SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a robbery and have a suspect in custody.

Just before 1:30p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to a robbery and theft of a vehicle at the Kwik Shop, 1414 SW 17th Street in Topeka, according to Lt. Ron Ekis.

Officers quickly located the victim’s vehicle in the 1300 block of SW Western. Officers observed a subject matching the description of the suspect leaving the vehicle and walking into a nearby apartment. 

Officers made contact with the apartment resident, the suspect later identified as 25-year-old Devante Reed-McElroy was located inside the apartment was taken into custody without

Reed-McElroy was booked into Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges including Aggravated Robbery, and Theft of a Motor Vehicle. He was also had a warrant through Shawnee County, according to Ekis.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1612100997503.png" alt="Reed-McElroy-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Reed-McElroy-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a robbery and have a suspect in custody.Just before 1:30p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to a robbery and theft of a vehicle at the Kwik Shop, 1414 SW 17th Street in Topeka, according to Lt. Ron Ekis.Officers quickly located the victim’s vehicle in the 1300 block of SW Western. Officers observed a subject matching the description of the suspect leaving the vehicle and walking into a nearby apartment. Officers made contact with the apartment resident, the suspect later identified as 25-year-old Devante Reed-McElroy was located inside the apartment was taken into custody withoutReed-McElroy was booked into Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges including Aggravated Robbery, and Theft of a Motor Vehicle. He was also had a warrant through Shawnee County, according to Ekis.

Police: Kansas man jailed for robbery, vehicle theft

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic push to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour has emerged a flashpoint in the fight for a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, testing President Joe Biden’s ability to bridge Washington’s partisan divides as he pursues his first major legislative victory.

Biden called for a $15 hourly minimum wage during his campaign and has followed through by hitching it to a measure that, among other things, calls for $1,400 stimulus checks and $130 billion to help schools reopen. Biden argues that anyone who holds a full-time job shouldn’t live in poverty, echoing progressives in the Democratic Party who are fully on board with the effort.

“With the economic divide, I mean, I want to see a $15 minimum wage. It should actually be $20,” said Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.

Some Republicans support exploring an increase but are uneasy with $15 an hour. They warn that such an increase could lead to job losses in an economy that has nearly 10 million fewer jobs than it did before the pandemic began. Moderates such as Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rep. Tom Reed of New York are urging Biden to split off the minimum wage hike from COVID-19 talks and deal with it separately.

“The more you throw into this bucket of COVID relief that’s not really related to the crisis, the more you risk the credibility with the American people that you’re really sincere about the crisis,” Reed said. Including the wage increase, Murkowski said, “complicates politically an initiative that we should all be working together to address.”

The resistance from moderates has left Democrats with a stark choice: Wait and build bipartisan support for an increase or move ahead with little to no GOP backing, potentially as part of a package that can pass the Senate with Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreaking vote.&nbsp;

Biden is set to meet Monday with a group of 10 Republican senators who have proposed spending about one-third of what he is seeking in coronavirus aid.&nbsp;

White House press secretary Jen Psaki says that Biden has spoken with the leader of the group, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. The invitation to the White House came hours after the lawmakers had sent Biden a letter urging him to negotiate rather than try to ram through his $1.9 trillion package solely on Democratic votes.&nbsp;

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who unveiled $15 wage legislation last week with the backing of 37 Senate Democrats. His bill would gradually raise the wage to $15 over a period of five years. The federal minimum is $7.25 and has not been raised since 2009.

Sanders, the incoming chair of the Senate Budget Committee, said it was fine with him if Republicans were not prepared to “come on board.” He said the government needed to pump money into the economy to make sure “people are not working on starvation wages.”

Democrats are moving toward using a tool that allows certain budget-related items to bypass the Senate filibuster — a hurdle requiring 60 votes — and pass with a simple majority. Sanders is confident that a minimum wage increase fits within the allowed criteria for what is referred to in Washington lingo as budget reconciliation, though the Senate parliamentarian has final say on what qualifies.

“As you will recall, my Republican colleagues used reconciliation to give almost $2 trillion in tax breaks to the rich and large corporations in the midst of massive income inequality. They used reconciliation to try to repeal the Affordable Care Act and throw 32 million people off the health care they had. They used reconciliation to allow for drilling in the Arctic wilderness,” Sanders said. “You know what? I think we can use reconciliation to protect the needs of working families.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the Senate as early as next week will begin taking the first steps toward getting the COVID-19 relief bill passed through the budget reconciliation process. The goal would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-coronavirus-aid-plan-update-d486569860a84de146bf9f27a89eed30">be passage&nbsp;</a>by March.

The latest sign that a $15 minimum wage is popular with voters came in November, when more than 60% of voters in conservative-leaning Florida approved an amendment to the state’s Constitution that will raise the minimum wage there from $8.56 an hour to $15 an hour by 2026.

The House passed legislation to gradually increase the minimum wage in the last Congress, but it went nowhere in the GOP-controlled Senate. Opponents argue that a large increase in the minimum wage would lead many employers to cut the number of workers they have on their payrolls.

A 2019 study from the Congressional Budget Office projected that an increase to $15 an hour would boost the wages of 17 million Americans. An additional 10 million workers making more than $15 an hour would see a boost as well. However, about 1.3 million workers would lose their jobs.

“There’s no question that raising the minimum wage, especially to $15, will put some small businesses out of business and will cost a lot of low-wage workers their jobs,” said Neil Bradley, the chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Bradley said there should be a separate debate on the minimum wage, and while the U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposes $15 an hour, “we’re open to a reasonable increase in the minimum wage and that ought to be a topic of discussion. But, you know, including that in the COVID package just imperils the whole thing.”

Mary Kay Henry, international president of the Service Employees International Union, said that increasing the minimum wage would benefit many of the people who have been working on the front lines of the pandemic. That’s why she supports including it in the COVID-19 relief package.

“They’ve been called essential, but they all believe they’ve been treated as expendable or sacrificial because they don’t earn enough to be able to put food on the table and keep themselves and their families safe and healthy,” Henry said.

Henry says nursing home workers, janitors, security guards and home health workers are among the union’s 2 million members.

“The real way to appreciate this work is to raise the minimum wage to $15,” she said.

