Gun rights are expansive in Missouri, where shooting at Chiefs' Super Bowl celebration took place
A shooting that killed a person and wounded more than 20 others during the Kansas City Chiefsโ Super Bowl victory celebration occurred in a state with few gun regulations and historic tension over how cities handle crime.
The number of Kansas residents officially changing genders quadrupled this year ahead of a new law
Four times as many Kansans changed their gender on birth certificates and driverโs licenses this year ahead of a new state law that prevents residents from identifying themselves differently than the sex assigned them at birth.
Kansas must undo gender changes for trans people in state records, attorney general says
The conservative Republican attorney general of Kansas says a new Kansas law requires the state to reverse any previous gender changes in its records for trans peopleโs birth certificates and driverโs licenses while also preventing such changes going forward.
Kansas governor vetoes measures to aid anti-abortion centers, limit health officials' power
Kansasโ Democratic governor has vetoed Republican legislation that would have provided a financial boost to pregnancy centers run by abortion opponents and curbed state and local officials' powers during infectious disease outbreaks.
Kansas officials to consider legal settlement with business over COVID-19 restrictions
Kansasโ governor and top state lawmakers plan to consider a proposed legal settlement between the state and the owner of a Wichita fitness studio forced to shut down during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic and then operate under restrictions.
Amid US TikTok bans, a few balk at writing its name into law
Banning TikTok from government devices enjoys bipartsan support across the U.S. But a few Democratic legislators in Kansas object to expanding a ban imposed by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly because they donโt want a state law to target a company by name.
More than a dozen states to open vaccines to all adults
Every adult in Louisiana over the age of 16 is now eligible to get vaccinated against the coronavirus as the state's expanded eligibility went into effect Monday. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)More than a dozen states will open vaccine eligibility to all adults this week in a major expansion of COVID-19 shots for tens of millions of Americans amid a worrisome increase in virus cases and concerns about balancing supply and demand for the vaccines. Demand "has definitely decreased over the past couple of weeks,โ said Imelda Garcia, head of the stateโs expert vaccine allocation panel. California officials said the state can administer 3 million shots a week now, and Democratic Gov. Lena Lawson, a 37-year-old technology consultant in Phoenix, tried to book a vaccine appointment since the new eligibility rules started.
The Latest: Philippine leader orders mayors investigated
New coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Utah have been on a downward trend since January. Ad___SAO PAULO, Brazil โ Brazil has reached 300,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and become the second nation to top that figure. ___BOISE, Idaho โ The governor of Idaho has said COVID-19 vaccine eligibility will be open to all Idaho residents 16 and up starting April 5. ___WAILUKU, Hawaii โ A hospital on Maui had to throw out nearly 1,400 vaccine doses after a refrigerator thawing the vials did not properly seal. Also, COVID-19 deaths have dipped below 1,000 a day on average for the first time since November.
The Latest: Sri Lankan officials say vaccinations advancing
FILE - In this Jan. 29, 2021, file photo, Sri Lankan nursing staff administer COVID-19 vaccines to front-line health workers in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Reynolds issued the earlier restrictions in November when hospitals were struggling to care for a surge of coronavirus patients. Officials say it could help up to four COVID-19 patients. ___LISBON, Portugal โ Portugal has set a new daily record for COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care with 904 patients on Friday. AdThe Austrian government offered to take in five COVID-19 patients and five non-COVID patients to relieve Portuguese hospitals.
The Latest: S Korea curbing travel, gatherings for holiday
โ New Zealandโs medical regulator has approved its first coronavirus vaccine, and officials hope to begin giving shots to border workers by the end of March. Tate Reeves says heโs skeptical about a new federal effort to reduce racial disparities in coronavirus vaccination rates. ___BEIRUT โ Lebanon has broken its single-day record of coronavirus deaths with 81 as the country continued its nationwide lockdown for the third week. ___LAS VEGAS โ Nevada has recorded its deadliest month of the coronavirus pandemic in January after reporting eight additional coronavirus deaths over the weekend. Mike DeWine and his wife received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday in a procedure streamed live.
Kansas governor: Medical pot should fund Medicaid expansion
Kelly championed Medicaid expansion in her first race in 2018 and promised to sign legislation legalizing medical marijuana, though she has not pushed that issue aggressively so far. But University of Kansas political scientist Patrick Miller said he wonders why any Kansas politician still opposes medical marijuana. The Legislature has taken only relatively small steps toward legalizing medical marijuana even as most other states have done it. She said legalizing medical marijuana could raise up to $50 million a year and her proposal โeliminates the argumentโ that Kansas can't afford Medicaid expansion. AdBut Republican lawmakers remained skeptical that medical marijuana could raise much money or cover Medicaid expansion costs.
The Latest: China makes parts of province high danger zones
(AP Photo/Andy Wong)BEIJING โ China has designated parts of Hebei province near Beijing as a coronavirus high danger zone after 14 new cases of COVID-19 were found. The other three COVID-19 cases were in the city of Yantai. Approximately 174 private clinics have also requested vaccines, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said. County health officials fear the incoming Christmas and New Yearโs surge. Superintendent Henderson Lewis said a spike in positive cases in the city prompted the โunfortunate but necessaryโ decision to go back to distance learning.
The Latest: Tens of thousands on Vegas strip despite warning
(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)LAS VEGAS โ Tens of thousands of people were walking on the casino-lined Las Vegas Strip on New Yearโs Eve by early evening despite a plea from Nevada Gov. China on Friday reported a total of 19 new virus cases, including 10 that were brought from outside the country. ___LONDON โ The coronavirus pandemic canceled Londonโs annual New Yearsโ Eve fireworks display, which usually draws tens of thousands of spectators. The nationโs most populated county has about 40% of Californiaโs virus deaths. ___NASHVILLE, Tenn. โ Tennessee ends the year ranked first in coronavirus cases per capita.
