WICHITA, KAN. – A man from Arizona pleaded guilty last week to driving 11.5 pounds of pure methamphetamine from Phoenix to Kansas, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

&nbsp;Sergio Martinez-Carlos, 22, Monahan, Ariz., pleaded guilty to one count of interstate travel in furtherance of drug trafficking. In his plea, he admitted the Kingman County Sheriff’s Office stopped him and discovered the drugs hidden in speakers in the vehicle.

Sentencing is set for Jan. 19, 2021. He could face up to five&nbsp;years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603377299890.png" alt="Sergio Martinez-Carlos- Harvey Co. Jail" />
 <figcaption>Sergio Martinez-Carlos- Harvey Co. Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, KAN. – A man from Arizona pleaded guilty last week to driving 11.5 pounds of pure methamphetamine from Phoenix to Kansas, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.&nbsp;Sergio Martinez-Carlos, 22, Monahan, Ariz., pleaded guilty to one count of interstate travel in furtherance of drug trafficking. In his plea, he admitted the Kingman County Sheriff’s Office stopped him and discovered the drugs hidden in speakers in the vehicle.Sentencing is set for Jan. 19, 2021. He could face up to five&nbsp;years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.

Man caught in Kansas hid meth in car's speakers 

SEDGWICK COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting at an after-hours club. 

Costella Reed, 41, of Wichita died after being shot early Saturday at the Apple Lounge in the 3200 Block of north Broadway in Wichita. 

Police say he was inside the club when a disturbance broke out. One shot was fired and Reed was hit. Police say it was not a random shooting. The suspect has not been arrested.

SEDGWICK COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting at an after-hours club. Costella Reed, 41, of Wichita died after being shot early Saturday at the Apple Lounge in the 3200 Block of north Broadway in Wichita. Police say he was inside the club when a disturbance broke out. One shot was fired and Reed was hit. Police say it was not a random shooting. The suspect has not been arrested.

Man killed in shooting at Kan. after-hours club

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly Thursday announced the groundbreaking for a new Empirical Foods ground beef facility in Garden City.

The planned facility, which is now the largest single investment in the company’s 40-year history, will bring 250 new jobs and more than $250 million in capital investment to Garden City and Finney County.

“Empirical Foods made a smart decision in choosing to do business in a community with so much to offer in excellent schools, infrastructure, and quality-of-life amenities for employees and their families,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“Projects like this will continue to strengthen our state’s foundation and help us attract more companies, like Empirical, to do business in Kansas.”

Secretary of Commerce David Toland joined company officials at the Garden City site for a groundbreaking on Thursday morning.

“This major investment is another huge win in our state’s effort to secure our food systems, now and into the future,”&nbsp;Secretary Toland said.&nbsp;“Empirical Foods is a terrific company with high standards of excellence. This is an exciting day for this company, for Garden City and for our state.”

Empirical Foods’ decision to expand comes as the result of increased demand for lean ground beef, requiring a significant boost in processing and manufacturing. When the location is fully operational, the Garden City facility will more than double Empirical’s ground beef production.

“The Kansas agriculture strategic growth project has identified expansion of value-added beef processing in Kansas as a desired outcome,”&nbsp;Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam said. “The investment of this facility helps to further solidify Kansas’ role and reputation as a recognized leader in the beef industry.”

“After a long evaluation period to identify the perfect location for our new facility, we were pleased to settle on Garden City and could not have identified a better, more welcoming community,”&nbsp;Nick Roth, president of Empirical Technology, Inc. said.&nbsp;“The State of Kansas, Garden City and the Finney County Economic Development Corporation have been excellent partners to the beef industry and companies like ours.”

Construction on the plant is expected to be finished between 2022 and 2023.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603481459607.png" alt="Labor Secretary David Toland attending the ground breaking-photo courtesy Kansas Dept. of Labor" />
 <figcaption>Labor Secretary David Toland attending the ground breaking-photo courtesy Kansas Dept. of Labor</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly Thursday announced the groundbreaking for a new Empirical Foods ground beef facility in Garden City.The planned facility, which is now the largest single investment in the company’s 40-year history, will bring 250 new jobs and more than $250 million in capital investment to Garden City and Finney County.“Empirical Foods made a smart decision in choosing to do business in a community with so much to offer in excellent schools, infrastructure, and quality-of-life amenities for employees and their families,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“Projects like this will continue to strengthen our state’s foundation and help us attract more companies, like Empirical, to do business in Kansas.”Secretary of Commerce David Toland joined company officials at the Garden City site for a groundbreaking on Thursday morning.“This major investment is another huge win in our state’s effort to secure our food systems, now and into the future,”&nbsp;Secretary Toland said.&nbsp;“Empirical Foods is a terrific company with high standards of excellence. This is an exciting day for this company, for Garden City and for our state.”Empirical Foods’ decision to expand comes as the result of increased demand for lean ground beef, requiring a significant boost in processing and manufacturing. When the location is fully operational, the Garden City facility will more than double Empirical’s ground beef production.“The Kansas agriculture strategic growth project has identified expansion of value-added beef processing in Kansas as a desired outcome,”&nbsp;Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam said. “The investment of this facility helps to further solidify Kansas’ role and reputation as a recognized leader in the beef industry.”“After a long evaluation period to identify the perfect location for our new facility, we were pleased to settle on Garden City and could not have identified a better, more welcoming community,”&nbsp;Nick Roth, president of Empirical Technology, Inc. said.&nbsp;“The State of Kansas, Garden City and the Finney County Economic Development Corporation have been excellent partners to the beef industry and companies like ours.”Construction on the plant is expected to be finished between 2022 and 2023.

New beef plant will bring 250 jobs to SW Kansas

SEDGWICK COUNTY — A Kansas man arrested Oct. 18 in connection with a violent attack on woman made his first court appearance in the case this week.

Deadrian Burns, 30, Wichita, is charged with&nbsp;aggravated kidnapping, 2 counts of aggravated battery, 2 counts of aggravated domestic battery, aggravated endangering a child, criminal threat, and a misdemeanor count of battery, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

Just after 11:30 p.m. October 18, police responded to an assault call at a residence in the 5100 block of East New Jersey Drive in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson. 

Upon arrival, officers located 30-year-old Deadrian Burns physically fighting with a 44-year-old man outside of the residence. 

Police also contacted a 25-year-old&nbsp; woman after she locked herself in a vehicle with her two-month-old son. EMS transported the 25-year-old and her 2-month-old to a local hospital with serious injuries, according to Davidson.

The investigation revealed that Burns, his 25-year-old ex-girlfriend, and her 44-year-old family member were at the residence celebrating a birthday. Burns and the 44-year-old man left together to go to a store. While at the store, they got into a verbal argument, and the 44-year-old left, leaving Burns behind. Burns walked back to the residence and assaulted the 25-year-old woman, threatened her, and strangled her to the point of unconsciousness. He also dropped the 2-month-old on the ground outside.

Burns then called the 44-year-old and threatened to harm the 25-year-old if he did not return to the house. When he arrived, the two physically fought while the woman locked herself in a vehicle and called 911.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a man after a violent attack on a woman.

Just after 11:30 p.m. Sunday, police responded to an assault call at a residence in the 5100 block of East New Jersey Drive in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson. 

Police arrested Burns on requested charges of&nbsp;attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery.&nbsp; He remains jailed on a $100,000 bond, according to<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1533/DRAFT-COVID-19-Vaccination-Plan-for-Kansas-Version11-10162020"> online jail records.</a>