Most states also have minimum wage laws. Employees generally are entitled to the higher of the two minimum wages. Currently, 29 states and Washington, D.C., have minimum wages above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1612098028729.png" alt=" President Biden is set to meet Monday with a group of 10 Republican senators including Jerry Moran of Kansas who have proposed spending about one-third of what he is seeking in coronavirus aid. Biden boarding Marine One Friday -photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption> President Biden is set to meet Monday with a group of 10 Republican senators including Jerry Moran of Kansas who have proposed spending about one-third of what he is seeking in coronavirus aid. Biden boarding Marine One Friday -photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic push to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour has emerged a flashpoint in the fight for a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, testing President Joe Biden’s ability to bridge Washington’s partisan divides as he pursues his first major legislative victory.Biden called for a $15 hourly minimum wage during his campaign and has followed through by hitching it to a measure that, among other things, calls for $1,400 stimulus checks and $130 billion to help schools reopen. Biden argues that anyone who holds a full-time job shouldn’t live in poverty, echoing progressives in the Democratic Party who are fully on board with the effort.“With the economic divide, I mean, I want to see a $15 minimum wage. It should actually be $20,” said Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.Some Republicans support exploring an increase but are uneasy with $15 an hour. They warn that such an increase could lead to job losses in an economy that has nearly 10 million fewer jobs than it did before the pandemic began. Moderates such as Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rep. Tom Reed of New York are urging Biden to split off the minimum wage hike from COVID-19 talks and deal with it separately.“The more you throw into this bucket of COVID relief that’s not really related to the crisis, the more you risk the credibility with the American people that you’re really sincere about the crisis,” Reed said. Including the wage increase, Murkowski said, “complicates politically an initiative that we should all be working together to address.”The resistance from moderates has left Democrats with a stark choice: Wait and build bipartisan support for an increase or move ahead with little to no GOP backing, potentially as part of a package that can pass the Senate with Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreaking vote.&nbsp;Biden is set to meet Monday with a group of 10 Republican senators who have proposed spending about one-third of what he is seeking in coronavirus aid.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612178813286.png" alt="Letter from Senators to the President-courtesy Senator Susan Collins." />
 <figcaption>Letter from Senators to the President-courtesy Senator Susan Collins.</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612178856708.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>White House press secretary Jen Psaki says that Biden has spoken with the leader of the group, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. The invitation to the White House came hours after the lawmakers had sent Biden a letter urging him to negotiate rather than try to ram through his $1.9 trillion package solely on Democratic votes.&nbsp;Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who unveiled $15 wage legislation last week with the backing of 37 Senate Democrats. His bill would gradually raise the wage to $15 over a period of five years. The federal minimum is $7.25 and has not been raised since 2009.Sanders, the incoming chair of the Senate Budget Committee, said it was fine with him if Republicans were not prepared to “come on board.” He said the government needed to pump money into the economy to make sure “people are not working on starvation wages.”Democrats are moving toward using a tool that allows certain budget-related items to bypass the Senate filibuster — a hurdle requiring 60 votes — and pass with a simple majority. Sanders is confident that a minimum wage increase fits within the allowed criteria for what is referred to in Washington lingo as budget reconciliation, though the Senate parliamentarian has final say on what qualifies.“As you will recall, my Republican colleagues used reconciliation to give almost $2 trillion in tax breaks to the rich and large corporations in the midst of massive income inequality. They used reconciliation to try to repeal the Affordable Care Act and throw 32 million people off the health care they had. They used reconciliation to allow for drilling in the Arctic wilderness,” Sanders said. “You know what? I think we can use reconciliation to protect the needs of working families.”Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the Senate as early as next week will begin taking the first steps toward getting the COVID-19 relief bill passed through the budget reconciliation process. The goal would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-coronavirus-aid-plan-update-d486569860a84de146bf9f27a89eed30">be passage&nbsp;</a>by March.The latest sign that a $15 minimum wage is popular with voters came in November, when more than 60% of voters in conservative-leaning Florida approved an amendment to the state’s Constitution that will raise the minimum wage there from $8.56 an hour to $15 an hour by 2026.The House passed legislation to gradually increase the minimum wage in the last Congress, but it went nowhere in the GOP-controlled Senate. Opponents argue that a large increase in the minimum wage would lead many employers to cut the number of workers they have on their payrolls.A 2019 study from the Congressional Budget Office projected that an increase to $15 an hour would boost the wages of 17 million Americans. An additional 10 million workers making more than $15 an hour would see a boost as well. However, about 1.3 million workers would lose their jobs.“There’s no question that raising the minimum wage, especially to $15, will put some small businesses out of business and will cost a lot of low-wage workers their jobs,” said Neil Bradley, the chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.Bradley said there should be a separate debate on the minimum wage, and while the U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposes $15 an hour, “we’re open to a reasonable increase in the minimum wage and that ought to be a topic of discussion. But, you know, including that in the COVID package just imperils the whole thing.”Mary Kay Henry, international president of the Service Employees International Union, said that increasing the minimum wage would benefit many of the people who have been working on the front lines of the pandemic. That’s why she supports including it in the COVID-19 relief package.“They’ve been called essential, but they all believe they’ve been treated as expendable or sacrificial because they don’t earn enough to be able to put food on the table and keep themselves and their families safe and healthy,” Henry said.Henry says nursing home workers, janitors, security guards and home health workers are among the union’s 2 million members.“The real way to appreciate this work is to raise the minimum wage to $15,” she said.Most states also have minimum wage laws. Employees generally are entitled to the higher of the two minimum wages. Currently, 29 states and Washington, D.C., have minimum wages above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

$15 minimum wage preventing deal in COVID relief talks

GEARY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Junction City High School athletic trainer for alleged child sex crimes.

Just after 1:30p.m. Friday, the Junction City police arrested&nbsp;Brandon Martino, 29, on two requested charges that included Sexual Exploitation of a child; promoting performance of a a child under the age of 18 and promoting obscenity to minors, according to a media release.

USD 475 also issued a statement on Sunday afternoon. "The mission of Geary County Schools USD 475, is to prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s world. The school district is cooperating with local authorities during the investigation of accusations against Mr. Brandon Martino.

Any behavior that jeopardizes the safety and integrity of our students and staff is unacceptable. 

Mr. Martino is suspended from all duties and responsibilities until the completion of the investigation. We will remain diligent in our efforts to provide a safe and caring environment for all USD 475 students and staff. Additionally, we will respect the integrity of the investigation and all involved."

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the police department or leave a tip with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.p3tips.com/TipForm.aspx?ID=1216&amp;C=&amp;T=" target="_blank">Crime Stoppers</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1612144654328.png" alt="Martino photo Geary Co." />
 <figcaption>Martino photo Geary Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>GEARY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Junction City High School athletic trainer for alleged child sex crimes.Just after 1:30p.m. Friday, the Junction City police arrested&nbsp;Brandon Martino, 29, on two requested charges that included Sexual Exploitation of a child; promoting performance of a a child under the age of 18 and promoting obscenity to minors, according to a media release.USD 475 also issued a statement on Sunday afternoon. "The mission of Geary County Schools USD 475, is to prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s world. The school district is cooperating with local authorities during the investigation of accusations against Mr. Brandon Martino.Any behavior that jeopardizes the safety and integrity of our students and staff is unacceptable. Mr. Martino is suspended from all duties and responsibilities until the completion of the investigation. We will remain diligent in our efforts to provide a safe and caring environment for all USD 475 students and staff. Additionally, we will respect the integrity of the investigation and all involved."Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the police department or leave a tip with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.p3tips.com/TipForm.aspx?ID=1216&amp;C=&amp;T=" target="_blank">Crime Stoppers</a>.

Kan. high school athletic trainer accused of child sex crimes

FORD COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 7:30p.m. Sunday in Ford County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2019 Chevy Silverado driven by&nbsp;Gibson, Jeffrey R. Gibson, 46, Dodge City, was southbound on 106 road after crossing south of highway 50. 

The pickup hit a stop sign, jumped the railroad tracks continued south, struck an embankment and flipped over on its roof. 

Gibson was pronounced dead at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

FORD COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 7:30p.m. Sunday in Ford County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2019 Chevy Silverado driven by&nbsp;Gibson, Jeffrey R. Gibson, 46, Dodge City, was southbound on 106 road after crossing south of highway 50. The pickup hit a stop sign, jumped the railroad tracks continued south, struck an embankment and flipped over on its roof. Gibson was pronounced dead at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

SW Kansas man dies after violent pickup crash

RENO COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary at the Atrium Hotel in Hutchinson and have four people in custody.

Just after 11 a.m. Police responded to the hotel at 1400 North Lorraine in Hutchinson after the keyholder for the property went to check on the building and heard voices inside, according to Hutchinson Police Lt. Jake Graber.

No one had permission to be inside. Arriving officers went inside to search and located four.

Police arrested&nbsp;40-year-old Travis Christian on requested charges of Burglary, Theft, a warrant for Possession of Stolen Property and Possession of Methamphetamine,&nbsp;40-year-old Angela Cole on requested charges of Burglary, Theft and Possession of Methamphetamine

Jesse Villa, 39, is being held on requested charges for Burglary, Theft Possession of Methamphetamine and Felony Interference

Christopher Villela was booked on requested charges for Burglary, Theft, Posession of Methamphetamine and Felony interference.

Police also recovered two vehicles and two firearms as part of the investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1612135810499.jpeg" alt="Christian-photo Reno Co." />
 <figcaption>Christian-photo Reno Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary at the Atrium Hotel in Hutchinson and have four people in custody.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1612135790983.jpeg" alt="Cole photo Reno County." />
 <figcaption>Cole photo Reno County.</figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 11 a.m. Police responded to the hotel at 1400 North Lorraine in Hutchinson after the keyholder for the property went to check on the building and heard voices inside, according to Hutchinson Police Lt. Jake Graber.No one had permission to be inside. Arriving officers went inside to search and located four.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1612135769444.jpeg" alt="Villa -photo Reno Co." />
 <figcaption>Villa -photo Reno Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Police arrested&nbsp;40-year-old Travis Christian on requested charges of Burglary, Theft, a warrant for Possession of Stolen Property and Possession of Methamphetamine,&nbsp;40-year-old Angela Cole on requested charges of Burglary, Theft and Possession of MethamphetamineJesse Villa, 39, is being held on requested charges for Burglary, Theft Possession of Methamphetamine and Felony Interference<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1612135749684.jpeg" alt="Christopher Villela -Reno Co." />
 <figcaption>Christopher Villela -Reno Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Christopher Villela was booked on requested charges for Burglary, Theft, Posession of Methamphetamine and Felony interference.Police also recovered two vehicles and two firearms as part of the investigation.

Police: 4 jailed for Kansas hotel burglary

NEOSHO COUNTY&nbsp; —One person died in an accident just before 7:30p.m. Sunday in Neosho County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Honda CRV driven by Jessie A. White, 26, Pittsburg, Kansas, was northbound on U.S. 59 two miles north of Kansas 47 highway.

The SUV left the roadway to the left and rolled. The SUV came to rest on the drivers side.

White was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Brenner Mortuary.

