Larry Gene Lauber, 65, passed away November 20, 2020, at Diversicare 
of Larned. He was born October 11, 1955, at Russell, to Wilford &amp; 
Peggy (Kuntzsch) Lauber. He married Mary Addington June 17, 1977, at 
Great Bend. She survives.

A lifetime Great Bend resident, Larry was a driller in the oilfield 
for 38 years. He was a member of the Church of God in Great Bend. He 
enjoyed fishing, hunting, riding Harley motorcycles. He especially loved
 to spend time with his children and grandchildren.

Survivors include, his wife Mary Lauber of the home; four sons, Larry
 Lauber, Jr., Andrew Lauber, and Daniel Lauber and wife Janice, all of 
Great Bend, and Jason Lauber of Lyons; a daughter, Raven Lauber-Hamit 
and husband David of Great Bend; a brother, Patrick Lauber and wife 
Dorothy of Osborne; a sister, Angela Lauber of Arizona; and fifteen 
grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Visitation will be held from 1:00 to 9:00 p.m., Monday, November 23, 
2020 at Bryant Funeral Home, with family to receive friends from 5:00 
p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, 
November 24, 2020, at Bryant Funeral Home, with Chaplain Darren Johnson 
presiding. Interment will be in the Great Bend Cemetery. 

Memorials have 
been suggested to the Golden Belt Humane Society and St. Jude Children’s
 Research Hospital, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605975536415.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Larry Gene Lauber, 65, passed away November 20, 2020, at Diversicare 
of Larned. He was born October 11, 1955, at Russell, to Wilford &amp; 
Peggy (Kuntzsch) Lauber. He married Mary Addington June 17, 1977, at 
Great Bend. She survives.A lifetime Great Bend resident, Larry was a driller in the oilfield 
for 38 years. He was a member of the Church of God in Great Bend. He 
enjoyed fishing, hunting, riding Harley motorcycles. He especially loved
 to spend time with his children and grandchildren.Survivors include, his wife Mary Lauber of the home; four sons, Larry
 Lauber, Jr., Andrew Lauber, and Daniel Lauber and wife Janice, all of 
Great Bend, and Jason Lauber of Lyons; a daughter, Raven Lauber-Hamit 
and husband David of Great Bend; a brother, Patrick Lauber and wife 
Dorothy of Osborne; a sister, Angela Lauber of Arizona; and fifteen 
grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents.Visitation will be held from 1:00 to 9:00 p.m., Monday, November 23, 
2020 at Bryant Funeral Home, with family to receive friends from 5:00 
p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, 
November 24, 2020, at Bryant Funeral Home, with Chaplain Darren Johnson 
presiding. Interment will be in the Great Bend Cemetery. Memorials have 
been suggested to the Golden Belt Humane Society and St. Jude Children’s
 Research Hospital, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.

Larry Gene Lauber

TOPEKA—The Kansas District Judges Association, an organization open to all state district court judges, has elected officers to serve the organization in the coming year.

Judge Dan Creitz was elected president. He is chief judge of the 31st Judicial District, composed of Allen, Neosho, Wilson, and Woodson counties.

"I am honored to serve as president of this outstanding, hard-working association," Creitz said. "The pandemic delivered the Kansas court system unprecedented challenges, which our courts are diligently working through. The judges on the KDJA executive committee play a critical role supporting our district court judges and the Kansas Supreme Court as we address these challenges."

Creitz has served as a district judge since 2002 and chief judge since 2011. He is a native of Iola and graduated from Iola High School, Allen Community College, Emporia State University, and Washburn University School of Law.

Creitz succeeds Judge Bruce Gatterman as president. Gatterman is chief judge of the 24th Judicial District, composed of Edwards, Hodgeman, Lane, Ness, Pawnee, and Rush counties. He will serve on the executive committee as immediate past-president.

Members elected the new officers during a virtual conference for judges in October.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605718382688.jpeg" alt="Kim Kudney, chief judge of the 12th Judicial District, composed of Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Republic, and Washington counties." />
 <figcaption>Kim Kudney, chief judge of the 12th Judicial District, composed of Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Republic, and Washington counties.</figcaption>
 </figure>OJATOPEKA—The Kansas District Judges Association, an organization open to all state district court judges, has elected officers to serve the organization in the coming year.Judge Dan Creitz was elected president. He is chief judge of the 31st Judicial District, composed of Allen, Neosho, Wilson, and Woodson counties."I am honored to serve as president of this outstanding, hard-working association," Creitz said. "The pandemic delivered the Kansas court system unprecedented challenges, which our courts are diligently working through. The judges on the KDJA executive committee play a critical role supporting our district court judges and the Kansas Supreme Court as we address these challenges."Creitz has served as a district judge since 2002 and chief judge since 2011. He is a native of Iola and graduated from Iola High School, Allen Community College, Emporia State University, and Washburn University School of Law.Creitz succeeds Judge Bruce Gatterman as president. Gatterman is chief judge of the 24th Judicial District, composed of Edwards, Hodgeman, Lane, Ness, Pawnee, and Rush counties. He will serve on the executive committee as immediate past-president.Other officers elected:<ul>
 <li>Judge Kim Cudney, president-elect. She is chief judge of the 12th Judicial District, composed of Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Republic, and Washington counties. </li><li>Judge Thomas Kelly Ryan, secretary. He is chief judge of the 10th Judicial District, composed of Johnson County. </li><li>Judge Brenda Cameron, treasurer. She is a district judge in the 10th Judicial District.</li>
 </ul>Members elected the new officers during a virtual conference for judges in October.

Regional judge is president-elect of Kansas District Judges Association

TOPEKA, Kan. – Preliminary estimates reported by the Labor Market Information Services division of the Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 5.3 percent in October. This was a decrease from 5.9 percent in September and an increase from 3.1 percent in October 2019.

“The October report shows that Kansas has continued to make an economic recovery during the pandemic,” said Acting Secretary Ryan Wright. “We have seen an increase in the number of jobs and those employed in the labor force, along with another drop in the unemployment rate which decreased to 5.3 percent in October.”

Jobless rates in Ellis County continued to trend toward pre-COVID numbers, which primarily reached their regional peak in May. The Ellis County unemployment rate remained steady at 2.9 percent, and most northwest Kansas counties posted rates below 3 percent.

The highest rates in the region were Graham, Rooks and Barton counties, all  with unemployment rates higher than 4 percent — but still far below the 7.2 percent statewide high in Sedgwick County.

Seasonally adjusted job estimates indicate total Kansas nonfarm jobs increased by 7,200 from September. Private sector jobs, a subset of total nonfarm jobs, increased by 5,900 from the previous month, while government increased by 1,300.

“October estimates show Kansas added jobs over-the-month and the state has now recovered 54.6 percent of nonfarm jobs lost in March and April,” said Labor Economist Emilie Doerksen. “The professional and business services and leisure and hospitality industries saw the largest increases in October, with each industry adding more than 2,500 jobs.”

Since October 2019, Kansas seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs have declined by 53,000. This change is due to a decrease of 41,300 private sector jobs and 11,700 government jobs.

BLS revised seasonally adjusted preliminary total nonfarm jobs estimates for September upward by 1,300 jobs, from 1,360,400 to 1,361,700. Seasonally adjusted private sector jobs were revised upward by 1,500 jobs, from 1,113,100 to 1,114,600.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605886687992.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. – Preliminary estimates reported by the Labor Market Information Services division of the Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 5.3 percent in October. This was a decrease from 5.9 percent in September and an increase from 3.1 percent in October 2019.“The October report shows that Kansas has continued to make an economic recovery during the pandemic,” said Acting Secretary Ryan Wright. “We have seen an increase in the number of jobs and those employed in the labor force, along with another drop in the unemployment rate which decreased to 5.3 percent in October.”Jobless rates in Ellis County continued to trend toward pre-COVID numbers, which primarily reached their regional peak in May. The Ellis County unemployment rate remained steady at 2.9 percent, and most northwest Kansas counties posted rates below 3 percent.The highest rates in the region were Graham, Rooks and Barton counties, all with unemployment rates higher than 4 percent — but still far below the 7.2 percent statewide high in Sedgwick County.Seasonally adjusted job estimates indicate total Kansas nonfarm jobs increased by 7,200 from September. Private sector jobs, a subset of total nonfarm jobs, increased by 5,900 from the previous month, while government increased by 1,300.“October estimates show Kansas added jobs over-the-month and the state has now recovered 54.6 percent of nonfarm jobs lost in March and April,” said Labor Economist Emilie Doerksen. “The professional and business services and leisure and hospitality industries saw the largest increases in October, with each industry adding more than 2,500 jobs.”Since October 2019, Kansas seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs have declined by 53,000. This change is due to a decrease of 41,300 private sector jobs and 11,700 government jobs.BLS revised seasonally adjusted preliminary total nonfarm jobs estimates for September upward by 1,300 jobs, from 1,360,400 to 1,361,700. Seasonally adjusted private sector jobs were revised upward by 1,500 jobs, from 1,113,100 to 1,114,600.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605886713510.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

NW Kan. jobless rates continue to normalize after May spike

TOPEKA—District Magistrate Judge Jenifer Ashford was elected president of the Kansas District Magistrate Judges Association.

The organization, open to all state district magistrate court judges, elected officers to serve in the coming year during a virtual conference for judges in October.

Ashford serves in Johnson County of the 10th Judicial District. She previously was first vice president of the association.

"Serving on the association board the previous two years provided me the opportunity to meet and work with judges, court staff, the Governor’s office, and the legislators from across Kansas," Ashford said. "As president, I will continue cultivating these relationships spanning all three branches of government to further efforts to provide equal access to justice for all Kansans.”

Before becoming a judge in 2017, Ashford was a prosecutor for 20 years for Jackson County and St. Louis in Missouri and Johnson County, Shawnee, and Lake Quivira in Kansas.

