Month: September 2021

Rain possible today, Thursday

Photo by Steve Rupert

Rain chances increase this afternoon with a few thunderstorms possible, according to the National Weather Service forecast.

Occasional showers and a few thunderstorms are possible Thursday through Saturday, the weather service said.

Severe weather is not expected, according to the weather service.

Today, there is a 30 percent chance of showers, followed by more showers and thunderstorms, after 2 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 83 with a south southeast wind of 6 to 9 mph.

Tonight, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 66 with a southeast wind of 5 to 8 mph. Between a tenth and quarter-inch of rain is possible.

Thursday, there is an 80 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, followed by showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 8 a.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 80 with a south wind of 5 to 7 mph. Between a tenth and quarter-inch of rain is possible.

Thursday night, there is an 80 percent chance of rain, and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly before 2 a.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 64 with a light south southeast wind. Between a tenth and quarter-inch of rain is possible.

Friday, there is a 70 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, followed by more showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 79 and a calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is expected.

Friday night, there is a 70 percent chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 2 a.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 64. Between a tenth and quarter-inch of rain is possible.

Saturday, there is a 70 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 a.m., then a chance of showers between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., followed by showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 75.

Saturday night, there is a 70 percent chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 8 p.m., then a chance of showers, according to the weather service. The low will be around 61.

Sunday, there is a 40 percent chance of showers, the weather service said. The high will be near 74.

Sunday night, there is a 40 percent chance of showers before 8 p.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 57.

Monday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 72, the weather service said.

Monday night, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 72, according to the weather service.

Tuesday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 69, the weather service said.

KCK school board approves vaccine and testing plan

The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education approved a vaccine and testing plan at the Tuesday night, Sept. 28, meeting.

The policy “highly encouraged” staff and others to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and if they don’t have proof of vaccination on file with the district by Nov. 19, they would be required to participate in weekly COVID-19 testing.

All district staff who provide proof of vaccination would have five additional sick leave days added to their annual contract for the 2021-2022 school year, according to the new policy.

The board included school volunteers in the new policy, along with staff. The volunteers and staff would have to test weekly if they aren’t vaccinated.

A minimum of 45 days will be needed for the district to implement the new policy, according to administrators. Staff will upload a copy of their vaccination cards to a district website.

The administration presented the board with three policy options, and the board selected the second option, adding volunteers into the group.

Voting for the new vaccine and testing policy were Yolanda Clark, Janey Humphries, Maxine Drew, Randy Lopez and Dr. Valdenia Winn.

Wanda Brownlee Paige voted against the new policy, saying it was a public health issue. She said that so far, American society has allowed a lot of choice on vaccinations and it hasn’t worked. She was in favor of stronger mandatory language requiring vaccines in the policy.

Dr. Stacy Yeager voted no because she said she did not like the idea of volunteers being tested. She said she looked forward to continuing to work on the policy.

On an earlier motion by Paige, the school board voted down the first vaccine and testing policy option. The first option stated that vaccinations would be “required.” On that motion, Clark, Drew, Humphries and Yeager voted no, with Lopez, Paige and Winn voting yes.

“This is a public health crisis,” Paige said. “This mess will never end if we keep saying, we just encourage you.”

Dr. Yeager said she wasn’t able to accept mandating that all eligible employees receive a vaccination. She said she thought they would be the only school district in the county requiring employees to have vaccinations, which would be a hardship. She discussed the possibility that school district employees might leave if there was a mandate to get a vaccination.

Humphries said showing proof of COVID vaccination is similar to other school district rules that require vaccinations against other diseases.

Lopez asked for more explicit language around whether employees who tested positive for COVID were exposed in the workplace, and how it would affect their sick leave. That information will be added to the plan, according to the motion.

Stephen Linkous, the district’s chief of staff, said that currently the district is trying to follow the CDC recommendations along with the Unified Government Health Department recommendations. The district requires masking in schools, and that policy will remain in place.

A video of the meeting is online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnolho4V9Zw. The discussion on the vaccine and testing policy starts at 1:54 on the tape. The vote on policy 2 is at 2:42.

The Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools Board of Education approved policy option 2 on vaccinations at the Sept. 28 board meeting. The board modified this option, adding volunteers to those who would be vaccinated or tested. Also, there will be further language in the future about sick leave for those who were exposed to COVID in the workplace.

Virtual job fair to be Wednesday and Thursday

A statewide virtual job fair will take place Wednesday and Thursday.

It begins at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 29, and ends at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30.

Job seekers will have the opportunity to meet virtually with multiple businesses, with the ability to live chat and conduct interviews through computers, tablets and mobile devices. Job candidates also will be able to upload their resumes to their virtual job fair account for employers statewide.

Gov. Laura Kelly is encouraging Kansans looking for employment to participate in the KansasWorks Statewide Virtual Job Fair.

“KansasWorks has done an exceptional job of adapting to the circumstances and continuing to connect Kansas employers with qualified job seekers,” Gov. Kelly said. “Our workforce plays a key role in attracting people and businesses to our state, and I applaud KansasWorks for emphasizing safety in helping Kansans seek employment and helping Kansas businesses fill open positions.”

In 2020, the Department of Commerce partnered with the Local Workforce Development Boards to offer virtual statewide job fairs as a way to continue to provide job opportunities and maintain a ready workforce for Kansas businesses. That led to 10 virtual job fairs, with the 10th in March 2021 attracting 159 employers and 538 registered job seekers. There currently are over 130 employers participating in the upcoming fair with hundreds of open positions.

“These statewide virtual job fairs offer a tremendous opportunity to help Kansans find meaningful employment opportunities in our state,” Lt. Gov. David Toland said. “The previous 10 virtual job fairs all succeeded in connecting job seekers with employers, and the virtual job fair to come will do the same in achieving more real results.”

The Virtual Statewide Job Fair portal features a Job Seeker Training video, a list of participating employers, and channels for attendees to register and login.

Open positions are listed on the registration page. Registration is required for each individual virtual event, regardless of previous attendance. As employers may request to engage in a video interview during the virtual job fair, job seekers are encouraged to dress professionally.


The registration page is available from a link on the the KansasWorks page at https://www.kansasworks.com/.


Any individual with a disability may request accommodations by contacting their nearest workforce center at 877-509-6757 prior to the event.