Month: April 2020

Weather: Today’s high to be near 58

Cool weather is expected during the next seven days. (National Weather Service graphic)

After a subfreezing overnight low, today’s high is expected to be near 58, according to the National Weather Service.

The temperature was 30 degrees at 7 a.m., and by 9 a.m. it was 38 degrees.

The forecast for Easter Sunday shows a cold front moving in, with a chance of rain and a high near 56. On Sunday night, there will be a chance of rain and snow showers, the weather service said.

Today, it will be sunny with a high near 58 and a calm wind becoming south southwest 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon, the weather service said.

Tonight, there is a 20 percent chance of rain after 4 a.m., with a low of 45, according to the weather service. The low will be around 45 with a south wind of 6 to 11 mph.

Saturday, there will be a 30 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms before 7 a.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m., then a chance of showers after 3 p.m., the weather service said. It will be partly sunny, with a high near 67 and a south wind of 13 to 17 mph, gusting as high as 20 mph. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is expected.

Saturday night, there will be an 80 percent chance of showers, and possibly a thunderstorm after 7 p.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 49 with a south wind of 9 to 14 mph, gusting as high as 23 mph. Between a tenth and quarter-inch of rain is possible.

Sunday, there is a 100 percent chance of showers, with a high near 56, the weather service said. A north northeast wind of 7 to 12 mph will become north northwest 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon. Winds may gust as high as 32. Between a quarter and half-inch of rain is possible.

Sunday night, there is a 20 percent chance of rain and snow showers before midnight, then a slight chance of snow showers between midnight and 1 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 27, and it will be windy.

Monday, it will be sunny with a high near 45, the weather service said.

Monday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 28, according to the weather service.

Tuesday, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 49, the weather service said.

Tuesday night, it will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 31, according to the weather service.

Wednesday, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 49, the weather service said.

Wednesday night, it will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 32, according to the weather service.

Thursday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 55, the weather service said.

Wyandotte County chief medical officer issues health order on religious services

The chief medical officers of Wyandotte County has issued a new health order on holding religious services here.

The order goes into effect in time for some Passover and Easter services in Wyandotte County.

Dr. Allen Greiner, chief medical officer of Wyandotte County, issued the order to reduce the spread of COVID-19, according to the document.

The order stated that churches, businesses and all other groups must avoid gatherings of more than 10 people and maintain a 6-foot distance between people.

The new order also provides rules for any religious organizations that might want to hold drive-in services.


Recent activity in the state capitol has caused confusion about religious gatherings in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and during a sacred time for people of many faiths and spiritualities, a news release from the Health Department stated.

Although the governor’s recent Executive Order 20-18 has been rescinded, the earlier Stay at Home Executive Order remains in effect until at least April 19, the UG Health Department stated. The spirit of the Stay at Home order is simple: limit the spread of this life-threatening virus by avoiding close contact with other people as much as possible, a spokesman stated.

Dr. Greiner, Mayor David Alvey, and the Unified Government strongly discourage gatherings of any size, according to the news release.

“In order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Wyandotte County, it is absolutely critical that community organizations like churches, businesses, and all of our community members stay home as much as possible, avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, and maintain a 6-foot distance between people in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” Dr. Greiner said in the news release.

In cooperation with the governor’s Stay at Home Order, Dr. Greiner issued a health order on Thursday, April 9 providing guidance to local churches that wish to hold drive-in operations when online, radio or other telecommunications tools are not available.

While the UG strongly discourages gatherings of any size, the order stated that any in-person religious services held should adhere to the following requirements:

• Attendees may arrive for the service no earlier than 15 minutes before the start of the service and must disperse immediately following the service;

• Each vehicle should only have members of the same household in the vehicle

  • No vehicle should have members from different households together in a vehicle;
  • Attendees must remain in their cars for the entirety of the service. If a person gets out of his or her vehicle, he or she may be asked to leave the service;
  • Attendees may roll down the driver’s side (left) window(s) only, and park in such a manner that adjacent vehicles do not have open windows between them;
  • Attendees will not enter the church building during the service for any reason, including using restrooms. Celebrants may enter the building as needed to prepare and close the service:
  • There will be no distribution or sharing of materials, including written material or communion;
  • There will be no passing of objects such as collection plates, baskets, etc.

Following these critical steps will help prevent the spread of COVID-19, and it will help keep yourself, your family, and your community safe, health officials stated.

“This is a time of year where many faith communities and families come together. We know how difficult it is to ask people to not observe these important events with in-person gatherings. That said, individuals can best protect themselves, their families, and the community by staying at home. These efforts will allow us to more quickly emerge from the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. Staying home is necessary to protect us all,” Dr. Greiner said.

Large group gatherings have already worsened the spread of COVID-19 in Wyandotte County and elsewhere, according to the Health Department.

In Kansas, there have been 23 confirmed cases, including 11 Wyandotte County residents, linked to the Minister’s Conference March 16-22 at Miracle Temple Church of God in Christ. Additionally, there have been 3 positive cases associated with a gala on March 14 at Rising Star Baptist Church and 3 cases linked to church services on March 8 at Power Realm Church of God in Christ.

“Our family will not be able to join in person with other families of our parish for Holy Week and Easter liturgies and family celebrations. People in Wyandotte County already feel this special loss. Yet we must, and will, keep our common faith while keeping our social distance,” Mayor David Alvey said in the news release.

Churches are creative, but will their event pass the rules test?

One church in eastern Kansas City, Kansas, reportedly plans to set up chairs on the lawn, spaced six feet apart, for services.