EMS transported a passenger&nbsp;Nienstedt, Casey A. Neinstedt, 36, Pittsburg, Kansas, to Labette Health. An 11-year-old passenger identified as Chloe Rowin was not injured.&nbsp; &nbsp;White was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

NEOSHO COUNTY&nbsp; —One person died in an accident just before 7:30p.m. Sunday in Neosho County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Honda CRV driven by Jessie A. White, 26, Pittsburg, Kansas, was northbound on U.S. 59 two miles north of Kansas 47 highway.The SUV left the roadway to the left and rolled. The SUV came to rest on the drivers side.White was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Brenner Mortuary.EMS transported a passenger&nbsp;Nienstedt, Casey A. Neinstedt, 36, Pittsburg, Kansas, to Labette Health. An 11-year-old passenger identified as Chloe Rowin was not injured.&nbsp; &nbsp;White was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Kansas man dies after SUV rollover crash

JACKSON COUNTY, Kan.—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug charges after a weekend traffic stop.

Just after 9:30a.m. Saturday,&nbsp; a sheriff’s deputy stopped a Pontiac G6 for a traffic infraction near 198th and R.4 Roads south of Holton, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

A drug detecting K-9 was deployed around the vehicle and indicated positive for narcotics. A substance believed to be methamphetamine was seized from the vehicle. The driver identified as Brent Anthony Haverkamp, 31, of Denison,  was arrested on requested charges that include possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to Morse.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612179817475.png" alt="Haverkamp photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Haverkamp photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY, Kan.—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug charges after a weekend traffic stop.Just after 9:30a.m. Saturday,&nbsp; a sheriff’s deputy stopped a Pontiac G6 for a traffic infraction near 198th and R.4 Roads south of Holton, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.A drug detecting K-9 was deployed around the vehicle and indicated positive for narcotics. A substance believed to be methamphetamine was seized from the vehicle. The driver identified as Brent Anthony Haverkamp, 31, of Denison, was arrested on requested charges that include possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to Morse.

Sheriff's K9 assists deputy in arrest of Kansas drug suspect

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas City man was charged in a 2019 robbery and killing of an apparent stranger who was walking home from his bus stop.

Douglas Griffin, 27, was charged with second-degree murder in the November 2019 death of David Como, Jackson County prosecutors announced Friday. He was also charged with first-degree robbery and two counts of armed criminal action.

Prosecutors matched DNA from the back pocket of Como's pants to Griffin's DNA, prosecutors said.

Griffin was in custody on an unrelated robbery in October when he was questioned about Como's death. He told detectives he reached into Como's pocket to get his wallet but another person shot Como, prosecutors said.

After the interview, Griffin was returned to the Jackson County jail where he called several people, including his mother. He allegedly admitted to his mother that he participated in the killing.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1612027487112.png" alt="Griffin photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Griffin photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas City man was charged in a 2019 robbery and killing of an apparent stranger who was walking home from his bus stop.Douglas Griffin, 27, was charged with second-degree murder in the November 2019 death of David Como, Jackson County prosecutors announced Friday. He was also charged with first-degree robbery and two counts of armed criminal action.Prosecutors matched DNA from the back pocket of Como's pants to Griffin's DNA, prosecutors said.Griffin was in custody on an unrelated robbery in October when he was questioned about Como's death. He told detectives he reached into Como's pocket to get his wallet but another person shot Como, prosecutors said.After the interview, Griffin was returned to the Jackson County jail where he called several people, including his mother. He allegedly admitted to his mother that he participated in the killing.

Man charged in death of stranger during KC robbery

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and have a suspect in custody.

Just after 11p.m. Friday, police were dispatched to meet with an individual who was driving to a Topeka hospital after being shot, according to Lt. Kelvin Johnson.

Once treated at the hospital, the victim was considered to have non-life threatening injuries. Investigators learned that the victim had been shot after an altercation with a known person and officers were able to locate a crime scene in the 1100 block of SW Clay in TOpeka.

Police also located the suspect identified as 45-year-old Jaryl Wilson of Topeka.&nbsp; Officers brought him to the law enforcement center to be interviewed. At the conclusion of the interview, police booked Wilson into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on a requested charge of Aggravated Battery, according to Johnson.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1612040877669.png" alt="Wilson photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Wilson photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and have a suspect in custody.Just after 11p.m. Friday, police were dispatched to meet with an individual who was driving to a Topeka hospital after being shot, according to Lt. Kelvin Johnson.Once treated at the hospital, the victim was considered to have non-life threatening injuries. Investigators learned that the victim had been shot after an altercation with a known person and officers were able to locate a crime scene in the 1100 block of SW Clay in TOpeka.Police also located the suspect identified as 45-year-old Jaryl Wilson of Topeka.&nbsp; Officers brought him to the law enforcement center to be interviewed. At the conclusion of the interview, police booked Wilson into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on a requested charge of Aggravated Battery, according to Johnson.

Police meet Kan. shooting victim at hospital, make arrest

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped trespassing charges against an activist who helped secretly record&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/iowa">Iowa</a>’s largest pork producer using heat to kill thousands of hogs last year as the pandemic devastated the industry.

Matt Johnson, an activist with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/directactioneverywhere/">the group Direct Action Everywhere,</a> had been scheduled to stand trial in Grundy County, Iowa, on Monday on two counts of trespassing at Iowa Select Farms properties in May.

County prosecutors moved to dismiss the charges Thursday at the request of Iowa Select, whose personnel had been subpoenaed but said they didn't wish to testify, court documents show.

“We cannot be distracted by individuals who choose to break the law and grandstand,” Iowa Select spokeswoman Jen Sorenson said Friday.

Johnson was planning a necessity defense, arguing that his actions were lawful because they were the only way to expose the inhumane treatment of animals. He was hoping to draw more attention to the company's use of a method known as ventilation shutdown to cut the size of its herd in May.

Johnson had acknowledged, however, that his defense was likely to fail and that he could face fines or jail time if convicted.

Iowa Select's animals are raised and sent to be slaughtered by Tyson Foods and other meatpackers, and they end up in grocery stores as bacon and pork under several brand names. The company is an influential backer of Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Last spring, some producers said they had no choice but to euthanize hogs after coronavirus outbreaks at meatpacking plants led to closures and production slowdowns. They said they had no markets to sell them and ran out of space to house them.

One of the methods they used to trim herds was ventilation shutdown, which involves stopping airflow inside a facility to raise the temperature high enough to kill animals inside.

American Veterinary Medical Association guidelines say the method should be a last resort after others are ruled out, that it should be done quickly enough to kill 95% of the animals within an hour, and that all must be eventually killed.

Acting on a tip from a whistleblower, a team of activists that included Johnson placed equipment inside an Iowa Select barn and recorded audio of pigs shrieking, some for hours, as the temperature rose and killed many of them.

They also captured video showing workers hours later walking through the pile of animals and shooting those showing signs of life with a bolt gun. Then, they used heavy machinery to remove the carcasses.

Johnson said that his investigation has found some of Iowa Select’s own employees dissented from the practice, a claim he wanted to explore at trial.

“This company knows that the public ... is horrified to learn what ISF is willing to do in the name of profit,” he said. “They’re desperate to conceal their abhorrent and criminal conduct.”

Johnson said that activists snuck in and placed a wireless home security camera in the barn that they could control remotely as well as an audio recorder that they were able to retrieve the next day.

Johnson, an Iowa native who now lives in Berkeley,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/california">California</a>, was charged with trespassing after returning to the farm and confronting Iowa Select chief operations officer Noel Williams about the practice. He faced a second trespassing charge related to an incident days later on a different property.

Iowa Select blasted Johnson and other activists at the time, saying they were trying to exploit the coronavirus crisis to advance their agenda. In June, after The Intercept published some of the material captured by activists, the company announced that it had discontinued the practice as the industry rebounded.

“We are cautiously optimistic that we will never again have to face a difficult decision like we had to face last month,” the company said then.

Johnson said that before the practice was exposed, a whistleblower alleged the company had been planning to kill more hogs through ventilation shutdown.

