TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans in the GOP-controlled Kansas House are formally registering their opposition to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s plan for encouraging counties to keep mask mandates in place as a potentially more infectious strain of coronavirus becomes more widespread in the state.

The House gave first-round approval Tuesday&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/hr6015_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">a resolution</a>&nbsp;telling legislative leaders to revoke any order from Kelly for a statewide mask policy. Kelly issued such an order&nbsp;<a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/EO-20-68-Face-Coverings-protocol-Executed-2.pdf" target="_blank">in November</a>&nbsp;that is due to expire Wednesday, and she has said she will issue a new order Thursday.

Given their majority, Republicans expect the resolution to pass when the House takes a final vote by Wednesday. The measure is sponsored by House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., of Olathe; Speaker Pro Tem Blaine Finch, of Ottawa, and Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, of Wichita, who’ve all publicly said they will oppose Kelly’s planned order.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/ccrb_sb40_01_0000.pdf" target="_blank">A law&nbsp;</a>that took effect last week extends a state of emergency for the coronavirus pandemic from March 31 until May 28, but it also allows eight top legislative leaders, including Ryckman, Finch and Hawkins, to revoke orders the governor issues during a state of emergency.

The state has seen a sharp decline in new COVID-19 cases in recent months, and they’re now at levels seen last summer. Finch said during a brief House debate Tuesday on the resolution that no circumstances justify an “overreaching” order on masks from Kelly.

“What we do not need are more statewide mandates,” Finch said.

The new law also leaves the final decision about mask mandates and restrictions on businesses and public gatherings to counties. But Kelly’s planned order would require their elected county commissions to take a specific public vote to opt out of a statewide policy requiring people to wear masks in indoor businesses and public spaces.

Kelly said in a statement that the resolution is “unnecessary” because counties can opt out her planned order and said Republicans are engaged in “political games.”

Fellow Democrats noted concerns about coronavirus variants. One potentially more infectious variant first identified in the United Kingdom is responsible for 64 cases in 11 of the state’s 105 counties so far, the state health department said.

“We’re not at the end of the pandemic yet,” said Rep. Kathy Wolfe Moore, a Kansas City, Kansas, Democrat. “I do absolutely agree that things are getting better, but let’s not put all the sacrifices that we’ve all made at risk.”

In Shawnee County, home to Topeka, officials on Tuesday confirmed the county’s first three cases of the United Kingdom variant. Neighboring Douglas County confirmed a cases of the variant last week.

Two counties in the Kansas City area, Wyandotte and Leavenworth, have had cases of the variant, as has Sedgwick County, home to the state’s largest city of Wichita. Finney and Ford counties in southwest Kansas and Ellis County in northwest Kansas have had cases, and so have Crawford, Labette and Neosho counties in southeast Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617151479056.png" alt="Gov. Laura Kelly during a tour of the Prairie Band Health Center this week" />
 <figcaption>Gov. Laura Kelly during a tour of the Prairie Band Health Center this week</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNATOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans in the GOP-controlled Kansas House are formally registering their opposition to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s plan for encouraging counties to keep mask mandates in place as a potentially more infectious strain of coronavirus becomes more widespread in the state.The House gave first-round approval Tuesday&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/hr6015_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">a resolution</a>&nbsp;telling legislative leaders to revoke any order from Kelly for a statewide mask policy. Kelly issued such an order&nbsp;<a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/EO-20-68-Face-Coverings-protocol-Executed-2.pdf" target="_blank">in November</a>&nbsp;that is due to expire Wednesday, and she has said she will issue a new order Thursday.Given their majority, Republicans expect the resolution to pass when the House takes a final vote by Wednesday. The measure is sponsored by House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., of Olathe; Speaker Pro Tem Blaine Finch, of Ottawa, and Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, of Wichita, who’ve all publicly said they will oppose Kelly’s planned order.<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/ccrb_sb40_01_0000.pdf" target="_blank">A law&nbsp;</a>that took effect last week extends a state of emergency for the coronavirus pandemic from March 31 until May 28, but it also allows eight top legislative leaders, including Ryckman, Finch and Hawkins, to revoke orders the governor issues during a state of emergency.The state has seen a sharp decline in new COVID-19 cases in recent months, and they’re now at levels seen last summer. Finch said during a brief House debate Tuesday on the resolution that no circumstances justify an “overreaching” order on masks from Kelly.“What we do not need are more statewide mandates,” Finch said.The new law also leaves the final decision about mask mandates and restrictions on businesses and public gatherings to counties. But Kelly’s planned order would require their elected county commissions to take a specific public vote to opt out of a statewide policy requiring people to wear masks in indoor businesses and public spaces.Kelly said in a statement that the resolution is “unnecessary” because counties can opt out her planned order and said Republicans are engaged in “political games.”Fellow Democrats noted concerns about coronavirus variants. One potentially more infectious variant first identified in the United Kingdom is responsible for 64 cases in 11 of the state’s 105 counties so far, the state health department said.“We’re not at the end of the pandemic yet,” said Rep. Kathy Wolfe Moore, a Kansas City, Kansas, Democrat. “I do absolutely agree that things are getting better, but let’s not put all the sacrifices that we’ve all made at risk.”In Shawnee County, home to Topeka, officials on Tuesday confirmed the county’s first three cases of the United Kingdom variant. Neighboring Douglas County confirmed a cases of the variant last week.Two counties in the Kansas City area, Wyandotte and Leavenworth, have had cases of the variant, as has Sedgwick County, home to the state’s largest city of Wichita. Finney and Ford counties in southwest Kansas and Ellis County in northwest Kansas have had cases, and so have Crawford, Labette and Neosho counties in southeast Kansas.___

Kansas legislators continue fight over governor's mask policy 

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating the death of a 2-year-old girl and have made an arrest.

On January 5, police were dispatched to 3501 SW 10th Avenue in Topeka on a report of an unresponsive girl, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.

 Medical personnel arrived on scene a short time later and the girl later identified as Aurora M. Exon, 2 of Topeka was pronounced deceased.

In late March, the Shawnee County Coroner’s Office determined the manner of death to be homicide.

As a result of an extensive investigation, police on Tuesday arrested&nbsp; 45-year-old Jeffrey J. Exon of Topeka and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections for the requested charges of Murder in the 1st degree, Aggravated Endangering A Child and Failure to report the death of a child, according to Spiker.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617140051622.png" alt="Exon photo Shawnee County Detention Center" />
 <figcaption>Exon photo Shawnee County Detention Center</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating the death of a 2-year-old girl and have made an arrest.On January 5, police were dispatched to 3501 SW 10th Avenue in Topeka on a report of an unresponsive girl, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Spiker. Medical personnel arrived on scene a short time later and the girl later identified as Aurora M. Exon, 2 of Topeka was pronounced deceased.In late March, the Shawnee County Coroner’s Office determined the manner of death to be homicide.As a result of an extensive investigation, police on Tuesday arrested&nbsp; 45-year-old Jeffrey J. Exon of Topeka and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections for the requested charges of Murder in the 1st degree, Aggravated Endangering A Child and Failure to report the death of a child, according to Spiker.

Coroner: Death of 2-year-old Kan. girl was homicide

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A troubled Kansas foster care management provider has reached an agreement with the state to repay $9.4 million in unspent grant funds.

The deal that the Kansas Department for Children and Families announced it had reached Tuesday with St. Francis Ministries comes on the heels of earlier controversies.

In January,&nbsp;Nebraska&nbsp;agreed to pay millions more to St. Francis after it significantly underbid the company that used to provide child welfare services in the Omaha area. And&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/salina-kansas-topeka-1b3b0e420e470e18a7dec207441ad8f7">Kansas officials announced in December&nbsp;</a>that St. Francis employees had falsified documents to show visits with families that never took place.

DCF spokesman Mike Deines said the grant repayment agreement is unrelated to the falsified document claims. A state audit is pending.

The agency said in a news release that the repayment stems from a requirement that case management providers come up with a plan to reinvest unspent funds into their child welfare programming. The release said St. Francis provided a preliminary plan, but it was never finalized and sent to DCF for approval.

St. Francis Interim CEO William Clark said in a statement that the goal is “always to do what is best for children and families, while also being good stewards of the resources entrusted to us.”

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A troubled Kansas foster care management provider has reached an agreement with the state to repay $9.4 million in unspent grant funds.The deal that the Kansas Department for Children and Families announced it had reached Tuesday with St. Francis Ministries comes on the heels of earlier controversies.In January,&nbsp;Nebraska&nbsp;agreed to pay millions more to St. Francis after it significantly underbid the company that used to provide child welfare services in the Omaha area. And&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/salina-kansas-topeka-1b3b0e420e470e18a7dec207441ad8f7">Kansas officials announced in December&nbsp;</a>that St. Francis employees had falsified documents to show visits with families that never took place.DCF spokesman Mike Deines said the grant repayment agreement is unrelated to the falsified document claims. A state audit is pending.The agency said in a news release that the repayment stems from a requirement that case management providers come up with a plan to reinvest unspent funds into their child welfare programming. The release said St. Francis provided a preliminary plan, but it was never finalized and sent to DCF for approval.St. Francis Interim CEO William Clark said in a statement that the goal is “always to do what is best for children and families, while also being good stewards of the resources entrusted to us.”