Ashford grew up on a farm near Summerfield in Marshall County and graduated from Marysville High School. She received a bachelor's degree from Kansas State University and a law degree from the University of Kansas School of Law.

Ashford is a member of the American Judges Association, Kansas Bar Association, Johnson County Bar Association, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Kansas Women’s Attorney Association, Earl O’Conner Inns of Court, and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. She also serves on the Supreme Court Task Force for Permanency Planning.

As president, she succeeds District Magistrate Judge Marty Clark, who serves in Russell County of the 20th Judicial District. Clark will serve on the executive committee as immediate past-president.

The organization also presented service awards:

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591379358070.jpeg" alt="(Image by David Mark/ Pixabay)" />
 <figcaption>(Image by David Mark/ Pixabay)</figcaption>
 </figure>OJATOPEKA—District Magistrate Judge Jenifer Ashford was elected president of the Kansas District Magistrate Judges Association.The organization, open to all state district magistrate court judges, elected officers to serve in the coming year during a virtual conference for judges in October.Ashford serves in Johnson County of the 10th Judicial District. She previously was first vice president of the association."Serving on the association board the previous two years provided me the opportunity to meet and work with judges, court staff, the Governor’s office, and the legislators from across Kansas," Ashford said. "As president, I will continue cultivating these relationships spanning all three branches of government to further efforts to provide equal access to justice for all Kansans.”Before becoming a judge in 2017, Ashford was a prosecutor for 20 years for Jackson County and St. Louis in Missouri and Johnson County, Shawnee, and Lake Quivira in Kansas.Ashford grew up on a farm near Summerfield in Marshall County and graduated from Marysville High School. She received a bachelor's degree from Kansas State University and a law degree from the University of Kansas School of Law.Ashford is a member of the American Judges Association, Kansas Bar Association, Johnson County Bar Association, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Kansas Women’s Attorney Association, Earl O’Conner Inns of Court, and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. She also serves on the Supreme Court Task Force for Permanency Planning.As president, she succeeds District Magistrate Judge Marty Clark, who serves in Russell County of the 20th Judicial District. Clark will serve on the executive committee as immediate past-president.Other officers are:<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605717787053.jpeg" alt="Brendon Boone, District Magistrate Judge 23rd Judicial District, Gove County" />
 <figcaption>Brendon Boone, District Magistrate Judge 23rd Judicial District, Gove County</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605717635721.jpeg" alt="Debra Anderson﻿, District Magistrate Judge&nbsp;17th Judicial District, Norton County" />
 <figcaption>Debra Anderson﻿, District Magistrate Judge&nbsp;17th Judicial District, Norton County</figcaption>
 </figure><ul>
 <li>District Magistrate Judge Brendon Boone, first vice president. He serves in Gove County of the 23rd Judicial District. </li><li>District Magistrate Judge Shannon Rush, second vice president. She serves in Osage County of the 4th Judicial District. </li><li>District Magistrate Judge Rustin Martin, third vice president. He serves in Comanche County of the 16th Judicial District. </li><li>District Magistrate Judge Debra Anderson, reelected secretary. She serves in Norton County of the 17th Judicial District.&nbsp;&nbsp; </li><li>District Magistrate Judge Daniel Gilligan, reelected treasurer. He serves in Reno County, which is the 27th Judicial District. </li>
 </ul>Elected to the board of directors were:<ul>
 <li>District Magistrate Judge Robert Scott, who serves in Johnson County of the 10th Judicial District; </li><li>District Magistrate Judge Philip Moore, who serves in Clark County of the 16th Judicial District; and </li><li>District Magistrate Judge Doug Bigge, who serves in Rooks County of the 23rd Judicial District.</li>
 </ul>Years of service﻿The organization also presented service awards:45 years<ul>
 <li>District Magistrate Judge Dennis Reiling, who serves in Jefferson County of the 2nd Judicial District.</li>
 </ul>20 years<ul>
 <li>District Magistrate Judge Timarie Walter, who serves in Stafford County of the 20th Judicial District.</li>
 </ul>15 years<ul>
 <li>District Magistrate Judge Angela Hecke, who serves in Marshall County of the 22nd Judicial District. </li><li>District Magistrate Judge Vernon Butt, who serves in Stanton County of the 26th Judicial District. </li><li>District Magistrate Judge Mark Temaat, who serves in Logan County of the 15th Judicial District. </li><li>District Magistrate Judge Guy Steier, who serves in Cloud County of the 12th Judicial District. </li><li>District Magistrate Judge Richard Hodson, who serves in Kearny County of the 25th Judicial District. </li><li>District Magistrate Judge Paula Sosa, who serves in Stevens County of the 26th Judicial District. </li><li>District Magistrate Judge Michael Kirchhoff, who serves in Smith County of the 17th Judicial District. </li><li>District Magistrate Judge Wade Dixon, who serves in Greeley County of the 25th Judicial District.</li>
 </ul>10 years<ul>
 <li>District Magistrate Judge Daniel Vokins, who serves in Johnson County of the 10th Judicial District.</li>
 </ul>

Area judges elected to Kan. District Magistrate Judges Association

Lavern George Bieker, age 75, of McCook, NE passed away on Sunday, November 15, 2020 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, NE.

Lavern was born October 29, 1945 to parents Martin and Josephine 
(Jegan) Bieker on the family farm near Grainfield, KS. He was one of 
three children who attended school in Hoxie, KS, graduating from Hoxie 
High School with the Class of 1963.&nbsp; Following high school, Lavern 
proudly served his country in the United States Army where he earned a 
Purple Heart during his tour in Vietnam.&nbsp;

On November 30, 1968, Lavern married Kathleen (Holzmeister) Bieker at
 Angelus, KS. The couple was blessed with four wonderful children.&nbsp; The 
family made their home in the Hoxie area until 1982 when they moved to 
Hayes Center, NE.&nbsp; Lavern worked in grain management for several years 
before starting his own business, Bieker Welding, in Hayes Center. He 
later moved the business to McCook.

Lavern was a member of the VFW, the American Legion, the Knights of 
Columbus, a lifetime member of the 11th Armored Calvary’s Veterans of 
Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as a member of St. Patrick’s Church. He 
served on the Hayes Center School Board and was a commander for the 
American Legion.&nbsp; Lavern was also the Veteran’s Service Officer for many
 years in Hayes County.&nbsp;

Welding and fabrication were Lavern’s pride and joy.&nbsp; He spent numerous hours in his shop just tinkering.

Lavern was preceded in death by his parents, Martin and Josephine 
Bieker; his father and mother in law, Lawrence (Frances) Holzmeister and
 bother in law, William Mask.

Those left to celebrate his life include his wife of almost 52 years,
 Kathleen Bieker of McCook; sons, Lester (Traci) Bieker, Leelan (Maria) 
Bieker and Jason Bieker and friend Emily Perry, all of McCook; daughter,
 Collete Guynan of North Platte, NE; brother, Lawrence Bieker of Hoxie, 
KS; sister, Loretta Mask of Russell, KS; six grandchildren, six great 
grandchildren and a host of extended family member and lifelong friends.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605796141077.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Lavern George Bieker, age 75, of McCook, NE passed away on Sunday, November 15, 2020 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, NE.Lavern was born October 29, 1945 to parents Martin and Josephine 
(Jegan) Bieker on the family farm near Grainfield, KS. He was one of 
three children who attended school in Hoxie, KS, graduating from Hoxie 
High School with the Class of 1963.&nbsp; Following high school, Lavern 
proudly served his country in the United States Army where he earned a 
Purple Heart during his tour in Vietnam.&nbsp;On November 30, 1968, Lavern married Kathleen (Holzmeister) Bieker at
 Angelus, KS. The couple was blessed with four wonderful children.&nbsp; The 
family made their home in the Hoxie area until 1982 when they moved to 
Hayes Center, NE.&nbsp; Lavern worked in grain management for several years 
before starting his own business, Bieker Welding, in Hayes Center. He 
later moved the business to McCook.Lavern was a member of the VFW, the American Legion, the Knights of 
Columbus, a lifetime member of the 11th Armored Calvary’s Veterans of 
Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as a member of St. Patrick’s Church. He 
served on the Hayes Center School Board and was a commander for the 
American Legion.&nbsp; Lavern was also the Veteran’s Service Officer for many
 years in Hayes County.&nbsp;Welding and fabrication were Lavern’s pride and joy.&nbsp; He spent numerous hours in his shop just tinkering.Lavern was preceded in death by his parents, Martin and Josephine 
Bieker; his father and mother in law, Lawrence (Frances) Holzmeister and
 bother in law, William Mask.Those left to celebrate his life include his wife of almost 52 years,
 Kathleen Bieker of McCook; sons, Lester (Traci) Bieker, Leelan (Maria) 
Bieker and Jason Bieker and friend Emily Perry, all of McCook; daughter,
 Collete Guynan of North Platte, NE; brother, Lawrence Bieker of Hoxie, 
KS; sister, Loretta Mask of Russell, KS; six grandchildren, six great 
grandchildren and a host of extended family member and lifelong friends.

Lavern George Bieker

BELOIT — Waconda USD 272 was awarded a state SPARK grant with which they purchased 35 touchless faucets for both Lakeside Elementary School in Cawker City and Lakeside Jr./Sr. High School in Downs.

Administration ordered the faucets in June although they did not arrive until October. To fulfill the requirements of the grant, the faucets were to be installed by the end of 2020. 

Pressed for time and resources, Jesse Janssen, Waconda superintendent, reached out to Shannon Duskie, student activities coordinator on the NCK Technical College Beloit campus. 

“I had just recently started with NCK Tech and saw a great learning and civic leadership opportunity for our PHAC students,” Duskie said.

The Beloit Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning Program students first installed the faucets in Cawker City and then in Downs.

Robert Chitty, PHAC instructor, said “This project helped the students better understand what tools to use and how to use them properly. I split them into five groups of two and showed them what to expect with the first sink, as a demonstration. 