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603225539777.png" alt="Burns-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Burns-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — A Kansas man arrested Oct. 18 in connection with a violent attack on woman made his first court appearance in the case this week.Deadrian Burns, 30, Wichita, is charged with&nbsp;aggravated kidnapping, 2 counts of aggravated battery, 2 counts of aggravated domestic battery, aggravated endangering a child, criminal threat, and a misdemeanor count of battery, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.Just after 11:30 p.m. October 18, police responded to an assault call at a residence in the 5100 block of East New Jersey Drive in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson. Upon arrival, officers located 30-year-old Deadrian Burns physically fighting with a 44-year-old man outside of the residence. Police also contacted a 25-year-old&nbsp; woman after she locked herself in a vehicle with her two-month-old son. EMS transported the 25-year-old and her 2-month-old to a local hospital with serious injuries, according to Davidson.The investigation revealed that Burns, his 25-year-old ex-girlfriend, and her 44-year-old family member were at the residence celebrating a birthday. Burns and the 44-year-old man left together to go to a store. While at the store, they got into a verbal argument, and the 44-year-old left, leaving Burns behind. Burns walked back to the residence and assaulted the 25-year-old woman, threatened her, and strangled her to the point of unconsciousness. He also dropped the 2-month-old on the ground outside.Burns then called the 44-year-old and threatened to harm the 25-year-old if he did not return to the house. When he arrived, the two physically fought while the woman locked herself in a vehicle and called 911.------SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a man after a violent attack on a woman.Just after 11:30 p.m. Sunday, police responded to an assault call at a residence in the 5100 block of East New Jersey Drive in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson. Upon arrival, officers located 30-year-old Deadrian Burns physically fighting with a 44-year-old man outside of the residence. Police also contacted a 25-year-old&nbsp; woman after she locked herself in a vehicle with her two-month-old son. EMS transported the 25-year-old and her 2-month-old to a local hospital with serious injuries, according to Davidson.The investigation revealed that Burns, his 25-year-old ex-girlfriend, and her 44-year-old family member were at the residence celebrating a birthday. Burns and the 44-year-old man left together to go to a store. While at the store, they got into a verbal argument, and the 44-year-old left, leaving Burns behind. Burns walked back to the residence and assaulted the 25-year-old woman, threatened her, and strangled her to the point of unconsciousness. He also dropped the 2-month-old on the ground outside.Burns then called the 44-year-old and threatened to harm the 25-year-old if he did not return to the house. When he arrived, the two physically fought while the woman locked herself in a vehicle and called 911.Police arrested Burns on requested charges of&nbsp;attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery.&nbsp; He remains jailed on a $100,000 bond, according to<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1533/DRAFT-COVID-19-Vaccination-Plan-for-Kansas-Version11-10162020"> online jail records.</a>The case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.

Kan. man charged for violent attack on woman, infant

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans voted overwhelmingly Sunday to advance Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett toward final confirmation despite Democratic objections, just over a week before the presidential election. The vote was 51-48.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?477226-1/senate-limits-debate-30-hours-judge-barrett-confirmation-final-vote-expected-monday-evening&amp;live">Click here</a> to watch Sunday's debate and vote in the U.S. Senate

Barrett's confirmation on Monday was hardly in doubt, with majority Republicans mostly united in support behind President Donald Trump's pick. But Democrats were poised to keep the Senate in session into the night in attempts to stall, arguing that the Nov. 3 election winner should choose the nominee to fill the vacancy left by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Republicans are excited by the chance to install a third Trump justice on the court, locking in a conservative majority for years to come. Barrett's ascent opens up a potential new era of rulings on abortion, gay marriage and the Affordable Care Act. A case against the Obama-era health law scheduled to be heard Nov. 10.

Vice President Mike Pence would typically preside over the coming votes, but after a close aide tested positive for the COVID-19, it was unclear whether he will fulfill his role for the landmark vote.

The conservative judge picked up the crucial backing Saturday from Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, one of the last GOP holdouts against filling the seat in the midst of a White House election and with more than 50 million people already having voted.

Murkowski said she disliked the rush toward confirmation, but supported Trump's choice of Barrett for the high court. “While I oppose the process that has led us to this point, I do not hold it against her,” Murkowski said.

Now the only Republican expected to vote against Barrett is Collins, who faces a tight reelection in Maine. She has said she won’t vote for the nominee so close to the election.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., noted the political rancor, but defended his handling of the process.

“Our recent debates have been heated, but curiously talk of Judge Barrett’s actual credentials or qualifications are hardly featured,” McConnell said. He said she was one of the most “impressive” nominees for public office “in a generation.”

Calling it a “sham,” Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York warned Republicans the only way to remove the “stain” of their action would be to “withdraw the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett until after the election.”

Barrett, 48, presented herself in public testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee as a neutral arbiter and at one point suggested, “It's not the law of Amy.” But Barrett's past writings against abortion and a ruling on “Obamacare” show a deeply conservative thinker.

“She’s a conservative woman who embraces her faith, she’s unabashedly pro-life but she’s not going to apply ‘the law of Amy’ to all of us,” said the committee chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said late Saturday on Fox.

At the start of Trump's presidency, McConnell engineered a Senate rules change to allow confirmation by a majority of the 100 senators, rather than the 60-vote threshold traditionally needed to advance high court nominees over objections. With a 53-47 GOP majority, Barrett’s confirmation is almost certain.

By pushing for Barrett's ascension so close to the Nov. 3 election, Trump and his Republican allies are counting on a campaign boost, in much the way they believe McConnell's refusal to allow the Senate to consider President Barack Obama's nominee in February 2016 created excitement for Trump among conservatives and evangelical Christians eager for the Republican president to make that nomination after Justice Antonin Scalia's death.

Barrett was a professor at Notre Dame Law School when she was tapped by Trump in 2017 for an appeals court opening. Two Democrats joined at that time to confirm her, but none is expected to vote for her in the days ahead.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603649528848.png" alt="In a rare Sunday session, the U.S. Senate voted 51-48 to limit debate on Judge Amy Coney Barrett Supreme Court confirmation.&nbsp; A final vote is expected Monday evening. image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>In a rare Sunday session, the U.S. Senate voted 51-48 to limit debate on Judge Amy Coney Barrett Supreme Court confirmation.&nbsp; A final vote is expected Monday evening. image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans voted overwhelmingly Sunday to advance Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett toward final confirmation despite Democratic objections, just over a week before the presidential election. The vote was 51-48.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?477226-1/senate-limits-debate-30-hours-judge-barrett-confirmation-final-vote-expected-monday-evening&amp;live">Click here</a> to watch Sunday's debate and vote in the U.S. SenateBarrett's confirmation on Monday was hardly in doubt, with majority Republicans mostly united in support behind President Donald Trump's pick. But Democrats were poised to keep the Senate in session into the night in attempts to stall, arguing that the Nov. 3 election winner should choose the nominee to fill the vacancy left by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.Republicans are excited by the chance to install a third Trump justice on the court, locking in a conservative majority for years to come. Barrett's ascent opens up a potential new era of rulings on abortion, gay marriage and the Affordable Care Act. A case against the Obama-era health law scheduled to be heard Nov. 10.Vice President Mike Pence would typically preside over the coming votes, but after a close aide tested positive for the COVID-19, it was unclear whether he will fulfill his role for the landmark vote.The conservative judge picked up the crucial backing Saturday from Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, one of the last GOP holdouts against filling the seat in the midst of a White House election and with more than 50 million people already having voted.Murkowski said she disliked the rush toward confirmation, but supported Trump's choice of Barrett for the high court. “While I oppose the process that has led us to this point, I do not hold it against her,” Murkowski said.Now the only Republican expected to vote against Barrett is Collins, who faces a tight reelection in Maine. She has said she won’t vote for the nominee so close to the election.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., noted the political rancor, but defended his handling of the process.“Our recent debates have been heated, but curiously talk of Judge Barrett’s actual credentials or qualifications are hardly featured,” McConnell said. He said she was one of the most “impressive” nominees for public office “in a generation.”Calling it a “sham,” Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York warned Republicans the only way to remove the “stain” of their action would be to “withdraw the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett until after the election.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602680597552.png" alt="Judge Barrett during day 3 of her confirmation hearing -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Judge Barrett during day 3 of her confirmation hearing -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>Barrett, 48, presented herself in public testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee as a neutral arbiter and at one point suggested, “It's not the law of Amy.” But Barrett's past writings against abortion and a ruling on “Obamacare” show a deeply conservative thinker.“She’s a conservative woman who embraces her faith, she’s unabashedly pro-life but she’s not going to apply ‘the law of Amy’ to all of us,” said the committee chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said late Saturday on Fox.At the start of Trump's presidency, McConnell engineered a Senate rules change to allow confirmation by a majority of the 100 senators, rather than the 60-vote threshold traditionally needed to advance high court nominees over objections. With a 53-47 GOP majority, Barrett’s confirmation is almost certain.By pushing for Barrett's ascension so close to the Nov. 3 election, Trump and his Republican allies are counting on a campaign boost, in much the way they believe McConnell's refusal to allow the Senate to consider President Barack Obama's nominee in February 2016 created excitement for Trump among conservatives and evangelical Christians eager for the Republican president to make that nomination after Justice Antonin Scalia's death.Barrett was a professor at Notre Dame Law School when she was tapped by Trump in 2017 for an appeals court opening. Two Democrats joined at that time to confirm her, but none is expected to vote for her in the days ahead.

🎥  Sunday vote: Senate advances Supreme Court nomination

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-10-22/kansas-is-among-a-shrinking-number-of-states-that-dont-protect-people-from-surprise-medical-bills">Kansas News Service</a>

Kansans remain among the most vulnerable in the country to <a href="https://www.khi.org/policy/article/VE-10-29" target="_blank">surprise medical bills</a> — charges from outside an insurance network that the consumer only discovers after treatment.

