Month: April 2020

Gov. Kelly sues Legislative Coordinating Council after it overturned limits on church groups

Kansas reported 1,106 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases on Thursday in 57 of 105 counties, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. There were a total f 42 deaths in Kansas since the start of the pandemic. (KDHE map)
A KDHE chart reported total cases in yellow and new cases in blue. There was a spike in deaths on Wednesday. (KDHE chart)

Gov. Laura Kelly said in a news conference on Thursday that her office will sue the Legislative Coordinating Council over its action on Wednesday, overturning her order that churches be limited to 10 or less people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said she was taking the action “to ensure that politics does not hinder our ability to save Kansas lives.”

Also, the suit is being filed with the Kansas Supreme Court to expedite the issue and bring it to a conclusion. The governor’s order was issued earlier this week, just before religious holidays. The state’s medical officials have recommended that people stay at home and not gather in groups during the holidays to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Gov. Kelly said this is not a normal disagreement about politics. This time, it could jeopardize the health and safety of Kansans, and they don’t have time to play games, she said.

The LCC, a group of seven Kansas legislative leaders, typically makes decisions when the Legislature is not meeting.

Gov. Kelly said the Kansas Emergency Management Act empowers the Legislature as a whole, not the LCC, to make those decisions.

What the LCC did yesterday with its action was to weaken and confuse the state’s emergency response efforts, putting every Kansan at risk, Gov. Kelly said. She added she would not stand by while lives were in jeopardy.

Also on Wednesday, Kansas Attorney General wrote a letter to law enforcement officials stating his view that the governor’s order on limiting the number of people attending church gatherings was illegal and should not be enforced.

In a House Republican leadership news release found on a Facebook page, House leaders stated that they were concerned and disappointed. They stated they were trying to resolve differences. The attorney general’s advice is that the order is unconstitutional and unenforceable, they stated. They also said they agreed with the governor on key points such as Kansans staying home on Easter and Passover; continuing to have alternative forms of worship and online services; churches following the CDC and KDHE guidelines; and working together to flatten the curve.

However, they also said that “Kansans should not be arrested for practicing their faith.” The release stated the governor opted to create confusion and tie the issue up in the courts.

Kansas reported 1,112 positive COVID-19 cases today, and a total of 42 deaths, according to statistics from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. There are 263 hospitalizations. There were 1,046 positive cases on Wednesday.

There were 11 deaths on Wednesday and four more on Thursday. The four deaths today were in Wyandotte County.

In other action, Gov. Kelly said a new phone system has been installed at the Kansas Department of Labor, where 1.6 million calls were received Monday.

She said the new system handled 1,300 calls this morning, about the same number as it handled in a single day previously. Those who are making an unemployment claim are asked to use the website, getkansasbenefits.gov, not the phone number. The phone number is reserved for non-English speakers and members of the military. The website is the quickest way to get benefits.

To view the governor’s news conference, visit https://www.facebook.com/GovLauraKelly/videos/155161369154168/.

The governor’s petition is at https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgovernor.kansas.gov%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F04%2F001-Petition.pdf&data=02%7C01%7C%7C6948d6b48c444651140008d7dcd3d225%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637220674622275614&sdata=5oCpZ2Z8avJfEw2Q3Ix482bjRI6H%2BhAyeVpNHcR2p6E%3D&reserved=0.

A memorandum in support of the governor’s petition is at https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgovernor.kansas.gov%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F04%2F002-Memo-in-Support.pdf&data=02%7C01%7C%7C6948d6b48c444651140008d7dcd3d225%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637220674622275614&sdata=7I1jt3CviDpzw4EZJ64CMilD5bZ5E6SGzsJzheSuazQ%3D&reserved=0

The House leadership statement on the governor’s lawsuit is at https://www.facebook.com/RonWRyckman/.

The Kansas COVID-19 resource page is at https://govstatus.egov.com/coronavirus.

The UG COVID-19 website is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.

The CDC COVID-19 page is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.

Grinter Quilters assist by sewing face masks

The Grinter Quilters are assisting with fighting COVID-19 by making face masks while they are at home.

According to Lezlie Brillhart, president of the Grinter Quilters, about six members of the organization are working individually at home and have provided hundreds of the face masks to local residents and organizations. She only recently started helping with the effort, she added, and has made about 30 masks herself.

Recently, the CDC recommended face masks for those who are going out. Wyandotte County and Kansas are currently under stay-at-home orders.

Some of the masks have been given to health clinics, neighbors and organizations, she said. Others have gone to churches, gyms and organizations that are not currently meeting but are waiting for the stay-at-home orders to end. A hospital didn’t need the homemade masks, she said, since they have masks that are made to medical specifications.

All the meetings at Grinter Place have been canceled because of the “stay-at-home” order, and at this time of the year, the Grinter Quilters would usually have been working on a number of quilts at Grinter Place.

The annual Grinter Quilt Show in the last week of April had to be canceled, she said, and now the Grinter Quilters are waiting to see if it can be rescheduled later in the year.

“The masks are not that difficult to make,” Brillhart said. There are not too many connections between sewing quilts and sewing masks, she added. “The only thing to say is we all have sewing machines. This is a project we can do at our homes.”

She said as quilters, they always have a lot of scraps of material left over that can be used for masks.

She said she hopes their efforts help people.

“I understand masks are pretty much mandatory for people, and a lot don’t know where to go. They can’t go out and shop for them,” she said.

It is nice to be able to do something at this time, she said.

“We’re just sitting at home, too,” she said.

New Bethel Church plans drive-by prayer service on Good Friday

The New Bethel Church, 745 Walker Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, plans a “drive-by prayer” from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Good Friday, April 10.

According to the church, Senior Pastor A. Glenn Brady felt led to hold something for the members and community to encourage and uplift families at this time.

All social distancing orders will be in effect to continue to prevent and limit the spread of COVID-19, according to the church.

The pastors of the New Bethel Church will wear masks and stay at least 6 feet away. Instead of hugging and giving handshakes, they will encourage drivers to honk their horns, flash their lights and praise God in their vehicles, a church official stated.

According to the church, Pastor Brady does not take the situation lightly, and he and the NBC leadership team are in constant communication and prayer to ensure wise decisions are being implemented for the health and well-being of the members and the community.

For more information, visit www.newbethelkc.org. The church is on Facebook and Instagram @NewBethelKC.