nbsp;"We decided that if we move, we would have the funds that we could put into missional work," Lahar noted.&nbsp;The
 church supports foster families, offers a Shrove Tuesday pancake dinner
 and provides assistance to people who need help with utility bills, 
housewares and appliances.&nbsp;&nbsp;Helping the ministry at the Dream Center in 
downtown Great Bend is one of the projects that church members want to 
continue. "We are doing the third Sunday every other month, feeding a Sunday evening meal," Lahar said.&nbsp;The
 St. Johns congregation will continue to worship at the current location
 until the building is sold. After that, they will move to the chapel at
 First Congregational United Church of Christ.&nbsp;

Great Bend church selling building to keep mission work

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The largest school district in Kansas plans to open a COVID-19 immunization site after the vaccine was approved for kids aged 5-11. 

Wichita district spokeswoman Susan Arensman said the school system hasn’t administered any shots yet to the 5-11 group and won’t be going school-by-school with vaccines. Instead, the district will set up a vaccination station at district headquarters that will serve the school community, including students, parents and unvaccinated employees.&nbsp; 

Earlier in the pandemic, the district developed COVID vaccination capabilities to immunize teachers and staff.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635537216378.png" alt="The vaccine for children includes an orange cap -photo courtesy Pfizer" />
 <figcaption>The vaccine for children includes an orange cap -photo courtesy Pfizer</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The largest school district in Kansas plans to open a COVID-19 immunization site after the vaccine was approved for kids aged 5-11. Wichita district spokeswoman Susan Arensman said the school system hasn’t administered any shots yet to the 5-11 group and won’t be going school-by-school with vaccines. Instead, the district will set up a vaccination station at district headquarters that will serve the school community, including students, parents and unvaccinated employees.&nbsp; Earlier in the pandemic, the district developed COVID vaccination capabilities to immunize teachers and staff.

Kan. largest school district to help vaccinate 5-11 year old kids

KANSAS CITY (AP) — The only eye witnesses to a 1978 triple murder in Kansas City tried to tell prosecutors years before she died that she had identified the wrong shooter, but they told her it was “too late” to recant and that she could be charged with perjury, her sister testified Tuesday.

Cecile “Cookie” Simmons testified on the second day of a hearing that could lead to the release of Kevin Strickland, who has served 43 years in prison for a triple murder that many people, including current Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, believe he did not commit.

In testimony on Monday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-kansas-9674fc613175a2b1b7a2e8eefd6301f9">Strickland, who is now 62, strongly denied being involved in the crime</a>, which he has maintained since he was arrested and convicted in 1979.

Peters Baker announced in May that she and several other legal and political leaders believe Strickland was wrongly convicted. In August, she called for Strickland’s exoneration by using&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-816410e8eab142331d08c9d750153d28">a new state law</a>&nbsp;that allows local prosecutors to challenge convictions if they believe the defendant did not commit the crime.

The evidentiary hearing was delayed several times after motions filed by the Missouri Attorney General’s office. Attorney General Eric Schmidt, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, has said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/has%20said%20he%20believes%20Strickland%20is%20guilty">he believes Strickland is guilty</a>.

Simmons’ sister, Cynthia Douglas, was injured but survived the shootings that killed three of her friends at a home in Kansas City on April 25, 1978. Her identification of Strickland, as being at the scene was a primary factor in his conviction.

Simmons said Tuesday that Douglas told her she knew two of four suspects, Vincent Bell, 21, and Kilm Adkins, 19, but did not know the other two suspects.

She picked Strickland, who was 18 at the time, out of a lineup the next day and later told people she was pressured by police to choose him, Simmons testified. Douglas’ mother, sister and a former co-worker gave similar testimony on Monday.

Years later, when Douglas told county prosecutors about her mistaken identification, they told her they were “not going to go back to court” over it and that she could be charged with perjury, according to Simmons.

Simmons said Douglas had nightmares and was sickened by her actions but she never took back her recantation before she died in 2015.

Bell and Adkins later served prison sentences for their roles in the murders. They both have said that Strickland was not involved in the crimes.