A new research brief from the Kansas Health Institute <a href="https://www.khi.org/assets/uploads/news/15065/smb-f.pdf" target="_blank">points to studies</a>
 suggesting the charges are common in Kansas. It’s part of a shrinking 
minority of states yet to pass laws reining in the practice.

Surprise
 medical bills happen when a patient gets care at an in-network 
hospital, clinic or doctor’s office, only to get hit with <a href="https://khn.org/news/ever-heard-of-a-surgical-assistant-meet-a-new-boost-to-your-medical-bills/" target="_blank">third-party</a>, out-of-network bills for services such as anesthesia or lab tests.

Other times, <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-07-21/what-it-took-for-this-coronavirus-patients-80-000-air-ambulance-charge-to-go-away" target="_blank">medical emergencies</a> land people in ambulances and emergency rooms where their insurance doesn’t help much.

In
 both scenarios, the surprise charges result from services where the 
patient had no choice between out-of-network and in-network options.

Figuring out how common this is isn’t easy. Pricing and billing practices are proprietary information <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-09-25/employers-compared-notes-on-secret-prices-at-kansas-hospitals-to-boost-their-leverage-on-costs" target="_blank">largely hidden</a> from the public’s view. There is no complete national data to turn to.

But researchers use a variety of insurance databases and other sources to gauge the situation as best they can.

The <a href="https://healthcostinstitute.org/out-of-network-billing/oon-physician-bills-at-in-network-hospitals" target="_blank">Health Care Cost Institute</a>
 has built up one such trove. When it scoured more than 600,000 claims 
for people who sought in-network inpatient care in 37 states, Kansas 
came second only to Florida for the highest rate of out-of-network 
charges.

One in four patients in Kansas ended up with out-of-network services through an in-network hospital.

Researchers who dug into another database with <a href="https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/an-examination-of-surprise-medical-bills-and-proposals-to-protect-consumers-from-them-3/" target="_blank">19 million claims</a> from 40 states found Kansas ranked fifth for how often emergency room patients got those out-of-network charges. The Kansas News Service reported on that research <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-01-07/getting-health-care-in-kansas-your-odds-may-be-worse-here-that-youll-get-a-surprise-bill" target="_blank">earlier this year</a>.

A <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-02-12/surprise-medical-bills-leave-kansans-struggling-to-pay-lawmakers-say-these-ideas-would-help" target="_blank">proposal</a>
 to curb surprise medical bills failed in the Kansas Legislature last 
spring. Other statehouses did pass such legislation this year, however, 
bringing to 31 the total number of states with at least some consumer 
protections against surprise billing.

Other ideas to require 
doctors and hospitals to give patients better cost estimates prior to 
care also failed to pass the Kansas Legislature this year.

Health 
care providers say calculating meaningful estimates is difficult because
 various billers can exist under a single roof and a patient’s care may 
prove more complex than originally thought. They also say patients would
 need to understand how the estimates fit with their own insurance plan 
deductibles and copays.

Hospitals are appealing a new Trump administration rule <a href="https://khn.org/morning-breakout/judge-upholds-trumps-transparency-policy-that-would-force-hospitals-to-reveal-negotiated-prices/" target="_blank">in court</a> that could soon force them to make their prices public.

The
 Kansas Health Institute is a nonprofit research group that receives 
funding from the Kansas Health Foundation, one of the Kansas News 
Service’s financial supporters.

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/2020/10/1603379634445.png" alt="Lab work and for anesthesiology are examples of typical services that can lead to surprise out-of-network bills even if you pick a hospital in your insurance network. Celia Llopis-Jepsen / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Lab work and for anesthesiology are examples of typical services that can lead to surprise out-of-network bills even if you pick a hospital in your insurance network. Celia Llopis-Jepsen / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-10-22/kansas-is-among-a-shrinking-number-of-states-that-dont-protect-people-from-surprise-medical-bills">Kansas News Service</a>Kansans remain among the most vulnerable in the country to <a href="https://www.khi.org/policy/article/VE-10-29" target="_blank">surprise medical bills</a> — charges from outside an insurance network that the consumer only discovers after treatment.A new research brief from the Kansas Health Institute <a href="https://www.khi.org/assets/uploads/news/15065/smb-f.pdf" target="_blank">points to studies</a>
 suggesting the charges are common in Kansas. It’s part of a shrinking 
minority of states yet to pass laws reining in the practice.Surprise
 medical bills happen when a patient gets care at an in-network 
hospital, clinic or doctor’s office, only to get hit with <a href="https://khn.org/news/ever-heard-of-a-surgical-assistant-meet-a-new-boost-to-your-medical-bills/" target="_blank">third-party</a>, out-of-network bills for services such as anesthesia or lab tests.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1601308401778.png" alt="This story is part of the series, Bills of Health. Do you have a medical bill from Kansas that you want to share with a reporter? Email celia@kcur.org." />
 <figcaption>This story is part of the series, Bills of Health. Do you have a medical bill from Kansas that you want to share with a reporter? Email celia@kcur.org.</figcaption>
 </figure>Other times, <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-07-21/what-it-took-for-this-coronavirus-patients-80-000-air-ambulance-charge-to-go-away" target="_blank">medical emergencies</a> land people in ambulances and emergency rooms where their insurance doesn’t help much.In
 both scenarios, the surprise charges result from services where the 
patient had no choice between out-of-network and in-network options.Figuring out how common this is isn’t easy. Pricing and billing practices are proprietary information <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-09-25/employers-compared-notes-on-secret-prices-at-kansas-hospitals-to-boost-their-leverage-on-costs" target="_blank">largely hidden</a> from the public’s view. There is no complete national data to turn to.But researchers use a variety of insurance databases and other sources to gauge the situation as best they can.The <a href="https://healthcostinstitute.org/out-of-network-billing/oon-physician-bills-at-in-network-hospitals" target="_blank">Health Care Cost Institute</a>
 has built up one such trove. When it scoured more than 600,000 claims 
for people who sought in-network inpatient care in 37 states, Kansas 
came second only to Florida for the highest rate of out-of-network 
charges.One in four patients in Kansas ended up with out-of-network services through an in-network hospital.Researchers who dug into another database with <a href="https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/an-examination-of-surprise-medical-bills-and-proposals-to-protect-consumers-from-them-3/" target="_blank">19 million claims</a> from 40 states found Kansas ranked fifth for how often emergency room patients got those out-of-network charges. The Kansas News Service reported on that research <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-01-07/getting-health-care-in-kansas-your-odds-may-be-worse-here-that-youll-get-a-surprise-bill" target="_blank">earlier this year</a>.A <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-02-12/surprise-medical-bills-leave-kansans-struggling-to-pay-lawmakers-say-these-ideas-would-help" target="_blank">proposal</a>
 to curb surprise medical bills failed in the Kansas Legislature last 
spring. Other statehouses did pass such legislation this year, however, 
bringing to 31 the total number of states with at least some consumer 
protections against surprise billing.Other ideas to require 
doctors and hospitals to give patients better cost estimates prior to 
care also failed to pass the Kansas Legislature this year.Health 
care providers say calculating meaningful estimates is difficult because
 various billers can exist under a single roof and a patient’s care may 
prove more complex than originally thought. They also say patients would
 need to understand how the estimates fit with their own insurance plan 
deductibles and copays.Hospitals are appealing a new Trump administration rule <a href="https://khn.org/morning-breakout/judge-upholds-trumps-transparency-policy-that-would-force-hospitals-to-reveal-negotiated-prices/" target="_blank">in court</a> that could soon force them to make their prices public.The
 Kansas Health Institute is a nonprofit research group that receives 
funding from the Kansas Health Foundation, one of the Kansas News 
Service’s financial supporters.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. among few states that don't protect against surprise medical bills

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating an alleged homicide released the name of the victim as 40-year-old Amber Dawn Slankard.

Shortly after 9:00 a.m. Friday, deputies were sent to 7910 E 109th Street North in rural Sedgwick County to assist EMS, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Benjamin Blick.

 When they arrived they found a Slankard with critical injuries. 

EMS transported her to Via Christi St. Francis and she later died of her injuries. 

The victim’s husband Craig Johnston, 42, was transported to Sheriff Investigations and later booked on requested charges of Second Degree Murder and violations of the Offender Registration Act, according to Blick.&nbsp;

 Johnston has a previous conviction from Illinois in 1997 for aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim between the age of 13-16, according to the Offender Registry.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating the death of a woman and have made an arrest.

