Month: June 2020

Faith news

Wyandotte County is in Phase 2 under Kansas Ad Astra reopening plan, and will move into Phase 3 on Monday, June 8. Local health officials said under Phase 2, people should keep a distance of 6 feet between themselves and others. They may sit closer to people who live in their households. Also, people should wear masks and should wash hands or use hand sanitizer. For more information about the faith guidelines under Phase 2, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/wyandotte-county-prepares-to-enter-phase-2-of-states-reopening-plan-on-friday/, and more information is at https://covid.ks.gov/reopen-page/.


Some faith groups will continue holding online or video services. In Wyandotte County, those who are older than 60 or who have other medical conditions should continue staying home, according to the Wyandotte County health officials Those who are sick should stay home, according to officials.


Residents are advised to visit the social media page of their church or faith organization, or to call them or email them, to see changes that have been made to regular schedules, or if there are video services planned on Sunday.


The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas has information about churches reopening and also Masses, including a Mass at 10 a.m. Sunday, June 7, at https://livestream.com/archkck.


Blessed Sacrament, Christ the King and Our Lady and St. Rose Catholic churches have resumed in-person Masses, with some attendance guidelines. For more information, visit the churches’ websites or Facebook pages at https://www.facebook.com/Christ-the-King-Parish-KCKS-1392808997677579/, https://www.facebook.com/BlessedSacramentkck and https://www.facebook.com/ourladyandsaintrose/.


Christ the King Catholic Church, 53rd and Leavenworth Road, will hold a Community Blood Center blood drive from noon to 5 p.m. Monday, June 8, in Davern Hall. For more information and to sign up, visit www.savealifenow.org. Currently, the blood center is taking reservations.


Open Door Baptist Church, 3033 N. 103rd Terrace, Kansas City, Kansas, will have services in person with social distancing at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, June 7. There will be no children’s ministry. There also will be livestream services at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 7, on the church’s website https://www.opendoorkc.com/.


Stony Point Christian Church, 149 S. 78th St., Kansas City, Kansas, plans to livestream the music and message at 10:15 a.m. Sunday, June 7, on its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/StonyPointChristianChurch, and people are welcome to attend in person, using social distancing and other health measures.


St. Patrick Catholic Church, Kansas City, Kansas, has a Mass online for Sunday, June 7, at https://www.facebook.com/StPatrickKCK/. St. Patrick Church also has returned to in-person Masses, with reservations being taken.


St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Kansas City, Kansas, is planning livestream services on Facebook on Sunday, June 7. See stpaulskck.org and https://www.facebook.com/StPaulsKCK/.


Wyandotte United Methodist Church, 7901 Oakland Ave., is planning drive-through communion from noon to 1 p.m. Sunday, June 7, entering from the west at the church’s parking lot. People will remain in their cars. For more information visit Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Wyandotteumc/ or online on the website at www.wyandotteumc.com.

Information about other church services in Wyandotte County may be available from the church’s social media page.
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COVID-19 cases up slightly as Wyandotte County prepares to enter Phase 3 of recovery plan on Monday

Wyandotte County had 1,486 total cumulative positive COVID-19 cases at 1 p.m. Saturday, and a total of 75 deaths. (UG COVID-19 website)
The seven-day rolling average of positive cases in Wyandotte County on June 6 was about half of the average on May 6, according to the UG’s chart. (UG COVID-19 website)

The Unified Government COVID-19 webpage at 1 p.m. Saturday reported 1,486 cumulative total positive COVID-19 cases and 75 deaths. It was an increase of 33 cases and one death since 1 p.m. Friday.

There were 17 hospitalizations, according to the UG website on Saturday. In addition, there were 500 total recoveries reported.

The UG’s COVID-19 hub showed the seven-day rolling average of positive cases was 22 on June 5 and 21 on June 6. One month ago, on May 6, the rolling average was about double, at 44 cases. On April 6, two months ago, the seven-day rolling average was 18 cases.

Wyandotte County on Monday, June 8, will make the transition to Phase 3 of the Ad Astra state reopening plan. Under that plan, group gatherings are limited to a maximum of 45 people, where social distancing cannot be maintained. Residents should continue to wear masks and stay 6 feet apart when in public. Wyandotte County has some of its own rules added to Phase 3, which is a mandatory health order here. More information on Phase 3 is at https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/06052020_WyCoMovestoPhase3_1.pdf.

The University of Kansas Health System on Friday morning reported 13 positive COVID-19 patients, the same as Thursday. There have been some new admissions, according to hospital officials. No COVID-19 patients were in the intensive care unit. All COVID-19 patients were moved to one unit, and two of them remained on ventilators.

KU Health System will now allow one visitor per day per patient, according to Chris Ruder, vice president of patient care services and associate chief nursing officer at the health system. He discussed the visitation policy at a news conference Friday morning. Previously, no visitors were allowed during the past few months.

According to Ruder, patients were limited earlier for the safety of the patients and staff. The policy also helped the hospital save its personal protective equipment. The support of loved ones is vital to patients, and there are safety protocols in place to allow limited visitors, he said. Health system officials will be monitoring the new visitation policy.

Doctors also discussed the emotional and mental toll on the population that is also most vulnerable to COVID-19.

Danielle Johnson, who has a doctorate in psychology, said children have made more calls to suicide hotlines and more of them have made suicide attempts.

Dr. Johnson encouraged parents to have honest, appropriate conversations with their children as often as possible.

Social isolation and limited resources can put a strain on families, she said. Kids may notice that parents are struggling, and parents should let children know that they will get through it.