The Latest: South Korea enforces tough measures in prisons
The others are the lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state treasurer, insurance commissioner and Kansas Supreme Court chief justice and four Republican leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature. The legislative leaders and the stateโs Republican attorney general passed, for now, because not all health care workers and nursing home residents have received theirs. The governor also said Wednesday that โhundredsโ of other, non-elected state officials have been made eligible for early vaccines by their agencies. The others are the lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state treasurer, insurance commissioner and Kansas Supreme Court chief justice and four Republican leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature. Most of those Republicans said they didnโt want to jump in line ahead of health care workers, nursing home residents or other vulnerable Kansans.
The Latest: S Korea reports biggest daily death toll so far
South Korea's previous daily high for COVID-19 deaths was 24, reported on both Dec. 21 and Dec. 22. โ Virus deaths in Germany top 30,000; lockdown may be extended past Jan. 10. โ China sentences former lawyer who reported virus news to four years in prison. Gavin Newsom is warning of a new surge in coronavirus cases following heavy holiday travel in defiance of recommendations to avoid gatherings. State officials have set a goal for all residents to receive the first dose of the two-dose vaccine by the end of January.
The Latest: China tests millions in port over virus cluster
(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)BEIJING โ Authorities in Chinaโs northeastern port city of Dalian are testing millions of residents after seven new coronavirus cases were reported there in the last 24 hours. It has a deal to secure up to 100 million doses of the potential vaccine produced by AstraZeneca. Koca said the first shipment of three million doses of CoronaVac would be shipped to Turkey on Sunday and arrive Monday. He said Turkey could get 4.5 million doses until the end of March and would have the option buy up to 30 million doses. Indonesia has reported nearly 700,000 COVID-19 cases, the largest caseload in Southeast Asia and second in Asia only to Indiaโs 10.1 million confirmed cases.
The Latest: Conn. extends pandemic jobless benefit to 38,000
State health officials decline to identify which hospitals have expressed interest, but say there is need statewide. Hospitalizations have not yet reached their summer heights in Georgia, but beds are filling rapidly with COVID-19 cases. ___HARRISBURG, Pa. โ States faced a deadline on Friday to place orders for the coronavirus vaccine as many reported record infections, hospitalizations and deaths. Ukraine, which is facing a rapid rise in coronavirus cases, tightened weekend restrictions last month but lifted them this week. ___ATLANTA โ Vice President Mike Pence is trying to boost Americansโ confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines that are awaiting regulatory approval and distribution.
The Latest: COVID-19 outbreak on ship off Australia's coast
(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)PERTH, Australia โ Authorities are concerned by a COVID-19 outbreak aboard a cargo ship off Australia's northwest coast that has infected most of the crew. The Bluegrass State had nearly 5,000 coronavirus cases last week โ the most in a single week since the pandemic began, Gov. In recent weeks, Kentucky has repeatedly set record highs for weekly virus cases. New York has reported just over 11,500 new coronavirus infections over the past two weeks. Italy added 1,494 coronavirus infections and 16 deaths to its confirmed COVID toll Monday, in line with its daily increase for the past few weeks.
No masks, just questions, in Kansas counties with no cases
Business owners in Rawlins and Wallace counties say they agree with local officials' decisions to opt out of an order from Democratic Gov. In Wallace County, which borders Colorado, one restaurant posted on social media a graphic of a crossed out man with a face mask. Kansas has reported more than 25,000 coronavirus cases since the pandemic reached the state in early March, first in the Kansas City area. Trust.Meanwhile, the testing rate in the two counties lags well behind the Kansas 9.5% average, according to the state health department. The Rawlins County Health Center, the only hospital in that county, provides nasal swab tests.
Newspaper owner: Sorry for equating mask rule to Holocaust
Hicks is the GOP chairman for Anderson County in eastern Kansas. His newspaper is based in the Anderson County seat of Garnett, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City and has a circulation of about 2,100, according to the Kansas Press Association. State law allows counties to opt out of her mask mandate, and Anderson County has done so. The state health department has reported only four coronavirus cases for Anderson County, all of them since May 8. State and local officials across the U.S. have faced resistance to mask requirements from Trumps supporters.
Kansas newspaper's post equates mask mandate with Holocaust
The cartoon on the Anderson County Review's Facebook page depicts Gov. Laura Kelly wearing a mask with a Jewish Star of David on it, next to a drawing of people being loaded onto train cars. Some Republicans have criticized Kelly's order as infringing on personal liberties, though Kansas law allows counties to opt out and Anderson County has done so. Anderson County, with about 7,900 residents, is part of a conservative swath of eastern Kansas. The state health department has reported only four coronavirus cases for Anderson County, all of them since May 8.
Second vaping-related death in Kansas brings nationwide total to 9
TOPEKA - Another person has died after vaping, this time it was a man over the age of 50 who lived in Kansas. He becomes the second vaping-related death in the state, according to a statement from Kansas Governor Laura Kelly. This was the ninth confirmed case of a vaping-related illness in Kansas, including the two deaths. Some report only vaping nicotine, others used THC, a cannabinoid product, some used only CBD and a combination of THC and nicotine. If you think you are sick and have been vaping, make sure you go see a doctor right away.
Sixth person dies from vaping-related illness
CNNWICHITA, Kan. - Kansas health officials have confirmed the first death in the state related to an outbreak of a lung disease linked to vaping. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there have been 450 possible cases of lung disease related to vaping reported in 33 states. "Health officials are working hard to determine a cause and share information to prevent additional injuries. Don't put yourself in harm's way, and please follow the recommendations of public health officials." The recent deaths across our country, combined with hundreds of reported lung injury cases continue to intensify."