From a quarter to a half-inch of rain is expected today. (National Weather Service graphic)Snow is possible on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. (National Weather Service graphic)
Rain is in the forecast Friday, and snow is possible on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service forecast.
Temperatures dropped to about 30 at one point on Thursday night, and were at 49 degrees at 9 a.m. Friday.
Temperatures are predicted to drop to a low of about 35 on Monday night, with snow possible in the early morning hours Tuesday, the weather service said.
Today there will be periods of light rain throughout the day, according to the weather service. Between a quarter and half-inch of rain is expected.
Currently, it appears that the chance for any snow accumulation on Tuesday is very small, the weather service said. Surface temperatures may remain too warm to accumulate more than a dusting of grassy surfaces.
Another freeze will be possible Wednesday morning with widespread temperatures in the lower 30s, according to the weather service.
Today, there will be a quarter to half-inch of rain, the weather service said. The high will be near 49 with an east northeast wind of 6 to 8 mph.
Tonight, there will be a 90 percent chance of rain, mainly before 1 a.m., with a low of 42, according to the weather service. A north northeast wind will be around 9 mph. Between a tenth and quarter-inch of rain is possible.
Saturday, there is a 20 percent chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible, after 1 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 55 with a north northwest wind of 8 mph.
Saturday night, there is a 20 percent chance of rain before 1 a.m., with a low of 38, according to the weather service. There will be a north northwest wind of 5 to 8 mph.
Sunday, it will be mostly sunny with a high near 58, with a west northwest wind of 5 to 9 mph, the weather service.
Sunday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of around 39, according to the weather service.
Monday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 62, the weather service said.
Monday night, there is a 30 percent chance of rain before 3 a.m., then a chance of rain and snow between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., then a chance of snow after 4 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 35.
Tuesday, there is a 30 percent chance of rain and snow before 10 a.m., then a chance of rain between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 50.
Tuesday night, it will be partly cloudy with a low of 32, according to the weather service.
Wednesday, there may be areas of frost in the morning, the weather service said. It will be sunny with a high near 56, the weather service said.
Wednesday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 38, according to the weather service.
Thursday, there is a 30 percent chance of rain, with a high near 60, the weather service said.
All Kansas residents with appointments may be vaccinated
The Unified Government Health Department will be adding evening and morning hours for residents to get COVID-19 vaccines.
Also, beginning Monday, April 19, the Health Department will vaccinate all Kansas residents who make an appointment for Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, according to the announcement.
Wyandotte County residents and those who work in Wyandotte County will be able to walk in to the vaccine sites and receive their COVID-19 vaccination, a Health Department news release stated.
“We have the capacity to administer vaccinations to many more people than we are currently seeing in our facilities,” said Juliann Van Liew, director of the Unified Government Public Health Department, in the news release. “It’s time to use that capacity to benefit any Kansas resident who wants to come in and get their free COVID-19 vaccination. To have that capability and not use it would be a public disservice. This is the best way forward that we see toward getting more Kansans vaccinated and thus protected from the COVID-19 virus, so we can all get back to doing the things we love to do.”
Kansans who wish to schedule an appointment can use the Health Department’s self-scheduling tool at WycoVaccines.org, clicking on the blue button that says, “Click here to schedule an appointment online.” To see this page in Spanish, click on the word “Español” at the top of the page.
Wyandotte County residents who don’t have an internet connection can call 3-1-1 (913-573-5311) for assistance in scheduling their vaccination appointment time and date.
When coming in for your appointment, you may be asked to show that you live in Kansas, such as showing a drivers’ license, piece of mail addressed to you, or similar.
Health Department announces early morning, evening hours
In addition to expanded vaccine access for all Kansans, Health Department facilities will have updated hours beginning Monday, April 19. The Health Department is evaluating these new evening and early morning hours for the next three to four weeks.
At that time, the Health Department will reassess and adjust the schedule if needed, according to a spokesman. The latest hours will be available online at WycoVaccines.org or by calling 3-1-1.
Location: Former Best Buy 10500 Parallel Parkway Kansas City, Kansas 66109
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Closed on Monday, April 24 New: Thursday: 7 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Location: Former Kmart 7836 State Ave. Kansas City, Kansas 66112
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Closed on Monday, April 19 New: Wednesday: noon – 5:30 p.m.
Location: The Armory 100 S. 20th St. Kansas City, Kansas 66102
Hours: Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Saturdays, April 17th and 24th 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Vaccinations for people who live or work in Wyandotte County
During regular vaccination facility hours Monday through Friday, people living in Wyandotte County who are 16 years of age and older can get vaccinated without an appointment at any of the Health Department’s three vaccination facilities (these sites usually provide Pfizer vaccines Monday-Friday, which are authorized for ages 16 and up; people 18 and up may receive Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, depending on the available supply).