Troubled Kan. foster care agency agrees to repay $9.4M

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — With the fires Monday came some of the same issues that have been in place in the past — homes that are built well off the beaten path. Hutchinson Fire Chief Steve Beer calls them indefensible structures.

“We have some homes that are built anywhere from 100 yards to a half mile in with a 10-foot-wide driveway that is surrounded by cedar trees going right up to the driveway,” Beer said. “They get their home nestled in and they have it landscaped real nice.”

Beer says when you have that type of situation, it can make for extremely difficult conditions for fire crews.

“As a fire comes through here at 50 miles per hour with the wind pushing it, the conditions that these men and women face, it’s nothing that I can even describe to you,” Beer said. “ A firestorm is the best way I can describe it coming at you. There’s heat, you can’t see with the smoke and everything.”

Beer says he will not subject his firefighters to that type of dangerous situation.

“Basically we would put our people into a suicide mission. We could put them up by the house but they wouldn’t survive up there. They only got a thousand gallons of water and, with the flames that were flying up 70 feet in the air yesterday, it’s a suicide mission and we will not put our people in places that people choose to build that’s not defendable.”&nbsp;

Beer says every resident that lives in the northern part of the county should have a fire mitigation plan in place and says they will work with homeowners to put one together. Despite the two fast-moving fires, fire crews were able to save all 126 homes involved on Monday, along with 26 outbuildings.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1578518724823.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By ROD ZOOKHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — With the fires Monday came some of the same issues that have been in place in the past — homes that are built well off the beaten path. Hutchinson Fire Chief Steve Beer calls them indefensible structures.“We have some homes that are built anywhere from 100 yards to a half mile in with a 10-foot-wide driveway that is surrounded by cedar trees going right up to the driveway,” Beer said. “They get their home nestled in and they have it landscaped real nice.”Beer says when you have that type of situation, it can make for extremely difficult conditions for fire crews.“As a fire comes through here at 50 miles per hour with the wind pushing it, the conditions that these men and women face, it’s nothing that I can even describe to you,” Beer said. “ A firestorm is the best way I can describe it coming at you. There’s heat, you can’t see with the smoke and everything.”Beer says he will not subject his firefighters to that type of dangerous situation.“Basically we would put our people into a suicide mission. We could put them up by the house but they wouldn’t survive up there. They only got a thousand gallons of water and, with the flames that were flying up 70 feet in the air yesterday, it’s a suicide mission and we will not put our people in places that people choose to build that’s not defendable.”&nbsp;Beer says every resident that lives in the northern part of the county should have a fire mitigation plan in place and says they will work with homeowners to put one together. Despite the two fast-moving fires, fire crews were able to save all 126 homes involved on Monday, along with 26 outbuildings.

Firefighters forced to choose which homes to protect in wildfires

TOPEKA —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for a series of burglaries.&nbsp;

Just after 2:30 a.m. Sunday, police received a call for service reference a suspicious person in the 1800 block of SW Wanamaker in Topeka, according to Lt. Shane Hilton. 

As officers arrived and were checking the area, they noticed someone matching the description of the suspect.&nbsp; 

The suspect later identified as 32-year-old Brian Wells of Meriden had items reported taken from a series of car burglaries along Wanamaker earlier in the evening in his possession.

Police arrested Wells and transported him to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Burglary and&nbsp;Theft, according to Hilton.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617112201928.png" alt="Wells remains jailed in Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Wells remains jailed in Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for a series of burglaries.&nbsp;Just after 2:30 a.m. Sunday, police received a call for service reference a suspicious person in the 1800 block of SW Wanamaker in Topeka, according to Lt. Shane Hilton. As officers arrived and were checking the area, they noticed someone matching the description of the suspect.&nbsp; The suspect later identified as 32-year-old Brian Wells of Meriden had items reported taken from a series of car burglaries along Wanamaker earlier in the evening in his possession.Police arrested Wells and transported him to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Burglary and&nbsp;Theft, according to Hilton.

Police catch Kan. man with items taken in burglaries

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police say a 21-year-old woman has been arrested in a Jan. 1 killing near downtown Wichita. 

Isabel Diane Leeann Martin was arrested Monday on suspicion of first-degree murder. She is the third person arrested in the death of 22-year-old Gabriel Campos-Torres. 

He was found shot early Jan. 1 and died at the scene. Martin also was arrested in an unrelated case of recruiting gang members. Police had previously arrested her brother 19-year-old Noah Martin of Wichita and a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of second-degree murder in the killing. 

Police spokesperson Charley Davidson said investigators developed new information that implicated Isabel Martin in the shooting.&nbsp;

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have made two arrests.

Just after 12:05 a.m. Friday, officers responded to a shooting in the 1200 block of South Ida in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson..&nbsp; A citizen called and reported hearing shots and a man lying on the sidewalk.

Upon officers arriving, they located 22-year-old Gabriel Campos-Torres, who had been shot.&nbsp; He was pronounced deceased on the scene, according to Davidson.

Through the investigation, an additional crime scene was located at a home in the 1200 block of South Laura, where Campos-Torres was shot.&nbsp; Investigators also learned that 18-year-old Noah Martin and a 16-year-old were involved in the shooting.&nbsp; They were located at the home on Laura and arrested.&nbsp; Officers also recovered a firearms inside of the home.

Martin of Wichita is being <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20065752">held on a requested</a> charge of 2nd-degree murder and felon in possession of a firearm.&nbsp; The 16-year-old boy is being held a requested charge of 2nd-degree murder, according to Davidson.

The case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617135091618.png" alt="Martin photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Martin photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police say a 21-year-old woman has been arrested in a Jan. 1 killing near downtown Wichita. Isabel Diane Leeann Martin was arrested Monday on suspicion of first-degree murder. She is the third person arrested in the death of 22-year-old Gabriel Campos-Torres. He was found shot early Jan. 1 and died at the scene. Martin also was arrested in an unrelated case of recruiting gang members. Police had previously arrested her brother 19-year-old Noah Martin of Wichita and a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of second-degree murder in the killing. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1609538313369.png" alt="Martin photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Martin photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Police spokesperson Charley Davidson said investigators developed new information that implicated Isabel Martin in the shooting.&nbsp;----------SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have made two arrests.Just after 12:05 a.m. Friday, officers responded to a shooting in the 1200 block of South Ida in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson..&nbsp; A citizen called and reported hearing shots and a man lying on the sidewalk.Upon officers arriving, they located 22-year-old Gabriel Campos-Torres, who had been shot.&nbsp; He was pronounced deceased on the scene, according to Davidson.Through the investigation, an additional crime scene was located at a home in the 1200 block of South Laura, where Campos-Torres was shot.&nbsp; Investigators also learned that 18-year-old Noah Martin and a 16-year-old were involved in the shooting.&nbsp; They were located at the home on Laura and arrested.&nbsp; Officers also recovered a firearms inside of the home.Martin of Wichita is being <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20065752">held on a requested</a> charge of 2nd-degree murder and felon in possession of a firearm.&nbsp; The 16-year-old boy is being held a requested charge of 2nd-degree murder, according to Davidson.The case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.

Sister of Kan. murder suspect also jailed for the crime

JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two Kansas men found driving a stolen pickup.

Just after noon March 27, a sheriff’s deputy initiated a traffic stop on a 2002 Chevy Silverado pickup truck that was southbound on E. Road from 142nd Road in Jackson County, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

The deputy determined that the vehicle was allegedly exceeding the speed limit and displaying a license plate not assigned to the vehicle. 

After further investigation, the deputy discovered the truck had been reported stolen out of Topeka. The driver identified as David W. Brooks, 55, of Topeka, was arrested on requested charges of possession of stolen property and driving while suspended. 

The passenger Earl Thomas Kuhn III, 58, of Topeka, was arrested on requested charges that include possession of methamphetamine, interference with law enforcement and he had an outstanding warrant for a parole violation, according to Morse.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617109014740.png" alt="Kuhn photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Kuhn photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two Kansas men found driving a stolen pickup.Just after noon March 27, a sheriff’s deputy initiated a traffic stop on a 2002 Chevy Silverado pickup truck that was southbound on E. Road from 142nd Road in Jackson County, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.The deputy determined that the vehicle was allegedly exceeding the speed limit and displaying a license plate not assigned to the vehicle. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617108984189.png" alt="Brooks-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Brooks-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>After further investigation, the deputy discovered the truck had been reported stolen out of Topeka. The driver identified as David W. Brooks, 55, of Topeka, was arrested on requested charges of possession of stolen property and driving while suspended. The passenger Earl Thomas Kuhn III, 58, of Topeka, was arrested on requested charges that include possession of methamphetamine, interference with law enforcement and he had an outstanding warrant for a parole violation, according to Morse.