“Cindy never got her justice,” Simmons said Tuesday, noting that the two suspects Bell and Adkins identified were never arrested.

During cross-examination from Gregory Goodwin with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, Simmons acknowledged she was not with her sister when she contacted various officials.

Douglas’ ex-husband, Ronald Richardson, also testified Tuesday that she told him she had been wrong to identify Strickland. Richardson, who is currently in prison, was with Douglas for 24 years and married to her for 15 years.

Douglas told him she was hesitant to revive Strickland’s case because other families were involved and she was afraid Strickland might retaliate. Richardson told her said Strickland was more likely to be grateful if she recanted her identification, he testified.

Richardson said he and Strickland are imprisoned together but they are not friends and Strickland has never promised him anything for his testimony.

Assistant Attorney General Christine Krug noted Richardson’s lengthy prison record, which started with stealing in 1994 and include convictions for drugs, forgery and sex charges. She also said the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office did not find him credible when he was prosecuted for sex crimes and robbery.

Richardson responded that he didn’t understand what his crimes had to do with Strickland’s case. And he said he watched Douglas suffer for years because she identified the wrong person, KSHB-TV&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/kevin-stricklands-quest-for-freedom-continues-tuesday-in-jackson-county-court" target="_blank">reported</a>.

“I’ve lived with the girl for 24 years, and I’ve seen her slowly deteriorate and I’ve seen the hurt and the pain that the girl went through for 24 years,” Richardson said. “So don’t tell me all the things I did. I broke her heart. With the things I’ve done, I broke the girl’s heart. Y’all broke her spirit.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1620695920927.png" alt="Strickland-photo MODOC" />
 <figcaption>Strickland-photo MODOC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — The only eye witnesses to a 1978 triple murder in Kansas City tried to tell prosecutors years before she died that she had identified the wrong shooter, but they told her it was “too late” to recant and that she could be charged with perjury, her sister testified Tuesday.Cecile “Cookie” Simmons testified on the second day of a hearing that could lead to the release of Kevin Strickland, who has served 43 years in prison for a triple murder that many people, including current Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, believe he did not commit.In testimony on Monday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-kansas-9674fc613175a2b1b7a2e8eefd6301f9">Strickland, who is now 62, strongly denied being involved in the crime</a>, which he has maintained since he was arrested and convicted in 1979.Peters Baker announced in May that she and several other legal and political leaders believe Strickland was wrongly convicted. In August, she called for Strickland’s exoneration by using&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-816410e8eab142331d08c9d750153d28">a new state law</a>&nbsp;that allows local prosecutors to challenge convictions if they believe the defendant did not commit the crime.The evidentiary hearing was delayed several times after motions filed by the Missouri Attorney General’s office. Attorney General Eric Schmidt, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, has said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/has%20said%20he%20believes%20Strickland%20is%20guilty">he believes Strickland is guilty</a>.Simmons’ sister, Cynthia Douglas, was injured but survived the shootings that killed three of her friends at a home in Kansas City on April 25, 1978. Her identification of Strickland, as being at the scene was a primary factor in his conviction.Simmons said Tuesday that Douglas told her she knew two of four suspects, Vincent Bell, 21, and Kilm Adkins, 19, but did not know the other two suspects.She picked Strickland, who was 18 at the time, out of a lineup the next day and later told people she was pressured by police to choose him, Simmons testified. Douglas’ mother, sister and a former co-worker gave similar testimony on Monday.Years later, when Douglas told county prosecutors about her mistaken identification, they told her they were “not going to go back to court” over it and that she could be charged with perjury, according to Simmons.Simmons said Douglas had nightmares and was sickened by her actions but she never took back her recantation before she died in 2015.Bell and Adkins later served prison sentences for their roles in the murders. They both have said that Strickland was not involved in the crimes.“Cindy never got her justice,” Simmons said Tuesday, noting that the two suspects Bell and Adkins identified were never arrested.During cross-examination from Gregory Goodwin with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, Simmons acknowledged she was not with her sister when she contacted various officials.Douglas’ ex-husband, Ronald Richardson, also testified Tuesday that she told him she had been wrong to identify Strickland. Richardson, who is currently in prison, was with Douglas for 24 years and married to her for 15 years.Douglas told him she was hesitant to revive Strickland’s case because other families were involved and she was afraid Strickland might retaliate. Richardson told her said Strickland was more likely to be grateful if she recanted her identification, he testified.Richardson said he and Strickland are imprisoned together but they are not friends and Strickland has never promised him anything for his testimony.Assistant Attorney General Christine Krug noted Richardson’s lengthy prison record, which started with stealing in 1994 and include convictions for drugs, forgery and sex charges. She also said the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office did not find him credible when he was prosecuted for sex crimes and robbery.Richardson responded that he didn’t understand what his crimes had to do with Strickland’s case. And he said he watched Douglas suffer for years because she identified the wrong person, KSHB-TV&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/kevin-stricklands-quest-for-freedom-continues-tuesday-in-jackson-county-court" target="_blank">reported</a>.“I’ve lived with the girl for 24 years, and I’ve seen her slowly deteriorate and I’ve seen the hurt and the pain that the girl went through for 24 years,” Richardson said. “So don’t tell me all the things I did. I broke her heart. With the things I’ve done, I broke the girl’s heart. Y’all broke her spirit.”

