UG committees to meet tonight

The Unified Government Neighborhood and Community Development Committee and the Economic Development and Finance Committee are scheduled to meet tonight.

The NCD meeting starts at 5 p.m. and will be accessible on YouTube, cable television, Zoom and telephone.

On the agenda for the NCD meeting will be authorization to apply for two historic preservation grants through the Kansas State Historic Preservation Office. There would be a required match from urban planning funds and in-kind services.

Land Bank applications on the agenda include:
Six single-family homes: 2829 S. 8th St., Maria De Jesus Chavira; 2815 S. 8th St., Maria De Jesus Chavira; 929 Freeman Ave., Cinnamon Campbell; 935 Freeman Ave., Cinnamon Campbell, 1203 Ann Ave., Monica Griffin-Wright; 5705 Tauromee Ave., Nicholas Muder.
One four-plex: 416 Cambridge St., Jesse Pruneda.
Three garages: 1206 Rowland Ave., Guadalupe Adrian Rubio; 1713 Troup Ave., Yancarlos Torres; 2024 N. Tremont Ave., Yuridia Arana.
One commercial-residential, 5320 State Ave., Smith Services.

The Economic Development and Finance Committee starts after the end of the NCD Committee.

On the Economic Development and Finance Committee agenda is a third amendment to the Downtown Campus development agreement. The amendment extends the final date for closing to June 30, 2021, with an automatic extension to July 30, 2021, upon developer’s request. The developer is Lanier United LLC. Most of this development is centered at 5th and Minnesota, at the site of the Reardon Center.

The committee also will set a date for a public hearing on the adoption of a redevelopment project plan for the Rock Island Bridge project. The proposed hearing date is July 1.

In another item, an ordinance is proposed to terminate the 38th and Leavenworth Road Redevelopment District and terminate tax increment financing for that redevelopment district.

Also proposed is an ordinance to terminate the Mission Cliffs-Rainbow Park Redevelopment District and terminate tax increment financing for that redevelopment district. The district is terminating two years ahead of schedule.

The agenda also includes the first quarter 2021 investment report, by Rick Mikesic, county treasurer, and Andrea Parra, deputy county treasurer.

Information on how to connect to the meetings by Zoom and telephone is at https://www.wycokck.org/BOC-Virtual-Meeting.aspx.

Today’s forecast: Chance of rain and storms, high near 68

National Weather Service graphic

There will be a chance of rain and storms today, with a high near 68, according to the National Weather Service.

Several rounds of storms and showers are possible in the region today, the weather service said.

A weather service radar map was showing storms were in the St. Joseph, Missouri, area around 9 a.m. Monday.

Storms may take a while to start, but when or if they do, strong storms will be possible to the south and east of I-35, according to the weather service.

Storms also are possible tonight, with rain in the forecast for Tuesday.

Today, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 68 with a west southwest wind of 6 to 14 mph becoming north northwest in the afternoon. Winds may gust as high as 22 mph. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is forecast.

Tonight, there is a 60 percent chance of showers before 1 a.m., then a chance of showers and storms between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m., then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 50 with a north wind of 10 to 15 mph, gusting as high as 25 mph. Between a tenth and quarter-inch of rain is possible.

Tuesday, there is a 60 percent chance of showers, mainly before 7 a.m., with skies changing to mostly sunny, and a high near 60,, the weather service said. A north wind of 15 mph will gust as high as 25 mph. Between a tenth and quarter-inch of rain is possible.

Tuesday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 41 and a north wind of 5 to 9 mph becoming calm in the evening, according to the weather service.

Wednesday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 65 and a calm wind becoming east around 6 mph in the morning, the weather service said.

Wednesday night, there is a 20 percent chance of showers after 1 a.m., with a low of 47, according to the weather service.

Thursday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 66, the weather service said.

Thursday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 44, according to the weather service.

Friday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 70, the weather service said.

Friday night, there is a 40 percent chance of showers after 1 a.m., with a low of 56, according to the weather service.

Saturday, there is a 40 percent chance of showers, with a high near 75, the weather service said.