Sheriff: 2 Kan. men caught speeding in stolen pickup

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Some Republicans on Tuesday downsized their ambitions for cutting Kansas income taxes and advanced a narrower proposal in the GOP-controlled Legislature in hopes of overcoming Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s resistance to reducing revenues.

The House voted&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20210330104717_254085/" target="_blank">81-43</a>&nbsp;to approve a bill that would save taxpayers $284 million over three years. Top GOP legislators started with a goal of providing relief to businesses and individuals whose state income taxes have risen because of changes in federal income tax laws at the end of 2017. The&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/supp_note_sb50_02_0000.pdf" target="_blank">measure</a>&nbsp;also includes a modest increase in the standard deduction for all individual filers.

The Senate last month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-personal-taxes-kansas-state-taxes-topeka-8f9530c660e97e6a59be53d0658cba7a">approved a package of cuts</a>&nbsp;that would cost the state $1.3 billion over three years and go far beyond Republican leaders’ stated goal of returning the unanticipated state revenue “windfall” tied to federal tax changes.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/supp_note_sb22_02_0000.pdf" target="_blank">The Senate’s measure</a>&nbsp;revived memories of a notorious tax-cutting experiment in 2012 and 2013 under GOP Gov. Sam Brownback, which was followed by large and persistent budget shortfalls until lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e4f794cd96cb488cb04ab1cd48b1458d">reversed most of it</a>&nbsp;in 2017.

The House’s vote sent its plan to the Senate, which can approve it or launch negotiations with the House to draft another proposal. Senate tax committee Chair Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican, said she wants to approve the House’s narrower plan and send it to Kelly.

Tyson said parts of the broader Senate plan might make GOP senators “feel good,” but, “It’s another thing to get it into law. We need it into law.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/02d4aa92788e4ef09d187211d949e2be">Kelly vetoed two</a>&nbsp;GOP tax-cutting plans in 2019 after winning the governor’s office the year before largely by running against Brownback’s legacy. She said earlier this month than Kansas is still “digging out” from the experiment and shouldn’t cut taxes because it is recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.

Some Republicans had hoped to pass a plan with the two-thirds majorities necessary in both chambers to override a Kelly veto. But supporters fell three votes shy in Tuesday’s vote in the House and were short of a supermajority in the Senate last month.

The governor has been open to increasing the standard income tax deduction but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-personal-taxes-legislature-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-5382b51cadf728207a979823614f799b">has proposed&nbsp;</a>offsetting the cost of that policy by imposing the state’s 6.5% sales tax on online music and movies and digital streaming services. That idea is a non-starter for Republicans, who derided it as the “Netflix tax.”

The federal tax changes in 2017 were championed by former President Donald Trump and discouraged people from claiming itemized deductions on their federal returns. Kansas law does not allow people to itemize on their state returns if they don’t on their federal returns, resulting in larger state tax bills for some. Both the House and Senate plans would allow people to itemize on their state returns even if they don’t on their federal returns.

Democrats have attacked GOP tax proposals for providing relief to large corporations. House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat, decried the narrower plan approved Tuesday as a corporate giveaway.

It also wasn’t clear how much support Tyson would have among GOP conservatives who control the Senate to approve the House plan. The Senate bill was far more aggressive on increasing standard income tax deductions and would include provisions to exempt Social Security and other retirement income from taxes.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617135700695.png" alt="The House voted&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20210330104717_254085/" target="_blank">81-43</a>&nbsp;to approve a bill that would save taxpayers $284 million over three years.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>The House voted&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20210330104717_254085/" target="_blank">81-43</a>&nbsp;to approve a bill that would save taxpayers $284 million over three years.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Some Republicans on Tuesday downsized their ambitions for cutting Kansas income taxes and advanced a narrower proposal in the GOP-controlled Legislature in hopes of overcoming Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s resistance to reducing revenues.The House voted&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20210330104717_254085/" target="_blank">81-43</a>&nbsp;to approve a bill that would save taxpayers $284 million over three years. Top GOP legislators started with a goal of providing relief to businesses and individuals whose state income taxes have risen because of changes in federal income tax laws at the end of 2017. The&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/supp_note_sb50_02_0000.pdf" target="_blank">measure</a>&nbsp;also includes a modest increase in the standard deduction for all individual filers.The Senate last month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-personal-taxes-kansas-state-taxes-topeka-8f9530c660e97e6a59be53d0658cba7a">approved a package of cuts</a>&nbsp;that would cost the state $1.3 billion over three years and go far beyond Republican leaders’ stated goal of returning the unanticipated state revenue “windfall” tied to federal tax changes.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/supp_note_sb22_02_0000.pdf" target="_blank">The Senate’s measure</a>&nbsp;revived memories of a notorious tax-cutting experiment in 2012 and 2013 under GOP Gov. Sam Brownback, which was followed by large and persistent budget shortfalls until lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e4f794cd96cb488cb04ab1cd48b1458d">reversed most of it</a>&nbsp;in 2017.The House’s vote sent its plan to the Senate, which can approve it or launch negotiations with the House to draft another proposal. Senate tax committee Chair Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican, said she wants to approve the House’s narrower plan and send it to Kelly.Tyson said parts of the broader Senate plan might make GOP senators “feel good,” but, “It’s another thing to get it into law. We need it into law.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/02d4aa92788e4ef09d187211d949e2be">Kelly vetoed two</a>&nbsp;GOP tax-cutting plans in 2019 after winning the governor’s office the year before largely by running against Brownback’s legacy. She said earlier this month than Kansas is still “digging out” from the experiment and shouldn’t cut taxes because it is recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.Some Republicans had hoped to pass a plan with the two-thirds majorities necessary in both chambers to override a Kelly veto. But supporters fell three votes shy in Tuesday’s vote in the House and were short of a supermajority in the Senate last month.The governor has been open to increasing the standard income tax deduction but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-personal-taxes-legislature-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-5382b51cadf728207a979823614f799b">has proposed&nbsp;</a>offsetting the cost of that policy by imposing the state’s 6.5% sales tax on online music and movies and digital streaming services. That idea is a non-starter for Republicans, who derided it as the “Netflix tax.”The federal tax changes in 2017 were championed by former President Donald Trump and discouraged people from claiming itemized deductions on their federal returns. Kansas law does not allow people to itemize on their state returns if they don’t on their federal returns, resulting in larger state tax bills for some. Both the House and Senate plans would allow people to itemize on their state returns even if they don’t on their federal returns.Democrats have attacked GOP tax proposals for providing relief to large corporations. House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat, decried the narrower plan approved Tuesday as a corporate giveaway.It also wasn’t clear how much support Tyson would have among GOP conservatives who control the Senate to approve the House plan. The Senate bill was far more aggressive on increasing standard income tax deductions and would include provisions to exempt Social Security and other retirement income from taxes.

GOP advances smaller plan for cutting Kan. income taxes

By DAVID CONDOS <a href="https://www.hppr.org/post/latino-leaders-southwestern-kansas-fight-overcome-myths-and-hesitancy-about-covid-19-vaccine">Kansas News Service</a>

LIBERAL — One woman thinks the COVID-19 pandemic was planned, man-made.

A man won’t get inoculated because he suspects other countries are using Americans as test subjects for their vaccines.

Three-fourths
 of this focus group gathered at a Liberal community center had heard 
the shots might contain microchips so the government can track people, 
even if most said they don’t buy that myth anymore.

The worries 
are bogus, but they’re worries all the same. And overcoming dangerously 
misinformed rumors about the vaccine could go a long way to getting more
 people vaccinated in this community of about 20,000.

The 
overwhelming concern in the room revolves around a lack of clear 
information that would build trust in COVID-19 vaccinations.

“I still keep asking questions,” said Edgar Galindo.

Rodrigo
 Calderon said he worries the shots were developed too quickly. He 
thinks seeing more people get vaccinated might change his mind, but for 
now, he said: “I don’t plan on taking it.”

Indeed, of the 16 people in the room, just two want a vaccination.&nbsp;

Even
 as much of the country thrills at the prospect of getting their 
COVID-19 shots, sizable pockets need convincing. In the immigrant and 
refugee communities of southwestern Kansas, cultural barriers and access
 to the shots could leave those hit hardest by the pandemic in ongoing 
peril.

So town by town, county by county, public health officials
 find themselves shooting down unfounded fears about the shots that 
could finally beat back a virus that has killed hundreds of thousands of
 people in the United States and millions around the world.

“COVID has been very challenging for a lot of people,” said Janeth 
Vazquez, the marketing director at Southwest Medical Center in Liberal. 
She convened the focus group. “And so hearing rumors about the vaccine 
just terrifies and scares them more.”

Vazquez has been promoting <a href="https://fb.watch/4pIK8E3ne5/" target="_blank">social</a> <a href="https://fb.watch/4pIZJrwMQD/" target="_blank">media</a> <a href="https://fb.watch/4pI-9URU57/" target="_blank">videos</a>
 with Hispanic doctors, posters with vaccine facts in Spanish and 
anything else that might help more people understand the facts about the
 vaccination process.