Johnson still faces more serious charges in Wright County, where he is charged with placing recording equipment inside another Iowa Select barn and taking a piglet that he says he rescued from slaughter. He is charged with electronic eavesdropping and third-degree burglary, which are both felonies, and is awaiting trial.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611941435232.png" alt="Matt Johnson photo courtesy <a href="https://www.facebook.com/directactioneverywhere/">Direct Action Everywhere</a>" />
 <figcaption>Matt Johnson photo courtesy <a href="https://www.facebook.com/directactioneverywhere/">Direct Action Everywhere</a></figcaption>
 </figure>IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped trespassing charges against an activist who helped secretly record&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/iowa">Iowa</a>’s largest pork producer using heat to kill thousands of hogs last year as the pandemic devastated the industry.Matt Johnson, an activist with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/directactioneverywhere/">the group Direct Action Everywhere,</a> had been scheduled to stand trial in Grundy County, Iowa, on Monday on two counts of trespassing at Iowa Select Farms properties in May.County prosecutors moved to dismiss the charges Thursday at the request of Iowa Select, whose personnel had been subpoenaed but said they didn't wish to testify, court documents show.“We cannot be distracted by individuals who choose to break the law and grandstand,” Iowa Select spokeswoman Jen Sorenson said Friday.Johnson was planning a necessity defense, arguing that his actions were lawful because they were the only way to expose the inhumane treatment of animals. He was hoping to draw more attention to the company's use of a method known as ventilation shutdown to cut the size of its herd in May.Johnson had acknowledged, however, that his defense was likely to fail and that he could face fines or jail time if convicted.Iowa Select's animals are raised and sent to be slaughtered by Tyson Foods and other meatpackers, and they end up in grocery stores as bacon and pork under several brand names. The company is an influential backer of Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.Last spring, some producers said they had no choice but to euthanize hogs after coronavirus outbreaks at meatpacking plants led to closures and production slowdowns. They said they had no markets to sell them and ran out of space to house them.One of the methods they used to trim herds was ventilation shutdown, which involves stopping airflow inside a facility to raise the temperature high enough to kill animals inside.American Veterinary Medical Association guidelines say the method should be a last resort after others are ruled out, that it should be done quickly enough to kill 95% of the animals within an hour, and that all must be eventually killed.Acting on a tip from a whistleblower, a team of activists that included Johnson placed equipment inside an Iowa Select barn and recorded audio of pigs shrieking, some for hours, as the temperature rose and killed many of them.They also captured video showing workers hours later walking through the pile of animals and shooting those showing signs of life with a bolt gun. Then, they used heavy machinery to remove the carcasses.Johnson said that his investigation has found some of Iowa Select’s own employees dissented from the practice, a claim he wanted to explore at trial.“This company knows that the public ... is horrified to learn what ISF is willing to do in the name of profit,” he said. “They’re desperate to conceal their abhorrent and criminal conduct.”Johnson said that activists snuck in and placed a wireless home security camera in the barn that they could control remotely as well as an audio recorder that they were able to retrieve the next day.Johnson, an Iowa native who now lives in Berkeley,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/california">California</a>, was charged with trespassing after returning to the farm and confronting Iowa Select chief operations officer Noel Williams about the practice. He faced a second trespassing charge related to an incident days later on a different property.Iowa Select blasted Johnson and other activists at the time, saying they were trying to exploit the coronavirus crisis to advance their agenda. In June, after The Intercept published some of the material captured by activists, the company announced that it had discontinued the practice as the industry rebounded.“We are cautiously optimistic that we will never again have to face a difficult decision like we had to face last month,” the company said then.Johnson said that before the practice was exposed, a whistleblower alleged the company had been planning to kill more hogs through ventilation shutdown.Johnson still faces more serious charges in Wright County, where he is charged with placing recording equipment inside another Iowa Select barn and taking a piglet that he says he rescued from slaughter. He is charged with electronic eavesdropping and third-degree burglary, which are both felonies, and is awaiting trial.

Charges dropped against activist who secretly recorded pork producer

By GREG ECHLIN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/sports/2021-01-27/study-suggests-kansas-city-teachers-and-students-need-a-lesson-plan-for-super-bowl-lv">Kansas News Service</a>

Kansas City Chiefs fans of all ages will watch Super Bowl LV on 
February 7, and in some cases, it may mean postponing some academic 
obligations. 

Before Super Bowl LIV last year when the Chiefs 
defeated the San Francisco 49ers, the results of a study by Brainly—an 
online study group for kids K through 12—showed that Missouri and Kansas
 ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively, in the U.S. where parents let their 
kids skip their homework on the night of the Super Bowl.

“A lot of
 schools were asking for a study sort of like this because they want to 
know: Should they be assigning big homework assignments around these 
major social events that are happening?” says Patrick Quinn, an Austin, 
Texas, based parenting expert for Brainly.

But Quinn recalls from first-hand experience that students aren’t the only ones potentially slacking on Super Bowl night.

“I
 can tell you 100 percent from a teacher’s perspective, because I was a 
teacher in New York City for a number of years, teachers are maybe more 
so ready to not do anything on Super Bowl Sunday and the Monday 
afterward,” says Quinn.

It happened six years ago when the Kansas City Royals were on their way to a World Series championship.

Shawnee
 Mission North High School teacher Katie (Melcher) Moorehead caught some
 flak when she slipped out of town with her father to follow the Royals 
on the road in the fall of 2015. “Big, big memories and a 
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for sure,” she said at the time.

But
 her trip was exposed when her poster board with the written words 
““Skipping school for the Royals. Don’t tell my students!!” made a 
splash on social media.

When Rockhurst University chose to keep classes in session last year 
on the day of the Chiefs parade, its school president, Father Thomas 
Curran, wasn’t surprised to see lighter attendance that day, not only 
among the students, but with RU staffers and faculty.

“We made no 
judgement on that and that’s the way we operate because we don’t force a
 professor to hold or not hold their classes,” says Father Curran.

As
 steadfast as Father Curran is about not cancelling classes, he’s still 
in the esprit de corps about what the Chief are accomplishing.

“I’m
 happy for the Chiefs, the Chiefs fans, for our community,” said Father 
Curran. “It’s certainly exciting at this time. It helps us build 
community at a time when we do need one another.”

On top of all 
that, he has the satisfaction of winning a friendly wager. John Hurley, 
Father Curran’s counterpart at Canisius University in Buffalo, has been 
wearing a face mask with a Chiefs logo after the Chiefs beat the Buffalo
 Bills in the AFC Championship game on Sunday.

This year, Kansas 
City Mayor Quentin Lucas has already put the word out there that there 
likely won’t be a parade of last year’s magnitude. That means schools, 
which have been struggling to return to pre-pandemic conditions, will 
remain in session.

But there’s still time to figure out a lesson plan for the night of the Super Bowl.

In
 the midst of the pandemic, the word is already out that there won’t be a
 parade celebration like last year if the Chiefs win Super Bowl 55. 
Which means schools are likely to be in session.

But teachers and students might want to thing twice about not completing school work on Super Bowl weekend.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611844275199.png" alt="Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By GREG ECHLIN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/sports/2021-01-27/study-suggests-kansas-city-teachers-and-students-need-a-lesson-plan-for-super-bowl-lv">Kansas News Service</a>Kansas City Chiefs fans of all ages will watch Super Bowl LV on 
February 7, and in some cases, it may mean postponing some academic 
obligations. Before Super Bowl LIV last year when the Chiefs 
defeated the San Francisco 49ers, the results of a study by Brainly—an 
online study group for kids K through 12—showed that Missouri and Kansas
 ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively, in the U.S. where parents let their 
kids skip their homework on the night of the Super Bowl.“A lot of
 schools were asking for a study sort of like this because they want to 
know: Should they be assigning big homework assignments around these 
major social events that are happening?” says Patrick Quinn, an Austin, 
Texas, based parenting expert for Brainly.But Quinn recalls from first-hand experience that students aren’t the only ones potentially slacking on Super Bowl night.“I
 can tell you 100 percent from a teacher’s perspective, because I was a 
teacher in New York City for a number of years, teachers are maybe more 
so ready to not do anything on Super Bowl Sunday and the Monday 
afterward,” says Quinn.It happened six years ago when the Kansas City Royals were on their way to a World Series championship.Shawnee
 Mission North High School teacher Katie (Melcher) Moorehead caught some
 flak when she slipped out of town with her father to follow the Royals 
on the road in the fall of 2015. “Big, big memories and a 
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for sure,” she said at the time.But
 her trip was exposed when her poster board with the written words 
““Skipping school for the Royals. Don’t tell my students!!” made a 
splash on social media.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611844359588.png" alt="Canisius president John Hurley, as part of a friendly Jesuit institutional wager between the Buffalo-based school and Rockhurst University in Kansas City, is wearing a face mask with a Chiefs logo this week since the Bills lost the AFC Championship game in Kansas City. Rockhurst University" />
 <figcaption>Canisius president John Hurley, as part of a friendly Jesuit institutional wager between the Buffalo-based school and Rockhurst University in Kansas City, is wearing a face mask with a Chiefs logo this week since the Bills lost the AFC Championship game in Kansas City. Rockhurst University</figcaption>
 </figure>When Rockhurst University chose to keep classes in session last year 
on the day of the Chiefs parade, its school president, Father Thomas 
Curran, wasn’t surprised to see lighter attendance that day, not only 
among the students, but with RU staffers and faculty.“We made no 
judgement on that and that’s the way we operate because we don’t force a
 professor to hold or not hold their classes,” says Father Curran.As
 steadfast as Father Curran is about not cancelling classes, he’s still 
in the esprit de corps about what the Chief are accomplishing.“I’m
 happy for the Chiefs, the Chiefs fans, for our community,” said Father 
Curran. “It’s certainly exciting at this time. It helps us build 
community at a time when we do need one another.”On top of all 
that, he has the satisfaction of winning a friendly wager. John Hurley, 
Father Curran’s counterpart at Canisius University in Buffalo, has been 
wearing a face mask with a Chiefs logo after the Chiefs beat the Buffalo
 Bills in the AFC Championship game on Sunday.This year, Kansas 
City Mayor Quentin Lucas has already put the word out there that there 
likely won’t be a parade of last year’s magnitude. That means schools, 
which have been struggling to return to pre-pandemic conditions, will 
remain in session.But there’s still time to figure out a lesson plan for the night of the Super Bowl.In
 the midst of the pandemic, the word is already out that there won’t be a
 parade celebration like last year if the Chiefs win Super Bowl 55. 
Which means schools are likely to be in session.But teachers and students might want to thing twice about not completing school work on Super Bowl weekend.

