Candidate Bernie Sanders on Wednesday withdrew from the Democratic presidential campaign while some Kansas Democrats are participating in a mail-in ballot.
The Kansas Democratic Party today issued a statement that his withdrawal will not change the party’s primary currently underway.
The statement:
“Right now, Kansas is showing the nation how a vote-by-mail election can protect voters and our democracy at large during this uncertain time. Yesterday, we saw Republicans jeopardize public health and safety in Wisconsin by forcing thousands of voters to defy CDC guidelines in order to advocate for themselves at the ballot box. It is crucial we prevent this from occurring at the national level come November. To guarantee the basic principle that voters will not have to risk their livelihoods in order to vote, Kansas voters must prove that when we make our elections as inclusive, accessible, and safe as possible, voter turnout increases and our democracy thrives.
“Bernie Sanders’s decision to suspend his campaign will not change the Kansas 2020 Presidential Primary. The KDP has mailed over 370,000 ballots to registered Democrats and will send over 10,000 more throughout April. Along with all formally filed candidates, Bernie Sanders will remain on the ballot and Kansas voters can still choose to vote their preference on their ranked-choice ballots. If Bernie Sanders reaches the 15% viability threshold of the vote, he will be awarded Kansas delegates. It is then up to the Sanders campaign to determine whether to keep or redistribute any delegates received.
“On this new development, KDP Chair Vicki Hiatt commented:
“‘We recognize that many Kansas voters will be disappointed by today’s news that Bernie Sander’s has chosen to suspend his campaign. However, we cannot overstate the importance of voting by mail in the Kansas 2020 Primary. If we want to make sure voters have the option to vote-by-mail in future elections, especially for the November general election if the COVID-19 virus has not been contained, Kansans must prove that vote-by-mail keeps our communities safe and makes our democracy stronger. The KDP needs our members to step up to the plate now more than ever. Please make sure you vote, and then call your neighbors, family members and other loved ones to make sure they make their voices heard. Together, we will prove vote-by-mail must be prioritized at the local, state, and national level throughout the 2020 cycle to keep our communities safe and our democracy vibrant.’”
Kansas Democrats who have not received a ballot by April 10 may request a mail-in ballot by calling the KDP office or filling out an online form at https://kansasdems.org/request-mail-ballot. The form will not be available online until April 10.
The deadline to request a ballot is April 24. Voters should fill out the ballots and mail it in, so it is received by May 2, according to KDP officials.
For more information, visit www.kansasdems.org/2020Primary.
A building was damaged by gunfire around 2 a.m. April 7 in the 400 block of Cleveland Avenue, according to a social media post by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department.
A victim heard shots fired in the area, according to the report.
Robbery, kidnapping reported on New Jersey Avenue
A robbery and kidnapping were reported at 7:15 a.m. April 7 in the 2900 block of New Jersey Avenue, according to a social media post by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department.
The suspects pulled the victim out of the car and took the victim’s property, according to the report.
Then the suspects forced the victim into a vehicle and left the victim at a different location, the report stated. The victim did not want to press charges, according to police.
Battery, robbery and burglary reported
Aggravated domestic battery was reported at 2:50 p.m. April 7, according to a social media post by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department.
The victim stated that a suspect entered the house and pointed a gun at the victim, according to the report. The suspect hit the victim multiple times and took property, the report stated.
The victim had non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.
A UG Health Department graphic showed the numbers of COVID-19 cases and six deaths reported at the Riverbend facility near 78th and Freeman in Kansas City, Kansas. (UG Health Department graphic)The number of positive Wyandotte County COVID-19 cases rose to 228 on Wednesday morning. (UG COVID-19 website)A Zip Code map showed the number of COVID-19 cases in different neighborhoods of Wyandotte County. The 66112 area had 76 positive COVID-19 cases at 11 a.m. Wednesday. The Riverbend facility is in this Zip Code. Other Zip Code areas included 66109, 46 cases; 66104, 41 cases; 66102, 23 cases; 66106, 11 cases; 66101, 10 cases; 66111, 8 cases; and 66012, 11 cases. (UG COVID-19 website)
An additional two deaths related to COVID-19 were reported on Wednesday morning in Wyandotte County, according to the Unified Government’s COVID-19 website.