All Wyandotte County residents who want a vaccination (whether by appointment or walk-in) are asked to bring proof that they live in Wyandotte County, such as a driver’s license, piece of mail, or similar. People who work in Wyandotte County may be asked to prove that they work in Wyandotte County by showing a work badge, a pay stub, or similar.
People who live or work in Wyandotte County and wish to schedule an appointment can use the online self-scheduling tool at WycoVaccines.org or call 3-1-1. Note that when users book an appointment using the self-scheduling tool, that means they will be vaccinated within the hour of their appointment time. For example, if a user selects “10 a.m.” as their appointment time, they will be vaccinated between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. on their selected date.
Saturday clinics in April scheduled
Saturday vaccine clinics will be held at the Armory vaccination facility, 100 S. 20th St. in KCK, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 17, and Saturday, April 24. Saturday vaccination clinics are open to anyone living or working in Wyandotte County who is 18 years old and older. Patients at these Saturday vaccine clinics will receive a free, two-dose COVID-19 vaccine. Note – these Saturday hours are at the Armory location only.
Free COVID-19 testing is also available outside of the Armory during the Saturday clinics. Everyone who gets tested can sign up to receive a $25 gift card in the mail (testing patients will not receive their gift card that day, it will be mailed to them after the testing event). You do not have to get tested in order to receive a vaccine, but you are welcome and encouraged to stop by the testing area on your way out after getting vaccinated. Getting more people in the community tested helps public health experts monitor the spread of COVID-19 in the community.
Transportation now available on Saturdays
Transportation assistance is now available for those who need a ride to and from their vaccine appointment on Saturdays, as well as the Health Department Monday through Friday hours. To request transportation assistance, visit WycoVaccines.org and click on the gold button that says, “Do you need a ride to get a COVID-19 vaccine?” or call 3-1-1. To see these options in Spanish, click on the word “Español” at the top of the page.
Monday vaccination hours will be reduced
In order to accommodate the April Saturday vaccinations, the Health Department will be scaling back hours at its vaccination facilities on these upcoming Mondays: • The Kmart site will be closed on Monday, April 19. • The Best Buy site will be closed on Monday, April 26.
For updates on vaccination site hours and more information about getting vaccinated in Wyandotte County, visit WycoVaccines.org or call 3-1-1.
Other sites available for vaccinations
The University of Kansas Health System also has vaccinations for Wyandotte and Johnson county residents. Any residents of Kansas can call to get an appointment whether they are patients or not at the health system.
KU Health System offers vaccinations seven days a week at different locations. Appointments are required. Current patients may use MyChart to make an appointment. Others may call 913-588-1227 or visit kansashealthsystem.com/vaccine to see if vaccines are available.
There are also pharmacies giving COVID-19 vaccinations in Wyandotte County by appointment, when available. These include Price Chopper and Hen House pharmacy at 76th and State Avenue, and 81st and State Avenue (see https://www.ballsfoodspharmacy.com/), and Medicine Shoppe pharmacy at 65th and Parallel by appointment when available (see https://www.facebook.com/The-Medicine-Shoppe-Kansas-City-281548241870522). CVS pharmacy also has announced that it will offer COVID-19 vaccines at one of its stores in Kansas City, Kansas. Registration is at CVS.com.
Case numbers reported
The University of Kansas Health System reported 12 active COVID-19 patients on Thursday morning, a decrease of one since Wednesday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. Of the 12 patients, four were in the intensive care unit, a decrease of one since Wednesday. Two patients were on a ventilator, no change since Wednesday. There were another eight COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized but are out of the acute infection phase, an increase of one from Wednesday. There is a total 20 patients, no change from Wednesday.
Wyandotte County reported an increase of 17 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, April 15, for a cumulative 18,262 cases, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 290 deaths reported, the same as Wednesday.
The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 167,664 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Thursday. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 60. The number of cumulative deaths was 2,369.
The state of Kansas reported 305,320 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, April 14, an increase of 601 cases since Monday. There were a total cumulative 4,944 deaths reported statewide.
The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Thursday night reported 31,495,164 cases in the United States, with 565,283 total deaths reported nationwide.
COVID-19 tests scheduled
COVID-19 testing is available beginning at 8 a.m. Friday at Lowe’s, 6920 State Ave., by appointment. The tests are listed on the Go Get Tested site at www.gogettested.com/Kansas. The WellHealth tests need appointments, which can be made at the website.