Not all of the vaccine myths she’s heard 
are as easily pushed aside as the conspiracy theory about microchips. 
Some of the people Vazquez has talked with are afraid the state is 
working in conjunction with immigration officials.

“So, they’re scared,” Vazquez said. “They’re scared to go get the vaccine because of their undocumented status.”

Among people of color nationwide, there’s also some justified <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/for-americans-of-color-considering-the-covid-19-vaccine-heres-why-trust-is-so-important">mistrust</a> of how the government has cared for their health over the past several decades — from the <a href="https://www.tuskegee.edu/about-us/centers-of-excellence/bioethics-center/about-the-usphs-syphilis-study" target="_blank">Tuskegee syphilis study</a> that withheld medical information and treatment from hundreds of Black men in rural Georgia to the Indian Health Service’s <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1185911?mag=the-little-known-history-of-the-forced-sterilization-of-native-american-women&amp;seq=4#metadata_info_tab_contents" target="_blank">forced sterilization</a> of thousands of Native American women.

Even
 during the current pandemic, public health agencies have often 
struggled to close the gap in caring for people of color. The latest 
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics show that 
American Latinos are <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/investigations-discovery/hospitalization-death-by-race-ethnicity.html" target="_blank">2.3 times more likely</a> to die from COVID-19 than their white, non-Hispanic neighbors.

Vazquez
 is starting to see some of her vaccine-hesitant relatives change their 
minds as she talks with them. But she thinks it’s going to take time to 
overcome the many barriers that might keep people in her community from 
getting a shot.

“It’s working,” Vazquez said. “We just need to continue that community effort, that communication.”

Vaccine hesitancy isn’t unique to Latino communities. A recent <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/03/12/976172586/little-difference-in-vaccine-hesitancy-among-white-and-black-americans-poll-find" target="_blank">NPR/PBS/Marist poll</a>
 found that 37% of Latinos said they would not choose to be vaccinated. 
That’s seven points higher than the average among all American adults. 
But in the same poll, even higher rates of white evangelicals (38%) and 
Republican men (49%) said they didn’t want the vaccine.

The 
challenge in southwestern Kansas is that boilerplate public health 
messages are unlikely to reach many Latinos in a meaningful way.

It’ll
 take more than merely translating information from English to Spanish. 
Ernestor De La Rosa, chairman of the Kansas Hispanic and Latino American
 Affairs Commission, said the messages need to meet people where they 
are.

“And I don’t necessarily mean by place,” De La Rosa said. “I
 mean by their thoughts, their culture, how they go on with their 
everyday life.”

De La Rosa, who lives in Dodge City, said it 
could be as simple as featuring the voices of native Spanish speakers or
 playing Latin cumbia music under an ad — anything that lets Latinos 
know this message is for them.

“It’s not 100% buy-in,” De La Rosa said. “But most importantly, we get their attention and we at least get them to think.”

For towns like Liberal and Dodge City, which are more than <a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/liberalcitykansas,dodgecitycitykansas/PST045219" target="_blank">60% Latino</a>,
 the stakes are high. If messages about the vaccine don’t speak to 
Hispanic residents in ways that they’ll take to heart, pockets of 
unvaccinated people could incubate future outbreaks.

In 
particularly vulnerable populations like Dodge City’s Guatemalan 
community, the person delivering the message can be just as important as
 the message itself.

The Rev. Daniel Armenta has been the pastor 
of Iglesia Bautista Emanuel in Dodge City for more than 30 years. It’s a
 Spanish-speaking congregation of roughly 100 people. Half are 
Guatemalan, a group that Armenta said is particularly difficult for 
outsiders to reach.

“I’ve found that they are very reserved, 
cautious people,” Armenta said. “They do not want to learn more than 
what they bring from their land, from their culture, and that makes them
 very fearful.”

On top of that, he said Guatemalan culture 
teaches that they should live without vaccinations. So, with help from 
local government and community leaders, Armenta recently began sharing 
vaccination information during Sunday services.

“It’s too soon to tell the full story,” Armenta said. “But I think it can work if we give them education.”

Another trusted figure in 
these parts is Enrique Rodríguez Franz. He’s the on-air host and general
 manager of La Mexicana, southwestern Kansas’s largest Spanish language 
radio station.

When the National Beef meatpacking plant wanted to
 get more people to line up at its vaccine clinic in Liberal, they 
invited him to come by and get his shot. On the same day the vaccine 
focus group met, Franz live-streamed his vaccination to over 20,000 
Facebook followers.

But Franz knows that the challenges he and other Latino leaders face 
in their communities won’t be solved by one social media video.

After getting his vaccination, he went to visit his mother.

“And she was like, ‘Oh, my gosh,’” said Franz, “‘you know that you’re going to have consequences.’”

His
 mother doesn’t want to get vaccinated because she’s afraid of 
fictitious side effects she’s heard about from one bogus source or 
another.

“How can you fight all this garbage?” Franz said. “I don’t have the answer.”

But
 Franz plans to keep delivering this message in as many different ways 
as he can. The same week he got his vaccination, he hosted an interview 
with an Hispanic doctor, live-streamed from a church that was handing 
out COVID-19 safety kits and went back to National Beef’s vaccination 
site for three more Facebook Live videos.

“How can we connect better?” Franz said. “That’s the challenge every day. That’s my challenge every day.”

And after he goes back for his second dose, he plans to pay another visit to his mother.

“I ain’t giving up on this lady,” Franz said. “She’s my mom.”