 When they arrived they found a 40-year-old woman with critical injuries. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603540130048.png" alt="Craig Johnston-photo Sedgwick County." />
 <figcaption>Craig Johnston-photo Sedgwick County.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating an alleged homicide released the name of the victim as 40-year-old Amber Dawn Slankard.Shortly after 9:00 a.m. Friday, deputies were sent to 7910 E 109th Street North in rural Sedgwick County to assist EMS, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Benjamin Blick. When they arrived they found a Slankard with critical injuries. EMS transported her to Via Christi St. Francis and she later died of her injuries. The victim’s husband Craig Johnston, 42, was transported to Sheriff Investigations and later booked on requested charges of Second Degree Murder and violations of the Offender Registration Act, according to Blick.&nbsp; Johnston has a previous conviction from Illinois in 1997 for aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim between the age of 13-16, according to the Offender Registry.--------------SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating the death of a woman and have made an arrest.Shortly after 9:00 a.m. Friday, deputies were sent to 7910 E 109th Street North in rural Sedgwick County to assist EMS, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Benjamin Blick. When they arrived they found a 40-year-old woman with critical injuries. EMS transported her to Via Christi St. Francis and she later died of her injuries. The victim’s husband Craig Johnston, 42, was transported to Sheriff Investigations and later booked on requested charges of Second Degree Murder and violations of the Offender Registration Act, according to Blick.&nbsp; Johnston has a previous conviction from Illinois in 1997 for aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim between the age of 13-16, according to the Offender Registry.

Update: Sex offender accused of wife's murder in Kansas

Read the Report: Kan. officer needs de-escalation refresher

By JIM MCLEAN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2020-10-21/a-fear-of-the-other-party-fuels-culture-war-in-kansas-u-s-senate-race">Kansaas News Service</a>

EL DORADO, Kansas — The culture war issues that are polarizing
 national politics are also front and center in Kansas’ U.S. Senate 
contest: race, guns, abortion, climate change.

Supporters of 
Republican candidate Roger Marshall fear a wave of Democratic victories 
will trigger radical changes in the nation’s economy and culture; that 
capitalism will give way to socialism, undocumented immigrants will 
stream across the U.S.-Mexico border and individual liberties will be 
threatened.

Voters who favor Democratic candidate Barbara Bollier 
talk with similar alarm about what might happen if President Donald 
Trump wins a second term and Republicans keep their Senate majority — 
further erosion of democratic institutions and dire consequences for 
failing to act on climate change and long-neglected racial issues.

“No
 other Western democracy is remotely as polarized as America,” said 
Mugambi Jouet, an assistant law professor at Canada’s McGill University 
and author of the book, “Exceptional America: What Divides Americans 
From the World and From Each Other.”

A Democrat hasn’t won a U.S. Senate race in Kansas since the Great Depression, but <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/kansas/" target="_blank">several recent polls</a> suggest this year’s contest could be close.

Marshall,
 a two-term congressman from western Kansas, is urging GOP voters to 
close ranks behind him, warning them that the Kansas race could 
determine whether Republicans keep their Senate majority.

At an early October event in El Dorado, he rallied his base by 
ticking through a list of “radical” changes that he believes Democrats 
would make if given the opportunity.

“They want to take away our freedoms of speech, our freedoms of religion,” Marshall said.

Continuing
 down a list of hot-button issues, he said they also want to “take away 
our Second Amendment” and lift all restrictions on late-term abortions.

“But I’m going up there to stop all that from happening,” he said.

Bollier,
 a state senator from the Kansas City suburbs who switched parties in 
2018, is instead hoping to capitalize on voter frustration with 
Washington, D.C., and promising to bridge the partisan divide.

“I’m
 not interested in the big political fights that get us nowhere,” 
Bollier said in a speech after winning the Democratic nomination in 
August. “I’m going to roll up my sleeves, find partners across the aisle
 … and simply find ways to get things done.”

That’s easier said 
than done given that much of what she supports — expanding the 
Affordable Care Act and making changes to immigration policy and police 
departments — will likely encounter stiff opposition from Republicans.

Surveys
 from the Pew Research Center show divisions between Republicans and 
Democrats on a range of fundamental political values deepened during 
Trump’s presidency, surpassing once-record levels reached during Barack 
Obama’s two terms.

The vast majority of Republicans and Democrats,
 81% of respondents in both parties, have unfavorable views of the other
 side, according to a <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2017/10/05/the-partisan-divide-on-political-values-grows-even-wider/" target="_blank">2017 Pew report.</a>
 That same survey showed Americans were increasingly less likely to 
interact with people who held different political views or to seek out 
information that challenged their beliefs.

Entrenched mindsets 
tied to the principles of individual liberty and religious freedom are 
contributing factors, said Jouet, the author of the book on 
polarization. They reinforce what he says is an anti-intellectual 
undercurrent that flows through American politics, which in recent 
decades has become stronger with the growth of Christian fundamentalism.

“Religion plays a much more important role in American politics than in other western democracies,” he said.

About 40 percent of Americans self-identify as evangelicals, according to a<a href="https://news.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/235208/things-know-evangelicals-america.aspx" target="_blank"> 2018 Gallup Poll.</a>

Hal Neukirch stood out at the 
Republican rally in El Dorado. Wearing a bright red “Kansas for Trump” 
hat, the retired aerospace worker said he’s backing the president even 
though it’s cost him friends — including one he’s known for 50 years — 
because he believes a Trump defeat would trigger “a massive swing to … 
socialism.”

“Some people have their heads in the sand to think that we wouldn’t go that way,” he said, “but I truly believe we will.”

At
 a GOP tour stop in Overland Park, Marian Stevens said she supports 
Trump because God chose him to “save this country.” His defeat, she 
said, would trigger the “end times”

“It would mean this country is asking to be removed from God’s grace and he would take his arms from around us,” Stevens said.

Democrats,
 independents and a smattering of moderate Republicans at a Bollier 
rally in Salina had different concerns if Trump is re-elected and 
Democrats don’t gain enough power in Congress to check him.

"I 
think our democracy is on the line," said Dee Williamston, a district 
leader for the United Methodist Church in Kansas. "Hands down, this is 
the most important election in the 21st century."

Williamston is 
Black, and pushed Bollier on whether she supports the Black Lives Matter
 movement and efforts to change policing. And overall, Williamston said,
 if Trump wins a second term, she believes there would be further 
attacks on voting rights and policies aimed at ending racial inequities.

“They have their head in the sand when it comes to issues around 
race, power and privilege,” Williamston said, referring to the president
 and Republicans in Congress.

But Marshall, whose father was the 
police chief of El Dorado for 25 years, decries “the violence” that he 
said Black Lives Matter protests triggered in some U.S. cities. In an 
interview, he said systemic racism and police violence against people of
 color might be a problem in some parts of the country, but not in 
Kansas.

“I don’t see that,” he said. “I just really, really don’t.”

There’s
 yet another divisive issue, brought back into the forefront with the 
U.S. Supreme Court nomination hearings, and that’s abortion. Pam 
McIntyre, a Bollier supporter from Salina, is concerned the Senate race 
could turn on the issue.

“I have some friends that are literally 
one-issue voters,” McIntyre said. “I try so desperately to get them to 
see that pro-life is so much more than just birthing a baby.”

Marshall, who is a retired obstetrician, and Republican political action committees are attacking Bollier in campaign ads for<a href="https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/119434/barbara-bollier/2/abortion" target="_blank"> voting against a 2015 measure</a> to ban a relatively rare procedure known as a dilation and evacuation abortion.

That
 measure was struck down in 2019 by the Kansas Supreme Court when it 
ruled that Kansans have a constitutional right to an abortion. And the 
Kansas House narrowly rejected a <a href="https://www.kcur.org/government/2020-02-07/four-kansas-republicans-stopped-their-partys-anti-abortion-bill-but-gop-says-its-not-over" target="_blank">proposed amendment </a>in the 2020 session that would have added language Constitution stating that there is no state right to abortion.

Bollier
 has consistently voted to protect Kansans’ abortion rights, saying 
women should be free to make their own choices in consultation with 
their doctors. A retired anesthesiologist, she also said it would have 
been malpractice for her to support an unconstitutional bill.