Study: Teachers, students need a lesson plan for Super Bowl LV

MONTGOMERY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a accident that landed a driver in jail.

Just after 10a.m. Friday sheriff's deputies responded to U.S. 169 and U.S. 160 Junction for a report of a two-vehicle motor vehicle accident, according Sheriff Ron Wade.

&nbsp;Jeffery Dean Davison Jr, 33, Ottawa&nbsp; lost control of a Chevy Cruze while driving onto the on ramp of U.S. 160.

The Chevy rear-ended a 2015 Dodge Durango driven by Mandy Ann Smith, 45,&nbsp; Cherryvale,&nbsp; while she was stopped at the stop sign. 

After further investigation, it was determined Davison was driving under the influence of alcohol.

Deputies transported Davison to the Montgomery County Department of Corrections and booked into jail on requested charges of; Felony DUI, Criminal use of weapon; Device attachment used to silence firearm and Operating a car without a required ignition interlock devise, according to Sheriff Wade.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1612031761827.png" alt="Davison photo Montgomery Co." />
 <figcaption>Davison photo Montgomery Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>MONTGOMERY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a accident that landed a driver in jail.Just after 10a.m. Friday sheriff's deputies responded to U.S. 169 and U.S. 160 Junction for a report of a two-vehicle motor vehicle accident, according Sheriff Ron Wade.&nbsp;Jeffery Dean Davison Jr, 33, Ottawa&nbsp; lost control of a Chevy Cruze while driving onto the on ramp of U.S. 160.The Chevy rear-ended a 2015 Dodge Durango driven by Mandy Ann Smith, 45,&nbsp; Cherryvale,&nbsp; while she was stopped at the stop sign. After further investigation, it was determined Davison was driving under the influence of alcohol.Deputies transported Davison to the Montgomery County Department of Corrections and booked into jail on requested charges of; Felony DUI, Criminal use of weapon; Device attachment used to silence firearm and Operating a car without a required ignition interlock devise, according to Sheriff Wade.

Kansas man jailed for alleged DUI after rear-end crash

By CARA ANTHONY <a href="https://www.kcur.org/health/2021-01-28/birthday-rule-blindsides-first-time-olathe-parents-with-a-mammoth-medical-bill">Kaiser Health News</a>

In the nine months leading up to her due date, Kayla Kjelshus and her
 husband, Mikkel, meticulously planned for their daughter's arrival.

Their
 long to-do list included mapping out their family's health insurance 
plan and registering for baby gear and supplies. They even nailed down 
child care ahead of her birth.

"We put a deposit down to hold a spot at a local day care following our first ultrasound," says Kayla Kjelshus, of Olathe, Kan.

The
 first-time parents felt ready for their daughter's debut on Feb. 15, 
2019. But one of the happiest days of their lives turned out to be one 
of the scariest. Their daughter, Charlie, had a complication during 
delivery that caused her oxygen levels to drop and put her at risk for 
brain damage.

"We had a waiting room filled with family and 
friends," Mikkel recalls. "To come out and say things aren't well ... it
 was really hard."

Charlie was transferred from Saint Luke's 
Community Hospital to HCA Overland Park Regional Medical Center, where 
she received treatment in the neonatal intensive care unit, known as the
 NICU, for the next seven days.

Doctors sent Charlie home with a 
positive prognosis. The couple had decided that Kayla, a nurse 
practitioner, would carry Charlie on her insurance plan through Blue 
Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City. Her plan offered better rates than
 Mikkel's, and his plan was based in another state and carried a higher 
deductible. So when the hospital asked for insurance information, Kayla 
provided her policy number — Mikkel did not.

They expected things to work out fine between the insurance company and the hospitals.

The Patient: Charlie Kjelshus, an infant covered by her 
mother's plan through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and, 
eventually, her father's plan, CommunityCare of Oklahoma

Medical Service: <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3743149/" target="_blank">Whole body cooling</a> and other treatment in the NICU to prevent brain injury that may result from oxygen deprivation during birth

Service Provider: HCA Overland Park Regional Medical Center in Overland Park, Kan.

Total Bill: Multiple charges totaling $270,951, according to Mikkel Kjelshus, including a charge of $207,455 for the NICU stay

What Gives:
 Kayla Kjelshus filed a claim with Blue KC, and the insurer started 
paying for baby Charlie's care. But then it canceled payments to the HCA
 Overland Park hospital, St. Luke's Community Hospital and Charlie's 
neurologist, pediatrician and other physicians.

"We thought, 'This is crazy,'" Mikkel says. "'We have insurance.'"

The
 Kjelshus family had slammed into something well known among insurance 
experts but little understood by the general public. "Coordination of 
benefits" and "the birthday rule" are the jargon terms for the red tape 
that snared them.

When a child is born into a family in which both
 parents have insurance through their jobs, the parents are supposed to 
"coordinate benefits'' — meaning they must tell both insurers that their
 child is eligible for coverage under two plans. The parents might be 
forgiven for thinking they have some say in how their child will be 
insured. In most cases, they don't.

Instead, a child with double 
health insurance eligibility must take as primary coverage the plan of 
the parent whose birthday comes first in the calendar year; the other 
parent's insurance is considered secondary. This model regulation was 
set by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and adopted 
by most states, including Kansas, says Lee Modesitt, director of 
government affairs with the Kansas Insurance Department.

For 
Charlie Kjelshus, the birthday rule meant her dad's plan — with a 
$12,000 deductible, high coinsurance obligation and a network focused in
 a different state — was primary. Her mom's more generous plan was 
secondary.

Mom Kayla says Blue KC dispatched an investigator to 
discover that dad Mikkel had insurance through his job. The family had 
not been trying to hide Mikkel's coverage; they merely weren't aware of 
the birthday rule and that they may be subject to state laws that ensure
 babies are covered <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2016/b2015_16/statute/040_000_0000_chapter/040_002_0000_article/040_002_0102_section/040_002_0102_k/" target="_blank">for the first 31 days of life</a>.

"If
 these are the rules of engagement, you need to tell people upfront that
 these are the rules," says Dr. Linda Burke, OB-GYN and author of The Smart Mother's Guide to a Better Pregnancy. "It's a communication problem."

After
 Blue KC informed Mikkel that his insurance had to serve as primary 
coverage, CommunityCare of Oklahoma did pay Charlie's bills to the 
hospitals and other providers. It paid HCA Overland Park $16,605 on the 
$207,455 NICU charge. The insurer said its negotiated rate on the bill 
was $35,721. With Mikkel's deductible and coinsurance, that left the 
family on the hook for more than $19,116, it seemed.

"When an 
insurance company finds out that a baby is in the NICU, then it's a red 
flag," Burke says. "They are going to look for ways to cut their 
losses."

Resolution: The couple turned to the Kansas 
Department of Insurance to file a complaint about the bill, but the 
department declined to help because Kayla's policy is self-funded by her
 employer, which means the company is subject to federal rather than 
state regulations.

After close to a year and a half of going back 
and forth with their insurance companies and the hospitals, Blue KC paid
 $19,116 of the Kjelshuses' bill as a secondary insurer and said the 
Kjelshuses should not be responsible for what HCA Overland Park said was
 a remaining balance of $7,504.51. But the family kept getting bills.

And, beginning in summer 2020, collections calls from the hospital rolled in daily, leaving the couple frustrated and confused.

Eventually,
 after a human resources officer at Kayla's job stepped in to help, they
 received a statement with a zero balance. Their own calls to HCA 
Overland Park hospital billing department didn't get them anywhere.

"We always got a different answer," Kayla says. "It was so frustrating."

A spokesperson for the hospital apologized for the deluge of calls from collections.