David Condos covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/davidcondos" target="_blank">@davidcondos</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617043954570.png" alt="The families of National Beef meatpacking plant employees wait in line for COVID-19 vaccinations in Liberal, Kansas. Courtesy, Enrique Rodríguez Franz" />
 <figcaption>The families of National Beef meatpacking plant employees wait in line for COVID-19 vaccinations in Liberal, Kansas. Courtesy, Enrique Rodríguez Franz</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAVID CONDOS <a href="https://www.hppr.org/post/latino-leaders-southwestern-kansas-fight-overcome-myths-and-hesitancy-about-covid-19-vaccine">Kansas News Service</a>LIBERAL — One woman thinks the COVID-19 pandemic was planned, man-made.A man won’t get inoculated because he suspects other countries are using Americans as test subjects for their vaccines.Three-fourths
 of this focus group gathered at a Liberal community center had heard 
the shots might contain microchips so the government can track people, 
even if most said they don’t buy that myth anymore.The worries 
are bogus, but they’re worries all the same. And overcoming dangerously 
misinformed rumors about the vaccine could go a long way to getting more
 people vaccinated in this community of about 20,000.The 
overwhelming concern in the room revolves around a lack of clear 
information that would build trust in COVID-19 vaccinations.“I still keep asking questions,” said Edgar Galindo.Rodrigo
 Calderon said he worries the shots were developed too quickly. He 
thinks seeing more people get vaccinated might change his mind, but for 
now, he said: “I don’t plan on taking it.”Indeed, of the 16 people in the room, just two want a vaccination.&nbsp;<h2>Fear and mistrust</h2>Even
 as much of the country thrills at the prospect of getting their 
COVID-19 shots, sizable pockets need convincing. In the immigrant and 
refugee communities of southwestern Kansas, cultural barriers and access
 to the shots could leave those hit hardest by the pandemic in ongoing 
peril.So town by town, county by county, public health officials
 find themselves shooting down unfounded fears about the shots that 
could finally beat back a virus that has killed hundreds of thousands of
 people in the United States and millions around the world.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617044033354.png" alt=" Janeth Vazquez of Southwest Medical Center in Liberal, Kansas. Credit Bethany Wood / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> Janeth Vazquez of Southwest Medical Center in Liberal, Kansas. Credit Bethany Wood / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>“COVID has been very challenging for a lot of people,” said Janeth 
Vazquez, the marketing director at Southwest Medical Center in Liberal. 
She convened the focus group. “And so hearing rumors about the vaccine 
just terrifies and scares them more.”Vazquez has been promoting <a href="https://fb.watch/4pIK8E3ne5/" target="_blank">social</a> <a href="https://fb.watch/4pIZJrwMQD/" target="_blank">media</a> <a href="https://fb.watch/4pI-9URU57/" target="_blank">videos</a>
 with Hispanic doctors, posters with vaccine facts in Spanish and 
anything else that might help more people understand the facts about the
 vaccination process.Not all of the vaccine myths she’s heard 
are as easily pushed aside as the conspiracy theory about microchips. 
Some of the people Vazquez has talked with are afraid the state is 
working in conjunction with immigration officials.“So, they’re scared,” Vazquez said. “They’re scared to go get the vaccine because of their undocumented status.”Among people of color nationwide, there’s also some justified <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/for-americans-of-color-considering-the-covid-19-vaccine-heres-why-trust-is-so-important">mistrust</a> of how the government has cared for their health over the past several decades — from the <a href="https://www.tuskegee.edu/about-us/centers-of-excellence/bioethics-center/about-the-usphs-syphilis-study" target="_blank">Tuskegee syphilis study</a> that withheld medical information and treatment from hundreds of Black men in rural Georgia to the Indian Health Service’s <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1185911?mag=the-little-known-history-of-the-forced-sterilization-of-native-american-women&amp;seq=4#metadata_info_tab_contents" target="_blank">forced sterilization</a> of thousands of Native American women.Even
 during the current pandemic, public health agencies have often 
struggled to close the gap in caring for people of color. The latest 
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics show that 
American Latinos are <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/investigations-discovery/hospitalization-death-by-race-ethnicity.html" target="_blank">2.3 times more likely</a> to die from COVID-19 than their white, non-Hispanic neighbors.Vazquez
 is starting to see some of her vaccine-hesitant relatives change their 
minds as she talks with them. But she thinks it’s going to take time to 
overcome the many barriers that might keep people in her community from 
getting a shot.“It’s working,” Vazquez said. “We just need to continue that community effort, that communication.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617044088604.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Tailoring the message</h2>Vaccine hesitancy isn’t unique to Latino communities. A recent <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/03/12/976172586/little-difference-in-vaccine-hesitancy-among-white-and-black-americans-poll-find" target="_blank">NPR/PBS/Marist poll</a>
 found that 37% of Latinos said they would not choose to be vaccinated. 
That’s seven points higher than the average among all American adults. 
But in the same poll, even higher rates of white evangelicals (38%) and 
Republican men (49%) said they didn’t want the vaccine.The 
challenge in southwestern Kansas is that boilerplate public health 
messages are unlikely to reach many Latinos in a meaningful way.It’ll
 take more than merely translating information from English to Spanish. 
Ernestor De La Rosa, chairman of the Kansas Hispanic and Latino American
 Affairs Commission, said the messages need to meet people where they 
are.“And I don’t necessarily mean by place,” De La Rosa said. “I
 mean by their thoughts, their culture, how they go on with their 
everyday life.”De La Rosa, who lives in Dodge City, said it 
could be as simple as featuring the voices of native Spanish speakers or
 playing Latin cumbia music under an ad — anything that lets Latinos 
know this message is for them.“It’s not 100% buy-in,” De La Rosa said. “But most importantly, we get their attention and we at least get them to think.”For towns like Liberal and Dodge City, which are more than <a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/liberalcitykansas,dodgecitycitykansas/PST045219" target="_blank">60% Latino</a>,
 the stakes are high. If messages about the vaccine don’t speak to 
Hispanic residents in ways that they’ll take to heart, pockets of 
unvaccinated people could incubate future outbreaks.In 
particularly vulnerable populations like Dodge City’s Guatemalan 
community, the person delivering the message can be just as important as
 the message itself.The Rev. Daniel Armenta has been the pastor 
of Iglesia Bautista Emanuel in Dodge City for more than 30 years. It’s a
 Spanish-speaking congregation of roughly 100 people. Half are 
Guatemalan, a group that Armenta said is particularly difficult for 
outsiders to reach.“I’ve found that they are very reserved, 
cautious people,” Armenta said. “They do not want to learn more than 
what they bring from their land, from their culture, and that makes them
 very fearful.”On top of that, he said Guatemalan culture 
teaches that they should live without vaccinations. So, with help from 
local government and community leaders, Armenta recently began sharing 
vaccination information during Sunday services.“It’s too soon to tell the full story,” Armenta said. “But I think it can work if we give them education.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617044124426.png" alt=" Employees of the National Beef meatpacking plant get their COVID-19 vaccinations at the Dodge City Civic Center. Credit Courtesy, Blanca Soto" />
 <figcaption> Employees of the National Beef meatpacking plant get their COVID-19 vaccinations at the Dodge City Civic Center. Credit Courtesy, Blanca Soto</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>‘All this garbage’</h2>Another trusted figure in 
these parts is Enrique Rodríguez Franz. He’s the on-air host and general
 manager of La Mexicana, southwestern Kansas’s largest Spanish language 
radio station.When the National Beef meatpacking plant wanted to
 get more people to line up at its vaccine clinic in Liberal, they 
invited him to come by and get his shot. On the same day the vaccine 
focus group met, Franz live-streamed his vaccination to over 20,000 
Facebook followers.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617044169100.jpeg" alt=" Radio host Enrique Rodríguez Franz live-streams his vaccination to La Mexicana's Facebook followers. Credit La Mexicana's Facebook Page" />
 <figcaption> Radio host Enrique Rodríguez Franz live-streams his vaccination to La Mexicana's Facebook followers. Credit La Mexicana's Facebook Page</figcaption>
 </figure>But Franz knows that the challenges he and other Latino leaders face 
in their communities won’t be solved by one social media video.After getting his vaccination, he went to visit his mother.“And she was like, ‘Oh, my gosh,’” said Franz, “‘you know that you’re going to have consequences.’”His
 mother doesn’t want to get vaccinated because she’s afraid of 
fictitious side effects she’s heard about from one bogus source or 
another.“How can you fight all this garbage?” Franz said. “I don’t have the answer.”But
 Franz plans to keep delivering this message in as many different ways 
as he can. The same week he got his vaccination, he hosted an interview 
with an Hispanic doctor, live-streamed from a church that was handing 
out COVID-19 safety kits and went back to National Beef’s vaccination 
site for three more Facebook Live videos.“How can we connect better?” Franz said. “That’s the challenge every day. That’s my challenge every day.”And after he goes back for his second dose, he plans to pay another visit to his mother.“I ain’t giving up on this lady,” Franz said. “She’s my mom.”David Condos covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/davidcondos" target="_blank">@davidcondos</a>.

Latino leaders in Kan. fight to overcome myths about COVID vaccine

RENO COUNTY— Fire crews continue to work two fires in rural Reno County.&nbsp; Hutchinson Fire Chief Steven Beer gave an update just before noon Tuesday.

“Our fire units continue to work two fires near Hutchinson. The Ice fire on Plum Street between 95th and 108th, and the Beer fire from 4th Avenue to 43rd between Kent and Willison,” Beer said. “Both fires are about 50% contained as of Tuesday morning.”

Beer says mostly hot spots in timber are the main challenges along with the wind.

Beer says that they were able to save every home and structure in both fires with an estimated value in excess of $17 million. Beer says that comes from learning lessons from past wildfires in the county

The fire department has been in contact with the National Guard about deploying&nbsp; Blackhawk helicopters so they can pinpoint water drops on the problem areas. The wind was still too strong Tuesday morning to do that.&nbsp;

Two task forces from Harvey and Sedgwick County are on the scene along with 12 Hutchinson Fire Dept. crews. Beer says that more than 900 acres has burned in the two fires, around 80 fire units were involved from around the area and nearly 170 fire fighters.

Beer says that they hope to have both fires under control by Monday. He also noted that the fire danger will remain very high through the weekend.&nbsp; Most roads are open again but the Reno County Sheriff’s Department is strongly urging motorists to stay out of the area due to the large amount of heavy equipment that is in the area. Only 108th east of Plum remains closed at this time.

Only one civilian injury occurred and no firefighters have been injured, according to Beer. "It should be noted that there were numerous heroic acts of bravery performed to save individuals’ property by firefighters" "The firefighters are tired, and beat up, but pushed through for their community and citizens," Beer said.

RENO COUNTY —Crew worked overnight to battle the wildfire east of Hutchinson in Reno County. All blacktop roads and other in the area were to be open by 6a.m., according to the Reno County Sheriff.&nbsp; Winds shifted to the north early Tuesday were not as strong. However, the fire danger risk is expected to remain high through at least 7 p.m. tonight, according to the National Weather Service.

RENO COUNTY — Fire crews are battling a large gras fire east of Hutchinson. Crews responded just after 2 p.m. for a fire located between 4th and 17th Avenue along Willison Road, according to the Reno County Sheriff. The fire was moving north.&nbsp;

Current Road Closings include 4th, 17th, and 30th from Kent Road to Buhler Road and Kent, and Willison from 4th to 30th, according to the Sheriff's Department.

