A proposal to apply for budget authorization for FEMA reimbursable expenses related to COVID-19 moved forward at Monday night’s Unified Government Economic Development and Finance Committee meeting. In November, the federal government extended the FEMA reimbursement period through April 1, according to UG officials. Previously, it had been set to expire in December.
Source: Wyandotte Daily
Kansas schoolchildren and teachers return to the classroom this week amid a post-Christmas and New Year coronavirus surge and pleas from doctors to wear masks. Kansas Department of Health and Environment data suggest the COVID-19 case surge in the week after Christmas has been worse than any previous peak in the pandemic. “If you want to keep schools open and you want to keep businesses open, you got to keep people healthy,” said Steve Stites, the chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, when asked Monday whether mask mandates should be reinstated. “You’re either not going to have enough teachers or enough staff, or too many students out, in this omicron wave to think that you’re going to really have successful schools, in my opinion, or the business is going to be able to work if they don’t have enough employees.”
Source: CJonline
Jail cells line the second floor of a bright, vintage-looking home. During years past, sheriffs of Rice County and their families lived on the ground floor, processing inmates and addressing drunken troublemakers. In 1929, the Rice County Jail opened, serving the community until 2001 when Rice County built the new Law Enforcement Center, which is west of town near the Lyons Airport. Today, the historic site purchased by Chris McCord in 2020 is an Airbnb and escape room named The Slammer Historic Rice County Jail, where guests can stay in a piece of Rice County history or learn the narrative of the location through a historical tour and escape room activity.
Source: Salina Journal
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.
Geary Community Hospital is closing its intensive care unit by Feb. 1, hospital officials announced Monday. “Due to a national COVID-19-exacerbated nursing shortage, as well as fiscal situations beyond our control, Geary Community Hospital can no longer effectively operate an intensive care unit (ICU),” officials said in a written statement released Monday afternoon. “We assure you closing a unit of the hospital is not an easy decision, and we understand how this impacts the community.”
Source: themercury.com
Beginning Monday, January 3, 2022, visitors will no longer be required to wear masks when inside City-operated facilities, except when entering secure, staff-only areas where mask required signage is present. To protect the workforce and maintain programs and services, City employees are still required to wear masks that cover their mouth and nose when inside all areas of indoor City-operated facilities. The decision to modify the mask policy for City facilities was made by City Manager Ron Fehr.
Source: Manhattan – News Flash
The gameday atmosphere at a Kansas State football game is special, but that atmosphere simply doesn’t happen without the Kansas State Marching Band. The band and the football team share a special connection. “It’s a complete package. We go to bowl games because they win a lot of football games. They have a great coaching staff, they have great players and they have a great tradition. We’ve built that with the band we think, and we just look at it as a tag team approach,” band director Dr. Frank Tracz said. The band put in a lot of effort and some long hours to prepare for the trip. The trip itself wasn’t easy either.
Source: KSNT News
The new year is looking bright for Topeka residents already. On Monday the city announced the new Lien Program will release thousands of people from paying back their loan. The new policy is projected to help between 8,000 to 10,000 Topekans. The city reports 80 releases have already been complete, putting an estimated $300,000 into low income households. This policy is only for those who have a current lien with the city’s housing services division – or those who apply for future rehabilitation loans.
Source: KSNT News
The Topeka Municipal Court is suspending the majority of its in-person dockets due to an increase in community spread of COVID-19 in Shawnee County. The suspension starts Monday and is expected to last through January 14. The City of Topeka announced the decision last month. According to a city press release, all impacted cases will be rescheduled and all impacted defendants and defense counsel will be notified by mail.
Source: KSNT News
Johnson County leaders will decide Thursday whether to scrap their current school mask mandate for elementary school children or leave it in place through the spring semester as the highly contagious omicron variant pushes COVID-19 cases to record highs. The current county order, in place since August, requires masks in schools that serve students as old as sixth grade in an attempt to slow the virus’s spread while vaccination rates among children remain low. But the rule has come under fire from a litany of state and local officials who argue such mandates should be left to individual school districts to decide. The order will remain in effect through May 31 unless the Johnson County Board of Commissioners amends or revokes it and critics have pleaded with the board to do just that at the board’s meeting Thursday.
Source: Joco 913 News
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