info2020-03-20T08:32:18-05:00March 19th, 2020|
The gates at Hillsboro’s water plant are now closed and entry is by appointment only. The step is being taken to protect key city employees from COVID-19. Hillsboro mayor Lou Thurston said the water department has only two employees trained to perform water testing. The city is putting measures in place to avoid those two coming down sick and being unable to guarantee the safety of the city’s water supply. (Read more: HILLSBORO Star-Journal)
info2020-03-20T08:32:53-05:00March 19th, 2020|
Shawnee County health officer Gianfranco Pezzino said Thursday the public order to close bars, restaurants and movie theaters in the area was the most difficult decision he has had to make to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. “I am fully aware that by signing this order I am crippling businesses,” Pezzino said. “I am probably causing people to lose their jobs — and I know some of these people personally. ... It breaks my heart.” Regardless, he added, “We had to do it.” The order, which went into effect Thursday morning, limits public gatherings to 10 people or fewer and closes [...]
info2020-03-20T08:33:05-05:00March 19th, 2020|
Kansas school districts should continue to teach students for the rest of the academic year, but it is up to them to come up with their own plans on how to carry that out, a state task force announced Thursday. Districts can teach by remote learning, sending home packets or even conducting some small in-person classes, the task force said. State graduation requirements will not change, but districts with higher standards may wish to lower them this year. On Tuesday, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly ordered all public and private schools in the state to close for the remainder of the academic [...]
info2020-03-20T08:33:14-05:00March 19th, 2020|
The Kansas Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered all district and appellate courts to stop all but emergency operations and ongoing trials until further notice. The order came days after after the Missouri Supreme Court and the Federal District Court for Kansas issued similar orders. Last week courthouses across the region postponed trials and other hearings in response to mounting concerns over the novel coronavirus. “This is an extraordinary measure to match the gravity of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Chief Justice Marla Luckert in a news release. “We have a duty to protect the people who come into our courthouses and courtrooms, [...]
info2020-03-20T08:33:41-05:00March 19th, 2020|
A task force of educators delivered sweeping recommendations Thursday to Kansas school districts for adapting lesson plans with school buildings mostly shuttered until August. Gov. Laura Kelly issued an executive order Tuesday to close schools for the remainder of the school year as part of a campaign to limit the spread of COVID-19, setting in motion a massive collaboration of veteran school teachers and administrators to craft a blueprint for continuous learning. The task force produced a 76-page report with advice for dealing with technology challenges, delivery of meals and other issues. Schools are allowed to provide limited in-person instruction for [...]
info2020-03-19T09:04:34-05:00March 19th, 2020|
As Americans hunker down at home, staying out of restaurants, arenas, convention centers and neighborhood shops, they are dragging down revenue on which state and local governments depend. The effects will be manifold around the U.S: While Oklahoma will feel the pain of revenue lost from low oil prices, the collapsing tourism sector will hammer states such as Florida and Nevada, analysts said. Budget officials said they have little sense of how deep the hole might get. Read more: WSJ.
info2020-03-19T08:58:53-05:00March 19th, 2020|
Douglas County’s health officer has ordered all restaurants, dining facilities, bars, taverns, night clubs and movie theaters closed to the public as a proactive social distancing measure in light of the spreading coronavirus. In his order Wednesday afternoon, the health officer, Dr. Thomas Marcellino, also prohibited public gatherings of more than 10 people. Both measures will be in effect until at least April 1, according to a news release from Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health. “It is incredibly important during this time for people to limit their gatherings to less than 10 people as we try to flatten the curve of the [...]
info2020-03-19T08:54:31-05:00March 19th, 2020|
Testing for the novel coronavirus will be reduced in Johnson County, which has reached the point where the virus is spreading by community transmission, state officials said Wednesday. The county has the most presumed positive cases of COVID-19 in the state with 12. Five of those cases, Kansas Secretary of Health and Education Lee Norman said, involved people who did not contract the disease through travel or contact with known patients. Because of this, and because of a limited supply of test kits, Norman said, there will be a “fundamental change” in the public health approach there. (Read more: KC Star [...]
info2020-03-19T08:54:03-05:00March 19th, 2020|
As school districts across Kansas look for new ways to teach students now that in-person classes are canceled for the rest of the spring semester, some schools are moving completely online for continued learning. This option doesn't work well for many rural districts in the state who have students without reliable Internet access at home. Students in the Southern Cloud school district in the small Cloud County community of Miltonvale, sit outside the school's front door in the evenings, just so they can use the WiFi. That's because they either don't have WiFi at home or it's not high-speed. (Read more: [...]
info2020-03-19T08:53:37-05:00March 19th, 2020|
Shawnee County health officer Gianfranco Pezzino on Wednesday ordered the closure of restaurants, bars and theaters, and banned gatherings of 10 or more until further notice. The order, which takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, prohibits any dine-in seating but allows for carryout, drive-through and delivery of food and beverages. Pezzino’s order follows similar measures taken in other counties to limit the spread of COVID-19. So far, no one has tested positive in Shawnee County. Earlier this week, officials said dozens of county residents were under quarantine without symptoms, and others were waiting for test results. (Read more: News - The [...]