&nbsp;Fire crews from McPherson, Harvey, and Sedgwick Counties are assisting along with tankers from the Kansas Forest Service. Winds were gusting better than 40miles per hour in the area, according to the National Weather Service

No structures have burned and there are no injuries reported.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617128318610.png" alt="BEER FIRE (600 acres 4th Ave to 43rd between Kent and Willison) includes 46 Fire Units, 90 Personnel, 18 Law enforcement, 2 Bulldozer operators and 1 Airplane. Number of homes saved: 87 and 15 outbuildings Property Value Saved: $11.9 Million according to Fire Chief Steven Beer " />
 <figcaption>BEER FIRE (600 acres 4th Ave to 43rd between Kent and Willison) includes 46 Fire Units, 90 Personnel, 18 Law enforcement, 2 Bulldozer operators and 1 Airplane. Number of homes saved: 87 and 15 outbuildings Property Value Saved: $11.9 Million according to Fire Chief Steven Beer </figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY— Fire crews continue to work two fires in rural Reno County.&nbsp; Hutchinson Fire Chief Steven Beer gave an update just before noon Tuesday.“Our fire units continue to work two fires near Hutchinson. The Ice fire on Plum Street between 95th and 108th, and the Beer fire from 4th Avenue to 43rd between Kent and Willison,” Beer said. “Both fires are about 50% contained as of Tuesday morning.”Beer says mostly hot spots in timber are the main challenges along with the wind.Beer says that they were able to save every home and structure in both fires with an estimated value in excess of $17 million. Beer says that comes from learning lessons from past wildfires in the county<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617128556456.png" alt="ICE FIRE (300 acres -Plum street between 95th and 108th) included 33Fire Units,&nbsp;68 Personnel, 7 Law enforcement and&nbsp;1 Bulldozer operator.&nbsp;Number of homes saved: 39 and 11 outbuildings. Property ValueProperty Value Saved: 5.3 Million,&nbsp;according to Fire Chief Steven Beer." />
 <figcaption>ICE FIRE (300 acres -Plum street between 95th and 108th) included 33Fire Units,&nbsp;68 Personnel, 7 Law enforcement and&nbsp;1 Bulldozer operator.&nbsp;Number of homes saved: 39 and 11 outbuildings. Property ValueProperty Value Saved: 5.3 Million,&nbsp;according to Fire Chief Steven Beer.</figcaption>
 </figure>The fire department has been in contact with the National Guard about deploying&nbsp; Blackhawk helicopters so they can pinpoint water drops on the problem areas. The wind was still too strong Tuesday morning to do that.&nbsp;Two task forces from Harvey and Sedgwick County are on the scene along with 12 Hutchinson Fire Dept. crews. Beer says that more than 900 acres has burned in the two fires, around 80 fire units were involved from around the area and nearly 170 fire fighters.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617049161027.jpeg" alt="View of the fire late Monday in Rural Reno County" />
 <figcaption>View of the fire late Monday in Rural Reno County</figcaption>
 </figure>Beer says that they hope to have both fires under control by Monday. He also noted that the fire danger will remain very high through the weekend.&nbsp; Most roads are open again but the Reno County Sheriff’s Department is strongly urging motorists to stay out of the area due to the large amount of heavy equipment that is in the area. Only 108th east of Plum remains closed at this time.Only one civilian injury occurred and no firefighters have been injured, according to Beer. "It should be noted that there were numerous heroic acts of bravery performed to save individuals’ property by firefighters" "The firefighters are tired, and beat up, but pushed through for their community and citizens," Beer said.-----------RENO COUNTY —Crew worked overnight to battle the wildfire east of Hutchinson in Reno County. All blacktop roads and other in the area were to be open by 6a.m., according to the Reno County Sheriff.&nbsp; Winds shifted to the north early Tuesday were not as strong. However, the fire danger risk is expected to remain high through at least 7 p.m. tonight, according to the National Weather Service.------RENO COUNTY — Fire crews are battling a large gras fire east of Hutchinson. Crews responded just after 2 p.m. for a fire located between 4th and 17th Avenue along Willison Road, according to the Reno County Sheriff. The fire was moving north.&nbsp;Current Road Closings include 4th, 17th, and 30th from Kent Road to Buhler Road and Kent, and Willison from 4th to 30th, according to the Sheriff's Department.&nbsp;Fire crews from McPherson, Harvey, and Sedgwick Counties are assisting along with tankers from the Kansas Forest Service. Winds were gusting better than 40miles per hour in the area, according to the National Weather ServiceNo structures have burned and there are no injuries reported.&nbsp;.

Fire Chief: Dozens of homes saved; Reno Co. fires continue to burn

TOPEKA –&nbsp;Three cases of the B.1.1.7 variant that causes COVID-19 have been identified in Shawnee County and confirmed via whole genome sequencing conducted through the laboratories at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), according to a media release from the Shawnee County Health Department.

Shawnee County received confirmation of these three cases Tuesday morning. These are the first cases of this variant to be identified in Shawnee County and among more than 30 cases of this variant identified across Kansas.

Variant strains are mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that cause COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classifies variants in three categories: Variant of Interest, Variant of Concern and Variant of High Consequences. The CDC has classified B.1.1.7, also known as the U.K. Variant, as a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/variant-surveillance/variant-info.html#Concern" target="_blank">Variant of Concern</a>&nbsp;because of the increased likelihood of severe disease and increased level of transmission.

The Shawnee County Health Department (SCHD) urges residents to continue being vigilant about wearing their masks, watching their distance, and washing their hands among other preventative hygiene measures to limit the spread of the COVID-19 in our community.

Additionally, it continues to be important to get tested for COVID-19 should an individual begin exhibiting symptoms related to COVID-19 or come in contact with a confirmed positive case. Testing continues to be available and free to Shawnee County residents. To find a location near you, visit:&nbsp;<a href="https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3a%2f%2fwww.gogettested.com%2fkansas&amp;c=E,1,c5Se3Lkx1Z1k5TKwIDs7SPf3yIDpfePh81GHe-mIXQ8KjCXmnpPxcwehYlpwQQVHX9WXsKdg-6cgyfkGNNesXvDOKLWHS3OIk3E0D8WaVf6IwwD_&amp;typo=1" target="_blank">www.gogettested.com/kansas</a>

“With the confirmation of the B.1.1.7 variant in Shawnee County and the recent uptick of COVID-19 cases in Shawnee County and across the nation, it is important that we as a community continue to do what we can to limit the spread of the virus,” said Dr. Erin Locke, Shawnee County Health Officer. 

“It’s important to not get complacent; we continue to promote proper mask wear and encourage all eligible Shawnee County residents to get vaccinated when they are able.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608566572342.png" alt="Variant image courtesy GISAID" />
 <figcaption>Variant image courtesy GISAID</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA –&nbsp;Three cases of the B.1.1.7 variant that causes COVID-19 have been identified in Shawnee County and confirmed via whole genome sequencing conducted through the laboratories at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), according to a media release from the Shawnee County Health Department.Shawnee County received confirmation of these three cases Tuesday morning. These are the first cases of this variant to be identified in Shawnee County and among more than 30 cases of this variant identified across Kansas.Variant strains are mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that cause COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classifies variants in three categories: Variant of Interest, Variant of Concern and Variant of High Consequences. The CDC has classified B.1.1.7, also known as the U.K. Variant, as a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/variant-surveillance/variant-info.html#Concern" target="_blank">Variant of Concern</a>&nbsp;because of the increased likelihood of severe disease and increased level of transmission.The Shawnee County Health Department (SCHD) urges residents to continue being vigilant about wearing their masks, watching their distance, and washing their hands among other preventative hygiene measures to limit the spread of the COVID-19 in our community.Additionally, it continues to be important to get tested for COVID-19 should an individual begin exhibiting symptoms related to COVID-19 or come in contact with a confirmed positive case. Testing continues to be available and free to Shawnee County residents. To find a location near you, visit:&nbsp;<a href="https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3a%2f%2fwww.gogettested.com%2fkansas&amp;c=E,1,c5Se3Lkx1Z1k5TKwIDs7SPf3yIDpfePh81GHe-mIXQ8KjCXmnpPxcwehYlpwQQVHX9WXsKdg-6cgyfkGNNesXvDOKLWHS3OIk3E0D8WaVf6IwwD_&amp;typo=1" target="_blank">www.gogettested.com/kansas</a>“With the confirmation of the B.1.1.7 variant in Shawnee County and the recent uptick of COVID-19 cases in Shawnee County and across the nation, it is important that we as a community continue to do what we can to limit the spread of the virus,” said Dr. Erin Locke, Shawnee County Health Officer. “It’s important to not get complacent; we continue to promote proper mask wear and encourage all eligible Shawnee County residents to get vaccinated when they are able.”

More COVID-19 variant confirmed in Kansas

FINNEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have a teen suspect in custody.

Just before 4 p.m. Tuesday, police received a 911 call from an individual who identified himself as 15-year-old Reese Hernandez who told dispatchers he had shot his mother inside their residence, according to Garden City Police Sergeant Tanya Bradley.

Officers were dispatched to the 800 block of East Price Street in Garden City, where Reese immediately surrendered to them in the front yard and was taken into custody without incident. 

 Officers located a woman later identified as Mallory Hernandez, 34,&nbsp; inside the residence suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. EMS transported her to St. Catherine Hospital, where she later died, according to Bradley. 

The boy is being held in the Southwest Kansas Regional Detention Center on a requested charge of first-degree murder, according to Bradley.

FINNEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have a teen suspect in custody.Just before 4 p.m. Tuesday, police received a 911 call from an individual who identified himself as 15-year-old Reese Hernandez who told dispatchers he had shot his mother inside their residence, according to Garden City Police Sergeant Tanya Bradley.Officers were dispatched to the 800 block of East Price Street in Garden City, where Reese immediately surrendered to them in the front yard and was taken into custody without incident. Officers located a woman later identified as Mallory Hernandez, 34,&nbsp; inside the residence suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. EMS transported her to St. Catherine Hospital, where she later died, according to Bradley. The boy is being held in the Southwest Kansas Regional Detention Center on a requested charge of first-degree murder, according to Bradley.

SW Kan. teen surrenders to police after shooting his mother

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man with previous convictions for rape and theft was charged with new sex crimes involving children.