"Most of the [existing] fixtures are old, providing them experience with the many things that can go wrong while getting the old out and the new in. I think about every sink and faucet posed a different problem to overcome. The students are ready to see what other challenges they can experience and overcome as we finish.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605549229344.jpeg" alt="NCKTech Beloit PHAC students install touchless faucets." />
 <figcaption>NCKTech Beloit PHAC students install touchless faucets.</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605549314508.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NCK TechBELOIT — Waconda USD 272 was awarded a state SPARK grant with which they purchased 35 touchless faucets for both Lakeside Elementary School in Cawker City and Lakeside Jr./Sr. High School in Downs.Administration ordered the faucets in June although they did not arrive until October. To fulfill the requirements of the grant, the faucets were to be installed by the end of 2020. Pressed for time and resources, Jesse Janssen, Waconda superintendent, reached out to Shannon Duskie, student activities coordinator on the NCK Technical College Beloit campus. “I had just recently started with NCK Tech and saw a great learning and civic leadership opportunity for our PHAC students,” Duskie said.The Beloit Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning Program students first installed the faucets in Cawker City and then in Downs.Robert Chitty, PHAC instructor, said “This project helped the students better understand what tools to use and how to use them properly. I split them into five groups of two and showed them what to expect with the first sink, as a demonstration. "Most of the [existing] fixtures are old, providing them experience with the many things that can go wrong while getting the old out and the new in. I think about every sink and faucet posed a different problem to overcome. The students are ready to see what other challenges they can experience and overcome as we finish.”

NCK Tech students lend a hand to help area schools

DIGHTON&nbsp; – A former Lane County man has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for child pornography and sexual exploitation of a child, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.

Geoffrey David Birney, 35, formerly of Healy, was sentenced to 122 months in state prison on two counts of aggravated internet trading of child pornography and one count of sexual exploitation of child. The sentence was given by Chief Judge Bruce T. Gatterman in Lane County District Court. Birney entered his guilty plea to the charges in October. Investigators determined the crimes occurred between November 7, 2018 and March 9, 2019.

The case was investigated by the Wichita Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit, Grandview Plaza Police Department, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Lane County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI Topeka office.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605699173134.png" alt="Birney-photo KBI offender registry" />
 <figcaption>Birney-photo KBI offender registry</figcaption>
 </figure>DIGHTON&nbsp; – A former Lane County man has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for child pornography and sexual exploitation of a child, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt. Geoffrey David Birney, 35, formerly of Healy, was sentenced to 122 months in state prison on two counts of aggravated internet trading of child pornography and one count of sexual exploitation of child. The sentence was given by Chief Judge Bruce T. Gatterman in Lane County District Court. Birney entered his guilty plea to the charges in October. Investigators determined the crimes occurred between November 7, 2018 and March 9, 2019. The case was investigated by the Wichita Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit, Grandview Plaza Police Department, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Lane County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI Topeka office.&nbsp;

Kansas man sentenced for child sex crimes

On January 2nd, 1935, in the small rural Western Kansas town of Oakley, Noe (later changed to Noah) and Eulalia (Wolfe) Frazier welcomed their third child and second daughter into the family.&nbsp; They named this little dark-haired girl Beverly June (her dad liked to call her “Bevy June”

Despite being born during the Great Depression and the infamous Dust Bowl Era, Beverly grew up happy.&nbsp; Except for a year in Klamath Falls OR, the family lived all of Beverly’s pre-adult life in Oakley.&nbsp; She was involved in countless community, church and school activities and was Valedictorian of her Oakley High School graduation class.&nbsp; “Bev” as she became known, attended Cottey College in Nevada MO for a year, then Washburn University in Topeka KS for a semester.

While Bev was going to college, her parents moved from Oakley to Hays KS where they owned and operated a motel.&nbsp; She helped her parents by working at the motel the summer of 1954; and she met Roger Faubion that August.&nbsp; While it wasn’t quite love at first sight, it was close:&nbsp; they were married 7 months later on March 5, 1955.&nbsp; To this union were born 3 sons, one died in infancy.

During the next several years the family lived in Hays plus other Kansas towns of Hill City, Goodland and Larned where Roger oversaw large construction projects.&nbsp; When the boys started school, Mom stayed in Hays with them while Dad commuted from wherever his job location took him.

These stay-at-home years gave Bev the opportunity to work for the local Radio/TV station KAYS, at a variety of jobs.&nbsp; Her most memorable jobs there were as host of “Bev’s Party Line” and “Women’s Page” (daily weekday radio programs).&nbsp; Bev was very active in Hays and surrounding community functions:&nbsp; MC for fashions shows; on judging panels for various area competitions; a participant in local talent productions; President of the Lincoln Elementary School PTA; a Director on the State Board of the Kansas Women’s Bowling Association; in charge of the girls summer slow-pitch softball program in Hays; a slow-pitch umpire; and an active member of many other clubs and organizations.

In 1973, the family moved to Arizona.&nbsp; It wasn’t long before Bev decided to get back in the outside work force.&nbsp; She started as a Kelly Girl Temp which led to a permanent position with the Arizona Department of Public Safely eventually as a Supervisor in the CIS Division.&nbsp; After the boys were out of high school and in college, Bev quit her job to go along with Roger when he was sent out of town on construction projects.&nbsp; They enjoyed living in several Arizona cities and towns, plus a year in Albuquerque NM, making many close and lasting friendships along the way.

This ‘vagabond era’ ended in 1989 when Roger and Bev settled in Scottsdale AZ.&nbsp; While there, Bev once again went back to work, this time with Rural/Metro Corporation (fire and ambulance with nationwide operations).&nbsp; She had progressed to the position of Executive Assistant in the Finance Department when she retired in 2000.&nbsp; In the meantime, Roger had established his own business and Bev managed those office duties as well.&nbsp; When Roger retired in 2002, they moved to Solera, an active adult community in Chandler AZ.

At the age of 71 (2006), Bev’s right leg was amputated above the knee.&nbsp; It was a bit of a set-back, or course, but Bev took it all in stride (pun intended) and never let it get her down:&nbsp; she maintained a positive attitude along with her signature love of life.&nbsp; She even named her stump LTH (Less Than Half), her prosthesis Lena (get it?) and her walker Nessy (short for Necessary).&nbsp; Also, hand controls were installed on the car so she could continue to drive (you go girl!).

Bev passed away peacefully in her sleep, on October 27th, 2020. She was at her home with her loved ones. She was 85 years young.&nbsp; She chose to do a full-body donation to scientific research, followed by cremation.&nbsp; There will be no funeral nor memorial service; a Celebration of Life may be held later. In lieu of flowers, Bev requested that any gesture of remembrance be given to your favorite charity in her name – with special thanks and heartfelt appreciation from Bev and her family.

Bev was preceded in death by her husband Roger (2011), their son Brad (2018), their infant son Ralph David (1957), her parents, her brother, two sisters-in-law and two brothers-in-law.

Survivors include her cherished family of son Chuck (Gwen) of Sun City AZ, daughter-in-law Jan of Gilbert AZ; sister Dorothy “Dee” Petree of Littleton CO; sister-in-law Sue Faubion of Denver CO; 5 grandchildren: Faith Lochmann of Hays KS, Melissa (Kris) Heddings of Glendale AZ, Marcus (Ashley) Faubion of Cave Creek AZ, Erin (David) Price of Tucson AZ and Matt (Amanda) Faubion of Gilbert AZ; 1 step-granddaughter Tara Fair Smith (Gerald) of Phoenix AZ; 3 great-grandsons: Samuel Heddings, Tristan Faubion and Owen Price; 1 great-granddaughter Jordan Faubion; 1 adopted great-granddaughter Hannah Baxter; 5 step-great-grandchildren: K. J., Jocelyn and Kade Heddings, Austin Sloan and Zaden Collins;&nbsp; 1 step-great-great grandson Kace James Heddings; 1 adopted great-great granddaughter; Indigo Dietz; several nieces, nephews and many extended family members.