Woman says her sister ID'd wrong man in KC triple murder

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Biden administration is relying on infrastructure dollars to help fix the clogged ports and blanket the nation with internet access — but a series of initiatives rolled out on Tuesday show that the urgent pace might not be fast enough to address the immediate needs of an economy coping with a supply chain squeeze and a shift to remote work.

President Joe Biden spoke with the CEOs of Wal-Mart, Target, UPS and FedEx on Tuesday about how to relieve the supply chain challenges as ships are still waiting to dock at some of the country's leading ports. The key problem is that these ports are experiencing record volumes of shipping containers as the economy has recovered from the pandemic.

Biden received updates from the CEOs on how deliveries are being sped up to ensure that store shelves will be well-stocked this holiday season, according to a White House official. Bloomberg News first reported Biden's conversations with the corporate leaders.

Yet the concrete policy steps being discussed by the administration show that there is no quick fix to supply chain issues that are still hurting smaller businesses and causing consumers to face higher prices. Nor can the administration build out a national broadband network fast enough as more Americans are pivoting toward remote work.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo highlighted at the White House briefing the $65 billion for broadband access in the the $1 trillion infrastructure package that cleared the House on Friday. She said that jobs would be created and poorer Americans would receive “affordable” internet service, though she did not spell out a precise dollar amount on what the monthly bills could be.

The plan involves careful logistics that would take time to implement. Each state would receive at least $100 million to help lay fiberoptic cables and ensure its citizens can access the internet. This process would occur as jobseekers are increasingly requesting remote work where they can work from home on their computers.

“The president wants us to get it right,” Raimondo said. “And if it takes a little longer to lay the groundwork for fiber and broadband, then we’re going to do that.”

Similarly, the administration announced plans on Tuesday to identify and pay for possible upgrades to U.S. ports within the next 90 days — hoping to ultimately tamp down the inflation being caused by ships waiting to dock and a shortage of truck drivers to haul goods.

As the U.S. emerges from the coronavirus pandemic, the economic recovery has been hampered by congested and aging ports. The mix of inflation and the potential for empty store shelves during holiday shopping has created a sense of frustration for many Americans and hurt President Joe Biden and Democrats politically.

Senior administration officials said Tuesday that the Transportation Department would allow port authorities to redirect any leftover money from grant projects to address the supply chain issues. For example, the Georgia Ports Authority will use $8 million to convert its inland facilities for the port of Savannah into container yards, freeing up dock space and speeding the flow of goods to their final destinations.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the forthcoming plans, which come on the heels of the House backing the bipartisan infrastructure package late Friday. The package includes $17 billion to improve coastal and land-based ports that can help to tackle the challenges in the longer term.

Biden's team is moving straight ahead in promoting the possible benefits from the broader infrastructure package, though they've largely shied away from claiming that Americans could see clear and demonstrable changes to their lives before the 2022 midterm elections. The focus, instead, has been on how the spending on roads, bridges and broadband will help the U.S. economy compete against the rest of the world.