Jim McLean is the senior correspondent for the Kansas News Service. You can reach him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/jmcleanks?lang=en" target="_blank">@jmcleanks</a> or email jim@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603312925401.png" alt="El Dorado resident Hal Neukirch (right) attends an Oct. 3 rally for U.S. Senate candidate Roger Marshall and other Republican candidates. Jim McLean / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>El Dorado resident Hal Neukirch (right) attends an Oct. 3 rally for U.S. Senate candidate Roger Marshall and other Republican candidates. Jim McLean / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By JIM MCLEAN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2020-10-21/a-fear-of-the-other-party-fuels-culture-war-in-kansas-u-s-senate-race">Kansaas News Service</a>EL DORADO, Kansas — The culture war issues that are polarizing
 national politics are also front and center in Kansas’ U.S. Senate 
contest: race, guns, abortion, climate change.Supporters of 
Republican candidate Roger Marshall fear a wave of Democratic victories 
will trigger radical changes in the nation’s economy and culture; that 
capitalism will give way to socialism, undocumented immigrants will 
stream across the U.S.-Mexico border and individual liberties will be 
threatened.Voters who favor Democratic candidate Barbara Bollier 
talk with similar alarm about what might happen if President Donald 
Trump wins a second term and Republicans keep their Senate majority — 
further erosion of democratic institutions and dire consequences for 
failing to act on climate change and long-neglected racial issues.“No
 other Western democracy is remotely as polarized as America,” said 
Mugambi Jouet, an assistant law professor at Canada’s McGill University 
and author of the book, “Exceptional America: What Divides Americans 
From the World and From Each Other.”<h2>High stakes</h2>A Democrat hasn’t won a U.S. Senate race in Kansas since the Great Depression, but <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/kansas/" target="_blank">several recent polls</a> suggest this year’s contest could be close.Marshall,
 a two-term congressman from western Kansas, is urging GOP voters to 
close ranks behind him, warning them that the Kansas race could 
determine whether Republicans keep their Senate majority.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600877579297.png" alt="The Kansas News Service is a local partner with ProPublica's Electionland collaboration." />
 <figcaption>The Kansas News Service is a local partner with ProPublica's Electionland collaboration.</figcaption>
 </figure>At an early October event in El Dorado, he rallied his base by 
ticking through a list of “radical” changes that he believes Democrats 
would make if given the opportunity.“They want to take away our freedoms of speech, our freedoms of religion,” Marshall said.Continuing
 down a list of hot-button issues, he said they also want to “take away 
our Second Amendment” and lift all restrictions on late-term abortions.“But I’m going up there to stop all that from happening,” he said.Bollier,
 a state senator from the Kansas City suburbs who switched parties in 
2018, is instead hoping to capitalize on voter frustration with 
Washington, D.C., and promising to bridge the partisan divide.“I’m
 not interested in the big political fights that get us nowhere,” 
Bollier said in a speech after winning the Democratic nomination in 
August. “I’m going to roll up my sleeves, find partners across the aisle
 … and simply find ways to get things done.”That’s easier said 
than done given that much of what she supports — expanding the 
Affordable Care Act and making changes to immigration policy and police 
departments — will likely encounter stiff opposition from Republicans.<h2>Divide widening</h2>Surveys
 from the Pew Research Center show divisions between Republicans and 
Democrats on a range of fundamental political values deepened during 
Trump’s presidency, surpassing once-record levels reached during Barack 
Obama’s two terms.The vast majority of Republicans and Democrats,
 81% of respondents in both parties, have unfavorable views of the other
 side, according to a <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2017/10/05/the-partisan-divide-on-political-values-grows-even-wider/" target="_blank">2017 Pew report.</a>
 That same survey showed Americans were increasingly less likely to 
interact with people who held different political views or to seek out 
information that challenged their beliefs.Entrenched mindsets 
tied to the principles of individual liberty and religious freedom are 
contributing factors, said Jouet, the author of the book on 
polarization. They reinforce what he says is an anti-intellectual 
undercurrent that flows through American politics, which in recent 
decades has become stronger with the growth of Christian fundamentalism.“Religion plays a much more important role in American politics than in other western democracies,” he said.About 40 percent of Americans self-identify as evangelicals, according to a<a href="https://news.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/235208/things-know-evangelicals-america.aspx" target="_blank"> 2018 Gallup Poll.</a><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603313030746.png" alt="Marian Stevens shows her support for President Donald Trump at an Oct. 7 rally in Overland Park, Kansas, for U.S. Senate candidate Roger Marshall and other Republicans. Jim McLean" />
 <figcaption>Marian Stevens shows her support for President Donald Trump at an Oct. 7 rally in Overland Park, Kansas, for U.S. Senate candidate Roger Marshall and other Republicans. Jim McLean</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Voters’ concerns</h2>Hal Neukirch stood out at the 
Republican rally in El Dorado. Wearing a bright red “Kansas for Trump” 
hat, the retired aerospace worker said he’s backing the president even 
though it’s cost him friends — including one he’s known for 50 years — 
because he believes a Trump defeat would trigger “a massive swing to … 
socialism.”“Some people have their heads in the sand to think that we wouldn’t go that way,” he said, “but I truly believe we will.”At
 a GOP tour stop in Overland Park, Marian Stevens said she supports 
Trump because God chose him to “save this country.” His defeat, she 
said, would trigger the “end times”“It would mean this country is asking to be removed from God’s grace and he would take his arms from around us,” Stevens said.Democrats,
 independents and a smattering of moderate Republicans at a Bollier 
rally in Salina had different concerns if Trump is re-elected and 
Democrats don’t gain enough power in Congress to check him."I 
think our democracy is on the line," said Dee Williamston, a district 
leader for the United Methodist Church in Kansas. "Hands down, this is 
the most important election in the 21st century."Williamston is 
Black, and pushed Bollier on whether she supports the Black Lives Matter
 movement and efforts to change policing. And overall, Williamston said,
 if Trump wins a second term, she believes there would be further 
attacks on voting rights and policies aimed at ending racial inequities.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603313073801.png" alt="Dee Williamston (left) listens to Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Barbara Bollier at a Sept. 26 rally in Salina. Jim McLean" />
 <figcaption>Dee Williamston (left) listens to Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Barbara Bollier at a Sept. 26 rally in Salina. Jim McLean</figcaption>
 </figure>“They have their head in the sand when it comes to issues around 
race, power and privilege,” Williamston said, referring to the president
 and Republicans in Congress.But Marshall, whose father was the 
police chief of El Dorado for 25 years, decries “the violence” that he 
said Black Lives Matter protests triggered in some U.S. cities. In an 
interview, he said systemic racism and police violence against people of
 color might be a problem in some parts of the country, but not in 
Kansas.“I don’t see that,” he said. “I just really, really don’t.”There’s
 yet another divisive issue, brought back into the forefront with the 
U.S. Supreme Court nomination hearings, and that’s abortion. Pam 
McIntyre, a Bollier supporter from Salina, is concerned the Senate race 
could turn on the issue.“I have some friends that are literally 
one-issue voters,” McIntyre said. “I try so desperately to get them to 
see that pro-life is so much more than just birthing a baby.”Marshall, who is a retired obstetrician, and Republican political action committees are attacking Bollier in campaign ads for<a href="https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/119434/barbara-bollier/2/abortion" target="_blank"> voting against a 2015 measure</a> to ban a relatively rare procedure known as a dilation and evacuation abortion.That
 measure was struck down in 2019 by the Kansas Supreme Court when it 
ruled that Kansans have a constitutional right to an abortion. And the 
Kansas House narrowly rejected a <a href="https://www.kcur.org/government/2020-02-07/four-kansas-republicans-stopped-their-partys-anti-abortion-bill-but-gop-says-its-not-over" target="_blank">proposed amendment </a>in the 2020 session that would have added language Constitution stating that there is no state right to abortion.Bollier
 has consistently voted to protect Kansans’ abortion rights, saying 
women should be free to make their own choices in consultation with 
their doctors. A retired anesthesiologist, she also said it would have 
been malpractice for her to support an unconstitutional bill.Jim McLean is the senior correspondent for the Kansas News Service. You can reach him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/jmcleanks?lang=en" target="_blank">@jmcleanks</a> or email jim@kcur.org.

Fear of the other party fuels culture war in Kan. Senate race

COWLEY COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 10a.m. Saturday in Cowley County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1999 Toyota Tacoma driven by Mike K. Saengsavath was eastbound on 82nd Road just east of 31st when the driver failed to yield to a train at the railroad crossing. The train struck the pickup.

Saengsavath was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Miles Funeral Home in Winfield.

EMS transported a&nbsp; passenger Chomchanh&nbsp;Khaikham, 55, Wichita, to Wesley Medical Center.&nbsp; Both were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

The train engineer from Andover and the conductor from Derby were not injured.

COWLEY COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 10a.m. Saturday in Cowley County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1999 Toyota Tacoma driven by Mike K. Saengsavath was eastbound on 82nd Road just east of 31st when the driver failed to yield to a train at the railroad crossing. The train struck the pickup.Saengsavath was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Miles Funeral Home in Winfield.EMS transported a&nbsp; passenger Chomchanh&nbsp;Khaikham, 55, Wichita, to Wesley Medical Center.&nbsp; Both were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.The train engineer from Andover and the conductor from Derby were not injured.

Kansas man dead, 1 hospitalized after train strikes pickup

The Jackson girls have been recovered and the suspect detained, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol located the suspect vehicle near Erick, Oklahoma.&nbsp; Troopers detained Donny Jackson and the kids were recovered.&nbsp;

Authorities released no additional details.

LEAVENWORTH COUNTY—Authorities issued an Amber Alert Saturday afternoon for two girls in Kansas.