Bev served &amp; impacted countless people during her lifetime with fun and an ever-present positive attitude. Especially her loved ones. She is dearly missed and will never be forgotten.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605644955026.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>On January 2nd, 1935, in the small rural Western Kansas town of Oakley, Noe (later changed to Noah) and Eulalia (Wolfe) Frazier welcomed their third child and second daughter into the family.&nbsp; They named this little dark-haired girl Beverly June (her dad liked to call her “Bevy June”Despite being born during the Great Depression and the infamous Dust Bowl Era, Beverly grew up happy.&nbsp; Except for a year in Klamath Falls OR, the family lived all of Beverly’s pre-adult life in Oakley.&nbsp; She was involved in countless community, church and school activities and was Valedictorian of her Oakley High School graduation class.&nbsp; “Bev” as she became known, attended Cottey College in Nevada MO for a year, then Washburn University in Topeka KS for a semester.While Bev was going to college, her parents moved from Oakley to Hays KS where they owned and operated a motel.&nbsp; She helped her parents by working at the motel the summer of 1954; and she met Roger Faubion that August.&nbsp; While it wasn’t quite love at first sight, it was close:&nbsp; they were married 7 months later on March 5, 1955.&nbsp; To this union were born 3 sons, one died in infancy.During the next several years the family lived in Hays plus other Kansas towns of Hill City, Goodland and Larned where Roger oversaw large construction projects.&nbsp; When the boys started school, Mom stayed in Hays with them while Dad commuted from wherever his job location took him.These stay-at-home years gave Bev the opportunity to work for the local Radio/TV station KAYS, at a variety of jobs.&nbsp; Her most memorable jobs there were as host of “Bev’s Party Line” and “Women’s Page” (daily weekday radio programs).&nbsp; Bev was very active in Hays and surrounding community functions:&nbsp; MC for fashions shows; on judging panels for various area competitions; a participant in local talent productions; President of the Lincoln Elementary School PTA; a Director on the State Board of the Kansas Women’s Bowling Association; in charge of the girls summer slow-pitch softball program in Hays; a slow-pitch umpire; and an active member of many other clubs and organizations.In 1973, the family moved to Arizona.&nbsp; It wasn’t long before Bev decided to get back in the outside work force.&nbsp; She started as a Kelly Girl Temp which led to a permanent position with the Arizona Department of Public Safely eventually as a Supervisor in the CIS Division.&nbsp; After the boys were out of high school and in college, Bev quit her job to go along with Roger when he was sent out of town on construction projects.&nbsp; They enjoyed living in several Arizona cities and towns, plus a year in Albuquerque NM, making many close and lasting friendships along the way.This ‘vagabond era’ ended in 1989 when Roger and Bev settled in Scottsdale AZ.&nbsp; While there, Bev once again went back to work, this time with Rural/Metro Corporation (fire and ambulance with nationwide operations).&nbsp; She had progressed to the position of Executive Assistant in the Finance Department when she retired in 2000.&nbsp; In the meantime, Roger had established his own business and Bev managed those office duties as well.&nbsp; When Roger retired in 2002, they moved to Solera, an active adult community in Chandler AZ.At the age of 71 (2006), Bev’s right leg was amputated above the knee.&nbsp; It was a bit of a set-back, or course, but Bev took it all in stride (pun intended) and never let it get her down:&nbsp; she maintained a positive attitude along with her signature love of life.&nbsp; She even named her stump LTH (Less Than Half), her prosthesis Lena (get it?) and her walker Nessy (short for Necessary).&nbsp; Also, hand controls were installed on the car so she could continue to drive (you go girl!).Bev passed away peacefully in her sleep, on October 27th, 2020. She was at her home with her loved ones. She was 85 years young.&nbsp; She chose to do a full-body donation to scientific research, followed by cremation.&nbsp; There will be no funeral nor memorial service; a Celebration of Life may be held later. In lieu of flowers, Bev requested that any gesture of remembrance be given to your favorite charity in her name – with special thanks and heartfelt appreciation from Bev and her family.Bev was preceded in death by her husband Roger (2011), their son Brad (2018), their infant son Ralph David (1957), her parents, her brother, two sisters-in-law and two brothers-in-law.Survivors include her cherished family of son Chuck (Gwen) of Sun City AZ, daughter-in-law Jan of Gilbert AZ; sister Dorothy “Dee” Petree of Littleton CO; sister-in-law Sue Faubion of Denver CO; 5 grandchildren: Faith Lochmann of Hays KS, Melissa (Kris) Heddings of Glendale AZ, Marcus (Ashley) Faubion of Cave Creek AZ, Erin (David) Price of Tucson AZ and Matt (Amanda) Faubion of Gilbert AZ; 1 step-granddaughter Tara Fair Smith (Gerald) of Phoenix AZ; 3 great-grandsons: Samuel Heddings, Tristan Faubion and Owen Price; 1 great-granddaughter Jordan Faubion; 1 adopted great-granddaughter Hannah Baxter; 5 step-great-grandchildren: K. J., Jocelyn and Kade Heddings, Austin Sloan and Zaden Collins;&nbsp; 1 step-great-great grandson Kace James Heddings; 1 adopted great-great granddaughter; Indigo Dietz; several nieces, nephews and many extended family members.Bev served &amp; impacted countless people during her lifetime with fun and an ever-present positive attitude. Especially her loved ones. She is dearly missed and will never be forgotten.&nbsp;

Beverly June 'Bev' Frazier Faubion

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall has resigned following an investigation into allegations of verbal and physical abuse. 

Marshall, who has long been known for his combustible sideline persona, came under scrutiny when former player Shaq Morris claimed he’d been struck twice by his coach during an October 2015 practice. Morris also claimed that he’d seen Marshall choke assistant coach Kyle Lindsted, who soon departed to become an assistant at Minnesota.

Wichita State Director of Athletics Darron Boatright has accepted the resignation of Head Men’s Basketball Coach Gregg Marshall, effective immediately, according to a media release from the university.

“This was a difficult decision, but one I feel was necessary for my family, the university and, most importantly, the student-athletes,” Marshall said. “I remain grateful for my years spent at Wichita State. I wish to thank the coaches, student-athletes, the university, the community, and all of Shocker Nation for their unending dedication, support and loyalty. I am incredibly proud of this men’s basketball program and all it has achieved over the past 14 years and am confident of its continued success.”&nbsp;

As part of Marshall’s resignation, the University has agreed to a contract settlement for $7.75 million to be paid over a period of six years. The university’s Intercollegiate Athletic Association will cover the settlement.

“Our student-athletes are our primary concern,” said Director of Athletics Darron Boatright. “While the university acknowledges the success of the basketball program under Coach Marshall, this decision is in the best interest of the university, its student athletes and the WSU community. WSU will continue its pursuit of excellence with the help of its student-athletes, staff and loyal supporters of the basketball program.” &nbsp; “I’m incredibly proud of this basketball program. Our family – Lynn, Kellen, and Maggie – love Wichita,” said Gregg Marshall. &nbsp; Assistant Coach Isaac Brown will serve as the team’s interim head coach.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602261953575.png" alt="Coach Greg Marshall-photo courtesy Wichita State" />
 <figcaption>Coach Greg Marshall-photo courtesy Wichita State</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall has resigned following an investigation into allegations of verbal and physical abuse. Marshall, who has long been known for his combustible sideline persona, came under scrutiny when former player Shaq Morris claimed he’d been struck twice by his coach during an October 2015 practice. Morris also claimed that he’d seen Marshall choke assistant coach Kyle Lindsted, who soon departed to become an assistant at Minnesota.----------Wichita State Director of Athletics Darron Boatright has accepted the resignation of Head Men’s Basketball Coach Gregg Marshall, effective immediately, according to a media release from the university.“This was a difficult decision, but one I feel was necessary for my family, the university and, most importantly, the student-athletes,” Marshall said. “I remain grateful for my years spent at Wichita State. I wish to thank the coaches, student-athletes, the university, the community, and all of Shocker Nation for their unending dedication, support and loyalty. I am incredibly proud of this men’s basketball program and all it has achieved over the past 14 years and am confident of its continued success.”&nbsp;As part of Marshall’s resignation, the University has agreed to a contract settlement for $7.75 million to be paid over a period of six years. The university’s Intercollegiate Athletic Association will cover the settlement.“Our student-athletes are our primary concern,” said Director of Athletics Darron Boatright. “While the university acknowledges the success of the basketball program under Coach Marshall, this decision is in the best interest of the university, its student athletes and the WSU community. WSU will continue its pursuit of excellence with the help of its student-athletes, staff and loyal supporters of the basketball program.” &nbsp; “I’m incredibly proud of this basketball program. Our family – Lynn, Kellen, and Maggie – love Wichita,” said Gregg Marshall. &nbsp; Assistant Coach Isaac Brown will serve as the team’s interim head coach.

Gregg Marshall resigns as basketball coach at Wichita State 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall resigned Tuesday following an investigation into allegations of verbal and physical abuse, ending a tenure that soared to the Final Four and crashed on the eve of the upcoming season.

The school said Marshall agreed to a settlement of $7.75 million to be paid over the next six years.

Athletic director Darron Boatright said “this decision is in the best interest of the university, its student athletes and the WSU community.” Shockers assistant coach Isaac Brown will serve as the interim coach.

Wichita State opens its season Nov. 25 against Utah State in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall resigned Tuesday following an investigation into allegations of verbal and physical abuse, ending a tenure that soared to the Final Four and crashed on the eve of the upcoming season.The school said Marshall agreed to a settlement of $7.75 million to be paid over the next six years.Athletic director Darron Boatright said “this decision is in the best interest of the university, its student athletes and the WSU community.” Shockers assistant coach Isaac Brown will serve as the interim coach.Marshall, who has long been known for his combustible sideline persona, came under scrutiny when former player Shaq Morris claimed he’d been struck twice by his coach during an October 2015 practice. Morris also claimed that he’d seen Marshall choke assistant coach Kyle Lindsted, who soon departed to become an assistant at Minnesota.Wichita State opens its season Nov. 25 against Utah State in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

🏀 Wichita State coach Marshall resigns after misconduct probe

Floyd Edward Schuckman, 88, passed away on November 15, 2020 at the 
Grisell Memorial Hospital in Ransom, Kansas.&nbsp; He was born on October 3, 
1932 in McCracken, Kansas the son of Alexander and Anna (Schaeffer) 
Schuckman.

Graveside funeral service will be on Saturday, November 21, 2020, 
12:00 noon, at the St. Aloysius Cemetery, Ransom, Kansas. Viewing will 
be held at Fitzgerald Funeral Home, Ness City on Friday, November 20th, 
2020, from 9:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. with the family present from 5:00 -
 7:00 p.m..

Memorial contributions may be given to the Rhode Island Suites, or Grisell Memorial Hospital.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605635210016.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Floyd Edward Schuckman, 88, passed away on November 15, 2020 at the 
Grisell Memorial Hospital in Ransom, Kansas.&nbsp; He was born on October 3, 
1932 in McCracken, Kansas the son of Alexander and Anna (Schaeffer) 
Schuckman.Graveside funeral service will be on Saturday, November 21, 2020, 
12:00 noon, at the St. Aloysius Cemetery, Ransom, Kansas. Viewing will 
be held at Fitzgerald Funeral Home, Ness City on Friday, November 20th, 
2020, from 9:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. with the family present from 5:00 -
 7:00 p.m..Memorial contributions may be given to the Rhode Island Suites, or Grisell Memorial Hospital.