The president in remarks to Democratic supporters on Tuesday signaled that he will look to remind voters in the months ahead of the infrastructure win. He noted “the last president” promised to pursue legislation but failed to deliver.

“So it was left to us,” Biden said at the virtual event hosted by the Democratic National Committee. “We got the job done.”

Administration officials said the ports initiatives being announced Tuesday would make the supply chain faster, more efficient and environmentally friendly in the medium to longer term.

Biden will highlight the administration's efforts by visiting Baltimore's port on Wednesday. It's part of a broader effort to show that the administration will tackle the inflation that has left Americans feeling more pessimistic about the economy. Updated figures for the consumer price index will be released Wednesday, with the previous report showing prices were 5.4% higher than a year ago.

The Baltimore trip is designed to highlight the types of investments that the administration believes will help unclog the supply chain. The port in Baltimore is adding container cranes and adding a 50-foot berth where ships can be unloaded. The administration has also approved grants so that the Howard Street Tunnel — a train artery that opened in 1895 — can be expanded to ferry double-stacked containers on railcars.

The Biden administration earlier helped broker an agreement to increase the hours of operation at the Port of Los Angeles, but it's been difficult to immediately fix this challenge.

Additional steps include launching a $240 million grant program in the next 45 days to modernize ports and marine highways. Within 60 days, the government wants to identify repair projects and opportunities to deepen harbors for larger ships that can be a guide for more than $4 billion in construction by the Army Corps of Engineers.

The government will also look over the next 90 days at which ports of entry should be upgraded and expanded as part of a $3.4 billion investment. It also plans within 90 days to open the first round of more than $475 million in grants for ports made possible through the newly passed infrastructure package.

