Kansas Municipal News
Jackson County resident tests positive for COVID-19
A Jackson County resident has tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Jackson County Health Department. This is the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in the county.
Angie Reith, Jackson County Health Officer, said her office was notified last night (Wednesday) by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment that a county resident had tested positive for the virus.
The individual is in isolation and following the recommendations of health officials.
(Read more: Holton Recorder)
Congress considers requiring Fed to buy muni bonds for coronavirus fight
Congress is considering authorizing the Federal Reserve to purchase municipal bonds as one of the ways to support local and state efforts to address the coronavirus pandemic.
A memo circulated Wednesday by House Financial Service Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters, D-Calif., suggests that the next wave of federal legislation authorize the Fed to support state, territory, and local debt issuance in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
The Waters memo also suggests a blanket waiver for state or local governments to provide a local contribution as a requirement for receiving certain federal grants.
President Trump on Wednesday signed the second emergency bill to address the coronavirus following its passage by the Senate earlier in the day. The second bill includes expanded eligibility for unemployment benefits and paid sick leave.
(Read more: The Bond Buyer)
Hillsboro Mayor: City’s water safe to drink
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)
Shawnee County health officer says most recent order was a tough decision to make
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 restaurants, dining facilities, bars, taverns, clubs and movie theaters in Shawnee County. Restaurants may continue to offer carry-out, drive-through and delivery services to the public.
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
State officials tell closed Kansas schools to teach online, use other options
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 year as a way to combat the spread of the new coronavirus. A task force of about 45 educators was asked to come up with flexible guidelines.
(Read more: Local News |)
Kansas courts to stop operations except emergencies and ongoing trials due to COVID-19
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, as well as our employees and judges. This action allows courts to fulfill core functions while reducing in-person contact.”
(Read more: Local News |)
Education task force outlines learning plan for schools
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 groups of no more than 10 to accommodate all students.
(Read more: Education – Cherokee County News Advocate)
Coronavirus Hits State and City Budgets
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.
Douglas County health department orders dine-in restaurants closed, limits public gatherings to 10 people
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 spread of this virus and for people to avoid non-essential community engagement and non-essential trips out of their homes,” Marcellino said in the release.
Read more: LJWorld.com.
State says Johnson County has community spread of coronavirus, will get less testing
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 Local News)
Early closure presents unique challenges for rural KS school districts
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: KWCH News)
Shawnee County Health officer closes restaurants, bars, theaters
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 Topeka Capital-Journal)
Laid off school bus drivers looking for new jobs
With the Governor cancelling classes for the rest of the school year, school bus drivers are off the job.
Mike Tuttle is walking away from his school bus facing the unexpected.
He doesn’t blame the company, this is just another devastating impact from the Coronavirus pandemic. And Tuttle is not alone in this right now..he estimates 4700 to 5200 bus drivers in Kansas are now without a job.
(Read more: KAKE – News)
Virus keeps us home — or in the great outdoors in JoCo parks
So what can we do with so much of Johnson County shut down to stop the spread of the sometimes deadly coronavirus?
The answer: Hunker down at home with books, television, calisthenics, hobbies and household projects — or go outdoors for exercise and fresh air.
So much else has been shut down: schools, libraries, theaters, Johnson County Community College, all but critical child care services at the Jewish Community Center, the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center in Lenexa — and many municipal community centers, including those in Overland Park, Lenexa, Merriam, Mission and Olathe.
(Read more: Joco 913 News)
Short-Term Bond Market Roiled by Panic Selling
Short-term bonds typically act as a haven in turbulent times. But debt maturing in three years or less has been routed in recent days, punishing investors in markets ranging from corporate bonds to asset-backed debt.
The selloff is the latest example of stressed investors resorting to extreme behavior at a time when the economic outlook is unsettled at best and market liquidity, the capacity to buy and sell quickly without roiling prices, is uneven. Many traders say that high-grade, short-term corporate bonds are being sold…
(Read more: WSJ.com: Markets)
City of Topeka provides downtown businesses with curbside to-go stalls
In an effort to assist downtown businesses and make sure they are still able to provide meals to customers, the City of Topeka has created curbside to-go parking. This was one of the new initiatives City Manager Brent Trout spoke about Wednesday evening during the Shawnee County Health Department’s daily news conference. According to a news release sent out Wednesday afternoon by the city, there are currently eight downtown restaurants taking part…
(Read more: News – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Kroger hiring 10,000 workers, offering PTO for current workers with COVID-19
While several businesses are closing their doors, others are looking for extra help. Kroger, parent company to Dillon Companies, is hiring an additional 10,000 workers across their retail stores, manufacturing plants and distribution centers amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The grocery store also announced it will pay any current part-time and full-time employees for 14 days that are forced to quarantine at home or have been diagnosed with coronavirus.
(Read more: KAKE – News)
Winfield hospital employee donates 1.75 million
Brandon Sultz washes dishes at the William Newton Hospital in Winfield. The 24-year-old just inherited millions, from someone he barely knew. “I’m still in shock, even today, but I mean, wow. What a blessing.”
But Sultz isn’t keeping it all for himself. He’s donating about 1.75 million dollars to the hospital and he’s not going to quit his job. He says it’s a place where co-workers turned into family. ”I want to pay it forward. I just think that the spirit of giving needs to become contagious and my life long goal is to leave my mark on the world.”
(Read more: KAKE – News)
Morris Co. Health Dept: 2 people test positive for COVID-19, others at risk in Council Grove area
According to the Morris County Health Department’s Facebook page, two individuals have tested positive for COVID-19 in Morris County, Kan.
County health officials said they were notified of the positive tests but did not say who notified them. They also did not clarify whether the two cases were Kansas citizens
Because of the way the Kansas Department of Health and Environment tallies its cases, only Kansans who test positive are counted. The two cases, if confirmed with KDHE, could be the state’s 22nd and 23rd.
(Read more: KSN-TV)
Municipal Bond Trends for March 18, 2020
The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS “investment grade” yields. Every issuer’s credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.