The total is now 12 deaths in Wyandotte County.
Six of the 12 deaths have occurred in connection with COVID-19 at the Riverbend Post-Acute Rehabilitation Center near 78th and Freeman, according to the Unified Government Health Department.
There were 228 positive COVID-19 cases in Wyandotte County at 11 a.m. Wednesday, according to the UG COVID-19 website. In all, 56 persons were reported hospitalized. This compares with 190 cases reported Tuesday morning, and 53 hospitalizations.
Forty-eight residents of Riverbend have tested positive as of Wednesday morning, and seven residents were in the hospital, according to Janell Friesen, communications coordinator for the UG Health Department.
Eight staff members at Riverbend tested positive, she stated.
Friesen said the Health Department is currently investigating how COVID-19 started at Riverbend. They have not completed a determination of the source or cause of it at this time. At this time there do not appear to be any links between the clusters of COVID-19 cases from church gatherings in Wyandotte County and Riverbend, she added.
Also, they have not seen any additional cases from the Life Care Center of Kansas City, she stated. The center reported one case of COVID-19 in March, in which a resident died at a hospital.
Statewide, 900 positive COVID-19 cases were reported in Kansas on Tuesday.
In another development, the operator of the route 104 RideKC bus tested positive for COVID-19 and operated the bus on April 1, according to health authorities. Those who rode the bus between 12:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. April 1 may have been exposed to COVID-19, and should monitor themselves for symptoms such as fever, dry cough and shortness of breath. If they develop symptoms, they should call their doctors or clinics, report it online at www.wycokck.org/COVID-19, or call 3-1-1, according to the Health Department. The bus operator has been isolated at home since April 1. The bus goes through parts of eastern and southern Wyandotte County, including Argentine, and a map of the route is at https://ridekc.org/assets/uploads/route-maps/104mwk.png.
A UG graph showed the rate of COVID-19 cases on Wednesday in Wyandotte County. While it is too early to know for sure, doctors are cautiously optimistic about the rate leveling. (UG COVID-19 website)
Doctors at KU Health System ‘cautiously optimistic,’urge residents not to meet on Sunday
While the number of cases showed an increase in Wyandotte County on Wednesday, doctors at the University of Kansas Health System said they were cautiously optimistic.
They still had the same number of patients, in the low to mid-30s, at the hospital as they did on Tuesday, and about the same number of people on ventilators, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at the KU Health System. The number of critically ill patients was about the same as the day before, he said.
He said projections may change from week to week and from day to day, and there are many different projections out there for Kansas case numbers and death numbers.
“We’re happy we’re staying at the same number,” Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at the KU Health System, said about the numbers of patients there. They’re not sure if the stay-at-home order is working or if the illness is on a slow ramp-up. The stay-at-home order started March 24 in Wyandotte County. The governor’s stay-home order continues through April 23.
No matter the reason, there is still a need to stay home during the holidays this week, he said. Dr. Stites said they are strongly recommending that Wyandotte County and other counties in the area stay sheltered in place.
“Don’t try to bring large groups together,” he said. Bringing young children together with older members of the family who don’t live in the same household is not a good idea. The COVID-19 positive cases could increase if families and groups get together this week.
“All it takes is one large social gathering, one large service people want to go to on Sunday,” he said.
Dr. Hawkinson said the increased numbers in general, including statewide numbers, are concerning because areas such as western Kansas have less resources.
Dr. Carrie Wieneke, a KU Health System obstetrician, said that while data is somewhat limited, doctors currently believe that pregnant women are at no increased risk than the general public of getting COVID-19. She said the same practices of good hygiene, washing hands and social distancing, are recommended.
Currently, COVID-19 doesn’t appear to be passed to a baby through the delivery process, Dr. Wieneke said. There also is no change in the recommendations for delivery, she added. She said that obstetricians are trying to schedule appointments together for pregnant women, for example, doing an office visit and ultrasound at the same time and not coming back into the office multiple times in the same week.
While there are no positive COVID-19 cases currently on the labor and delivery unit, there is a separate area that has been set aside in case they do have a positive patient in the future, she said.