The KBI is looking for 7-year-old Nora Jackson and 3-year-old Aven Jackson. They were last seen in the 14900 block of Hillside Road in Leavenworth.

The 911 call that began this incident was made by an adult that discovered the homicide scene, so the actual time of the abduction and homicide is unknown, according to the KBI.

At 4:30pm, we learned that the Kansas Highway Patrol made an unrelated car stop on the suspect’s vehicle on Highway 169 near the OK border today at approximately 12:35 p.m.  The abducted children were in the vehicle.  It is now believed Jackson may be traveling in Oklahoma, Texas or Arkansas.

At 5:05p.m., the Arkansas State Police agreed to launch an Arkansas AMBER Alert to assist in the recovery of the abducted children, due to the proximal sighting at the OK / KS border.

Nora has blonde-brown shoulder-length hair, a slender build and blue or hazel eyes. It's unknown what she was last seen wearing. Aven also has blonde hair, blue eyes and a slender build.

Just after 1p.m. Saturday, the Leavenworth County Sheriff's Office responded to a cal. in the 14900 block of Hillside and deputies located a two deceased boys in a home and the girls were mising, according to a media release.

The girls' father, Donny Jackson, is suspected in the abduction. Donny Jackson, 40, is 5-foot-11 and weighs 190 pounds. He has long brown hair with a slight red color and blue eyes. He also has a full beard.&nbsp;

There is no known direction of travel, but&nbsp; Jackson drives a black 2008 Honda Accord with Kansas license 266MXB.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603573521812.png" alt="Aven and Nora Jackson" />
 <figcaption>Aven and Nora Jackson</figcaption>
 </figure>The Jackson girls have been recovered and the suspect detained, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.The Oklahoma Highway Patrol located the suspect vehicle near Erick, Oklahoma.&nbsp; Troopers detained Donny Jackson and the kids were recovered.&nbsp;Authorities released no additional details.--------LEAVENWORTH COUNTY—Authorities issued an Amber Alert Saturday afternoon for two girls in Kansas.The KBI is looking for 7-year-old Nora Jackson and 3-year-old Aven Jackson. They were last seen in the 14900 block of Hillside Road in Leavenworth.The 911 call that began this incident was made by an adult that discovered the homicide scene, so the actual time of the abduction and homicide is unknown, according to the KBI.At 4:30pm, we learned that the Kansas Highway Patrol made an unrelated car stop on the suspect’s vehicle on Highway 169 near the OK border today at approximately 12:35 p.m. The abducted children were in the vehicle. It is now believed Jackson may be traveling in Oklahoma, Texas or Arkansas.At 5:05p.m., the Arkansas State Police agreed to launch an Arkansas AMBER Alert to assist in the recovery of the abducted children, due to the proximal sighting at the OK / KS border.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603572994719.png" alt="Aven Jackson" />
 <figcaption>Aven Jackson</figcaption>
 </figure>Nora has blonde-brown shoulder-length hair, a slender build and blue or hazel eyes. It's unknown what she was last seen wearing. Aven also has blonde hair, blue eyes and a slender build.Just after 1p.m. Saturday, the Leavenworth County Sheriff's Office responded to a cal. in the 14900 block of Hillside and deputies located a two deceased boys in a home and the girls were mising, according to a media release.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603573485901.png" alt="Donny Jackson" />
 <figcaption>Donny Jackson</figcaption>
 </figure>The girls' father, Donny Jackson, is suspected in the abduction. Donny Jackson, 40, is 5-foot-11 and weighs 190 pounds. He has long brown hair with a slight red color and blue eyes. He also has a full beard.&nbsp;There is no known direction of travel, but&nbsp; Jackson drives a black 2008 Honda Accord with Kansas license 266MXB.

Update: Amber Alert canceled; 2 Kan. girls safe, suspect detained

KANSAS CITY, KAN.&nbsp;–&nbsp;A Kansas man was indicted this week on federal charges that he stole 22 firearms from a pawnshop in Overland Park, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Darrin Taylor, 54, who is homeless and has been living in Overland Park, is charged with one count of theft from a federally licensed firearms dealer. Taylor is alleged to have burglarized Penguin Pawn &amp; Gun at 10229 West 75th&nbsp;Street in Overland Park, Kan., and taken the guns.

Charging documents say employees reported the thief entered the business next door through a shattered glass window and then made several holes in the drywall between the businesses to get into the pawn shop.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603313112363.png" alt="Taylor -photo Johnson Co" />
 <figcaption>Taylor -photo Johnson Co</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, KAN.&nbsp;–&nbsp;A Kansas man was indicted this week on federal charges that he stole 22 firearms from a pawnshop in Overland Park, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.Darrin Taylor, 54, who is homeless and has been living in Overland Park, is charged with one count of theft from a federally licensed firearms dealer. Taylor is alleged to have burglarized Penguin Pawn &amp; Gun at 10229 West 75th&nbsp;Street in Overland Park, Kan., and taken the guns.Charging documents say employees reported the thief entered the business next door through a shattered glass window and then made several holes in the drywall between the businesses to get into the pawn shop.

Kan. man accused of taking 22 guns in store burglary

OSBORNE COUNTY —One person was injured just before 11a.m. Saturday in Osborne County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Dodge Ram driven by&nbsp;Becker, Emilie L. Becker, 16, Downs, was southbound on U.S. 281 six miles north of Luray.

The pickup's wheel dropped off road and the driver overcorrected. The vehicle crossed over all lanes of traffic, entered west ditch and rolled.

EMS transported Becker to the hospital in Osborne. He was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

OSBORNE COUNTY —One person was injured just before 11a.m. Saturday in Osborne County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Dodge Ram driven by&nbsp;Becker, Emilie L. Becker, 16, Downs, was southbound on U.S. 281 six miles north of Luray.The pickup's wheel dropped off road and the driver overcorrected. The vehicle crossed over all lanes of traffic, entered west ditch and rolled.EMS transported Becker to the hospital in Osborne. He was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

Kansas teen hospitalized after pickup rolls 

THOMAS COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 8a.m. Saturday in Thomas County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Ford Focus driven by Kendy S. Rubio-Gomez, 24, Selden, was eastbound on US highway 24 eleven miles east of Colby.

The car crossed westbound traffic, traveled off the roadway to the left entered into north ditch, struck a field road, went airborne the rolled and the driver was ejected. The car came to rest on the passengers side in a corn field.

EMS transported Rubio-Gomez to Citizen's Medical Center. The safety restraint was not worn properly, according to the KHP. She was only using the lap belt.

THOMAS COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 8a.m. Saturday in Thomas County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Ford Focus driven by Kendy S. Rubio-Gomez, 24, Selden, was eastbound on US highway 24 eleven miles east of Colby.The car crossed westbound traffic, traveled off the roadway to the left entered into north ditch, struck a field road, went airborne the rolled and the driver was ejected. The car came to rest on the passengers side in a corn field.EMS transported Rubio-Gomez to Citizen's Medical Center. The safety restraint was not worn properly, according to the KHP. She was only using the lap belt.

Kansas woman dies after being ejected in crash

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Republicans who were desperate to have Kansas Congressman Roger Marshall as their candidate for an open Senate seat are finding the race to be anything but the sure thing they once thought it would be.

GOP groups are pouring in millions of dollars to help the two-term congressman win what was supposed to be a safe Republican seat and to keep it from going to a party-switching state senator who was little known outside her suburban Kansas City-area district before the race began.

Like other Democratic candidates around the country, state Sen. Barbara Bollier has been able to raise a lot of money for her campaign and has outspent Marshall 4-to-1 over the past three months, forcing Republican groups to burn through the kind of cash that few thought he would need.

Republicans are sweating a race in a state where they haven’t lost a Senate race since 1932 and where Democrats have sometimes conceded contests by Labor Day. It shows how energized Democrats are about potentially overturning the GOP’s 53-47 Senate majority and how a backlash against President Donald Trump could be a factor even in states he’s expected to carry on Election Day.

“I’m trying to convince people to vote for Marshall, but I shouldn’t be having to do that,” said Tim Shallenburger, a former Kansas GOP chairman and state treasurer. “It should be a given in a U.S. Senate race.”

Bollier was a lifelong moderate Republican before she switched parties at the end of 2018. Her pitch to moderate voters — that she’s an independent centrist — appeals to some Republicans who, like Bollier, support abortion rights and gun-control measures and are disgusted by Trump.

Angela Gegen, a 61-year-old retired postal worker from Wichita, has been making $25 donations to Democratic candidates through the ActBlue website even though she’s a registered Republican. She is also volunteering for a campaign for the first time by making phone calls in support of Bollier.

“There’s a whole a lot of middle ground that the Republicans no longer want to occupy,” she said.