"We
 made an administrative error and an automated billing call system for 
payment occurred, causing the family undue frustration during an already
 stressful time, and we apologize," the hospital wrote in a statement. 
"Once the issue was identified and resolved, the insurance companies 
processed the claim and we informed the family that there is a zero 
balance on the account. Again, we are sorry for the stress and 
inconvenience, and wish them well."

In a statement, Blue KC 
acknowledged that coordination of benefits can be confusing for members 
and that the company follows rules of state and federal regulators, 
modeled on standards set by the NAIC. It said that the Kjelshuses' 
future claims would continue to be paid and that a "dedicated service 
consultant" would continue to work with Kayla Kjelshus.

In the 
end, the insurers and hospitals settled Charlie's bill as they were 
supposed to: The primary insurer paid first, and the secondary paid what
 had not been covered by the first. But it took more than a year of 
phone calls, appeals and complaints before the Kjelshus family had the 
matter settled. Charlie turns 2 next month.

The Takeaway: In theory, "the birthday rule" would be a fair, 
if random, way to figure out which insurance should be primary and which
 secondary for families with insurance from two employers. The 
presumption is that the premiums, deductibles and networks are roughly 
similar in both parents' insurance plans — but that's simply not the 
case for many families.

The Kjelshuses found out the hard way they
 didn't have a choice about which parent's insurance was primary. They 
might have avoided their quagmire if Mikkel had dropped his own coverage
 and gotten onto Kayla's plan before Charlie was born.

It's not 
clear whose responsibility it is to help families navigate these rules 
before a baby is born. It's even more complicated for parents <a href="https://selecthealth.org/-/media/selecthealth82/pdf-documents/fehb-plan-documents/2017-naic-and-coordination-of-benefits.ashx" target="_blank">who are divorced or never married</a>. Insurance companies don't always offer the critical information families need about the coordination of benefits.

"Expecting
 parents should try to get in touch with their health plan before the 
baby is born to find out about the coverage rules," says Karen Pollitz, a
 senior fellow at KFF, the Kaiser Family Foundation. (KHN is an 
editorially independent program of KFF.)

New parents should "also figure out if they want to switch the entire family onto one plan once the baby is born."

It's
 also a good idea to speak to human resources representatives at both 
parents' jobs. The birth of a baby is considered "a qualifying event" 
for insurance coverage in all group health plans, so families can make 
decisions about changing coverage at that time. Otherwise, families 
might have to wait for open enrollment to make coverage changes.

"It
 is ridiculous to me my wife and I faced so many issues since both 
parents have health insurance," Mikkel Kjelshus says. His daughter, 
Charlie, now is covered only by his wife's plan.

Bill of the 
Month is a crowdsourced investigation by KHN and NPR that dissects and 
explains medical bills. Do you have an interesting medical bill you want
 to share with us? Tell us about it!

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611856961625.png" alt="Mikkel and Kayla Kjelshus' daughter, Charlie, had a complication during delivery that caused her oxygen levels to drop and put her at risk for brain damage. Charlie needed seven days of neonatal intensive care, which resulted in a huge bill — $207,455 for the NICU alone — and confusion over which parent's insurer would cover the little girl's health costs. Christopher Smith / Kaiser Health News " />
 <figcaption>Mikkel and Kayla Kjelshus' daughter, Charlie, had a complication during delivery that caused her oxygen levels to drop and put her at risk for brain damage. Charlie needed seven days of neonatal intensive care, which resulted in a huge bill — $207,455 for the NICU alone — and confusion over which parent's insurer would cover the little girl's health costs. Christopher Smith / Kaiser Health News </figcaption>
 </figure>By CARA ANTHONY <a href="https://www.kcur.org/health/2021-01-28/birthday-rule-blindsides-first-time-olathe-parents-with-a-mammoth-medical-bill">Kaiser Health News</a>In the nine months leading up to her due date, Kayla Kjelshus and her
 husband, Mikkel, meticulously planned for their daughter's arrival.Their
 long to-do list included mapping out their family's health insurance 
plan and registering for baby gear and supplies. They even nailed down 
child care ahead of her birth."We put a deposit down to hold a spot at a local day care following our first ultrasound," says Kayla Kjelshus, of Olathe, Kan.The
 first-time parents felt ready for their daughter's debut on Feb. 15, 
2019. But one of the happiest days of their lives turned out to be one 
of the scariest. Their daughter, Charlie, had a complication during 
delivery that caused her oxygen levels to drop and put her at risk for 
brain damage."We had a waiting room filled with family and 
friends," Mikkel recalls. "To come out and say things aren't well ... it
 was really hard."Charlie was transferred from Saint Luke's 
Community Hospital to HCA Overland Park Regional Medical Center, where 
she received treatment in the neonatal intensive care unit, known as the
 NICU, for the next seven days.Doctors sent Charlie home with a 
positive prognosis. The couple had decided that Kayla, a nurse 
practitioner, would carry Charlie on her insurance plan through Blue 
Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City. Her plan offered better rates than
 Mikkel's, and his plan was based in another state and carried a higher 
deductible. So when the hospital asked for insurance information, Kayla 
provided her policy number — Mikkel did not.They expected things to work out fine between the insurance company and the hospitals.Then the bills came.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611857026650.png" alt="For Charlie Kjelshus, “the birthday rule” meant that dad Mikkel’s plan ― with a $12,000 deductible, a high coinsurance obligation and a network focused in another state ― was deemed her primary coverage after her NICU stay as a newborn. Mom Kayla’s more generous plan was considered secondary coverage." />
 <figcaption>For Charlie Kjelshus, “the birthday rule” meant that dad Mikkel’s plan ― with a $12,000 deductible, a high coinsurance obligation and a network focused in another state ― was deemed her primary coverage after her NICU stay as a newborn. Mom Kayla’s more generous plan was considered secondary coverage.</figcaption>
 </figure>The Patient: Charlie Kjelshus, an infant covered by her 
mother's plan through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and, 
eventually, her father's plan, CommunityCare of OklahomaMedical Service: <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3743149/" target="_blank">Whole body cooling</a> and other treatment in the NICU to prevent brain injury that may result from oxygen deprivation during birthService Provider: HCA Overland Park Regional Medical Center in Overland Park, Kan.Total Bill: Multiple charges totaling $270,951, according to Mikkel Kjelshus, including a charge of $207,455 for the NICU stayWhat Gives:
 Kayla Kjelshus filed a claim with Blue KC, and the insurer started 
paying for baby Charlie's care. But then it canceled payments to the HCA
 Overland Park hospital, St. Luke's Community Hospital and Charlie's 
neurologist, pediatrician and other physicians."We thought, 'This is crazy,'" Mikkel says. "'We have insurance.'"What was going on?The
 Kjelshus family had slammed into something well known among insurance 
experts but little understood by the general public. "Coordination of 
benefits" and "the birthday rule" are the jargon terms for the red tape 
that snared them.When a child is born into a family in which both
 parents have insurance through their jobs, the parents are supposed to 
"coordinate benefits'' — meaning they must tell both insurers that their
 child is eligible for coverage under two plans. The parents might be 
forgiven for thinking they have some say in how their child will be 
insured. In most cases, they don't.Instead, a child with double 
health insurance eligibility must take as primary coverage the plan of 
the parent whose birthday comes first in the calendar year; the other 
parent's insurance is considered secondary. This model regulation was 
set by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and adopted 
by most states, including Kansas, says Lee Modesitt, director of 
government affairs with the Kansas Insurance Department.For 
Charlie Kjelshus, the birthday rule meant her dad's plan — with a 
$12,000 deductible, high coinsurance obligation and a network focused in
 a different state — was primary. Her mom's more generous plan was 
secondary.Mom Kayla says Blue KC dispatched an investigator to 
discover that dad Mikkel had insurance through his job. The family had 
not been trying to hide Mikkel's coverage; they merely weren't aware of 
the birthday rule and that they may be subject to state laws that ensure
 babies are covered <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2016/b2015_16/statute/040_000_0000_chapter/040_002_0000_article/040_002_0102_section/040_002_0102_k/" target="_blank">for the first 31 days of life</a>."If
 these are the rules of engagement, you need to tell people upfront that
 these are the rules," says Dr. Linda Burke, OB-GYN and author of The Smart Mother's Guide to a Better Pregnancy. "It's a communication problem."After
 Blue KC informed Mikkel that his insurance had to serve as primary 
coverage, CommunityCare of Oklahoma did pay Charlie's bills to the 
hospitals and other providers. It paid HCA Overland Park $16,605 on the 
$207,455 NICU charge. The insurer said its negotiated rate on the bill 
was $35,721. With Mikkel's deductible and coinsurance, that left the 
family on the hook for more than $19,116, it seemed."When an 
insurance company finds out that a baby is in the NICU, then it's a red 
flag," Burke says. "They are going to look for ways to cut their 
losses."Resolution: The couple turned to the Kansas 
Department of Insurance to file a complaint about the bill, but the 
department declined to help because Kayla's policy is self-funded by her
 employer, which means the company is subject to federal rather than 
state regulations.After close to a year and a half of going back 
and forth with their insurance companies and the hospitals, Blue KC paid
 $19,116 of the Kjelshuses' bill as a secondary insurer and said the 
Kjelshuses should not be responsible for what HCA Overland Park said was
 a remaining balance of $7,504.51. But the family kept getting bills.And, beginning in summer 2020, collections calls from the hospital rolled in daily, leaving the couple frustrated and confused.Eventually,
 after a human resources officer at Kayla's job stepped in to help, they
 received a statement with a zero balance. Their own calls to HCA 
Overland Park hospital billing department didn't get them anywhere."We always got a different answer," Kayla says. "It was so frustrating."A spokesperson for the hospital apologized for the deluge of calls from collections."We
 made an administrative error and an automated billing call system for 
payment occurred, causing the family undue frustration during an already
 stressful time, and we apologize," the hospital wrote in a statement. 
"Once the issue was identified and resolved, the insurance companies 
processed the claim and we informed the family that there is a zero 
balance on the account. Again, we are sorry for the stress and 
inconvenience, and wish them well."In a statement, Blue KC 
acknowledged that coordination of benefits can be confusing for members 
and that the company follows rules of state and federal regulators, 
modeled on standards set by the NAIC. It said that the Kjelshuses' 
future claims would continue to be paid and that a "dedicated service 
consultant" would continue to work with Kayla Kjelshus.In the 
end, the insurers and hospitals settled Charlie's bill as they were 
supposed to: The primary insurer paid first, and the secondary paid what
 had not been covered by the first. But it took more than a year of 
phone calls, appeals and complaints before the Kjelshus family had the 
matter settled. Charlie turns 2 next month.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611857078503.png" alt="First-time parents Mikkel and Kayla Kjelshus felt ready for their daughter’s debut on Feb. 15, 2019, but they weren’t ready for a scary complication that landed daughter Charlie in the NICU for her first seven days of life ― nor were they ready for the red tape surrounding “the birthday rule,” designating which parent’s insurance would cover the hefty bill." />
 <figcaption>First-time parents Mikkel and Kayla Kjelshus felt ready for their daughter’s debut on Feb. 15, 2019, but they weren’t ready for a scary complication that landed daughter Charlie in the NICU for her first seven days of life ― nor were they ready for the red tape surrounding “the birthday rule,” designating which parent’s insurance would cover the hefty bill.</figcaption>
 </figure>The Takeaway: In theory, "the birthday rule" would be a fair, 
if random, way to figure out which insurance should be primary and which
 secondary for families with insurance from two employers. The 
presumption is that the premiums, deductibles and networks are roughly 
similar in both parents' insurance plans — but that's simply not the 
case for many families.The Kjelshuses found out the hard way they
 didn't have a choice about which parent's insurance was primary. They 
might have avoided their quagmire if Mikkel had dropped his own coverage
 and gotten onto Kayla's plan before Charlie was born.It's not 
clear whose responsibility it is to help families navigate these rules 
before a baby is born. It's even more complicated for parents <a href="https://selecthealth.org/-/media/selecthealth82/pdf-documents/fehb-plan-documents/2017-naic-and-coordination-of-benefits.ashx" target="_blank">who are divorced or never married</a>. Insurance companies don't always offer the critical information families need about the coordination of benefits."Expecting
 parents should try to get in touch with their health plan before the 
baby is born to find out about the coverage rules," says Karen Pollitz, a
 senior fellow at KFF, the Kaiser Family Foundation. (KHN is an 
editorially independent program of KFF.)New parents should "also figure out if they want to switch the entire family onto one plan once the baby is born."It's
 also a good idea to speak to human resources representatives at both 
parents' jobs. The birth of a baby is considered "a qualifying event" 
for insurance coverage in all group health plans, so families can make 
decisions about changing coverage at that time. Otherwise, families 
might have to wait for open enrollment to make coverage changes."It
 is ridiculous to me my wife and I faced so many issues since both 
parents have health insurance," Mikkel Kjelshus says. His daughter, 
Charlie, now is covered only by his wife's plan.Bill of the 
Month is a crowdsourced investigation by KHN and NPR that dissects and 
explains medical bills. Do you have an interesting medical bill you want
 to share with us? Tell us about it!