The Transportation Department intends to publish a playbook for states on freight movement and issue guidance on best practices, so that the value of the infrastructure investments can be maximized. There will also be a request for information by the Transportation Department to improve data collection and sharing to improve the efficiency and transparency of the supply chain.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636510961577.png" alt="Biden will highlight the administration's efforts by visiting Baltimore's port on Wednesday-photos courtesy Port of Baltimore" />
 <figcaption>Biden will highlight the administration's efforts by visiting Baltimore's port on Wednesday-photos courtesy Port of Baltimore</figcaption>
 </figure>BALTIMORE (AP) — The Biden administration is relying on infrastructure dollars to help fix the clogged ports and blanket the nation with internet access — but a series of initiatives rolled out on Tuesday show that the urgent pace might not be fast enough to address the immediate needs of an economy coping with a supply chain squeeze and a shift to remote work.President Joe Biden spoke with the CEOs of Wal-Mart, Target, UPS and FedEx on Tuesday about how to relieve the supply chain challenges as ships are still waiting to dock at some of the country's leading ports. The key problem is that these ports are experiencing record volumes of shipping containers as the economy has recovered from the pandemic.Biden received updates from the CEOs on how deliveries are being sped up to ensure that store shelves will be well-stocked this holiday season, according to a White House official. Bloomberg News first reported Biden's conversations with the corporate leaders.Yet the concrete policy steps being discussed by the administration show that there is no quick fix to supply chain issues that are still hurting smaller businesses and causing consumers to face higher prices. Nor can the administration build out a national broadband network fast enough as more Americans are pivoting toward remote work.Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo highlighted at the White House briefing the $65 billion for broadband access in the the $1 trillion infrastructure package that cleared the House on Friday. She said that jobs would be created and poorer Americans would receive “affordable” internet service, though she did not spell out a precise dollar amount on what the monthly bills could be.The plan involves careful logistics that would take time to implement. Each state would receive at least $100 million to help lay fiberoptic cables and ensure its citizens can access the internet. This process would occur as jobseekers are increasingly requesting remote work where they can work from home on their computers.“The president wants us to get it right,” Raimondo said. “And if it takes a little longer to lay the groundwork for fiber and broadband, then we’re going to do that.”Similarly, the administration announced plans on Tuesday to identify and pay for possible upgrades to U.S. ports within the next 90 days — hoping to ultimately tamp down the inflation being caused by ships waiting to dock and a shortage of truck drivers to haul goods.As the U.S. emerges from the coronavirus pandemic, the economic recovery has been hampered by congested and aging ports. The mix of inflation and the potential for empty store shelves during holiday shopping has created a sense of frustration for many Americans and hurt President Joe Biden and Democrats politically.Senior administration officials said Tuesday that the Transportation Department would allow port authorities to redirect any leftover money from grant projects to address the supply chain issues. For example, the Georgia Ports Authority will use $8 million to convert its inland facilities for the port of Savannah into container yards, freeing up dock space and speeding the flow of goods to their final destinations.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the forthcoming plans, which come on the heels of the House backing the bipartisan infrastructure package late Friday. The package includes $17 billion to improve coastal and land-based ports that can help to tackle the challenges in the longer term.Biden's team is moving straight ahead in promoting the possible benefits from the broader infrastructure package, though they've largely shied away from claiming that Americans could see clear and demonstrable changes to their lives before the 2022 midterm elections. The focus, instead, has been on how the spending on roads, bridges and broadband will help the U.S. economy compete against the rest of the world.The president in remarks to Democratic supporters on Tuesday signaled that he will look to remind voters in the months ahead of the infrastructure win. He noted “the last president” promised to pursue legislation but failed to deliver.“So it was left to us,” Biden said at the virtual event hosted by the Democratic National Committee. “We got the job done.”Administration officials said the ports initiatives being announced Tuesday would make the supply chain faster, more efficient and environmentally friendly in the medium to longer term.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636511034475.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Biden will highlight the administration's efforts by visiting Baltimore's port on Wednesday. It's part of a broader effort to show that the administration will tackle the inflation that has left Americans feeling more pessimistic about the economy. Updated figures for the consumer price index will be released Wednesday, with the previous report showing prices were 5.4% higher than a year ago.The Baltimore trip is designed to highlight the types of investments that the administration believes will help unclog the supply chain. The port in Baltimore is adding container cranes and adding a 50-foot berth where ships can be unloaded. The administration has also approved grants so that the Howard Street Tunnel — a train artery that opened in 1895 — can be expanded to ferry double-stacked containers on railcars.The Biden administration earlier helped broker an agreement to increase the hours of operation at the Port of Los Angeles, but it's been difficult to immediately fix this challenge.Additional steps include launching a $240 million grant program in the next 45 days to modernize ports and marine highways. Within 60 days, the government wants to identify repair projects and opportunities to deepen harbors for larger ships that can be a guide for more than $4 billion in construction by the Army Corps of Engineers.The government will also look over the next 90 days at which ports of entry should be upgraded and expanded as part of a $3.4 billion investment. It also plans within 90 days to open the first round of more than $475 million in grants for ports made possible through the newly passed infrastructure package.The Transportation Department intends to publish a playbook for states on freight movement and issue guidance on best practices, so that the value of the infrastructure investments can be maximized. There will also be a request for information by the Transportation Department to improve data collection and sharing to improve the efficiency and transparency of the supply chain.