The race is tight, with a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/22/us/politics/kansas-poll-trump-biden.html" target="_blank">New York Times and Siena College poll</a>&nbsp;released Thursday showing Marshall with a 46% to 42% lead over Bollier. The poll was of 755 likely Kansas voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

It’s also by far the most expensive political race in Kansas’ history. Marshall’s and Bollier’s campaigns and outside groups are set to spend more than $52 million by Election Day, according to the media tracking firm Kantar/CMAG. That would amount to spending roughly $28 per registered voter. On Marshall’s side, all but $2.4 million of the $30 million to be spent is from GOP groups.

Bollier raised more than $20 million through September, which is a record for Kansas. Marshall’s total was $5.5 million, including what he raised for his primary race.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/df2fba8f13415f91f4d9314ddc5f5e5f">coronavirus pandemic</a>&nbsp;and Trump’s unpopularity with many voters are also weighing on Kansas Republicans.

Marshall, an obstetrician, this week called Democrats “the party of mask mandates” after at least half the crowd at a Kansas City, Kansas, political event didn’t wear masks. He argued that people see “we’re winning that battle” even though Kansas is experiencing its worst surge in new coronavirus cases and has one of the highest COVID-19 positivity rates in the country.

Bollier, a retired anesthesiologist, contends that Marshall ignores science.

Marshall embraces Trump, arguing that the president remains popular in the state he won by nearly 21 percentage points four years ago. But Thursday’s New York Times and Siena College poll said Trump was the choice of 48% of the likely Kansas voters surveyed and Democrat Joe Biden, 41%.

The Senate race wasn’t supposed to be so hard for Republicans. When four-term Republican Sen. Pat Roberts&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/275216bff11a438fafb4435c02319876">announced his retirement</a>&nbsp;and efforts to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e416bf60049b45ec8fb28a45af377584">woo Secretary of State Mike Pompeo</a>&nbsp;to the race failed, national party leaders&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cb61b0a7f68c299f72d66cab818cb47b">pushed hard</a>&nbsp;for the nomination to go to Marshall instead of the state’s polarizing former secretary of state Kris Kobach. The leaders feared Kobach, a conservative hardliner, would reprise&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/32816d964acc49e188c9de18b9acb3b9">his 2018 loss</a>&nbsp;in the governor’s race to Democrat Laura Kelly and hand the Senate seat to the Democrats.

Marshall, the reasoning went, has a solid political base in his central and western Kansas congressional district and Republicans enjoy a significant advantage in voter registration statewide. And although the GOP is divided enough for Democrats to elect Kansas governors, wavering Republicans have for decades drifted back to the GOP fold in Senate races where different issues are at stake.

Democrats need to gain at least three seats to win a Senate majority if Biden is elected or four if Trump wins a second term, because the vice president can vote as a tie-breaker.

Marshall drove home that point Wednesday after appearing at a bus tour by the conservative and anti-abortion group Concerned Women for America in support of Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s U.S. Supreme Court nomination. The group’s big pink bus parked Wednesday in front of Frontier Justice, a Kansas City, Kansas, gun shop adorned with a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag and a storefront proclaiming “Faith - Family - Freedom.”

“People on the coasts see that opportunity and they think they can buy a seat in Kansas or in Iowa,” Marshall said, alluding to how much of the money Bollier’s campaign has raised has come from out of state.

Ashlee Rich Stephenson, national political director for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said Republicans are trying to avoid the risk that a close race could unexpectedly cost them a Senate seat. The chamber, which overwhelmingly supports Republicans, endorsed Marshall, having backed him in his first congressional race in 2016, when he ousted an incumbent in the primary.

“Protecting and defending is why you see these resources coming in from the Republican side,” she said. “Democrats, this might be the best shot that they have in a while, with the way the environment has been in the suburbs, to try to make something happen.”

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Republicans who were desperate to have Kansas Congressman Roger Marshall as their candidate for an open Senate seat are finding the race to be anything but the sure thing they once thought it would be.GOP groups are pouring in millions of dollars to help the two-term congressman win what was supposed to be a safe Republican seat and to keep it from going to a party-switching state senator who was little known outside her suburban Kansas City-area district before the race began.Like other Democratic candidates around the country, state Sen. Barbara Bollier has been able to raise a lot of money for her campaign and has outspent Marshall 4-to-1 over the past three months, forcing Republican groups to burn through the kind of cash that few thought he would need.Republicans are sweating a race in a state where they haven’t lost a Senate race since 1932 and where Democrats have sometimes conceded contests by Labor Day. It shows how energized Democrats are about potentially overturning the GOP’s 53-47 Senate majority and how a backlash against President Donald Trump could be a factor even in states he’s expected to carry on Election Day.“I’m trying to convince people to vote for Marshall, but I shouldn’t be having to do that,” said Tim Shallenburger, a former Kansas GOP chairman and state treasurer. “It should be a given in a U.S. Senate race.”Bollier was a lifelong moderate Republican before she switched parties at the end of 2018. Her pitch to moderate voters — that she’s an independent centrist — appeals to some Republicans who, like Bollier, support abortion rights and gun-control measures and are disgusted by Trump.Angela Gegen, a 61-year-old retired postal worker from Wichita, has been making $25 donations to Democratic candidates through the ActBlue website even though she’s a registered Republican. She is also volunteering for a campaign for the first time by making phone calls in support of Bollier.“There’s a whole a lot of middle ground that the Republicans no longer want to occupy,” she said.The race is tight, with a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/22/us/politics/kansas-poll-trump-biden.html" target="_blank">New York Times and Siena College poll</a>&nbsp;released Thursday showing Marshall with a 46% to 42% lead over Bollier. The poll was of 755 likely Kansas voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.It’s also by far the most expensive political race in Kansas’ history. Marshall’s and Bollier’s campaigns and outside groups are set to spend more than $52 million by Election Day, according to the media tracking firm Kantar/CMAG. That would amount to spending roughly $28 per registered voter. On Marshall’s side, all but $2.4 million of the $30 million to be spent is from GOP groups.Bollier raised more than $20 million through September, which is a record for Kansas. Marshall’s total was $5.5 million, including what he raised for his primary race.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/df2fba8f13415f91f4d9314ddc5f5e5f">coronavirus pandemic</a>&nbsp;and Trump’s unpopularity with many voters are also weighing on Kansas Republicans.Marshall, an obstetrician, this week called Democrats “the party of mask mandates” after at least half the crowd at a Kansas City, Kansas, political event didn’t wear masks. He argued that people see “we’re winning that battle” even though Kansas is experiencing its worst surge in new coronavirus cases and has one of the highest COVID-19 positivity rates in the country.Bollier, a retired anesthesiologist, contends that Marshall ignores science.Marshall embraces Trump, arguing that the president remains popular in the state he won by nearly 21 percentage points four years ago. But Thursday’s New York Times and Siena College poll said Trump was the choice of 48% of the likely Kansas voters surveyed and Democrat Joe Biden, 41%.The Senate race wasn’t supposed to be so hard for Republicans. When four-term Republican Sen. Pat Roberts&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/275216bff11a438fafb4435c02319876">announced his retirement</a>&nbsp;and efforts to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e416bf60049b45ec8fb28a45af377584">woo Secretary of State Mike Pompeo</a>&nbsp;to the race failed, national party leaders&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cb61b0a7f68c299f72d66cab818cb47b">pushed hard</a>&nbsp;for the nomination to go to Marshall instead of the state’s polarizing former secretary of state Kris Kobach. The leaders feared Kobach, a conservative hardliner, would reprise&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/32816d964acc49e188c9de18b9acb3b9">his 2018 loss</a>&nbsp;in the governor’s race to Democrat Laura Kelly and hand the Senate seat to the Democrats.Marshall, the reasoning went, has a solid political base in his central and western Kansas congressional district and Republicans enjoy a significant advantage in voter registration statewide. And although the GOP is divided enough for Democrats to elect Kansas governors, wavering Republicans have for decades drifted back to the GOP fold in Senate races where different issues are at stake.Democrats need to gain at least three seats to win a Senate majority if Biden is elected or four if Trump wins a second term, because the vice president can vote as a tie-breaker.Marshall drove home that point Wednesday after appearing at a bus tour by the conservative and anti-abortion group Concerned Women for America in support of Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s U.S. Supreme Court nomination. The group’s big pink bus parked Wednesday in front of Frontier Justice, a Kansas City, Kansas, gun shop adorned with a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag and a storefront proclaiming “Faith - Family - Freedom.”“People on the coasts see that opportunity and they think they can buy a seat in Kansas or in Iowa,” Marshall said, alluding to how much of the money Bollier’s campaign has raised has come from out of state.Ashlee Rich Stephenson, national political director for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said Republicans are trying to avoid the risk that a close race could unexpectedly cost them a Senate seat. The chamber, which overwhelmingly supports Republicans, endorsed Marshall, having backed him in his first congressional race in 2016, when he ousted an incumbent in the primary.“Protecting and defending is why you see these resources coming in from the Republican side,” she said. “Democrats, this might be the best shot that they have in a while, with the way the environment has been in the suburbs, to try to make something happen.”___

GOP in ruby red Kansas stresses over costly Senate race

Jerry Jeff Walker, a Texas country singer and songwriter who wrote the pop song “Mr. Bojangles,” has died at age 78.