Dr. Johnson wasn’t particularly concerned about temporarily allowing children to have more screen time, while parents look for safe and creative ways for children to interact with friends.

Some families, she said, have driven by a friend’s house, allowing kids to interact while keeping 6 feet of distance. Others have met friends while on bikes in a parking lot, keeping at least 6 feet away.

Seniors are facing worse social isolation than ever, and she advised people to take care of older relatives as well as children, and themselves. Although seniors in Wyandotte County nursing homes are not able to have visitors yet, Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer of KU Health System, encouraged people to send letters.

Sierra Stites, a Master of Public Health student, said she had seen the effects of social isolation in smaller communities during her work as a case investigator for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The state and local health departments have resources for help for residents, she said. Also, Sierra Stites said she has seen COVID-19 from a unique perspective from her background as a biracial child. With a population that has traditionally had difficulty being seen and heard, the pandemic has made the problem worse, according to Sierra.

Dr. Steve Stites advised people to try to see the world through others’ eyes instead of just through their own eyes. Everyone has a unique point of view that needs to be acknowledged, according to Dr. Stites. He said he thought society has changed because of the pandemic and hoped people’s thoughts about exclusion also were changing.

The KU doctors’ news conference is online at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/.

The UG’s COVID-19 information page is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.

Wyandotte County is currently under the state’s Phase 2 plan and will change to Phase 3 on Monday. See covid.ks.gov.


The state plan’s frequently asked questions page is at https://covid.ks.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Reopening-FAQ_5.19.2020_Final.pdf.

Test sites are listed at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.

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

UG Treasury office will reopen for limited in-person service on Monday, June 8

The Unified Government Treasury office will reopen for limited in-person service on Monday, June 8.

According to a UG spokesman, for all motor vehicle work not related to titles, the public still is required to continue to use online, drop-off or mail-in options only.

On Monday, June 8, the annex office at 8200 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, will be open exclusively for motor vehicle title work, the spokesman stated. Those who use this option to complete title work will be required to have a spot in the online queue prior to arriving at the annex location.

They will receive an estimated time to be served through a text message notification, and individuals will not be allowed in the building until the number is about to be called, according to the spokesman. Residents may reserve a spot in line by visiting wycokck.org/auto.

The downtown office at 710 N. 7th St., Suite 240, Kansas City, Kansas, will be open to the public exclusively for the real estate, personal property, and treasury services on June 8.

“While the offices will be reopening, the need for social distancing still limits the services that can be provided in our facilities. We are happy to be able to once again welcome the public into our offices. However, we will be limited to the number of individuals that can enter the facility,” said Richard Mikesic, treasurer. “In addition, the pandemic closure created a monumental backlog of work. I believe there are approximately 15,000 people that have been waiting for our doors to open. If you choose to come into the office for your title work needs, you should be prepared for significant wait times due to the overwhelming demand. We continue to urge individuals to first choose the various online, drop off, or mail-in options for all their motor vehicle, real estate tax, and personal property tax payment needs.”

In addition, the Treasury also announced an upgrade to the PayIt/iKan services which allows late renewals to be processed through both systems.

This process, which is already active, allows for registration renewal transactions without calculating any penalties or interest on renewals that fall under Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s Executive Order temporarily suspending penalties and interest for late renewals.

Annual registration

In order to renew annual registration, submit your payment online at mywyco.wycokck.org or through the MyWyco App available for both iPhone and Android devices. If you are not able to make your payment online, you will be required to submit your registration renewal as follows:

  1. Place your payment in the Treasurer Drop Box located at the Annex, 8200 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.
  2. Mail-in your payment to the Courthouse Office at 710 N. 7th St., Suite 240 Kansas City, Kansas.

Title work

Title work on a newly acquired vehicle can still be processed without coming into the office. To get started, visit wycokck.org/auto and select “Click here to initiate a request to title your recently purchased vehicle: Request a ugdmv-title” https://us.openforms.com/Form/587cfabc-3275-443f-b4c3-70be334a8587.

Temporary tags

The Treasury office provides the opportunity to acquire temporary tags through email. To start this process, send an email to [email protected].

Handicapped placard

To acquire your handicapped placard, submit your placard Self Certification Form (found at https://www.ksrevenue.org/pdf/tr159a.pdf) as follows:

  1. Place your payment in the Treasurer Drop Box located at the Annex, 8200 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.
  2. Mail in your payment to the Courthouse Office at 710 N. 7th St., Suite 240 Kansas City, Kansas.

Real estate and personal property

To submit your real estate or personal property payment online, visit mywyco.wycokck.org or use the MyWyco App available for both iPhone and Android devices. If you are not able to make your payment online, you will have two options:

  1. Place your payment in the Treasurer Drop Box located at the Annex, 8200 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.
  2. Mail in your payment to the Courthouse Office at 710 N. 7th St., Suite 240 Kansas City, Kansas.

The governor has issued an order providing a grace period for renewals and title work completion on vehicles purchased in 2020. The grace period extends 60 days from the date the State of Disaster Emergency is lifted, which has yet to occur. Residents will have some time to get their motor vehicle needs met prior to the expiration of the grace period.

“Please know, we have a dedicated staff that only want to help you complete the service you need. We know it is a trying situation for all, so we appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to serve you,” Mikesic said.

Driver’s license services are provided by the state of Kansas. For information related to obtaining or renewing a driver’s license, visit ksrevenue.org/reopening.

Residents with additional questions may visit wycokck.org/auto, call 3-1-1, contact the Treasury office at 913-573 2821 or send an email to [email protected]. The call volume is very heavy, so delays can be expected, according to a spokesman.

  • Information from Unified Government