Saturday night, there is a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a low of 57, according to the weather service.

Sunday, there is a 40 percent chance of showers, with a high near 71, the weather service said.

Free walk-in vaccinations available Monday

Free walk-in vaccinations will be available for everyone over age 16 on Monday, May 3, at selected Unified Government Health Department locations.

To see which locations will be open on Monday, visit WycoVaccines.org or https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.

UG Health Department vaccinations are now open to people from other counties and states.

Those who wish to schedule an appointment may use the Health Department’s self-scheduling tool at WycoVaccines.org and click on a blue button that says, “Click here to schedule an appointment online.” The page is available in Spanish by clicking at the top of the page. Walk-in appointments also are welcome.

Those who don’t have an internet connection may call 3-1-1 or 913-573-5311 for assistance in scheduling their vaccination appointment time and date.
To see more information about Health Department vaccinations and next week’s schedule, visit WycoVaccines.org.

People who live in Wyandotte County can request transportation assistance to get their COVID-19 vaccination. They can submit a request online at WycoVaccines.org or by calling 3-1-1.

Other sites available for vaccination

KU Health System offers free 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.

The University of Kansas Health System also is open to anyone. People can call to get an appointment whether they are patients or not at the health system.

There are also pharmacies giving free 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.

Other pharmacies and sites giving vaccines are listed at vaccinefinder.org.

Case numbers reported

Wyandotte County reported an increase of 18 COVID-19 cases on Friday, April 30, for a cumulative 18,456 cases, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 290 deaths reported, no change from Thursday. The case numbers were not updated on Saturday and Sunday.

The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 170,465 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Sunday. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 68. The number of cumulative deaths was 2,390.

KDHE reported 309.130 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Kansas on Friday, April 30, an increase of 620 cases since Wednesday. There were a total cumulative 4,982 deaths reported statewide, an increase of four.
KDHE reported that Johnson County had 57,888 cumulative cases on Friday, an increase of 181 cases since Wednesday. Leavenworth County had 7,188 cumulative cases, an increase of 10 cases since Wednesday.

.The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Sunday night reported 32,421,534 cumulative COVID-19 cases in the United States, with 577,045 total deaths reported nationwide. There were 45,303 new cases nationwide and 490 new deaths nationwide.

States with the highest number of new cases were Florida, 5,419; New York, 3,872; Michigan, 3,708; Illinois, 2,805; and Pennsylvania, 2,604, according to the Johns Hopkins information.

Countries with the highest number of new cases were India, 392,488;; Brazil, 66,964; U.S., 45,303; Turkey, 28,817; and France, 25,670, according to the Johns Hopkins information.

Free testing available Monday

One of the sites for free COVID-19 testing is open beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, May 3, at Lowe’s at 6920 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. The tests are through WellHealth. Appointments are required. For more information, to see other testing sites and to make an appointment, visit https://www.gogettested.com/kansas.

Free COVID-19 tetsing will be available at UG Health Department testing sites. For information about UG Health Department COVID-19 testing sites and hours, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19. To see if there is any change to the schedule, visit https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept. Appointments are not needed.

The Health Department’s general contact page is at https://www.wycokck.org/Health/Contact.aspx. Their Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.

Testing sites are at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19. There are more test sites listed on this page.

Saliva testing is now offered at the UG Health Department. For more information, visit https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/02042021-ugphd-saliva-testing-available.pdf.

The University of Kansas Health System COVID-19 update page is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/292961702392386.

A weekly vaccine report for the state of Kansas is at
https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/123/Vaccine-Historical-Document-22521?bidId=.

Information about the new mask ordinance passed April 29, which loosened restrictions in Wyandotte County, is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/updatedwycomaskorder04302021.pdf.

The KDHE’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.

The KC Region COVID-19 Hub dashboard is at https://marc2.org/covidhub/.

The Wyandotte County page on the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 website is at https://bao.arcgis.com/covid-19/jhu/county/20209.html.

The Johns Hopkins Data in Motion, a presentation on critical COVID-19 data in the past 24 hours, is at https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/covid-19-daily-video.