Stacy Munsell, 56 of Wellington, was charged March 26 with 5 counts of aggravated criminal sodomy, 9 counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, attempted aggravated criminal sodomy, criminal sodomy, attempted criminal sodomy, 2 counts of indecent liberties with a child, and furnishing alcoholic liquor or cereal malt beverage to a minor, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.&nbsp; All 20 crimes are felonies.

Following an investigation by the Exploited and Missing Children Unit of the Wichita Police Department involving incidents of sex abuse against five juveniles, police arrested Munsell March 23, according to officer Paul Cruz.

He remains jailed on a bond of $250,000. His next court date is April 8, according to the district attorney.

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on child sex allegations.

Following an investigation by the Exploited and Missing Children Unit of the Wichita Police Department involving incidents of sex abuse against five juveniles, police made an arrest, according to a media release.

Just before 11p.m. Tuesday, police <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=75347">booked 56-year-old Stacy Alan Munsell</a> into the Sedgwick County Jail on requested charges of rape, aggravated criminal sodomy, and aggravated indecent liberties.

&nbsp;The crimes occurred over a period of six years, according to police. The case will be presented to the District Attorney’s office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1616619505936.png" alt="Munsell-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Munsell-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man with previous convictions for rape and theft was charged with new sex crimes involving children.Stacy Munsell, 56 of Wellington, was charged March 26 with 5 counts of aggravated criminal sodomy, 9 counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, attempted aggravated criminal sodomy, criminal sodomy, attempted criminal sodomy, 2 counts of indecent liberties with a child, and furnishing alcoholic liquor or cereal malt beverage to a minor, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.&nbsp; All 20 crimes are felonies.Following an investigation by the Exploited and Missing Children Unit of the Wichita Police Department involving incidents of sex abuse against five juveniles, police arrested Munsell March 23, according to officer Paul Cruz.He remains jailed on a bond of $250,000. His next court date is April 8, according to the district attorney.------------SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on child sex allegations.Following an investigation by the Exploited and Missing Children Unit of the Wichita Police Department involving incidents of sex abuse against five juveniles, police made an arrest, according to a media release.Just before 11p.m. Tuesday, police <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=75347">booked 56-year-old Stacy Alan Munsell</a> into the Sedgwick County Jail on requested charges of rape, aggravated criminal sodomy, and aggravated indecent liberties.&nbsp;The crimes occurred over a period of six years, according to police. The case will be presented to the District Attorney’s office.

Kan. man charged with sex crimes involving 5 children

JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement and USD 336 authorities are investigating threats on social media towards students at the Holton High School and have made an arrest.

The threats that were generated over the weekend and Monday evening,&nbsp;according to Sheriff Tim Morse.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Just before midnight Monday, police officers and deputies served a search warrant on a residence in the City of Holton. During the search warrant, the suspect, a 15-year-old boy was placed into custody. A number of electronic devices were seized from the residence.

It is believed that the suspect was the sole person involved in making the threats.&nbsp; There was a strong law enforcement presence at the school on Monday and also Tuesday, according to Morse.

JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement and USD 336 authorities are investigating threats on social media towards students at the Holton High School and have made an arrest.The threats that were generated over the weekend and Monday evening,&nbsp;according to Sheriff Tim Morse.&nbsp;&nbsp;Just before midnight Monday, police officers and deputies served a search warrant on a residence in the City of Holton. During the search warrant, the suspect, a 15-year-old boy was placed into custody. A number of electronic devices were seized from the residence.It is believed that the suspect was the sole person involved in making the threats.&nbsp; There was a strong law enforcement presence at the school on Monday and also Tuesday, according to Morse.

Sheriff: Kan. boy accused of social media threat against school

SALINE COUNTY —Multiple fire units were called in for a grass fire that started in far western Saline County late Monday afternoon.

Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan said this morning that the fire started near the intersection of Sunnyside Road and Rollman Road. That intersection is located along the west side of the Smoky Hill Air National Guard Range, southwest of Brookville.

The initial call came in at 5 p.m. and the fire was reported to be out at 11:59 p.m. Monday, Soldan said. Firefighters from Saline County Rural Fire Districts 1, 2, 6, and 7, as well as those from Marquette and Ellsworth County responded to the blaze, he said.

At the time, Saline County was under a red flag warning for grassland fire danger. According to reports from the Salina Regional Airport, winds were from the south at 24 to 35 mph, with gusts from 36 to 56 mph during the time of the fire.

A shed was burned, as was a large area of pasture grass, Soldan said.

Because of smoke, Kansas Highway 140 from Brookville west to Kansas Highway 141 in Ellsworth County was close for a time during the fire. The Kansas Department of Transportation reported that the highway had been reopened just before 9 p.m. Monday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617117991306.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Multiple fire units were called in for a grass fire that started in far western Saline County late Monday afternoon.Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan said this morning that the fire started near the intersection of Sunnyside Road and Rollman Road. That intersection is located along the west side of the Smoky Hill Air National Guard Range, southwest of Brookville.The initial call came in at 5 p.m. and the fire was reported to be out at 11:59 p.m. Monday, Soldan said. Firefighters from Saline County Rural Fire Districts 1, 2, 6, and 7, as well as those from Marquette and Ellsworth County responded to the blaze, he said.At the time, Saline County was under a red flag warning for grassland fire danger. According to reports from the Salina Regional Airport, winds were from the south at 24 to 35 mph, with gusts from 36 to 56 mph during the time of the fire.A shed was burned, as was a large area of pasture grass, Soldan said.Because of smoke, Kansas Highway 140 from Brookville west to Kansas Highway 141 in Ellsworth County was close for a time during the fire. The Kansas Department of Transportation reported that the highway had been reopened just before 9 p.m. Monday.

Grass fire in western Saline County burns nearly 7 hours

WASHINGTON
 — The Internal Revenue Service issued frequently asked questions today 
on how students and higher education institutions should report 
pandemic-related emergency financial aid grants.

Emergency financial aid grants made by a federal agency, state, 
Indian tribe, higher education institution or scholarship-granting 
organization (including a tribal organization) to a student because of 
an event related to the COVID-19 pandemic are not included in the 
student's gross income.

Also, students should not reduce an amount of qualified tuition and 
related expenses by the amount of an emergency financial aid grant. If 
students used any portion of the grants to pay for qualified tuition and
 related expenses on or before December 31, 2020, they may be eligible 
to claim a tuition and fees deduction or the American Opportunity Credit
 or Lifetime Learning Credit on their 2020 tax return. See <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/higher-education-emergency-grants-frequently-asked-questions">Higher Education Emergency Grants Frequently Asked Questions</a>.

The tuition and fees deduction is not available for tax years 
beginning after December 31, 2020. For additional information on these 
credits and the tuition and fees deduction, see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-970">Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education</a>.

Because students don't include emergency financial aid grants in 
their gross income, higher education institutions are not required to 
file or furnish Forms 1099-MISC reporting the grants made available by 
the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) or 
the COVID-related Tax Relief Act (COVID Relief Act) and do not need to 
report the grants in Box 5 of Form 1098-T.

But any amounts that qualify for the tuition and fees deduction or 
the American Opportunity Credit or Lifetime Learning Credit are 
considered "qualified tuition and related expenses" and trigger the 
reporting requirements of Internal Revenue Code section 6050S. Higher 
education institutions must include qualified tuition and related 
expenses paid by emergency financial aid grants awarded to students in 
Box 1 of Form 1098-T.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON
 — The Internal Revenue Service issued frequently asked questions today 
on how students and higher education institutions should report 
pandemic-related emergency financial aid grants.<h2>Students</h2>Emergency financial aid grants made by a federal agency, state, 
Indian tribe, higher education institution or scholarship-granting 
organization (including a tribal organization) to a student because of 
an event related to the COVID-19 pandemic are not included in the 
student's gross income.Also, students should not reduce an amount of qualified tuition and 
related expenses by the amount of an emergency financial aid grant. If 
students used any portion of the grants to pay for qualified tuition and
 related expenses on or before December 31, 2020, they may be eligible 
to claim a tuition and fees deduction or the American Opportunity Credit
 or Lifetime Learning Credit on their 2020 tax return. See <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/higher-education-emergency-grants-frequently-asked-questions">Higher Education Emergency Grants Frequently Asked Questions</a>.The tuition and fees deduction is not available for tax years 
beginning after December 31, 2020. For additional information on these 
credits and the tuition and fees deduction, see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-970">Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education</a>.<h2>Higher Education Institutions</h2>Because students don't include emergency financial aid grants in 
their gross income, higher education institutions are not required to 
file or furnish Forms 1099-MISC reporting the grants made available by 
the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) or 
the COVID-related Tax Relief Act (COVID Relief Act) and do not need to 
report the grants in Box 5 of Form 1098-T.But any amounts that qualify for the tuition and fees deduction or 
the American Opportunity Credit or Lifetime Learning Credit are 
considered "qualified tuition and related expenses" and trigger the 
reporting requirements of Internal Revenue Code section 6050S. Higher 
education institutions must include qualified tuition and related 
expenses paid by emergency financial aid grants awarded to students in 
Box 1 of Form 1098-T.