Floyd Edward Schuckman

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-11-16/kansas-hospitals-seek-help-from-nearby-states-but-the-whole-midwest-is-struggling-with-a-covid-surge">Kansas News Service</a>

Hospitals in Colorado and Nebraska are calling Kansas in desperate 
search of beds for coronavirus patients. But Kansas hospitals are asking
 them for the same.

November has brought on the strongest surge yet of the coronavirus <a href="https://covidtracking.com/data/charts/week-of-single-day-record-of-cases-per-state" target="_blank">across the region</a> — and that’s before Thanksgiving gathers families together.

“The entire Midwest is on fire,” said Steven Stites, chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System.

Already,
 priceless hours slip away for deathly ill patients while doctors at 
smaller hospitals in Kansas place call after call seeking intensive care
 openings at larger facilities.

Searches can take several hours of calling around followed by hours-long ambulance rides.

“It’s not just COVID patients that can’t get transferred,” Stites said. “It’s a heart attack. It’s a stroke. It’s everything.”

In October, KU Health System turned away 140 transfers. The flood of requests has continued this month.

The
 calls for help come from across Kansas and Missouri, but also as far 
away as Arkansas, Iowa, Colorado, Oklahoma and Nebraska.

“It’s a very scary situation,” Concordia, Kansas, family physician Justin Poore said. “We need help.”

Cloud
 County Health Center, where he works, called eight in-state hospitals 
for a recent patient. But people answering the phones in Salina, Topeka,
 Wichita, Manhattan and elsewhere all offered the same bad news.

The
 central Kansas hospital had to send its patient three hours by ground 
ambulance to Omaha, Nebraska. Because openings change daily, it had to 
repeat that search for the next patient, until finding them a spot in 
Lincoln.

As it is, even if Kansans all stayed home starting tomorrow, the 
surge would likely continue for weeks because more cases are incubating 
and progressing to the point of hospitalization.

“We need our communities to wear masks,” Poore said. “We need our communities to stop these larger indoor gatherings.”

During
 most of the pandemic, he said, his county of about 8,700 people managed
 to avoid major COVID outbreaks. This month, it has seen 200 cases.

Statewide,
 Kansas just confirmed 18,000 in seven days. It’s among more than 20 
states that set fresh records for new COVID cases last week.

On an
 average day back in April, when Kansas was locked down, hospitals 
reported 104 hospitalized coronavirus patients to state health 
officials. The situation has worsened sharply in recent weeks. On 
Tuesday, the daily total topped 800 for the first time.

State 
health officials say some hospitals actually have open ICU beds. In 
effect, though, it doesn’t help because they lack enough nurses and 
doctors to function at full capacity.

Maj. Gen. David Weishaar 
told legislative leaders Friday that the Kansas National Guard isn’t 
pursuing the idea of field hospitals yet. There wouldn’t be enough 
health care workers to staff them anyway.

Some larger hospitals have opened overflow ICUs and scaled back elective care to make way for more of the critically ill.

Stormont
 Vail, the largest hospital in Topeka, is postponing some non-emergency 
surgeries that would take up beds overnight. On Thursday, KU Health 
System also began delaying some surgeries.

Meanwhile, Thanksgiving
 looms, with its prospect of even more people traveling and commingling.
 Across Kansas, tens of thousands of college students will head home 
from their campuses.

Stites fears Kansas City and surrounding 
areas are teetering on a cliff. Day after day, in video updates on 
Facebook, he begs the public to mask up for the greater good, and abide 
by social distancing.

“If you have a heart attack or a stroke, 
where are you going to go?” he pleaded on Thursday. “If you’re in a car 
accident, you have a big trauma, and you need to go to the hospital, 
where are you going to go? If the hospital’s overwhelmed with COVID 
patients, where are you going to go?”

Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health and education for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/Celia_LJ" target="_blank">@celia_LJ</a> or email her at celia@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605557231927.png" alt=" Celia Llopis-Jepsen / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> Celia Llopis-Jepsen / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-11-16/kansas-hospitals-seek-help-from-nearby-states-but-the-whole-midwest-is-struggling-with-a-covid-surge">Kansas News Service</a>Hospitals in Colorado and Nebraska are calling Kansas in desperate 
search of beds for coronavirus patients. But Kansas hospitals are asking
 them for the same.November has brought on the strongest surge yet of the coronavirus <a href="https://covidtracking.com/data/charts/week-of-single-day-record-of-cases-per-state" target="_blank">across the region</a> — and that’s before Thanksgiving gathers families together.“The entire Midwest is on fire,” said Steven Stites, chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System.Already,
 priceless hours slip away for deathly ill patients while doctors at 
smaller hospitals in Kansas place call after call seeking intensive care
 openings at larger facilities.Searches can take several hours of calling around followed by hours-long ambulance rides.“It’s not just COVID patients that can’t get transferred,” Stites said. “It’s a heart attack. It’s a stroke. It’s everything.”In October, KU Health System turned away 140 transfers. The flood of requests has continued this month.The
 calls for help come from across Kansas and Missouri, but also as far 
away as Arkansas, Iowa, Colorado, Oklahoma and Nebraska.“It’s a very scary situation,” Concordia, Kansas, family physician Justin Poore said. “We need help.”Cloud
 County Health Center, where he works, called eight in-state hospitals 
for a recent patient. But people answering the phones in Salina, Topeka,
 Wichita, Manhattan and elsewhere all offered the same bad news.The
 central Kansas hospital had to send its patient three hours by ground 
ambulance to Omaha, Nebraska. Because openings change daily, it had to 
repeat that search for the next patient, until finding them a spot in 
Lincoln.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605557284176.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>As it is, even if Kansans all stayed home starting tomorrow, the 
surge would likely continue for weeks because more cases are incubating 
and progressing to the point of hospitalization.“We need our communities to wear masks,” Poore said. “We need our communities to stop these larger indoor gatherings.”During
 most of the pandemic, he said, his county of about 8,700 people managed
 to avoid major COVID outbreaks. This month, it has seen 200 cases.Statewide,
 Kansas just confirmed 18,000 in seven days. It’s among more than 20 
states that set fresh records for new COVID cases last week.On an
 average day back in April, when Kansas was locked down, hospitals 
reported 104 hospitalized coronavirus patients to state health 
officials. The situation has worsened sharply in recent weeks. On 
Tuesday, the daily total topped 800 for the first time.State 
health officials say some hospitals actually have open ICU beds. In 
effect, though, it doesn’t help because they lack enough nurses and 
doctors to function at full capacity.Maj. Gen. David Weishaar 
told legislative leaders Friday that the Kansas National Guard isn’t 
pursuing the idea of field hospitals yet. There wouldn’t be enough 
health care workers to staff them anyway.Some larger hospitals have opened overflow ICUs and scaled back elective care to make way for more of the critically ill.Stormont
 Vail, the largest hospital in Topeka, is postponing some non-emergency 
surgeries that would take up beds overnight. On Thursday, KU Health 
System also began delaying some surgeries.Meanwhile, Thanksgiving
 looms, with its prospect of even more people traveling and commingling.
 Across Kansas, tens of thousands of college students will head home 
from their campuses.Stites fears Kansas City and surrounding 
areas are teetering on a cliff. Day after day, in video updates on 
Facebook, he begs the public to mask up for the greater good, and abide 
by social distancing.“If you have a heart attack or a stroke, 
where are you going to go?” he pleaded on Thursday. “If you’re in a car 
accident, you have a big trauma, and you need to go to the hospital, 
where are you going to go? If the hospital’s overwhelmed with COVID 
patients, where are you going to go?”Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health and education for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/Celia_LJ" target="_blank">@celia_LJ</a> or email her at celia@kcur.org.

Kan. hospitals seek help amid Midwest COVID surge

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A white supremacist who told an undercover FBI agent about his plans to firebomb a synagogue or attack a Las Vegas bar catering to LGBTQ customers was sentenced Friday to two years in prison.

Conor Climo, 24, apologized before U.S. District Judge James Mahan sentenced him to prison followed by six months of home confinement with electronic monitoring. Prosecutors recommended a 30-month prison sentence.

“I was truly wrong for all of this,” Climo said. “I even have come to really regret everything, everything that I was involved with.”

The judge gave Climo credit for the jail time he already has served since his August 2019 arrest and agreed to recommend that he serves his prison time in Louisiana, near grandparents whom he plans to live with after his release.

“I’m going to take you at your word,” Mahan told Climo. “I think you have seen the error of your ways and you want to reform.”

Defense attorney Paul Riddle said his client is grateful that FBI agents arrested him when they did because he knows that he was on a “very dark path.”

“But he’s not on that path anymore, and he’s the not same person that was arrested,” Riddle said.

The FBI said it began investigating Climo in April 2019 after learning of his encrypted internet chats with members of Feuerkrieg Division, an international offshoot of a U.S.-based neo-Nazi group called Atomwaffen Division. Climo told FBI agents that he joined Feuerkrieg Division but left because he “became bored with the group and their inaction,” according to a court filing.

Climo, in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/056c0c1f14716fb8093ec290314a7926">pleading guilty&nbsp;</a>to a firearm charge, acknowledged that he discussed attacking a synagogue or other targets during his online communications with an undercover FBI agent and an informant. Agents who searched Climo’s Las Vegas home found bomb components and two rifles.

Climo was “not just talking about what he believes and intends to do, but rather is planning, and has engaged in actions,” a federal magistrate judge wrote after Climo’s arrest.

Atomwaffen has been linked to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/406c0b0b8bb04d06a774443cef2294ec">several killings</a>, including the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/222eaf9f330e4cdf812634f0baf3d5ca">May 2017 shooting deaths</a>&nbsp;of two men at an apartment in Tampa, Florida. Atomwaffen co-founder Devon Arthurs, who was charged with killing two of his roommates in the apartment, told police they were group members and that he killed them to thwart a terrorist attack.