Walker died Friday of cancer, family spokesman John T. Davis told The Associated Press.

“He had battled throat cancer for many years, and some other health issues,” Davis said Saturday.

Walker emerged from New York’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/b632cb7b6563457eae2dab63aae47a4f">Greenwich Village folk scene</a>&nbsp;in the 1960s and he was a founding member of the band Circus Maximus. He&nbsp;<a href="https://jerryjeff.com/" target="_blank">moved to Texas</a>&nbsp;in the 1970s and in 1972 scored a hit with his version of the Guy Clark song “L.A. Freeway.”

Walker and the Lost Gonzo Band in 1973 recorded an album live in Texas called “Viva Terlingua” that became a classic of the country-rock scene. Walker had since released more than 30 albums.

In 1986, he formed independent music label Tried &amp; True Music and released albums under it.

Walker was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2017, undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.statesman.com/news/20180323/jerry-jeff-walkers-still-fightin-and-its-about-time-for-a-new-record" target="_blank">told the Austin American Statesman</a>&nbsp;in 2018.

“I guess I took my singing for granted, and now I don’t,” he told the newspaper.

In 2017, it was announced that Walker had donated more than 100 boxes of his music archives to The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University, including tapes, photographs, hand-written lyrics and artifacts.

Walker’s survivors include his wife, Susan, son, Django, and daughter, Jessie Jane.

By KEN MILLER, Associated PressJerry Jeff Walker, a Texas country singer and songwriter who wrote the pop song “Mr. Bojangles,” has died at age 78.Walker died Friday of cancer, family spokesman John T. Davis told The Associated Press.“He had battled throat cancer for many years, and some other health issues,” Davis said Saturday.Walker emerged from New York’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/b632cb7b6563457eae2dab63aae47a4f">Greenwich Village folk scene</a>&nbsp;in the 1960s and he was a founding member of the band Circus Maximus. He&nbsp;<a href="https://jerryjeff.com/" target="_blank">moved to Texas</a>&nbsp;in the 1970s and in 1972 scored a hit with his version of the Guy Clark song “L.A. Freeway.”Walker and the Lost Gonzo Band in 1973 recorded an album live in Texas called “Viva Terlingua” that became a classic of the country-rock scene. Walker had since released more than 30 albums.In 1986, he formed independent music label Tried &amp; True Music and released albums under it.Walker was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2017, undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.statesman.com/news/20180323/jerry-jeff-walkers-still-fightin-and-its-about-time-for-a-new-record" target="_blank">told the Austin American Statesman</a>&nbsp;in 2018.“I guess I took my singing for granted, and now I don’t,” he told the newspaper.In 2017, it was announced that Walker had donated more than 100 boxes of his music archives to The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University, including tapes, photographs, hand-written lyrics and artifacts.Walker’s survivors include his wife, Susan, son, Django, and daughter, Jessie Jane.

Jerry Jeff Walker, 'Mr. Bojangles' songwriter, dead at 78 

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A decomposing body that a 10-year-old boy found in July in a creek was a missing Kansas City social worker, authorities say.

Police spokesman Sgt. Jake Becchina said Friday that an FBI lab had confirmed that the remains are those of 39-year-old Marina Bischoff. She was last seen leaving a Kansas City police station in May. Police said Bischoff had been arrested the night before on suspicion of driving while impaired and leaving the scene of a crash.

No foul play is suspected, but the final cause of death has yet to be determined. The county medical examiner is still conducting a final exam, Becchina said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592229179886.png" alt="Marina Bischoff photo KCPD" />
 <figcaption>Marina Bischoff photo KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A decomposing body that a 10-year-old boy found in July in a creek was a missing Kansas City social worker, authorities say.Police spokesman Sgt. Jake Becchina said Friday that an FBI lab had confirmed that the remains are those of 39-year-old Marina Bischoff. She was last seen leaving a Kansas City police station in May. Police said Bischoff had been arrested the night before on suspicion of driving while impaired and leaving the scene of a crash.No foul play is suspected, but the final cause of death has yet to be determined. The county medical examiner is still conducting a final exam, Becchina said.

Police: Body found by boy in KC creek was missing woman

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas set new records Friday for its largest seven-day increases in new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths with what its top public health official called “a generalized spread” of the COVID-19 virus.

The state has averaged more than 700 new cases a day this month, and the figure was a record 768 for the seven days ending Friday, beating the previous high mark of 757 for the seven days ending Wednesday. The state Department of Health and Environment reported 1,774 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases since Wednesday, an increase of 2.4% that brought the total for the pandemic to 76,230.

Dr. Lee Norman, the state health department’s head, said the generalized spread of the virus in Kansas has resulted from resistance to wearing masks in public, continuing to have mass gatherings, crowded school athletic events, and bringing students back to college and university campuses.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603472813108.png" alt="Friday Oct. 23, 2020 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Friday Oct. 23, 2020 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas set new records Friday for its largest seven-day increases in new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths with what its top public health official called “a generalized spread” of the COVID-19 virus.The state has averaged more than 700 new cases a day this month, and the figure was a record 768 for the seven days ending Friday, beating the previous high mark of 757 for the seven days ending Wednesday. The state Department of Health and Environment reported 1,774 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases since Wednesday, an increase of 2.4% that brought the total for the pandemic to 76,230.Dr. Lee Norman, the state health department’s head, said the generalized spread of the virus in Kansas has resulted from resistance to wearing masks in public, continuing to have mass gatherings, crowded school athletic events, and bringing students back to college and university campuses.“This is absolutely what we’ve been predicting,” Norman said in a text to The Associated Press. “It is the natural consequence of not following the anti-contagion measures in our communities.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603315184965.png" alt="Governor Laura Kelly removes her mask prior to her Oct. 21 news conference in Topeka" />
 <figcaption>Governor Laura Kelly removes her mask prior to her Oct. 21 news conference in Topeka</figcaption>
 </figure>Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly said this week that she wants to work with leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-topeka-phil-griffin-kansas-1d391dc693eed0754c33ab83624dad8b">on imposing a bipartisan, statewide mandate</a>&nbsp;for people to wear masks in public. She issued such an order July 2, but state law allowed counties to opt out, and most did.Top Republican lawmakers have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-kansas-wichita-f9ad7a79caa07a3422cc5f926bd2919a">argued against</a>&nbsp;a “one-size-fits-all” mandate on diverse communities. But rural counties are seeing the largest numbers of new cases per 1,000 residents, and of the 20 counties with the biggest per capita spikes over the past two weeks, only two, Nemaha and Reno counties, have more than 10,000 residents.Some Kansas elected officials have argued that a decline in the COVID-19 death rate since the start of the pandemic represents real progress as production of a widely available vaccine grows nearer. But in Kansas, where deaths represent about 1.3% of the reported cases, that figure has slowly inched up this month.The state health department reported an additional 23 COVID-19-related deaths since Wednesday, bringing the pandemic total to 975. The state saw a record average of 16.57 new deaths a day during the seven days ending Friday, though some of that high mark can be attributed to earlier deaths being included when death certificates are reviewed by local and state health officials.Kansas also reported another 78 coronavirus hospitalizations to bring the total to 3,584. The state averaged a record 31 new hospitalizations a day in the seven days ending Friday. The previous high mark was 29, also set earlier this month.Kansas’ latest report comes as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-michael-brown-2dfc5b8a8a097470f9277db821c00ef5">Missouri and perhaps a handful of other states</a>&nbsp;are seeing alarming increases in hospitalizations but are unable to post accurate data on COVID-19 dashboards because of a flaw in the federal reporting system.Meanwhile, the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park has angered some residents and split local elected officials by allocating $350,000 in federal relief funds for buying cameras to broadcast games that are being played at an area soccer complex,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article246639993.html" target="_blank">The Kansas City Star reported.&nbsp;</a>The Overland Park City Council voted 10-2 to approve the plan this week.City officials argued that streaming games would allow families to watch their children play without having to sit in crowds during the pandemic.But Johnson County Commissioner Mike Brown said “the optics” of the plan “aren’t sitting very well with a lot of people.” Overland Park City Commissioner Faris Farassati, who voted against the plan, said the expenditure seems unnecessary when people are losing jobs and unable to pay rent or utilities.___