KSNT: Kansas bill seeks to prevent social media sites from blocking political speech. “After the 2020 election and the controversies that followed, Hutchinson Senator Mark Steffen decided to sponsor a bill to address what social media allows. The new proposal specifically states that harassing and objectionable speech cannot include political information or expression.”
Kansas Office of the Governor: Governor Laura Kelly Announces Kansas Find My Vaccine Tool. “Governor Laura Kelly today announced the launch of the ‘Find My Vaccine’ mapping tool, designed to help Kansans locate sites that are administering vaccines in their communities. The tool is available now on https://kansasvaccine.gov, Kansas’s COVID-19 vaccine website. Kansans in vaccine phase 1 and 2 are recommended to use this tool as a resource for finding providers who are or will be offering the vaccine.”
NBC News: ‘I do not feel safe’: Kansas GOP mayor resigns after threats over backing mask mandate. “A Republican mayor in western Kansas announced in a letter to city officials and on social media Tuesday that she is resigning, effective immediately, because of threats she has received after she publicly supported a mask mandate. Mayor Joyce Warshaw of Dodge City said she was concerned about her safety after being met with aggression, including threats via phone and email, after she was quoted in a USA Today article on Friday supporting the mandate, The Dodge City Globe reported.”
KSN: As virus spreads, Kansas hospital runs out of staff. “The radiology technician slept in an RV in the parking lot of his rural Kansas hospital for more than a week because his co-workers were out sick with COVID-19 and no one else was available to take X-rays. A doctor and physician assistant tested positive on the same day in November, briefly leaving the hospital without anyone who could write prescriptions or oversee patient care. The hospital is full, but diverting patients isn’t an option because surrounding medical centers are overwhelmed.”
KWCH: ACLU of Kansas launches data tool to encourage citizen participation in local government. “After compiling data from hundreds of open records requests, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas unveiled a database that breaks down and examines voter registration, racial justice and policing in the state.”
NPR: Mask Mandates Work To Slow Spread Of Coronavirus, Kansas Study Finds. “It has become the battle cry of public health officials around the world: ‘Wear a mask to slow the spread.’ Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new evidence supporting this advice. Researchers analyzed coronavirus infection rates in Kansas following a statewide mask mandate. They found that counties that chose to enforce the mandate saw their cases decrease. Counties that chose to opt out saw their cases continue to rise.”
KMBC: Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly issues new statewide mask mandate as COVID-19 cases soar. “Gov. Laura Kelly announced a new executive order that creates a statewide mask mandate designed to control the spread of the coronavirus in Kansas, as the state again reported another record seven-day increase in cases.”
Salina Post: New website shows where $1B in virus relief spent in Kansas. “Governor Laura Kelly announced the launch of the online investment dashboard to show how the $1.034 billion in Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) are being spent across Kansas.”
Kansas Reflector: ‘Manufactured crisis’: Mask hater enlists followers to defy mandates at Topeka, Manhattan businesses. “The facemask-despising owner of a martial arts school in St. Marys is enlisting like-minded science deniers to participate in mandate-defying flash mobs at Topeka and Manhattan businesses. Jason Harpe claims COVID-19 is a ‘manufactured crisis’ and mask mandates are a plot to test the public’s willingness to comply with government demands.”
Associated Press: 10 residents dead amid virus outbreak at Kansas nursing home. “The health department in Norton County reported Monday night that all 62 residents and an unspecified number of employees at the Andbe Home in Norton had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The agency also said one Andbe Home resident was hospitalized, while the remaining 51 were being treated at the home.”
KMBC: KDOL launches new website to track identity theft fraud during the COVID-19 outbreak. “The Kansas Department of Labor launched a new website… that helps people report identity theft fraud during the COVID-19 outbreak. The KDOL says scammers are filing fraudulent claims by using names and personal information of people who have not lost their jobs.”
Interesting. From Humanities Kansas: Humanities Hotline. “The toll-free Humanities Hotline delivers interesting short stories anytime, day or night. It’s simple: Dial 1-888-416-2018 and choose from a menu of humanities highlights. These bite-sized micropresentations cover Kansas stories – both serious and light-hearted – and are researched and presented by experts across the state.
KSHB: Data shows Kansas mask mandates have reduced COVID-19 cases. “Kansas counties with mask mandates in place have seen a decrease in COVID-19 cases, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman discussed the state-wide mask guidance issued by Governor Laura Kelly in late June during a Wednesday briefing. Enforcement was left up to individual counties after the Kansas legislature moved to limit the governor’s emergency powers in June.”
ABC News: Kansas school board rejects governor’s executive order delaying start of the school year. “As school districts across the country grapple with how and when to reopen safely during the coronavirus pandemic, the Kansas State Board of Education rejected Gov. Laura Kelly’s executive order delaying the start of the school year despite rising cases of COVID-19 in the state.”
US News & World Report: Old Tech Keeps Half of Kansas Lawmakers’ Disclosures Offline. “People who want to learn about Kansas legislators’ financial interests have about a 50% chance of finding the information online, according to a review of records by The Associated Press. To see a report that’s not online, a resident must visit or call the secretary of state’s office in Topeka and request a copy at 50 cents a page.”