Federal authorities have arrested several men linked to white supremacist groups promoting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/6a19ebcf35353bb4e5644a2ee77bc83c">“accelerationism,”</a>&nbsp;a fringe philosophy espousing mass violence to fuel society’s collapse. Members of a neo-Nazi group called The Base were arrested in January ahead of a gun rights rally in Virginia. Several Atomwaffen members were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/280a6f365dda116a8cbf53be3570c84a">charged in February&nbsp;</a>with conspiring to harass journalists, church congregations and a former Cabinet official.

Climo pleaded guilty in February to illegal possession of an unregistered firearm, a charge that carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.

During an FBI interview, Climo described his white supremacist ideology and expressed his hatred of Jews, African Americans and gay people, authorities said.

Climo told an FBI informant that he tried but failed to recruit a homeless person to conduct surveillance on a synagogue in October 2017, according to a court filing.

“The defendant had very specific plans about attacking one specific synagogue near his house,” U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Koppe wrote in an order last year. “The defendant spoke of wanting to light an incendiary device and having others join him to shoot people as they came out of the synagogue.”

Investigators said Climo compiled a journal with sketches of gunmen attacking a LGBTQ bar in a downtown tourist corridor. His list of potential targets also included a fast food restaurant and a Las Vegas office for the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights group, authorities said.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounders/feuerkrieg-division-fkd" target="_blank">ADL describes Feuerkrieg Division&nbsp;</a>as a group that has advocated for a race war and promoted some of the most extreme views of the white supremacist movement. Formed in 2018, it had roughly 30 members who conducted most of their activities online, the ADL said.

Another man linked to Feuerkrieg Division,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/03e8abbd2a0a7c6d7f91113afafc508a">former soldier Jarrett William Smith</a>, was sentenced in August to 2 1/2 years in prison for distributing information about building a bomb and making napalm to an undercover FBI agent while he was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas.

Climo, a former security guard, came to the attention of authorities in September 2016 when he was interviewed by a local television news crew as he wore military-style battle gear and patrolled his neighborhood carrying an assault rifle, survival knife and extended-capacity ammunition magazines. Police said at the time he was not arrested because Nevada does not prohibit openly carrying firearms.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605526416110.png" alt="Climo photo courtesy KTNV" />
 <figcaption>Climo photo courtesy KTNV</figcaption>
 </figure>LAS VEGAS (AP) — A white supremacist who told an undercover FBI agent about his plans to firebomb a synagogue or attack a Las Vegas bar catering to LGBTQ customers was sentenced Friday to two years in prison.Conor Climo, 24, apologized before U.S. District Judge James Mahan sentenced him to prison followed by six months of home confinement with electronic monitoring. Prosecutors recommended a 30-month prison sentence.“I was truly wrong for all of this,” Climo said. “I even have come to really regret everything, everything that I was involved with.”The judge gave Climo credit for the jail time he already has served since his August 2019 arrest and agreed to recommend that he serves his prison time in Louisiana, near grandparents whom he plans to live with after his release.“I’m going to take you at your word,” Mahan told Climo. “I think you have seen the error of your ways and you want to reform.”Defense attorney Paul Riddle said his client is grateful that FBI agents arrested him when they did because he knows that he was on a “very dark path.”“But he’s not on that path anymore, and he’s the not same person that was arrested,” Riddle said.The FBI said it began investigating Climo in April 2019 after learning of his encrypted internet chats with members of Feuerkrieg Division, an international offshoot of a U.S.-based neo-Nazi group called Atomwaffen Division. Climo told FBI agents that he joined Feuerkrieg Division but left because he “became bored with the group and their inaction,” according to a court filing.Climo, in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/056c0c1f14716fb8093ec290314a7926">pleading guilty&nbsp;</a>to a firearm charge, acknowledged that he discussed attacking a synagogue or other targets during his online communications with an undercover FBI agent and an informant. Agents who searched Climo’s Las Vegas home found bomb components and two rifles.Climo was “not just talking about what he believes and intends to do, but rather is planning, and has engaged in actions,” a federal magistrate judge wrote after Climo’s arrest.Atomwaffen has been linked to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/406c0b0b8bb04d06a774443cef2294ec">several killings</a>, including the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/222eaf9f330e4cdf812634f0baf3d5ca">May 2017 shooting deaths</a>&nbsp;of two men at an apartment in Tampa, Florida. Atomwaffen co-founder Devon Arthurs, who was charged with killing two of his roommates in the apartment, told police they were group members and that he killed them to thwart a terrorist attack.Federal authorities have arrested several men linked to white supremacist groups promoting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/6a19ebcf35353bb4e5644a2ee77bc83c">“accelerationism,”</a>&nbsp;a fringe philosophy espousing mass violence to fuel society’s collapse. Members of a neo-Nazi group called The Base were arrested in January ahead of a gun rights rally in Virginia. Several Atomwaffen members were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/280a6f365dda116a8cbf53be3570c84a">charged in February&nbsp;</a>with conspiring to harass journalists, church congregations and a former Cabinet official.Climo pleaded guilty in February to illegal possession of an unregistered firearm, a charge that carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.During an FBI interview, Climo described his white supremacist ideology and expressed his hatred of Jews, African Americans and gay people, authorities said.Climo told an FBI informant that he tried but failed to recruit a homeless person to conduct surveillance on a synagogue in October 2017, according to a court filing.“The defendant had very specific plans about attacking one specific synagogue near his house,” U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Koppe wrote in an order last year. “The defendant spoke of wanting to light an incendiary device and having others join him to shoot people as they came out of the synagogue.”Investigators said Climo compiled a journal with sketches of gunmen attacking a LGBTQ bar in a downtown tourist corridor. His list of potential targets also included a fast food restaurant and a Las Vegas office for the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights group, authorities said.The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounders/feuerkrieg-division-fkd" target="_blank">ADL describes Feuerkrieg Division&nbsp;</a>as a group that has advocated for a race war and promoted some of the most extreme views of the white supremacist movement. Formed in 2018, it had roughly 30 members who conducted most of their activities online, the ADL said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1581537760069.png" alt="Jarrett Smith photo Riley County" />
 <figcaption>Jarrett Smith photo Riley County</figcaption>
 </figure>Another man linked to Feuerkrieg Division,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/03e8abbd2a0a7c6d7f91113afafc508a">former soldier Jarrett William Smith</a>, was sentenced in August to 2 1/2 years in prison for distributing information about building a bomb and making napalm to an undercover FBI agent while he was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas.Climo, a former security guard, came to the attention of authorities in September 2016 when he was interviewed by a local television news crew as he wore military-style battle gear and patrolled his neighborhood carrying an assault rifle, survival knife and extended-capacity ammunition magazines. Police said at the time he was not arrested because Nevada does not prohibit openly carrying firearms.

Man linked to Kan. soldier sentenced in bomb plot case

TOPEKA, Kansas – An Ellsworth Correctional Facility (ECF) resident who died Sunday, November15 had tested positive for COVID-19. This is third resident death from ECF, and the tenth resident death related to COVID-19 for the department, according to a media release from the KDOC.

The resident was moved October 26 to the Lansing Correctional Facility (LCF) COVID-19 Management Unit (CMU) after testing positive for the virus, and then transported from LCF to the hospital.

The resident was a 68-year-old white male with underlying medical concerns that contributed to his condition. He was serving a life sentence for first degree murder

The Ellsworth Correctional Facility opened in 1988. Serving only males, the Central Unit provides housing for 820 multi-custody residents and the East Unit provides housing for 95 minimum-custody residents.

TOPEKA, Kansas – An Ellsworth Correctional Facility (ECF) resident who died Sunday, November15 had tested positive for COVID-19. This is third resident death from ECF, and the tenth resident death related to COVID-19 for the department, according to a media release from the KDOC.The resident was moved October 26 to the Lansing Correctional Facility (LCF) COVID-19 Management Unit (CMU) after testing positive for the virus, and then transported from LCF to the hospital.The resident was a 68-year-old white male with underlying medical concerns that contributed to his condition. He was serving a life sentence for first degree murderThe Ellsworth Correctional Facility opened in 1988. Serving only males, the Central Unit provides housing for 820 multi-custody residents and the East Unit provides housing for 95 minimum-custody residents.

10th Kansas inmate dies after positive COVID-19 test

Raymond “Ray” Herrman Jr., age 93 of Russell, Kansas, died Saturday, November 14, 2020, at the Russell Regional Hospital.&nbsp; He was born September 9, 1927, at Liebenthal, Kansas, to Raymond and Lucy (Stecklein) Herrman Sr.&nbsp; He married Marietta (Gerstner) and she preceded him in death on December 18, 1968. He married Virginia (Weigel) Windholz and she preceded him in death on January 1, 2001. He married Gloria K. “Katy” (Maupin) Heinen on October 10, 2003, at Gorham, Kansas.

He was an auto mechanic most of his live at Vern Herrman Motors in Hays, he was also Shop Foreman at JC Penney’s Auto Center in Hays until it closed.&nbsp; Ray grew up in Liebenthal, attended school in Hays, and was a WW II veteran of the U.S. Navy.&nbsp; He was a member of St. Mary’s Queen of Angels Catholic Church, Russell, the Russell 3rd and 4th Degree Knights of Columbus, Hays V.F.W. Post 9076, and a Past Commander.&nbsp;

Survivors include his wife, Katy Herrman, of the home; one son, Kevin Herrman and wife, Marlene, Abilene, KS; four daughters, Lois Koerner, and husband, Dale, Lawrence, KS; Christine Heit and husband, Jerry, Overland Park, KS; Lynette Herrman, Lawrence, KS; Collene Kasson and husband, Stu, Liberty, MO; two step-sons, Kenneth Windholz and wife, Natalie, Gorham, KS; Stephen Heinen, Wichita, KS; two step-daughters, Gwenda Radcliffe and husband, Keith, Prairie Meadows, TX; Susanne Yarmer and husband, Verlin, Russell, KS; one sister, LuElla Bieker, Hays, KS; one step-daughter-in-law, Carolyn Windholz, Gorham, KS; two sisters-in-law, Donna Herrman, Xenia, OH; Dorothy Herrman, Hays, KS; 29 grandchildren; 8 step-grandchildren; 49 great grandchildren and six step-great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Marietta; his second wife, Virginia; two brothers, Leroy and Vernon Herrman; one brother-in-law, Clarence Bieker; two step-sons, Wayne Windholz and Jamie Duff.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 A.M. Thursday, November 19, 2020, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 13th and Ash, Hays, Kansas.&nbsp; Inurnment will be at St. Joseph Cemetery, Hays, Kansas with military honors by the Hays V.F.W. Post No. 9076.