IRS: Emergency aid granted to students due to COVID not taxable

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A federal grand jury has indicted a former Missouri public defender employee on charges that she smuggled heroin into a state prison.

The indictment returned March 26, says that 43-year-old Juliane Colby, of Shawnee, Kansas, hid the drugs in 2019 in an envelope marked “Legal Mail” that contained other information related to a criminal court case.

She faces charges of conspiracy to distribute heroin, illegal use of a communication facility and attempted distribution of heroin. Colby also is accused of trying to bring other contraband into the Western Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron.

Colby was charged with a similar crime while she was working as a mitigation specialist with the Missouri Public Defender office roughly 3 ½ years ago.

In 2017, Colby was accused of helping Ce-Antonyo Kennedy, a client who was awaiting trial in the killing of a 14-year-old girl, conceal a cell phone in the Jackson County Detention Center. Kennedy was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Colby and Kennedy shared text messages with each other, many of them romantic and sexual in nature, according to court records.

A request for comment sent to the federal public defender listed as Colby’s legal representative went unanswered Friday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617028444632.png" alt="In 2017, Colby was also accused of helping Ce-Antonyo Kennedy, a client who was awaiting trial in the killing of a 14-year-old girl, conceal a cell phone in the Jackson County Detention Center. Kennedy was sentenced to 15 years in prison.-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>In 2017, Colby was also accused of helping Ce-Antonyo Kennedy, a client who was awaiting trial in the killing of a 14-year-old girl, conceal a cell phone in the Jackson County Detention Center. Kennedy was sentenced to 15 years in prison.-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A federal grand jury has indicted a former Missouri public defender employee on charges that she smuggled heroin into a state prison.The indictment returned March 26, says that 43-year-old Juliane Colby, of Shawnee, Kansas, hid the drugs in 2019 in an envelope marked “Legal Mail” that contained other information related to a criminal court case.She faces charges of conspiracy to distribute heroin, illegal use of a communication facility and attempted distribution of heroin. Colby also is accused of trying to bring other contraband into the Western Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron.Colby was charged with a similar crime while she was working as a mitigation specialist with the Missouri Public Defender office roughly 3 ½ years ago.In 2017, Colby was accused of helping Ce-Antonyo Kennedy, a client who was awaiting trial in the killing of a 14-year-old girl, conceal a cell phone in the Jackson County Detention Center. Kennedy was sentenced to 15 years in prison.Colby and Kennedy shared text messages with each other, many of them romantic and sexual in nature, according to court records.A request for comment sent to the federal public defender listed as Colby’s legal representative went unanswered Friday.

Kan. woman indicted for smuggling heroin to inmates

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators are working on a plan for setting aside potentially several hundred million dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds to pay businesses harmed by state and local restrictions imposed last year to check the virus’ spread.

The state Senate Judiciary Committee is considering&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/committees/ctte_s_jud_1/misc_documents/download_testimony/ctte_s_jud_1_20210326_17_testimony.html" target="_blank">a proposal&nbsp;</a>to set up a fund to pay claims from businesses that either were shut down or had their operations curtailed by state restrictions. The measure also would require counties and cities that imposed restrictions to set up similar funds. The state, cities and counties would be required to set aside 25% of their federal COVID-19 relief funds that aren’t dedicated to a specific purpose.

The committee had hoped to vote on the proposal Monday, but Chair Kellie Warren, a Leawood Republican, said lawmakers and interested parties were still trying to hash out some details.

“It’s a very big issue to contend with, and we want to make sure we look at all facets of it,” she said.

The measure is designed to end the threat that the state, counties and cities could face a larger total payout from lawsuits from business owners. A Wichita fitness studio’s owner and his business sued the state in December, and his attorneys and Attorney General Derek Schmidt agreed to put the lawsuit on hold to allow state lawmakers to consider a plan for compensating businesses.

Ryan Kriegshauser, an attorney for the fitness studio’s owner, said the total that would be set aside still is “a moving target,” but could reach $540 million.

“The general public relied on these businesses to shut down at a specific impact to them, at their expense, and so the general public should compensate them for it,” Kriegshauser told the committee last week.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617063317007.png" alt="Members of the Kansas Senate Judiciary Committee had hoped to vote on the proposal during Monday's meeting. They did not." />
 <figcaption>Members of the Kansas Senate Judiciary Committee had hoped to vote on the proposal during Monday's meeting. They did not.</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNATOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators are working on a plan for setting aside potentially several hundred million dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds to pay businesses harmed by state and local restrictions imposed last year to check the virus’ spread.The state Senate Judiciary Committee is considering&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/committees/ctte_s_jud_1/misc_documents/download_testimony/ctte_s_jud_1_20210326_17_testimony.html" target="_blank">a proposal&nbsp;</a>to set up a fund to pay claims from businesses that either were shut down or had their operations curtailed by state restrictions. The measure also would require counties and cities that imposed restrictions to set up similar funds. The state, cities and counties would be required to set aside 25% of their federal COVID-19 relief funds that aren’t dedicated to a specific purpose.The committee had hoped to vote on the proposal Monday, but Chair Kellie Warren, a Leawood Republican, said lawmakers and interested parties were still trying to hash out some details.“It’s a very big issue to contend with, and we want to make sure we look at all facets of it,” she said.The measure is designed to end the threat that the state, counties and cities could face a larger total payout from lawsuits from business owners. A Wichita fitness studio’s owner and his business sued the state in December, and his attorneys and Attorney General Derek Schmidt agreed to put the lawsuit on hold to allow state lawmakers to consider a plan for compensating businesses.Ryan Kriegshauser, an attorney for the fitness studio’s owner, said the total that would be set aside still is “a moving target,” but could reach $540 million.“The general public relied on these businesses to shut down at a specific impact to them, at their expense, and so the general public should compensate them for it,” Kriegshauser told the committee last week.The Republican-controlled Legislature’s discussions about compensating businesses comes after a sharp drop in COVID-19 cases at the start of spring. Kansas averaged 248 new confirmed and probable cases a day for the seven days ending Monday, according to state health department data, comparable to numbers in late June 2020.The state added only 429 cases since Friday to its total for the pandemic, bringing the number to 301,862. It also reported 11 additional deaths to bring the total to 4,902.And in Shawnee County, home to Topeka, county commissioners voted Monday to let any business, church or individual opt out of the county’s mask mandate,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/coronavirus/2021/03/29/any-party-shawnee-county-can-opt-out-mask-mandate/7005261002/" target="_blank">The Topeka Capital-Journal reported.</a>&nbsp;Sedgwick County, home to the state’s largest city of Wichita, ended its mask mandate last week.GOP legislators have criticized Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly for imposing a statewide stay-at-home order for five weeks last spring and following up with different reopening rules for different kinds of businesses. Schmidt, a Republican who is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-dwight-eisenhower-kansas-legislation-coronavirus-pandemic-87542690cbd10047f1e557f7eb5ff57f">running for governor</a>&nbsp;in 2022, has questioned Kelly’s actions. His office would handle claims under the proposal.At least a few Republicans wonder whether the proposal sets aside enough money to help the thousands of businesses they believe were hurt by COVID-19 restrictions.“Are these guys going to get 100 bucks for being shut down for a year?” asked Sen. Mike Thompson, a Shawnee Republican.But Trey Cocking, deputy director and lobbyist for the League of Kansas Municipalities, expressed concern that the measure wouldn’t require businesses to demonstrate that revenue reductions were a result of restrictions — rather than consumers’ fears about COVID-19.“People weren’t going to bars. People weren’t going to restaurants, and it wasn’t because of the government shutdown order,” he said. “It was because people were scared for their lives.”GOP legislators&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/sb286_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">originally considered</a>&nbsp;creating a state fund of $100 million while also allowing businesses to seek a state income tax credit or a break on their local property taxes. Some local officials balked at the idea of being pushed into giving out tax breaks, fearing it would force them either to cut local services or raise taxes for others.Groups representing city and county officials withdrew their opposition once attorneys for the fitness studio owner and lawmakers abandoned the idea of providing tax breaks.The lawsuit filed in December in Sedgwick County District Court by Kriegshauser’s clients, Omega Bootcamps Inc. and owner Ryan Floyd, argued that the state used their property for the public’s benefit by imposing restrictions. The lawsuit cited&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2020/b2019_20/statute/048_000_0000_chapter/048_009_0000_article/048_009_0033_section/048_009_0033_k/" target="_blank">a provision</a>&nbsp;in the state’s emergency management laws allowing people to seek compensation in court if their property is “commandeered or otherwise used” by state or local officials.Schmidt said in December that he agrees “in principle,” but added that the laws weren’t written to deal with the restrictions imposed during the pandemic.Kriegshauser acknowledged that a business might get “pennies on the dollar” compared with what it could win in a lawsuit but litigation could prove expensive and lengthy and come with “a lot of mines.”“People could be willing to take less money through an expedited process,” Kriegshauser said.___