The Health Department is offering saliva COVID-19 tests to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, April 16, at the former Kmart at 7836 State Ave., at the Armory, 100 S. 20th, and at the former Best Buy at 10500 Parallel Parkway. Tests from the Health Department are free for those who live or work in Wyandotte County.
The tests are open to asymptomatic people as well as those who have symptoms or have been exposed to COVID-19. Check with the UG Health Department’s Facebook page to see if there have been any changes in the schedule. Bring something that shows that you live or work in Wyandotte County, such as a utility bill.
Unified Government commissioners each asked a question of the four candidates for police chief at the 5 p.m. UG Commission meeting April 15.
The meeting was part of the selection process for the Kansas City, Kansas, police chief candidates, UG Administrator Doug Bach explained. Bach is to make the selection of the police chief after receiving community and commission responses. An advisory committee is giving its opinions on the candidates. A community survey also was conducted on the qualities residents wanted to see in candidates.
Bach said the candidates will be interviewed more on Friday, and more background checks will be conducted. Bach said he would meet with commissioners one at a time to get their opinions, and he is expected to receive more opinions from an advisory committee. The expected hiring date is in May.
At the end of the meeting UG Commissioner Christian Ramirez requested another meeting so the UG commissioners could discuss the finalists and possibly present a unified commission recommendation to the administrator. Commissioner Ramirez said it was imperative, especially during a time of social and racial injustice, to see the governing body working together with the administration to find a chief that fits the community. Commissioner Mike Kane agreed.
Mayor David Alvey, however, said procedures for the selection have already been set, and the commissioners would talk to Bach individually to provide their opinions.
Commissioner Kane said that with some recent news stories about the police department, it would be important that the commission be involved more in the selection. Mayor Alvey, who is running for re-election, added he would take it under advisement, and if so, they might convene a special executive session.
The police chief selection process here has taken more than a year, and there were originally 19 applicants, according to a UG spokesman. The applicants were narrowed down to the final four.
Commissioner Harold Johnson asked the candidates what strategies they would use to increase the diversity of the police force in recruitment and in promotion.
Pamela Waldeck, the current deputy chief of police in Kansas City, Kansas, said the department started a year ago with minority officers assisting in the recruiting. They made a video with African American officers speaking directly to the African American community in trying to recruit more officers, she said. They also reached out to community organizations and went into neighborhoods to recruit, she added.
Waldeck, who has been with the police department since 1997, said she would like to implement a full-time recruiting staff, as those who are recruiting now are on temporary assignments. Two full-time recruiting officers could visit local high schools and colleges and have conversations with potential recruits, she said. They also could meet with church groups and organizations to build relationships, she added.
Vince Davenport, who was with the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department 25 years before going to the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, where he is the associate deputy director, said he would start by bringing adequate diverse representation to the table and crafting a written strategic plan.
The chief needs to put out a call to serve countywide, even challenging people at different workplaces to consider changing careers, Davenport said. He also said it would be important to work together with young people as well as the Black police officers’ association and the Latino officers’ association in crafting the plan.
Karl Oakman, deputy chief of the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department, where he has been a member for 29 years, said he worked with that department on recruiting around 20 years ago, creating an open testing concept. They made the recruiting process easy, and all the candidates had to do was show up at a classroom with their driver’s license and take a test, he said. When they passed the test, then they could work on getting the other necessary documents, he added. Oakman said this removed a hurdle early in the process, and they had some of the largest participation ever in a test. That year they had the largest minority participation in the academy, he added.
He also said they looked at the process to eliminate other hurdles. For example, some people cannot wait eight months to a year to get hired, so he looked at the process to find out how to reduce the time while maintaining the requirements to be an officer, Oakman said. He said they also successfully recruited police officers at historically Black colleges. Oakman also said he had an eight-point objective plan for KCK, including an innovative strategy to recruit and train a diverse work force.
Rich Austin, chief of police of Milton, Georgia, said diverse teams are stronger and police departments should be reflective of the communities they serve. A lot of agencies want to cast a wide net to get people in the door, but that’s not the best way to go about it, he said.
Austin said everyone in the police department should be a recruiter, on the lookout in their own community for people who could become community police officers, people they would want to work with and who have high integrity. While they would still need a centralized recruiting officer to go to job fairs and process applications, he believes the best strategy is for all officers to become recruiters.
Commissioner Ramirez’s question was about how the chief would handle immigration, and Commissioner Kane asked about how they work with the union. To hear more of the candidates’ responses on the questions, see the meeting video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUlF684F6HI.