'Birthday rule' blindsides Kan. parents with mammoth medical bill

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A long line of seniors, some clutching walkers, waited in the cold this week when Kansas’ largest county began vaccinating its oldest residents against the coronavirus.

Johnson County, which blamed the long-wait mishap in part on people showing up without appointments, isn’t alone in struggling with demand as the state moved beyond vaccinating health care workers and long-term residents. Health officials and hospitals are being deluged with calls, and appointment slots are filling up in minutes.

“We are pleased to see the enthusiasm and the interest in vaccines,” County Manager Penny Ferguson said in apologizing for the logistical problems that occurred Tuesday. The situation improved later in the week.

The challenge is that the second phase is massive, including about one-third of the state’s 2.9 million residents. It prioritizes those 65 and older, essential workers including teachers and police officers, and those living in communal settings such as prisons and homeless shelters.

Health officials say there isn’t enough vaccine to immunize everyone in the second phase quickly. And messaging is tricky because the state is allowing individual counties to decide who goes first within that phase.

As of Friday, just 5.8% of the state’s population, or nearly 168,341 people, had been vaccinated, state health officials said.

“I think one of the things that has happened is it is so confusing to people about where to go to get vaccination because of probably a lack of transparency and good communication,” Dr. Steve Stites, the chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System, said during a webcast. “People are so frustrated because they want the vaccine right now.”

He said his own health system found itself with leftover doses after vaccinating its employees because some of them didn’t want to be immunized yet. The health system then provided some of the unused vaccines to nearby health departments but still had 2,000 or 3,000 doses left. It turned to its own patients who were 65 and older and prioritized them based on a random number generator.

“But what that did is it made 2,000 or 3,000 people super happy and like 100,000 people really mad,” he said. “And it’s not that it’s a bad attempt. The problem isn’t that we don’t want to give it. The problem is we do not have it to give it.”

As vaccine supply runs low, the state on Friday reported its smallest increase since Oct. 23, adding 2,168 cases over two days to increase its pandemic total to 274,685. In November, state health officials were routinely reporting about three times that number of cases in a two-day span. The state also reported 61 more COVID-19 deaths since Wednesday, pushing the state’s death toll to 3,779.

In the Lawrence area, health officials sent out text alerts to 1,300 randomly selected people who were 65 and older, inviting them to a drive-thru clinic. Issues surfaced when more than 300 additional people showed up at Lawrence Memorial hospital, many of them spouses and elderly parents of the people who received the invitations.

The hospital, which offered the drive-thru clinic service from Tuesday through Friday this week, worked with the county to obtain more doses so it wouldn’t have to turn away anyone who was qualified.

Hospital spokeswoman Rebecca Smith said the situation illustrates the demand, noting that she receives hundreds of phone calls and emails daily from people inquiring about how they can get vaccinated.

“When you look at the community, there is an incredible and intense desire to be vaccinated as soon as possible, and that is amazing. That is a community that knows and understands the importance of the public health initiative,” Smith said. “And our goal is to ensure that as soon as vaccines are available that we can get them into arms as quickly as possible because that’s what our patients want. That’s what our community wants.”