A Knights of Columbus 3rd and 4th Degree rosary will be at 9:45 A.M. Thursday, at the church and the 4th Degree Knights of Columbus will stand honor guard.

The family will receive friends from 9:00 to 10:00 A.M. Thursday, at the church.&nbsp; The family suggests memorials to the Hays V.F.W. Post No. 9076 in care of the mortuary.&nbsp;

Services are entrusted to Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd Street, Hays, Kansas 67601.&nbsp;

Condolences can be sent via e-mail to <a href="mailto:clinesmortuary@eaglecom.net">clinesmortuary@eaglecom.net</a> or can be left at guest book at <a href="http://www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com">www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com</a> &nbsp; &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605467215165.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Raymond “Ray” Herrman Jr., age 93 of Russell, Kansas, died Saturday, November 14, 2020, at the Russell Regional Hospital.&nbsp; He was born September 9, 1927, at Liebenthal, Kansas, to Raymond and Lucy (Stecklein) Herrman Sr.&nbsp; He married Marietta (Gerstner) and she preceded him in death on December 18, 1968. He married Virginia (Weigel) Windholz and she preceded him in death on January 1, 2001. He married Gloria K. “Katy” (Maupin) Heinen on October 10, 2003, at Gorham, Kansas.He was an auto mechanic most of his live at Vern Herrman Motors in Hays, he was also Shop Foreman at JC Penney’s Auto Center in Hays until it closed.&nbsp; Ray grew up in Liebenthal, attended school in Hays, and was a WW II veteran of the U.S. Navy.&nbsp; He was a member of St. Mary’s Queen of Angels Catholic Church, Russell, the Russell 3rd and 4th Degree Knights of Columbus, Hays V.F.W. Post 9076, and a Past Commander.&nbsp;Survivors include his wife, Katy Herrman, of the home; one son, Kevin Herrman and wife, Marlene, Abilene, KS; four daughters, Lois Koerner, and husband, Dale, Lawrence, KS; Christine Heit and husband, Jerry, Overland Park, KS; Lynette Herrman, Lawrence, KS; Collene Kasson and husband, Stu, Liberty, MO; two step-sons, Kenneth Windholz and wife, Natalie, Gorham, KS; Stephen Heinen, Wichita, KS; two step-daughters, Gwenda Radcliffe and husband, Keith, Prairie Meadows, TX; Susanne Yarmer and husband, Verlin, Russell, KS; one sister, LuElla Bieker, Hays, KS; one step-daughter-in-law, Carolyn Windholz, Gorham, KS; two sisters-in-law, Donna Herrman, Xenia, OH; Dorothy Herrman, Hays, KS; 29 grandchildren; 8 step-grandchildren; 49 great grandchildren and six step-great grandchildren.He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Marietta; his second wife, Virginia; two brothers, Leroy and Vernon Herrman; one brother-in-law, Clarence Bieker; two step-sons, Wayne Windholz and Jamie Duff.&nbsp; &nbsp;Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 A.M. Thursday, November 19, 2020, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 13th and Ash, Hays, Kansas.&nbsp; Inurnment will be at St. Joseph Cemetery, Hays, Kansas with military honors by the Hays V.F.W. Post No. 9076.A Knights of Columbus 3rd and 4th Degree rosary will be at 9:45 A.M. Thursday, at the church and the 4th Degree Knights of Columbus will stand honor guard.The family will receive friends from 9:00 to 10:00 A.M. Thursday, at the church.&nbsp; The family suggests memorials to the Hays V.F.W. Post No. 9076 in care of the mortuary.&nbsp;Services are entrusted to Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd Street, Hays, Kansas 67601.&nbsp;Condolences can be sent via e-mail to <a href="mailto:clinesmortuary@eaglecom.net">clinesmortuary@eaglecom.net</a> or can be left at guest book at <a href="http://www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com">www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com</a> &nbsp; &nbsp;

Raymond 'Ray' Herrman Jr.

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

Hospitals across the state are nearing capacity due to a surge of COVID-19 patients.

"We're at a crossroads, and we have a choice to make," Steven Stites,&nbsp;University of Kansas Health System chief medical officer, said during the health system's Thursday morning press conference. "Our choice will dictate how the next months or year goes for the health of the people you care about.

"When you get health care resources that are overwhelmed, it is not just the COVID patients who suffer. It's if you have a heart attack or stroke. Where are you going to go?"

Ellis County reported 102 new COVID cases on Wednesday. Its seven-day average positive rate has hit 40 percent.&nbsp;

As of Thursday, HaysMed was treating 22 COVID patients, 21 of whom have active infections. Four patients are on ventilators. Eight Ellis County patients are hospitalized.

COVID is the No. 1 reason for admission to the health system at this time, Stites said during a press conference on Friday.

At this point, the health system has not delayed any elective surgeries at the facilities in Hays or Topeka, Stites said. As of Thursday, KU Med in Kansas City started postponing some surgeries based on bed capacity, he said.

Stites said he hoped the deferred surgeries could be completed within two weeks, but this will depend on the COVID situation.

Rural hospitals struggle to transfer patients

Kansas City and other major hospitals, where a higher level of care available,&nbsp; have been forced to refuse transfers from smaller, rural hospitals, Stites said.

KU Med in Kansas City turned down 140 transfers in October.

"What is different from this and New York, for example, early in the crisis, is that was one city or two or three cities that spiked and the rest of the country could help them," he said.

"In this case, the entire Midwest is on fire. We are struggling to get people placed."

Rural hospitals are spending five or six hours trying to place a patient, he said, adding that critical care is time sensitive.

It is not just COVID patients who can't get transferred, he said, it's also patients who have had heart attacks and strokes.&nbsp;&nbsp;

One hospital in southeast Kansas called 11 hospitals before it could get a transfer through. Garden City has tried to transfer patients to Colorado, but their hospitals are also full.

The Kansas City hospital has been able to provide staff for all its beds, which he said not all facilities have been able to do.

The Kansas City facility is concerned about the number of staff members who are out because they have tested positive for COVID-19. Contact tracing has revealed these staff members have contracted COVID through community spread. No staff infections have been traced to contact with COVID patients within the hospital, Stites said.

Stites said there is no other solution to the bending the curve than following the guidelines for infection control, which include wearing a mask, avoiding mass gatherings, washing your hands and staying home if you are sick.

Most of the patients who are being tested are symptomatic, said Dr. Dana Hawkinson,&nbsp;medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Med. However, the ratio of asymptomatic to symptomatic carriers may be as high as one-to-one.

Studies from Korea and Iceland have indicated 40 percent to 50 percent of people infected with COVID are asymptomatic. Dr. Joseph LeMaster, public health officer for&nbsp;Johnson County Department of Health and Environment, said these people may be unaware they are spreading the illness in the community.

LeMaster said the number of infections is increasing so rapidly contact tracers are not able to keep up with contacting people who are infected.

Officials prefer masks, social distancing to lockdowns

The doctors said COVID is being spread in many places where people gather, including school events, parties after sports, places of worship, weddings and places where there is shared food and alcohol, especially restaurants and bar.&nbsp;

"We have to assume when we are anywhere that everyone we are around has COVID right now, so you have to protect yourself, by not doing things and distancing and masking," said Dr. Allen Greiner, medical officer for the&nbsp;Kansas City Kansas Unified Government&nbsp;Public Health Department.&nbsp;

LeMaster and Greiner&nbsp;said they did not think local governments will resort to lockdowns like the one the state saw in March and April.

They said they did support mask mandates and social distancing.

The doctors also talked about false assumptions about herd immunity. About 12 percent of Johnson County's population has had COVID-19. However, 70 percent to 80 percent of the population would have to immunity to consider the population to have any sort of herd immunity.

Even with common cough and cold coronaviruses, doctors know you can be reinfected within the same year, Hawkinson said. Published reports have reported infection with COVID-19 as little as 60 days after the first infection.

He said physicians don't know what might happen when someone is reinfected. That person might have milder symptoms or they may have worse.

Herd immunity will likely not be possible until a vaccine or effective treatment is widely available, Hawkinson said. Any attempt to pursue natural herd immunity would be dangerous, he said.

"The next thing that happens after where we are now is the hospitals are overwhelmed and there are people who need to go into the ICUs who are in our hospitals who are dying of COVID in the emergency room," he said.