White House rushes with infrastructure fixes for US economy

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Kansas are pushing to enact new state laws before Thanksgiving to protect workers financially if they refuse to comply with federal mandates to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Top GOP legislative leaders called Tuesday for lawmakers to have a special session to consider proposals making it easier for workers to claim religious exemptions from vaccine mandates and providing unemployment benefits to workers who are fired for refusing to get inoculated. Both proposals emerged from a legislative committee meeting Tuesday and come in response to vaccine mandates&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-26bace6485d88ad1ae3ef2aea60fbb65">announced in September</a>&nbsp;by President Joe Biden.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1630703364773.png" alt="Senate President Ty Masterson outlined proposals during a meeting of a joint legislative committee looking for ways for Kansas to resist COVID-19 vaccine mandates&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-26bace6485d88ad1ae3ef2aea60fbb65">imposed by President Joe Biden.</a>&nbsp; photo by Sherman Smith" />
 <figcaption>Senate President Ty Masterson outlined proposals during a meeting of a joint legislative committee looking for ways for Kansas to resist COVID-19 vaccine mandates&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-26bace6485d88ad1ae3ef2aea60fbb65">imposed by President Joe Biden.</a>&nbsp; photo by Sherman Smith</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNATOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Kansas are pushing to enact new state laws before Thanksgiving to protect workers financially if they refuse to comply with federal mandates to get vaccinated against COVID-19.Top GOP legislative leaders called Tuesday for lawmakers to have a special session to consider proposals making it easier for workers to claim religious exemptions from vaccine mandates and providing unemployment benefits to workers who are fired for refusing to get inoculated. Both proposals emerged from a legislative committee meeting Tuesday and come in response to vaccine mandates&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-26bace6485d88ad1ae3ef2aea60fbb65">announced in September</a>&nbsp;by President Joe Biden.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Governor Laura Kelly&#39;s statement addressing the new federal vaccine mandate: <a href="https://t.co/lAFAs3pQLK">pic.twitter.com/lAFAs3pQLK</a>&mdash; Governor Laura Kelly (@GovLauraKelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovLauraKelly/status/1456627100593659906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly last week&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-kansas-topeka-86d570bbf1eb4376a5e7b519c4cb4903">went public with her opposition</a>&nbsp;to the Democratic president’s mandates, but she also said she didn’t think a special session is warranted. Lawmakers can force one if two-thirds of them sign a petition, and Republicans have big enough majorities. Lawmakers adjourned for the year in May and aren’t scheduled to reconvene until January.Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, suggested starting a special session Nov. 22, just three days before Thanksgiving, to address “all this garbage” from the Biden administration. The committee on vaccine mandates plans to have a hearing and could vote Friday on the two proposals, allowing quicker action should lawmakers have a special session.“Kansans should not be forced to choose between their personal beliefs and their jobs,” House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., an Olathe Republican, said in a statement.Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican who hopes to unseat Kelly in the governors’ race next year, has brought Kansas into two federal lawsuits against Biden mandates. One mandate says employees of private companies with 100 or more workers must get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 tests.Conservative Republican lawmakers pushed last month for a special session, but the effort didn’t gain much traction. Top GOP leaders’ alternative was forming the committee on vaccine mandates; Masterson is a member, and on Tuesday it endorsed having a special session as soon as possible.“What changed is, we now have a plan,” said Rep. Stephen Owens, a conservative Hesston Republican, another committee member.In committee hearings last month, critics of the vaccine mandates urged lawmakers not to put off action until January because deadlines to get inoculated would have passed. Both proposals before the committee Tuesday came from Masterson.The first would prevent employers from second-guessing workers if they sought a religious exemption to a vaccine mandate by asserting that getting inoculated violated sincerely held religious beliefs.Sen. Vic Miller, a Topeka Democrat, said such a provision could be more lenient than longstanding state policies granting religious exemptions from other other vaccines required by the state, such as those for chickenpox, mumps or hepatitis for K-12 students. He said Masterson’s alternative for COVID-19 vaccines “looks like anything goes.”“You don’t have to even have a good faith belief, a religious belief. If you just assert you do, then you get a free ride,” Miller said.But Masterson said employers — and the state — have no business trying to judge the validity of a person’s religious beliefs.“I would contend that no one has that ability — that is the fundamental contention of freedom of religion,” Masterson said.The other proposal would revise state laws on unemployment. One says people don’t get benefits if they didn’t have “good cause” to leave their jobs or if they were “discharged.” The law also requires people to seek “suitable” work to keep getting benefits.Kelly said last week that issues about benefits for people who left or lost a job after refusing to get vaccinated would be settled case by case.Under the proposal, people wouldn’t lose benefits for refusing to take jobs requiring a COVID-19 vaccine, and they couldn’t be denied benefits if they lost a job after refusing to get inoculated against COVID-19.But the influential Kansas Chamber of Commerce immediately worried that the measure could result in the state paying out hundreds of millions of dollars in additional benefits. Employers pay taxes to help finance the benefits.