But she added: “It depends entirely on our ability to get vaccine. We can vaccinate 750 people a day or zero. It depends. Do we have vaccines in hand?”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611962954922.png" alt="Traffic backed up in Lawrence Friday as residents wait for vaccinations-photo Douglas Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Traffic backed up in Lawrence Friday as residents wait for vaccinations-photo Douglas Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A long line of seniors, some clutching walkers, waited in the cold this week when Kansas’ largest county began vaccinating its oldest residents against the coronavirus.Johnson County, which blamed the long-wait mishap in part on people showing up without appointments, isn’t alone in struggling with demand as the state moved beyond vaccinating health care workers and long-term residents. Health officials and hospitals are being deluged with calls, and appointment slots are filling up in minutes.“We are pleased to see the enthusiasm and the interest in vaccines,” County Manager Penny Ferguson said in apologizing for the logistical problems that occurred Tuesday. The situation improved later in the week.The challenge is that the second phase is massive, including about one-third of the state’s 2.9 million residents. It prioritizes those 65 and older, essential workers including teachers and police officers, and those living in communal settings such as prisons and homeless shelters.Health officials say there isn’t enough vaccine to immunize everyone in the second phase quickly. And messaging is tricky because the state is allowing individual counties to decide who goes first within that phase.As of Friday, just 5.8% of the state’s population, or nearly 168,341 people, had been vaccinated, state health officials said.“I think one of the things that has happened is it is so confusing to people about where to go to get vaccination because of probably a lack of transparency and good communication,” Dr. Steve Stites, the chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System, said during a webcast. “People are so frustrated because they want the vaccine right now.”He said his own health system found itself with leftover doses after vaccinating its employees because some of them didn’t want to be immunized yet. The health system then provided some of the unused vaccines to nearby health departments but still had 2,000 or 3,000 doses left. It turned to its own patients who were 65 and older and prioritized them based on a random number generator.“But what that did is it made 2,000 or 3,000 people super happy and like 100,000 people really mad,” he said. “And it’s not that it’s a bad attempt. The problem isn’t that we don’t want to give it. The problem is we do not have it to give it.”As vaccine supply runs low, the state on Friday reported its smallest increase since Oct. 23, adding 2,168 cases over two days to increase its pandemic total to 274,685. In November, state health officials were routinely reporting about three times that number of cases in a two-day span. The state also reported 61 more COVID-19 deaths since Wednesday, pushing the state’s death toll to 3,779.In the Lawrence area, health officials sent out text alerts to 1,300 randomly selected people who were 65 and older, inviting them to a drive-thru clinic. Issues surfaced when more than 300 additional people showed up at Lawrence Memorial hospital, many of them spouses and elderly parents of the people who received the invitations.The hospital, which offered the drive-thru clinic service from Tuesday through Friday this week, worked with the county to obtain more doses so it wouldn’t have to turn away anyone who was qualified.Hospital spokeswoman Rebecca Smith said the situation illustrates the demand, noting that she receives hundreds of phone calls and emails daily from people inquiring about how they can get vaccinated.“When you look at the community, there is an incredible and intense desire to be vaccinated as soon as possible, and that is amazing. That is a community that knows and understands the importance of the public health initiative,” Smith said. “And our goal is to ensure that as soon as vaccines are available that we can get them into arms as quickly as possible because that’s what our patients want. That’s what our community wants.”But she added: “It depends entirely on our ability to get vaccine. We can vaccinate 750 people a day or zero. It depends. Do we have vaccines in hand?”

Frustration, lines common as Kan. expands vaccine rollout

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Irritated by the sweeping use of executive orders during the COVID-19 crisis, state lawmakers around the U.S. are moving to curb the authority of governors and top health officials to impose emergency restrictions such as mask rules and business shutdowns.

The push is underway in such states as Kansas, Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana and Pennsylvania, where legislators are seeking a constitutional amendment to strip the governor of many of his emergency powers.

Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Wayne Langerholc said the amendment would "make it unequivocally clear that our General Assembly is a co-equal branch ... that we are not a monarchy and that our voices matter.”

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and some of his counterparts around the country have argued that they need authority to act quickly and decisively against the fast-changing threat.

The coronavirus has killed an estimated 430,000 Americans and is going through its most lethal phase yet, despite the rollout of vaccines, with new and more contagious variants from abroad turning up in the U.S.

State legislatures generally took on lesser roles after the pandemic hit, with many suspending work or adjourning. It has been governors or their top health officials who have set many of the policies — imposing mask mandates, limiting public gatherings and shutting down dine-in restaurants, gyms, hair salons and other businesses.

Lawmakers in more than half the states have filed bills this year to limit gubernatorial powers during the pandemic and other emergencies, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Most legislatures began their sessions this month.

Kentucky’s Republican-led Legislature could consider as soon as next week whether to override Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s vetoes of several bills that would rein in his emergency powers.

Wisconsin’s GOP-controlled Assembly was expected to vote Thursday on a measure repealing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide mask mandate.

Wisconsin Republicans have argued that Evers exceeded his authority by issuing multiple emergency declarations during the pandemic, which enabled him to extend the mask mandate beyond the 60 days allowed under the law without getting the Legislature’s approval.

Evers contends that the changing nature of the pandemic warranted new emergency declarations.

The amendment Pennsylvania Republicans are seeking to place on the May ballot also would put a cap on the governor's disaster declarations — 21 days, unless lawmakers vote to extend them. The Legislature also could halt them at any time with a two-thirds vote.

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Irritated by the sweeping use of executive orders during the COVID-19 crisis, state lawmakers around the U.S. are moving to curb the authority of governors and top health officials to impose emergency restrictions such as mask rules and business shutdowns.The push is underway in such states as Kansas, Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana and Pennsylvania, where legislators are seeking a constitutional amendment to strip the governor of many of his emergency powers.Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Wayne Langerholc said the amendment would "make it unequivocally clear that our General Assembly is a co-equal branch ... that we are not a monarchy and that our voices matter.”Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and some of his counterparts around the country have argued that they need authority to act quickly and decisively against the fast-changing threat.The coronavirus has killed an estimated 430,000 Americans and is going through its most lethal phase yet, despite the rollout of vaccines, with new and more contagious variants from abroad turning up in the U.S.State legislatures generally took on lesser roles after the pandemic hit, with many suspending work or adjourning. It has been governors or their top health officials who have set many of the policies — imposing mask mandates, limiting public gatherings and shutting down dine-in restaurants, gyms, hair salons and other businesses.Lawmakers in more than half the states have filed bills this year to limit gubernatorial powers during the pandemic and other emergencies, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Most legislatures began their sessions this month.Kentucky’s Republican-led Legislature could consider as soon as next week whether to override Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s vetoes of several bills that would rein in his emergency powers.Wisconsin’s GOP-controlled Assembly was expected to vote Thursday on a measure repealing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide mask mandate.Wisconsin Republicans have argued that Evers exceeded his authority by issuing multiple emergency declarations during the pandemic, which enabled him to extend the mask mandate beyond the 60 days allowed under the law without getting the Legislature’s approval.Evers contends that the changing nature of the pandemic warranted new emergency declarations.The amendment Pennsylvania Republicans are seeking to place on the May ballot also would put a cap on the governor's disaster declarations — 21 days, unless lawmakers vote to extend them. The Legislature also could halt them at any time with a two-thirds vote.Wolf has said that prematurely ending his disaster declaration would itself be “disastrous” for the state and that requiring repeated legislative approval “could slow down or halt emergency response when aid is most needed.”In Michigan, House Republicans have threatened to withhold billions of dollars for schools unless Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer cedes her administration’s power to prohibit in-person instruction and sports to local health departments. Whitmer was the target of an alleged kidnapping plot last fall by anti-government extremists upset over her coronavirus restrictions.Though legislative resistance to executive coronavirus orders has fallen largely along partisan lines in some states, lawmakers elsewhere are pushing back against governors of their own parties.Republicans in the Arizona Senate want to end the broad emergency powers that GOP Gov. Doug Ducey has used to limit large gatherings and business capacities.Ohio Sen. Rob McColley introduced a bill this week that could rescind emergency health orders issued by Gov. Mike DeWine, a fellow Republican. It would create a committee to retroactively review them. DeWine vetoed a similar bill last year.McColley said the Legislature needs to take action “when the relatively unfettered power of the executive branch during a time of emergency has lasted as long as it has.”In Indiana, Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb’s executive orders have also stirred opposition from his own party. GOP-sponsored legislation would require lawmakers to be called into session to extend a governor’s emergency order beyond 60 days.South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is supporting legislation that would give lawmakers greater opportunity to pass judgment on his emergency declarations.Under current law, McMaster can issue a declaration for just 15 days before the General Assembly has to weigh in. The Republican governor has skirted that by issuing 22 different declarations, with incremental changes, every two weeks or so.McMaster has said his goal wasn’t to avoid legislative oversight; he said he couldn’t wait for lawmakers to meet when they were trying to stay apart during the pandemic.Democrats who control the Maryland General Assembly are pressing for more transparency from Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s administration. One idea would require him to go through a state board or alert a legislative panel before making emergency coronavirus purchases.Hogan spent millions of dollars last year on a confidential deal to acquire COVID-19 testing supplies from South Korea that didn’t initially meet federal requirements.A separate GOP-sponsored bill seeks to limit Hogan’s power by capping the number of times he could extend a state of emergency without legislative input. Hogan has denounced it as “about probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”Lawmakers are also seeking to rein in the emergency powers of local officials, especially in states such as Missouri, where the Republican governor has deferred most decisions on shutdowns and masks to cities and counties.St. Louis County, the state's biggest jurisdiction, has imposed a variety of restrictions, including periodic prohibitions and capacity limits on indoor dining at restaurants.Jeff Fitter, the owner of Super Smokers BBQ, said his profits were cut in half last year. He is supporting a bill that would limit local emergency health orders to 14 days unless authorized for longer by the Legislature. It also would give tax breaks to businesses affected by occupancy limits imposed by cities and counties.“One person, one pen, shouldn’t be the difference between my business surviving or its demise," Fitter said. "That should be something that is ran through a legislative body.”___