Janell Friesen, spokesman for the UG Health Department, said that any gatherings of more than 10 people now, for any reason, are not recommended.

“We would not recommend having something where people are in the same space together, even if that’s an outdoor space,” she said. They would not recommend people getting out of their cars to attend.

The order strongly encourages churches or organizations to hold services remotely, using communications tools, she said.

The order also outlines rules for holding a service in a church parking lot.

Another Kansas City, Kansas, church has announced plans for a “drive-by” service, and Friesen said without knowing the exact details, it sounds similar to the rules of the drive-in services. She said any traffic should be in the parking lot and not blocking traffic on a street.

A group of teachers who recently held a parade of possibly 30 cars past their students’ residences was broken up in Kansas City, Kansas, on a recent weekend.

Friesen said probably the reason is that it was on a public street without a parade permit, and a parade was not listed as an essential activity on the “stay-at-home” orders.

That is why groups may want to check with the police first before they have some similar activity, she said.

The governor’s Stay at Home Order will remain in effect until at least April 19, the Health Department stated. Churches planning parking lot services are encouraged to advise the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department in advance by calling 913-225-4788. The line is staffed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. During other hours, calls should be made to the KCKPD non-emergency number, 913-596-3000.

Residents with questions about the governor’s Stay at Home Order may contact 3-1-1 or visit mywyco.wycokck.org.

To learn more about the County’s COVID-19 response and access FAQs and information, visit wycokck.org/COVID-19.

To see a copy of the new health order, issued April 9, visit https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/LocalHealthOfficersOrdeRegardingReligiousServices04092020.pdf.

Sheriff announces policy changes after incidents

Wyandotte County Sheriff Don Ash today announced policy changes in the wake of two employee incidents in the Sheriff’s Department in the past year.

The changes will include new, clearer policies with accountability and more training for employees, he said at a video news conference on Thursday. They have updated the use of force policy and will be doing training on use of force, defensive tactics, subject control and de-escalation, he said.

“As a human being and as the sheriff of Wyandotte County, the actions of the sheriff’s office employees involved in both these incidents are beyond disappointing to me,” Sheriff Ash said. “They are disheartening and repugnant. Actions like this harm the public’s trust in us as a law enforcement agency.”

Building and strengthening the public’s trust in him and in the office are his top priority, he said.

“We’ve taken steps to communicate to all our employees that I have zero tolerance for the behavior shown in these incidents,” Ash said.

All employees will be trained in controlling suspects and inmates, transporting them and acceptable use of force and reporting, he said. Every employee will be required to read, understand, ask questions and acknowledge that they have read and understood all policies, he said. They will be required to keep up with updates, and receive updated training on ethics and work requirements periodically, he said. Ash also said he has sent supervisors to outside training for additional development in these areas. Officers will review and acknowledge policies on a more frequent basis. Additional training by a third party will be scheduled.

He said his goal is to eliminate unacceptable behavior and strengthen the public’s trust in the agency as a whole.

“I hold myself and my employees to the highest moral, ethical and legal standards,” he said. “We are committed to our mission to serve and protect our community and that includes inmates in our custody. In every action, I want myself and all sheriff’s office employees to be guided by core values of equality, respect, service, honesty and integrity. And integrity forms the basis for community trust.”

At this time, the first incident’s court case is unresolved, Ash said. It happened Sept. 5, 2019, at the jail, when deputies were suspicious that inmates were smoking in their cells. An inmate was removed from the cell for an additional search, and was escorted to a search room. The inmate said he wasn’t smoking, and the deputies did not find any evidence of smoking.

An employee in that incident, former Sgt. David J. Toland of the Sheriff’s Department, was charged on Nov. 14, 2019, with aggravated battery and mistreatment of a confined person in Wyandotte County District Court. The hearing was continued to an unknown date because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ash said. The sheriff stated that Toland is presumed innocent.

Toland was escorting the inmate back to his cell with an escort deputy and three other deputies, and the inmate’s hands were handcuffed behind his back, according to the sheriff.

One of the deputies reported what he thought was improper treatment of the inmate to a different sergeant at the next shift, he said. That sergeant then reported the incident, the sheriff learned about it an hour later, and then required reports of the incident.

The inmate had redness and swelling about his face, according to a medical report, the sheriff said.

Toland was placed on leave pending an investigation, Ash said. The KBI was requested to investigate the incident. The Sheriff’s Department requested the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department conduct an internal investigation into the incident, which the Sheriff’s Department cooperated with, he said.

The Sheriff’s Department has reviewed policies. Employee training in use of force policy has been scheduled, but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ash said. It will be rescheduled, he said.

Actions of all employees involved in the incident were reviewed, and employees received discipline ranging from a written reprimand to termination, he said.

The inmate did not file any action against the UG, and the UG entered into a settlement with the inmate for $50,000, according to Ash.

In the second case, an employee was identified as a suspect in a hit-and-run crash on Dec. 13, 2019. There have been no charges filed yet in the case, Ash said. The case is still under investigation by the district attorney, he said. The KBI investigated the case. The KBI report is finished and has been submitted to the DA.

Ash said he requested an internal affairs administrative investigation, which is still ongoing. The employee remains on leave while the investigation is ongoing, he added.

Unified Government Administrator Doug Bach voiced his strong support for Sheriff Ash in dealing with the two incidents, saying Ash has confronted the incidents head-on and gathered facts.

“Sheriff Ash and his employees have cooperated fully with the investigations which he initially requested surrounding these incidents,” Bach said.