"... or a heart attack or stroke," Stites added.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605212780502.jpeg" alt="Steven Stites, chief medical officer of the University of Kansas Health System" />
 <figcaption>Steven Stites, chief medical officer of the University of Kansas Health System</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>'... the entire Midwest is on fire.'</h2>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostHospitals across the state are nearing capacity due to a surge of COVID-19 patients."We're at a crossroads, and we have a choice to make," Steven Stites,&nbsp;University of Kansas Health System chief medical officer, said during the health system's Thursday morning press conference. "Our choice will dictate how the next months or year goes for the health of the people you care about."When you get health care resources that are overwhelmed, it is not just the COVID patients who suffer. It's if you have a heart attack or stroke. Where are you going to go?"Ellis County reported 102 new COVID cases on Wednesday. Its seven-day average positive rate has hit 40 percent.&nbsp;As of Thursday, HaysMed was treating 22 COVID patients, 21 of whom have active infections. Four patients are on ventilators. Eight Ellis County patients are hospitalized.COVID is the No. 1 reason for admission to the health system at this time, Stites said during a press conference on Friday.<h2>Surgeries delayed</h2>At this point, the health system has not delayed any elective surgeries at the facilities in Hays or Topeka, Stites said. As of Thursday, KU Med in Kansas City started postponing some surgeries based on bed capacity, he said.Stites said he hoped the deferred surgeries could be completed within two weeks, but this will depend on the COVID situation.<h2>Rural hospitals struggle to transfer patients</h2>Kansas City and other major hospitals, where a higher level of care available,&nbsp; have been forced to refuse transfers from smaller, rural hospitals, Stites said.KU Med in Kansas City turned down 140 transfers in October."What is different from this and New York, for example, early in the crisis, is that was one city or two or three cities that spiked and the rest of the country could help them," he said."In this case, the entire Midwest is on fire. We are struggling to get people placed."Rural hospitals are spending five or six hours trying to place a patient, he said, adding that critical care is time sensitive.It is not just COVID patients who can't get transferred, he said, it's also patients who have had heart attacks and strokes.&nbsp;&nbsp;One hospital in southeast Kansas called 11 hospitals before it could get a transfer through. Garden City has tried to transfer patients to Colorado, but their hospitals are also full.<h2>Some hospitals unable to staff all beds</h2>The Kansas City hospital has been able to provide staff for all its beds, which he said not all facilities have been able to do.The Kansas City facility is concerned about the number of staff members who are out because they have tested positive for COVID-19. Contact tracing has revealed these staff members have contracted COVID through community spread. No staff infections have been traced to contact with COVID patients within the hospital, Stites said.Stites said there is no other solution to the bending the curve than following the guidelines for infection control, which include wearing a mask, avoiding mass gatherings, washing your hands and staying home if you are sick.<h2>Asymptomatic spread likely common</h2>Most of the patients who are being tested are symptomatic, said Dr. Dana Hawkinson,&nbsp;medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Med. However, the ratio of asymptomatic to symptomatic carriers may be as high as one-to-one.Studies from Korea and Iceland have indicated 40 percent to 50 percent of people infected with COVID are asymptomatic. Dr. Joseph LeMaster, public health officer for&nbsp;Johnson County Department of Health and Environment, said these people may be unaware they are spreading the illness in the community.LeMaster said the number of infections is increasing so rapidly contact tracers are not able to keep up with contacting people who are infected.<h2>Officials prefer masks, social distancing to lockdowns</h2>The doctors said COVID is being spread in many places where people gather, including school events, parties after sports, places of worship, weddings and places where there is shared food and alcohol, especially restaurants and bar.&nbsp;"We have to assume when we are anywhere that everyone we are around has COVID right now, so you have to protect yourself, by not doing things and distancing and masking," said Dr. Allen Greiner, medical officer for the&nbsp;Kansas City Kansas Unified Government&nbsp;Public Health Department.&nbsp;LeMaster and Greiner&nbsp;said they did not think local governments will resort to lockdowns like the one the state saw in March and April.They said they did support mask mandates and social distancing.<h2>Fallacy of herd immunity</h2>The doctors also talked about false assumptions about herd immunity. About 12 percent of Johnson County's population has had COVID-19. However, 70 percent to 80 percent of the population would have to immunity to consider the population to have any sort of herd immunity.Even with common cough and cold coronaviruses, doctors know you can be reinfected within the same year, Hawkinson said. Published reports have reported infection with COVID-19 as little as 60 days after the first infection.He said physicians don't know what might happen when someone is reinfected. That person might have milder symptoms or they may have worse.Herd immunity will likely not be possible until a vaccine or effective treatment is widely available, Hawkinson said. Any attempt to pursue natural herd immunity would be dangerous, he said.<h2>At a tipping point</h2>LeMaster said we are a tipping point."The next thing that happens after where we are now is the hospitals are overwhelmed and there are people who need to go into the ICUs who are in our hospitals who are dying of COVID in the emergency room," he said."... or a heart attack or stroke," Stites added.

Kan. hospitals reaching capacity; rural hospitals struggle to find patients beds

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The head of the World Food Program says the Nobel Peace Prize has given the U.N. agency a spotlight and megaphone to warn world leaders that next year is going to be worse than this year, and without billions of dollars “we are going to have famines of biblical proportions in 2021.”

David Beasley said in an interview with The Associated Press that the Norwegian Nobel Committee was looking at the work the agency does every day in conflicts, disasters and refugee camps, often putting staffers’ lives at risk to feed millions of hungry people -- but also to send “a message to the world that it’s getting worse out there ... (and) that our hardest work is yet to come.”

“It was so timely because we’ve been fighting to get above the choir,” Beasley said of last month’s award, pointing to the news being dominated by the U.S. elections and the COVID-19 pandemic, and the difficulty of getting global attention focused on “the travesty that we’re facing around the world.”

“So this was really a gift from above,” Beasley said, recalling the surprise and delight of WFP’s 20,000 staffers worldwide, and his own shock at being interrupted during a meeting in Niger in Africa’s Sahel region with the news.

Beasley recalled his warning to the U.N. Security Council in April that as the world was dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, it was also “on the brink of a hunger pandemic” that could lead to “multiple famines of biblical proportions” within a few months if immediate action wasn’t taken.

“We were able to avert it in 2020 ... because the world leaders responded with money, stimulus packages, deferral of debt,” he said.

Now, Beasley said, COVID-19 is surging again, economies are continuing to deteriorate particularly in low- and middle-income countries, and there is another wave of lockdowns and shutdowns.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605525867097.png" alt="World Food Program (WFP) Executive Director David Beasley during a zoom conference Saturday" />
 <figcaption>World Food Program (WFP) Executive Director David Beasley during a zoom conference Saturday</figcaption>
 </figure>UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The head of the World Food Program says the Nobel Peace Prize has given the U.N. agency a spotlight and megaphone to warn world leaders that next year is going to be worse than this year, and without billions of dollars “we are going to have famines of biblical proportions in 2021.”David Beasley said in an interview with The Associated Press that the Norwegian Nobel Committee was looking at the work the agency does every day in conflicts, disasters and refugee camps, often putting staffers’ lives at risk to feed millions of hungry people -- but also to send “a message to the world that it’s getting worse out there ... (and) that our hardest work is yet to come.”“It was so timely because we’ve been fighting to get above the choir,” Beasley said of last month’s award, pointing to the news being dominated by the U.S. elections and the COVID-19 pandemic, and the difficulty of getting global attention focused on “the travesty that we’re facing around the world.”“So this was really a gift from above,” Beasley said, recalling the surprise and delight of WFP’s 20,000 staffers worldwide, and his own shock at being interrupted during a meeting in Niger in Africa’s Sahel region with the news.Beasley recalled his warning to the U.N. Security Council in April that as the world was dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, it was also “on the brink of a hunger pandemic” that could lead to “multiple famines of biblical proportions” within a few months if immediate action wasn’t taken.“We were able to avert it in 2020 ... because the world leaders responded with money, stimulus packages, deferral of debt,” he said.Now, Beasley said, COVID-19 is surging again, economies are continuing to deteriorate particularly in low- and middle-income countries, and there is another wave of lockdowns and shutdowns.But he said the money that was available in 2020 isn’t going to be available in 2021, so he has been using the Nobel to meet leaders virtually and in person, talk to parliaments, and give speeches to sensitize those with power to “this tragedy that we are facing -- crises that really are going to be extraordinary over the next, who knows, 12 to 18 months.”“Everybody now wants to meet with the Nobel Peace Prize winner,” Beasley said, explaining he now gets 45 minutes instead of 15 minutes with leaders and is able to go into depth and explain how bad things are going to be next year and how leaders are going to have to prioritize programs. “And the response has really been good,” he said.“I’m telling them you’re not going to have enough money to fund all the projects you historically fund,” he said.“Those are important things,” Beasley said, but he likened the upcoming crisis to the Titanic saying “right now, we really need to focus on icebergs, and icebergs are famine, starvation, destabilization and migration.”Beasley said WFP needs $15 billion next year -- $5 billion just to avert famine and $10 billion to carry out the agency’s global programs including for malnourished children and school lunches which are often the only meal youngsters get.“If I could get that coupled with our normal money, then we avert famine around the world” and minimize destabilization as well as migration. he said.In addition to raising extra money from governments, Beasley said, his other “great hope” is that billionaires that have made billions during the COVID-19 pandemic will step up on a one-time basis. He plans to start pushing this message probably in December or January.In April, Beasley said 135 million people faced “crisis levels of hunger or worse.” A WFP analysis then showed that COVID=19 could push an additional 130 million people “to the brink of starvation by the end of 2020.”He said in Wednesday’s virtual interview from Rome, where WFP is based, that while famine was averted this year, the number of people facing crisis levels of hunger is increasing toward 270 million.“There’s about three dozen countries that could possibly enter the famine conditions if we don’t have the money we need,” Beasley said.According to a joint analysis by WFP and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in October, 20 countries “are likely to face potential spikes in high acute food insecurity” in the next three to six months, “and require urgent attention.”Of those, Yemen, South Sudan, northeastern Nigeria and Burkina Faso have some areas that “have reached a critical hunger situation following years of conflict or other shocks,” the U.N. agencies said, and any further deterioration in coming months “could lead to a risk of famine.”Other countries requiring “urgent attention” are Afghanistan, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Lebanon, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somali, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, they said.Beasley said a COVID-19 vaccine “will create some optimism that hopefully will help jump the economies around the world, particularly the Western economies. But the WFP executive director said there’s already been $17 billion of economic stimulus this year “and we’re not going to have that globally.”“We’re very, very, very concerned” that with deferred debt payments for low- and middle-income countries resuming in January, new lockdowns and the rippling economic impact, “2021’s going to be a very bad year,” Beasley said.